TH180201/Indecision

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org indecision.

We've all experienced it at one time or another.

Now some people are indecisive by nature I'm actually not one of those people generally affect.

I tend to be overly opinionated about too many things I deny very strong opinions on the best food you eat.

The best restaurants to go to the best is the best I just asked me about anything you probably have an opinion. My wife will come to me with outfit options should I wear this or this and she knows him told of the two love that where that or do not wear that and you know it sounds cool but she actually comes to be for honest feedback. You know I'm trying to help her look her best, because she's so beautiful right so I'm generally very decisive. But then there are times when I'm indecisive a lot of times I go to a restaurant, especially if it's a new restaurant does it deal with these menus that I like the size of books. I like that with pages and pages and pages of options other than the server comes why is it that the server comes when you don't want them to come when you're in the middle of a conversation I take your order, and in bending under no think it matters something but then they don't come back for like 25 minutes and you're ready to order right so I feel under pressure. Server zero city Kathy to the menu to the menu figure what you can order and then I'll look at; we ask you about this and let me ask you about that and so you have to make a decision. That's why like In-N-Out Burger.

It just so simple it's just like burgers burgers and burgers, awesome fries, maybe a mall you get to patties a triple patties. If you're insane, do whatever you want to do, but these are the options for now you go to some take-out restaurant and they have so many options like Taco Bell what's going on over there as I call these Guardino for Dedo's but what is right. I just want a burrito and a talk: and there's all these choices and then the lines behind doing you know you can see the little signs you get right there so you're looking for. Now the of the lines building and you can understand the mythic what you are trying order and then that's the pressure that's on their well these things don't matter if you weren't rubber read or burger for lunch. It's not a life altering decision, but there are decisions that are super important in life. I think your career choice is a big one. But of course the good news is he going to be in one career and you can change course and have another career later in life, so that's not engraved in stone, but that's a big one who you're going to marry that superb bit super Bic. How many of you are single you're not married. Okay, that's quite a few of you, and you know I always save you look around right now because saw see it again okay look around and facing his eyes often say best place to meet your future spouse is in church right so that is true, but having said that I would to say take your time don't rush into marriage is old Benjamin Franklin once said, and by the way said this to me personally.

He said keep your eyes wide open before marriage and have shut afterwards right. A lot of times we have our eyes have shut before marriage that were married for two weeks and their open a while ago my right so think about it. Take your time, but the biggest decision of all I think next to marriage marriage would be second to it, but not next to marriage marriage would be. Second, this picture decision about what to do with Jesus Christ. There is no more important decision at all. Why bring that up because here before us in John 18 is a story of an indecisive man, a man who let others do his thinking for him to manage tried to appease a bloodthirsty physical crowd in his own troubled conscience.

He tried to find a middle ground to make everyone happy in his name was Pontius pilot pilot was a little bit like that soldier in the Civil War. He couldn't decide what side he wanted to fight for. So we put on the court. The code of the North in the pants of the South when on the battlefield and the ended up getting shot out from both sides. That's it happens to the man of the woman that lives in indecision. He was the consummate politician Pontius Pilate.

He was trying to appease everyone and thus made the worst imaginable decision. A decision no doubt he regretted for the rest of his life.

And here was the question that was brought to him and that is eventually brought to every man and every woman what are you going to do with Jesus. That's it. What you going to do a Jesus, you know, ultimately, when we stand before God.

It will be a single question.

There will be a son question SON. In other words, you will be will to do a little good life and did your good deeds outweighed your bad deeds and you get to heaven all your more bad deeds and good deeds and you go to help, not at all. It's all about Jesus Christ, God's provision for us to get into heaven, and because conventional thinking is that we live good lives will get taken evidently the guidelines will go to hell.

But here's the biblical truth. You can live in. Some people like this you can live a wicked life and at the very and repent of your sins and you can make it into heaven above some people unless you're the person who repented at the end and then you're very thankful and then another thing that people do like to hear is you can live a good life, relatively speaking, a moral life and end up in hell if you reject God's provision for you to get into Kevin who is Jesus crying.

