Matthew chapter 27, the title of the message
is, I am Barabbas and so are you.
And that's going to make sense once we
get to the end of the message.
But right now I'm just going to read
in Matthew 27.
I can tell you what page it is
in my Bible, but that might not help
most of you.
Matthew chapter 27, now let's set up the
backdrop for a minute.
Jesus has been taken.
He was in the garden of Gethsemane.
Judas betrayed him with the Judas kiss, the
betrayal, the kiss of betrayal.
They took Jesus and he asked them, why
have you come out to get me like
a thief and a robber?
I was talking with you daily in your
temple and why are you here now trying
to capture me?
And they captured him, they took him.
Of course he could have called down 12
legions of angels and wiped them out, but
he went according to God's will.
So now chapter 27 verse 1 says, When
morning came, all the chief priests and elders
of the people plotted against Jesus to put
him to death.
And when they had bound him, they led
him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate
the governor.
A little background, if you recall from a
few weeks ago, the nation of Israel had
been conquered by the Romans.
They were under Roman governance, the Roman officials
were actually in charge, and the Jewish leaders
could not put anybody to death.
That ability of the death penalty was taken
away from the nation of Israel.
So they had to seek out a Roman
official.
And this really caught my eye this week.
I shared last night, and a lot of
people I think were helped because of it,
but it says that Jesus was bound and
then led away.
He was bound and led away.
And for some reason this week the thought
came to me, it kept reoccurring, that that's
exactly what Satan does to us.
He will bind you and then he'll lead
you in a direction you don't want to
go.
And the definition of bound is a movement,
your movement is restricted and we are led
to places we don't want to go.
So the first thing Satan wants to do,
in case you're wondering, yes, he's after you.
He's after you today, he's after you this
week, he's after your family.
And he comes in three different ways.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eye, and the pride of life.
So you think you've got your lust mastered
and your eye mastered, well here comes the
pride of life to take you out.
Those three areas is where he attacks.
And the demonic element here we saw in
Jesus' time, you realize, right, demons don't die?
These demonic influences that were alive then are
just as alive now and working in our
culture and in our world and in our
church.
So what the enemy does, he wants to
bind you and once you're bound, you know
exactly what I'm talking about if you've been
there, then he leads you in a direction
you don't want to go.
Why?
Because you're bound, you're caught in sin.
And that's the whole point, that's what sin
wants to do.
And I want to read James, many of
you have heard this verse before, but I
want to read James 1.13 and tie
it in here.
Let no one say when he is tempted,
I am tempted by God.
And this is important, many people get mad
at God.
They say, God, why are you allowing this?
Why don't you take this desire away?
Why don't you take this addiction away?
Why don't you take this from me?
God, it's your fault.
I've heard that before.
But James says, let no one say when
he is tempted, I am tempted by God.
For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor
does he himself tempt anyone.
Now there's a big difference between a temptation
and a testing.
If we had time, we could uncover that.
But just know that God doesn't put that
temptation, he doesn't force you to be tempted.
But here's what happens.
But each one of us is tempted when
he is drawn away by his own desires
and enticed.
That's why I often say, I'm not as
worried about the devil as I'm worried about
the devil within.
Because you know where he's coming, but this
one, this temptation, this desire within is constantly
there.
It's constantly pulling us away from God.
But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires, and then
he's enticed.
Then, when that desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin.
And sin, when it is fully grown, brings
forth death.
So if you're ever wondering where is this
sin going to lead that I'm playing with,
it's going to lead to some type of
death, death spiritually, death physically.
Death is separation, separation from God.
And the reason many people feel distant, I
can name a dozen people in my family
right now who are very distant from God
because they have allowed besetting sin to bind
them and trap them and lead them away.
You're like, oh goodness, what's the answer?
Well, temptation isn't wrong.
It's the door.
It's whether you walk through that door and
you enter into temptation, or you walk through
the exit door and you leave.
See, it's a very interesting concept here.
Each one is tempted when he was drawn
away by his own desires and enticed.
So I have a desire and I'm enticed
in my mind.
Where my mind goes, my feet follow.
So if I say that's a wrong thought,
that's a wrong temptation, I'm closing the door
on it and it's not going to lead
me astray.
I'm walking away from it.
Or, what does it go on to say?
But when that desire has conceived, that means
there's birth there.
