Kings | 9 to 5 (Part 6)

[00:00:00] Host: You're listening to the Travis Rutland Podcast. Travis Rutland is a spirit filled pastor and ministry leader who has been featured on International Christian Television. He serves as lead pastor of Liberty Square Church in Cartersville, Georgia and as President of Global Servants. His sermons focus on clear biblical teaching, practical truth and encouragement for everyday life. Each message is designed to strengthen your faith and draw you deeper into God's word. This podcast is brought to you you by Global Servants. For more information about Global servants, please visit globalservants.org now here's Travis Rutland. [00:00:42] Travis Rutland: Well, good morning again. It is great to see each and every one of you. We are continuing a series this morning called 9 to 5. We've talked about different jobs work in the Bible, both in Old and New Testament. I'm concluding this series on 9 to 5. As I said today we are finishing with this final job in this series, 9 to 5. And today is king. Today is king. So turn if you will to John chapter 18. We're going to begin reading with verse 33, John 18 and 33. We're actually going to go back to the beginning of the, of the Easter weekend to start. So we're going to be talking about what we refer to as Good Friday. So just to bring you up to speed on the story, at this point in the story, Jesus has been, he's been betrayed by Judas Iscariot. He's been arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. He's been taken to Caiaphas House. He's been sort of accused of all these false accusations by Caiaphas and the high priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin. He spent the night in a dungeon in Caiaphas House. Early that morning, which we refer to as Good Friday, he is taken to the Roman authorities and, and the Roman governor of Judea at the time is a man named Pontius Pilate. So Jesus is taken to Pilate doesn't have a palace, he has a praetorium, a ruling house. He's a government official. And so Jesus is taken to appear before Pontius Pilate, basically on trial for his life. This is where we pick up look, if you will, at John chapter 18 and verse 33. Then Pilate entered the praetorium again, called Jesus and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus answered him, are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me? Let's pray. God, I ask in the next few moments that you will move in this place. God, your spirit has been here so Powerfully so mighty in praise and worship. And we ask that you continue to speak to us. If you cannot speak through me, I ask that you speak in spite of me. But we long to hear from you. This morning. Speak in Jesus name we pray. Amen. In 1961, archaeologists were doing archaeological dig in. And again, it was actually in Israel in the Judean desert. They were doing an archaeological dig and they came across a treasure trove of artifacts from, from the, from the Copper age. So roughly 6,000 years earlier, they came across. Now, none of it was gold and silver. That's what we always want to find buried in the ground is gold and silver. But the things that they found were actually priceless in other ways. These were artifacts from 6,000 years earlier. The archaeologists date them to about 4,000 BC. So think about that, 4,000 BC and they found all kinds of things and pottery shards and all kinds of stuff among them. In a fascinating discovery, they found a crown. They found a crown. And they. The assumption is no one has ever been found one that's, I guess, earlier or older. So this is what they found is the oldest crown in human history. And it doesn't look like what you think it would look like. This is a picture of that, of that crown. There it is behind me, some black. [00:04:11] Travis Rutland: These birds. [00:04:12] Travis Rutland: The archeologists think the birds are vultures. I'm not, I'm not sure what that indicates about your kingdom, if your national bird is a vulture. But that's the oldest, that piece right there. That crown is 6,000 years old, 4,000 BC. So it's fascinating, isn't it? Since the beginning of time, it seems like we have had people that have wanted to make themselves king, that have wanted to make themselves king or queen, but have wanted to rule over others, [00:04:40] Travis Rutland: or others have said, you must be [00:04:42] Travis Rutland: our king, you must be in charge, you must rule. And so since the beginning of time, we've had that. And since the beginning of time, apparently since at least 6,000 years ago, we as humans have associated king with crown. We've thought to ourselves, this person is a king, so it must have a crown. [00:05:01] Travis Rutland: And it's. [00:05:01] Travis Rutland: The idea of crowns has grown up all over the world. [00:05:05] Travis Rutland: There's no. [00:05:06] Travis Rutland: There's no real connection, but there's something about that to humans, to people, that somehow we have connected that idea that if they are a king, they must wear a crown. On that Good Friday, 2000 or so years ago, on that Good Friday, Pilate says to Jesus, are you king of the Jews? But actually there are three kings in that story, there are three kings in that first Easter weekend. That's what we want to talk about for just a few moments this morning. So turn, if you will, to John chapter 19. Just the next chapter. John chapter 19 and verse 12. Pilate is continuing to interview Jesus. The answers that Jesus give him make Pilate very, very nervous about this guy. [00:05:54] Travis Rutland: In fact, he's so nervous. [00:05:55] Travis Rutland: And then his wife comes to him and says, I had a dream