Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: They divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots. Sitting down they kept watch over him there and they put up over his head, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then the two robbers on each side were crucified with him.

And those who came by, they blasphemed him and wagging their heads. You can imagine, "Oh yeah, look at you. Come down, you're this great teacher. Look at you, it got you nowhere. Call on God now." And I still picture those words: This is your hour.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on *Regaining Lost Ground*, we hear part one of this sobering Good Friday message titled, "This Is Your Hour When Darkness Reigns."

Luke 6:45 tells us: "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Be encouraged and equipped in this Good Friday message of victory as Pastor Shane delivers the truth about how we all can be more than conquerors through Christ.

Listen now. 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 *Idleman Unplugged* weekly podcast. And now from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here is Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: "This is your hour when darkness reigns." This is your hour when darkness reigns. The word reigns would be r-e-i-g-n-s, reigning, ruling. "This is your hour when darkness reigns." And I'm grabbing it from Luke 22.

Jesus actually said this: "Every day I was with you in the temple courts and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour when darkness reigns." And this is when they, of course, capture him in the garden and took him to be executed. And he's basically saying, "This is your hour. Enjoy it. You're reigning temporarily. You're getting your way temporarily."

Of course, we know it's under God's sovereign control. And then what I'll do then without the slides is just read and take all this in. You might have the notes as well, but there might be some misapplication on the verses because I just sent everything quickly and didn't have a lot of time to look it over.

But of course, we begin in Matthew 26. And just for those who don't have notes, you can open the Bible and just take it in, because to really understand the cross is to really just allow the Word of God to saturate your heart. To really just remember what actually took place.

And that's why Jesus said a couple different times, "Remember. Remember where you have fallen. Remember how you've left your first love. Remember, remember, remember." Going back to such an incredible time. Matthew 26, I believe verse 36. Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. He knew what was coming. Then he said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me." Can you imagine Jesus telling you that?

He went a little further and then he fell on his face and he prayed, "My God, Oh my Father, if it is possible, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." It's encouraging to see this side of Jesus where he knew God's will was going to be difficult. And many agree that this cup passing from him represents a lot of Old Testament imagery where God would pour out the cup of his wrath.

So he's saying, "Take this from me. God, if there's any other way. If there's any other way, take this from me." But then, of course, he goes, "Not my will, but Your will be done." Have you ever been there? Going through a difficult season? Going through something that you did not expect?

And you say, "Lord, take this away. Take this away." But then you submit to his sovereignty. You submit to His will. It's actually a very beautiful place because you're no longer fighting against God. You're no longer bitter and resentful and worried and fearful.

You've submitted to the loving hand of the Father and there's no better place to be. And that doesn't mean we understand everything. Many times we don't. We want to know why so I can fix it. But nevertheless, we've prayed for so many things over the years. Thousands of prayer requests, and many times we just have to say, "But Lord, Your will be done."

We trust You. We believe. We're contending. We know You can do it. But ultimately, Lord, You know best. And this is where actually Jesus was. Then he came to the disciples and he found them sleeping. And he said, "Peter, what? Could you not watch with me just one hour? Watch and pray."

Guys, this is so important. As Christians, we need to watch and pray. Watching in the biblical text and context is using discernment, being careful, being strategic. Paul actually says a word, "walking circumspectly." Walking carefully, being on guard, being watchful.

We're to do that as believers and the majority of the church is not. She's been lulled to sleep with nice nursery rhymes—whatever those songs are called, those soothing songs. "Could you not watch with me? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation." That's how you fall into temptation: not watching and not praying.

Because we are not neutral beings. We are either passively not pursuing God and then drifting away from him, or we are pursuing God and being watchful. And that's how you avoid temptation. He said, "Indeed, the spirit is willing." Anybody attest to this? As believers, we're all willing.

But that flesh—and that's the challenge of the Christian life, is it not? I want to go to church, I want to be in the Word, I want to do these things, but there's something inside of me that wants the opposite. And it's that area of weakness in the flesh.

