Good and bad, evil and moral, kind and hateful, decent and vile, and the list goes on. Human beings are free to behave in any way they so choose. When the high priest had it in for Jesus to the point that he wanted him dead, he was free to do so. When Pilate saw for himself that Jesus wasn’t guilty of any crime, he washed his hands of the whole mess. That was his decision.
Skip to John 12:28. Jesus knows his time is near and he speaks, “Father, glorify thy name.” A voice comes from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Can you imagine it? Hearing God talking to his Son. What must it have been like?
Verse 30 says that the judgment of the world is here and the prince of it (Satan) will be cast out. This is why the next statement is so profound. Jesus says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth (crucified), will draw all men unto me.” Jesus was the completion of the plan to reconcile the human race to God. Yes, even the high priest and Pilate. Jesus paid the price of redemption for all of us.
When Moses was in the wilderness, he made a serpent of brass and lifted it up so that anyone who had been bitten, once they saw the serpent of brass, they would live. Jesus says in John 3:14 that the Son of man must also be lifted up. And again in John 8:28 he speaks of being lifted up.
It wasn’t for his sake he was being ‘lifted up’, it was for our sakes. The last stanza to the Blood of the Old Rugged Cross was spoken during the sermon by Pastor Josh. “What an awful death He died to pardon you and me, All alone in agony He tossed, And a world once lost in sin can now be wholly free, By the blood that stained the old rugged cross.” Moving words that stir the soul and makes the heart leap for joy.
“It is awful but it is a beautiful sacrifice, missing hell and gaining heaven. It’s all about what Jesus did for us.” said Pastor Josh. God made a way of escape. It is there for those who want to take it. Pilate who washed his hands and walked away. The high priest who wanted Jesus dead. What words of advice would they have for all who came after them? Their souls are somewhere be it heaven or hell. They would warn people just like the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man didn’t want his brothers to wind up in hell. Neither would they.
Skip to John 12:28. Jesus knows his time is near and he speaks, “Father, glorify thy name.” A voice comes from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Can you imagine it? Hearing God talking to his Son. What must it have been like?
Verse 30 says that the judgment of the world is here and the prince of it (Satan) will be cast out. This is why the next statement is so profound. Jesus says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth (crucified), will draw all men unto me.” Jesus was the completion of the plan to reconcile the human race to God. Yes, even the high priest and Pilate. Jesus paid the price of redemption for all of us.
When Moses was in the wilderness, he made a serpent of brass and lifted it up so that anyone who had been bitten, once they saw the serpent of brass, they would live. Jesus says in John 3:14 that the Son of man must also be lifted up. And again in John 8:28 he speaks of being lifted up.
It wasn’t for his sake he was being ‘lifted up’, it was for our sakes. The last stanza to the Blood of the Old Rugged Cross was spoken during the sermon by Pastor Josh. “What an awful death He died to pardon you and me, All alone in agony He tossed, And a world once lost in sin can now be wholly free, By the blood that stained the old rugged cross.” Moving words that stir the soul and makes the heart leap for joy.
“It is awful but it is a beautiful sacrifice, missing hell and gaining heaven. It’s all about what Jesus did for us.” said Pastor Josh. God made a way of escape. It is there for those who want to take it. Pilate who washed his hands and walked away. The high priest who wanted Jesus dead. What words of advice would they have for all who came after them? Their souls are somewhere be it heaven or hell. They would warn people just like the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man didn’t want his brothers to wind up in hell. Neither would they.
