and the hospitality that's been shown to us has just been such a blessing. And to see the love that each of you have for one another. how God has blessed this church and is continuing to do so has just been an encouragement for us to experience this, being our first time in the great state of Ohio. So we've enjoyed staying with several of you and getting to know you, and I hope to get to know more of you. We will be here until Tuesday morning, and so thank you. This morning we will be in Matthew, in Matthew 27, And I was told that this church has been going through the book of Matthew, and they graciously allowed me to fit in where you are in the text. And so we'll be in verse 11 this morning. I'm honored to get to be asked to be here, and so it's my privilege to open God's Word, and I pray that He would help all of us as we go to His Word this morning. And so with that, why don't we start in a word of prayer this morning and ask for God's help. Pray with me. As I think of Thomas Boston, he says the voice is on earth but the speaker is in heaven. And so God, we call upon you this morning to speak to each of us through your word and by your spirit that we may hear from heaven this glorious Lord's day what you have for each of us. I pray that, Lord, that you would hide me behind that blood-stained cross. Lord, that you would show me my mighty Savior once again and my great Redeemer as all of us look to you that you would bring your purchased people into your presence this day, this hour, that each of us may leave here differently than we came in, that we may live for you, that we may be transformed and renewed once again through your holy word and by your spirit. Oh, I pray for your work to be done in each of us, both speaker and hearers this morning. May this day be like our forefathers described as the market day of the soul, that we may be stocked up for the days to come and fully supplied with your grace, for you are a good heavenly father and you grant us all things. We can do nothing without you. Lord, direct us in your word today, I pray. I pray that you would help me to rightly deliver what you have for your people. And it's in your son Jesus Christ's name that I ask all of these things. Amen. As we come to Matthew 11, last week from, as I was told, you were in the time of Peter and his denials. Actually, excuse me, Judas, right, Judas, Judas. And so, Verse one and two of chapter 27 set the context for where we are today. And so if you would be so kind to stand for the reading of the word, and I want to read verse one and two, and then we'll pick up in verse 11 as we start. Hear the word of the Lord. Now when morning came, all of the chief priests and elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put him to death. and they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor. Verse 11, now Jesus stood before the governor and the governor questioned him saying, are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, it is as you say. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, do you not hear the many things they testify against you? And he did not answer him with regard to even a single charge. So the governor was quite amazed. Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time, they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ? For he knew that because of envy they had handed him over. Now while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message saying, have nothing to do with this righteous man. For last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, which of the two do you want me to release for you? And they said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? And they all said, crucify him. And he said, why, what evil has he done? And they kept shouting all the more, crucify him. When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and he washed his hands in front of the crowd saying, I am innocent of this man's blood, see to that yourself. And all the people said, His blood shall be on us and our children. Then he released Barabbas for them, but after having Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Amen. Thus ends the reading of God's word. I pray that the Holy Spirit will impart it to each of our hearts this morning, for you have heard God speak through his word. Please be seated this morning. What a rich portion of the word of God we have as we have been following the life of Jesus, starting chapters ago as he entered Jerusalem and how much and how weighty and how much of our text of many of the gospels is concentrated on these last days of Jesus. And so we do well to listen closely. And here in this passage, we see the Lord of glory standing in judgment. What does that make you think of? Lord of glory standing in judgment. I think of judgment day, but here we're in a different sort of court, a court of men. Remember how Jesus was seized in the garden at night And there was a series of trials. And what we see is a series of religious trials and a series of civil or criminal trials. And there was really three parts to each of them. Well, the religious trials were done at night while people were sleeping. Interestingly, there was no witnesses. There was no defense. It was done on a feast day, which was prohibited. There was many things wrong with what was happening here in these really kangaroo courts that are happening, but we enter this text and Matthew doesn't feed us, doesn't give us all of these accounts, and so we see this from the comprehensiveness of the Gospels. But