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Condemning Christ

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• Notice, if you would, please, in your Bibles to Mark chapter 14, and we'll read verses 55 through 64. Mark chapter 14. The title of the message is "Condemning or Damning Christ." Think about this: condemning or damning Jesus Christ. Mark chapter 14, verse 55. The Bible says that the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain and bare false witness against him, saying, "We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands." But neither so did their witness agree together. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?" But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am."

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• "And you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest rent his clothes and said, "What need we of any further witnesses? You've heard the blasphemy. What think ye?" And they all condemned him to death. So the title of the message is "Condemning or Damning Christ" from Mark chapter 14, 55 through 64.

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• Condemnation is a very powerful word. We do not understand its impact unless we understand it theologically. We may understand the word condemnation in a legal sense. For instance, when a criminal is condemned, he is simply found guilty in court and sentenced. At times, condemnation may be just or it may be unjust, and the sentence imposed may be either just or unjust. Man is not perfect, and consequently, he cannot be perfect in this life. Therefore, most judgments are not completely just because of our imperfections. Innocent men have been condemned, and wicked men have been declared innocent. So unjust and unbiblical sentences have been meted out oftentimes even to those that do not deserve them.

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• Now, the theological implications of condemnation can be easily and readily seen by the use of the word in the New Testament. The Greek word for condemnation in our text is katakrino. It literally is translated in our Bibles, "condemn" 17 times and "damn" two times. Thus the word literally means to condemn or to damn, that is to give judgment against and to judge one worthy of punishment. So the word is used in various ways in the Bible. First of all, it is used in reference to Adam, and what Adam did to his posterity. For instance, in Romans 5, verse 16, the Bible says, "And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift." Now listen, "for the judgment was by one to condemnation." So talking about Adam, the judgment was by one to condemnation. And then in Romans 5, verse 18, "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation." So this is the same word then that is used concerning Adam's posterity. Every one of us, each one of us, is now found in a state of condemnation by nature.

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• We are born condemned. That's why Romans 5, verse 12 says it like this: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." And all sinned in Adam, all fell in him, and thus the condemnation came upon all.

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• Now, if you will hold the book of Mark chapter 14, but look very quickly in the book of John chapter 3, and you can see how our unrepentant and unbelieving state is highlighted for us. John chapter 3, notice if you would, verses 18 and 19. John 3, verse 18, the Bible says, "He that believeth on him is not condemned." So Jesus Christ is the one who takes us out of condemnation. "He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already."

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• "Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." So the Bible teaches us very clearly then that men by nature are already damned. We are already condemned. We're under the judgment of God. Moreover, you have to understand that the entirety of the Old Covenant was referred to in the Bible as a ministry of condemnation. For instance, in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 9, the Bible says, "For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory." So here is a comparison in 2 Corinthians 3 between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. But notice even the ministry of condemnation was glorious, but the ministry of grace is certainly far more glorious. So here's my question. Why was the Old Covenant called a ministry of condemnation? Obviously, the Old Testament is the Word of God.

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• And obviously, there are a lot of truths, in fact, everything in the Bible is truth, that were given to us. But why then does God call the Old Covenant a ministry of condemnation? Well, if you will turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, and look if you would please at verses 1 through 4. And you will see why the Old Covenant is referred to as a ministry of condemnation. Watch carefully Hebrews 10, verse 1.

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• "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." Now watch, Hebrews 10, verse 1, "the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things"—the Lord's it was not reality—"those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually could not make the comers thereunto perfect." Watch verse 2. "For then would they not have ceased to be offered?" In other words, if perfection had come by the Old Testament sacrifices, they would not be repeated.

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• "Because that the worshipers once purged should have no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices"—that is in the Old Covenant—"but in those sacrifices there was a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin." And of course, then if you read verse 5 right on down, now we're talking about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So the Old Testament sacrifices could never, ever make anyone perfect. And they had to be repeated because there was a remembrance of sin every year.

