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I want you to look at this text
with me today that's so familiar to you, where these Jewish people
are given a choice. They have a choice between Barabbas
and a choice between Him and Jesus. And you see the choice
that they make, that they choose this notorious criminal who was
a thief, who led an insurrection against the government, who was
a murderer. They chose him over Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless Son of God. They chose Barabbas over Christ. And I believe if you would just
think about this, you realize that this is the choice that
men make when they choose the world over
Christ. They chose anarchy over Christ. They chose cursing over blessing. They chose darkness over light. They chose around us over Christ. You today make a choice. Christianity, in its message,
is an offer of a choice. God gives you that choice. It's
your free will to make a choice. I would try to persuade you to
choose Christ. There are loved ones here that
pray that you choose Christ. The Holy Spirit bids you to choose
Christ. But ultimately, this morning,
you make the choice. It's your choice. Nobody will
bring psychological pressure upon you to make the choice. Nobody will bring physical force
upon you to make the choice. But you today will make a choice,
and I ask you to listen to me, because there's no greater choice
that you ever make than what we speak of this morning. I look at this choice that the
Jews made. Pilate gives them the choice. Jesus or Barabbas. I see in it
a most incredible choice. It is absolutely incredible to
me that they chose a murderer, a thief, an insurrectionist over
Christ. We who know Christ, we who have
received Christ, we who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, Do
not understand anyone that would choose otherwise. It seems incredible
to me that people would choose anything other than Jesus Christ,
given the options. And especially that they would
choose what they do choose. We in America are making our
choice. We've been making that choice for the last 200 years. And we have again and again and
again reaffirmed our choice. We're making the choice of anarchy
over the Bible. We're throwing out the commandments.
We're throwing out the teaching of the Bible. We are banning
God from public life. And look at what has been the
result. It is incredible to me that men
would allow such teaching as evolution, as an alternative
lifestyle, homosexuality to be taught, as abortion to be taught, and stand against the Bible,
and stand against the commandments, stand against such teaching as
abstinence that we want our young people taught. It just seems
incredible to me. And then, not only what they
choose, but to choose against Jesus. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ
in all of his glory, in all of his perfection, in all that he
offers to the heart that receives him. And I say this morning that it
is incredible to me That right here in this room, that there
are some in this room that are going to choose against Christ.
You say, I'm not choosing against Christ. You are choosing. And
it is about Christ. That's ultimately what it's all
about. It's Jesus Christ. I'm not saying this morning that
you're choosing whether you're going to be a Baptist or not. That isn't what I'm trying to
push. But I'm telling you, as sure as I'm looking at you this
morning, that there's not a soul under the sound of my voice that
isn't going to make a choice. And it's incredible that you
would know that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. He had his blood for you. And it's
incredible that you could turn your back
on him and choose this world. This choice is incredible, it's
immeasurable. I don't know that they understood
how huge of a choice it was. I'm not sure that they appreciated
the values that were involved here, the worth, what was on
the line. I think all of us in our life
at times have made choices, and we didn't realize how important
was the decision we were making. I tell people, all the time,
that the second most important choice that you'll ever make
in life is who you marry. And I believe that. And yet people
make choices on a regular basis about who they will marry without
even a concept of how important that decision is. Whoever you
marry is going to be the mother or father of your children. Whoever
you marry is going to determine to a great extent how you live. And yet people get into something
that they can't, they're injured and their life is a mess. Because
they had no concept of how important was the decision. We make choices on a regular
basis that are very important because they involve several
years. I always think of that when it comes to automobiles.
Before I sign on the line, I want to realize I'm signing for four,
five, maybe six years. Maybe seven years I'm agreeing
to right now that I'm going to pay for something. It's a huge
decision when I think of it like that. These Jewish people, all they
thought of was their hatred and their bitterness toward Christ.
They could see no further than the hand in front of their face.
Look at what they said in verse 25. Pilate says, I am innocent of
the blood of this just man. Don't you wish it was just that
simple? It's not that simple. Pilate's not innocent. Pilate is still going to face
God in heaven over the decision he made here this day. In your
hearing, as we read, he said twice in this passage, that Jesus
Christ was a just man, and yet he sentenced him to die.