we're coming here to this civil part and Pilate had earlier received Jesus as they had sent him to Jesus and he realized that he was a Jew and sent him back to Herod and Herod sent him back here. And so there's a lot of, I don't wanna deal with this type of scenario and trying to let someone else deal with this problem that's before them. But here we see Jesus before the civil magistrates. Remember we looked at verse one and two that the high priest had bound him, taken him to Pilate. The high priest would often look at the sacrifice and see if there'd be any blemishes on the sacrifice and the sacrifice would then be bound and taken to the altar. Interesting. Here he is bound and taken before this council, before these rulers, and I can't help but think of Psalm 2 and how the nations rage and how the rulers come against the Lord and his anointed, raging and plotting in vain. We see this worked out here. The Psalm 2 must have been speaking of this particular scene, and we will continue in days to come to see more of this raging of the people against the Lord. What is the charge? There was two charges, really. If you think about it, the religious courts, why did they want to kill him? He claimed to be God. They were coming against him for blasphemy, for what they considered breaking the second and third commandments, guilty of death. But remember, at this time, the Jewish people are under Roman rule, Roman authority. They were not allowed to use capital punishment. They were prohibited for doing that, but they were desperate to kill Jesus. They wanted him out of the way. They wanted him to be put down, to be removed. So what do they do? And they're conniving and they're plotting. They know that, well, Rome could do this. Rome could act out what our end is. But would Rome care anything about blasphemy? Pilate wouldn't care about that. He would be like Pharaoh, I'm sure. Who is Yahweh? Who is Lord that I should worship him? I mean, he doesn't say that, Pharaoh did, but I'm sure that would be the case. So they knew that too. But what they did know is if they got him for something that was Rome hated, then they could kill him. So the charge, insurrection, treason. He claimed to be king. And the question here is asked, Are you the king? Are you the king of the Jews? That's the charge. And notice there's a confirmation to the charge. Jesus says it is as you say. He doesn't deny the charge. And that's the only defense he really has here. He says he doesn't answer. Remember in Isaiah 53 that we just heard, he was like a sheep going to the slaughter. He said not a word. And here he's continuing to be accused, this continuous accusations coming against him, and it says he did not answer. He did not answer the chief priest. Well, he did answer one interesting response when they come and they say, the priest says in verse 63 of chapter 26, I adjure you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the son of God. I wonder if this left some of them shaking in their sandals. You have said it yourself. Nonetheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven. What he's saying is you will see me as judge when you see me again. He's claiming to be God. No denial. Pilate says to him, Pilate is really confused as this earthly judge. Why don't you say something, Jesus? Don't you have anything to say in your defense? Don't you hear how they testify against you? Again, he was quiet. I am reminded of the parallel account in John in John 19 and 20. 10 and 11. And do you remember how he tells Jesus, you know, I have the power to set you free or to take your life. Jesus says you would have no authority unless it had come from my father. Basically says your authority is because I'm presenting myself. I am offering myself. The judge is confused. He's really amazed. He's startled by this. He sees no fault in Jesus, but he's startled that Jesus is not trying to defend himself. They're reviling him, yet he is not reviling in return. No defense, not trying to justify himself, but remaining silent, as was prophesied in Isaiah 53. But notice how the judge here in the court, and I use a small J, Do you notice the irony that this small J, this man judge, has the judge of all creation, of heaven and earth, standing before him, putting him on this trial of sorts. Have you ever thought about that? It blows my mind to think about that, but Pilate knows he is unsettled. It's not said, but I gather from the words that Pilate really wants nothing to do with this. And he comes up with a plot. a way out, if you will. And the plot was, well, the governor was accustomed, so this was a tradition. It's not in the Old Testament, it's not in the Word, but there was a tradition that Rome would release a prisoner, maybe a conciliation gift, trying to keep the Jewish people in check and give them a carrot, if you will. Keep them happy, keep them content. And so, well, maybe this will work. Surely they'll, Jesus has done nothing wrong. Surely they'll ask for Jesus. I'm sure he was thinking. And this pardon on the feast day, he tells them this great plan. And here's the plea. He says, which one shall I release? Pilate knew their motivation. He knew the motivation, excuse me, for the ones who turned him in. Remember, it was the chief priests, it was the religious leaders who had gone after him in the garden, who had sought to end his life. And as he's thinking of this plot, and he gives them the plea, plea number one, I can release Jesus. Surely you won't grab us though. And then it's an interesting