about this guy. Have nothing to do with this good man. So Pilate does not want to punish Jesus. He doesn't want anything to do with Jesus. He has a bad feeling about it. His wife does too. And he is trying to find any way to let Jesus off the hook. But the religious leaders are demanding Jesus's crucifixion. They want Jesus dead. He challenges their. Their religious belief system. He challenges all stuff that's important, the law and all those things. And they want Jesus dead. And Pilate is desperate to not have a riot, but he is also desperate not to have anything to do with the death of Jesus. And so he interviews him, and then [00:06:39] Travis Rutland: he has him beaten, hoping that seeing [00:06:42] Travis Rutland: Jesus beaten will satiate their bloodlust. But it doesn't. They continue to demand the death of Jesus. And so Pilate goes out and talks to the crowd. John 19 and verse 12. From then on, Pilate sought to release Jesus. [00:06:56] Travis Rutland: But the Jews cried out, saying, if [00:06:58] Travis Rutland: you let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. Then Pilate therefore heard that saying. He brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the pavement, but in Hebrew, gabbatha. Now, it was the preparation day of the Passover in about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, and behold your king. And they cried out, away with him. Away with him. Crucify him. Pilate said to them, shall I crucify your king? And the chief priests answered, we have no king but Caesar. The first king in this story is the king of supremacy, the king of [00:07:43] Travis Rutland: power, of earthly power, of control, of empire, of kingdom. [00:07:50] Travis Rutland: And nobody had a greater empire than Rome. And, and, and Rome was built on power. Rome was built at the edge of the. Of the spear. Rome was built at the tip of the sword. Rome destroyed and conquered and wielded earthly power and supremacy. And when Roman generals and when Roman emperors returned from battle, that when they returned victorious, they were given the crown that they wear, the crown of supremacy, the olive branch, they placed it on their head to represent their triumphs, to Represent the supremacy that is Rome. They would place it on their head. To all that they have won, all that they have done, the countries that they have defeated, the other kings that they have destroyed, the people that they have killed, the battles that have been won. The king of supremacy. That's the first. That's the first great lie about what being a king is about. The first great lie about being a king is that a king must wield supreme power and power in the earthly. That I can snap my fingers and that person is killed, that I can make a motion to my guards or my bodyguards and. [00:09:12] Travis Rutland: And they have someone murdered. That. [00:09:14] Travis Rutland: That is Caesar. That is Rome. [00:09:18] Travis Rutland: That is supremacy. [00:09:19] Travis Rutland: That is earthly power. [00:09:20] Travis Rutland: That is what we expect a king to look like. [00:09:24] Travis Rutland: The original Caesar, the OG Caesar, was Julius Caesar, okay? [00:09:30] Travis Rutland: He, his name, all the other Caesars. After a couple of generations, none of [00:09:35] Travis Rutland: them were related to Julius Caesar anymore. The line had died out. [00:09:39] Travis Rutland: But all of them took the name Caesar to take hold of who Julius Caesar was. [00:09:45] Travis Rutland: Not the founder of Rome, but the one who made Rome Rome, Julius Caesar. And all of them were known as Caesar. In 47 BC, 47 BC Julius Caesar led an army into what is now known as Turkey, and he fought the battle of Zela in northern Turkey. Julius Caesar won the battle so quickly and so convincingly that he sent a message back to Rome and it contained only three words. Probably one of the most famous statements ever made by a conquering general. Julius Caesar sent the message back to Rome and it just contained three words in Latin. Said, vini, vidi, vici. Vini, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered. I came, I saw, I conquered. The king of supremacy wields earthly power. And that was the problem with who Jesus was. [00:10:43] Travis Rutland: Everybody would have believed in Jesus if he had just looked like Caesar. If he had mustered his army and brought his disciples to fight and they had marched into Jerusalem and killed the Roman centurions and destroyed the Antonia fortress and taken back Jerusalem, Jerusalem, and, and done that and wielded power and supremacy and destroyed. And it's about who's in charge. If he had just done that, they would have said, yeah, Messiah. That's what we want. Messiah to look like. [00:11:18] Travis Rutland: The supreme leader, the. [00:11:20] Travis Rutland: The ultimate power on earth. [00:11:24] Travis Rutland: We know that this is what they wanted. Even, even the, even the disciples struggled with this. We know this because if you will turn over just a few pages to Acts chapter one and verse six, I don't believe that I'm spoiling the story for you, but this is the resurrected Christ now, this is the resurrected Christ. Jesus returns resurrected. He stays for weeks with the 12, teaching them, being with them, instructing them. And look at the question that they asked him in Acts, chapter one and verse six. Therefore, when they had come together, they [00:12:04] Travis Rutland: asked Jesus, saying, lord, will you at [00:12:06] Travis Rutland: this time restore the what? [00:12:08] Travis Rutland: The kingdom to Israel? Do you see that? Even the disciples wanted that earthly power. And