This is Stu Epperson from the Truth Talk Podcast, connecting current events, pop culture, and theology, and we're so grateful for you that you've chosen the Truth Podcast Network. It's about to start in just a few seconds.
Enjoy it, and please share it around with all your friends. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. Do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill? Do you feel like Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations?
I can do this, but I can't do that. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God, find God, and please God are futile? Do you feel like your faith is dead or alive? Today, Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions. Join us on Finding Purpose, a local triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living.
For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and Finding Purpose, you can visit us online at findingpurpose.net or connect with us on Facebook. Now, let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious. Let's get the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this night. And Lord, thank you for the joy that we have in our hearts because we know you. And thank you, Lord, for the peace that we have in our hearts because we know you. And thank you, Lord, for the future that we have in store for us because we know you. Lord, thank you for your Word. Lord, as I always pray, I pray that your Word will go forth tonight and not return void but accomplish the very purpose for which you intend. In your name I pray.
Amen. So tonight the message is entitled The Cup of God's Wrath Part 3. We're going to be looking at Mark chapter 15 verses 1 through 20. Over the last two weeks we've been studying in depth the details of Jesus drinking the cup of God's wrath.
And this far we've learned several things. First, as we know from the Old Testament, the cup is a symbol for God's judgment and wrath. And so imagine this cup holding God's wrath and being tilted towards His Son as He heads to the cross where He will drink the cup down to its dregs. Secondly, we see this cup being poured out upon Jesus in four stages. Stage number one, while Jesus was in the garden, you remember He was overwhelmed with agony as the full realization of the pain and suffering of the cross came into focus. In stage two, Jesus felt the shame and the humiliation as He endured the trials in which He was time after time falsely accused by the religious leaders. In stage three, Jesus stands before Pilate where once again He's falsely accused and then brutally scourged and mocked by the hardened Roman soldiers. And finally, in stage four which we will get to next week, we will see Jesus hanging on the cross, taking upon Himself the sins of the world, being separated from His Father's fellowship, and then dying the death that you and I deserve. And that brings us to Mark chapter 15 where we see Jesus delivered over to Pilate. And so I want you to follow with me as I begin with verse one. Here's what Mark writes, Again asked Him, Have you no answer to make?
Don't you send me charges they're bringing against you? But Jesus made no further answer so that Pilate was literally astounded. He couldn't believe it. And then in verse six it says, Now at the Passover feast, Pilate he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison who had committed murder in the insurrection there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them saying, Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? Because we know that's what Pilate really wanted to do. For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him released for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, Then what shall I do with the man you call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. And Pilate said to them, Why?
He was dumbfounded. What evil has he done? But they shouted all the more. Literally they were yelling at the top of their lungs, Crucify him. So Pilate wishing to satisfy the crowd released for them Barabbas. And having scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified. Verse 16, And the soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is the governor's headquarters. And they called together the whole battalion.
By the way that was about 600 soldiers. And they clothed him, the soldiers did, in a purple cloak and twisting together a crown of thorns. They put it on him.
Literally they jammed it on his head. And they began to salute him. Hail king of the Jews. And they were striking his head with a reed and rod and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him, making fun of him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. The last week we learned that Jesus was found guilty three separate times.
First remember by Annas, and then by Caiaphas who was the high priest. And then finally at daybreak he was brought before the full Sanhedrin and they called for his death. So here in Mark 15 Jesus stands on trial before Pilate. As we learned last week, Pilate found him innocent and then he sent him to Herod who just happened to be in Jerusalem. Herod found him innocent and then sent him back to Pilate. And so tonight we're going to focus on this final trial before Pilate.
And listen, here's what we're going to do tonight. While we're examining what happens to Jesus, I want us to examine ourselves. See we always need to be examining our hearts. First we want to determine then if we're truly in Christ. And then if we are in Christ we want to see how we are living as followers of Jesus out there in the world where it's not easy. 2 Corinthians 13, 5 says, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless of course you fail the test. And I hope no one fails the test.
So here's how I want you to examine yourself tonight. I'm going to show you that there are five types of men in this passage of Scripture. First we have the religious man, Caiaphas. Secondly we have the powerful man, Pilate. And here's the man I added. We have the imprisoned man, Barabbas.
And then fourth we have the man who follows the crowd. And then lastly we have the man, Jesus. So let's begin with the religious man. Here's the question I want you to ask yourself.