So it's all about Jesus. Okay so here we are chronologically in the Gospel of John. The last time we saw a Simon Peter deny the Lord. He's been arrested. Now he's taken to the house of Caiaphas, he has already been cruelly beaten and rushed through a hastily prepared appearance before the religious religious elite of the day the Jewish Sanhedrin. There were sort of like the Supreme Court of today with the difference being they were religious rulers, so government and religion was intertwined at this time so they had great power they could decide if you would live or die. So Jesus appears before the former high priest Annis Ennis was like a godfather like Pres. presents over the functioning high priest who was Caiaphas, and by the way Annis was the father-in-law of Caiaphas.

It was a family affair and Jesus is appearing before these powerful individuals and having confirm that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. They send him to Pontius pilot now pilot was a pagan man is not a religious guy. He was sent to rule over these Jewish people.

He didn't like his job. He probably wanted to go back to Rome where all the power was the influence was, but he got chosen to take this task on and ended up presiding over the most important trial in the history of all humanity. The trial of Jesus Christ and Pilate wanted nothing to do with Jesus nothing to do with these religious debates.

But it was dropped right in his lab are normally around this time Pilate would've been kicking back at this winter palace over at Caesarea is sort of the Palm Springs of Israel.

If you will, but right there in the water very warm when the rest of the areas cold and see that the weather, a visual is very similar to California so it's a reminder of California when you're visiting Israel as a matter of fact, so Pilate would've normally been getting a little R&R but he had to be in Jerusalem because that was the Jewish Passover and so there were thousands and thousands of visitors in the city a lot of potential for trouble already. He was walking on egg shells with the religious leaders he had had run run-ins with them in the past and and add to this the fact that the top pilot was a mean guy. He was one bad dude. Actually, here's a description of him are written years ago from Agrippa to Caligula who was the Emperor after Tiberius, and he made the statement about Pontius Pilate. This is an extra biblical source, but a historical one.

He said Pilate is unbending and recklessly hard. He is a man of notorious reputation, severe brutality, prejudice, savage violence and murder. Apart from that is a really nice God no, he didn't say that.

So that's pilot for you. We would call him a hater today. This is a man who was mean, calculating, merciless, coldhearted, he was a killer and does so normally he would be quick to execute quick to condemn someone to death. No problem with that at all. But now he has his situation with this guy.

Jesus said he heard something about, but he really didn't want to deal with this now is also being investigated by Rome.

He was under surveillance by an order of the Emperor and so this is all going on was a FISA memo about it and I'm kidding, but that's in the news a lot right now and future watching the news so he was under surveillance and he was very he was being suspected of being a bad governor so here he is in this position a lot of pressure from Rome to not mess us up a lot of pressure with the lit religious leaders because of run-ins from the past. So there were all kinds of moving parts here.

That made this a very unusual situation when Jesus was brought before and so Pilate was trying to find a compromise like politicians often do a way to appease these religious leaders always do not have conflict with Rome a way to keep peace somehow and in though Jesus is proper form and it's probably just got reaction that Jesus isn't in an innocent man. So he's trying to find some way to resolve the situation, but there were other forces at work here that were more powerful than Rome, more powerful than the religious elite of those forces were the forces of heaven and the forces of hell in a rare moment. Historically, God and Satan were moving in the same direction, but with different objectives. Satan wanted Jesus dead so he marshaled his forces and played his wicked hand infiltrating the ranks of our Lord entering the heart of Judas Iscariot, Satan thought of the good of Christ put to death that would be the end of him. Course the father also was at work in this because Scripture said that Messiah would be crucified, and he would rise again from the dead three days later, so the father was at work. That is why it's a big mistake to try to place the blame of the death of Jesus on a particular group of people. So mostly will the Jews killed Jesus will that's really one sensors truth to it is also true that the Romans killed Jesus. But if you really want to know the biblical theological truth. Here it is. The father killed Jesus. What what the father didn't do it, but the father allowed it to accomplish his purposes because the Bible says it please the father to Bruce and didn't please the father in heaven to see his son suffer and die when it please the father to see his righteous requirements met in the sacrifice of his son who was a fulfillment of all of those Old Testament pictures and types. So the Lord was at work in this is well and by the way Christ leaders own life down, no one took his life from him. He voluntarily went on the cross to the cross.

