Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: I repented and I believed in God's sacrifice for me. Now this weight of sin has has been lifted. I've been set free. Now I am no longer a slave to sin. I'm a slave to God. So that might mean not looking politically correct to the world. That might mean challenging some of the world system. That might mean not putting the same priorities the world puts on my life. That might just and and you know there are going to be persecution. You know you there's going to be the trials. You know you're you're called to pick up your cross and follow him.

And that's how you get through life.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at West Side Christian Fellowship located in Leona Valley, California, 1 hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear part one of this special Good Friday message from Pastor Shane titled The Power of the Ninth Hour. In Luke 14:28, Jesus said, For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Listen now as Pastor Shane gives a soul-jarring sermon on the cost paid on Calvary and what it takes to be called a true follower of Jesus.

Give your life to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords today and be eternally transformed by the spirit of the living God. You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today. For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the Idle Men Unplugged weekly podcast. And now from West Side Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idle Men.

Pastor Shane Idleman: The title tonight is The Power of the Ninth Hour. The Power of the Ninth Hour. And if you're not sure what the ninth hour is, it's actually they believe that's when Jesus died. And to make it a little bit more interesting, it's about right around now, 6 p.m. or so. There was a little bit later than that. He actually gave up his his ghost, the Bible says, his spirit at that ninth hour. But first, we have to look at the power of prophecy. Mark 9:31, For as Jesus was teaching his disciples, saying to them, The son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him.

And when he is killed, after 3 days, he will rise. This is amazing because Jesus actually told them what was going to happen. And if you remember at the we'll talk about a little bit Sunday at the resurrection, they wanted to make sure as burial actually that they they they sealed the tomb and they wanted to station a a bunch of soldiers right outside of the tomb for this very reason. Cuz he said they he said he said that he will rise again. And I I got so much to share with you Sunday. I wish I could right now.

A lot thoughts are but it's just so interesting that they said he said he will rise again and the soldiers came back and said, An angel moved the moved the rock. We'll say that you were sleeping. How can you sleep up against your guarding this stone? They're going to roll away a stone while you sleep? And so but you look at even the power of pride. These religious leaders heard these soldiers were shaken. They were they were afraid. Look at what happened. Look at what happened and still they denied him. But tonight we have to fast forward to Matthew or actually go back a little bit.

Matthew 27 when Jesus is is in front of Pontius Pilate. It said when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Of course, there's a lot in there with the Garden of Gethsemane and where Jesus went through that that time of just um complete anguish, knowing what was going to come ahead. And they came and they they got him out of that garden. They were going to bring him for this judgment.

And then Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him saying, Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, It is as you say. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, he answered nothing. He said nothing. Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But he answered him not one word so that the governor marveled greatly. And I believe it's probably because he's never seen anyone stand before him and not say anything. At this point, many people are pleading for their life.

I'm I'm innocent. I didn't do this. But he said nothing because he knew why he had been called. He knew what his job was and why he was there. And then Matthew 27 if we were continue to read, it's that wonderful place where Jesus actually takes the place of Barabbas. Barabbas and Pilate said, I have this innocent man Jesus or I have Barabbas. Which one do you want? And they cried out, Give us Barabbas. Give us Barabbas. And there was a video out many years ago that that I think it was I am Barabbas. I don't know if you ever saw that and and it showed how Jesus that exchange took place, taking the place of Barabbas.

And we see how that happened there on Calvary or right before Calvary, right before his his crucifixion. And then Pilate said to them, What then shall I do with Jesus? Okay, he's innocent. He he found he could find nothing in him. Here's Jesus and what what am I you want Barabbas to go free, a known murderer. What am I to do with Jesus who is called the Christ? And they all said to him, Let him be crucified. And then the governor realized at that point that this was bigger than he thought because crucifixion was was the most painful way to die and it was for legitimate criminals.

And so he said, What evil has he done? But they cried out all the more saying, Let him be crucified. And so this is such an important point right here because he did nothing deserving of death. What he did, he took the place of us. He became that that he satisfied God's wrath on the cross. So I owe a debt. He doesn't. But he had to take my place, your place to pay that debt. He satisfied the sin of the world. And that's why he kept silent. That's why he knew what he was called to do.

