1 Timothy 3:15, "...that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
Author:skuntzman
Jesus Christ is my Savior and I have been born again (John 3:1-6; Acts 2:38). He gifted me with the love of my life, Anita. She blessed me with 2 awesome children, a brilliant daughter-in-law, and the 5 best grandkids in the world. Together, Anita and I are striving to introduce and bring people to a victorious life through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 3:15-16, “(15) And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. (16) And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5, “(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
Zechariah 8:3-8, “(3) Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. (4) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. (5) And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. (6) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. (7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; (8) And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”
Exo 25:10-22, “And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Luke 19:5-6, “(5) And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (6) And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”
Paul penned Ephesians and Philippians from prison to minister to the church. These two short books contain principles that give you power to live godly, in an ungodly world.
James Wilhoit shared the story of the birth of his second daughter and her battle with jaundice during her early days. For treatment, the doctor prescribed sunlight.
Thinking there was most likely a complex and difficult treatment to cure his newborn, he asked the doctor what could be done.
The doctor patiently explained that jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin [billy-rubin] in a newborn’s red blood cells, and light helps break down the excess bilirubin into waste products the kidneys can eliminate.
The cure really was as simple as sunlight, and all that the parents had to do was just sit their newborn in the sun.
And that’s exactly what they did: they placed her their daughter on a pallet of blankets in her diaper in front of the living room windows that welcomed large amounts of sunlight.
As the day would progress, her attentive and loving parents adjusted her position to keep her in full view of the sun.
As James Wihoit later wrote, “The cure did not depend on her but on her being kept in the light.”
Simple Grace – Grace that Saves
A year and a half earlier, James and his wife were walking through their neighborhood and crossed paths with another couple strolling with their firstborn baby girl.
On the sunny but cool March day, their neighbor’s child lay in a stroller covered by a canopy while snugly wrapped head to toe with only a small portion of her face showing. The other couple explained she had jaundice and according to her doctors should be out in the sun. Yet here she was outdoors, but not in the sunlight.
James now watching his newborn lay on their living room floor in full view of the sun realized:
“So often I come to God only revealing the tiniest patch of skin for his healing light. For me, the clothing that blocks the healing light of Jesus most often is my pride, seen in the form of denial—I deny that I need cleansing.”[3]
The cure does not depend on you, but on you keeping yourself in the light of God’s grace.
Rather than deny and refuse—or worse, try to manufacture—our healing, we can simply receive it.
God’s Grace is Offered to You
God has made His grace available to you even though you “had your conversation [conduct] in times past in the lusts of your flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[4]
Paul was clear, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” but all who come to Jesus in faith and obedience are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”[5]
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”[6]
Free – Undeserved – Unmerited Grace will save you from living a life governed by sin and a servant to satan.
God Grace is Extended to You Because of His Love
Paul told the Ephesians that Jesus has authority over “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,”[7]
There is power in this world that exerts itself over you and draws you into an corrupt state, and while you have no natural power to defeat the devil and sin,
God does.
Because of “his great love wherewith he loved you,” He gives you the undeserved, unearned blessing (simple definition of grace) of His authority and power over the dominion of sin and the devil.
Grace that Saves is Free – Undeserved – Unmerited
God’s Grace Saves You
Because He loves you, He offers to rescue you and redeem you:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”[8]
You may be hopeless and bound, but He offers you hope and freedom.
By yourself you are outmatched and incapable of conquering sin, the kingdom of darkness, and death.
Your religious activities can’t save you, and you don’t earn salvation by your good deeds.
Salvation is not extended to you because of how many hours you have prayed, meals you have fasted, money you have contributed.
Salvation is not achieved because of how many times you’ve read the Bible through, or how often you attend the church services.
These spiritual disciplines are indicators of a transforming disciple, but only God’s grace saves you.
Perhaps you have the mistaken notion that “I must do this particular spiritual activity to get God to love me.”
This type of mentality can turn God’s grace into something to be earned, yet this is entirely opposite of what grace means.
Grace is undeserved, unmerited and unearned.
Grace that Saves is a gift you receive.
It is simple grace, like setting a jaundiced baby in the sunlight so that she can receive the light.
Receive God’s Grace
The way to receive by faith the Grace that Saves is through the principle of humility.
1 Peter 5:5-7, “(5) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (6) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
There is a link between grace and humility:
Humility acknowledges, “I am not perfect.”
Humility understands your need for growth and improvement.
Humility allows you to accept grace because humility allows you to truly repent.
