Those Who Re-Crucify Jesus

Hebrews chapter 6 be looking at verses 4 through 6 today. Before I read that, I want you to suppose the year is about 30 AD, and that I am a Roman governor by the name of Pilate. I need your counsel. Mark 15:12, Pilate said these words: What shall I do with him whom you call the king of The Jews.

What shall I do with him? It's the question I need counsel on. Shall I crucify him or do something else with him? Counsel me. How would you have answered Pilate's question? Not what you think the right answer should be, not what you would like to think what you would have said, but what would your answer really have been?

How would you have responded to that question? Hebrews chapter 6, verse 4. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame.

You remember Pilgrim's Progress? It happened in the country of conceit, the country of conceit. While Christian and hopeful were journeying on to the celestial city, they came into a very dark lane in this country of conceit. They entered into a very dark lane where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords.

And they were carrying him back to the door that they saw on the other side of the hill. Now, good Christian began to tremble, and so did hopeful, his companion. Yet as the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knew him. He thought it might be the one named Turnaway that dwelt in the town of apostasy.

But he did not perfectly see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found. But being gone past, Hopeful looked back after him and saw on his back a paper with this inscription: Wayward professor, condemned apostate. Turn away. Those who walk a little bit with God, taste it.

Been enlightened, yet turn back. They walk a little part of the Christian journey. They're with us for a little while, but then they turn back for some reason, various reasons. And their latter state is worse than their former. Turn away. Turn back. Withdraw. The horrible concept. There were many turnaways in Pilgrim's Progress.

Many of you have acted them out. You've been here a while. You remember obstinate. He came a little way and then he went back. Remember, pliable. He came a little way, went back. Mistrust, timorous, all with this turnaway heart. And then there was old atheist, one of the most profound and hardened of them all, who mocked the idea of even being on a journey to heaven as if some place ever existed.

He would say, Foolish. I've tried that path and now I'm going back, said atheist. Hebrews 3:12 warns against this turnaway heart. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Expression falls away is not something passive, it's something very active.

It's that active withdrawing, turning away from. Verse 4, text this morning: we encounter something that is impossible. Impossible. In the Greek, it's actually the very first word of verse 4: impossible. Now, some translations, including the NASB, which I'm preaching from, the word impossible doesn't show up until verse 6, because it connects it with the very thing that is impossible.

But the very first word is impossible. We encounter something that's impossible. We don't encounter something that's merely difficult or something that's unlikely, but impossible. There have been many who want to soften what's being said here so that. It won't mess up their systematic theology. But biblical theology must precede systematic theology.

And so that is why we need to go carefully through this passage, not making it say what we want it to say, but allowing it to speak to us and inform us. Something impossible. And there are four things in possible or that are declared impossible in the book of Hebrews.

In 6:18, it is impossible for God to lie. In 10, 4, it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sin. In 11, 6, it is impossible to please God without faith. And in our text this morning, it is impossible for some people to repent. Impossible.

Look back at verse 6. It is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God. Who are these people who are incapable of repentance, who the scripture informs us recrucify Jesus? Who are they? That re-crucify Jesus? And how can we make sure that I'm not one of them?

Or you're not one of them? Who are they that crucify Jesus? And why is it impossible for them to repent? Those are the questions that I want to answer this morning. Well, first of all, those who re-crucify Jesus, who are they? Who are they? Well, the answer is given to us very clearly, very straightforward.

There are five positive actions and one negative one. Five and one, six total, that we'll be looking at that define for us, give us insight who they are. There are the five, they have five good encounters with God. They are those, first of all, who once have been enlightened.

Look back at verse 4. Or in the case of those who have once been enlightened, once, at some point in time in the history of their lives, they were enlightened. And this is a passive voice. This is something that's happened to them, something that God has done for them.

To be enlightened is to have light shed upon you. It speaks of someone else's actions upon them. Insight into spiritual realities had been poured or shown upon them. They had at one time genuinely been exposed to heavenly realities. Enlightenment. Now, there's an earthly kind of enlightenment that comes from studying a subject.