One other thing you want to put the blame on someone blame me my sins put Jesus on the cross your sins put Jesus on the cross so this is a very unusual situation. That's all a part of God's big plan but Pilate did have a choice in the matter and he made the wrong choice. So let's read some verses together. John 18 starting in verse 20. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorian.

It was early morning, but they themselves did not go to the praetorian list. They should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover pilot then went out to them and said what accusation do you bring against this man speaking of Jesus. There so showing the complete sham of their so-called faith.

They don't want to going to Pilate's headquarters. The praetorian because I would defile them yet they're in this rush to crucify an innocent man, which was against everything the Torah, the Scripture spoke of soap there very religious and very wicked simultaneously, only we don't want to break our ceremonial lawn enter into this horrible place.

The praetorian, but by the way, when you murder Jesus in cold blood for us. Thank you very much talk about missing the point in this is the weird thing about religion of people can be very religious and very wicked at the same time because well I went to church and I give my confession to the priest for I was baptized or I receive holy communion or I did thus and so therefore now I can God and live like hell right until I go to church. The next time men are you missing the whole objective. There and so it's sort of a legalistic thing that these guys were observing.

They wanted Pilate to do their dirty work, or the pilot as a legitimate question. What are your charges against this man and his other dignities being impugned their response. Well, we would've handed them over to you if you want to criminal well pilot citizen judge them according to your law. He just gave them permission to put Jesus to death that they wanted to and by the way they did put people to death.

They did it by stoning. They stoned Stephen you remember the first martyr of the church so they did have the authority, especially in this situation to execute Jesus, but the Bible doesn't say that Messiah would die by stoning the prophecies say that he will die by crucifixion. Psalm 22 says they pierced my hands and my feet in the Old Testament we read the people asking him what did you receive these wounds in your hands and he says I receive them in the house of my friend so Scripture is very specific how Messiah would die. I don't think even they understood what they were doing, but in their mad rush to have Jesus killed.

They were fulfilling prophecy to a T. By specifically wanting Pilate to do it.

That's because the Romans were experts in crucifixion. They didn't invent it.

They got up from the Carthaginians and the reason the Carthaginians would crucify people as their belief was they should not touch the earth. They should be elevated above the earth, so they would hang them on crosses, but the Romans to get to new levels of twisted, sadistic, painful torture. Crucifixion was not death by Nielsen your hands and feet.

Amazingly, you can actually survive such a thing.

It was death by suffocation, and really the purpose of crucifixion was to torture a person.

It was to use them as an example to anyone who would dare to defy the power of Rome so it was not uncommon to going to Roman cities and see the streets lined with crucified men on your left and right.

People were very familiar with crucifixion back in this time, but this is what Scripture said that Messiah would die this way, they say, verse 31 were not permitted to put anyone to death. Actually, they were in this case were told Gordon do it, but they were say no you do it and I and by the way, Jesus himself said this is how he would die over in Matthew 20. He said when we get to Jerusalem. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law, the sentence in the die hand them over the Romans to be marked with an crucify and on the third day be raised from the dead. So look at verse 31 John 18 then Pilate said to them, you take them and judge them according to your law that you said oh it's unlawful for us to put anyone to death. The scene of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke signified by what kind of death he would die.

Then Pilate entered the praetorian again called Jesus and said to them, are you the king of the Jews, Jesus answered, are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me. Pilate answered my shoe your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me what you done Jesus answers my kingdom is not of this world, my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate therefore said to him, what are you a king then Jesus said, you rightly said, I am a king.

For this cause I was born for this cause I've come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate said to him, what is true and when he said this, he went again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault in this man.

While powerful story.

Pilate partly heartlessly asks Christ.

Are you the king of the Jews. Let me help you understand the scene Jesus is been severely beaten at this point they've hit him in the face with their fist. You know, I've never been hit in the face with a fist. It's not like it is in the movies right, you don't smile you like the movies they make you look like it's finally another big brawl and hit everyone on the face know his he was hit in the face with a closed fist multiple times. His beard was ripped from his face.

