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."
A throwback sermon preached on September 30, 2014.
TEXT
John 4:19-24
(19) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (21) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (22) Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
INTRODUCTION
Unless you follow closely the world of professional golf you might never hear the name “Harvey Penick.”
Harvey Penick was a well-respected golf instructor who invested his life in teaching men and women how to play their best game of golf. He taught children, amateurs, collegians, professionals, and even duffers.
He also wrote a book entitled: Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. It is from those pages that I want direct your attention:
When my student Betsy Rawls was in a playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open championship, I sent her a one-sentence telegram.
It said:
“Take Dead Aim!”
Betsy won the playoff.
For golfers who might not understand Texas talk, let me put the advice in the telegram a different way: Once you address the golf ball, hitting it has got to be the most important thing in your life at that moment. Shut out all thoughts other than picking out a target and taking dead aim it.
This is a good way to calm a case of nerves.
Everybody gets nervous on the first tee, whether it’s Betsy Rawls in a playoff for the Open or a high handicapper teeing off at the club in a $2 Nassau with friends.
Instead of worrying about making a fool of yourself in front of a crowd of 4 or 40,000, forget about how your swing may look and concentrate instead on where you want the ball to go. Pretty is as pretty does.
I would approach my college players before a match and tell them the same thing: Take dead aim.
This is a wonderful thought to keep in mind all the way around the course, not just on the first tee. Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head, and swing away.[1]
The Lord is searching for true worshippers to live their lives in worship to Him.
And tonight I want to address this topic, take aim, and swing away.
KEYPOINTS
Cares of Life.
It’s easy to get sidetracked from a life of worship.
Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
Mark 4:19, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”
The word rendered “cares” denotes in the original “distracting anxieties,” which, as it were, “cut a man in sunder.”[2]
Life has a way of getting away from us sometimes, grabbing the bit, and running in its own direction.
We are people of purpose who need to grab the reins and live, and worship, on purpose.
The worship of the Lord Jesus Christ should be so much a part of your life that no decision is made without that in mind.
Ask yourself the question:
How does this magnify God?
Is the Lord pleased by my choice?
I know bills are high, work is a struggle, and the devil wants to fill your mind so full of fear and second-guessing that you might find it difficult to even focus on God long enough for a season of prayer, but I would admonish you to
“Take Dead Aim!”
Find that prayer closet, sing that song of praise, let all your focus turn to Jesus and worship Him.
True worship begins in the spirit.
The “mind,” the “soul,” the “heart.” They shall worship God with a sincere “mind;” with the simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with a desire to glorify him, and without external pomp and splendor.[3]
The mind has to be sincere in its approach to God, void of showmanship, or entertainment.
God’s pleasure in you is not increased by the litany of complex verbiage exiting your mouth, but by the simple thanksgiving and prayer.
And, also, it is the presence of the sincere life that is governed by God’s Holy Spirit impacting and influencing your rational soul.
We focus our mind on the Lord and then
“Take Dead Aim!”
True worship is truthful.
To be true in your worship is to stand before God as you really are, and not in some fashion of fakery.
It is the life of authenticity and vulnerability.
It is you being the real you.
It is you opening up the most true part of yourself to God, focusing on Him, and then
“Take Dead Aim!”
CLOSE
David and Michal.
Woman at the well.
[1] Penick, Harvey. (1992). Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. Simon & Schuster. Page 45.
[2] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Mark 4:19.
Jesus ministers through each of us by equipping and empowering us, just as He did the Twelve.
Text: Mark 6:1-13
(1) And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. (2) And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? (3) Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (4) But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. (5) And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. (6) And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. (7) And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; (8) And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: (9) But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. (10) And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. (11) And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. (12) And they went out, and preached that men should repent. (13) And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
And they were offended in him – That is, they took offence at his humble birth, and at the indigent circumstances of his family. They were too proud to be taught by one who, in family connections, they took to be their equal or inferior. People always look with envy on those of their own rank who advance pretensions to uncommon wisdom or superior power.[2]
It is somewhat telling that just as His familiars were offended in Jesus, you will also find those who are offended in you when you begin to flow in the Equipping and Empowerment Jesus has given you.
But just as the LORD told Jeremiah of old: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”[3]
John 14:12-14, “(12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
“…because I go unto my Father…”
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.”
“…that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
The Father has chosen to reveal Himself to this world by the name of Jesus, which literally means “Jehovah Savior” or “Jehovah Is Salvation.” The Father glorified the man Jesus by investing His name (character, power, authority, presence) in Him, by leading Him to the cross to die for the sins of the world, and by raising Him from the dead. Far from manifesting to us a second person of the Godhead unknown to Old Testament saints, the Son manifested [revealed] to us the one, indivisible God for the purpose of our salvation.”[4]
COMING HOME
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC, and the majority of survivors in Jerusalem had been marched to Babylon to live out their lives in captivity.
Israel could no longer celebrate feast days at the Temple. Sabbath observances were not the same. Possessions were few and the Jews relied on memory to recite Scripture and pass on their traditions to their families.
We do not have an exact date of when synagogues began to be part of the Jewish identity, but the centrality of the synagogue as a community-meeting place where prayers were prayed and the Torah read aloud developed sometime around the third century BC.