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• Thus, it was called a ministry of condemnation. Now, let me just make this clear. Condemnation is a passing of judgment. It is a declaration. It is a sentence. So condemnation, then, is not only the declaration of a sentence, the other word that is used, which I used is damnation. That's why I titled this message "Condemning Christ or Damning Christ." So let me show you how this word is translated as damnation.

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• I want you to look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 23 and verse 14. Matthew 23, verse 14. So our Lord is talking to the scribes and the Pharisees and look what he says. Matthew 23, verse 14: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation." You could say the greater condemnation, but the word condemnation and damnation are the same here. Look in the book of Mark, chapter 12 and verse 40. Mark 12, verse 40. Here it is translated as damnation again. Mark 12, verse 40: "Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation" or greater condemnation. Then if you would turn to Luke chapter 20 and look at verse 47. Luke 20, verse 47 again, he says, "Which devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation." Now, the point I was trying to make is the same word is translated as condemn or to damn or damnation.

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• Now stop and think with me. Thus many individuals who take God's name in vain and then attach the word "damn" or actually asking God to judge and condemn and damn the individual at which they are angry. Hang on. They do not realize their sin in taking God's name in vain and profaning the name of God, neither do they realize the theological implication of their requests. Think about this. If merely calling a brother a fool endangers one to hellfire, how much worse is it to request that God would damn an individual simply because you're angry with them. Let me show you.

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• Go in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5. Look at the words of our Lord, Matthew chapter 5 and verse 22. I'm not making this up. Matthew 5, notice if you would please, verse 22. Here it is. Matthew 5, verse 22. Our Lord says, let's go back to verse 21. He said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." So I'm merely just calling someone a fool out of anger. Our Lord says you're in danger of hellfire. How much worse is it when you ask God to damn an individual just simply because you are angry with them? You have to understand condemnation may either be just or unjust.

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• And obviously Jesus Christ was wrongly condemned in the scripture. Even the repentant thief recognized the innocence of our Lord. You remember how those two thieves were crucified with him and one ridiculed him and mocked him saying, "If thou be the Son of God, come down off the cross and take us down." In other words, we'd like to steal some more. But the other thief in Luke chapter 23, verses 40 and 41 said, "But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation?" or the same damnation.

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• "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man"—talking about Jesus Christ—"hath done nothing amiss." So obviously, even that one thief recognized then that they were there justly, they were getting the penalty for their sins. But he also recognized the innocence of Jesus Christ.

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• Now, if you would go in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 2, I want you to see how the apostle Peter condemned the wickedness of those Judeans on the day of Pentecost. Look in Acts chapter 2 and let's begin reading there with verse 22. It's very important that you realize what he is saying. Acts 2, verse 22. He says, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God."

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• "Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Now what did Peter say? It is true that everything that happened to Jesus Christ was ordained by God the Father. Nothing was by chance. Nothing was by accident. But yet that did not relieve those Jews of their responsibility because Peter said, "ye have taken by wicked hands and have crucified" the Lord of glory. In other words, they did what they did not to fulfill God's word, not to fulfill prophecy. They did what they did out of a malignant, hateful, wicked, sinful, rebellious heart. He said, "ye have taken by wicked hands and have crucified."

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• Now, let me mention something to you. There are a number of illegalities concerning the trial of Jesus Christ. I will probably mention one or two of those illegalities, but it is not my intent today to bring out all of those illegalities. In fact, the truth of the matter is you could have a whole series of sermons just on the illegalities in the trial of Jesus Christ. Everything they did was illegal according to their own council and according to their own statutes.

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• Now, I want you to look back in Mark chapter 14. I want to begin showing you this message on condemning or damning Christ. I only have one simple application, but I want you to see this in light of what I'm teaching. Notice in Mark chapter 14, verse 53. They have now captured our Lord, verse 53 said, "And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him"—that is with the high priest—"were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes." Now, you need to hold Mark 14, but I do want you to turn to Acts chapter 4 because I want to show you what I'm about to say. Acts chapter 4, if you would just go ahead and turn there. The high priest was a Sadducee. All of the high priests were Sadducees.

