The Vital Questions of Life
Introduction
On the top of a hill in a Midwestern state stands a courthouse so situated that raindrops falling on one side of the roof travel by way of the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean, while drops landing on the opposite side find their way through the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and into the Gulf. Just a breath of wind one way or the other may determine whether a single raindrop will end up either in the Gulf or in the Atlantic. Even so, one decision is enough to determine a man’s destiny, not only in this life but throughout eternity.
In a similar fashion, how we answer questions can determine the direction of our lives. How questions on an exam are answered separates passing from failing.
How questions at an interview are answered determines who gets the job and who keeps searching.
How questions are answered by a doctor reveal our healthiness or unhealthiness. How a question is answered will determine if you will get married or remain single.
In this passage, Pilate asks one question that brings to the surface 3 questions asked in scripture that I want to call “The Vital Questions Of Life.”
I want to suggest to you:
I. The Question Regarding His Honor “...Which Is Called Christ?”
Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks, “...Whom say ye that I am?”
A. The Claims About Him
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asks His disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” There were those in Jesus’ day who thought He was a mad man. Some said He was a devil, some said a blasphemer, others accused Him of being a drunken and gluttonous man.
Yet, others called Him Master or Teacher. His disciples told Him, “some say Thou art John the Baptist: some Elijah; and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
But, then there are Jesus’ own claims about Himself. He said, “I am..” The Messiah
The Good Shepherd The Bread of Life The Son of God
The Eternal One The True Vine
The Light of the world The Alpha & Omega
The Resurrection and the Life The First and the Last
The way, the truth, the life
B. The Comprehension Of Him
(Read) Matthew 16: 16, 17
In John 16:14, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” Throughout the centuries, men who were moved under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit recorded how personally Jesus has been revealed to us.
The seed of woman that would crush the head of Satan The brazen serpent set upon a pole
The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night to lead My shepherd that I shall not want
Lily of the valley Bright morning star Prince of peace
Sweet Rose of sharon Our rock and shelter Cornerstone
Man of sorrows
The Great Physician Our Advocate
Wonderful Counselor
The Mighty God
The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Our Redeemer
The Captain of our Salvation Daniel - Coming Messiah Immanuel - God is with us King of Kings
Lord of Lords
But, we just call Him Jesus!
Bible Teacher A.T. Pierson said of Jesus, “He stands absolutely alone in history; in teaching, in example, in character, an exception, a marvel, and He is Himself the evidence of Christianity.”
Thomas had it right in John 20:28, “my Lord and my God!”
II. The Question Regarding Our Hope “...With Jesus...”
Matthew 1:21 - “...shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” John 13:12, “...Know ye what I have done to you?”
A. He Died For You
John 15:13, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends.”
What makes this so amazing is the fact He was not crying out on behalf of friends, and He was not even crying out on behalf of Himself. Jesus was crying out on behalf of enemies! Paul captures this image in Romans 5:8 when he wrote, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”
We needed a Savior who would love us and forgive us in spite of ourselves!
Someone has written these words, “Calvary is where all hope is centered, both for this world and the next.”
The story is told of a minister years ago who boarded for a time in a farmhouse. The farmer was not a Christian, and the minister had been searching for a way to make plain to him the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross. One morning, the farmer invited the minister to go down to the chicken house with him. There on a nest sat a hen with her brood of chickens peeping out from under her wings. The farmer told the minister to touch the hen, but when he did, he discovered she was dead. The farmer said, “Look at the wound on her head. A weasel has sucked out all of the blood from her body, but she never once moved for fear that the little beast would get her chickens!”
B. He Lives For You
Even while dying on the cross, Jesus is still the High Priest interceding for us! He is still the Lawyer pleading our case! He was the Sacrificial Lamb willing to lay down His own life for us!
In Norway, there is the story of a church built that rather than placing a steeple on the roof had placed a wooden lamb. We are told than during construction as the steeple was being attached, a worker slipped and fell to the street below. Workers rushed down expecting to find him dead, but rather found him walking around. He had fallen on a flock of sheep passing by the church landing on a soft sheep. The sheep was crushed to death but the worker lived.
C. He Is Coming For You
John 14: 2c - 3, “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Whether we meet Him in life or death, every man and women will face Jesus, and when we do, here is what the Bible says we all will do:
Philippians 2: 9,10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...”
III. The Question Regarding Our Heart
Matthew 27:22, “What then shall I do with Jesus...?” There are only two options:
A. Reject Him “...They All Say Unto Him, Let Him Be Crucified”
John 1:11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”
Perhaps you have heard the story of the young boy who always made his mother wear gloves out in public because he was embarrassed at the unsightly deformity of her hands. However, during a presentation by the teachers and parents at his school, he made a discovery that would forever change his perspective. His mother shared the story that when the young boy was a baby, the family house caught on fire in the middle of the night. In her attempt and effort to save her baby boy, the mother's hands were badly burned as she fought the flames to rescue him from his crib. The young boy approached his mother with tears streaming down his cheeks, and he slowly removed the gloves from her hands. As he stroked her deformed hands, he said to her, "these scars are symbols of your love for me, and I am so proud of them. To me, they are the most beautiful hands in the world."
B. Receive Him
John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
There are a lot of things we will receive in our lifetime. Diplomas - Promotions - Bonuses - Degrees - Raises - Awards
But, In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks another important question, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
What does it mean to receive Him? It means to trust Him. But, exactly what does it mean to trust Him? Let’s suppose you were the captain of a ship out on a stormy sea. The darkness and fog made it impossible for you to see the shore. However, piercing through the storm, the darkness and
Conclusion
One of the greatest public stands for Christ came by Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. He was preparing to visit Germany to help the Protestant princes in the cause of the Reformation, but found himself extremely discouraged by their lack of decision and lukewarmness.
Upon meeting the Ambassador, he uttered these stirring and memorable words, “This I say unto you plainly beforehand. I will hear and know nothing of neutrality. His Highness must be friend or foe. When I come to his border, he must declare himself hot or cold. The battle is between God and the devil. Will his Highness hold with God? Let him stand at my side. Will he prefer to hold with the devil? Then he must fight against me. No third position will be granted him.”
The choice is yours today. You will either reject Him or receive Him. As the writer of Hebrews so eloquently asked in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation...?”