parenthetical verse, meaning it's kind of a by the way statement. And really the passage of Judas is kind of a parenthetical part two of the story, but his wife, so he's on the judgment seat. That's interesting too, the judgment seat. As Christians, surely that makes us think of that judgment day. And he's sitting on the judgment seat and he gets a message from his wife. His wife is not a follower of God. But do you notice the honorable testimony that comes from her lips, from this unlikely source? Have nothing to do with this righteous man. It's interesting how God finds the ungodly to glorify himself many times, have nothing to do with him. I was disturbed in a dream. I was in turmoil, probably like Pilate in turmoil as well, have nothing to do with him. It's as if this troubling dream of the wife was another chance for Pilate to listen to the conscience. What happens, young people, when you're thinking about doing something that's not right, and you feel this, maybe I shouldn't go that way. And you go the right way, hopefully. Or maybe you go the wrong way, and you realize that was not the right way. I should have listened to what I knew. And I believe that's what was happening here with the special providences of God that he warns and guides us. Even the ungodly, they're not left with nothing, as if they have an excuse for something. But God sends checks on sinners and checks on our schemes and wicked plans and our ways and pursuits to guide us. Sometimes we listen. Hopefully as Christians, we listen more and more and heed the warnings. But we go from this seeking of resolution to thirdly, judging Jesus's guilt. It's hard for me to even say, judging Jesus's guilt. Evaluating, judging, sitting on judgment over God. That's what's happening in this scene. In these courts of men that the chief priests are continually persuading the people to ask for Jesus. How easily crowds and the mob is persuaded. But we see it in our own land. Listen to the talking heads and then they talk to the other people about the same subject and they talk about the same subject and People don't think for themselves, they listen to what the mobs are saying and this must be right. And here they convince them, ask for Barabbas. Ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death. The pilot again, who's the governor, he's the prefect here, and he asks, he gives them another chance, another chance to do the right thing. And he asks again, which of the two do you want me to release? Like, I didn't hear you right. And he puts it to them again, second plea, second invitation, if you will. But the mob, the mob cry out. The mob cry out, Barabbas is who we want. They listened to the leaders who were hating Jesus, wanting to do away with this. He was competition for them. They had the power struggle of the people. They had the power and they could control them. Obviously they're controlling them even in this. And Jesus was a thorn in their side. He wasn't the Messiah they were looking for. This isn't what we want. We're under Roman rule and he's gonna come in on the white horse and conquer with the sword and take back, right? That's what they're thinking. Confused at the scriptures. Look at verse 22. I'm gonna say this is the most shocking verse for me, the one that I can't seem to get by. And one of the reasons it's shocking to me is in the physical. in the natural, in the things that we experience, how many judges of those of power and authority would ask the people what to do about anything? What to do about a criminal? That doesn't happen. And it's almost like his third plot or plan to get out of this. And he says, what then shall I do with Jesus, who is called the Christ? who is called the Messiah, who is called God's anointed, who is from heaven. Can you think of any greater question ever asked to man? Young people, boys and girls, what shall you do with Jesus? Old and middle and whoever they are, what shall you do with Jesus who is called the Christ? We must each answer this question. It's a heavy question, but this is Pilate's dilemma. It's a grave dilemma. It's terminal. What I mean is the answer determines or is determinative of one's eternal dwelling, of the state of their soul. What shall I do with him? And it's just as if Pilate here is in a deep struggle between, shall I please man, the people, where they like me, or shall I please God? We know from his reactions that it wasn't to please God. He was seeking the approval of man. And what do they answer again? Crucify him. the rage of the people. It's coming to a boil. It's becoming riotous. I can see them getting stirred into a frenzy as they continue to cry out against God, against the Lord and His anointed. Do away with Him, but not even that. Crucify Him. Pilate, another chance. Strike three, what evil has he done? He's pleading with the people like, why? He's confused at their rage. An interesting side note, the religious leaders, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and Pilate did not like each other. Herod and Pilate did not like each other. None of these parties liked one another. They hated one another, but they became very close and very friendly towards the end of doing away with Jesus. Their hatred actually brought them together at this point. Remember, Herod could find nothing wrong with him, and so he keeps asking again, and they shout again. It's a double cry of the many, crucify him. Do you want to hear about the free will of man? He chooses for the worldly man to be released. other than the heavenly