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• They were in control of the temple. What you had in the days of Annas and Caiaphas was a clique. Let me express it like this: the Clinton Foundation. Now you understand. Or the Democratic National Party. Okay. It's a clique. Now look what happens. Acts chapter 4, beginning in verse 5. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem." Wow.

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• You talk about a family-run institute. The Sanhedrin was run by a family. It was a clique. The Sadducees were in charge of the temple.

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• Now, the Pharisees basically controlled the general populace. And the Pharisees and the Sadducees were usually at odds with each other. And the reason they were at odds with each other is because the Pharisees would be considered to be the fundamentalists of the day. They would be considered the Bible believers or the law believers of the day. While the Sadducees were the liberals. You have to remember, the Sadducees did not believe in a spirit, nor did they believe in the resurrection from the dead. But, of course, the Pharisees believed both. Now, here's what happened. Jesus Christ had silenced both the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

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• Neither one of them could capture him with words. They could not ensnare him. And so, although the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who were normally at each other's throat, will now join together in order that they might condemn Christ. Let me show you. Hold Mark 14, but go in your Bibles to Matthew 22. And let's look at verse 34, and I'll take you through the scripture very quickly. Matthew 22, verse 34. Look what the Bible says, Matthew 22, verse 34: "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together." Wow. Then if you look at Mark 14, verse 1, Mark 14, verse 1: "After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death." The chief priests and the scribes. Look in Mark 14, verse 55, which we read earlier: "And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none."

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• Now if you would turn right over to John chapter 11. Look if you would at the counsel that is given. John chapter 11 and let's begin reading there with verse 48. John 11, verse 48. You see, it was impossible for them to just leave Jesus Christ alone. It's impossible. And they recognize that impossibility. So in John 11, verse 48, let's begin with verse 47: "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we?"

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• "For this man doeth many miracles. Ah, what are we going to do? If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."

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• Now, the interesting thing is this, verse 53: "Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death." So Caiaphas says this: We can't let him alone. If we let him alone, we're going to lose our position. We're going to lose our power. We're going to lose our prestige. We've got to do something.

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• Now, it's expedient that one man die. Let's get rid of Jesus Christ. Let's kill him. Now it is true he did not understand what he was saying and he was prophesying being high priest that year that Jesus Christ would die for his people. But that is not what Caiaphas meant to say. What Caiaphas meant to say is let's kill him. Let's get him out of our hair. One man's going to die and the rest of us are going to live. So let's just take care of that now.

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• I want you to go back, if you would, to Mark chapter 14, because that's our text. We're going to be looking at it. So obviously the Sadducees and the Pharisees, the council, the scribes, anyone who had any political connection and power were against the Lord Jesus Christ. So in Mark 14, verse 55, watch carefully. "And the chief priests and all the council sought for witnesses against Jesus to put him to death; and found none." What? Did you read that? Did you hear that? Look at it again. "And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death." So here you have the council, which is supposed to be an impartial jury.

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• The trials are to be held. They are now seeking witnesses for the express purpose of putting Jesus Christ to death. If you will hold Mark 14, but look back to Matthew 26. Matthew 26 and notice verse 59. Matthew 26, verse 59. Again, you see this.

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• "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death." It's not that Jesus Christ had done anything wicked or wrong. It's not that He merited or earned the death penalty. No, no, no. They're just simply going to put Him to death. They prejudged before a trial ever began. Notice first, there was no complaint. There was no cause of action.

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• There was no one that could claim harm or injury. Secondly, you need to pay attention to the fact that the judges initiated the action against Jesus Christ without a complaint and without witnesses. If the judges had not initiated this case, there would not have been a case. Just stop and think. It's kind of like a judge sitting on the bench today saying, "Well, we need to get Robert. Let's plan on how we're going to get Robert" instead of a judge being impartial. They're the ones initiating the complaint. And thirdly, they intended to condemn Jesus Christ and execute him.