You can go and study a subject. That's many of what you're doing at school, college. You're wanting to be enlightened in a certain field. Well, there's that earthly kind of enlightenment. We can be exposed to Christianity by the hearing of a preacher or a teacher or by reading the Bible or by the way we're brought up, the homes that we're brought up in.

We can be exposed to Christianity and, in that sense, enlightened by some of the truths, spiritual truths of God's creation and world. And all of these can provide a knowledge of the truth. And Hebrews 10, 26 is going to talk about those who have a knowledge of the truth.

Some can even achieve PhD-level understanding of Christ and yet not be transformed by Him. But there's more than just this earthly kind of enlightenment. There is a heavenly kind of enlightenment where God Himself can be the author of the enlightenment, and yet there still be no transformation of heart.

Balaam, you remember Balaam? He's an example of such one who God enlightened him, and yet he became forever held up as the example of what not to be. Listen to Numbers 24:4. This is Balaam. The oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty.

That's enlightened. Yet, 2 Peter 2:15 makes it very clear that he desired something more than God. He desired the wages of unrighteousness, and that was the desire that took place over relationship with the true God. Those who have once been enlightened have had at some time genuine contact with the true gospel.

Those who re-crucify Jesus have at one time come in contact with the true gospel. Perhaps it was through. In the context of the Hebrews, their Mosaic upbringing. And then they have the apostolic preaching. Whatever the case, what do you do with enlightenment? You are to embrace it. You see, those who recrucify Jesus may be enlightened for a time, but they do not embrace the light.

They do not come under the light, but yet they at some point run away from the light or suppress the light. So counsel me: what shall I do with him whom you call king of the Jews? Should I crucify him or should I embrace his light? You tell me, what shall I do?

What are you going to do with this heavenly truth? It's a question for all of us. Who are those who recrucify Jesus? Well, first of all, they have been enlightened. Second, they are those who tasted of the heavenly gift. Look back at verse 4. They have tasted of the heavenly gift.

Again, this is passive. This is something that God has. Allowed them to encounter. God is doing something good for them. He is giving them a flavor of heaven, a taste of heaven. They've experienced, they've come to know, they've partaken of in some degree. But think about the metaphor of taste for just a moment.

Is taste swallowing? Is taste eating? Is taste being nourished by what has eaten? No, taste is something that is limited to the mouth. First you taste something, then you swallow it, and then it provides its nourishment. And look at what they have tasted. They have tasted the heavenly gift, the bounty of heaven.

They have tasted the very bounty from heaven itself, that which can only come from above. They have tasted of it, that which is unmistakably from God. And in Jesus' day, and certainly in the apostolic age, that was and is Jesus Christ, and all that was connected to him, his Holy Spirit, his teachings, his invitations, the promises and scriptures, his apostles, the whole New Testament is that testimony, is that tasting.

You who sit under the New Testament or read your New Testament are. Tasting of the heavenly gift. They had what's more, the Hebrews had what's more, the evidences of the changed lives all around them, both physically and spiritually. So tell me again, what shall I do with him who you call the king of the Jews?

Shall I crucify him? Or should I eat and drink and take in who he is and what he has told me to do? You tell me. Third characteristic of those who recrucify Jesus is they have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. This language is intense. Number three, they have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

Partakers, that means to be party to something. In Luke chapter 5, the disciples, they were partners in the fishing industry. And you remember, Jesus said, launch off, let down your nets. And Peter says, Look, Master, we have fished all night, but we'll do what you say. And so they caught all this.

Fish. And then they signaled to their partners to come over and help them bring in this catch. The partners, those who are sharers in this fishing enterprise with them. Notice verse 4, and they have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. Again, they have been made something. They are passive, something that good thing that God has allowed them to do.

For a season in their life, they were able to come alongside and be close to what the Holy Spirit was doing in and among them. They became participants to the gospel enterprise, not just a fishing enterprise with others, but they were part of, party to that gospel enterprise.

Perhaps they were part of the congregation. Perhaps they were part of the audience. Perhaps their contributions were part of the building up. Perhaps they used and served in some ways, yet they remained untransformed. They partnered with the saints in community. They labored in ministry. You know who's a good example of this in the New Testament?