man. Man in his natural state will choose the wicked and the one that's like them instead of the holy and the blameless. Do not want that. Do not bring that into my presence. I want the guy that looks like me and acts like me. And they want to release that Barabbas for him to choose one like themselves. But the absurdity of it all Many of these are predominantly probably a Jewish crowd. The absurdity of it all, not only do they want him dead, but they're telling the judge what the sentence is to be. The Jewish people did not crucify people. The Romans did. Why are they saying crucify him? Is that interesting? It's not a Roman mob that's at the gladiator games wanting this shocking thing. This is a mainly Jewish people saying crucify him, nail him to a cross. It was prophesied. Jesus told his disciples, I will be handed over. Early in the Gospels, he said, then I would be killed. And as he got closer, he says, I will be handed over to the chief priests and I will be crucified for telling what he knew to be, what the scripture said to be. But to think of the judge asking the people, the people saying, kill him, but not only kill him, crucify him is really astounding when you think about it. When you think about if you put yourself in that scene, but the unregenerate man or woman, the unregenerate person who is outside of Christ, who is in their natural fallen state would kill God if he had arms long enough to reach him. and the tools to do so, because he wants none of God. Because he knows that there is a God and he is suppressing the truth because he does not want to go up against the righteousness of God, knowing that he cannot stand before a holy God, but so proud that cannot humble himself to receive what God has given in his grace. And then we see in v. 24-26 that man's judgment is passed. It's carried out upon the Son of God that they will cry out, crucify the Lord of glory. Even though there's no guilt found in Him. Even though He is completely innocent, undefiled. Remember, it was for none of His transgressions. It was for none of His own transgressions that He was killed, that He died, that He gave Himself. But for ours, He was wounded. Again, Isaiah 53. And the riot continues. What happens next during this judgment, during this man's judgment? We see that Pilate tries to absolve himself from the guilt. And really all the guilty are trying to absolve themselves somehow. Even the chief priests and Pharisees, when they say it was Judas' fault, they're trying to put blame. But look what Pilate does here. He does something by a sign, and he does something by a saying. He gets the water, which is Jewish custom of washing away of sin and filth, and he says, I wash my hands. Wash my hands. The blood is off my hands. How much water would it take to take the blood off your hands, sir? And then he says something very interesting too. I am innocent. Wow. There was an innocent one there, but it wasn't Pilate. I am innocent, he says, of the blood of this man, you see to it yourself. He's trying to get out of this. He's trying to rid himself of the responsibility for the office that he holds. The Jewish people have a dreadful declaration to that statement. His blood is not on my hands, but then they say, well, fine, his blood shall be on our hands, but not only that, on our children, on the ones yet to come. Who would say such? Who would call out such imprecation upon one's own family? But they had such hatred for God to rule over them. God who has come before them, who they see before them. I mean, can you imagine the type of hatred that it would say to take the blame upon me and my children? It's one thing to take a risk for yourself, but to throw your children in that too? That they be condemned because of what you have done? But I do think it's easy for us to say, how could they do that? How could the Jewish people do that? But I think about the many who sit under the preaching of the word. The many who have heard the gospel, who have Bibles in their houses, and are they less culpable? No. We have, I mean, the Jewish people had the scriptures, came from the line of Messiah, knew who God was. But we know more. We have the entire canon, we can look back and see what Jesus has done. We are culpable with what we do with this, with what we do with this word. And we can no more be excused or pass blame than any of the people that were engaged in this actual scene. And then it says that he released Barabbas for them. And that's as far as we want to get in this. I think he turns him over to Jesus to be scourged, and that's for another sermon, as that is the beginning of the end, the start of the crucifixion process. And so we will leave that for another day. But Barabbas is released. The guilty goes free. He knew he was guilty. He had already been to court, already been convicted, and he goes free. And the innocent is condemned. The innocent one, the one who is not guilty, is made guilty. The one who is innocent is sentenced to be crucified while the guilty goes free. A couple of years ago, it was on a Sunday as I was driving to the worship service to preach a message and as I came around the corner, it was during a time where There had been a man killed in an altercation with some police officers. I don't remember which one, could have been Floyd or, I don't remember, forgive me for that, but there was two police officers that were on trial. And through the trial, not a trial like this, but a trial with witnesses and attorneys and very widely seen, that they had, he had