After years of captivity in Babylon, the exiles returned to Israel with a longing to rebuild their community and their disrupted traditions. Seventy years after the first deportation, the exiles began returning under Persian King Cyrus. Without a Temple for their traditional feasts and sacrificial worship, the people started meeting in their communities for Sabbath where the practice of reading from the scrolls started.
The word “synagogues” simply means “meeting or gathering together,” and they became an important part of the religious, social, communal and educational life of the Jewish community as they gathered for prayer, Scripture reading, and instruction in the Law.
When I was on an educational trip to Krakow, Poland (sponsored by Christians United for Israel – CUFI.org), we visited the beautifully restored Tempel Synagogue there in the Jewish Quarter. Our guide, Eli Tur-paz, told us that because of the decimation of the Jewish population in Krakow by the Nazis during World War II, There were not enough people to hold a quorum for meeting, and he said something that I do not think will ever leave my mind: “There are no prayers prayed here anymore.”
Jesus Taught in the Synagogue in Nazareth
In the synagogues, Jesus interacted with the people and began His teaching ministry and performing numerous miracles, often on the Sabbath Day.
Not only did Jesus demonstrate He was Lord of the Sabbath, but in a practical sense, this would be the day most people gathered together in the community, giving Jesus the greatest opportunity to teach them and heal those who needed healing.
The stories circulated about the miracles and teaching of Jesus, so when He returned home after spending time in surrounding communities, He attended the synagogue in Nazareth as somewhat of a local hero—or at least a curiosity.
During that homecoming Sabbath, Jesus volunteered to read, and the scroll of Isaiah was brought to Him and began reading from the already scheduled Scripture reading for that week from Isaiah:
“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17–19).
He then stopped reading, closed the scroll, and boldly announced: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). He had everyone’s attention. The room grew quiet. What was Jesus saying? He was identifying Himself to them as the Messiah.
Jesus’ Family and Hometown Friends Rejected Him as Messiah
The crowd in the synagogue in Nazareth was in awe of Jesus’ words, but they were stuck on His lineage: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22). They could not regard Him as a prophet or anything more because they had seen Him grow up as the carpenter’s son. When they said that Jesus was “Joseph’s son,” they were reminding one another that Mary had been pregnant before they were married. How many believed Mary’s story that Jesus was born of a virgin? Would you believe your teenage daughter if she came to you with such a story?
Other questions were asked: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3).
The connection to family was made to humanize Jesus. They were making the point: He was just one of them. They knew His family. They knew His siblings from their birth, and they knew Jesus was conceived before marriage.
It was all there boiling beneath the surface of their questions. Mark’s last statement sums up their questioning: “And they were offended at him” (Mark 6:3).
Jesus’ own family members may have been embarrassed by His bold claim to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, because if it were not true then He had just committed blasphemy.
Have you ever had people close to you who underestimated you, or who did not see you for who you are? How did that make you feel?
Most of the members of Jesus’ own family did not believe He was the Christ until after His death, burial and resurrection.
What did Jesus do on that day in Nazareth? He modestly responded: “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). He may have looked at some of His brothers when He said that last line. Then He referenced two examples from the Scripture where the outsiders (Gentiles), not the people of Israel, received miracles and the favor of God. Those gathered in the synagogue understood Jesus’ implication that they would be passed over and replaced by the Gentiles. This instantly turned their astonishment into anger.
They all rose up, forced Him out of the city and to the edge of the hill, intending to throw Him over the cliff. They had to put the blasphemer to death because they understood Jesus was claiming to be their Messiah. Luke recorded how Jesus escaped the angry crowd: “Passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:30).
What? How? Did He freeze time? Did He make Himself invisible? Did He just blend in with the crowd? How did He just “pass through their midst?” Luke did not record it so we do not know, but it must have been a miracle. Like the Hebrews of old inexplicably crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, Jesus slipped through the angry crowd, intent on killing Him, and got away.
Nazareth Missed Out on Miracles because of Their Unbelief
Unbelief always stops the miraculous. Mark wrote that in Nazareth Jesus could “do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:5–6). His lack of miracles was laid at the feet of their lack of faith.
Everywhere else He had been He taught the people and then He healed the sick.
You know there were people in Nazareth who had the same afflictions and maladies as their neighboring communities. If only they could have embraced the Gospel of the Savior and believed that the same wonders could happen for them as well, but Unbelief left them with just a few miracles occurred there. What would happen today if you responded by accepting and believing that Jesus will heal you right now?
Believe Jesus Is Who He Said He Is
Do you believe that Jesus is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him?[5] There are many skeptics in the world today who have trouble believing the miraculous healings and deliverance from addictions that come by prayer and faith in the name of Jesus. Many people only have enough faith to believe that Jesus was just a man who lived a long time ago, but is no longer relevant to their lives.
BUT – there are some here today who believe in Jesus and have confidence that He lives and He is ever present in our lives. Jesus is more than an ancient teacher, a wise prophet, or a spiritual leader; He is the Lord of Glory, the one holy God who came in flesh and lived among us.
