What Do You Do With Jesus When You're In A Trial | Luke 23:1-25
Sermon Transcript
Good morning. Last time I spoke I I wasn't I wasn't part of the staff here, but they needed an old guy. So, so I've been here for about three weeks now. In October 1978 I was 20 years old, and in October, in October, I received in the mail a summons for jury at the Cook County Courthouse in Chicago. It's quite a famous Courthouse with all the criminals that have gone through there for so many years, like Capone and Dillinger and people like that. So I thought it was pretty cool, 20 years old, being called for something like that, whether you could get picked or not. Well, how they, how they did it, then, is they, they separated you in the groups, A, B, C, D, or 1234, whatever, and and when the jury selection happened, they would call in a group, and then they would question you. Well, my group got called in, and I thought that was pretty cool. So when you're called in, you sit down, and then they ask you questions. The judge will ask you some questions, and the lawyers for each side, and lo and behold, they chose me to serve on a jury for a murder trial wasn't big enough for to meet the headlines in the Chicago papers, but it was in the papers, and I thought, Wow, this must be something. And the trial was to begin Thanksgiving week on that Monday. And I thought, wow, that's kind of weird, but okay, if you got your bibles there, you can turn to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23 you can follow along as I read, then their whole assembly, starting at verse one, then their whole assembly rose up and brought Him before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king. So Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? He answered him, You say so Pilate then told the chief priests and and the crowds, I find no grounds for charging this man. But they kept insisting. He stirs up the people teaching throughout, throughout all Judea from Galilee, where he started, even to here. When Pilate heard this, he asked if this man was Galilean, finding that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days, Herod was very glad to see Jesus. For a long time he wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him. So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him. The chief priest and scribes stood by vehemently accusing him, then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright clothing, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day, Herod and Pilate became friends. Previously they had been enemies, Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders and the people, and said to them, you have brought me this man as one who misleads the people. But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. Neither has Herod because he sent him back to us. Clearly he has done nothing to deserve death, therefore I will have Him whipped and then release him. Then they all cried out together, take this man away. Release Barabbas to. Us. He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder wanting to release Jesus. Pilate addressed them again, but they kept shouting, crucify. Crucify him a third time, he said to them, why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have Him whipped and then release him. But they kept the pressure demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices, one out, Father, I ask you, as we look at this piece of scripture, that you would help us to learn, that you would help us to see what you want us to see. Open up our eyes and open up our ears. We know that you do these these things to help us to become more like you help me to say the things that you once said, and I pray this in Your name. Amen. Well, you know the scene you've probably read this over the years. Many times Jesus has been betrayed. Peter has denied him, not once, not twice, but three times. He's been mocked. He's been beaten, and now he was brought to before the Sanhedrin, which really made them mad, mad enough to where they taken the pilot, you know, Pontius Pilate. He's the Roman governor of Judea. Follow along with me one more time in verses one through five. Then the whole assembly rose up and brought him the pilot. They began to accuse him, saying We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king, which, by the way, this and that which really made him mad. So Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? He answered, you say. So. Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, I find no grounds in charging this man. But they kept insisting. He stirs up the people teaching all throughout Judea, from Galilee, where he started, even to here. So as the Lord stood before Pilate, the crowd begins to accuse him once again. You know he's misleading us. He doesn't want us to pay taxes. But here's the kicker. He's saying he's the Messiah. A king can't be we're still waiting for him. They still are. You ever thought about that they're still waiting for him to Jewish people. So Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? He said, Yeah, this is true, I am. But they pushed back and insisted, you know what? This guy's causing so much trouble, so much trouble. Where he came from, Galilee. It's like they and here these people. Have you ever talked to somebody and looked in their eyes and knew, and you