a not guilty plea for these officers, and so they had been set free. We live up in the mountains in Gunnison, and there's an area around us called Crested Butte, and they're big into protesting, and it's a little different up there. It's not, it's a little different, not a family-friendly place sometimes. But There was a protest there, and people were laying in the street, and not sure what that was going to do. But there was a lady with a sign. This is what stuck with me, and that's why I'm saying it. As I came around the corner, and the sign said this. Now remember, she's speaking about this incident of these police officers. But think about the words. The guilty were set free, and an innocent man died. I mean, I wanted to put my hands out and say, praise the Lord, I love your sign, but I know what she meant. And I thought, well, I'm kind of running a little bit late, so I can't stop now, but as soon as I'm done, I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna preach next to her, I'm gonna talk to her. And of course, she was not there when I got back, but none of us are innocent. None of us in any court is innocent. The only time there was an innocent man in any court was in this scene, and he was condemned. Not for his own sins, and the guilty do go free. Here, Barabbas was a great sinner, a murderer, a vile criminal, and he's released and pardoned while the sinless one remains bound and condemned. Barabbas, and it's easy to say, yeah, well, Barabbas was a really bad guy. Put my name in there. Put your name in there. The one to release, the guilty one released. Set free, you're free to go. It will not be held against you. The cruel cross. The cross in the middle was reserved for the guilty man. And one was put there who was innocent, completely undefiled, no sin, no thought of sin, always wanting to please God, perfectly righteous in everything. I think of that place that I should have been. I wonder if Barabbas ever considered that, I don't know. But I think of him as I consider the narrative that I am that man. Guilty, vile, but set free. What great substitution. Oh, praise God. The guilt laid upon another. Another standing in my place. And if you are a believer, and if you are in Christ Jesus, He stood in your place. And your sin was placed upon Him. And the punishment and the penalty and the wrath of God was placed upon Him to bear. Oh, the love of Christ Jesus. to be made sin for us. While we were yet enemies, He died for us. The enemies crying, crucify Him, He died for... Maybe some of them turned to Him. Maybe they realized that they cried for Him to be crucified and later believed after the resurrection. Surely, surely a remnant. knowing that they cried for him to be crucified. The justice of God was satisfied. The just for the unjust. The picture here of Barabbas being released is so profound to me as we think about the physical picture here of a true criminal at that time. being substituted for the innocent one. Do you see the picture here that is presented in what's going to happen in the narrative just a little bit more? Another few hours. Another few hours that he would actually go to the cross where he is about to go to be scourged. I think of those who would have turned to Him, those of you who have turned to Jesus, that we can cry out like the psalmist in Psalm 66, come and hear all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul. Emmanuel's blood. Emmanuel, God with us, His blood, blood being His life given. Heard about that in Sunday school earlier today of the Savior's lifeblood. Blood is life. His life for yours. Remember the word, the Bible says, the soul that sinneth shall die. The wages of sin is death. Death, but his blood here brings life. I think of two statements that we just heard about in Jesus's blood at the very end of that, and I alluded to it, but Pilate said, I'm innocent of this man's blood. And the Jewish crowd says, his blood be upon us and our children. And I want you to see those, that's a very important, two very important statements that they don't understand what they're saying at the time. but I pray that we can this morning. The blood they were trying to wash off themselves, the guilt that they were trying to shed to get away from them, the very same blood of Jesus is what actually saves them, what actually brings cleansing to them, the guilt they're trying to push away, like we didn't do this. Jesus says, yes, because I'm doing it now. I'm giving myself to save your very soul. to reconcile you to a holy God, to bring pardon, but not only pardon, to bring righteousness for he was the sinless one. Imputation, imputing his righteousness to all who believe and pardoning from sin. Jesus' precious blood, it was shed, it was given to save them, not to condemn them. for all who would believe and turn and be saved. Man, in his natural state, is already under condemnation. He's already guilty. Can we come into this world guilty? But God says, I have a plan. I have a mediator. I have the Redeemer and Savior. If you would just believe upon Him, repent and believe, put your trust in Him, Reminded from John 6, what work shall we do? This is the work of God, that you believe in him who I have sent. To believe in Jesus, that's the work you should do. How much of the world needs to hear that? Quit trying to work your way. Quit trying to live for all you can get now. Believe. And Jesus, the Christ, believe in this innocent one who came to give his blood to save you. And all the while, this blood that they were trying