November 13, 2005
Sermon Outline
“Behold the Man!”
John 19:1-6
I. Notice the obvious: Jesus was innocent / righteous
1. Pilate declared this three times – John 18:38, 19:4 and 19:6
2. Judas said, “I have betrayed innocent blood” before he killed himself – Matthew 27:4
3. Pilate’s wife called him a righteous man because of bad dreams she had about him – Matthew 27:19
4. According to Herod “nothing worthy of death is done by him” – Luke 23:13-15
5. The thief on the cross said Jesus did “nothing wrong” – Luke 23:41
II. Notice what is less obvious: Jesus was and is the King of kings!
1. Though the Roman soldiers called him “King of the Jews”, their mocking Him showed they despised Him as not a king at all – John 19:1-3
2. His Kingdom (and He as King) was and is different than earthly kingdoms – Luke 22:24-29
3. His Kingdom is not seen, entered into or appreciated apart from our being born again – John 3:3; 3:5; 19:6
4. He was not the kind of King the Jews expected – 19:15
III. Notice the horrid treatment the Son of God receives at the hands of men (showing their great depravity)
1. The Roman soldiers mocking shows great unthinking pride and cruelty – Jeremiah 9:23
2. Yet, the Jews yelling crucify him went against the witness of prophecy but also the witness of His righteousness and miracles – Isaiah 53
3. The Jews choose a real criminal before Him in Barabbas – Mark 15:7-15
4. They choose an enemy before Him in Caesar – John 19:12 & 15
5. They were upset even by the writing above the cross – John 19:19-22
IV. Notice the power and grace of God in this entire situation – John 19:11
1. It is God Who gives anyone power and or authority to do anything – Isaiah 37:26; Daniel 4:34-35
2. It was God Who by His grace “purposed” that Christ would die for our sins – Acts 4:27-28; Acts 2:22-24
3. God’s great love is shown in the cross of Christ – John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8 SEE IT YOURSELF!
He called Count Montholon to his side and asked him, "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?" The count declined to respond. Napoleon countered: Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him.... I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man: none else is like Him; Jesus Christ was more than man.... I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me.... but to do this it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, of my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them, I lighted up the flame of self-devotion in their hearts.... Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, experience that remarkable, supernatural love toward Him. This phenomenon is accountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man's creative powers. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame; time can neither exhaust its strength nor put a limit to its range. This is it, which strikes me most; I have often thought of it. This is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Napoleon Bonaparte
