If you were standing in that ancient courtyard on Friday morning, where would you have been? Would you have stood up for justice for your Savior, or would you have been right there with the crowd, shouting "Crucify Him!"? As we look at John 19:1-24, we see the unrighteous judgment of the Righteous Judge. Jesus is the King of kings, sovereign over all, who will one day judge the living and the dead. Yet here, as the all-sufficient suffering servant, He is handed over to sinful men in an absolute mockery of a trial. Our initial thought is always, "I would never do that. I would never reject King Jesus." But my encouragement to you is this: I think you think too highly of yourself. When we look at the depravity and the sinfulness in our own hearts, we have to ask the hard question: "Are we still headlong in our sin, rejecting His claims, His person, and His majesty today?" What We Cover Today The Sadistic Mockery & The Flogging: We look at the brutal severity of the beating Jesus suffered. We see the cruel humor of the Roman soldiers shoving a crown of thorns into His skull and wrapping Him in a rag of royal purple, completely unaware of before whom they stood. The Greater Sin of Knowing the Truth: Jesus told Pilate that the ones who handed Him over had the greater sin. The principle is clear: To whom much is given, much is required. What does it mean for us if we know the most about Christianity, but stay the furthest from it? Are we in the greatest danger? "We Have No King But Caesar": We look at the chilling pinnacle of Jewish rebellion. These leaders hated Rome, yet to get rid of Jesus, they traded God the Father for a pagan emperor. Who is the real king ruling your heart when no one is looking? Sovereignly in Control: Even when the world looks completely out of hand, God is in control. From the Roman soldiers playing dice and casting lots for His seamless tunic, every single detail was prophesied hundreds of years prior in Psalm 22. None of this caught God by surprise. 04:39 – The Severe Flogging & Sadistic Mockery of the Soldiers 09:00 – Pilate's Failed Attempt to Meet in the Middle 11:51 – A Rattled Governor 15:10 – God's Sovereignty Over Wicked Governments 18:54 – Examining Our Danger 23:00 – The History of Israel's Disastrous Rebellion 26:30 – Golgotha & The Prophecy of the Seamless Tunic 28:15 – Reaching Out to God While He is Near Where Are You Hiding Your Rebellion? Are you like the chief priests, hiding your rebellion in religious hypocrisy? You wear the right clothes, you say the right words, you pray the right prayers, and you give the right amount of money—but it's just religious attire covering up a heart that rejects His authority. Are you like Pilate, just wanting to do whatever makes your life the easiest? Do God's standards and God's rules get in the way of your fun, your desires, and your plans? Are you pursuing your own comfort above the truth? Are you like the Roman soldiers, with an obvious, hardened heart, finding joy in rebelling against the Lord? Hear this warning: Walking in rebellion against God is like walking toward the edge of a cliff with a blindfold on. You know the cliff is out there somewhere, but when you finally find it, it's too late. God is gracious, and His grace is extended to you moment after moment, step after step. But there is a point of no return. Why keep testing the limits of God's patience? Why keep walking blindly toward the edge? Reach out to God while He is near. Call out to Him today while you still have breath in your lungs. He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and He gave His life so that your rebellion could be forgiven. Turn to King Jesus today. Connect With Us If you want to walk with us verse-by-verse through the Word of God, please Like, Share, and Subscribe. Our Website: FaithBridgeNH.org Support the Ministry: FaithBridgeNH.org/give Join Us This Sunday: 10:30am • 301 S Main St, Manchester, NH #GospelOfJohn #VerseByVerse #Sermon #ExpositoryPreaching #KingJesus #SovereigntyOfGod #Evangelism #Repentance