Remember Simon the Magnificent in Acts 8? Simon Magnus, some call him. You remember Acts chapter 8, verse 9? There was a man named Simon. Who formerly was practicing magic in the city of Samaria, and he astonished many people because he claimed to be someone great, hence magnificent. Simon the Magnificent.

Well, Philip came down and started preaching. Something real had taken hold, something that Simon couldn't believe that there is something so great out there. And so, what does he do? He believes. Believes. Verse 13: Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip. He was a partner there.

He was partaking in what that gospel enterprise was doing. And as he observed signs and great miracles, he was constantly amazed. And then the disciples came down from Jerusalem. And Simon started watching. They put their hands upon people and them receiving the Holy Spirit. And then Simon the Magnificent says, This, Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.

He offers him money. But Peter said to him, May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have no part or portion in. This matter. For your heart is not right before God. Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours and pray that the Lord, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven.

For I see that you're in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity. So here's someone who, from external vantage point, looks like he's participating in the ministry of Philip, and yet his heart is very much incarcerated to iniquity. He is not really a partner after all, though for a while he seemed to be.

He thought his desire was he wanted power, and he saw Jesus as a means to greater power. So he let that desire be greater than truly a relationship with Christ. Was Peter's rebuke harsh or was it loving? Peter had seen what happened to Judas. He's like, repent of this wickedness.

Be quick to get rid of it. You know, some people they meet with us, they fellowship with us together. They'll sing the same songs. They may even lead. Some of the songs at times. They may read the same scriptures. They may pray with us. They may be part of our fellowship, but they remain untransformed by the truth.

What shall I do with him whom you call king of the Jews? Shall I crucify him, or should I let his spirit continue to have influence over my life? Number four. Those who recrucify Jesus are those who have tasted the good word of God. Look back at verse five and have tasted the good word of God.

Having tasted, again, there's that passive. God has done something, He has allowed them to taste. Before you can consume something, you've got to take it, taste it. The emphasis is upon the taste, not the eating, not the digesting. What have they tasted of? The good, the good word, the beautiful word, the noble word, the praiseworthy word.

The Word. The Word of God. The Word, the sayings, the teachings, the testimony. It was possible to taste the good Word of God and not be transformed by it. We see that all the time, don't we? If only we really believed what we say we believe, our lives would be very different.

If you would really believe the gospel. But see, our trouble is we kick it around in our mouth. Some aspects of it spit out. But if we'd only just take in the good word of God and let it transform. Is it possible to taste and not be transformed by the word?

Yes, it's possible. Remember Herod? He enjoyed listening to John the Baptist. You remember in Mark chapter 6, verse 20? Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed. But he used to enjoy listening to him.

I like what they said. I like it. This is good, what he's saying. It's convicting, but wow. He heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and yet he was not transformed by it. He never took in the words. And so he eventually killed John the Baptist. Likewise, there were those among the audience of the Hebrews who, for a season, had enjoyed good sermons, perhaps.

They enjoyed contemplating their truths and discussing them with others. There was an excitement of gathering with the community of those early churches and hearing the keynote speakers come and expound the word of God and tell us what God was doing. And they enjoyed that. They relished those times.

They got caught up in the encouragement and the wisdom. And they even shared joy with the congregation and the people for a while and all that comes from the good word of God. They were encouraged. They experienced some relief. They experienced some joy, but they were not transformed by it.

Just like Herod. What shall I do with him whom you call King of the Jews? Shall I really believe what he says? Or crucify him? Really isn't a middle ground. I'm put on the spot here. I have to either believe him to be king of the Jews, king of creation, God of gods, Lord of lords, king of kings, or I've got to crucify him.

Counsel me. What shall I do with him who you call Jesus, the king of the Jews? What shall I do with him? What will you do with him if that question is put to you? That's where our author is driving us to. What are we going to do with Jesus?

Crucify him? Or embrace him? Or silence him forever. There's another characteristic of those who recrucify Jesus. They have tasted the powers of the age to come. Look back at verse 5. They have tasted the powers of the age to come. Again, that tasty. They have tasted, they have sampled, they've got a preview of the strengths and the forces and the abilities.