to wash off their own hands was that that brought divine mercy to them, if they would only receive it by faith. Divine mercy at the cross of Calvary. came to redeem his people. He came to redeem a people for himself and for his glory, to bring us to himself. Oh, you remember he said, be upon us and our children. Remember when Peter preached in the beginning part of Acts 2, this gospel is for all who will believe, to your family, to you and your children, to the Jew first and then the Greek. Same words, for you and your children, the promise of salvation by Christ is through his precious blood and his blood alone. The declaration of those people at that time, God has such a better declaration to us. To you and your children, I give Salvation in life, eternal life. You call for condemnation against you and your children and God says, I come to give you life, justification, salvation. To come into my presence, the substitutionary, sacrificial atonement of the Son of God coming into His creation in the incarnation in order to fully and completely accomplish salvation for sinners, those who are against Him. That's what you were. If you're a Christian, you were. If you're not a Christian, that's what you are. shaking your fist at God. That's what the world is doing. And so we call them to repentance and faith. We share with them what God has done, where they stand before a holy God as they sit. But it doesn't have to be that way. to see what God has done for the guilty, to understand your guilty, to understand your grave situation. And it brings me to that pivotal question, what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? And what shall you do with Jesus who is called the Christ? There's no greater question. Children, there's no greater question. What shall you do with Jesus who is called the Christ? Believe. Believe the gospel. He will not turn you away. And He will come to me. He says, come. Jesus stood in the courts of man at this time. It's hard for me to put my mind around that. To stand before man's petty judges. He is the judge of heaven and earth. Come down from the glory to live in this sin-cursed world. Bring us to himself. Is there better news? Do you have a better gospel? You can tell, because I don't. It's glorious. I want you to dwell on Pilate's question for sure the rest of this day, but maybe the rest of this week, maybe the rest of your life. What shall I do with Jesus? It must be answered. You cannot be ambivalent. You cannot sit on the fence. You're either with me or you're against me, Christ says. You're either gathering or you're scattering. No, you must answer this question. As you sit here this morning, you must answer that question. You say, I don't want to answer it. You've already answered it. But to those who have come to Christ by faith, there's no regret. There's none. I've never met one that says, I wish I hadn't have. Never met them. They don't exist. You ever met somebody at the end of their life and said, well, I wish I hadn't followed Jesus so closely. You don't ever meet them. I wish I hadn't read my Bible so much. You don't meet them. They don't exist. It's not an easy walk. It's a hard road. It's a rocky road. It's full of twists and turns. But God is with us. And it's suffering now and it's glory to come. walk the same suffering to glory, and he calls us to do that same. But know this, as I close, every person will stand one day at that judgment, and it won't be a pilot sitting there, it'll be Jesus Christ. And he won't need witnesses, And he won't need an account because he already knows. But those who are in Christ can come to that day, can come to every day and know that I am in right standing with my God, not because anything I did, because of what Jesus did, what he accomplished for me, and he is my savior. And therefore, when we come to that day, we can know that he will say, this one is mine and this one is mine and come. And that's what he's calling us to do today, to heed this same question, what shall you do with Christ? Will you be able to stand on that day? If you're a Christian, you will be able to. And you'll be able to stand this day as well. And thank God that you and I, if you are a Christian, are just like Barabbas, that we're set free so that the innocent one was made guilty and took my condemnation and my punishment and yours because he loves us. Amen. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for your glorious plan of redemption. Oh, for the guilty to go free. It's beyond my ability to comprehend that the innocent one would take my place Oh, what better news could any of us hear? Could any of the world hear that I can be made right before a holy God because of what Jesus has done for me? He is a mighty Savior and a great Redeemer. And I thank you for the souls that he has saved seated here today and listening to my voice. And Lord, I pray that some that are Yet to answer that question, what shall I do with Christ, that even today there would be a turning to you by faith, a realization that I am like Barabbas. Oh, I'm guilty. God, you are so great that you took my place. I am undeserved. God, in your divine mercy, in your grace that you bestowed upon wretch like me, oh, amazing grace, I thank you, Lord. Lord, that you would save some today. Lord, that you would sanctify us who are believers today, that you would make us to see our Savior in even greater and greater light. Lord, we love you and we thank you for our great Redeemer. And it's in his name and for his sake that we pray. Amen.