Imagine a painful, that would be was slap he was shipped all over the body. So he's really beaten up so you standing there are very beaten man in part allowed to visit, like, are you the king of the Jews. You so it's very demeaning the way that Christ is addressed by Pontius Pilate.

Are you the king of the Jews, Jesus says, well it it is as you say Pilate are pretty much seen it all, all criminal penalties in Judea were subject to pilots ultimate approval or veto. Basically, if you were sent to death. It had to be okayed by Pilate and all of them, of course, protested their innocence alignment is and I didn't do it and Jesus is not doing that and everybody does that.

When they're caught by cops right I didn't I wasn't speeding Eliza's document one of the police officers that fellowships are with us and I think what's the craziest thing that a person is ever said to you when he pulled him over for speeding. He said a lady told me I pulled her over and she said she had her Chihuahua on the car. She said sorry officer. My dog eat chocolate and I'm rushing him to the hospital he gave her a ticket because he said that wasn't a dog that was in kind of a rat or something or knowing we have controverted all you know when it when a police officer pulls you over and your sarcastic or rude Europe is going to get a ticket for sure right don't say things LIKE little to some real criminals to arrest or you need directions to the donor chopper don't say stuff like that. The police officers have some respect.

Sorry officer. I know realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in though. Don't say that to a cop if you're if you're speeding, here's what you say to a cop officer. I'm sorry I was speeding I shouldn't of done that many might let you walk. Maybe good chance you won't either depends on fast you were going but just be honest they they've heard it all and Pilate had heard it all.

Every lie. Every excuse not from Jesus. Why, because Christ was innocent.

In fact, Pilate was unnerved at the calmness of Jesus in the face of his own death and Jesus talked about two to the man who did not believe in truth he says in verse 37. I come to bring truth to the world and all who love the truth recognize that what I say is true, Pilate callously responds. What is truth that we don't know how he said did he say it this way all what is truth like reveal it to me or did he say it more like what is truth. You say truth is a really true that I tend to think that was the way he said he's like a lot of people today a moral relativist I read recently that 67% of Americans say there is no such thing as absolute truth.

And I was Pilate.

He probably didn't believe in absolute truth, he was a pagan Roman man yet truth incarnate was standing before him. All he wanted to do was get Jesus out of his chambers he he wanted to get out of this situation there. People like this that we encounter. We start talking to them about Christ… Like I want to change the subject. I had a perpetual conversation with my mother for 35 years minimum about her spiritual state and every time I brought the subject of my faith for the Bible or anything related to my mom's automatic response was I don't want to talk about it and finally we had a conversation shortly before she died. Thankfully she committed her life to Christ. But there are people that don't want to talk about it that was Pontius Pilate. He did not want to enter in to this conversation is something he dislikes Jesus in particular. Maybe he even admired him a little bit of a pilot.

This is all about his political career.

I don't want to conflict is my let you go by spring. You then they're going to get mad at me these religious leaders.

There's going to be some kind of Orion Romans get a discipline.

We may even execute me. I don't know.

All I know is I've got to get out of this situation.

Because for Pilate. Jesus was like a political hot potato. Okay, so now we have an interesting insight from another gospel. Luke. Luke tells us that he said to the leaders. I find no basis for a charge against this man and they responded by saying he stirs up the people all around Judea by his teaching.

He started in Galilee and is come all the way here. Oh, I found a way out Galilee oh that's not my jurisdiction. You're telling me this guy from Galilee. All that is a jurisdiction of my enemy hair and I can't think of something I'd rather do than dump this on his doorstep.

So pilots as I tell you what. This is not my turf that you have to take them to hear it so immediately.

He washed his hands and symbolically speaking of this whole situation. So Jesus is taken here that's another story for another time. I inheres King Herod who rules over Galilee and he has all kinds of questions for Jesus peppers Christ with question after question as to Jesus will do a trick does only Jesus average of the miracle worker do something or Presley. Not only did Jesus not do a miracle for Herod.