they had to feel pretty good about their chances to win in battle. Their. Their leader was a guy that couldn't be killed. You know what I'm saying? You're going to win a lot of battles if your general cannot be killed by conventional means. They crucified that guy. He was dead and buried and in a tomb for three days. And then he came back to life. I'm thinking to myself, we gonna win this battle, right? This guy can't be killed. [00:12:38] Travis Rutland: As long as we stay behind Jesus, [00:12:40] Travis Rutland: everything's gonna be okay. And so it was time. Finally, Jesus was brought back from the dead. He was resurrected. What? He was resurrected to destroy, right? To wield earthly power, to have supremacy. Jesus is resurrected. And they say, now we Will you return the kingdom? Will you finally be the king that we want? Will you finally look like Caesar? Will you finally destroy Rome? Will you finally build a kingdom here in the earthly and the now, in man's power, in the natural? We want the king of supremacy. [00:13:15] Travis Rutland: And Jesus, of course, says no. He says, guys, that's not. That's not at all the right answer. That's not at all what we're doing. But the first king at the first Easter is Caesar, the king of the earthly, the king of power, the king of supremacy, the king that destroys, the king that conquers. But he is not the only king in this story. Turn, if you will, now to Luke, chapter 23. Luke, chapter 23. In the midst of this conversation with Pilate, who wants nothing to do with Jesus, Jesus is brought to Pilate. And when Pilate learns that he's from a certain region and that the ruler over that region is a man named Herod, now, this is not Herod the Great, but this is one of Herod's sons, one of his descendants. And so Pilate sends Jesus to see Herod. Look at Luke chapter 23 and verse 6. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the man that is Jesus, he asked if Jesus was a Galilean. And as soon as he heard that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now, when Herod saw Jesus he was exceedingly glad, for he had desired for a long time to see him because he had heard many things about him and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. Then he questioned Jesus with many words, but Jesus answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes stood and vehemently accused Jesus. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate. [00:15:08] Travis Rutland: Herod is. [00:15:09] Travis Rutland: He's a. [00:15:10] Travis Rutland: He's a joke. He's a buffoon. [00:15:12] Travis Rutland: He just wants to have a good time. [00:15:14] Travis Rutland: He just wants to enjoy the right now. [00:15:16] Travis Rutland: He just wants to live in the moment. [00:15:18] Travis Rutland: And whatever he wants, he gets. [00:15:20] Travis Rutland: He just demands more. He wants to. [00:15:23] Travis Rutland: He is a. He is a slave to his appetite. Herod is the king of sensuality. He is the king of sensuality. Whatever it is that he wants in [00:15:35] Travis Rutland: the moment, whatever his desire is what? [00:15:38] Travis Rutland: Whatever it is that he wants beyond [00:15:40] Travis Rutland: anything else, his is not. [00:15:42] Travis Rutland: His is not a crown of supremacy. [00:15:45] Travis Rutland: His is not a crown of conquering. [00:15:47] Travis Rutland: His is a crown of desires and wants, of riches, of things, whatever. He snaps his finger, he wants to see it happen. [00:15:57] Travis Rutland: He just lives in the immediate. Did you see the verse? It said Herod had longed to see Jesus for a long time because he [00:16:04] Travis Rutland: wanted to see a miracle. Do you see that? He doesn't need a miracle. [00:16:10] Travis Rutland: Herod's not blind. He doesn't have leprosy. He isn't mute. [00:16:14] Travis Rutland: He doesn't have someone in his family that he wants Jesus to heal. He just wants to see a miracle. Why? Because he's the king of the sensual. He's the king of desires. And whatever he wants, he gets. So Jesus shows up and he says, oh, I want you to do something. What does he treat Jesus as? He treats him as a magician at [00:16:33] Travis Rutland: a child's birthday party. [00:16:35] Travis Rutland: I want to see Jesus pull a rabbit out of the hat. I want to see Jesus pull, you know, scarves out of his sleeve. He said, I want to see a miracle. Why would he ask Jesus to see a miracle? Because that's how he lives his entire life. Whatever he wants, he gets. Whatever he wants, he takes. Whatever desire he has, he simply acts on it. He lives in the now and the immediate and the sensual. That's the second great lie that we [00:17:02] Travis Rutland: have about the King. [00:17:03] Travis Rutland: It is that whatever the King wants, the king takes, the king gets. The king lives in the now. Just as the King wields supreme power over all and conquers, we also believe that the King does Whatever he wants. When the king wants something to eat, he snaps his fingers. And it doesn't matter how complicated it is for his servants or how hard or difficult it is for them to acquire the food, he says, I want this. And he expects to be fed that immediately. Now, because he is ruled, he is [00:17:33] Travis Rutland: a slave to his own desires. He is not king. He lives in the now the entire Herodian line, all of Herod the Great's descendants were like this. By the way, the Romans themselves were actually disgusted by the Herodian line because Herod and Herod's descendants were these awful, horrible people that all lived in the immediate. [00:17:59] Travis Rutland: They killed each other just as frequently [00:18:03] Travis