Zacchaeus Received God’s Grace (Luke 19:1-10)
Luke alone of the Gospel writers records God’s grace extended to “a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich . . . and . . . little of stature” (Luke 19:2–3).
We quickly see how others around him knew him:
Zacchaeus most likely “presided over other tax-gatherers, received their collections and transmitted them to the Roman government.”[9]
Zacchaeus, a Jew, was not liked by other Jews because he chose to for the Romans.
As a publican he was treated as a traitor to his people.
Not only that, but it seems he had charged his fellow Jewish citizens extra on their taxes to profit from the surplus. He was getting rich off them.
Zacchaeus was not well liked in Jericho.
When the people saw that Jesus was going into Zacchaeus’s home, “they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner” (Luke 19:7).
Zacchaeus fit the description of an individual walking “according to the course of this world…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[10]
Zacchaeus had risen to the top of the ranks of swindling tax collectors, and he abused his authority by getting rich off the hard-earned money of others.
They labeled him, scorned him and rejected him.[11]
Jesus Spent Time with Zacchaeus
The crowd was not wrong in their assessment of Zacchaeus; the earthly labels were certainly true of him, but they were not the truest thing about him.
From a purely physical and tangible perspective, he was indeed a sinner.
Thankfully, God’s view of you is not from an earthly perspective; He sees your truest identity—God created you in His image, for His purpose, by His design.[12]
God’s actions toward you are not motivated by label you or others apply, but by His love.
The crowd responded to Zacchaeus through the lens of earthly labels, leading them to hatred and rejection.
Their view of Zacchaeus kept them from associating with him, accepting him, loving him, and acting in grace toward him.
Jesus chose a different way. He chose to view Zacchaeus from a heavenly perspective.
Jesus graciously invited Zacchaeus into a loving relationship.
Jesus chose to accept him, not reject him.
He chose Grace that Saves motivated by His great love.
When you receive God’s Grace you will cherish your time with Him:
Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully into his home.
Here was someone who looked beyond his faults and earthly labels to truly see him and he certainly cherished this life altering moment.
Put yourself in Zacchaeus’s shoes for a moment:
You know what your life is like.
Your selfish ambition has produced misguided efforts.
You have made decisions you wish you could remake.
You long for a change, for healing, for reconciliation, for a chance to make things right.
You feel ashamed because you are guilty.
And now, walking into your living room, Jesus willingly chooses to look beyond all of that.
He accepts you, treats you with kindness, respect, and dignity, and offers you an invitation to repent so He can forgive you.
His grace is undeserved, you don’t deserve this, but here He is spending time with you anyway.[13]
Jesus offers you that same grace-filled invitation he offered to Zacchaeus.
He is inviting each of you into a deeper relationship with Him.
Daily He presents you with an invitation to spend time with Him.
He sees you through the lens of love and grace.
He sees your wholeness, despite your brokenness.
Such actions from Him are undeserved and unearned, but here He is inviting us anyway.
That’s Grace that Saves!
How do you respond to Grace? REPENT.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Jesus, which was an outward demonstration of his willingness to do whatever it took to see Jesus.
Although he was living a life he may not have been proud of, he was willing to lay aside his pride, and humble himself, in a beautiful step toward repentance.[14]
“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
Zacchaeus’s statement was evidence of deep sorrow and a desire for change in his life and he was choosing to live life with a different attitude and mindset.
This deep inner change led to generosity instead of selfishness and restitution to the people he had wronged. For Zacchaeus, and often for us, true repentance requires restitution. The actions and behaviors that follow our repentance indicate we are now living differently.[15]
After Zach repented Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham”[16]
Jesus knew he was the chief among the publicans and his exploitation of the poor had made him rich, but he repented and then Jesus identified Zacchaeus as a son of Abraham.
Zacchaeus, and the people watching, were reminded that God sees past your earthly defining labels. They do not define you.
Only God defines you, and He sees you through the lens of His grace.
Grace that Saves
[1]Source: God’s Word for Life. (Lesson 1.1) Series 1: Letters from Prison – By Grace Ye Are Saved. PPH. 3/2/2025.
[2] Ibid. (James Wilhoit. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered).
(44) Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. (45) Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; (46) Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. (47) But Solomon built him an house. (48) Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, (49) Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? (50) Hath not my hand made all these things? (51) Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (52) Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: (53) Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. (54) When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. (55) But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, (56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (57) Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (58) And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. (59) And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (8:1) And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. (2) And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. (3) As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Where the Glory Dwells
God’s greatest desire from the Creation, throughout time and even tonight is to have fellowship with you.