just knew they weren't listening to a word you said. It's like they're looking right past you and and like they're not hearing you. In all the years of pastoring and counseling, I can tell you, there's been numerous times when I've counseled couples, it's a well, they never listen to me. I remember when my kids were young, you know what? Remember, there was a time when the newspaper used to come to your house. It's a joke. You know that there was a time young people. There was a time. And I remember I used to come home and read the newspaper, and my one daughter, Becca, she she would always talk to me, but she could tell that I was reading the newspaper. And then finally she'd come and she'd take her hand and put the newspaper down and said, Listen me. I. Listen me. Well, this is what happening here. The key term is in this text, for for me, as I look at it, is, they kept insisting. They kept insisting that this man be killed. Imagine this. I put it in your bulletin there. Remember, imagine being the most innocent man on the face of this earth, and they want you dead. Unbelievable, which begs, which begs me the question, what are you going to do? What are you going to do with Jesus? Because they can't figure it out. He can't figure it out right now. What to do with this guy? And asked me the question, what are you going to do with Jesus? When Jesus puts you in a trial? You know, trials, we're all going through trials right now, right in some kind, good, bad, big, small, usually we don't like it. I don't know about you, but I don't like it. And since I became a believer and a follower, it seems like Jesus loves to put me through trials, I'd even go so far. I don't know whether you've ever taken it this far, but I've even come to the point say, You know what? Jesus, you can take a vacation whenever you want. I don't need another one right now, although many times he never seems to listen to that. So that's why I the question on the floor this morning is, what do you do with Jesus when he puts you in a trial? Because no doubt in my mind, everybody sitting here today and listening and watching is going through a trial in some way of some kind. Some of them are hard and some of them are not so hard. Well, the first thing on your notes is, do you push back at the truth? And so I'm sitting there listening as this trial begins. You and I and I told you that, that it's a murder trial, and then come to find out when I'm picked and I'm the youngest one on this jury, it's a murder of a two year old boy. Oh, man, I did not, you know what, at first, when I got picked, I thought it was pretty cool, you know, this thing was in the papers, you know, pretty cool that they that, that they chose me at, you know, data. But then I went, Oh, man, a two year old boy, are you kidding me? I thought, Oh, how can I sit here through this then? And I was only 20 years old. Now, you've heard the testimony that I've given. I wasn't saved until I was 33 so I'm sitting there as an unbeliever. Wow, two years old, I listened and to the lawyers that they went back and forth and back and forth, and they insisting on this and insisting on that. And a few times the judge had to step in hearing excuse after excuse. And let me tell you this, there are times as a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ. Now, let me stop it right there. There's a reason why I say a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, because it's two different things. Many people say they are a believer, but not many people say they are a believer and a follower. It's two different things, because when I'm a follower, I'm going to purpose in my life to become like Christ. No matter what. It's easy to say that I'm a believer, not so easy for me to be a follower. So when we're in a trial and confronted with the truth from God's word, but we keep insisting that it really isn't what it really it's really not that bad. And sometimes we even insist, when God puts us through a trial, that we know better. Can you imagine anybody saying to the Lord, I think you got this one wrong. But it's been done there. There have been people who have said that instead of saying, You know what, Lord, I don't know what you're up to. I don't understand it. And there are trials that I've gone through in my life, and maybe there's trials that you've that you're going through now in your life, or have gone through that just, you know what the Lord, I just, I don't get it, and you know what, I'm still going through, one that's lasted a long time and saying, You know what, I'm not I'm I'm still not seeing, I'm still not seeing what you're doing, but you're doing it. And you know what? I'm hanging in there. All trials, all trials have a purpose, because the Lord is doing something that needs to be done. The question is, what? And the question still on the floor is, what are you going to do with Jesus when he puts you in a trial? And many times, let me tell you, I don't know about you, but many times, we don't want to hear the truth. You know why? Because the truth is convicting and the truth hurts. Cheryl has always told our kids, you know what, when the truth hurts, it's supposed to. And certainly in this case, people calling for Jesus' death, they didn't want to hear the truth, even though Pilate told him there are no grounds to put him to