I'm thinking of it, now I'm going to
do it.
Now it's conceived, the end result of that
is to bring forth death.
So that's how the enemy works.
He tries to get you bound in something.
You can go from pornography to eating too
much.
I mean, the list is long and extensive,
but he has no new tricks.
He will go in an area of weakness
that he's already won in an area of
your life.
The last place you were defeated, he's going
to try to go into that area.
And it's not just physical sin.
Sometimes it's mental.
Have you ever been so angry and envious
and jealous that it just eats you up?
And your critical spirit, unteachable attitude, it's all
consuming.
That's actually where church division comes from.
When a church usually divides, I'm not talking
about healthy church division, where the pastor says,
I don't really believe this anymore, and I'm
just going to give you my opinion, you
just run for cover.
But I'm talking about most church divisions that
shouldn't happen are because the enemy gets in
there and brings a critical spirit, an arrogant
spirit, an unteachable spirit, an envious, a jealousy,
an angry spirit, and we fight and we
bicker and we just say, well, then I'm
leaving.
And with churches split over this.
So he works in that area as well.
It's not just physical things that we do
in the flesh, but also our mental capacity.
So be careful there.
Once the enemy binds you, he wants to
lead you astray.
But thank God all you have to say
is, this is wrong.
Lord, I'm repenting.
I'm turning my life back over to you.
But repentance isn't just sincerity.
Anybody can say what I just said and
not repent.
Actually, it happens quite a bit.
Lord, I can't do this again.
You ever say that?
I can't do this again.
A month goes by.
I can't do this again.
Lord, help me now.
And you're like, it's been a year.
What is going on?
That repentance, see, that's just being sincere.
Repentance says this is wrong and I'm turning
from it.
That's actually the definition of repentance.
It's a change of mind that leads to
a change of action.
So now picking up in verse 3, then
Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been
condemned.
So I guess apparently Judas didn't think Jesus
was going to be condemned.
Because once he saw that he was condemned,
he was remorseful.
And he actually brought back the 30 pieces
of silver to the chief priests and elders.
Saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.
And they said, what is that to us?
You see to it.
Then they threw down the pieces of silver
in the temple and departed and went.
And Jesus, I'm sorry, then Judas threw down
the pieces of silver in the temple, departed
and he went out and he hung himself.
And it's interesting because we have this image
of Judas.
Nobody names their son Judas, I've said before.
And this terrible person, which he was.
The Bible says it was better for him
to never have been born.
But somehow I feel sorry for this guy
because he realizes Jesus is condemned.
I've betrayed innocent blood.
And he's trying to give back the money.
People say, well, did he repent?
Well, that's up to speculation.
But when the Bible says it's better for
him to have never been born, he betrayed
Christ, I have a feeling he's not in
a good spot.
Because he tried to handle this problem also
on his own.
Like Peter though, we need to run to
God's mercy, not our own solution.
See, that's the difference.
Peter denied Christ three times we read about
earlier.
What did he do?
Did he go out and hang himself?
No, he said, I deny the Lord.
I'm going to repent and become a strong
pillar of the church.
I'm going to learn from this and God's
going to bless it.
Judas, on the other hand, felt sorry, remorseful,
and went out and hung himself.
And you have to be careful because there
is a difference between remorse, worldly sorrow, and
genuine repentance.
Sometimes they look the same.
How do they look the same?
By little water things coming out right here.
Oh, goodness gracious.
Both have tears.
But the remorseful side is sorry I got
caught.
Sorry my reputation is on the line.
Sorry people are going to think this way
about me.
And this person is usually remorseful, but they
also have a lot of excuses.
Well, she made me do it.
Or he made me do it.
Or mommy keep getting personal.
It's excuses, but, but, but.
And they're remorseful, but they're not repentant.
Peter showed genuine repentance.
And I like what J.I. Packard said
about repentance.
Repentance is more than just sorrow for the
past.
Repentance is a change of mind and a
change of heart, a new life of denying
self and serving the Savior.
That's exactly what repentance is.
Now, there's also two kinds of repentance.
I might as well touch base on this.
There's repentance where a person, if you do
not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior, that God is not Lord of your
life, you know about Him, but you don't
know Him, the Bible says you must repent.
You must repent.
Basically, you must see sin as God sees
sin.
You must see your need for a Savior,
and you repent.
You acknowledge that.