And that's why there was no evil that he did. And then when Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, I don't know why but I I kind of you know I feel for Pilate. He's He's like, We got to let this guy go. What evil has he done? Even his wife said, I had a dream about this innocent man. We need to let him go but of course he was in a a pickle because he probably could have lost his life as well if there would have been a great uprising. They he would have been not doing his job and they they were much more vicious back then than they are today.

So he saw he could not prevail but rather that this tumult was rising, basically an insurrection was rising. And so he took water and he washed his hands basically saying, Hey, this is not my decision. I I'm washing my hands. I am clean of this. This is on you. He put it on them to actually crucify Jesus. He would allow the soldiers to do it but he was saying, This is not my decision. This is not Pontius Pilate making this decision to execute Jesus, religious leaders. This is your decision. You see to it. He said, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person.

Is that amazing? The governor saw that, Pontius Pilate. And all the people answered him and said, His blood be on us and on our children. Little did they know. What a statement. That 's why when people don't believe the Bible, it's like if you just start at the beginning and read and look at the consistency, the accuracy, the the tie-ins, all it's just it's just complete uh inerrancy and powerful and it ministers to the broken heart. It convicts the sinner. And so they said his blood beyond us and on our children. In other words, they're saying, Hey, if he's if he's innocent, let that be on us.

We will take that risk. And so they released Barabbas to them. And when they had scourged Jesus, that that is in and of itself is is tremendous pain. And then they delivered him to be crucified. And that's when the soldiers begin to mock him so we can see we're building up. We're on we're on Good Friday. He gave up his his spirit at the ninth hour, about 6:00 or so. So leading up to that throughout the day today. And I thought of that a little bit. Can you imagine what he was what he was going through?

It wasn't just a quick thing. It was it was a it was a long process throughout the day. And they took Jesus into the praetorium. Pray didn't pronounce that right but you you got it. And gathered the whole garrison around him and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, kind of like mocking him, taking off this and putting this scarlet robe. Okay, so you say you're a king. When they had twisted this crown of thorns, they put it on his head and they put this reed in his right hand like a fake crown, a fake uh type of of of instrument that king would hold.

And then this this gown and they were mocking Christ. They were And it still happens today, doesn't it? They still mock Jesus with their with their their pictures or their memes or their posts and and and they just and this whole thing, you know, Christ is king that's out there, this this controversial thing on social media. Some of it of course we know he's king but others are using it to demean Jesus and and to mock God. And nothing has really changed. And now now they begin to to to slap him. And they bowed the knee before him and they mocked him saying, Hail, King of the Jews.

Oh boy, did they know not know, huh? Then they spat on him and they took the reed and they struck him on the head. So of course this picture they're spitting on him and they're they're hitting with the in the in the head with this and he knows he's he's got to fulfill that that that final sacrifice. He's got no matter what happens, he's got to make it to the cross. And when they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, put on his own clothes and led him away to be crucified. And even cross-referencing Mark 10:34, they mocked him and they spit on him and flogged him and they will kill him.

And after 3 days, he will rise. They predicted this as well in Mark. And there were so many scriptures. I I could have this a 2 hour sermon but I had to get it down. I mean if you go into the Psalms and you talk about, you know, not one bone will be broken. He was he was with the transgressor transgressor. He was pierced for our iniquities and the chastisement of was is upon him and and all these fulfillments and the prophetic voices talking about the talking about this moment in history. It's amazing. And if you really study it cuz people say, Well, they wrote that after the fact.

Actually, if you if you look into it, they didn't. You get into the Septuagint. You get into the the different writings that were that were the Old Testament even before Jesus's time. You can see that it was already written before he was even born. That's why they said, What does the scripture say? That the prophet is coming from such and such. Nothing ever good comes out of Nazareth. And they but if they would just read the scriptures, it would talk about Jesus of course. And then we see the the final reason why we celebrate tonight.