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• Fourthly, they were not interested in justice. They simply wanted Jesus Christ dead. They were violating not only numerous principles from scripture, but they were violating their own principles. One of the principles they went by was this. Listen carefully. In pecuniary causes, they either begin for absolution or condemnation. But in capital causes, they begin for absolution and not for condemnation. So if money is involved, they could either begin for absolution or condemnation. But if the death penalty is involved, then according to their own principle, it has to begin with absolution. It has to begin with innocence.

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• That's why we say a man is innocent until he's proven guilty. That is, they were to begin with such evidences as tended to acquit a man, and not with such as served to condemn him. Whereas this court was only seeking for such evidence to begin with that they might condemn Jesus Christ.

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• Now, I have a quote. Listen to what John Gill said on this. He said, "First they take him up, and then seek out for witnesses against him, being determined, right or wrong, to put him to death, if possible, and false witnesses too, even those whose business it was to examine and detect false witnesses." Let me stop right there. Do you realize in biblical law courts it is a duty and a responsibility of judges to examine and detect false witnesses. If a witness is found to be false, according to Deuteronomy 19, verses 18 and 19, the judges are to do to him whatever he thought to have done to his brother. So it's their responsibility to seek out and to examine false witnesses and to punish them. But I'm going to go ahead, listen to what he said. He said, "even those whose business it was to examine and detect false witnesses and to afflict the same punishment upon them which they by their false testimony intended to have brought upon another."

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• "And besides, it was night when it was forbidden by their canons to begin the trial of capital causes or to receive and admit of witnesses. Indeed, the Syriac and Persic versions read only witnesses or witness and leave out the word false, perhaps imagining that men could never be so wicked to seek out for false witnesses. But this need not be wondered at, when these men were bent upon the death of Christ at any rate, and were aware that nothing true could be objected to him that would legally take away his life. And besides, their manner, procedure, and judgment against the false prophet, a deceiver, and one they enticed to idolatry, and such one they would have Jesus to be, was quite different from what they took with other persons." Now listen, their canon reads, this is what they say, "The judgment of a deceiver is not as the rest of capital judgments. His witnesses are hid and he has no need or ought not to have any premonition or warning as the rest of those that are put to death."

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• "And he goes out of the Sanhedrin acquitted, and one says, I can prove the charges against him, they turn him back. But if he goes out condemned and one says, I can prove him innocent, then they do not return him." So their own canons, of course, were violated.

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• Now, I want you to consider in Mark chapter 14, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 56. Mark chapter 14, verse 56: "For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together." Now.

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• The obvious implication of these verses is that none of his accusers, who were sought out by the chief priests, by the way, could get their stories together. Moreover, neither did their testimonies merit the death penalty. Wow. So, it's not so much that these priests were concerned with the false witness. It was the fact that they were concerned with, they couldn't get the result they wanted with those false witnesses.

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• John Gill goes on to say this: "Though this is not much the sense of the passage here, it was not the falsehood of their testimony which this council was concerned about, or the contradiction that was in it, which does not appear, but their testimonies were not equal or answerable to the wishes of the council. They were not sufficient to prove a capital crime upon him in order to put him to death, which was what they wanted."

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• "They only respected some light and trivial matters, and did not amount to a charge of blasphemy or sedition." Now, if you look at verse 60, you'll see that Gill's assessment is correct. He says, "And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?"

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• Now, that's a very provocative question. It's also a question that was designed to imply guilt in Jesus Christ. It implied that all of the witnesses were truthful and that there were so many witnesses that Christ must be guilty of something. I mean, he's got to have done something. Look at all the people that are here. Wow. If possible, they wanted Jesus Christ to confess and condemn himself.

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• So I present answers found nothing. What is it that all these witnesses testify against you? But Jesus Christ did not fall into their trap. The Bible says he answered them nothing. Just kept his mouth shut. He knew that the witnesses were false. Now, it's not going well for the high priests and for the council. Because they want him dead, they want him executed, they want him condemned. Let me say it another way, they want him damned.

