The Passive

Light green, Barabbas represents all of us like Barabbas we are rebels against the will of God and Jesus a man of perfect goodness, died in our place. Ill take the cross that was intended for us. The gospel is about one word right no matter how much else you know you have missed everything in the gospel. One word substitution. Theologian JD Greer. I'm your host Molly that events have you ever been on the sidelines of the field that wished you were playing in the game. Competitive edge was so strong and you wanted to just run out, grab the ball and start running right well were in a series called can't believe you were discovering the barriers that can hold us back from saving me looking at the arrest and trial of Jesus, and several people who missed out on salvation because it was easier just to stay on the sidelines.

They weren't interested in getting into thinking that speak if you missed out on any of the previous messages can catch up free of charge. JD Greer.com but first let's join Pastor JD with the message he's title called can't believe which were looking at seven different kinds of people in the gospel of John, who just for whatever reason, couldn't bring themselves to believe in Jesus were to look at someone who could not believe in Jesus. A man who could not believe in Jesus because he was passive. Passive.

You didn't even really make a decision about Jesus one way or the other just think the issue was all that important. Now past 70 years is a general problem in human nature. I think it's one particularly acute in our culture, and probably particularly among males in our culture. Passivity is when you don't direct active energy to something, even when you really should. Passive people have a tendency to just go with the flow to let things unfold as they will sometimes you're passive about something because you just don't place a great deal of importance on sometimes people are passive because to be frank it takes less courage to not make a decision. In many cases there. Does that make one it away.

Throughout John chapter 18 Jesus is going to confront the passive with the need to make a decision about him to reckon with what they actually think about him, and then to act on that on that knowledge will begin reading the verse four as the chopper opens Judas Judas. Jesus is betrayed Jesus and he shows up in the garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus's got a group of armed soldiers with number four. Then Jesus knowing all about what happened to him came forward and said to them, do you seek out boldness right here, don't miss the odd juxtaposition of phrases in that sentence. If Jesus knew all that was going to happen to him.

Why does he need to ask who they come to arrest where we go. Jesus is forcing them to a knowledge what they are doing this. He does this several times for this chapter because so many people go through life without ever evaluating what they're actually doing what Jesus but here's the thing a postponed decision can have the same functional effect is not making a decision.

For example, what I know that a lot of young people get in trouble with their retirement never get around to saving for when they're young make that decision is is that they fail to make the decision to save for retirement and that functionally becomes a decision not to save for retirement at the same result you sharpen your sexism up and retire on to Jesus is constantly in this chapter, forcing the question where you stand with me where you stand because the not decide for me 100% is to decide against me, Jesus, and now is a good exit ramp off the highway if you don't take the exit you are on that highway and you will go to go to where that highway is headed, so they answered in verse five we see Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I he knowing Greek. There's no he so it's just I am, which is of course the Hebrew name for God so verse six when Jesus said to them, I am later back and he fell on the ground which was clue number one that this was a bad idea right because this is naming you get not down on your can make a point of what you should pack up and go home right there you know you do it now. As a result, his voice so powerfully to bring Debbie up on the graves you see that his name is so powerful and not armed soldiers on the ground so he reaches out to help him up or seven estimate given you seek. And this time is much more meekly I might add just a matter of Sir not too much trouble to think we can go back later for the coming Jesus answered, I told you that I was. He remembered from the bowl. I spoke barely felt something of that member took you seek me, let these men go. This was to fulfill the word better than spoke of those of you gave me. I'm not lost even one something extremely important and what Jesus said there and how we set it back to a few minutes percent. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it struck the high priest servant, and cut off his right ear now appears not only to the party because if you remember the garden Gethsemane. He was groggy and he's grumpy and he shows up swinging by the way he's not named for the guys here. He's not sorrow you know try to do a little knife trick and he's trying to turn the canoe well luckily he missed his hack off his ear servicemembers about this so Jesus said, appear put your sword and see players on that drink atop the father is giving me now in Luke's account of this Luke adds that Jesus at that point reached down, picked up the guys here and reattached it, which is clue number two. This is a bad idea reattached your ear off to me about this one minute your ear is you waiting in your head is throbbing pain, you're staring at your blood here on the ground and the next minute he's reattached it. You can hear again.