Rutland: as they married each other. [00:18:06] Travis Rutland: Brothers marrying sisters and then fathers killing sons. They killed and married each other. The Romans were actually horrified by the level of the sensual that the, that [00:18:18] Travis Rutland: the Herod line lived in. [00:18:20] Travis Rutland: How they behaved, what they did. They were all about, now I want it. [00:18:27] Travis Rutland: How many, how many do we know like that? How many do we know like that? I have this thing and I want it right now. Technology, and I'm not some anti technology guy railing against, you know, phones and Internet and stuff. But on the other hand, technology has [00:18:47] Travis Rutland: destroyed our ability to wait on God. Technology has destroyed our ability to keep praying for something, to hold onto it. [00:18:58] Travis Rutland: When I was a little boy and [00:18:59] Travis Rutland: you had an argument about who starred [00:19:02] Travis Rutland: in a movie, Well, I think this person was in the movie. Well, I think that person was in the movie. [00:19:06] Travis Rutland: And you know how you resolved that argument? You didn't. Nobody knew. There was no way to find that information. You might ask somebody else and they might tell you one of the two people you thought, or they might name a third person. Now you hold a button on a computer that fits in your pocket and they tell you everything you want to [00:19:26] Travis Rutland: know about that movie. There is some of the mystery of life that is taken from us. It really is. But that, that is the king of sensuality. I want it now. It's not to say when I use the word sensual, I don't mean that in a, in a sexual connotation necessarily. I just mean that you live in the now. [00:19:50] Travis Rutland: I have a desire. [00:19:52] Travis Rutland: I demand to be given my desire. Yes, but it's not good for you, it's not healthy for you. I don't care. I'm the king. [00:20:04] Travis Rutland: I. [00:20:05] Travis Rutland: For those of you that are visiting or maybe haven't heard in a while, back in January, I had a heart attack back in January actually immediately following preaching a sermon. So hopefully you know nothing today, but [00:20:22] Travis Rutland: I had A heart attack came off the stage. I was standing right there. Heart started killing me. [00:20:26] Travis Rutland: My arm, my hand went numb. I thought, well, these people have finally killed me. [00:20:30] Travis Rutland: No, I'm joking, but no. I had a heart attack on a [00:20:35] Travis Rutland: Sunday two months ago, almost exactly two months ago. I'm doing great now. I'm doing fine. But there are changes that you have to make. [00:20:43] Travis Rutland: I take a cocktail of seven different [00:20:46] Travis Rutland: medications twice a day. There's stuff you got to do. I go to cardiac rehab three days a week. I don't like going to cardiac rehab. I don't like waking up early. I don't like the fact the only [00:20:56] Travis Rutland: good thing about cardiac rehab is I'm [00:20:58] Travis Rutland: about 30 years younger than everybody in cardiac rehab. [00:21:03] Travis Rutland: It's true. There's an older lady named Joan in cardiac rehab. She's 83 years old, and she is [00:21:11] Travis Rutland: really impressed by how fast I go on the treadmill. [00:21:14] Travis Rutland: That's a true story. Every time I'm on the treadmill, I'm just going, right? [00:21:17] Travis Rutland: And Joan goes, yeah, you're doing so good. [00:21:21] Travis Rutland: She's like, my little cheering squad. She just cheered me on. You're doing great, man. You're going so fast. [00:21:27] Travis Rutland: They're all amazed, right? They use the two pound weights, and I use, you know, not two pound weights, and they're like, man, that's great. [00:21:34] Travis Rutland: So my point, though, is I don't like doing that. I don't like taking all the medication. I don't like getting up early for cardiac rehab. I don't like the fact that I can't eat fried food anymore. I was in. I won't tell you who it was, [00:21:49] Travis Rutland: but I was in the Chick Fil a. [00:21:53] Travis Rutland: About two weeks after. About two weeks after I had my heart attack, I went to Chick Fil a for lunch. And somebody in this church who I [00:22:01] Travis Rutland: saw this morning, and I love him, so I'm just teasing with him. [00:22:03] Travis Rutland: So I'm in the Chick Fil a. [00:22:05] Travis Rutland: He is working there at the Chick Fil A, and he saw me ordering [00:22:08] Travis Rutland: behind the counter, and he said. [00:22:09] Travis Rutland: He goes, hey, this isn't heart healthy. [00:22:13] Travis Rutland: He admitted it. And I was like, yes, but it's the Lord's chicken, and it's so delicious. And if you get the grilled and not the fried, it's okay. So I got the grilled chicken sandwich, but I don't want the grilled chicken sandwich any more than I want to go to cardiac rehab three days a week. But on the other hand, I'd like to be around for a while. But do you see that? The king of sensuality says. The king of sensuality says, my needs are the only thing that are important. What I want is the only thing that's important. And it says, it doesn't matter if [00:22:44] Travis Rutland: it inconveniences other people. [00:22:46] Travis Rutland: It doesn't matter if it hurts other people. It doesn't matter what. None of you matter. I alone. I want to see a miracle. Herod doesn't need a miracle. He's not desperate for a miracle. He doesn't like people we find in the New Testament. He doesn't follow Jesus around and beg, son of David, help me, heal me. He is not the lady with the issue of blood who