PEACE WITH GOD!
Introduction:
We have been on Redemption Road for several
weeks. This Good Friday evening, we will observe a trial that took place over
2000 years ago. What happened there still impacts us even today. I am
recruiting all of us to be the jury in this trial. By the end of our time, I
would ask us about your decision, so let us pay close attention to the story as
it unfolds.
I.
JESUS ON TRIAL
As the curtain lifts off, we walk
straight into a Roman courtroom and take our seats as the jury. Pilate is in
the judge’s seat, and the council brings in Jesus of Nazareth. Before this
appearance amid crowds chanting Hosanna, Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem on
a donkey.
The whole council presented a false
case to the governor. Besides other allegations, they said, Jesus claimed to be
the Messiah, a king. Pilate asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus
replied, “you have said it.” Pilate pronounces to the leading priests and the
crowd, “I find no guilt in this man!” The priests insisted that Jesus was
causing riots through his teachings.
Upon learning that he was a
Galilean, Pilate sends Him to Herod Antipas, one of Herod’s three sons, who
ruled Galilee and Perea. He was the one who got John the Baptist executed and
threatened to kill Jesus (Lk13:31). After the death of John, Herod heard about
everything Jesus was doing and kept trying to see him. (Lk 9:9) finally, he was
delighted to see Jesus face to face.
The reason Herod wanted to see Jesus
was to see him perform a miracle. Jesus did none of it and refused to answer
all the questions of Herod. After sensing, he was not getting anything out of
Jesus and the crowds were getting out of control, Herod sends Jesus back to
Pilate.
On that day, Herod and Pilate, who
had been enemies before, became friends. In the second round, Pilate announced
his verdict. “Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. So, I will
have him flogged, and then I will release him.” It did not sit well with the
council and the crowds. They shouted, “Kill him and release Barabbas for us.”
Who was Barabbas? A robber
(John18:40) and a murderer (Lk 23:18-19). In some way, involved as an anti-Roman
insurrectionist. On the other hand, who was Jesus? A prophet from Nazareth,
Rabbi, the healer, claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God. How could any
reasonable person want a murderer to be released in place of a kind and gentle
healer?
Pilate tried hard to release him by
having him flogged, knowing the crowd’s evil intentions and not finding any
reason to sentence Jesus to death. But the unruly mob shouted louder and
louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified. Giving in to their demands, Pilate
sentenced Jesus to die by crucifixion, the most painful and disgraceful form of
Roman execution.
After hearing the narrative and how
things played out, what would be your verdict? Who is guilty, and who is
innocent? If Jesus was the innocent one, what Good is it for him to die on the
cross such a brutal and painful death? How did Jesus’ death benefit the crowds?
To answer these and many more questions, we need to see Jesus’ overall mission
he came to accomplish.
II.
PEACE WITH GOD.
Jesus was on a mission of
reconciliation, to bring back God’s enemies into a right relationship with Him.
Several Old Testament prophecies have alluded that Jesus is going to pave the
way for people to have Peace with God and with one another. Consider the following:
Isaiah 53:3-9, “He was despised and
rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. Yet it was our
weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down… He was pierced
for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He
was w whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow
our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and
treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the
slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one
cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in
midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done
no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he
was put in a rich man’s grave.” This prophecy was fulfilled at the crucifixion
of Jesus. (blank)
Before Jesus’ trial and crucifixion,
this was what the high priest Caiaphas said. John 11:50-52 “You don’t realize
that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the
whole nation to be destroyed.” He did not say this on his own; as high priest
at that time, he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire
nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the
children of God scattered around the world.”
What is the significance of Jesus’
death on the cross? First, our sin has separated us from God, Jesus’ death on
the cross puts us in the right relationship with God. 2 Cor 5:21, “For God made
Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, (or to become sin
itself) so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” God doesn’t
count our sins against us anymore.
Second, through our rebellion and
sinful nature, we became the enemies of God. Jesus’ death restores our
friendship with God once again. Romans 5:10, “For since our friendship with God
was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will
certainly be saved through the life of his Son.”
Third, Jesus’ death brought us into
God’s big family. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now,
you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once, you were far away from God, but
now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
Finally, Jesus’ death on the cross
helps us live in peace with God and one another. Eph 2:14, “For Christ, himself
has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in
his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that
separated us.”
Colossians 1:20, “and
through him, God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with
everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” On
this Good Friday, as we look around, many are living in fear and anxiety,
without Hope and Peace. People are
searching for peace and rest. Where can they find peace? Who can give them peace?
Can politicians, celebrities, sports
stars, musicians, and religious leaders bring us peace? Here is a quote from the late evangelist Billy
Graham wrote “Peace with God in 1953. “Christ alone can bring lasting peace.
Peace with God- Peace among men and nations and in your hearts.” Peace with God
brings the Peace of God so that we can face all storms of life.
If you want the Peace of God in your
life, Peace with God is what you need first. When you are in the right
relationship with God, you have peace in your heart. Living in Peace with God
doesn’t mean you will not have any problems, and all of a sudden, people will
be friendly to you. On the contrary, the opposite is true. You may have lots of
troubles, your close friends, including your family, may turn against you. You
may be challenged at your work.
When that happens, remember you have
Jesus Christ, the prince of peace who overcame sin and Satan, living inside of
you by the power of the Holy Spirit guiding you how to respond. The cross is
not a symbol of defeat but rather a sign of victory, which brings us Peace.
We will see how Jesus Christ
conquered the Devil on Easter Sunday. For now, let me leave us with this
scripture Romans 5:1, “Therefore since we have been made right in God’s sight
by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done
for us.” Amen!
