The Charge Against Him
“Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JEUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Matthew 27:37
Intro: There is really only one question that we must answer about Jesus
and that is was “The Charge Against Him” that resulted in His crucifixion true or false.
Was Jesus really and truly the King of the Jews?
One common answer is “I don’t believe.”
Which on the surface is not exactly what the person means.
According to a 2014 Pew research survey only about 3% of Americans identify themselves as Atheist.
So 97% of people believe there is a God.
But there is difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.
The distance between being a Christian and or lost is about 18 inches.
That’s the distance between the head and the heart.
I believe greatness exists in everyone.
But the first question is did Jesus really exist?
Was Jesus a real person?
I’m not talking about do you believing in the Virgin Birth.
Even though if you believe God could create the universe
It is not much of a leap of faith to believe that the Holy Spirit could create an living embryo.
I’m just asking do you believe that a man named Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
Raised in Nazareth,
Began to preach in the area of Galilee.
Was arrested by the Romans for in sighting a religious and political insurrection
Was charged with being the King of the Jews.
And was crucified and died on a cross.
That’s the real historical Jesus.
If you don’t believe that then how do you explain the scientific and archeological proof
How do you deny the physical evidence.
No only the bible which is the most published book ever to exist.
But evidence like the Dead Sea Scrolls that were only discovered back in the 1940-1950’s
What do you do with the physical evidence?
What do you do with the people’s testimony by the witnesses that recorded seeing Jesus?
People have been tried and convicted in criminal courts by juries on less circumstantial evidence than the evidence of Jesus.
Let’s agree that in both literature and in human history Jesus really was who they said he was.
O.K. so there was a person name Jesus.
But was Jesus more than just a man?
How would you convince someone who is totally blind that there is a moon?
You can see it. They can’t.
You can say, well people have been there. People have walked on the moon.
People can feel the weightlessness of space.
But they can’t. They have never walked on the moon. They have never felt the feeling of traveling to outer space.
Here this real catch. We can create artificial weightlessness by going high enough in an airplane and dropping fast enough that it feels like you are weightless.
So feelings and emotions are not proof enough to make someone have faith in something as big and crucial as Jesus.
One of the first things to think about as to whether the bible is true or false is the obvious.
A person must accept the consequence.
I am not asking whether you understand the bible.
I am not asking if you understand life and death.
I am only asking do you understand that the Bible teaches that there is a heaven and a hell.
If you don’t believe the Bible is true.
Are you prepared to accept the consequences if it is true and you chose not to believe it.
Remember 97% of people believe there is a God.
There is something to keeping the Golden Rule.
They believe there is a consequence for
If you murder someone there is a consequence.
If you commit adultery there is a consequence.
If you steal there is a consequence.
If you bear false witness against your neighbor there is a consequence.
If you dishonor your father and your mother there is a consequence
If you worship idols or false gods there is a consequence.
Hinduism calls it Karma.
Buddhist believe that for every physical action there is a psychological and spiritual reaction.
Muslims believe that they face the consequences of their action in the afterlife.
Christians believe what you sow on earth will be reaped in either heaven or hell.
Are you prepared to accept the consequence of your actions?
If you are wrong and there is a heaven and hell.
If you are wrong and there is a judgment.
If you are wrong and Jesus Christ really is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And you have not accepted Him as your savior are you prepared to accept the consequences?
The next argument is I will wait.
I will do it later.
No, not yet.
This has probably destroyed more lives than anything else.
This is the most common answer to the question “Will you accept your free gift of salvation?”
I am not ready. Maybe someday.
That is a pretty big presumption
I know about a 21 year old young man who told said he would think about it.
He still had some living to do.
He wanted to sow his wild oats.
A week later he was driving down the road at 70 miles per hour when a truck stopped in front of him with its tailgate down. He was instantly decapitated.
The truth is while you are considering your options we are all driving down the road of life at 70 miles per hour.
While you are waiting your time is uncertain.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to die a slow and agonizing death.
I just a soon go out fast and unexpected.
I had rather not see it coming.
I had rather die instantly if I had my choice.
I don’t want to linger and suffer.
So I want to be ready today.
I know what I would answer him.
Do you know the right answer?
It is not I was pretty good person.
First of all most of you aren’t as pretty as you think you are.
Go ahead and turn to the person beside you and say to them.
You not as pretty as you think you are.
That was fun.
But now I am going to ask you to do something harder.
Say to yourself.
I’m not as good as I think I am.
That’s pretty difficult to admit.
You have to admit that you can not earn your way into heaven.
If we could work hard enough to get into heaven.
Everyone of us would work hard
We would take on two or three jobs.
Because we all have loved loves that we want to see in heaven.
We would work hard enough to earn our way.
Then we would keep working hard enough until we earn our loved one’s way.
We would work hard enough to get our children in
We would work hard enough to make sure our grandchildren get in.
Some of you have a heart of philanthropy and you after you go yours
You would stand on the street corner and just hand out free tickets.
Friends sin has created a gap between God and men and women.
It is an incredibly deep canyon.
Lets say the width is over a hundred feet across.
We are born on this side that is called earth.
And the other side is called heaven.
And we have to get from one side to the other.
The Guinness Book of World records says that Mike Powell from Tokyo Japan
Holds the world record for the longest jump on August 30, 1991.
He jumped 29 ft 4.36 inches.
That is an amazing jump.
Nobody in this room could jump that far.
Most of us would stumble over 3 or 4 feet.
That’s the way a lot of people in the church go through out their life.
They are jumping!
They get a running start!
They leap as far as possible.
That is the way I was in my own life for a long time.
I was jumping as hard as I could to reach the other side.
I thought that God would accept those who jump the farthest.
I thought that God would accept those who did their best.
Then I learned that I was wrong.
I looked around and saw that I was down in the bottom of the canyon with everyone else who thought they could jump.
There were people down there with me who were saying, there must be another way.
Some were saying there is no way at all.
There is no salvation.
Some were saying if we wait long enough maybe we will figure something out.
Some said this is all there is.
There is nothing else after this hole.
Like others I thought we were all doomed.
Until I looked up and saw that Jesus died on a cross.
And that Cross had built a bridge between humankind and God
It is the only way to get to the other side of my sins.
There is no other way except Jesus.
God loves you.
God provided redemption, salvation, rescue through the blood of His cross.
Jesus died and was buried,
But Jesus rose again.
I know if something happened to me today and I were to stand before God
And he were to asked me why should I let you into heaven?
I would say, I came by the way of the cross of Jesus.
I believe “The Charge Against Him.”
He is absolutely the King
Just like the sign that was nailed to the cross over him reads.
“This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”
That sign should be nailed in our hearts.