It is for this reason Jehovah told Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”
God’s desire was to dwell with His people, so He commanded Moses to build a tabernacle—a mobile dwelling place.
This was a shadow of something greater. It was a temporary structure representing a permanent truth.
God’s plan for man was that He could be with them, but just as in the Garden of Eden, a certain design was followed with no deviation.
You have to do it God’s way. This idea of “me and Jesus, we got our own thing going” is false.
Jesus has His own pattern going on and you must press into it, or you will never be in true fellowship with Him:
Luke 16:15-16, “…Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
Everyone who presses, enters, into the Kingdom of God is born again of water and Spirit.
No other way to enter but according to pattern.
Press into the kingdom of God!
Jehovah explained this New Birth to Ezekiel, – “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”[1]
God’s presence would no longer dwell in a temple made with hands—He would dwell in the hearts of His people!
Jesus explained how this was going to happen to Nicodemus, “(3)…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (4) Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? (5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (8) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”[2]
All that Stephen was preaching in his defense to the Jewish religious leaders of his day was simply confirming the fulfillment of millennia of divine prophetic to dwell in his people:
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands”
As prophetically necessary as the tabernacle of witness was,
as exceeding magnifical as Solomon’s Temple stood,
as hopeful as Zerubbabel’s Temple in drawing people back to national worship,
and as audacious as Herod’s Temple tried to be,
they were not where our Lord ultimately desired to dwell.
He wants to dwell in you.
Isaiah 6:1-4, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”
Isaiah saw that God’s true temple was not an earthly structure.
Yes, the realm of His glory would fill the earth, but that is because the presence of God filled the temple, and the whole earth was to be filled with His glory.
How? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
You carry God’s glory.
You are a Glory-Carrier filled with the smoke of God’s glory and filling the whole earth with the weight of God’s presence, power, and authority.
John 7:38-39 – “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
This living water represents the Holy Spirit, bringing life wherever it flows.
Ezekiel’s vision of the waters that flowed out from under the threshold of the sanctuary teach us the levels of the anointing of God.
It is one Spirit, but many depths with a process of maturing that you will go through as a Glory-Carrier.
2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
One degree of glory – anointing – to another.
The trees in Ezekiel’s vision represent God’s people, bearing fruit by the Spirit’s living waters.
Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
The goal of redemption was not just salvation, but union with God—to become His habitation.
In a world where people seek their own glory, we carry the glory of God. We are Glory-Bearers, His habitation:
(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.[3]
Where the Glory Dwells
And there stands Saul, watching with approval the stoning of Stephen.
He heard Stephen’s defense, and how that God’s desire throughout time was to dwell among His people.
Yes, on that day, Saul could resist the argument of Stephen, but was the Holy Spirit in Stephen that Paul couldn’t resist.
It was the Glory Stephen carried that shown out of him with His last words pleading for Divine clemency on his persecutors that pricked the heart of Saul.
When you truly meet as bonafide glory-carrier, Spirit let, Holy Ghost driven man or woman, you will be changed.
We know it changed Paul, because he refers back to the words of Stephen when he is also making his argument for Christ on Mars’ Hill:
Acts 17:22-28, “(22) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. (23) For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. (24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
It was the Christ in Stephen that Paul couldn’t resist and to whom he eventually surrendered to and received into his earthen vessel.
Stephen’s body was dead, but the river of life in him began when he received the Spirit of Christ into his temple, then it flowed into Saul…now Paul, and from Paul to us today.
That same Jesus Christ is here tonight to dwell with you.
You are the glory-carrier of God…His vessel, and out of your belly flows a tributary of living water filling the while earth with the Gory of God.
Text: John 18:40, “Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.”
John 18:28-40
(28) Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
(29) Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?
(30) They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. <<they were defensive>>
(31) Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
(32) That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
(33) Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
(34) Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
(35) Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
(36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
(37) Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
(38) Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
(39) But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
(40) Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
Charles Jackson French was a twenty-three-year-old African American from Arkansas who just before World War II enlisted in the Navy.
During the war, French served as a cook on the USS Gregory, a high-speed transport that patrolled the South Pacific.
On patrol, near the Solomon Islands, on the night of September 4, 1942, Japanese submarines surprised the Gregory and opened fire. Before the night was over, the Gregory was sunk.
Fifteen survivors, including Charles French, floated helplessly on the dark waters in an inflatable raft, and things got even worse.
Enemy ships opened fire on the life raft. So, Seaman French made a choice and tied the raft’s rope around his waist and jumped into the dark waters as his feet brushed up against the fins of teeming sharks.
