* You can now watch a video of this message at: https://new.livestream.com/rickpina/live.
(Read John 18:38-40)
We are just two weeks aways from Resurrection Sunday morning. So this morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series, “The Road to the Resurrection.” In our last message we saw how Pilate could not find anything wrong with Jesus. The governor asked question after question, but Jesus provided skilled answers and Pilate could not find fault in the Jewish Rabbi.
The Roman governor did not care about the theological issues the Jewish leaders had with Jesus, but he did not want a problem in his province and it was obvious that the Jews were teeming with anger and discontent. So, instead of sentencing Jesus or setting Him free, Pilate put the onus back on the Jews. The governor said, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?” This was Pilate’s way of shifting the burden of the decision. The Roman governor clearly thought, and stated, that Jesus was innocent. However, he wanted Jesus’ release to be the decision of the Jews. Pilate’s plan did not work. Instead of calling for the release of Jesus (the only completely innocent man to ever walk the planet), the Jews called for the release of Barabbas, a revolutionary who was unquestionably guilty of his crimes.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Sometimes bad things happen to good people for a reason. Pilate gave Jesus an ‘out’ but the people shut it down. The Jews opted to release a guilty man, instead of releasing the only innocent man to ever live. But there were powers at work that were bigger than Pilate or the people. Betrayal, physical abuse, and the crucifixion, were all part of Jesus’ destiny, and He had to endure them all on the road to the Resurrection.
2. Sometimes difficult situations actually help usher you into your purpose. I am not saying that God does bad things to good people, and I am not saying that God needs to punish you to bless you. But I am saying that I can recall many times when I have faced difficult situations, or when I attempted to do something I thought was good, only to have it fail over and over again, all because I was outside of the will of God. The difficult situations and my repeated failures all eventually helped me arrive at God’s best for my life. So while God does not DO bad things to good people in order to bless them, He can surely use bad situations to help usher you into His best. You might be in a bad situation this morning because of satan, or simply because of your own error, either way God can turn that situation around and make it work out for your good.
3. When life is seemingly going haywire, remember God is still God. Faith is an expression of your confidence in God and/or His Word. You are called and expected to live by faith. You can have strong faith when you know what God promised You and when You can see His hand in operation in your life. But even when you don’t, and when it seems like your life is going haywire, remember that God is still God, He is still on the throne, and He will see you through it. Trust God, even when you don’t know what He is doing or how a situation is going to work out. Your trust will keep you where your faith is unclear.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me from the amazing life of Jesus. Jesus was the only innocent man to ever walk the planet. Jesus did nothing wrong. Jesus was illegally arrested, falsely accused, brutally beaten, and nailed to a cross; and all of this could have been avoided. Pilate gave the Jews the option of releasing Jesus, but they opted to release Barabbas instead. On the surface it made no sense. On the surface it looked like a foolish decision. On the surface it looked like You were failing Your Son. But You look past the surface. Even when Jesus was hanging on the cross, You were still God, You were still in control, and You still had all power. You did not cause these bad things to happen to Your Son, but You used the things that happened, and You turned them around for Your glory. You do the same thing in my life. Sometimes bad things happen to me because satan is attacking my purpose. Other times bad things happen because of the foolish decisions I make. Either way, You are able to take those bad things and turn them around for my good. You are the Author and Finisher of my faith. I live by faith with fearless confidence in You and in the promises You have made me. When I can see You at work in my life, I have faith. But even when I don’t, and even when life is seemingly going haywire, I have TRUST that You are still God and that You will see to it that the circumstances of my life help usher me into Your best, on the road to the fulfillment of my purpose. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