Which man are you more alike? In verse 1 we find the chief priest, the elders in the scribes, all of whom comprise the Sanhedrin. Now the Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish council in the first century. It was responsible for formulating all the rules and regulations regarding both Jewish worship and really Jewish life in general.
So you should think of it as sort of like a religious Jewish Supreme Court. The Sanhedrin consisted of the 71 ruling elders of the nation and was presided over by the high priest. And generally the Roman governor allowed the Sanhedrin to exercise a lot of autonomy and authority. But we see from this trial of Jesus that the Sanhedrin did not have the power to execute someone. And that's why they brought Jesus to Pilate.
Now here's what I really want you to see and understand about these religious leaders. First they were steeped in tradition. They knew the Old Testament backwards and forwards. Apparently they could drive a nail in the Old Testament and their exam was to turn the pages and they could fill in the hole with the right word. That's how they memorized the Old Testament. And they meticulously observed all the Jewish religious laws. They took the law of Moses and they added how many?
Over 600. They made the law odious. It was a burden to the people. But see what was really, see they kept the law outwardly, but inwardly they broke the main law which was to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, and with all their souls, and with all their minds. But you see instead they loved themselves. And this is why Jesus said to them, now you think about this, 71 men standing around with clerical colors and robes. And Jesus looked at them and He said, you hypocrites, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain.
Did you know you can do that? Their teachings are but rules taught by men. And this is why the prophet Amos said, listen to these words now, this is God speaking through Amos, I hate, I despise your religious assemblies.
I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Did you know that God felt this strongly about dead religious orthodoxy?
Do you know why? God hates dead religion. He hates it because religiosity actually works to harden a man's heart and drive him further and further and further away from God. In my opinion, this is the condition of the modern church here in America. It is anemic and dead. It is religious and lost like a sheep without a rudder. And this is why Jesus said to the church of Laodicea, I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.
So because you're lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I'm about to spit you out of my mouth. David Jeremiah said that he believes that the Laodicean church is the church of our day here in America. And do you know why I harp on this so much? Because Jesus did. So did Peter, James, and John, and the Apostle Paul. In Matthew 23 verses 27 through 28, again picture those 71 elders of Israel standing around the temple with their robes on. Jesus said, woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You're like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
No wonder they wanted to get rid of them. And this is why the chief priests stirred up the crowd to release Barabbas rather than Jesus. Billy Graham once said, religion is like the vaccine that stops you from getting the real thing. Whenever someone comes up to me, this has happened before, says, Russ, I hear you're very religious.
I said, wait just a minute. Don't ever call me religious. I'm not religious.
I'm a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. But religious is the last thing I want to be known as. Okay, so that's the religious man.
I hope you're not the religious man. Now let's consider the powerful man. Pontius Pilate was a very powerful man, or at least he thought he was. And in one sense he was because he literally held the keys of life and death for everyone who lived under his rule which was the entire population of Judea. But Jesus cast a different light on His power in a conversation that He had with him. And we can read about this in John 19. It says, When Pilate heard this, that is when he heard that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, he was even more afraid. Some of you may know that his wife had had a dream, and in that dream she learned something about Jesus and she went back and said, don't have anything to do with that man. And that put the fear of God in him.
But now he's even more afraid. And so he went back inside the palace and he asked Jesus, where do you come from? That's a pretty good question, but Jesus gave him no answer. Do you refuse to speak to me?
Pilate asked. Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you? And Jesus said to him, you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.
Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. See here in man lies the problem with power. It usually causes a man to feel that he is in control of his own world. Power in this world comes from primarily two sources, position and money, wealth. And usually the two go hand in hand.
All you have to do is look at Washington, D.C. and observe a lot of politicians. You see the problem with wealth is that it causes a man to think he doesn't need anything else. He becomes self-sufficient, independent of God. Who needs God when you have everything? I think this is the number one sin that men face of really particularly wealthy men.
Self-sufficiency, independence from God. They go through their days. They don't have a blessing. They ain't got time for a blessing.
They're too busy making more money. And this is why Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The two greatest impediments to entering heaven are religion and wealth.
And when you combine these two, it's deadly. Welcome to America. And if you throw in education, welcome to the RTP because we've got it all. We've got religion. We've got education.
And we've got wealth. Back to the church of Laodicea. Again Jesus says, do you know where Jesus is standing when He's speaking to the church of Laodicea? He's on the outside the church.
