Welcome to An Orderly Account with Pastor John Stoos as he continues a journey through Luke's orderly account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Church of the King strives for biblical worship, which views the Lord's Day as the time when God meets His people to renew His covenant with them. Covenant renewal is characterized by God's calling us to worship, a time for the confession of our sins, the hearing of God's forgiveness based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, the new life and His resurrection, presenting our offerings, approaching the throne of grace and prayer, and His teaching us from the Word of God. Now, here's Pastor Stews. As we've moved through Luke's orderly account, I have made the case that he clearly shows Jesus being tried before three courts, where in the end, these accusers that were trying Jesus were in fact tried by Jesus and found wanting. Luke now summarizes the trials of Jesus with him back in front of the Roman governor Pilate. And he wants to make sure that we do not miss the point that Jesus is the innocent one who is about to be wrongly condemned. This is exactly what the law and the prophets had said would happen. It is what they had said must happen. Jesus had come to Jerusalem at His appointed time to save His people from their sins. And this could only be accomplished by the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, who had been promised since man left the Garden of Eden in shame." The first thing that we should have jump out from our text reading this morning is that Pilate declares Jesus to be innocent. Not once. Not twice. But three times, Luke tells us that Pilate declared for the third time, I have found no reason for death in him. The innocent one is being condemned and will be crucified. This is the power and the offense of the gospel, the good news. God is laying the punishment for our sin on His own innocent Son. Paul tells us that it is the aroma of life to those who are being saved. And it is the stench of death to those who are lost. The Good News. The Good News that is proclaimed by saints around the world at this table throughout this Lord's Day with thankful hearts. is the aroma of life. But that same good news is also attacked viciously by those who have rejected God, both outside and sadly in some quarters inside the church. The atheist of the hour today is Christopher Hutchins. or Hitchens. And he says that the idea of God punishing His own innocent Son for our sins is barbaric. Who could worship such a God? And sadly, there are some in the emergent church and the post-modern movement who echo this by discussing whether or not it would be child abuse for the Father to treat His Son in such a way. You see, they understand The gospel. They understand what is being presented here as God's plan for salvation, and they reject it because of their human pride. It's not a lack of education. It's not a lack of understanding. They see clearly what's being presented, and they don't like it. But you see, as God's children, we rejoice at the good news. just as Abraham did when he saw that ram caught in the thicket and realized that that ram would give his life to save his son Isaac. A beautiful picture of what was now taking place in Jerusalem as Jesus would do the same for all of His people. What we see here before the judgment seat of Pilate is the spotless Lamb of God being condemned in our place. Pilate comes out from his first examination of Jesus in the Praetorium after sending Him off to Herod, and gathers the chief priests, the rulers, and the people before his judgment seat. Only God knows the hearts of men. but we certainly can see the fickleness of the crowds that Luke has often focused on and that I've talked about as coming simply to see the show. Many who were caught up with the hosannas on Sunday are now proclaiming, crucify Him, crucify Him on Friday. And when we look at Pilate, we see that in reality, He was a very weak man. Pilate has found Jesus to be innocent, and yet he tries to compromise with the religious leaders and the growing mob, rather than standing behind his own judgment. In the end, Pilate completely capitulates to their demands. When we consider all four gospel accounts together, we see that Pilate refused good counsel from so many different quarters. Good counsel that would have given him the wisdom to have done what was right in terms of justice. First, his own examination of Jesus. Established the innocence of Jesus, which he declared three times. We saw two weeks ago how Jesus had presented Himself as the King of Kings, which Pilate dismissed with the very modern excuse of, oh, what is truth? How could we all know? John also tells us that when the Jews said that Jesus had made Himself the Son of God, Pilate once more became afraid, and he returned inside the Praetorium to examine Jesus again. It is here that Jesus tells Pilate that he has no power over Him. that has not been given Him by His Father. We know from Matthew's account that Pilate's own wife tried to warn him by relating what God had shown her in a dream about Jesus. None of this gave Pilate the courage or the wisdom to do the right thing and to release Jesus because he was innocent. Instead, Pilate did what men often do when trying to work things out in their own strength and their own wisdom. He first looked for some compromise or a way out of the spot that he found himself in. Pilate declares that Jesus is innocent, but then he goes on to say that he will scourge Him and release Him. Scourging was a cruel Roman punishment where men were beaten almost to death with whips made of leather straps that had been embedded with pieces of metal and bone so that they would actually rip and tear the flesh. There was no justification for doing this to an innocent man. But Pilate hoped it would win over the crowd and avoid his having to crucify Jesus. When Pilate sees that this does not change their minds, he offers to release Jesus as a guilty man, which was the custom during the Passover feast. He hopes to get out of his pickle. He tries to make it a sure thing by offering the most notorious criminal he had available as an alternative to Jesus so that the people would be sure to pick Jesus. The depravity of man. is always shocking to see. And we see it clearly with these crowds this day. They cry, away with this man and release to us Barabbas. Now we see why Jesus wept over Jerusalem as He entered the city on that Palm Sunday. They not only wanted to condemn and kill the innocent one, but they cried for the release of a murderer with no penalty for his sin. This should not shock us, because we often see people refuse the help that God so freely offers. And they do so for the love of their own sin. Their vain hope is that they too will somehow be released like Barabbas without facing the consequences of their sin. A lesson that we should learn here from these actions by Pilate is that there is no compromising with the devil or with our own flesh. Satan is always ready and willing to steer us in the wrong direction, and our flesh is quite willing to go along, even when it brings about our own destruction. As the proverb says, he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death. Demonstrating the vanity of trusting in politics, we then see that Pilate completely capitulates and succumbs to the crowds. The man Jesus, who he had determined had done no wrong, was now handed over to be crucified. The innocent one is condemned. In one final desperate attempt to free himself from this mess, Pilate tried to wash his hands of the whole affair. Pilate said, I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it. I'm not guilty. I may have turned