But then notice the Jewish people, in verse 25, they said, His blood
be on us and on our children. In one simple sentence, they condemned their future. They had no concept of what this
statement meant. His blood be upon us and upon
our children in 70 A.D. The armies of Rome under General
Titus circled Jerusalem, and they withstood him to the point
that they angered him. And finally the city fell, and
when it fell he was so angry that he went in there and slew
people and slew children in blood. float in the streets. All of
that's a result of right here. Jesus said to these same people,
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you together
as a hen that gathers chicks, and you would not. He says, now
your house is left desolate. And in 70 A.D. it happened. And you can follow their history.
There's no question this world has been anti-Semitic. We know
that. And it reached its peak under
Hitler when six million Jews were exterminated. Not only men
and women, but children. And one of the greatest atrocities
ever known to mankind. They said, let his blood be upon
us and upon our children. The decision they were making
was immeasurable in its consequences. They made an incredible decision! Barabbas over Christ! And when
they made that decision, they had no concept of what it was
about. And I'm telling you in this room,
from the front to the back, and I speak to you as directly as
I know how to, you have no concept of what you're dealing with if
you reject Jesus Christ. With the gospel, it's either
or. As I said last week, it's an ultimatum. Jesus Christ will be accepted,
or you will suffer for it. You say, my, that doesn't sound
like a gospel. The gospel is awful good news,
if you understand it. The gospel is good news because
already we stand condemned before God, but Jesus Christ died in
our place. He offered himself for us. And
if we receive it, we receive forgiveness of sin. But it's
our choice, and I'm telling you, it's the largest, it's the greatest
decision you will ever make! It's the most important decision
of your life! Because it's an eternal choice.
The Bible says, what is a man profited if he gains the whole
world and loses his own soul? And what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? No, it's a choice. But you need
to be very careful, because Jesus himself said, you count up the
cost. Somewhere in America, we have
it our own way. That's what we've been told.
You do it your way. But God in heaven has sent his
son to die in your place. And you have a choice. You choose
what you will do with Jesus Christ. But as I said to you last week,
you have no choice about what He will do with you. Now you come to this passage.
He offers them a choice. And the Bible offers us a choice.
Choose you this day whom you will serve. It's an inescapable choice. It's
an unavoidable choice. You, this morning, I make you
nervous. I'm nervous myself. I'm nervous that I might fail. I can't imagine. So you're here,
and I fail. I fail to show you how serious
this choice is, the solemnity of it, the weight of it. Just
a preacher, you make me nervous. It is the business of preaching to offer you a choice. But it's the business of preaching
to tell you that you must make a choice. It's inescapable. See,
what's happening today is we're being offered Christianity without
a choice. Celebration would be very simple and easy if you didn't
have to make a choice, wouldn't it? In other words, if I could
offer you a way to be saved and you continue to live just like
you're living. In other words, if you could
have both the world and Christ, wouldn't it be so simple? It
would change my evangelism. In fact, the whole rub with evangelism
is that you have to repent. If there is no repentance, if
you don't have to repent, it's a no-brainer, isn't it?
I mean, honestly, if I tell you that I can show you a way that
if you died tonight, you'd go to heaven, I ask you, do you
know for sure, do you know 100% sure that if you die, you will
go to heaven? And then I say, I can prove to
you and show you how you can know 100%. And then I tell you that we're
all sinners, and there's a penalty on sin, and Jesus paid that penalty,
and all you have to do is by faith, receive it! But I don't tell you that if
you're living in adultery, you've got to get out of that adultery
and turn from that wicked sin. And I don't tell you if you're
drunk that you've got to turn from it. If I don't tell you
that you're a liar, that you've got to quit lying. If I don't
tell you that you're a homosexual and you've got to turn from that
lifestyle. There's the rub. And I'm telling
you, the Bible says, except you repent, you shall all likewise
perish. The Bible tells us we have to make a choice. The Bible
says in 1 John 2, verses 15 through 17, where it speaks of all that
is in the world, lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
the plight of life. It said, love not the world, neither things
that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. You can't love the world
and love the Father at the same time. Jesus looked at the rich young
ruler and he said, I've kept all of the commandments the rich
young ruler did. What do I lack? And Jesus said, I'll tell you
what you do. You take everything you've got and you sell it, you
give it to the poor. You come follow me. Pick up your cross. And the Bible said he went away
sorrowful. Jesus lost the prospect right there. The problem with that man was
his greed. The problem with that man was covetousness. The problem
with that, Jesus put his finger on what was the skin of his life. Now watch it. God always puts his finger on
what is the heartbeat of our life. The woman at the well,
she said, Jesus said, I can give you water to drink and you will
never thirst again. She said, give me that water.