God, I need you.
I'm repenting.
I'm changing my heart.
I'm changing my mind.
And God, somehow, through the work of the
Holy Spirit, the conviction, the drawing, that new
birth takes place.
But then believers are often in a state
of repentance.
Lord, I'm sorry for that.
That's not right how I treated that person.
I need to repent and refocus my mind,
my thoughts, towards your will, towards your way.
Because a believer can walk in the wrong
direction as well.
So it takes repentance to turn us back
and to be walking the right path.
And you can usually tell if a person
is genuinely repentant because the fruit will follow.
At some point, there will be fruit.
This person will tell you everything you want
to hear.
Everything you want to hear, this person will
tell you.
But then in about three days, you'll get
a call from this person's spouse saying, Nothing
has changed.
Nothing has changed.
They're back to their old ways.
Nothing has changed.
They just told you what you wanted to
hear.
They were sorry because they got in trouble.
You see the difference?
Repentance wants to fix what they broke.
A repentant person wants to renew what they
broke down.
A person who truly repents wants to restore
that broken relationship to God or others.
So it's a very important piece here that
Judas, he was obviously remorseful.
He saw that Jesus would be condemned.
Maybe he didn't think Jesus would be condemned.
Maybe he thought, I'll take 30 pieces of
silver, they'll take Jesus, and Jesus will just
vanish.
But now he understands that that's not happening.
You know, I'm reading a book I wanted
to share with you.
If you have read this before, you might
want to read it again.
It's called Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar.
It's a men's book about finishing strong.
Because most people who start out in ministry
don't end in ministry.
Most people who start out strong in their
faith don't end up strong in their faith.
Why?
Because it's a yearly battle.
And finishing strong is very important.
So I just want to encourage you in
that area as well too.
Finishing strong is one of the greatest gifts
you can give to your family.
Look at Judas versus Peter.
Look at how they're looked at now, Judas
versus what Peter did.
So finish strong.
The enemy is going to try to knock
you off track.
Yes, it's very important to start well.
Please start well.
But the whole point is to finish strong.
I think it's like 1 out of 10
pastors who get involved in ministry in their
20s do not end up in the ministry
in their 60s when they retire.
Only 1 out of 10 does.
Nine of them fall by the wayside.
And that book explains why.
It's also a great resource for men.
Verse 6, But the chief priests took the
silver pieces and said, It's not lawful to
put them into the treasury because they are
the price of blood.
And they consulted together and bought with them
the potter's field to bury strangers in.
Therefore that field has been called to fill
the blood to this day.
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah
the prophet, saying, And they took thirty pieces
of silver, the value of him who was
priced, whom they of the children of Israel
priced and gave them for the potter's field
as the Lord directed me.
And I thought it was interesting.
Just a side note.
It's not a real relevant thing.
But it wasn't, the Bible says, spoken by
the prophet Jeremiah.
It was actually spoken by Zechariah the prophet
if you look at that.
But why did the Bible mention Jeremiah?
Well, that could take a little while to
unpack.
But there's some people that feel that the
Bible, the scribes would often go after, they
would mention the major prophet.
Or they'd say the prophet Isaiah, meaning all
of the prophets.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were the four
major prophets.
Or if you look at the Greek prefix
for the word Zechariah, I believe it's Z
-O-E, Jeremiah is I-O-U.
So there might be in the transcribing a
little variance there where the scribe didn't translate
it correctly.
But in your Bible, this passage is actually
not Jeremiah, it's from Zechariah the potter's field.
So if you want more information on that,
let me know.
We can email that to you.
We've got videos on that and different things.
But what I wanted to really point out
from this is it's not lawful, they said,
to put the money back into the treasury.
It's the price of blood.
So it was okay to take it out
of the treasury to pay Judas to betray
Jesus, but we can't put it back into
the treasury.
Isn't that weird?
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but
they can use it to betray Jesus, but
they can't put it back in.
Here's one of the reasons why.
Justifying sin is a very slippery slope.
Be careful.
Do you know what a slippery slope is?
Sometimes go outside on your back, if you
have a sloping backyard, and put down a
trash bag and put water on it.
And try to stand on that slippery slope.
That's what happens when we try to justify
sin.
And we all have done it in the
past, and we should repent if we continue
to do that.
But justifying sin is a slippery slope.
They pick and they choose what they wanted
to believe.
