Our God Triumphant!

Audio of Sermon:

Sermon Notes: Matthew 27:11 (KJV) And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

Psalm 135:6 (KJV) Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

Matthew 27:12-14 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. [13] Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? [14] And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV) Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

Matthew 27:15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. [16] And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. [17] Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? [18] For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

Psalm 29:10 (NKJV) The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever.

Isaiah 43:13 (NKJV) Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”

Matthew 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

Our God Is Always In Control

Our God orchestrates – and oversees – all that occurs among mankind. I must confess that I do not understand how His Sovereignty and human free will work together, but I must believe that God is always in control. The Scripture declares this without apology. One of my favorite texts is:

Romans 8:28-31 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Comfort of the believer is to know that we are in the hand of God at all times.

God Decreed The Cross

The King of Kings stood before Pilate, a minor governor. “Are You the King of the Jews?” he asks Christ. “It is just as you have said”. Jesus was not broken. Beaten, mocked, accused, He did not stand in front of Pilate because the devil won.
He stood in victory, obeying the decree of God His Father.

God decreed the Cross. The Cross was not optional. The Cross was absolutely necessary, so God decreed the Cross. The Cross is necessary because we are all sinners. The Scripture states:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

As a pastor I meet many people, and I have to say I have never met anyone who is not broken in some way. I have met people who thought they were not broken. Every one around them realizes they are broken, but they – like the Pharisees – feel they have it all together. But they are broken.

The first step to spiritual wellness is to realize your brokenness. God wants to make you well. He wants to bring you into His arms, to fold them about you, to bless you and love you. God calls out to whosoever will:

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV) “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The sinner has committed an eternal offense against an everlasting God. That is something that we cannot fix. But Christ can fix it. Christ did fix it. Pilate asked Jesus:

Art Thou The King Of The Jews?

What did Jesus reply? The King James text is a little ambiguous, “Thou sayest”. The better translation is:

IT IS AS YOU HAVE SAID.

When Jesus was asked by Caiaphas the High Priest “Are You the Messiah” Jesus said “IT IS AS YOU SAID”. Caiaphas then accused Jesus of blasphemy (see Matthew 26:63-65). Jesus is the Messiah sent of God. When God refers to “The Jews” He speaks of those who believe in Him. The Apostle said:

Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But A JEW IS ONE INWARDLY, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

A “Jew” is one who has received the Grace of God this comes from Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save His people. I say again, the Angel declared to Joseph the husband of Mary that Mary …

Matthew 1:21 (ESV) … will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Jesus Is The King Of His People
Not The Puppet Of Darkness

He is the King Who saves His people from their sins. As Jesus stood in front of Pilate He was not fearful of Pilate, nor of those who brought accusations against Him. I love this. We can learn much from this.

The Light earns nothing by arguing with the darkness. Here’s a practical point – stand on the truth of Scripture, and do not debate the darkness. The darkness will not hear anyway. Stand on what truth God has said, stand on, ignore the foolishness, but stand! This is Jesus!

It amazed Pilate to see someone stand before him in this state of mind. Everyone else who had stood before Pilate were fearful, willing to do or say anything to save their lives. His accusers gathered around Him and spoke lies, accusing Him of the most horrible things. And yet the Bible says:

Jesus answered nothing

Pilate then asked Jesus

Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

Jesus answered not a word. He stood silent. Jesus did exactly as the Prophet said:

Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV) He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

Jesus stood before Pilate not because of the High Priest nor the elders, but He stood before Pilate trusting in the Sovereignty of God. The Blood of the Lamb must be shed.

Jesus stood silent for His Church.

Jesus stood triumphant for His people.

Jesus stood willing to die for us!

Will we not stand for Him?

It is the Blood of Christ that purchased the Church.

“the Church of God which He purchased with His own Blood.”

It is the Blood of Christ that saves us from the wrath of God.

“justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him”. (Romans 5:9)

It is the Blood of Christ that redeems us from sin and Satan.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV) … you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

It is the Blood of Christ that brings us who were far from God near to Him.

Ephesians 2:13 (NKJV) But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

It is the Blood of Christ that:

Makes us clean before God (Hebrews 10:19)

Separates us from the world (Hebrews 13:12)

Cleanses our conscience so we can serve God (Hebrews 9:14)

Makes us complete for every good work (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Bring us into the Eternal Family of God (Hebrews 9:12)

As Jesus stood before Pilate, He stood silent. Pilate was an evil man. Pilate knew there was no sin in Christ. Caiaphas and the elders knew there was no sin in Christ. The religious but lost rejected Christ because of sin in their lives. Pilate saw no sin in Jesus, but moved forward to convict an innocent man because of the sin that was in Him.

