August's Sermons

Church Period: Lent 3rd Sunday
Sermon Title: Were You There When He Was Condemned?
Sermon Date: March 9, 1958
Rev. August Hauptman
Sermon Text: Matthew 27:24-26

Dear Christian friends:

It is terrible if a person is condemned and sent to prison for a crime he did commit.

Our text tells of a greater tragedy. Not a mere innocent man, but the holy Son of God. Not mistaken justice but deliberate and planned. Pilate knew and the Jews knew Jesus was innocent.

But as we study this terrible deed more closely we know that Pilate and the Jews are not alone in condemning Jesus. All the motives of the Jews and Pilate are still working today in the hearts of men hatred, prejudice, false accusations, envy, and dishonesty.

These sins join men today to these men of 2,000 years ago. These wicked motives also work in our hearts and lives. We must constantly fight to keep them under control. So again we ask

Were You There When He Was Condemned?

First He was condemned by the Church. Now also the state condemns Him. Pilate, the Roman governor admitted power to free or kill Him. Pilate tried to escape His duty by washing his hands. Pilate condemned Jesus because He didn't want to disappoint the Jews.

If he disappointed them it may cost him his job. Pilate was a coward. And because He was a coward He condemned the innocent Son of God.

Have you ever been a coward and failed to defend Jesus or the truth? You have? You were there with Pilate in condemning Jesus. Pilate was not the only government to condemn Christ. For 300 years the Roman emperors condemned and crucified, burned and fed Christian to the lions.

Today the red communist governments condemn Christ and his followers. By laziness and indifference towards our own government we may allow wicked men to get control of our own government. If by such carelessness we let wicked men get control of our government all the honest things that Christ wants will be destroyed and that will hurt the church and the work of Christ's kingdom.

Without thinking we may become guilty of condemning Christ and the things He wants. This should remind us not to be silent at anytime or do nothing, because by our silence and doing nothing we give help to all who wish to condemn Christ.

Next Tuesday you have the duty and right to vote for good and honest government. Study the men and issues carefully and then go and vote. If you stay home and do nothing you will be helping the crooks to get control and Christ's cause will be hurt.

Look again here and you see also the common people joining with the government to condemn Christ. Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' blood and the people shouted: "His blood be on us and on our children." Truly a terrible thing they said!

Why? The chief priests and elders of the Jews went around persuading the people. They let others do their religious thinking for them. Common mistake. Jesus warns against it. Once he asked: "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And then asked them, "Whom say ye that I am? (Matthew 16:13&15)

We must know Him ourself and not only listen to what a few big shots may say or think. The Bible is our authority and proof, not man's word, but God's.

Christians sometimes believe a certain thing because parents or church or pastor teach it. The teaching may be correct, but teachers are not the foundation of faith. Our religious thinking or faith must be established solidly on the real foundation, the writings of the Apostles and prophets, and God's Word.

Remember the common people in Pilate's court condemned Christ because they listened only to men and failed to study the Scriptures.

Thus if we fail to read our Bible and study as we do in Bible Class we may listen to other men and ignorantly condemn Christ. When we look back and see how little we read and study our Bible, we must confess that we often are ignorant and therefore are in danger of ignorantly condemning Christ.

We must honestly confess that we were there when Pilate the chief priests and the Jewish people condemned Christ. If we don't confess it; He cannot be our Savior. But if we confess our sins, He is true and will forgive us all our sins. Then we can say with St. Paul: "He loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Here we see Jesus get condemned so that we can escape God's just condemnation against us. We are the ones worthy of condemnation and damnation, but here we see the Holy Son of God patiently suffer that without complaint for us and all men.

How can we explain this wonderful love? We can't it is beyond our understanding. But we ask, "Can we make up for our sins that hurt Him so very much?" The answer is No! You never can. He has made good for us or paid for us. We will always be indebted to Him.

But there are ways we can show our thankfulness. First watch and pray that we do not condemn Him again. Second, be patient and forgiving to those who criticize and condemn you and judge you wrongly or unjustly. General Robert E. Lee's answer to the president of General Whiting. The Christian like Jesus when he is condemned falsely will not seek revenge and condemn back.

Also we can show our love to Jesus by defending others who are unjustly condemned. That is the real test of our love for Christ, namely our love for others. No matter how much you say you love Christ it means nothing until you prove it by loving other people. If you don't love people, you don't love Christ either. Jesus loves people! The same way you will, if you really know and love Him.

So as we see Jesus condemned for our sins, let us love Him and try to be more loyal to Him and all men.

Amen.