How do I know that? Because Revelation 3.20 says, here I am, I stand the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, He's trying to get into the church. Jesus said, you say I am rich.
Again He's talking to this church. I've acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from the gold refined in the fire.
What would that be? That's the Gospel. So you can become rich, a son of God. And white clothes to wear, clothes of righteousness so you can cover your shameful nakedness and salve to put in your eyes so that you can see. But see He's just told us that church is blind, pitiful, wretched, poor, and naked. That describes a person who's lost. That church is full of lost people.
That's why Jesus is on the outside trying to get in. Do you have a position of power? Are you wealthy? And listen, there's nothing wrong with being wealthy. The Bible doesn't say that money is the root of all evil.
It says what? The love of money. God, there are a lot of wealthy Christians who hold on their money loosely. They let God bring it in. They let God take it out. And you know what? The more God takes it out, the more He puts in there it seems like. If you don't believe that's correct, try them out. Start giving generously, maybe even sacrificially and you'll find out how generous God is. Listen, be very careful. Wealth, power, and religion work against the advancement of the kingdom of God and nearly always lead people down which road?
The wide road. See, Pilate believed himself to be powerful, but he really wasn't. In fact, he was just the opposite. He was a very weak man who instead of doing what was right and just, he did this. He gave in to the dictates of a very small crowd and released the imprisoned man Barabbas.
That's the third man. Who is Barabbas? Barabbas is you and me. Barabbas was a rebellious murderer and he was in prison. He should have been the one crucified, but Jesus did what?
Took His place. That's a picture of the gospel. Romans 3 23 says that we are all sinners because we fall short of whose glory?
God's. And Romans 6 23 says what? The wages of sin is death. And Romans 5 8 says but while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And Romans 10 13 says and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be what?
Saved. And that's the gospel. So why don't people in mass call on the name of Jesus to be saved?
Do you know why? Because they're following the crowd. And that's the fourth man.
The man who is following the crowd. Look at verses 11 through 14 again. But the chief priest stirred at the crowd to have him released for them, that is Pilate, Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, then what shall I do with the man you called the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, crucify him. And Pilate said to them, why?
What evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, crucify him. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas.
And having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. This is what Pilate did. And this is what nearly all politicians do.
They hold up their finger to see which way the wind is blowing. And that determines what they do. So let me ask you a question.
Is that what you do? Are you more concerned about pleasing people or pleasing God? And listen, we all are going to go back and forth. Even the greatest Christian who's ever lived sometimes gives in to wanting to please man rather than God.
We all do it. But the general direction of your life should be one where your heart wants to please God. John 12 verses 42 and 43 says, yet at the same time, many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees, they would not confess their faith for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. That is excommunicated. For they love praise from men more than what?
More than praise from God. You see, the synagogue was the center of Jewish religious and social life. It is where everyone hung out. It was sort of like a religious country club.
And no Jewish person ever wanted to lose that privilege. And it says here that many of the leaders believed in Jesus. However, they would not confess their faith in Him. Do you know why?
Pure pressure. You see, I don't believe their faith was genuine. I don't believe that it was true saving faith. The Bible says even the demons. You claim that you believe in God? Good, even the demons believe that. See, I believe this describes the faith.
And I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I'm just trying to get us all to wake up, okay, if we're not. I believe this describes the faith of so many so-called Christians in America. In America, our Christianity is a joke compared to the Christians who are suffering in Muslim countries and in the underground church in China. I mean, those guys know what real faith is and what it means to really be a follower of Jesus. You see, so many Christians who claim to be Christians, they say they believe in God, but there's no real evidence that they're really following Jesus. In fact, guys, going forward, when somebody asks you what your faith is, just say, just answer like this, I'm a follower of Jesus. Don't say I'm a Christian because people think Americans are Christians just because we live here. Don't say I'm a Presbyterian, or Baptist, or whatever. I'm a follower of Jesus. In Matthew 7, Jesus says, You enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
I have the privilege of leading a Bible study with about 15, 19 to 20 year old NC State guys. Sorry about the football game, I had to throw that out. Sorry, Lou.
Is that why you've got a Carolina blue one tonight? Well, one of these guys asked me the other day, can you go back and forth between the wide road and the narrow road? I said, well, and here's the truth, as long as you're on the wide road, you always have the opportunity to enter through the narrow gate and get on the narrow road. Here's the good news, once you're on the narrow road, it's impossible to go back.
