Last Sunday was a great day. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Belief in His resurrection from the dead is critical to our salvation.
(Rom 10:9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
It really does make a difference what a person believes. Many have said, "Well I don't care where a person goes to church, as long as they go!" Now, that sounds good, but a better thought would be as long as they go to a church where the Gospel is preached and salvation is taught would be much better. A church where Jesus Christ is proclaimed as the only way to eternal life!
In this morning's text, Pilate asks a very important question. Notice in verse 22, 'What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?' This is a question that each and every one of us must be ready to answer.
The answer to the question determines where we will spend eternity. We must be careful not to dismiss this question as religious rhetoric; it will be the most important decision we ever make.
I. The Question: '…What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ…"?
A. It is a personal question.
1. It is not affected by how others may answer.
2. It is not affected by your status in life.
3. It is a personal question that is directed to each individual personally.
B. It is a question that requires action.
1. This question cannot be tabled until some later date.
2. The Bible says, 'Now is the day of salvation'
3. Pilate tried to avoid the question:
a. He sent Jesus to King Herod.
b. King Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.
c. Pilate tried to release Jesus so he would not have to answer that question.
C. It is a very specific question.
1. It is not 'What will you do with religion?'
2. It is not 'What will you do with the church?'
3. It is 'What will you do with Jesus?'
(Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
II. Some Important Factors to Consider:
A. Satan a personal devil.
1. Contrary to what Satan would have you to believe, he is real! not in some cosmic sort of way, but he is a personality.
2. Many believe that he is the 'boogie man' or is cute little fellow with pointed ears and a pitchfork.
3. Satan will attempt to influence your decision about Jesus.
4. He whispers in your ear (actually he plants thoughts in your mind) and says don't make this decision now, you have plenty of time.
(Prov 27:1) "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."
B. Another important factor to be considered is the sin question itself.
1. Are we really sinners?
2. Perhaps we feel that we aren't all that bad.
3. Maybe we grew up in a godly home with godly parents.
4. Maybe we have just been a pretty good person all our life.
(Rom 3:10) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"
(Mark 10:18b) "And Jesus said unto him … there is none good but one, that is, God."
C. Finally we must consider 'self'.
1. 'Self' = human nature.
2. Paul said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing..." (Ro. 7:18a)
3. Human nature is depraved.
(Rom 8:8) "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
III. Specific Answers to a Specific Question.
A. We must be for Him or against Him.
1. There is no middle of the road.
2. Jesus said 'He that is not with me is against me' cf Lk. 11:23
B. We must love Him or hate Him.
(Mat 6:24) "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
1. No man can serve two masters.
2. We cannot serve God and Satan at the same time.
3. We cannot have it both ways!
4. Either we are all out for God, or we are against Him.
C. We must either accept Him or reject Him.
(John 1:12) "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
1. He came unto His own, and his own received Him not.
2. This is a reference to the nation of Israel that would reject Him as the Messiah.
3. But to those who would receive Him…
D. We must either crown Christ as Lord or crucify Him.
1. When we say no to Jesus, we number ourselves with the crowd that cried 'crucify him crucify him'
2. If Jesus isn't Lord of all He's not Lord at all.
3. We must either confess Him or deny Him.
(Mat 10:32-33) "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. {33} But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
(Rom 10:10) "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
IV. What We Do Today Will Settle Our Future:
A. Eternal salvation is determined by how this question is answered.
(1 John 5:11-12) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. {12} He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
B. For all who reject Jesus Christ, eternity awaits.
(Rev 20:15) "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
C. What will be the answer today?
Who'll Take the Son?
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.
The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.
The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel.
"We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."
Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.
Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
If you have never accepted Christ as Savior, come today and receive Him. Trust Him and make certain of your eternity in heaven. Christians, what will we do with Jesus? Will we honor Him with our lives?