Of the age to come. The age that is on the brink of coming. And I would love to take a rabbit trail right here. Start talking about eschatology. The age to come. What kind of powers had they witnessed? Healings. They had witnessed blind seeing, eyes opened, transformation. I don't think that's happening in the eternal state.

I think it's happening in the millennial kingdom to come. But I would diverge from where the text is going. And so I will stay with the text. Having tasted the age to come. The age, the one that is on the brink of coming. Remember earlier, chapter 2, verse 3, the author is exhorting, How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard. God also testifying with them. With who? With the apostles. Both by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the Lord. To his will.

Is it possible to taste the powers of the coming age and not have a genuine relationship with Christ? Is it? Of course. The Bible gives us a lot of examples of them. One in particular, Judas. You remember, he was among the 70 and the 12 that went out.

And when the 70 came back in Luke chapter 10, they were rejoicing, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And Jesus goes on to say, Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. And it was in this that Judas never did rejoice. He loved the power, the name, something other than genuine relationship with Christ. So those are the five good things that God has done for those who recrucify Jesus.

They have been enlightened by him. They have tasted of the heavenly gift. They have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. They tasted the good word of God. They have tasted the power of the coming age. And yet, look at their response. This is their one active verb what they do in response.

And this is the sixth characteristic: they have fallen away. Verse 6, see at the beginning of verse 6, and then have fallen away. This is, again, no accident. It's an active voice. They have actively, it doesn't say, oops, I slipped, I fell away. Sometimes we'll read that into that.

That's not what this is saying. It speaks of a deliberate act to leave. They have fallen away. They have withdrawn. They have left a certain state and have turned away. Turned back. They have withdrew. They have gone back to their life before Christ entered into their lives. Even though they were enlightened and had tasted the heavenly gift, they had been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, had tasted the good word and the powers of the age, they deliberately turned away from God and his heavenly way to go back to their own God, themselves, and their own earthly ways.

They tasted, but then they spit it out. And notice there are some that want to put a conditional statement in here. If they have fallen away, it's not what the verb is saying. Some want to make it a hypothetical situation. This really can't happen. Again, to maybe soften its message or maybe to protect their theology, systematic.

But this is not a hypothetical situation. There are many people in the Bible that turned away from God after having all of this. We could talk about Judas. We could talk about a lot of different individuals. But in the context, the author has one specific group of people in mind that he has had throughout this book, and that has been the Exodus generation.

That has been on their mind, on his mind. Throughout this book, they have been the example of those turning back. And what the author is exhorting his audience, don't you be like them? Keep going with the confession of Christ. Keep the faith. Don't be turned back, and don't let anything else turn you back.

That's his message. And he's been using this Exodus generation throughout. And so as we understand what these verses mean or how we can illustrate them, we need to let that Exodus generation Be the illustration. The Exodus generation had been enlightened, for sure. They're in Egypt, and then Moses comes, Yahweh.

They didn't know Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God. They didn't know that was God's name until he shows up then. Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, the one who promised to Abraham, he is now speaking to you. God spoke to them through Moses. They were enlightened. The Exodus generation had tasted the heavenly gift.

They had tasted of the generous supply of heaven. They experienced heavenly deliverance. They experienced the blood of the Lamb. They understood so much, had tasted so much. They experienced heaven's supply in the wilderness. Who could feed this multitude? Can God give us bread? Yeah. Can He give us drink?

Yeah. Can He give us meat? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. They even tasted and saw the produce of the promised land. God had brought them all the way over there. He sent some spies into the land. You know the story. Numbers 13, they come back and they say, in verse 27, it certainly is a land flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

Look at it, it's incredible. But there are giants in that land. So they had tasted the heavenly gift. Third, the Exodus generation had been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. They had been party to what God's Spirit was doing in the earth. Think about it. They were part of God's foundational revelation, inspired by the Spirit of God, the Torah.