JESUS SENT HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES
Nazareth’s rejection did not stop Jesus. He just continued on His purpose, went to another town and continued His ministry.
The angry mob’s intent to push Jesus over the cliff to the rocks below was just the first attempt on His life. There would be other attempts, but Jesus understood His mission and His purpose would not be thwarted.
Without missing a beat, Mark 6:6 transitions from “he marvelled because of their unbelief” to “he went round about the villages, teaching.”
Although Rejected in Nazareth, Jesus Sent His Disciples to Minister
Many believe that Jesus can heal, but they are not convinced that He can heal through them. In just a few short verses, Jesus calls His closest disciples, the Twelve, and empowers them to spread the message of the Kingdom. He sent six teams of two into the surrounding communites, villages and hamlets and increased the spread of His influence
Because He equipped and empowered the Twelve, many more learned of Jesus and became His followers as His fame spread through the disciples’ travels and the powerful results of their ministry. They preached that people must repent and through them, Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. (See Mark 6:12–13.)
Jesus Ministered THROUGH the Twelve
Jesus taught the disciples to go out in faith. He instructed them to travel light, to leave behind extra clothing, money, and food provisions. They would learn to depend on God to provide for them, relying on the kind hospitality of those to whom they ministered. The teams of disciples went out in obedience to Jesus and began to see miraculous results of their obedience and faith. They anointed the sick and saw miracles of healing. When demons manifested themselves, the disciples spoke with authority and God delivered the oppressed. They learned Jesus could also work through them to accomplish great signs and miracles they saw Jesus work.
If You Will Surrender to Jesus, He Will Minister through You
Learn what the disciples learned: Jesus can work through any obedient follower and He is still calling and commissioning disciples (you and I) to go in the power of His Spirit. He has empowered and equipped you to fulfill the commission and continue the purpose for which He came.
While Jesus was still with His disciples, He declared: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).
After giving the commission, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,”[6] Jesus assured His followers, “these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”[7] Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth.”[8] As much as the promise of the gift of the Spirit is to “you, and to your children,” so also is the calling of God to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ.[9]
Jesus is working in you to fulfill His purpose by equipping and empowering you.
[1] SOURCE: God’s Word for Life Adult Lesson Guide Summer 2025. Pentecostal Publishing House. Lesson 1.1 – Equipped and Empowered.
[2]Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Matthew 13:57.
(8) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
(9) If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
(10) Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
(11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
(12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Just a Little Stone
verse 11, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”
Have you ever set something aside thinking that it was not useful for your purpose, only to comeback to it later in the project because it was exactly what you needed all along?
OR – have you rejected a person, thing or opportunity only to regret that decision later on.
In life, there are moments you can retrace in your mind that take you to a decision made that changed your life.
Something you “set a nought,” or what the psalmist wrote as being “refused,” and the apostle Matthew said it was “rejected.”
Whether despised, refused, or rejected, you relegated it in you mind to being Just a Little Stone.
This passage from our text quotes Psalms 118:22-23, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. (23) This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”
A small stone from the Valley of Elah.
It is considered a messianic prophecy, but it is also addressing David’s years of obscurity before he was anointed, accepted and crowned:
His own father discounted him, but the Lord of Heaven and Earth saw in him something of great value.
David’s time in the hills and valley caring for sheep prepared him for leadership
His time of solitude brought him close to God as he poured his heart to Him in prayer, praise, song and music.
The time spent looking for stray sheep offered discoveries that would later serve to hide him in safety from a king who wanted to destroy him.
He learned, in his obscurity, how to defend and protect the flock.
Nobody thought much of David before Samuel anointed him, but in those years of solitude, he was being prepared for his purpose.
While rejected, despised and even snubbed, these years with the sheep were the exact thing he needed to shape him into the kind of person that the Lord said was “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”[1]
Our text also points to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was also set at nought, He was refused, rebuffed, despised and rejected of men.
For the most part, the religious leaders of His day did not want, recognize and desire what He was offering.
It did not fit within their understanding, framework, and teaching of how the messiah was to appear to them.
So, they rejected Him.
Instead of a headstone he was set aside and became a stone of stumbling.
Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
Romans 9:30-33, “(30) What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. (31) But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. (32) Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; (33) As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
In the 1800s, Edward Irving, a Scottish preacher came on the scene in London, England, and his preaching turned London upside down.
He preached to politicians, lords, ladies, the wealthy, the elite, and to the common man.
His effect was so widespread that people would come and sit for hours just to hear him preach God’s Holy Word,
But nobody in England knew about the years he spent in obscurity in Scotland preaching with little success and minor results.
In his biography it was told that he changed nothing about his preaching, style, delivery, and ministry to the people.
It was just that God had finally pulled him out of the corner he was set in and he became a cornerstone for a supernatural move of the work of the Holy Ghost.
Ephesians 2:19-22, “(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.”
God has come to pull you out of obscurity…out of the shadows…where He has been:
Refining you
Training you
Preparing you
Arranging the place He wants to put you.
1 Peter 2:5-12, “(5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (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. (11) Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (12) Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Romans 11:11, “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”
(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).
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.
“(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:
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 