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• So if you look in verse 61. The Bible says, "But he held his peace, and answered nothing"—that is, when they asked him all about those witnesses, he answered nothing. "Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?"

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• "Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death."

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• Now, finally frustrated in verse 61. The high priest asked him, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" May I remind you that the term "the Blessed One" was a common name for the one true and the living God, and he is so called because he is everlastingly blessed in and of himself as well as blessed and praised of men and angels. Zacharias began his canticle in Luke 1, verse 68 with, "Blessed is the Lord God." So when he asked, "Are you the Son of the Blessed?" he's asking, "Are you the Son of God?" So here's the question. When all these false witnesses testified against Christ, Christ answered nothing. Now the high priest asked him, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And he answers.

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• Previously, he had stood silent. Now he answers. Why? Why did our Lord not remain silent? Let me show you. I want you to hold Mark 14, but turn in your Bibles to Matthew 26. Matthew 26. Matthew 26 and verse 63. Here it is given a little more fully. Matthew 26, verse 63. Same trial. Matthew 26, verse 63: "But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." Note, "I adjure thee."

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• I'm putting you under an oath. You tell us whether or not you're the Son of the living God.

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• Now I want you to turn back in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 5. Leviticus chapter 5. And look if you would please at verse 1. Leviticus 5, verse 1. So Christ now has been charged with an oath. And look what the Bible says in Leviticus 5, verse 1: "And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness..." Well, the high priest swore and put Christ under an oath.

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• "Whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity." So, when the high priest said, "I adjure thee by the living God, you tell us whether or not you are the Son of the Blessed One. You tell us whether or not you are God."

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• Now, the interesting thing is this. Jesus Christ was indeed a witness to the fact that he was indeed the Son of God. And so he could not stand silent then. He must answer. And that's why he gave his answer in verse 62. Let me give you a quote before we read it. John Calvin said it like this: "If thou art the Christ, the Son of God, from the words of Caiaphas, we may infer that it was at that time common among the Jews to bestow on the Messiah the title, the Son of God. And this form of interrogation could not have originated any other way than from the ordinary custom, and indeed they had learned from the prediction of Scripture that he was not less the Son of God than the Son of David. It appears, too, that Caiaphas employed this epithet with a view of either terrifying Christ or exciting a prejudice against him as if he had said, 'See where you are going. For you cannot call yourself Christ, that is, Messiah, without claiming at the same time the title of the Son of God with which Scripture honors him.'"

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• "Such is the reason for using the word blessed, which Mark gives instead of God, for this pretended reverence for God was intended to bring a heavier charge against Christ than that of just simply profaning the holy name of God." So everything the high priest is doing is calculated. It's calculated to condemn Christ. So Christ is claiming to be the Messiah. If you claim to be the Messiah, you must claim to be the Son of David. If you claim to be the Son of David, you must claim to be the Son of God.

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• So go back, if you would, to verse 61. Previously, he had held his peace. Notice. "Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?"

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• "And they all condemned him to be guilty of death." Now, I love verse 62. When the high priest said, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus Christ answers, "I am." You asked me. I'm telling you, you got it right. You hit the nail on the head. You said it correctly. I am the Son of the Blessed One. And now he offers two proofs. First, he says in verse 62, "and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power"—that is on the right hand of God—"and coming in the clouds of heaven."

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• In other words, his position declares his deity. He is seated at the right hand of God. And he's going to come with power. Secondly, he also says, notice, they shall see him coming in the clouds of heaven, either at the destruction of Jerusalem, which is in all probability, either at the destruction of Jerusalem or at the last day, when he not only demonstrates his divinity, his deity, but his judgeship as well.

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• So, when he was put under an oath and asked, "Art thou the Son of the Blessed?" He said, "I am." I am God in the flesh. I am the Messiah. I am the Son of God.

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• Now, I want you to note with me the reaction and the response of the high priest. Look in verse 63. "Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death." Now, notice, if you would, the high priest asked, "What think ye?" When you hear that question, you begin to think that, well, the question is fairly put. "What think ye?" However, it was already prejudged, for the high priest said, "Ye have heard the blasphemy. What think ye?" Now, the high priest, as president of the court, was supposed to vote last.