They pick and they choose what they thought
was right.
And we do that.
We justify, and here's how that usually starts,
yeah, but.
Yeah, but.
I know what the Bible says, but.
And I know I need to work on
that, but.
Or I know I've got this, but.
But yeah, I do that, but this.
And we justify this, but we won't justify
that.
And some of the people who are the
hardest on judging people are often compromising in
other areas.
They'll tell their tax accountant, yeah, I had
55,000 miles of write-offs.
Really, how about 5,000?
Or they'll kind of justify all this stuff,
but they'll be the hardest in this other
area.
And a lot of times you find where
it comes out later where somebody's caught in
sexual sin, and you go, oh, my goodness,
how did that happen?
These were the most godly people I knew.
Well, were they, or were they most judgmental
and harsh?
And just, oh, the Word of God and
the Word of God, but they're justifying, but
over here they're not keeping this area in
check.
So one thing I glean from this is
don't justify sin.
Don't justify wrong behavior.
Take it before God and let God change
that and work that in you.
So here's today's self-examination.
Paul asked the Galatian church, you ran well.
You ran well, church in Galatia.
Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
This persuasion does not come from him who
calls you.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
So Paul was saying, what happened, church?
You were running so well, but you allowed
a little sin to come in, and that
little, please understand that sin does not stay
static.
It does not just stay still.
It either grows in your life and in
my life, or it withers and dies.
And it all depends on whether you're feeding
or starving it.
And that's a big lie we think, well,
I can just hold this.
I mean, I hear people say, well, Shane,
it's my one little vice.
One little vice.
I've heard Christian couples try to excuse pornography
in their marriage.
Husband and wife.
It's like, hello.
Boy, I didn't get too many amens in
there.
I hope this doesn't happen here.
My goodness.
But we try to hide certain sins, and
it grows and it grows.
And I like what David Wilkerson wrote.
He's asking, what in your life, and this
is a good look at your life.
I looked at mine yesterday.
What in your life, is there anything in
your life that's keeping you from going on
in the full blessing of Christ?
You were doing so well at one time,
especially as we get older.
I'm talking now even to the 40 and
up crowd or 50 and up crowd.
You were doing so well at one time.
What happened?
What hindered you?
What has stopped you?
You were on fire for God.
You were witnessing.
You were reading your Bible.
Something is stopping that.
Something is in there, and it's infiltrating your
life.
You were doing so well.
I know you to be a praying people,
laboring, but something is wrong.
I don't see you growing anymore.
Instead, you've gone back to rely on your
flesh.
I don't sense the sweet aroma of Christ
you once had.
Something is hindering you.
What could have persuaded you to settle in
this condition?
And he continues, Whatever it is I tell
you, it's not of God.
I know so many Christians today who once
were mightily used of God.
These people were devoted.
They were praying.
They were believing saints.
But then something happened to them that somehow
caused them to be hindered from experiencing the
fullness of the blessing of Christ.
Often, that hindering leaven was a single besetting
sin.
To all such people, Paul says, What happened?
What's hindering the flow of Christ in your
life?
What leaven has crept in?
A little leaven leavens a whole lump.
And sometimes we can excuse things by saying,
Well, I'm not caught in all those bad
things, Shane.
But we have a very critical heart.
And a heart that should be loving and
teachable and broken and filled with joy has
now hardened.
And there's a hardness about us.
There's not a love for Christ.
There's not a love for others.
And we need to see that.
We need to see, Lord, I've become hard.
I've become cold.
I've become calloused.
I don't like what's happening in my life.
And I don't like other believers.
And Paul's asking, Where did that go?
Where did that go?
That's not Christ.
So something has crept in.
You have to be careful because the enemy,
I don't know about you.
Maybe it's just me.
But he loves to just plant all this
dissension in my mind.
All this complaining and bickering and anger.
It's like, Where is this coming from?
And this situation and this situation.
A critical spirit and being angry and upset.
And God says, No, break.
Break before me.
Humble yourself before me.
Because a critical attitude, a prideful, arrogant attitude
is just as dangerous.
As the man or the woman who looks
at something they shouldn't on the Internet.
It's just as dangerous.
Actually, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.
And if we know our heart's not right
before God, if we've grown cold and callous,
we need to repent this morning.
Because that's a deadly sin.
Well, Shane, how do I know?
Well, how many times have I said this?