Him over to you so you can crucify Him. It may be my soldiers that put Him on the cross, but I have washed my hands. It's not my fault. Sadly, once again, Pilate even declares that Jesus is innocent again. He calls Him the Just One. But then he hands Him over to be crucified. No amount of hand washing. will remove Pilate's sin. This futile action should remind us, however, of all of the attempts that men make to deal with the problem of sin. They vainly hope that by doing some rituals or a few good deeds, they will somehow cover up what they have done wrong. They try yoga or meditation or even education to somehow try and remove the guilt of sin. There are those that become very religious, like these Jews who are present at this trial, who trusted and believed that God would be pleased with the Passover sacrifice that they would make the next day after they have killed his own son. Such is the futility of man's efforts. In our pride, we quickly see this problem in others, but we are often blind to where we do the same. As offensive as it is to our prideful human nature, the problem of sin is dealt with only here, at the trial of Jesus. The innocent one must be condemned in our place. The innocent one must go on to not only suffer the physical torment of scourging and crucifixion, but he must take upon himself the wrath of God that was due toward our sin. where we will see Him cry out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? We cannot excuse our sin. We cannot cover up our sin. And we certainly cannot ignore our sin. We must take it to the cross, confessing with King David to the Lord that against Him and Him alone we have sinned. and done great evil in His sight. Then, and only then, we can claim the promise of forgiveness that is based on the work of His Son, Jesus. God is in fact able to be the just One. He maintains His justice while He justifies even wicked sinners like us. In the end, the poor, weak governor of Rome was simply an instrument of God. In this case, Pilate's role was to declare that Jesus was innocent, and then to go on to condemn the innocent one so that he could be sacrificed as the spotless Lamb of God. In the history of God's people, in our history, We have seen God often use civil rulers to accomplish His purposes. Where the Pharaoh of Egypt was used to demonstrate the awesome power of God to deliver His people. Where King Nebuchadnezzar was used to punish God's chosen people, taking them into captivity. Where King Cyrus was used to declare that God's people were to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the walls to prepare the way for the coming of Messiah. Where in the book of Esther, we see civil magistrates being used by God to protect and to prosper God's people. And now Pilate, who has provided the means for God to fulfill the first promise that had been made to our fallen race. With the crucifixion of Jesus, Demanded by the Jews and ordered by the Roman governor, we see Satan able to bruise the heel of Jesus, but in the end, having his own head crushed by the seed of the woman. The spotless Lamb of God, who was pictured by Abel's faithful sacrifice, will now save his people from their sins, releasing them from the penalty and the power of sin. In closing, I want us to meditate for just a few moments on a portion of the prophet Isaiah. It's a portion that is often called the fifth gospel because it so clearly presents what we see in the four gospels here in the final days of Christ's life. I want to pick it up at verse 7 of chapter 52. where the prophet says, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns. As we've often said, none of this was a surprise to God. He wasn't expecting the Jews to embrace His Son. and accept Him as the Messiah. God knew what His Son was going to go through, but He understood that it was a proclamation of good news and that it would bring salvation. God's great plan of salvation. In verse 8 we read, Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, and with their voices they shall sing together. For they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion. Break forth into joy. Sing together. Your waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Jesus came to comfort His people. But it would come at a great cost. Behold, My servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him, for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider." The Jews and even the disciples of Jesus expected a conquering Messiah who would come with power and strength and save their nation. And such would certainly be the case. But not before Jesus came as the suffering Messiah who would solve the problem of sin. Going into chapter 53. Who has believed a report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground he has no form or comeliness. And when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire in him. He was despised and rejected by men." The picture that we have to keep before us as we read these words is a tired, beaten and marred Jesus. Jesus had been up all night. He had been through trial after trial, most of which came with beatings. He would now face the scourging by the Roman soldiers. He would face the thorny crown that would be driven into His head. He would have been, as the prophet said, marred beyond recognition. Hard to even recognize as He went along that path to be crucified. No men would look to Him at this point for salvation. He was despised, Isaiah says, and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from Him. He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely, He has borne our griefs. and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. From the human standpoint, those who saw Jesus beaten and exhausted, walking to Golgotha to be crucified, would not have seen any hope or salvation. But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes, we are healed. The innocent one has been condemned. And now he takes upon himself the penalty that was due our sin. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, and yet he opened not his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shears is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgressions of My people, He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked, but with the rich at His death. Because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. And yet, It pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge, My righteous servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sins of many and made intercession. for the transgressors. Brothers and sisters, this is the good news. The good news that we are to believe and that we are to proclaim. We serve the King who reigns today at God's right hand. The King who has poured out His Spirit upon the church. The King whose kingdom will fill the whole earth. But we are commanded We are commanded to gather around this table, this table that proclaims His death until He comes. Because it was there that the innocent one paid the price for our sin and crushed the head of Satan just as God had promised. Thank you for listening to Pastor John Stewes of Church of the King. Join us next week at the same time as the journey through Luke's orderly account of the gospel of Jesus Christ continues. You're invited to join us for Sunday worship at 11 o'clock, where biblical worship is characterized by the active and vigorous participation of the entire congregation. Church of the King is a pro-life, pro-family church where all baptized children participate in worship, including the Lord's Table, on a weekly basis. To learn more or to hear this message in its entirety, visit orderlyaccount.com or call 916-451-5660. and conquer, still at Vance's command.