death. They didn't want to hear it. The text says they kept insisting. Man, it's like, I don't believe it. There's no grounds for it. But here's the truth. You want to know the truth for each and every one of us, no matter how long you've been a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, there are parts of it. There are parts of your life that still need to change. You don't have to say, Amen, right here, but that's a good spot for one true you. I don't care personally. I don't care how long you've been a believer and a follower. I don't care because I've had many people over the years of being a pastor and counseling the and and people come in that they and they've been a believer and a follower for 3040, 50 years, and they're still struggling, but they like to tell me and boast how long they've been saved. I don't care. You can know your Bible upwards and backwards and sideways, inside and out. And you know what? You still need to change. We all do just because I'm standing up here, yeah, doesn't mean nothing. God is still working in me too to change me and mold me into His image, and sometimes it hurts so bad, and He does this by putting us through trials. But the question is, what are you going to do with him? What are you going to do with Jesus? You're going to push back and what he's trying to do? Oh, I really don't want to do that. Oh, I really don't want to go there. Oh, come on. Now, you got to be kidding me. Are you sure about this? But that's what he does. In fact, that's what he could be doing in your life right now. You could be saying, Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want me to go there? Do you push back? No, it's just us. Do you push back at it? You don't want to hear it. Oh, I Well, I've had people do that. Oh, Pastor, I don't want to hear it. Yeah, but let me, no, no, I don't want to hear it. Okay, I'll let Jesus work on your heart. Do you push back second point? Do you manipulate the truth, right? I told you that this, that this was a murder trial of a two year old child in. The person accused of his murder was his mother. I couldn't believe it. I'm sitting there going, Oh, this ain't so cool. This is not cool at all. I really, really, oh, I kind of wish they hadn't picked me. So I started so I so I kept listening. So the testimony began on Monday of Thanksgiving week, and what I thought was pretty cool quickly turned out to be no. This is not so when Pilate heard the word Galilean. Here, look at verses six, starting there. When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean finding that he was under Herod's jurisdiction. So we sent him the Herod, right? You get the picture here, who was also in Jerusalem in those days. What are those days? What's Passover? So everybody goes to Jerusalem for Passover, and Herod was very glad to see Jesus. You know why? Because he heard that Jesus does this way cool thing of performing miracles. And then the text says he had heard about it for a long time, and he wanted to see him. You know why he wanted to see him? Because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him. So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus didn't answer him. Okay. That really ticked him off. The chief priest and the scribes stood by accusing him. Now here, can you imagine being so hated that when they that, when they take him from Pilate and they bring him to Herod, the people follow him. They were accusing him before, before Pilate, now they're accusing Him before Pilate. That's how much they hated him. That's how much they wanted him dead. So when Pilate heard the word Galilean, there's his loophole. He wants to escape his responsibility, and learning that Jesus came from jailer from Galilee, He took advantage of that and turned him over to Herod, the governor of Galilee. Can you believe that? Oh, not my problem. It's not my problem. So I'm listening to the testimony of this little boy's mother and and then his father, and they said that the little boy fell off the kitchen table and suffered head trauma. Okay, that that seems, that seems reasonable, but then something happened. I the next person up on the stand was the Cook County Coroner of Chicago, who did the autopsy. And as a jury, you have to look at those pictures, and it was a lot more than had trauma. They were manipulating the truth the same way this crowd was manipulating the truth with Jesus because they wanted him dead, and don't we do the same thing? Don't we do the same thing when we're going through a trial? Oh, I really didn't do that. And here's Herod hoping that it seems some big wonder, Miracle done by Jesus. And when he asked Jesus questions, he wouldn't answer them. So you know what he does? He mocks them. He mocks them. He put different clothes on in them, send them back to Pilate. And in those times that we're going through trials, we try to justify the things that we've done. You. This poor little boy's parents tried to justify that he was dead because he fell off the table. The problem was the evidence didn't prove that, but they tribe you. They tried to manipulate the truth, and they tried to manipulate the jury into thinking so. And there are times that we do the same thing. We try to manipulate the truth we you ever done that you ever looked at something in God's word, and God's truth comes to you, and then