Ask your spouse.
Ask others.
I mean, as Christians, we should be the
most loving, forgiving, understanding, gracious people on the
planet.
But why is it often the opposite?
We walk around angry and critical and judgmental.
It reminds me, like, of a contractor going
through his home that he built, spec home,
before he sells it.
And he's picking apart everything.
You see that stucco up there?
You see that paint job right there?
You see the lighting fixture?
You see the concrete work?
You see the foundation?
You see the sink?
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And that's how we come into church sometimes,
critical and judgmental, when we should be joy
-filled.
And as I'm preaching to you, I can
be sitting right there.
Because that happens to me just as easy
as it happens to you.
Why?
Because those thoughts come in, right?
There's that person again.
They don't like me.
Oh, no.
Here we go.
We start getting these, I mean, this morning,
I mean, not this morning.
I think it was the other morning.
God just really rocked my world when you
look at what's going on in the news.
You look at Afghanistan or Pakistan or Iraq
or Iran.
You look at the conditions people are living
in.
And I can go to my wall and
punch in a number that keeps my house
at 80 degrees.
I can go put a little, turn a
little knob in my garage.
It will heat my water.
I've got some cushion underneath my carpet.
Look at this church we're sitting in.
If you stop and you think how blessed
you are, how blessed we are.
Why are we not more joyful and happy?
God, thank you.
Thank you for everything you've done.
Instead of complaining and bickering, that's the heart
of Christ is that we come together.
Why is unity so important?
Because that's what keeps the church together.
See, if I can get 10 or 12
or 15 of us to pray together, that's
unity.
One puts 1,000 to flight, but two,
10,000 to flight.
There's strength when we come together and we're
not concerned about all these little things, but
we're concerned for the cause of Christ.
Even if you don't live in a big
home, look at your house.
I've got a timer that turns water on
to water the green grass.
You realize, right, that 99% of the
world does not have sprinklers and grass to
go play on.
Do you realize that?
There's not a lawnmower guy that comes over
and mows the lawn.
Two cars?
We're so blessed, and here's the problem.
The more blessed you get, the more prideful
you can get.
The more arrogant you can get, you think
it's my right.
It's my right.
I'm American.
Haven't you read the Constitution?
Well, I've read this.
This precedes the Constitution.
Does it not?
As patriotic as I am, I love our
country.
That's why that is on that side and
the cross of Christ is on that side.
Anybody who knows their flag knows the flag
should be on the right side, but we
say that Christ takes preeminence over the flag,
and we acknowledge that God is higher than
patriotism.
I love our country.
I love our soldiers.
I love everything about America.
I love that God has blessed us, but
our blessing has become our curse when we
think it's our right.
Do you know the Bible talks about suffering
for Christ?
It does?
Yeah.
It talks about being suffering for God and
putting down our rights, and that's what happens.
We can become so prideful and so arrogant
that God can't work and God can't move.
And people ask me weekly almost that, Shane,
why aren't we seeing God move in America?
Why aren't we seeing the churches broken before
Him?
Why are we so in a hurry?
We're not worship nights, prayer nights.
They're old news, and I don't have an
answer other than hearts have grown hard, because
when a heart is soft and God is
working in a heart, you can't keep that
person away from God.
Verse 11, Now Jesus stood before the governor,
and the governor asked him, saying, Are you
the king of the Jews?
Jesus said to him, It is as you
say.
And while he was being accused by the
chief priests and elders, he answered, Nothing.
Then Pilate said to him, Do you not
hear how many things they testify against you?
But he answered him not one word.
So the governor marveled greatly.
Now you have to understand this setting.
This is amazing.
Pontius Pilate is the person who can execute
the person or let them go.
So anybody in front of this executioner is
going to be pleading their case like there's
no tomorrow.
They're lying.
They're this, please, I've got family, I've got
friends.
So he's never had anybody stand before him
silent.
Don't you want to answer anything they say
against you?
No, because I was born to die.
And later we'll read that Pontius Pilate says,
Answer me because I can take your life
or I can set you free.
And Jesus says, You would have no power
over me at all unless it was given
to you from my Father above.
So you better just stop this impression of
Jesus as this weak, passive carpenter.
No man in this room could stand before
their executioner and say that because we all
know what we'd be doing, right?
We'd be on our knees crying.
Let me go.
I have kids.