Think about what they were party to. They made contributions. They were part of building that tabernacle. They were part of all that. They were close. They saw the cloud. They experienced the deliverance. They were part of what God was doing in the earth. Fourth, the Exodus generation had tasted the good word of God.

They had heard the words of the Torah. They had heard the preaching of Moses. Fifth, they had experienced the powers of the age to come. I mean, they saw the mighty hand of God at work. They saw him in the way he destroyed his enemies. They saw it in the way he sustained his people, cleansed sinners, brought them into the tabernacle, and how his methodology and methods of bringing them in, drawing people into his presence.

They laid out the Shadows and the types, all of that, they were party to what God was doing through which we still open up and understand who God is through what God brought in the midst of that generation. They knew what it was like to have God dwelling in their midst.

And sixth, in spite of all this, the Exodus generation turned their backs on God in order to go back to Egypt. Came to this conclusion in Numbers 14:3. Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder.

Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt. Turn back. They didn't take hold of what had been set before them. They didn't have faith in God. And all that, they still didn't trust God.

So what's their analysis upon God at this point? He's a fraud. They deemed him a fraud. And they said, let us go back to Egypt. We've had enough. We've tasted enough. We've experienced enough. He's a fraud. These are the characteristics of those who recrucify Jesus. Now I want you to see why they cannot repent.

We've looked at who they are. Now I want you to see why they cannot repent. Look back at verse 6. It is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame. So again, we notice something's impossible.

What is impossible? To renew, to restore, to make something vigorous again, to make something fresh again. What is it impossible to do to renew them in the area of repentance? What is repentance? A change of mind. A change of mind. If you look back at verse 1 of 6, therefore leaving the elementary teachings about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith to God.

A change of mind from dead works to serve the living God. It's impossible for those who have experienced everything that God, that they experience and then to reject him. It's impossible to change their minds again to follow him. To change their mind from dead works. That's the elementary teachings of Christ.

Let me illustrate this maybe by a hypothetical situation. Think for a moment if the Exodus generation did go back. Okay, let's go back to Egypt. Okay, boom. You're the guy leading us back. Let's go back. And let's suppose God let them go back. And then Moses followed them.

Suppose Moses then started over with the same message. The God of your fathers is calling you to leave Egypt and to go to the land that He promised to your fathers. What do you think they would say? Do you think they'd be more likely to follow Moses at that point or more unlikely?

I mean, if after all that they saw wasn't enough for them to trust God, what else could they do? Could it be, oh, yeah, there's somebody else that shows up. It's not Moses this time, it's somebody else. We need to go to the promised land. Forget that. We've done that.

I mean, what else? What else can be done to Pharaoh? Any other cosmic disturbances that could be big enough or great enough? Drowning the whole army into the sea, if that's not enough to see that God's with you? The provision through it's hot outside, right? It ain't near as hot as it was.

Over there in that wilderness, and yet he provided for them a large number of people. If that's not enough to get you to trust God, you think it's likely that they're going to come out of Egypt again? No. Impossible. The same impossibility exists for those who turn back.

Some of the most hardened sinners are the ones who were at one time the most enlightened in the truths of the Bible. Some of your greatest atheists, some of your greatest antagonists to the faith grew up among us, but they turned away. A couple of, I remember my psychology teacher I had it one time.

She was trying all these kinds of things. And then one time in class, she said, you know, I tried all that Jesus stuff. It didn't work for me. So now I'm off reading tarot cards and all kinds of others, dabbling around with all these other kinds of things.

There are some that, well, I want to make a couple things, a couple points that need to be addressed here. If we're going to let the scripture speak for us, For itself, then this is not a hypothetical situation. This is not an empty threat. It's not just an empty scare tactic.

It's a real condition. And the exhortation is clear: do not let this be you. Keep going with God. Keep repenting. Keep turning. Keep believing. Keep going with God. Do not turn back. Second item that needs to be addressing, just so that you don't miss it. The impossibility here is not in God's ability to have mercy, to show grace, to pardon.

But the impossibility here is in the inability to repent. That's where the emphasis is. It's not on God's side, it's on man's side. No repentance, no faith, no faith, no life. And Jesus made it very clear: unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. True repentance will always be met with God's mercy.