The King on the Cross, Matthew 27 continues. As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene. That why they have Simon Simon of Cyrene by his name. And they compelled him to bear his cross. Can you imagine this this this incredible moment? Here's Jesus. You've seen movies, I'm sure, and you've seen what that could look like. And he's just I don't know yet if he's holding the cross at this point but Simon, this person, not Simon Peter, a different Simon, he's actually going to carry the cross for Jesus. It's just the pictures sometimes are just amazing because then you think of course Jesus said, Whoever wants to follow me must carry his cross, die to self.

And it really shows there is a cost to following Christ. There is a cost to following him. And that's one reason I think people fall away from the faith sometimes or that this is not I wasn't told this. They said Jesus would take away all my problems but sometimes you have more. Anybody notice that? Okay. Boy oh boy. Sometimes it brings more because Christianity really it's not about you know it's not about this wonderful life although it can be wonderful. It's not about your best life now although there can be incredible things. It's not about the prosperity gospel, right?

But God can prosper his people. It's not about these things. What it's about is following Jesus, no matter what the cost. No matter what the cost. I I die to self and I have to follow Jesus. That could bring pain. That could bring persecution but I have to follow him. And what I love about that, I've not mastered it so don't look to me. Look to this. I'm here pointing you to this, right? Let me get out of the way. But what I love about this is let's say everything falls apart. My relationship with him isn't.

Oh, there goes my 401k. Well, there my savior still on the throne. Hey Shane, the the blood work came back. This looks like leukemia. Your blood your white blood That would not be good but my savior holds it together. We're here. That's it. And the rest is eternity. And that's why so many people get so fearful is because they don't have that genuine relationship with Jesus to hold them through. I didn't say it'd be easy going through those times. It's not because we still have our frailty frailties inside. Is that a word? Frailties, okay. Well, if it's not, it is now.

Um so but we still have that right that brokenness, that fear when things, you know, um come up and and we don't know how to deal with them. We see our kids going through things. You know that that's but what do we at the end of the day? We've got to focus on Jesus and and have that be what holds us together. That's Christianity. You know when I when people ask me, Well, what do you believe? Why do you believe it? It's realizing that I am I am dead in my sin and trespasses. I am lost.

Without without Jesus saving me, there is no hope. I repented and I believed in God's sacrifice for me. Now this weight of sin has has been lifted. I've been set free. Now I am no longer a slave to sin. I'm a slave to God. So that might mean not looking politically correct to the world. That might mean challenging some of the world system. That might mean not putting the same priorities the world puts on my life. That might just and and you know there are going to be persecution. You know you there's going to be the trials.

You know you're you're called to pick up your cross and follow him. And that's how you get through life because you don't expect roses. You expect the thorns. And when you expect that, the roses are nice. And so Simon was carrying his cross. And they came to that place, even that word Golgotha. Golgotha it is the place of the skull. And it's up on the as you're leaving Jerusalem, you can see the the mountain area that used to I don't know if it does as much now but used to resemble a skull. And they would walk outside the death the death of the execution had to happen outside of Jerusalem.

And so they would make that walk. They called it Golgotha or the place of the skull, the walk of death basically. And that's what they were were heading toward. And then they gave him the sour wine mingled with with a gall to drink but when he had tasted it, he would not drink it. Many say because he didn't want to take anything to deaden the pain. I'm not sure you could deaden that pain anyway. But then it goes on to say, you know, I I was having a hard time choosing which gospel too because John goes into a lot of detail um that's that's really important too.

But Matthew just kind of gets right to the point and they crucified him. And when they crucified him, they divided his garments and they cast lots. Do you know the Bible wrote about that? 700 years or so before Jesus was even born. It might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments and for my clothing they cast lots. And as I as I as I'm reading Elijah, I put down my Bible and I'm like, Lord, I don't want to miss things. Please help me cuz how do they miss like the Pharisees and they knew the Psalms.