Jesus didn't say a single word to him and I find it very interesting because Jesus had a lot to say to a lot of people. We don't believe me, get a red letter Bible and read the New Testament look of those Gospels all the things Christ said he had long conversations said a lot to so many, but they carried he did not speak a single word. He was the man who never heard God's voice so he sent Jesus packing back to Pontius Pilate. Pilate thinks he's he's over this. This is not a problem anymore he's done with it. And now Jesus is brought before him again. It's… Say Jesus is back.

By the way, Herod sends his love. Here's Jesus again. His heart sank once again to do that here stands before him, God in human form. Think about this. He could've asked Christ any questions and got an answer and to the point though Jesus had nothing to say to the wicked Herod. He had plenty to say to Pontius Pilate, so pilots could engage Christ to could've asked committee question in even more. He could event any sins forgiven if he would've repented of it and he had many sins to confess as a Roman governor because he executed thousands of people and I'm sure many of them were innocent.

Imagine the privilege of having God incarnate stem before you got good news.

Jesus is here with us right now.

Just as surely he was as he was standing before Pilate 2000 years ago. He's here right now he can answer your questions, he can forgive you of your cents.

You can have a relationship with him like Pilate could have had, but rejected and so now Pilate has another idea. He does want to make a decision about Jesus. All I thought is something all this is brilliant. This is it.

He remembers that there is a custom among the Jews to release a prisoner at Passover since I just got to the crowds and all say all who do you want me to release Jesus the miracle worker, Jesus is the one who feeds your empty stomach. Jesus, the one with this wonderful teachings or this total creep. Barabbas Barabbas was an insurrectionist, which is another way of saying he was sort of like a terrorist had dedicated his life to the violent overthrow of Rome. No doubt Barabbas had killed many people and that's why he was going to be sent to across so by the figures are put you know Jesus out there, and Barabbas out there for sure the people again is a free Jesus and then II get to say sorry with the will of the people, religious leaders, there is nothing I could do but of course the religious leaders infiltrated the crowds and start them all up and said no call for Barabbas to be released. I'm sure Barabbas was really shocked that day when they said release Barabbas that's exactly what happened. So over there in Matthew 27 we read these words that the people said, let him be crucified. They screen these words out, let him be crucified in a Luke's gospel tells us, with loud shouts. They insistently demanded that Christ be crucified in their shouts prevail that they could literally be translated.

They screen the screen, let him be crucified and let his blood be upon us and upon our children. They said that no one is Pilate going to do, so he's trying to get out of this thing he tries to hang them up to here that doesn't work, he tries to get them free, and they choose Barabbas over Jesus and now to add to his misery. His wife shows up. She says honey, I had a dream about Jesus have nothing to do with this.

Just man, it's very interesting twist in the story. What was this dream is pagan Roman woman did not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She believed in the many gods of Rome, which they really just swipe from the Greeks with all their god and goddess worship and so here's a woman who has some kind of a dream that sounds like it was from heaven, perhaps, but the reality is, instead of saying have nothing to do with this just meant you should've said have everything to do with this. Just man if I call out to this.

Just man in heaven forgive you of your sins were Jesus, no steer clear this guy Jesus he's bad news. Have nothing to do with him. So Pilate was hearing a lot of voices on this day. Here the whites of his wife and told him have nothing to do with Jesus, the voice of the bloodthirsty multitudes who cried out, crucified him, the voice of his own conscience, no doubt attesting to the innocence of Christ and then he heard the voice of Jesus himself and Jesus says to Pilate. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice so will Pilate do next. Over Matthew 27 is the answer. Verse 24 pilots. I wasn't getting anywhere getting anywhere in a right was developing so he sent for a bowl of water and he washed his hands before the crowd it is that I am innocent of this man's blood.

The responsibility is yours and the people responded led his blood be on us and on our children. It's like a lot of people again today that they just you know they want to put it off. They don't want to deal with it and that's a Pilate was doing. I am not going to deal with this issue and it ended up jamming his soul. He shared responsibility in the worst crime in human history. Rights-of-way Craig, you said that was God's plan. So in a way wasn't Pilate doing what God wanted him to do.