God Is Sovereign, But This Does Not Excuse Pilate’s Sin

Throughout his term in office Pilate was both unjust as well as unscrupulous. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“He had been an unjust and an unscrupulous ruler of the Jews. The Galileans and the Samaritans both felt the terror of his arms, for he did not hesitate to massacre them at the slightest sign of revolt. And among the Jews themselves, he had sent men with daggers into the midst of the crowds at great gatherings, and so had cut off those who were obnoxious to him. Gain was his objective, and pride ruled his spirit. At the time when Jesus of Nazareth was brought before him, a complaint against him was on the way to Tiberius the Emperor, and he feared lest he should be called to account for his oppressions, extortions, and murders.”

What Pilate did next was not out of mercy. We read:

Jesus stood honorable, but Pilate sat dishonorable.

Jesus stood for His people, but Pilate sought to manipulate his people.

Jesus stood righteous, innocent, but Pilate sat unrighteous, guilty.

This crooked judge made of practice of releasing a prisoner during the Feast of the Passover. Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered Jesus to him. There was no sin in Christ. There never has been sin in Christ. So Pilate had a notable prisoner named Barabbas. Who was Barabbas? He is mentioned in all four Gospels, and was a man …

Luke 23:19 (NKJV)… who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

Today we would call Barabbas a “Community Organizer”, but in those days Barabbas was known as a “Rioter”, a man who was treasonous, who sought to overthrow the lawful government. Barabbas was also a murderer. The Bible says that the first command God gave Noah when he got off the Ark concerned murder.

Genesis 9:5-6 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.”

Life is precious, and the greatest of all sins is to without justification take a human life. Barabbas was a murderer, and according to the Scripture, was to be executed.

Revelation 21:8 (KJV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Barabbas deserved death. He deserved damnation. But Pilate asked the crowd:

Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?

What happens next shows that the majority rule does not always work. Who should be released – the murdering riotous Barabbas, or Jesus Who had never done wrong. The crowd replied:

Matthew 27:22-23 (KJV) … They said, Barabbas. [22] Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. [23] And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

Three times Pilate asked the crowd whether they would release Barabbas or Jesus, the murderer or the innocent Son of God. And three times the crowd demanded the crucifixion of Christ. Pilate asked “what evil has Christ done?” Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. Even Pilate’s wife sent word to him:

Matthew 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

I cannot find a Bible prophecy that declared Pilate would condemn an innocent man.

God sent a message through Pilate’s wife to “have nothing to do with this just Man”. Jesus was innocent, she said. Leave Him be. Let someone else pull the pin on that grenade. But the crowd would not be stilled. Christ must die. Barabbas must be set free.

What Pilate did was evil.

What Caiaphas did was evil.

What the mob did was evil.

But God was still in control.

Even the devil is still under God’s thumb!

When Peter preached in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost he told those who listened about Jesus of Nazareth:

Acts 2:21-26 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. [22] Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: [23] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: [24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. [25] For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: [26] Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

Jesus was “delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” – God oversaw what was done – but “by wicked hands He was crucified and slain”. God was in the trials of Christ. Christ was not a victim of circumstances, but God sent His Son to Calvary for you and for me.

Barabbas Is A Beautiful Picture Of The Atonement

There is an interesting study in the name “Barabbas”. The name Barabbas is a compound comprised of “Bar” which means “Son of” and “Abba” which means “Father”. The name BarAbbas means “Son of the Father”.

We are all children of our Father Adam.

We are all descendants of our Father Noah.

But we are all broken, incomplete without God.

We were meant to be in God’s image, but like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) we are born serving not God but ourselves and our senses. We deserve punishment.

BarAbbas was released and Jesus was crucified.

He was given life because Jesus took his death.

Jesus was innocent of sin, but BarAbbas – the son of Father Adam – was guilty. The guilty was set free because of Christ.

Matthew 27:24 (KJV) When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

A sinner condemned an innocent, claiming himself innocent. No water will wash away our sins. No water cleansed what Pilate did that day.

Matthew 27:25-26 (KJV) Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. [26] Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus died in the place of Barabbas. Jesus died in my place. Jesus was innocent, but we are Barabbas. Jesus died so that we might be released. This is the atonement of God illustrated. We triumph because of Jesus!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.