They had to start studying at a young age. They most of them memorized a lot of them. They they would know exactly what this said. When you see this and go oh oh, wait a minute here. Nazareth, Bethlehem, out of Egypt I called my son. Bethlehem, there shall be Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Wow. And they start to connect. And that why I think people like Nicodemus, you know, came at night, uh the others, you know, they they and they would say some of the religious leaders would believe. I think they started to to really connect the dots and put things together.

And that a decision all of you have to make tonight if you don't know him. You have to make that decision. Who is Jesus? And this is what they put over his head. This is Jesus, King of the Jews. And I I I just I don't think it's here but I love this part when they when they ran to Pontius Pilate like little cry babies, the religious leaders. Oh no no, rewrite that. Rewrite that. Put he said he was the King of the Jews. And Pilate I love Pilate. He just got it right back to it.

Sometimes I love him, sometimes I don't. Don't get me wrong. But he said, No, what I have written, I have written. What I have written, I have written. This is Jesus, King of the Jews because not going to say he said it. He saying, This is Jesus, King of the Jews. And there is another example. This is your sacrifice, oh Israel. This is the Messiah who's who's who's giving up his sins for the world. And And Jesus even from the beginning of his ministry would talk about that faithful day. He he never said he would come back and conquer Rome.

He said, For this purpose I have come. For this purpose I shall die. It was very clear throughout scripture. And those who passed by they blaspheme him and and they they they were they were moving their heads and saying, Oh, look at you. You said you could destroy the temple and build in 3 days. Well, why don't you save yourself? And there was always a moment of of people mocking God. Don't we see that today all over the place? If you're the son of God, then come down from the cross. Man, I'm so glad I wasn't there cuz I like just he just give it a few hour.

He it's going to happen, you cocky guys. Man. Oh, if you're son of God, come down from the cross. And the the the incredible thing is he couldn't come down for the cross because he had not for finished yet fulfilled the purpose of the cross. We always want God to hurry up and finish too soon. Bring me my mate. Oh, you're not ready yet. Lord, I'm ready for this ministry. Not yet. I'm ready for this. Not yet. God knows the timing. And then it goes on to say, Likewise, the chief priests also they were mocking with the scribes and the elders.

He saved others himself. He cannot save. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and then we will believe him. Wow. Remember these are the guys who saw Lazarus come forth out of the grave. They saw Jairus's daughter. They saw all the miracles that were trans transpiring. And they started to blame it on the devil. So they were mocking him. And then of course this is when Jesus finally died. Verse 45. Now when the sixth hour until the ninth hour. So this is interesting. In the in 3:00 in the afternoon or so until 6:00, there was darkness over all the land.

Is that interesting? I mean clearly something's going on here. God's even giving signs back then. And then about the ninth hour, as many of us know, that's when he he finally cried out with that loud voice and and said, God, why why are you forsaking me? Why why are you leaving me? My God, my God, why are you forsaking me?

Guest (Female): He's calling, Wake up, child. It's your time to shine. You were born for such a time as this. He's calling, Wake up, child. It's your time to shine. You were born for such a time as this. Such a time as this.

Pastor Shane Idleman: Hello Regaining Lost Ground listeners. This is Pastor Shane Idle Men. Hey, I want to let you know that my new booklet titled A Calculated Assault Against Cancer is now available. You can download it for free right now at shaneidleman.com. Again, my new booklet A Calculated Assault Against Cancer is now available at shaneidleman.com. And the reason I did this is because there's so much negativity and fear that encompasses that word and especially in the medical industry. There's not a lot of hope and so I want to release this booklet to give people hope and perspective and let them know, Hey, with God all things are possible and his sovereignty can be your sanity.

So again, get this to anybody struggling with their health, especially and primarily cancer. The title of the booklet is called A Calculated Assault Against Cancer and it's available right now at shaneidleman.com.

Guest (Male): West Side Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground where we are reminded daily, Times change, truth does not.

Guest (Female): I'll hear the father when he calls. He's calling, Wake up, child. It's your time to shine. You were born for such a time as this. He's calling, Wake up, child. It's your time to shine.