No, actually not. Yes, it's true. Scripture said Messiah would die by crucifixion, but will demand that crucified him. Woe to the man who betrays him back Peter as he preached the gospel after the resurrection said this is what happened in this city for Herod antibusiness Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Gentiles and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus so Pilate was culpable and he was called out and so he shared responsibility in this horrible crime he hardened his heart the very voice of God. Despite the fact that he knew that Jesus was innocent in a Pilate died a tragic death as well because we know historically that he was banished to Gaul by Caligula and that he suffered what appears to be a mental breakdown in the ultimately committed suicide. We know that historically, so Pilate had his chance, Pilate is wicked as he was going to believe in the son of God, he heard with his own ears, the voice of God. But his craving for popularity and power was more importantly, say what an idiot yeah he was just what people do the same thing today people choose other things over Christ.

Some choose career over Jesus. That's what Pilate did. Effectively this career, his political career was more important than Jesus Christ.

The very son of God. People do that today while my my career is the most important thing in my life. I want to be successful. I don't care what it cost me and care what it cost my family all sacrifice my integrity and sacrifice my standards. I'll even sacrifice my faith whatever I have to do to get ahead. It's all about success really is not bad to want to succeed in your field of endeavor, but don't do it at the expense of your faith because I believe whatever you do, if you will do it for the glory of God. The Lord will bless you and if you can't do it for the glory of God. Don't do it. And clearly there are some jobs you can do for the glory of God. Okay, I do God's calling me to rub being said, just pray no that's a compass I'm feeling led to be a stripper at second work.

Some things just can't go there.

Sorry, but there are other things you can do, and they're not ministry per se, but there a vocation that you have the skill set for and you can go there and work with integrity and put in a good day's work and be honest and then as you advance and you probably will if you work hard you can give honor to the Lord and use it as a opportunity to share your faith, so you don't have to make a choice, but some people do they choose career over Christ.

Others choose people over Christ, people are more important than Jesus what their friends think are more important than what God thinks nothing of the way people are in social media today. They're so worried about how many followers they have only followers I haven't. These without how many likes that I get for the last post pointing get enough likes and sometimes people people build these completely fake profiles of themselves led to this effectively a virtual person you don't even know what they look like, because when they post a photo the is all the little filters to look better right with this one makes me look thinner and this one looks this way and and so you do all that you know retouching and everything in and you have your perfect little life we never take pictures of what were really look like some people do, but most don't you get up in the morning just woke up.

I would take a soaping process is my profile. No you wait for the lighting to be writing seven digit picture and you say no to get again noting I don't like good fat not think you know that Scott was so concerned beginner just a thought those people that are your friends out there phase but they're not your friend. Those people that fall, he went twitter they don't really care about you. Generally, so don't worry about all that the little things become more important to you than what God thinks look better to succeed in God's eyes, and feel in the world.

Size. Nothing is more important than pleasing the Lord make that number one in your life and I think if you make your look on carport.

Please, I know eight people really wanted to clap and the rest of you just went along with it. But that's okay I want to give the credit anyway that let later clap doesn't count it all, but maybe it does. I like that.

But here's the thing, make it your life's goal to please God put God first in everything that you do. Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you, what things while he was talking about what you can eat what you can aware of all the things that we care about and in our case to give you where you can live or what your future is are who you marry whatever you're thinking about all these things will be taken care of if you put God first, what is it mean to seek first the kingdom of God. It means studying the Bible know what the Bible says about things and do what the Bible tells you to do that to deliver a biblical life. Here's a promise. Jesus made his Wendy as disciples of the Lord. We left everything to follow you. Listen to this promise of price because it applies to you as I assure you that everyone who is given a pals or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property for my sake and for the gospel sake will receive now and return 100 times over houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, property, with persecutions and in the world to come. They will have eternal life.

For many who seem to be important now will be the least important than and those are considered Lee's dear will be the greatest that money loosely paraphrase that whatever you give up to follow Christ will be replaced with something far better is something far better for you. So God says no God take something out of your hands. You see, that's not fair. Got to just hang on. Now, okay, and he's going to give you something better in its place and maybe in this life, and may not be in this life because it will be tragedies there will be setbacks. There will be inexplicable things that happened to you that make no sense but God promises he will compensate. He will repay. Don't make it up to you and we get to the afterlife will see how true that really will all be sorted out. It'll all be settled will all make sense.

