TEXT: John 19:7-12:
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
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Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign sermon series, which is aimed at sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep the main thing the main thing — and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents, politicians, and people, but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey the Lord’s Great Commission which is to, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” and who have refused to obey God’s repeated commands to “pray without ceasing” for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders. Yes, you should pray for the right candidate to win; yes, you should vote for the candidate that the Lord gives you peace about voting for. But, don’t get caught up in it like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get their hearts right with the Lord.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Acts 5:42 which says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the “Old, old story of Jesus and His love” — As another hymn says, “For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.” This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 307.
Someone once said, “No one switches on a flashlight in an area flooded by direct sunlight. We put on the light in order to dispel darkness. It is the darkness that makes the light necessary. God from eternity knew that men would choose darkness rather than light, and therefore He had to bring His light in Jesus Christ to shine in the midst of darkness.”
When Pilate heard from the Jews that Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God, he went back into his judgment hall to question Jesus some more. He asks Jesus a simple question, “Whence art thou?” The Jews had also struggled with this question. They could not square Jesus’ eloquent speech, His miracle-working abilities, and His understanding of the Scriptures with what they knew about His origin. They said, “Is not this Joseph the carpenter’s son? Are not his mother and brethren with us?” They knew Jesus to be from Bethlehem and Nazareth, but that was only a small part of the story.
Jesus, who had already told Pilate that He and His kingdom were “not of this world,” does not answer Pilate’s question. His repeated silence before His accusers and questioners is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “As a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.” Pilate is shocked by this. He is used to prisoners who are over-eager to prove their innocence. Pilate wants Jesus to defend Himself, to give him further reason not to crucify Him. When Jesus persists in silence, he says, “Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” Pilate spoke of the power that he derived from Rome in his position of authority. Rome was the greatest power on Earth during that day. Pilate could not imagine a higher source of power.
But Jesus responds, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” Jesus is saying that the ultimate source of power comes from God. Even earthly political power, including that of Rome and Pilate, is derived from God. And, at this time in history, God had granted Pilate the ability to sentence Jesus to death — which, of course, was part of God’s plan.
Pilate is feeling the pressure of the Jews and the weight of responsibility to keep the peace that has been laid on him by Rome. But, Jesus redirects Pilate’s attention to the fact that he is ultimately responsible to someone else. While the Jews and Rome may be breathing down his neck now, Pilate will ultimately answer to God for his actions. While those who ‘delivered Jesus unto Pilate had the greater sin,’ Pilate would still be responsible for his sin.
In a sense, everyone alive has a level of power — the power of free will, the power of choice. That is a God-given power, one He has granted to every human being. The most important exercise of our free will comes when we must make a decision about Jesus Christ — just as Pilate had to, just as the Jews had to. They freely chose to reject Jesus, and they will be held accountable for their choice. You can choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and become a part of the kingdom that Jesus spoke of that is ‘not of this world.’
Isaac Watts wrote:
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For a sinner such as I?
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can never repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
‘Tis all that I can do.
Jesus stands before you just as he stood before Pilate and the Jews — and you have the power to make a choice? If you have decided to receive Him as your Lord and Savior, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “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…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 