I don't want to be thirsty again. I want that water. And Jesus,
instead of leading her to pray, instead of the sinner's prayer,
he says, go call your husband. She says, I don't have a husband.
He said, you're right about that. He said, you've had five husbands.
And the one you're with right now is not your husband. Why
did Jesus do that? She's ready to receive this water.
She's ready. He dealt with her sin. And if
the Holy Spirit deals with you, he will deal with your sin. Repentance
in one word is a response. What happens is the gospel is
preached and the Holy Spirit works in our life and He calls
us to turn from the broad way and turn to the narrow. He calls
us to make a choice between the world and Christ. And repentance
is that moment in our heart where we respond to the call of God
and make that turn. That's the rub on evangelism. The choice is unavoidable. If
you truly come to Christ, you're going to make a choice. Don't let anybody tell you different.
The Bible says don't be deceived about these things. The unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God. Salvation began with
repentance, and repentance is a choice. It's a choice. That's why salvation is not as
simple to some. Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher
from the 17th century, the great leader in the Second Great Awakening,
he said, true conversion is a very rare thing. I find that interesting
that he said that. He didn't say conversion, he
said true conversion. True conversion is a rare thing.
This is the man who preached, centers in the hands of an angry
God. The difficulty with conversion,
the difficulty with salvation is this matter of choice. If I could offer you eternal
life and you could keep on living just like you're doing, you'd
absolutely be a fool, wouldn't you? Not to accept it. If I could baptize you and lead
you in the sinner's prayer and baptize you and that was it,
you'd be a fool not to. Do you know that's what's going
on across America? Do you know that's what's going on in our
Baptist churches across America? Our Baptist churches, listen
to me, young people listen to me, married people listen to
me, our Baptist churches across America are filled People living
in fornication, open adultery, and even homosexuality. And they are as sure to heaven
as if they're already there. And they've been told, don't
ever let anybody cause you to doubt that. When this book, this
book right in front of me says differently. It's an inescapable choice. You're
going to make a choice. It's unavoidable. If you truly
come to God, you've got to choose. It's this world or the next.
It's not both, friend. It's Jesus or the world, and you'll make
a choice. That's why America's not running
to the altar, that kind of altar. We're running to easy believism.
We're running to professions. But repentance is a response
to the dealing of God and what God deals with us is about our
life. So I look at this choice that these people made. They
chose anarchy. They chose Barabbas. It's incredible
to me. They made a huge choice. They
made a choice that affected them and affected their children and
affected generations to come. Just as your choice, Bill. No
man lives and no man dies to himself. Your choice affects
so many. The choice is unavoidable. Pilate,
he put it in their hands. He says, it's your decision,
it's your choice. Christ or Brabus, which will
you take? And the choice was right there
in their hands, and the choice is right in your hands today. Pilate's wife warned him, don't
have anything to do about this thing. These people here were
warned by Jesus, and I would warn you today. The choice is in your hands.
I'm going to ask you, what are you going to do with Jesus? What are you going to do? What are you going to do this
morning with Jesus Christ? I don't know your life, but I
do know this, and this is how God works, and I'm closing this
message and I'm done, but I know this. It is the work of the Holy
Spirit. to deal individually and personally
with people's lives. He works in such a way that you
feel like somebody has talked to the preacher about your life.
But they haven't. But the Holy Spirit works with
you personally. And He puts His finger right
on your life. And He's calling you today to
make a choice. Don't walk out of here choosing
against Christ. This is too big of a decision. What's at risk is too huge. I plead with you, in this room
today, there are individuals that a lot of prayer has gone
up for. There's individuals that are
in this room, this very room, this moment. Your life is at
a crossroads. You stand at a crossroads. And you're going to make a choice.
There may be some individuals that you're right on the edge,
you already know which decision you're going to make. I'm pleading with you in this
room tonight, I'm pleading with you across this room to reconsider
that choice. To write today, would you turn
your back to whatever is pulling you, whatever is alluring you,
whatever is holding you, whatever is ultimately going to destroy
you. I want to plead with you and
ask you to make the other choice. Don't say no to Jesus, who died upon the cross for you. Don't make that mistake. This
morning, please.
Jesus or Barabbas
An evangelistic sermon making clear the choice involved in coming to Jesus Christ. The Choice is Incredible, Immeasurable, and Unavoidable.
| Sermon ID | 1029051478 |
| Duration | 26:15 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | Matthew 27:21-22 |
| Language | English |
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