So until that day. My job, our job is to just walk closely with the Lord and put Kim first Pilot. He had the ultimate opportunity.

He had God standing in front of him and he said well I am looking to make a decision and he washed his hands.

I wash my hands of this matter can't wash your hands of Jesus.

This is an either/or decision.

This is a yes or no proposition.

Jesus says you either for me or against me. So was pilot for Christ or against them. It was against him. While he didn't say was against him yes but by not being for him. He turned him away.

He was against them, so we might say well I'm not against Jesus. I just don't necessarily believe in all the things you guys say Jesus is but I sort of admire him for your against them will know you're putting words in my mouth. No, Jesus makes radical claims.

He says that he is the very son of God, he says, that is, he is the only way to heaven says there's no other way to heaven. These, as I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes of the father but by me.

Not you believe that, then follow him or say. I don't believe that and reject him and face the consequences. But we try to carve out this little in between spot right will will I believe it but I don't totally believe her but I don't totally disbelief while you're just like the guy mentioned with the code of the North in the pants of the South. You're getting shot at from both sides right get out of that stupid.

No man's land of indecision and make your decision and stop letting other people do your thinking for you. We do that all the time will I believe we would. We believe will look at each other. What do you believe believing what God chose you to believe that he gives you the standards. It gives you the absolutes and I may be popular and may not be popular.

Generally, it is unpopular by the way, that doesn't matter. What matters is what's right.

So in closing your favorite part of the message.

I know in closing for some of you Jesus Christ is as much here with us right here right now as he stood before Pontius Pilate and the decision pilot had to make. You have to make. Now I assume most of you here are Christians, but not all of your some of you are visiting for the first time some of you have them in the church in a long time. Some of you maybe have come to this church but there's never been that moment when you said I am more Jesus, I am now going to follow Jesus your your beyond I'm looking into it. Phase you're now ready to say I want to be a Christian, Christ living inside of me and I can happen just like that.

I want to close by extending the invitation for you to believe in Jesus and be forgiven of all of your sin Inc. about it pilot was a wicked guy.

He murdered a lot of people. He could have been forgiven and we could've seen them in heaven one day all, but he didn't want that.

He wanted to be popular and in it he really wasn't even popular that they Ernie is all fell apart form on top of everything else lose lose when you believe in Jesus. It's win-win. When in this life and the life to come, but again is a sentence yes or no. Are you for Jesus or against them. Make your decision right here right now. Let's pray father, thank you for your word to us.

Thank you for your death, Lord Jesus on the cross and how you died there in our place and pay for all of our sins and now I pray for any here any that are listening or watching wherever they might be. Help them to see that the same proposition that pilot faced is being faced by then what will they do with Jesus. He stands at the door of our life in Enoch's it says about here. His voice and open the door will come in. We can either open the door and ask a minute we can leave the door shut and in effect, turn them away. I prefer anyone here that needs to open that door that needs to believe Lord that you would help me to do it right now, heads up Gardner eyes are closed, praying together. How many of you would say tonight. Greg pray for me.

I want Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sin. I want to go to heaven when I die I want to invite Jesus into my heart.

I want to follow him and I want him to forgive me of all of my sins right now is that your desire. If you want Jesus to come into your life if you want him to forgive you of your sin if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you raise your hand up wherever you're sitting in the periphery of the blushing of the shoot couple shoot you.

Anybody else raise your hand up, I reckon see it. God bless you and you and God bless all bunch of your peer front. There toward the back of bless you two in the very back of bless anybody else says your moment.

Remember to not say yes is to say no to not be for crisis to be against them. You want to be against Jesus or you want to be for Jesus was that if your for him. Now he'll stand up for you then.

But if you reject him now will turn you away that this is time. This is the most important decision of all anybody else you want Jesus Christ to come in your life tonight.

Raise your hand upon me.

Pray for you, bless you.

Anybody else raise your hand.

Bless father I thank you for each one of these and I pray now you give them the strength to stand up and follow you that this will be their moment of decision, we commit them to you now in Jesus name, amen