French swam for eight hours in the deep, towing the raft alone against the tide to make sure it never came within range of the distant gunfire.
Charles Jackson French made a choice that saved fourteen souls at the risk of his own life.
At Gethsemane Jesus chose to follow the will of the Father .
It was on the cross where Jesus took our place.
It is your decision to choose Jesus, or someone…something else.
You can decide to choose Jesus, no matter the choice.
A man who had lost his right arm rolled up his sleeve to reveal the gnarled remnant of his arm. Only four inches of mangled skin and cartilage remained below the shoulder. He held up the stub of his arm and said,
“A lot of people feel sorry for me. They try to look away and make sure I don’t see them looking at me funny. But you should not feel sorry for me. You know why God gave me the arm I lost? Because God knew I’d be in a car accident one day and my son would be sitting next to me. And just as a shaft of metal was headed for his face, I would have that right arm to shield his face and take the blow. I lost my arm; shards of metal went straight through the bone. But that arm saved my son. That’s why God gave me a right arm. That was its main purpose. He gave it to me so I could give it away to save the boy. No, don’t feel sorry for me. No man’s right arm has ever served a better purpose. A son for a right arm. I would do the same thing every time. And when I wake up in the morning and feel the arm I’ve lost, I give glory to God for the son it gained.”
Look at Hebrews 10:4-7,
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he [Jesus] cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”
“…a body hast thou prepared me” = David’s messianic prophecy in Psalm 40.
These words are attributed to Christ, the Son of David “when he cometh into the world, he saith.”
God in flesh, the incarnation, Jesus Christ came for one purpose – to redeem us through His sacrifice and bring reconciliation between God and Man:
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”[10]
Only Jesus’ Sacrifice Would Work
The sacrifice of animals in the Old Testament was insufficient. They could not solve the problem of sin; they could not save Man from the ravages of sin.
So a body was made—a body for God Himself, but to what end?
The Spirit of God is omnipotent; He can do anything by mere decree.
That is why He chose the limitations of flesh, a body, because for a sacrifice to be a true sacrifice it must free the recipient while binding the one who sacrifices.
Jesus, God in flesh, limited Himself to a body for the purpose of sacrifice:
Philippians 2:5-8, “(5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
He humbled Himself.
His body had to depend upon a human mother. His body was susceptible to microbes, sweated through fever, was nourished by mere water, and required a blanket for warmth.
His body could misjudge a step and fall, forget the name of someone He met last week, and be crippled by grief.
His body would lose its freedoms to the men He made and be fastened with nails to a tree He grew.
His body would bleed, His lungs suffocate, His body would die – a choice He made for you…for me…a willing sacrifice.
When Jesus, God in flesh, met the blind, His touch healed them and gave them sight.
With one word, Jesus raised a child from the dead: “Little girl, get up.”[11]
Lazarus lay in a tomb for four days, Jesus called him by name, and he came out the tomb.
He spoke to the lepers and they were healed and cleansed.
But to heal you of your sins, Jesus could not just speak your sins away.
He could not wish your sins away, touch your sins away, or command your sins away.
No, your sins required a body:
“A body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5).
His Body!
Like the father who sacrificed his arm to save his son, Jesus chose to sacrifice His body for you: “This is my body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19).
Because we do not like pain, if it were up to us we would have been tempted to prepare a body that would have withstood the pain of sacrifice before it was formed in Mary’s womb:
A body with a forehead that would not feel thorns and a back that would not feel the soldiers’ whip.
Hands and wrists without nerves that would not feel the pain of the iron nails penetrating them.
A tongue made that would not swell, be parched, or need to beg for water.
But this was not the will of God. God Incarnate assumed a body just like ours:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Hebrews 2:18, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
Succour = aid, relieve
You Should Rejoice in Jesus’ Sacrifice for You
How should we respond to Jesus’ sacrifice? We should rejoice.
Without the cross, we have no hope, but thanks to the cross and the empty tomb, we have hope of salvation.
Our sins can be forgiven, and we can be made right with God.
Jesus was not caught or trapped by scheming Roman soldiers or jealous chief priests—He willingly laid down His life for us.
He lived His own words: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for his friends” (John 15:13).
On Jesus’ Last Day He Ministered to Others
What would you do it were your last day to live?
Would you go to a place you have always dreamed of going?
Would you see something you have always wanted to see?
Would you eat your favorite meal?
Would you talk you your favorite people?