As I got back on, but it look normal. This is strange. So the banner soldiers in the Other officers of the Jews arrest Jesus and bound him unbelievably insane. Verse 11. The analysts, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was a high priest that your Caiaphas would advise the Jews, that would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Now, throughout this chapter, the apostle John noted how Caiaphas accidentally fulfills every single part of God's plan of prophecy is what John is trying to show you is that what looks like Caiaphas is the control or pilot is in control is actually God is in control. As I pointed out verse 19, the high priest in question Jesus about his disciples and his teaching Jesus answered them, I spoke openly to the world have always taught publicly in the synagogues and in the temple all the Jews come together.

There's nothing that I said in secret to what you asked me as though you heard me and asked them what I said to them, they know what I said when he said these things.

One of the officer stated Bosch strategies with his hand saying is that how you answer the high priest Jesus answered him of what I said was wrong. The bear witness with me about the enrollment of what is right what you strike me you agree the restraint here is on believable to me at that point I didn't like how dare I say that the high priest, how do you strike the real high priest so I freeze the system but I was set up by me to point you to me is a few hours. A moment is holding obsolete and I will come back from the dead you feel when I saw brought in the clouds of glory. And then I would drop. I am not the mother. Lisa, truly, truly don't say Colorado you know something like that and it which is probably why… What role Jesus verse 28 Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning they themselves not into the governor's headquarters so that they would not be defiled so they could eat the Passover again. The irony here.

The corrupting and blinding power of religion in the Bible is unbelievable the guys were about to crucify the son of God were about to put on trial incarnate goodness and are worried about going to some guys house to be defiled so they can eat the Passover and pass reports. This got a crucify verse 29 supply when outside of M&A.

So what accusation you bring against this man, they answer them. If this man were not doing evil. We would not have delivered them over to you, which is what we call fancy word to station which we do not really answer the question is what your kids do to you when you ask a question that one answer about the bus early in answer so taken for yourselves and judging by your own wall but you said to him it's not lawful for us to put in your body the death which is a lie you the Jews could've called a lynch mob, and stoned Jesus like they would be receiving just a few.

A few months later and abated on that pilot turned his head, but the problem you see was that Jesus was way too popular among the people for the Jewish leaders to get away with dystonia they needed to be rid of Jesus and not have the people blame them for it to try to sell this all PalmPilot to get him to do the dirty work so they could get Jesus killed and they would have any responsibility for the Cedar again. John at verse 32.

This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show what kind of death he was going to die again. What John is showing you that this is all playing right into God's plan is one of the things that Caiaphas the high priest knew if he knew that the Romans would kill him by crucifying him by hanging them up on a tree in the Jewish people in the wall.

Deuteronomy 2123. It said everyone who dies hanging on a tree is cursed by God as to what that meant is that when the Jewish people saw that Jesus would die the crucifixion they would have to assume he was cursed by God Caiaphas to be like leadership roof is a fraud. He got cursed by God. The Romans killed him 2123 was cursed by God is why he died that way. But God's plan all along had been for Jesus to die, cursed on a jury and Caiaphas is executing it perfectly even if unintentionally, because this is how God mocks Satan what they intend for evil twist and turns and uses it for good. Now pilot is a pretty difficult position not only create too much of the pilot because that's just not what we do in church, but highly she was already on pretty thin ice. As a governor it only been in this position a very short amount of time a few months and he had already in those few months made some colossally boneheaded decisions.

For example, when Pilate first came into the office. He wanted to kind of establish his authority with the bank so he parades through the streets of Jerusalem with these big banners of you on the top of them with the image of Tiberius Caesar W. Emperor Tiberius Caesar and he melts those banners everywhere. Jerusalem, including putting one on top of the temple. Bad idea for Jews because you have any kind image of the temple area, much less one of the pagan Roman Emperor and put on top of the temple, so they're unbelievably furious and they ride so Pilate says all right let's have a discussion gets altogether the empathy and all these rioters surrounds them with Roman soldiers and he threatens to kill them. While some of the Jews called his bluff lay down the ground and bear their neck and say go ahead and tell us.

And Pilate knows he can't do that at this point and so it makes Rome lose face is a big embarrassment on him. A few months later eon that you needed some money to pay for an aqueduct. He wanted to build didn't have any money so he goes in and he rates the temple treasury again stupid decision number two, your rate in the Jewish Temple to build money both for something you want answer the Jewish people right again. This time Pilate has these on plainclothes officers.

I'm going among the people and kill them as if the people would know the visual Roman soldiers, so you only kill all these riders course people figure this out and is a big huge mess with a result of all these boneheaded decisions was that the Jews hated pilot in Rome was totally annoyed with particularly Emperor Tiberius had put put pilot on probation. One more misstep and he is fired as the governor that's the position.

