February 27, 2016 - Church at Worship

Sermon: “The Verdict of a Maddened Mob”  - by Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Shawna Campbell, Ron Dailey, PhD

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:15–18, 20–22, TNIV

Children's Feature: TBD

Sermon Notes:

  Today we begin a journey toward a hill called Calvary. Over the next five weeks, our sermon series is titled Verdict. Our focus will center on a number of people who were confronted by the reality of the cross of Christ and who, in that confrontation, discovered that the cross demands a verdict.

One simple reality binds these individuals together: they either actively avoided making a decision about Jesus, had been superficial in their thinking about him, or had never encountered him until Calvary and, as such, had not had to make a decision about him. But, whatever the specific realities of their individual cases, it wasn’t until those final hours of his life—or immediately after his death—that they came face-to-face with that reality—the cross demands a verdict. They had to make a decision about him. Was he the One sent of God? Were his claims to be the Son of God valid? Did he have a right to sit on the throne of their hearts? Were they prepared to respond in the affirmative to his call, “Follow me”?

As we take this journey together, we will discover that today, as then, the cross still demands a verdict. We cannot come to this hill called Calvary, truly experience the events of that fateful Friday, and walk away unchanged. We, too, will have to decide what to do with Jesus.

Our journey will end on Easter weekend. Between now and then, won’t you thoughtfully, carefully, prayerfully consider the place of Jesus in your life?

Randy Roberts

Senior Pastor