But there is a point when repentance becomes impossible. And I don't want to water down what he's saying. It's a real warning. Next, I want you to note two reasons why it's impossible. Look back at verse 6. Since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame.

Number one, they recrucify the Son of God. They again crucify him, the Son, one who's been exalted, now seated at the right hand of God, who's been struck once, but not going to be struck again. The ones crucifying him again. Those who turn away join the category of the crucifiers.

Would you have yelled, crucify? Those who turn away join the category of crucifiers. Now, let's talk about those who crucified him the first time. They heard his claims. They saw his works. They felt the impact of his presence. They witnessed the mighty powers that are work in him, and yet they deemed him a fraud.

Just like that Exodus generation. The Son of God is a fraud. And he deserves to be crucified. He deserves rejection in the strongest manner. That was the Jesus generation that crucified Jesus. Just like the same spiritual disposition. As the Exodus generation, and the same spiritual disposition as many in the audience of the Hebrews.

I shudder to say even those among us possibly here today. Those who crucified to him testified that Jesus was a deep fake, worthy of the strongest rejection. Notice they crucified the Son of God to themselves. They personally, like, okay, in my heart, he is crucified. He, I again reject, deliberately reject, push away.

And this kind of rejection does not change its mind. It is done with tasting who Jesus is. It is commencing with spitting him out. Don't let this be you. Second reason why it's impossible. They put him to open shame. Not only do they recrucify the Son of God, but they put him to open shame.

They are the ones, again, lifting Jesus up. As an object before the public to be shamed. Listen, your rejection of Christ touches so many. If you have come with Christ, if you have named Christ, when you turn away, it's like you are publicly putting him up again. He is a fraud, he is not worthy, he is not who he says he is.

Listen, the shocking element in the Exodus narrative was the apostasy of the generation that came out of Egypt, wasn't it? Pharaoh challenged God, but he was never in a position to really slander God, was he? Oh, who's God? Who's God that I should let him go? Well, you're going to find out.

But the Exodus generation, they were in a position to really slander God. Theirs wasn't one of ignorance. They had seen, they had touched, they had felt, they had tasted, and yet they say he's a fraud. Listen, there's a spiritual war going on, and that spiritual war has you in the crosshairs, it has your faith in the crosshairs, and it wants to turn you back so that you can publicly shame the name of Christ.

Think about by going back to Egypt, what they were saying to the world: God is not strong enough. God is not good enough. God is not to be obeyed at all times. God is not really worth serving. God, my well-being takes priority over the dictates of God or priority over worship.

God is a fraud. His promise is no good. Let me ask you a question: who had greater potential to slander the name of Jesus? Some nameless fishermen in Galilee or Judas Iscariot? The answer is self-evident. Some of you need to get serious about Christ. Some of you need to stop pretending.

Some of you need to stop being near to Christ, but not one with Christ. Some of you need to stop wavering between two periods and two opinions. You see, when you reject the only message of salvation, there isn't going to be another one. If you reject the Christ of Scripture, there isn't going to be another one to whom you can turn.

The doom of the apostate generation who crucified Jesus is given to us in Jesus' own words. Listen to what he says in Matthew 12:43. Now, when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, I will rejoice.

Return to my house from which I came, and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.

That is why, that is the way it will also be with this evil generation. Counsel me: what shall I do with him who you call the king of the Jews? Shall I crucify him or shall I worship him? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, the answer is evident. Forgive us for not falling down before you and responding to the truth that you have revealed.

Indeed, your Son Christ Jesus is King and God, the forgiver of our sins, the sender of the Holy Spirit. The one who raises the dead, and the one who will judge every single one of us. His power is greater than anything in this world. So forgive us for ever exalting ourselves.

And forgive us for those moments where we want to silence your voice forever. Have mercy. Turn us to you by your grace. Send your spirit. Warm our hearts. Convict us of these truths. But not as Judas, but as Peter and the other disciples and the others who have been born by your spirit, born from above.

Father, send your spirit to accomplish this work in us today. Lords, in Christ's name we pray. Amen.