I have a family.
No, it's not true.
They're being mean to me.
Please, please, Pontius Pilate.
And Jesus just stands there beaten.
So Pontius Pilate is marveling.
I've never even seen this before.
Why?
Because you have total meekness in Christ.
Do you know what the difference between meekness
and weakness is?
This is important because all of us in
here need meekness.
Meekness is not being a doormat.
Meekness is strength under control.
It's like a little 12-year-old picking
on Mike Tyson.
Right?
Remember that guy?
He's not going to win.
But using that strength under control.
Or you've got to use an example before.
You've got a big Dodge Hemi motor.
You guys, 560 horsepower.
It's strength under control.
It's under your control.
It's not just running crazy.
That's what meekness is.
Jesus could have wiped out that entire army.
He could have evaporated Pontius Pilate.
Right?
Dust.
He could have said, let's start over.
And bye-bye humanity.
So that's meekness.
That's having the strength but holding that strength
in.
Verse 15, Now at the feast the governor
was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one
prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious
prisoner called Brabus.
Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said
to them, Who do you want me to
release to you, Brabus or Jesus who is
called the Christ?
For he knew that they had handed him
over because of envy.
The religious leaders handed Jesus over because of
envy.
Do you know what envy is?
It's terrible.
It's deadly.
Run for cover and repent.
If there's some of that growing in your
heart.
Because it doesn't just stay a nice little
baby.
It grows and has fangs and teeth.
The green envy, right?
It's just terrible.
Because it's just wanting what somebody else has.
They lost all their followers to Jesus.
This man spoke like no other man.
He taught like no other man.
They said, who is this doing all these
miracles?
They were losing some of the religious leaders
from Nicodemus to Joseph of Arimathea.
All these people were going after Jesus and
they were envious.
Same thing happens today.
The devil will use envy every chance he
gets.
Every chance he gets.
So be careful there as well.
For he knew they handed him over because
of envy.
While he was sitting on the judgment seat.
So here you have Pilate sitting on the
judgment seat.
Jesus is not answering him anything.
So he's sitting there going, what is wrong
with this guy?
Now to top it off, his wife comes
running to him and says this.
Do not have anything to do with this
just man.
For I had suffered many things today in
a dream because of him.
And for the wife to go during this
mock trial and stop what's happening.
Or go and call for Pontius Pilate and
tell him this is unheard of.
He's probably facing now this major decision of
he's a just man.
They handed him over for envy.
And now my wife is telling me she
had a dream not to hurt this just
man.
So that's an incredible setting.
And very difficult to make a right decision.
And just for a minute, I want to
talk about this area of dreams.
Let's just say dreams, be careful.
Because I've seen people have dreams and get
weird.
Okay, so be careful.
However, I'm not one of those people who
say, no, no, God will never use a
dream.
Because I can take you to Genesis where
God led Abraham.
I can take you to Moses.
I can take you to David.
And then when we get in the New
Testament, how about Joseph being warned in a
dream to take Jesus away.
How about the wise men being warned not
to go back to Herod.
How about Peter having a dream about what
is unclean and clean.
So there's some scriptural evidence there for people
having dreams.
Now this would take a whole sermon to
unpack.
But let me say this, just be very
careful.
A dream would never be, in my opinion,
something that you would just act upon on
its own.
Much like a word of wisdom or somebody
gives you some advice.
Like, hey, I really feel God's leading this.
It always confirms scripture.
So if I have a dream of myself
preaching in Illinois, I'm not going to move
to Illinois.
Right?
Also what you look for is a continual
pattern.
Like, oh gosh, Daniel when he was, or
Joseph also.
See, there's lots of dreams in the Bible.
You think of, they call for Daniel.
They call for Joseph because the pharaoh and
that other king were having dreams.
They've had it twice.
So you look for consistency.
Sometimes, man, if I'm having the same dream.
And a lot of times I've noticed God
will use it for warning.
He'll warn or he'll confirm certain things.
Interesting thing, my wife will remember.
I have it actually in my journal.
This is probably 2001.
Don't worry, I'm not getting into weird land
here.
But I kept having these dreams where, I
don't know why, and I still picture, I
know when I see that building, I thought
I saw the building.
I'm not sure if it is yet.
Time will tell.
But I would walk out the right side
and this curtain, I'd move this curtain and
there would be just a sea of people.