The pilot is in one more riot and he's gone to the Jews know that and use that like you better do what we want to reload call uncle Caesar will get you out of here.

Subtilis in a tough place nurses headquarters again called Jesus and says them. Are you really the king of the Jews.

What what you're trying to admit that he's a Bible came to see him and he got a reason to kill Jesus answer do you say this of your own quarter that other say that you about me pilot answer denies you your own nation and the chief priest of delivered you over to me.

What have you done Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would've been fighting but I that I might not be delivered over to the Jews of my kingdom. She's not from the world.

The pilot says it him you are a king, Jesus answer you said on the king.

For this purpose. I was born for this purpose are coming to the world what the purpose bear witness to the truth. Everyone who was on the truth listens to my voice. Pilate says in verse 38 what is truth. After he said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them I find no guilt in him was discussion threat is on the political aspirations of a place where he could claim kinship and what it is not done it. He considers himself a spiritual king who bears witness to eternal truth there is no threat to Roman that verse 39 but you have a custom that I should release one man for you.

The Passover do you want to release re-release to you the king of the Jews and they cried out again. No, not this man give us Barabbas never ravish you she was a robber. Pilate knows he's being played.

He's is not boneheaded but is not stupid.

He knows he's being played. So he comes up with what he thinks is a pretty ingenious solution and under normal sales circumstances, it would have been an ingenious solution. The appeals to a customer, they would release one Jewish political prisoner at Passover as a sign of goodwill. So Pilate gives them what he thinks is a ridiculously easy choice and it was a ridiculously easy choice. On the one side, they got Barabbas who was a terrorist and a thief is harmed. A lot of people nobody likes him. Everybody Jews included knows this guy the public menace and he deserves to die and they have to choose between him and Jesus. Jesus, the one who taught people love their enemies to multiply.

Below is an efficient and hungry people and raise little girls from the dead, but the people inside about the Jewish leaders call out for the release of Barabbas, but in so doing, did you perhaps the clearest picture anywhere in the Gospels of what this whole thing is about. She Barabbas was a bad man by anybody's metric and he was a rebel. Jesus was the picture of innocence that Jesus will die and Barabbas is goal three.

Think about what that must've been like if you been Barabbas. Barabbas woke up that morning, assuming that by sundown he be dead, but that evening he sitting down having dinner with his friends and this strange man who embodied perfect goodness and virtue is hanging on the cross in his place.

We know that three people were crucified on that day and we know that on the right and left of Jesus were two people who were described as what Roberts gets to the third one of those once Barabbas Jesus is hanging on the cross that was intended for Barabbas and Barabbas is a home having dinner with his friends. Scholars point out that Barabbas's name is kind of strange that is kind of like not will be the main Barabbas bar means son of Abbas, means father to Barabbas means son of a father needed here, not a son of the father anybody. In other words, what he said is this is everybody. Barabbas by his very name represents all of us like Barabbas we are rebels against the will of God and Jesus a man of perfect goodness, died in our place. He'll take the cross that was intended for us to see the gospel is about one word and you'll get just one word right no matter how much else you know you have missed everything in the gospel. One word substitution substitution when we sit around here.

The soma church Jesus in my place. Now this theme has been drip throughout this entire chapter is all substitution that you saw in verse eight that Frazier pointed out to you.

When the soldiers come to Jesus and Jesus says if you seek me, let these men go what Jesus said, literally. Let these men go is the report CME which is the word, forgive what Jesus literally said is you take me. I want to release these guys.

I want you to forgive them. I want you to let them go. I'll be taking the walk free to see substitution of verse 11 Jesus statement to Peter after Peter Malthus's ear, so I not drink the cup of the father is given to me the cup was the Old Testament picture the wrath of God when somebody was being punished by God, but usually described that is taking the cup of God's wrath and drinking it in Jesus as God the father is stretching out the cup of wrath for the human race. Jesus steps in the way it is not.

I think that it was a cop that was intended for my sin a couple of rapid God intended for your sin and Jesus drank it in our place. You see substitution of verse 14 and Caiaphas's prophecy to one man must die for the people in the numbers 32-bit talks about the kind of debt. Jesus had to die. Like I told you earlier those you hung on the tree showed that they were cursed by God. We have been cursed by God. But Jesus would die cursed in our place.