grabs at the hem of his garment, desperate for a miracle. Herod says, I want a miracle because I want one. I live in my own desires, my own needs. [00:23:19] Travis Rutland: Furthermore, the king of sensuality only focuses on himself or herself. [00:23:26] Travis Rutland: Look again, if you will. [00:23:27] Travis Rutland: I hope you notice this. [00:23:29] Travis Rutland: Look at 11. [00:23:30] Travis Rutland: Then Herod with his men of war, treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe. [00:23:39] Travis Rutland: You see that? Why does he do that? Why does he do that? [00:23:43] Travis Rutland: Because the king of sensuality says, I'm the one that's the most important. And so what does he do? [00:23:49] Travis Rutland: He doesn't conform his desires to look like Jesus. He dresses Jesus up to look like himself. Herod puts his robe on Jesus so that Jesus looks like him. We are not called to make Jesus look like us. We are called to look more like Jesus. But the king of sensuality says, I don't want to. I don't want to confine myself. I don't want to. I want what I want. I want my own desires, I want my own needs. I want to do what I want to do. And therefore I am not going to [00:24:23] Travis Rutland: do anything that inconveniences me. I'm going to make Jesus who look like me. He puts his own robe on Jesus. And what does that say? Now I'm just as good as Jesus. [00:24:35] Travis Rutland: Do you see that? Now I'm just as good as Jesus. Now I'm just as powerful as Jesus. Now. Now Jesus looks like me. So all the stuff that I want is what Jesus would want. [00:24:47] Travis Rutland: And we convince ourselves that we're the [00:24:49] Travis Rutland: good guy, when actually we're operating in huge levels of. Of hurt and pain that we're causing because we don't care about anything else. [00:24:57] Travis Rutland: We don't even care about ourselves, really. We are slaves to our desires, to our impulses, to the immediate, to the now, I want this and the King of sensuality says, whatever I want, I get. So you have Caesar and his supremacy. You have Herod, his sensuality. But there is a final king in this story. I want you to see what he says before we talk about it. Look, if you will, at Matthew chapter 20. We're just going to read one verse, But Matthew, chapter 20 and verse 28, Matthew, chapter 20 and verse 28th, Jesus is speaking, referring to himself as the son of man. And he says, just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Do you see that? He says, I didn't come to be served what [00:25:58] Travis Rutland: right? [00:25:59] Travis Rutland: Sensuality. He said, I didn't come to get what I want, he said, I came to serve others, he said, and to [00:26:08] Travis Rutland: offer my life as a ransom. Do you see that? [00:26:12] Travis Rutland: Supremacy. [00:26:13] Travis Rutland: Supremacy destroys other lives. [00:26:15] Travis Rutland: In order to rule and reign. [00:26:17] Travis Rutland: Sensuality says, what I want is important. Jesus in one verse, one sentence turns the whole thing upside down. He says, I did not come to get my own desires. I came to serve others. And I did not come to conquer and destroy and take supremacy in my own hand. He said, I came to offer myself as a ransom for many. He turns the whole thing upside down. [00:26:41] Travis Rutland: The two things that we thought we [00:26:42] Travis Rutland: knew about kings, that they wield earthly power and that they get whatever they want. And in Matthew 20 and 28, Jesus [00:26:49] Travis Rutland: turns it all upside down. Now back to we were. Look, if you will, at John 18, back where we started. Pilate says to him, are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said, are you saying this or did someone else tell you? Now look at John 18 and 36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight. [00:27:20] Travis Rutland: What right there? [00:27:22] Travis Rutland: He said, if I was the king [00:27:24] Travis Rutland: of supremacy, if I was Jesus Caesar, I would fight. He said, but I have a kingdom. [00:27:29] Travis Rutland: But it's not a kingdom like you think about kingdom. [00:27:31] Travis Rutland: He said, I am a king, but [00:27:33] Travis Rutland: I'm not a king like you understand? King. He said, look back again. My servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. And Pilate said to Jesus, are you a king then? And Jesus answered and said, you say rightly, I am a king. For this cause I was born, and. And for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. So Jesus admits to him. He says, I am a kingdom. I am a king. And I have a kingdom. But it's not like what you understand. It's not a kingdom built on power and destruction. It's not a kingdom built on my own personal wants and desires. He said, I have. I have a kingdom. I am a king. But it's not like what you understand. They go through the remainder of the trial. Now turn to Luke chapter 23. We were there before. Go back to it. Luke, chapter 23, verse 33, Luke 23 and 33. When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And Jesus said, father, forgive them. They do not know what they do. And they divided his garments and cast lots. And the people looking on, stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, he saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked Jesus, coming and offering him sour wine and saying, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. And an inscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews. There is that king. Jesus is that king. He is the king. He is the final king. But he is the king. But in that moment, he doesn't look like much of a