And I'm going to speak to these people.
You have to remember, this is 2001 or
so.
I'm not a public speaker back then.
I'm like, what is that all about?
That is just weird.
I'd wake up and a couple days later
and the same kind of, you know, it
happens.
So I'm reading at this time now Billy
Graham's biography.
It's a big, thick book.
And I get to the part in there
where it talks about Billy Graham would have
dreams and he would see these areas or
these groups of people that he would actually
speak to and hasn't spoke to them yet.
So I just confirmed it because I'm praying
this time, Lord, do you want me to
go into health and fitness?
Do you want me to do this?
So I use it, that was a great
confirmation for me to be, oh, okay, God's
calling me to speak to people.
It confirms so much and it just puts
so many things to rest, especially when I
read it in his book.
Does that make sense?
Those kind of things, oh, that's a confirmation
of what's going on.
Or, you know, if you have this dream
of, I mean, there's tons if you read
about in the mission field.
I've got books, if you're interested, where people
have dreams about not going to a certain
village and it would be reoccurring and they
just, I can't do that.
And God would warn them and something would
happen.
So he can use and work in dreams,
but just be careful.
Because here's another illustration of going back or
different sides.
But on this side you have this group
that doesn't believe in dreams at all.
I mean, just what I just mentioned would
be like, no, no, no, I don't think
so.
Like, does it happen today?
The gifts of the Spirit don't happen today.
None of that stuff happens today.
All we have is the Word of God.
We worship the Father, the Son, and the
Word of God.
We might mention the Holy Spirit now and
then.
But so the dreams, visions, all that stuff
is gone.
Then you have this other side.
They live for their dreams and visions.
You know what I'm talking about?
It's all about the prophets are saying this
and I have this dream and this dream
and this dream.
It's like, be quiet.
Abraham went 10 years on one dream.
You didn't get to go one week.
It's just all about dreams and visions and
dreams and visions and dreams and visions.
Right?
That's not healthy.
I think I told, I don't know if
I told it here or a while back
in Lancaster.
But there was a pastor in Lancaster.
He had a guest speaker come in.
I was there.
And he said, this person said, I had
a dream that if we go to war
with Iraq, remember that war a long time
ago, that America won't have enough body bags.
And I go, oh, my goodness.
Everybody said, oh, no, we can't go to
war.
And I think it happened.
It was over.
And, you know, the casualties, even one life
is sad.
But the casualties are very low, very minimal.
I don't remember, 2,200 or something.
But so he was way off base.
And I asked the pastor back, oh, yeah,
but not all the time.
They don't get it right all the time.
Like, well, really?
You're going to live like that?
I mean, so what do you take and
what don't you?
So it's a very interesting topic.
I'm not really into dreams and visions.
I don't, other than what I just mentioned,
I don't, I can't share dreams or visions
much.
I don't have, you know, anything concrete.
But I don't want to discount God.
I mean, God has given, we've had dreams
about, you know, maybe having another child and
different things.
But vision is different.
A vision would be like somebody is awake
and they see just, they see something where
God is opening up the spiritual eyes and
they see a vision.
Moses, the burning bush, people, there's tons of
verses on people having visions.
But see how we can make that weird
when God says this is how I want
to speak sometimes to people?
Because I love the Bible, but it didn't
tell me, you know, to be a pastor.
I would have never came across that at
all had people not spoken into my life.
And God gave me the dream or vision
to confirm what he was doing.
So on this area of dreams and visions,
this, and she, God gave this woman a
dream to warn Pilate.
So Pilate had all the warning.
Regardless of what Pilate did, though, God's ultimate
will would be fulfilled.
So maybe we'll do a sermon on dreams
and visions someday.
I said all that to say this, be
careful.
Be careful.
Because you can get off into a weird
area.
There's no other better way to word it.
I can't find a better word, so I'll
use the word weird.
Is that okay here?
If you can think of a better word,
let me know afterwards.
Verse 20, but the chief priests and the
elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask
for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
The governor answered and said to them, Which
one of the two do you want me
to release to you?
They said, Barabbas.
And Pilate said, What?
What has he done to you?
What shall I do with this person called
the Christ?
They said, Let him be crucified.
Then the governor said, Why?
What evil has he done?
Can you see?
Pilate's like, Come on, guys.
Pontius Pilate's like, What evil has he done?