What would you do if you knew you only had one day left?
What did Jesus do? He chose to serve, minister, and love others:
He washed His disciples’ feet; prayed all night for them; healed the ear of the man who came to arrest Him; carried your cross to Calvary; pardoned a thief while nailed to your cross and took him to Paradise; had compassion on His mother and the disciple who was with her; forgave all His murderers.[12]
On the day of His sacrifice at Calvary, Jesus chose to give Himself, to sacrifice Himself, all day long.
Billy Cole said, “God’s reward for sacrifice is more sacrifice.”
Before Jesus chose the ultimate sacrifice of Calvary He had to choose other little sacrifices beforehand.
Those ongoing sacrificial choices led Him to choose to sacrifice His life for YOU.
Sacrifice is Your Choice, It is Trading Your Will for God’s Will
You, like Jesus and His apostles, have been called to a life of sacrifice:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
Just as a body was prepared for Christ, your body has been prepared for you to make a choice to sacrifice yourself, or to choose convenience, complacency, mediocrity.
Some problems cannot be solved by wishing them solved, or praying them away.
Some problems require you to lay down your comfort, convenience, security, safety, health and wealth.
Some problems require your body.
“A body hast thou prepared me.”
On that dark Passover weekend, Jesus died so Barabbas could live.
History has no record of Barabbas after that fateful day, but your story is still being written.
Today, as on Jesus’ last day, you have a choice: Jesus or anything else in this world.
You must get this choice right – – Your Choice
Choose abundant life.
Choose eternal life.
Choose to live for the one who died for us.
Choose Jesus.
[1] Source: God’s Word for Life. Lesson 3.3 – Jesus, or Barabbas? PPH. 2/16/2025.
Exodus 4:1-2, “(1) And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. (2) And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.”
“(1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? (2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (9) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
I want to focus your attention this morning on this question from verse 8:
“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?
Who shall declare His generation?
I will teach/preach this morning on this topic:
A Generation That Speaks
Organizations, education centers and businesses are constantly trying to find ways to reach, influence and motivate people.
In fact, much time and money is invested in the field of sociology to study the particular ways that each generation in the last 100 years are similar and different.
This “generational analysis” is of particular interest to the church as well because “unless we learn how to understand, engage, communicate, and connect [with these] different generations, [we]will edge towards irrelevancy and extinction.”[1]
Social analyst and demographer, Mark McCrindle, Has defined these generational demographics. Where do you fit?
The Builders generation describes those born before 1946.
This generation built much of the society we know today.
This generation has also displayed their resilience through some tough times: starting life after a Depression, hearing stories of World War I from their parents and living through World War II.
Today, we refer to them at “Senior Citizens,” but weren’t always seniors. They are the generation that built our suburbs, institutions, and infrastructure, and continue to build in their own ways to this day.
They uphold much of the values, principles and commitments that built our society.
They are also a very understanding and adaptable generation, who appreciate the younger generations who have grown up in a world so different from the one in which they were born.
The Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964.
They get their generational label from the baby boom that occurred post-World War II (the fertility rate was 3.5 babies per woman)
This increase in population resulted in a boom in the economy, housing, construction, and infrastructure to accommodate this population that was almost doubling in their early years.
This empowered generation shaped society and the social context.
They pushed back on political decisions, participated in protests, saw the rise of feminism, and had a desire for equality. They were the social justice warriors of their time.
Whether good or bad, the Baby Boomers brought about massive cultural, social, and economic change, and continue to have impact our society today.
Their high net-worth has helped build our economy and lend a hand to the next generation – “the bank of mom and dad.”
Generation X was born between 1965 and 1979.
This generation sings the tunes of anti-establishment and have a mindset of pushing back on authority figures.
Until COVID-19, Generation X benefited from a time of economic prosperity and property ownership. As a result, they experienced and embraced small business and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Generation X have done well through this era, despite their early angst and now they are doing things differently to the generations that went before them.
Generation Y, or Millennials, were born between 1980 and 1994.
They have been known for their love of smashed avocado, specialty coffee and travelling abroad.
Because of accelerating house prices and flat wages growth many in this generation have been locked out of buying their own homes.
There are events, experiences, and political drama that molds each generation, and for the Millennials, this all occurred on September 11, 2001.
When 9/11 took place they were in their formative years and much of the next decade defined and shaped their global outlook.
Millennials get a lot of negative press, but like Generation X, they are gaining stability that comes with maturity. Today, this generation are entering the parent and family life stage as they move into their 30s and 40s.