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• But now he votes first. He not only prejudges, he conditions the other by saying, "Ye have heard the blasphemy, what think ye?" Consequently, all of them who agreed with the high priest condemned him, damned him to be guilty of blasphemy. Now, notice, if you would please, the Bible says the high priest rent his clothes. He tore them off at the sound of Jesus Christ saying, "I am."

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• You have here a picture given to us of the ending of the Old Covenant sacrifices and the Old Covenant ceremonies. Because now when the high priest rends his clothes and takes them off his holy garment, it is actually picturing the end of that, and now we're going to begin, of course, the priesthood and the ministry of Jesus Christ. So in reality, what he did was he condemned himself.

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• And all those that were with him, as they were condemning Jesus Christ.

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• Now I want you to note they charged him with blasphemy. "Ye have heard the blasphemy. What think ye?" "Ye have heard the blasphemy." Why? Because he made himself the Son of God. If you look back or look over your Bibles to John chapter 5, they understood very clearly what our Lord was saying. They had understood previously what our Lord was claiming. In John 5, verse 18. Notice if you would, verse 17.

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• "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath"—that is their interpretation of it—"but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." So if he's claiming to be the Son of God, he is claiming to be God. And if you go back in your Bibles to Luke—I'm sorry, to Leviticus 24, Leviticus 24.

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• When the priest said, "Ye have heard the blasphemy, what think ye?" Notice Leviticus 24, verse 16. Leviticus 24, verse 16: "And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death." So blasphemy merited the death penalty.

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• Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, Luke chapter 23. I want you to turn there and watch this, please. Answer this question for me. What did they charge Jesus Christ with? The answer is blasphemy. And consequently, they said he was deserving of death. And you will remember now that they now, after they do this, take him to Pilate. Right? Well, look at Luke chapter 23, verse 1. "And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate."

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• "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King." Whoa. The charge just changed. Isn't that amazing? The charges just changed. Because they knew Pilate could care less about their interpretation. And so they had to get a political charge against him. And when Pilate was determined to let him go in John 19, they said, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend." Now, let's go back.

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• What I want to share with you is so simple. I want you to see this, I want you to understand this. The high priest said, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus Christ said, "I am. You'll see me sitting at the right hand of God the Father. You'll see me coming in heavens. I am the Son of God." The high priest said, "You have heard his blasphemy. What think ye?"

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• And they all said he's guilty of death. What did they just do? Are you listening? They damned Jesus Christ. They said concerning Christ that he's an imposter, a deceiver, a charlatan, a liar, and a blasphemer. He's not the Son of God. He's speaking blasphemy. Here's the one point I want to make. Unless you repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord of Glory, the Great I Am, God in the flesh, unless you repent and bow to Him, you're aligning yourself with the Sanhedrin and you're damning Christ, saying that He's an imposter, a liar, and a blasphemer. The condemnation of Jesus Christ is not over. The damning of Jesus Christ is not over. You may either condemn the wickedness and rebellion of the Sanhedrin or you may condemn and damn Jesus Christ. You may either condemn yourself as a sinner and wicked or you may condemn and damn Jesus Christ. There is no neutrality. You're either for Jesus Christ or you're against Jesus Christ.

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• If Jesus Christ is God, you owe Him obedience and submission and repentance and faith. And if you refuse to bow to Jesus Christ, just like the high priests and the council, you're damning Him. You're damning Him as a liar and an imposter, a blasphemer. Is it any wonder that God the Father looks with great anger and great wrath upon those who deny Jesus Christ? Because they are saying in essence that the Sanhedrin was right. Jesus Christ is not God.

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• But I'm here to tell you, Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. And beside Him, there is none other. And the wise and the scriptural thing to do is to bow to Him. For He's King of kings and Lord of lords and God of gods. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to you this day, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to see the implication of...

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• This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, suite 705 PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia 31406 or give us a call at 912-925-0995. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:24:03Z