Did you know that? Because you're on the narrow road. You may not look like you're on the narrow road at times, but you're on it. Because there's only one road that leads to heaven, and what road is that? I asked these guys, I said, how many roads are they going from the time a man is born to the time he dies? How many roads, how many paths does he have to choose, choices that he have in life? Two.
I said, what's the name? The wide road and the narrow road. We read this same passage right here on Monday at four o'clock yesterday. So, men, if you want to find your way to heaven, then I implore you, enter through the narrow gate. But you need to be prepared for this truth.
Often you'll be traveling alone. Finally, let's examine the man Jesus. Jesus literally took up His cross and died on it. And, men, that is a picture of the Christian life.
And that's why most people aren't interested in it. In Matthew chapter 10, verses 38 and 39, Jesus says, and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake will what? Do you want to find life?
I'm talking about life that's full and abundant. Then lose your life. Do you know why most people, the vast majority of Americans will not choose to follow Jesus? It's because following Jesus is costly. You have to be willing to give up your life, your desires, your wants, your comfort, your popularity, everything.
He may give those things back to you, but you've got to be willing to give them up. You must be willing to lose your life. Jesus says, come and follow me. Following Jesus is a radical, life-altering commitment. It's not about joining a church even though you should, and it's not about trying to be a good person. It's about trying to be a good person. It's about truly following Jesus. It's a radical change in the direction of your life.
You're going this way, you hear Jesus say, come and follow me, and you say, I will, and you turn and you go this way. It's not radical. And listen, you can't make that radical change and people will not notice it.
If people don't notice that you've made that change, then I would say you haven't made it. You have to say goodbye to the world and the popularity of friends. And you have to be willing to lose some friends, maybe many friends. You have to be willing to say to Jesus, Jesus, my life is yours. I will follow you wherever you lead me no matter the cost.
Are you willing to say that? Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian struggling to follow Christ in the midst of Nazi Germany penned one of the great Christian books of the 20th century entitled, The Cost of Discipleship. Every man in here should read it. In his book he wrote the first call every Christian experiences is the quote, the call to abandon the attachments to this world. And the theme of his book is summarized in one powerful sentence, when Christ calls a man He bids Him, come and die. When Christ calls a man, you young men out there, and you old men, He bids us to come and die. So let me ask you, are you willing to follow Jesus knowing that?
In David Platt's book, Radical, he writes the following. Listen to this, your life is free to be radical when you see death as reward. This is the essence of what Jesus told. And He says, I believe it is the key to taking back your faith from the American dream. The key is realizing and believing that this world is not your home. If you ever hope to free our lives from worldly desires, worldly thinking, worldly pleasures, worldly dreams and ambitions, then we must focus on another world. Though you and I live in the United States of America now, we must fix our attention on a better country, a heavenly one. Hebrews 11 says, all these people, talking about the Old Testament believers, were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised, they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.
And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Charles Spurgeon said, and I'll close with this, think of right now envision what you think that heavenly city will look like. By the way, it will be physical. It will be glorious. Believers from all time will be there, will be the citizens. Loved ones will be there.
I believe your favorite pet might be there. I can't prove that, but that's what I'm hoping. I believe that we will explore, that we will work, and there won't be any toll in our work. And we will enjoy friendships, we will make new friends, and we will live with Jesus forever with the God who created us to know Him. Spurgeon says, we see an abiding city beyond the skies, and we shall not be disappointed. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Lord, I for one right here tonight long to see that heavenly city. And Lord, I say that I'm actually looking forward to my death.
Not that I want to happen tonight because I believe You still have work for me to do here. But Lord, I know that death is going to be a reward for me, and I believe it's going to be a reward for everybody in here who is on the narrow road. Lord, if there's someone here tonight, a man who's not sure if he's on the narrow road, show them how to enter the narrow gate. Call them to yourself. Help us, Lord, to be willing to turn away from the pull of the world and to be willing to follow You because it's definitely an upgrade.
It's definitely a step up. Lord, we love You. We need You so much. We pray for our country that You will have mercy on us. And Lord, I ask You to be with these men. Draw them to Yourself. Open their eyes so that they can see You, that You love them, and that You want them to be in that heavenly city one day where we will live where we will live forever. It's in Your name that I pray. Amen. Pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him and over 300 other local Triangle men to study God's Word together every Tuesday night at 7 pm in downtown Raleigh. Find out more at findingpurpose.net. This is the Truth Network.
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