I'll give you Jesus instead of Barabbas.
But the people do not want Jesus.
And we sit here and go, That's amazing.
Well, no, it's not.
The same thing applies in our culture, doesn't
it?
They don't want Jesus.
Unless it's the Jesus they want.
You know the Jesus, the genie in the
bottle.
That Jesus.
That's the Jesus they want.
Three wishes.
God, Jesus, here's what I want, here's what
I want.
But they don't want Jesus or the Bible.
Then Pilate saw that he could not prevail
at all, but rather that an uprising was
occurring.
He took water and washed his hands before
the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person.
You see to it.
And all the people answered him and said,
His blood be on us and on our
children.
God, help us.
Then they released Barabbas to them, and when
they had scourged Jesus, he delivered him up
to be crucified.
And really the whole point of the message
was this last part about being Barabbas.
You have your comparison.
You have a murderer, a murderer, somebody who's
been condemned to death.
Barabbas was condemned to death.
He was a murderer.
He was part of an uprising.
And then you have Jesus, the perfect Son
of God, the light of the world, all
truth, everything is embodied in Jesus Christ.
And he's telling the people, Choose.
Which one do you want?
And they say, Give us Barabbas.
Give us the darkness.
Give us the corruption of the world.
We love Barabbas.
That's what they wanted.
And the same thing happens in our world.
Give us Barabbas.
Give us the darkness and kill the Son
of Glory.
If the world hates Christ, they will hate
you.
I'm just going to close on that point
with Barabbas.
Because I was thinking, we kind of skim
over this.
Oh, that's wonderful.
I wonder what will be next week.
But you have to understand something.
Barabbas, I wonder, do you wonder if he
watched Jesus carrying that cross?
Because that should have been him.
And you wonder, do you see Barabbas?
Watching the nails go into Jesus' hands?
Watching that cross fall into the dirt and
his body jerks and that crown.
And Barabbas is sitting there going, Oh, my
goodness.
That was a close call.
And he sees that should have been me.
But the interesting thing is this is a
parallel.
Actually, Barabbas, it was part of God's plan
that Jesus Christ took the place of Barabbas.
That's why theologians call it the substitutionary atonement
of Christ.
God took.
And it's hard for me to explain it
because I'm like, How is this possible that
God took my spot?
So Jesus took Barabbas' spot on the cross.
He let him go.
And that's a perfect foreshadowing of what he
does to us.
Listen, guys, this isn't a time to get
bored.
This isn't a time to go, Oh, I'm
hungry.
Realize that Jesus took your spot.
You're Barabbas and so am I.
The same thing, I should be on that
cross.
I should be hung.
The wages of sin is death.
That's what the Bible says.
So if God's love wasn't so vast and
so great, what we just sang about, that
cross, a place of killing and a place
of death is my victory.
So we get all mad at Barabbas, but
I am Barabbas.
All of us are Barabbas.
He took the spot.
He took that penalty.
So now we can stand before God righteous
and saved and delivered.
I want to encourage you as well, let
the guilt, let the shame go.
Because as many Christians are holding so much
guilt and shame, I haven't been set free.
God doesn't love me.
I've done too much damage.
How can he love a person like me?
How can he?
And we carry this guilt and shame.
But understand, when the Bible talks about the
finished work of Jesus Christ, there isn't a
little bit left.
There isn't God holding guilt and shame.
It's the finished work of Jesus Christ.
It's done.
There's no other name that says under heaven
or earth the sins have been cast.
As far as from the east is to
the west.
It's been paid.
It's been full.
He took our place.
That should force us to worship.
That should cause our hearts to break and
say, Jesus, thank you.
Thank you for taking my place.
I still can't fathom it.
I can't even preach it, what it deserves.
I have a love so vast.
And people say, that's hogwash.
That's phony.
You show me.
You show me proof and evidence that this
is incorrect.
You will come up with nothing other than
the fact I don't want to believe it
because I am Lord of my life.
That's why people reject the gospel, quite honestly.
I can lay out a perfect gospel and
say, nope, nope.
I don't believe it.
And as we all know, that that unbelief
will keep scores of people out of heaven.
So I just encourage you this morning, God
took your place.
God took your place.
At some point in life, you have to
make a decision.
If you say, God, I repent, I repent.
God, I repent.
Thank you for taking my life and place
of my life and not taking my life.