You can see the mystery you can see substitution. The mystery how Jesus responds. The pilot, this chapter will tell us up at night will tell us that eventually Jesus would fall silent before Pilate started accusing him of all kinds of things open his mouth universally. It is recognized that when you are in a court of law and somebody's accusing you of things and you fall silent but essentially what you're doing is pleading guilty. Jesus pled guilty of everything he was being accused of not because he was still guilty, but because he was consenting to George Hill and was consenting to my guilt because Jesus all that behind Pilate and behind those Jewish leaders was the finger of God the father pointing to Jesus, accusing him of your sin. He was leveling to him the list of things that you and I had done and Jesus stood there silently consenting to the guilt that you brought up on yourself Jesus would go to the cross. An innocent man but Jesus would die on the cross a guilty one because I think it is 521 says at the cross, God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that I might become the righteousness of God in him that substitution. Jesus became my condemnation so I could become his righteousness. Christianity is not about moral improvement is not about slight changes is about one who is dying the cursed death of those were guilty and those who are rebels and guilty like Barabbas walking free.

That withholding is about and one word that describes every single thing the stories that word substitution. We play the role Barabbas. Jesus died in our place. By the way, but what you looking for assurance that God will forgive you, except you.

If you come to him looking for assurance.

This whole chapter screams it. The character chosen to play you in this chapter is the worst kind of person rebel murderer and extortionist minute.

Nobody likes Barabbas was the Osama bin Laden of his day that you God chose to play you in this narrative. And that was intentional because he is trying to show you that no matter who you are what you going Jesus death can free you. You see it in God's willingness to forgive.

You see God's willingness to forgive in the severity of the beating that they're about to get the Jesus chapter 19 says we can beat him Roman style and we know from history, Roman history a little bit about what that beauty was like they always administered with what they call a cat of nine tails which was along with it was the bottom of the nine different leather straps and into those leather straps were embedded piece of bone and glass and metal and the painful part of the beating was not just wind up the leather strap hit you as painful as that was, it was the back of his pieces of bone would embed in your skin and the Roman soldier. We cannot target just a little bit. The way you would do if you're trying to fish every bit you just a guess. Again, in an effort embedded in the skin. They would rip it so that we display the skin off the body of people who sold these things say it's not uncommon that you would see one of these had a nine tails embedded into a bone and you would see a man's rib crew flying off of his rib cage almost certain that when they got them at this meeting Jesus was at least partially disemboweled the flaps about web would have sliced skin and shredded it like a ribbon when they were finished, Jesus would have been left as a crumpled blooding. Keep you want to measure.

You want to measure for how, why, how high, how deep and how broad the love of God is for you to measure the cross is the measure of that love. You want to know if God loves you.

You want to know that God can save you want. You measure your answer to that question by the greatness of the sacrifice that he made for you to bear the price he was willing to pay for you. There you can establish the value of something that what you're willing to pay for Jesus put a value on you, it was worth him going through this.

So I repeat use words of John.

I want to give you a few weeks ago the greatest unkindness the greatest insult you down as measure Jesus has for its so hard to comprehend.

We need to accept his love. You're listening to Summit life with pastor JD Greer in a message titled the passive what pastor JD you've taught us that we can't separate the gospel experience from the mission experience can explain a little more what you mean by that. One of things we say is that if you truly experience the gospel it's going to always propel you outward carry the gospel to others see the stark reality is that, at most, only one third of our world is Christian and that's if you count everybody who identifies as Christian, which we know is not true. But even if you account everybody who claims Christians a true Christian. That means at least two thirds. About 4 1/2 billion people are on their own admission, not Christian and therefore oriented to the Scripture separated from God. Half of those people. After that 4.5 billion have little to no access to the gospel more than anything else. You and I have a responsibility in our generation to make sure they have a chance to hear the gospel before it's too late. And so I want to see us in Summit life take that responsibility seriously. We do that to the radio we do that by going on mission trips we do about planting churches.

We want you to be a part of all of those things will reach out to us in JD Greer.com would love you to become a gospel partner with us, just as a way of saying thank you to you. We would love to put in your hand. Some of the resources that we provide to this like this new 20 day devotional. I have: what is the gospel that will take you more deep into the gospel and I promise you press into it, you find this sweet compulsion pushing outward carry the gospel to people who don't know it, whether that's a son or daughter who lives in your house neighbor across the street or somebody in a country far across the world whose language you don't know.

But you know that you gotta do something to help get the gospel to come check it out in JD where.com and join up with us today. Three new 20 day devotional was written by pastor JD thanks don't to support this ministry level and $29 ingesting you now as part of keeping the message and expanding the mission percent and everything around nationally international when you get what is the gospel 2008 665-5228 five might be easier to get online. JD Greer and Molly benefit today is Tuesday.

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