Generation Z describes those born between 1995 and 2009.
Shaped in a COVID-19 era, this generation has experienced economic and social upsets, and they have adapted and become more conservative as a result.
This also means they are more resilient, focused on education and recognise the importance of it in their foundational years. They know that in a competitive environment, they need to up-skill and retrain, and can’t just rely on job-for-life for stability.
Lifelong learning is their mindset.
This generation is conscious that they need to work hard to achieve the things they want in their life, and this mindset goes against some of the stereotypes of young people.
Generation Z volunteer at a higher rate and are more likely to work for a non-profit than any prior generation.
They focus on values, fulfilment and making a difference with their life. That matters more than just what they can earn. But at the same time, they’re financially conservative.
They are diligently saving for a home, they want a place of their own.
Generation Alpha were born between 2010 and 2024.
The start of something new, Generation Alpha are the start of something new. This Alpha cohort is the first generation to be fully born in the 21st Century and to be shaped in this new era.
The year they began being born (2010), Instagram launched, and the iPad became available, which says a lot about how technology has shaped them.
COVID-19, increasing globalization, connectivity and empowerment also says a lot about them.
We need to recognize that it’s a whole new landscape in which they have been born into and which is shaping them.[2]
Mark McCrindle writes, “When we look at the times and technologies that shaped us, it helps us to understand ourselves and how we are different to others. Hopefully, that then helps to bridge gaps rather than point out those gaps. Because until we can understand the difference, have warmth across that difference, see the reasons for it and the context of why we’re seeing those different behaviors or responses, we’re just going to point the finger rather than appreciate the strengths of other generations. Understanding always precedes empathy, and empathy is essential for community and cohesion among people of different generations.”[3]
The point is, every generation has a voice, influence and effect on the times and culture around them. Sometimes, that voice can be heard loudly, and other times it is silent.
A generation can either “speak truth to power,” as the Quakers did when they spoke out against the injustice of their time, or as the non-violent demonstrations espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement did in theirs.
A generation can also stay silent, “Silence is Consent.” World War II witnessed the silence of some in Europe, and even in the USA, and that silence made them complicit in the Holocaust where 6 million Jews were exterminated.
Albert Einstein, “If I Were to Remain Silent, I’d Be Guilty of Complicity.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
A Generation That Speaks
The silence was deafening the day Jesus stumbled under the burden of the roughhewn cross beam, bloodied, bruised and edging closer to His death at Calvary.
700 years before that fateful day, Isaiah posed the prophetic question, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?”
This is no mere idle question, no futile query taking up space on the pages of the Holy Writ.
In that generation, “It is said that before anyone was punished for a capital crime, proclamation was made before him by a crier in these words, ‘Whosoever knows anything about his innocence, let him come and make it known.’”[4]
And nobody spoke up. Yes, noise filled the streets, but no one shouted the innocence of Jesus.
Not one voice was lifted to cry out, “He is Innocent.”
Silence from the crowd that was surely dotted with faces of those He had healed, delivered, comforted and taught.
SILENCE!
Jesus may have been referencing this custom when he said to Caiaphas, “I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.”[5]
No one spoke for Him.
No one spoke up about His impeccable life.
Everyone present on the road to Calvary and at Calvary was guilty of silent complicity on that day, Roman, Jew, man, woman, citizen, visitor, disciples, scribes, Pharisees.
Philip declared the generation of Jesus to the Ethiopian:
“(26) And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (27) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, (28) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. (30) And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? (31) And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (32) The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: (33) In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. (34) And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? (35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”[6]
Paul declared His generation on a hilltop in Athens, and identified all believers as His offspring:
“(22) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. (23) For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. (24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. (30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”[7]
The Lord Jesus Christ, in His role of sonship will judge the world in righteousness one day:
John 5:21-23 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (22) For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (23) That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
We are His generation:
Isaiah wrote, “…who shall declare his generation?” Then he added, “…He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days…”
We are that seed, the Children of God, a generation of men and women born of the Spirit.
“A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.”[8]
1 Peter 2:9-10, “(9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (10) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
He speaks for us and declares for us what no one did for Him:
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:32-34).
Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).
Advocate = Helper, Adviser, Counselor who pleads our case.
Propitiation = Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He puts us at one, reconciles us, declares us innocent.
Jesus is A Generation That Speaks and He declares for all that will receive Him:
Today, March 19, 2025, is my father’s 75th birthday. So, here is a sermon he preached on September 29, 2024, to the congregation of Apostolic Life Cathedral.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 