Possibility, Probability, And The Proof Of Prophecy Series

Possibility, Probability and the Proof of Prophecy

Text: John 19:16-24

Let’s go ahead and open up our Bible’s to John chapter 19. We’re going to camp out here for a couple of Sunday’s at least… we’ll see where the Lord leads us… But at least a couple of Sundays, because there’s so much here that we need to see.

If you remember, last Sunday we read about Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go… He realized that Jesus was innocent, and that this was an issue that seemed to be between Jesus and the religious leaders of Jerusalem, but at the same time – Pilate was a morally weak person. There’s an old saying that says, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything.”

In other words, if a person compromises, then the next time, it’s a little easier to do it again. And each time you fail to take a stand, it gets easier and easier to compromise with the world… until finally, you’ve completely come to a point where you are unable to stand for anything. Compromise becomes your default mode.

That’s Pontius Pilate in a nut-shell… and that’s what he does. He knows Jesus is innocent, but he’s become so accustomed to compromise, it causes him no dilemma to allow Jesus to be put to death. So… he turns the Lord over to the soldiers and goes and washes his hands.

We’re in John 19:16-24, let’s read the Word of the Lord (READ TEXT).

Now I feel like I should explain something before we get too far along here. In the Old Testament, the prophets prophesied that the Messiah would be both betrayed and crucified. In other words, God has decreed it – and it would come to pass. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that Judas or Pontius Pilate were forced to do those things by God. They acted in accordance with their own will.

You see, we sometimes confuse free will with free moral agency.

A dog barks like a dog, digs like a dog, acts like a dog – because it is a dog. A cat meows like a cat, climbs like a cat, and acts like a cat – because it is a cat. A cow moos, chews its cud, and acts like a cow – because it is a cow, and a tiger roars, and hunts, and acts like a tiger – because it is a tiger.

Sinners sin because they are sinners – it is their unredeemed nature, and they will choose – by their free will – to follow, and live, according to their nature.

Judas and Pilate did what they did, because they were sinners, and by their sin nature – they made their choices and decisions. They would not have acted righteously because they were unrighteous, un-redeemed – unconverted – sinners! We, as human beings will always choose by our free will, to follow and obey our nature! That is why the most pressing need for humanity is the Gospel. Only the Gospel can transform human nature. Only the Gospel can take a vile sinner and make them a redeemed saint of God. The heart of the human problem is the problem with the human heart. And the Bible’s diagnosis is that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

So they acted of their own free will – in accordance with their fallen, sinful nature.

And yet – at the same time, God has sovereignly said in times past, through the prophets, that Jesus would be betrayed and crucified.

ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY HAS BEEN BUILDING UP TO THIS POINT!

Apart from Jesus coming into this world as the sacrificial Lamb, and being willing to shed His blood on the cross of Calvary – as a propitiation for our sin, there would be no salvation for anyone!

And that is what the cross does – it propitiates God.

Now that’s a word we don’t hear a lot about today right? Propitiation. It doesn’t get much use in todays vernacular. But if you would, really quick, turn with me to Romans 3:24-26 (READ).

So… what Paul was saying there, is that the blood of Jesus serves as a propitiation for us.

What is “propitiation”?

It’s the Greek word hilaskomai – it means to appease one who has been wronged, and to atone for another’s sin. We see it used again in Hebrews 2:17, and also in 1 John 2:2. You might want to read those verses later. I’ll say them again so you can write them down. Hebrews 2:17, and 1 John 2:2.

So back to Romans 3 … Paul says that God put forth Jesus as a propitiation by His blood.

Now I want you to catch that… Jesus was our propitiation – He appeased God’s wrath and anger against sin, and atoned for our sin BY HIS BLOOD.