king. Killed, crucified naked on a cross outside of town. But Jesus did not come to wield supremacy, earthly power, and he did not come to satiate his own desires. This king was the king of sacrifice. This king was the king of sacrifice. That is the king. [00:29:59] Travis Rutland: That is who he was. That is who he was about. [00:30:04] Travis Rutland: And Pilate gave him over to the Roman centurions, and they took the robe that Herod had put on him, and [00:30:11] Travis Rutland: they pretended that he was a king. [00:30:13] Travis Rutland: And they gave him a scepter. [00:30:14] Travis Rutland: And then they took a crown of [00:30:16] Travis Rutland: thorns, the crown symbolizing kingship since the beginning of time, as we know from a treasure trove found in the desert. But this crown was a crown of thorns, a crown of suffering. [00:30:30] Travis Rutland: This crown is how it would have [00:30:32] Travis Rutland: been, historians believe, not simply around the edges, but over the top, so that the crown is pressed down and then [00:30:40] Travis Rutland: pressed from the top so that the thorns pierce the top of the skull and the sides, everywhere, the blood dripping down Jesus's face. [00:30:49] Travis Rutland: And in that moment, he doesn't look [00:30:52] Travis Rutland: like much of a king. But the king did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to [00:30:59] Travis Rutland: offer his life as a ransom for many. But. But see, it doesn't make sense in that moment, because he doesn't look like what we wanted the King to look like. We wanted the King to come with a sword and drive out the Romans. Or at least the king should get whatever he wants. Jesus could have snapped his fingers. [00:31:24] Travis Rutland: He could have summoned 10,000 angels to [00:31:27] Travis Rutland: come and rescue him off of the cross. [00:31:30] Travis Rutland: He could have taken away the pain and the suffering. [00:31:33] Travis Rutland: But he was the King of sacrifice. He was the King of sacrifice. And his sacrifice was the thing that was transformative for all of us. [00:31:45] Travis Rutland: He. [00:31:48] Travis Rutland: We talked about this at our Good Friday service. Why? Why did he go through this? He went through this because of how much he loved us. He even says it. And at Last Supper, as I mentioned, on Friday, he loved us all the way to the end. The King of sacrifice was not about himself, his own desires. He was not about building an earthly kingdom. The King of sacrifice was about offering [00:32:21] Travis Rutland: himself as a ransom for. [00:32:23] Travis Rutland: For many. Not because he had to, not because the Father forced him to, but because [00:32:28] Travis Rutland: the Son loved us so much that [00:32:31] Travis Rutland: he was willing to endure it. The betrayal, the beatings, the being whipped with a cat of nine tails, crown of thorns pressed into his body, stripped [00:32:43] Travis Rutland: naked and paraded through the streets of Jerusalem, carrying his own cross, carrying the instrument of his own death nailed to the cross, spikes in his wrists and his ankles raised up outside of the [00:33:00] Travis Rutland: city walls of Jerusalem, even in his last dying breath, the religious leaders mocking him, making fun of him. And he said, father, forgive them, because he loved all of us all the way to the end. That was the King of sacrifice. That was the King of sacrifice. Now, when the sun went down on Friday, it was clear who had won and who had lost. It was clear who had won and who had lost. As the sun set on Friday, Rome was still powerful. Caesar was still on his throne. Rome ruled supreme and alone. There was no one to even challenge the might of Rome. On that Friday, nothing would change. [00:34:02] Travis Rutland: Pontius Pilate went back to his house. [00:34:04] Travis Rutland: He was just as in charge Friday night as he had been Friday morning. Caesar was still on the throne and Rome ruled supreme. The other king, the king of sensuality, he returned to his palace as well. [00:34:18] Travis Rutland: Herod. [00:34:19] Travis Rutland: He went back to his own debauchery, to his own desires, to his own wants. Nothing had changed for him at all. These kings still in the earthly and [00:34:31] Travis Rutland: the natural and the obvious, these two [00:34:34] Travis Rutland: kings still ruled supreme. The King of sacrifice, however, a rabbi, a teacher, a man who did nothing but heal others and help and restore blind eyes and heal lame legs and raise the dead. The King of sacrifice is taken off of A cross. And he is placed in a borrowed tomb. And it's over and it's finished. And it's obvious. The King of Sacrifice has lost. Crucified, dead and buried. Friday ends. The King of Supremacy and the King of Sensuality continue to reign on their thrones. The King of Sacrifice is dead in a borrowed tomb. But glory to God, Sunday is coming. Sunday is coming. When Friday ends, the King of Sacrifice is dead. But Sunday is coming. Look, if you will, at mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16 and verse 1. Now, when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, brought spices that they might come and anoint Jesus. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. [00:36:11] Travis Rutland: And they said to themselves, who will [00:36:13] Travis Rutland: roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side. And they were alarmed. And he said to them, do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. [00:36:33] Travis Rutland: He is risen. He is not here. The King of Sacrifice is risen indeed. And he rises with healing in his wings. You see, nobody understood what was happening on that Friday. Everybody thought there were three kings, but they were wrong. There was only one king. There was only one true king. He was the only king that the world ever needed. He was the only king that we ever had any need for. He was the only one that he was only one we needed. The King of Sacrifice ended up being the only true king in the entire story. He is not here. He is risen. Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. [00:37:28] Travis Rutland: And it's just. It wasn't just for Jesus. [00:37:32] Travis Rutland: That is the wonder that is the magnificence. That is Easter. If Jesus himself had overcome hell, death and the grave, we would say, yay, Jesus. But I want you to understand what [00:37:46] Travis Rutland: Easter means for us. Look first, if you will, at Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. In verse 11, Paul is writing to [00:37:57] Travis Rutland: the Church at Rome. [00:37:58] Travis Rutland: And he says, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. A great verse about the Trinity, by the way. [00:38:16] Travis Rutland: He who raised Christ Jesus, he who God the Father, raises the Son, the King of Sacrifice. And the spirit that raised this King of Sacrifice is the Holy Spirit, which also lives in us, which gives life to our mortal bodies. That is what Easter is. Yes. It's a celebration of the resurrection of the King of Sacrifice. But the same spirit that brought him out of the tomb raises us out of our sin, raises us out of our addiction, raises us out of darkness. I don't know where you're. What. Where you came from, what you're doing this morning. I don't know why you're here. Maybe your grandma made you come. Maybe your mom forced you to be here on Easter. My mom forces me to wear a suit and tie. I only wear one on Easter and Christmas Eve because it makes my mom happy. That's okay. You might be here this morning just to make your mom happy. But I am telling you. Listen to me. The King of Sacrifice has risen. And he calls you out of your tomb. He calls you out of your tomb. You are no longer bound. There is no addiction. There is no sin. There is no substance. There is nothing in your life. There is no pain from your past. You say, I can't get out of the tomb of the pain of my past. You say, travis, I don't under. You don't understand what's been done to me, what's been said to me. But I am telling you that the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead resurrects you. Paul's not done. We're not done understanding what Easter means to us. Now turn, if you will, to Colossians. [00:39:55] Travis Rutland: This is Paul's letter to the church at colossae. Colossians, chapter 2 and verse 13. This goes right along with it. The same spirit that raised Jesus raises us. Now look what happens. And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you're dead in your sin. You're dead in your addiction. You're dead in your trespasses. [00:40:18] Travis Rutland: What he has made alive together with him having forgiven you of all trespasses. Do you see that? There had to be a sacrifice. The king of sacrifice. Blood had to be shed. Sin was committed. And blood has to be shed in order for sin to be forgiven. But the problem was we couldn't find a perfect sacrifice. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away the sin of humanity. How could that ever work? It couldn't. It was simply a placeholder. It was simply something. Until a better. Until a better sacrifice came along. And the sacrifice had to be no blemishes. It had to be sinless. Not Sinful. But how could any of us be sinless? We can't. But the king of sacrifice lived a sinless life. No blemishes, nothing in him that disqualifies him from being the sacrifice for the whole world, as Hebrews tells us. So he gave himself as a sacrifice once and for all. Once and for all. That moment on the cross, the king of sacrifices gives himself freely. He sheds his blood freely. So that our sin, taking the sin of humanity on himself, he we are [00:41:37] Travis Rutland: forgiven you, being dead in your trespasses, he has made alive together with him having forgiven you. All you have to do is confess and receive his forgiveness. All you have to do is confess and receive his forgiveness. Confess your sins one to another, the Bible tells us. Confess your sins one to another, and God is faithful and just to forgive you of all unrighteousness. Now I want you to see one final one. Look at 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15, beginning with verse 55. Paul is writing again to the church at Corinth. And he says this, speaking of Jesus, he says this. 1 Corinthians 15 and 55. O death, where is your sting? Oh, hell, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the law. [00:42:39] Travis Rutland: But. [00:42:41] Travis Rutland: But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through his Lord, through our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:42:50] Travis Rutland: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The victory. [00:42:57] Travis Rutland: You see that there is no Roman Empire. Rome is gone. [00:43:04] Travis Rutland: Caesar is finished. It's over. [00:43:07] Travis Rutland: It's been done for a thousand years. The Herodian line didn't last much longer than Jesus. [00:43:15] Travis Rutland: Within 50 years of Jesus's resurrection, the Herods were gone, Finished, over. [00:43:23] Travis Rutland: But the King of sacrifice, the King [00:43:26] Travis Rutland: of sacrifice reigns eternal, immortal. And through him we have the victory. Do you see that? I want you to look at it again. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory. Not a victory. See, too many of us hop from a victory to all kinds of sin and defeat. We go from a mountaintop to a valley and a mountaintop to a valley. And that is not how God wants you to live. That is not what he is offering you. Through the shed blood of his Son, Jesus Christ, the King of sacrifice, did not die so that you could in. You could inherit an occasional victory. I don't want an occasional win. I want the victory. Do you see that? The victory. The victory is ours. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. The victory. Sin is defeated. The grave is defeated. Hell is finished. They're all over. Because the King of Sacrifice was the only real king. And he reigns and rules to this day at the right hand of God the Father. He is risen. [00:44:36] Travis Rutland: He is risen indeed. He is risen indeed. The other kings were no kings at all. The only king wore a crown of thorns. He sacrificed himself for us. And three days later, he was resurrected with healing and victory in his wings. His sacrifice gives us the victory. All we have to do is make Him Lord. All we have to do is make Him Lord. We receive the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me pray. God asks that you finish this message in the hearts of every person. I'm not going to ask you to [00:45:27] Travis Rutland: come up to the front. [00:45:30] Travis Rutland: Not going to do that at all. I'm going to. [00:45:32] Travis Rutland: I'm going to ask you one question. [00:45:33] Travis Rutland: I'm going to. [00:45:33] Travis Rutland: I am going to ask you to [00:45:34] Travis Rutland: put your hands up. So I asked you to. If you would, to keep your eyes closed. Continue to keep your eyes closed. [00:45:39] Travis Rutland: I'm just going to pray over you. But before I pray, I want to [00:45:41] Travis Rutland: ask you one question. [00:45:43] Travis Rutland: Are you positive? Are you sure? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Do you know that, you know that. [00:45:49] Travis Rutland: You know that the King of sacrifice is your Lord? [00:45:53] Travis Rutland: There's only one question. [00:45:55] Travis Rutland: You might think there's a bunch of questions in life. [00:45:57] Travis Rutland: There's really only one question, and that's the question, who is your Lord? Who is your Savior? Is Jesus Lord of your life? There is no better day to make [00:46:08] Travis Rutland: him Lord than Easter. [00:46:10] Travis Rutland: He is risen indeed, with power and healing and victory. And the same spirit that raised him raises you out of your sin. [00:46:20] Travis Rutland: All you have to do is make him Lord. [00:46:22] Travis Rutland: If you would say this morning, you [00:46:23] Travis Rutland: say, I. I haven't made him Lord. [00:46:25] Travis Rutland: You say, I may have done that in the past, but I've been running from God. I don't know where you're at on [00:46:31] Travis Rutland: the spectrum, but if you say on [00:46:33] Travis Rutland: this Easter, I'm not sure if he's [00:46:35] Travis Rutland: Lord, I'm going to ask you just [00:46:37] Travis Rutland: to slip your hand up and put it right back down. [00:46:39] Travis Rutland: That's it. [00:46:39] Travis Rutland: Is Jesus Lord of your life? [00:46:41] Travis Rutland: I see that hand in the wings. I see those hands in the middle. [00:46:45] Travis Rutland: Thank you. You say, I need to make him Lord of my life. Just raise your hand and put it right back down. [00:46:49] Travis Rutland: I see those hands. I'm going to pray over you. There's no magic formula. [00:46:55] Travis Rutland: I'm going to pray a prayer over you. And what you need to pray in your heart is that you make Jesus Lord. You want the victory? [00:47:02] Travis Rutland: It is found through our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:47:06] Travis Rutland: Even if you didn't raise your hand, [00:47:08] Travis Rutland: I encourage you to pray this prayer. Make him Lord this morning. Make him lord of your life this morning. Let me pray. [00:47:15] Travis Rutland: God, I thank you for every person [00:47:17] Travis Rutland: here, every life represented every person, hands that were raised, hands that weren't raised. [00:47:23] Travis Rutland: Right now, God, if anyone here needs to make you lord of their life, God, I ask right now that they would make you Lord. [00:47:30] Travis Rutland: That they would confess their sins to [00:47:32] Travis Rutland: you and that they would make you lord of their life. They would give you their future, their destiny. They would give you everything in their life, their decisions that they make, their [00:47:40] Travis Rutland: actions, God, they would turn their life over to you. [00:47:43] Travis Rutland: Yes, you are our savior and we love you. But we must make you Lord. [00:47:49] Travis Rutland: You are the king. [00:47:50] Travis Rutland: You are the only king. [00:47:52] Travis Rutland: We say thank you that you are the king of sacrifice. [00:47:56] Travis Rutland: And now we make you our Lord and savior. [00:48:00] Travis Rutland: We make you lord of our life. We thank you for your sacrifice. We receive you into our heart and into our spirit. And we make you Lord. This morning, in Jesus name we pray. Amen. [00:48:15] Host: Thank you for listening to the Travis Rutland Podcast. If you enjoyed this message and you're in the Cartersville, Georgia area, we invite you to join us at Liberty Square Church. You can also watch online and connect with us on Facebook and YouTube. We'll see you next week for another message from Travis Rutland.