you try and bend it and shape it however well it suits you. You ever done that I must be the only one. Oh, and it really doesn't mean that, no, no, no, no, no, no, I didn't do that. Yeah, you did. I can't tell you how many times then, Dad, I've had to sit in in my office and confront somebody who is not living the right way and say, This is what the Word of God, oh, past pastor. I don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that. IV, you know what? I know this sounds cruel, but, but there's, there's a there's a purpose to it. I've had to fire counselees, people who didn't want to hear God's word and what he wanted to say. I finally had to tell them, we're done. When your heart's ready, come on back. You. What are you going to do with Jesus when he puts you in a trial, you're going to push back on him. You're going to you're going to manipulate the truth. Oh, I tell you what? What about halfway Jesus? Because here did some of us like halfway Jesus. You know what halfway Jesus is and and this is especially for you young people, because of the way the world is now. It's always tugging, always trying to pull you in. I'll tell you what. Jesus just come into my life, halfway, halfway. I'll I'll do, I'll do, I'll do my churchy thing on this half, and you leave me alone on this half and let me be part of my friends and everything that goes on halfway Jesus. Manipulate Yeah, good luck with that. Feel feel free to drive to drop by my office and let me know how that's doing, because it doesn't work. Eventually it will catch up with you, because it's easy to be comfortable with that. Do you push back? Do you do you manipulate? Because your question on the floor is still, what do you do with Jesus when he puts you in a trial? Point number three, do you purposely keep the truth from changing you? So now Jesus is back in Pilates custody, and again again. Pilate tells the chief priests, the leaders and the people, there's nothing. Can you believe this? There's nothing to charge against Jesus, to put him to death. But I tell you what I'm gonna do. I'll have Him whipped. Just to keep you guys happy, I'll have Him whipped and then release him. Because, you know, it's Passover, and it's custom, we release somebody, a criminal, at Passover, so he thinks, hey, if I whip him. I'll release him. And that's that's in their eyes. That's her criminal. So he can just go on his way. But they say no, give us the murderer. They were relentless because they wanted Jesus dead. And there are times that we're going through a trial and Jesus is at work in the inside of us, even turning our lives upside down. Has your life ever been turned upside down? Mine has? If yours hasn't, get ready you him. And there are times where then we're going through those trials that we will purposely say, Nope, I'm not going there. You know what Jesus does? Watch this. Peter writes about this. Us about faith. You know, he brings us through the fire to purify us. Maybe a little break he goes, and then he brings us through the fire once again. Maybe gives us a little break, maybe not, and then he brings us through the fire again. That's what the Christian life is. That's how we grow and change. So testimony is over, the case is given to the jury, and we're sitting back in the room now, before we are dismissed to the jury room, the judge tells us, these are your choices. Now, Illinois didn't have the death penalty. Then if, you find her guilty, these are your choices. If she can be not guilty, but if guilty, then you know one of the choices was life in prison. And this dear sweet lady, this dear sweet lady says, I don't think I can send someone to prison for their whole life. And she was very sincere. I don't think that I could do that. And I don't know what got into me, but I looked at this woman and said, Ma'am, this little boy's mother is seven months pregnant. What's going to happen to the next child that did it? I just the way these people were relentless in making sure Jesus got put to death. Let me tell you something. Take this to heart. God is also relentless and most of all, faithful to do whatever is necessary to mold you and change you from the inside out, just as relentless as these people wanted. Jesus Christ crucified, our Lord is just as relentless to do a work in us that needs to be done. And I'll tell you what. There are times it feels like it never ends. There's a quote by Charles Spurgeon, when I get the glory, when I get to heaven, it's one guy I want to meet, and it says, trials teach us what we are. They dig up the soil and let us see what we are made of. So what are you going to do? You're going to push back. You're going to manipulate or you're going to let them change you. The question still stands, what are you going to do with Jesus, Heavenly Father? We want to thank you for who you are, for your mercy and for your grace, and everything you do for us when you put us through trials and Lord, it is my heart, for my myself and Everyone here that you would always be relentless. Please. Do whatever you have to do in us, to change us and mold us, and we will be forever grateful. Keep molding us into your image. Do whatever has to be done. Keep turning our lives upside down to be more like you. It hurts, but it's necessary. We love you, we praise you, and it's in Jesus name I pray, amen. Amen.