And then, of course, it talks about the army coming to get Jesus, this crowd. And he said to them, "Did you come out to get me like I'm a robber? Like I'm a bad criminal with swords and clubs? I sat with you every single day teaching in the temple and you did not seize me."

"But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." What the prophets said. Guys, that's what I love about God's Word, is the prophetic accuracy of the scriptures. It's also a healing balm. It heals your soul. It refreshes your mind.

The Word of God quickens you, it convicts you, it encourages you. And it's prophetically accurate. And this is what the prophets wrote about, that it would be fulfilled. But then all the disciples forsook him and fled. In that one moment, their faith was tested and they were scared. They were fearful.

Do you ever wonder? I mean, many of you who have been going here already know, but some new people maybe you don't know, but the disciples forsook him. And it was a little bit of a scary time for them. But we go into the book of Acts and they are dying for him.

Do you know what the difference was? In Acts, they waited for the promise of the Father and the Holy Spirit came upon them. And then when you have the Holy Spirit coming upon you, that's where that strength comes from. That's where the strength to ultimately die for the Lord comes from.

That's where the strength to go through difficulties comes from. That's where the boldness to preach the truth comes from, to take a stand. It all comes from the fullness, the filling of the Spirit. And I only say that to challenge some people because the more you quench and grieve the Spirit, the less you'll be able to experience his power working in your life.

The Bible talks about quenching and grieving the Spirit and that's why many Christians feel powerless. The Word of God is boring to them. Church is kind of irrelevant. Worship is not my cup of tea. "Give me some Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. That's what I want."

Maybe I should change it up a little bit. I don't know. The older crowd... but isn't that true? They all forsook him and fled. And now we're going to get into this a little bit more. This is when the wolves circle and the darkness begins to question the light.

And the high priest rose and so they took Jesus into this area. The more you read the Bible, the more you just are in complete awe of the high priest. These men were not even saved. Hell is full of Pharisees and Sadducees and religious leaders and scribes and lawyers because they rejected their Messiah.

And here is the high priest confronting God. That just blows my mind. "Do you answer nothing? All these men are testifying against you." But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

And then I'm skipping ahead to Matthew 27. And of course, for those who know your Bible, Jesus did confess to that and I will get to that in a minute. But when the 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. Now Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And Jesus said, "It is as you say."

And while he was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, he answered nothing. In other words, these religious leaders are going at Jesus. They're accusing him. And then Pilate said, "Do you not hear what they are saying against you?"

But he answered him not a word, so that the governor marveled greatly. It's interesting, too, some other text talks about Pontius Pilate saying to Jesus, "Don't you know I have the power to condemn you or let you go?" And Jesus responds, "You'd have no power over me unless it was given to you from above." What boldness facing execution! Incredible.

And so Pilate said, "What do you want me to do then with Jesus who is called the Christ?" And they all said to him, "Let him be crucified." And of course, Pontius Pilate is probably like, "Wow, this man is not deserving of death."

And that's what he said: "What evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, they cried out even louder, "Let him be crucified." And that's what evil does. Evil wants you to be quiet. Evil truly wants to shut down bold churches.

Their goal is to shut up bold pastors and leaders. They cry out all the more: "Stop, be quiet." Persecution, that's where persecution comes from because of the truth. They are passing some ridiculous laws in different countries, these hate speech laws.

You can't convict people according to the Bible or you can go to jail. It's not too far. You get the wrong people in office here and trust me, it could be a few years away. But they cried out even more, "Let him be crucified."

And Pilate knew he could not prevail at all but rather that a tumult—which was an uprising—was taking place. He took water and washed his hands and he said, "I'm clean. I'm innocent of the blood of this just person." Pilate said that. "There's nothing worthy here of death."

"But you take care of it." And all the people answered him, "His blood be on us and on our children." In other words, they're saying if we did anything wrong in this, then his blood can be on us and our children. Little did they know.

Then they released Barabbas to them. And then they scourged Jesus and they delivered him to be crucified. Isn't it powerful just to read the Word? I had bullet points and stuff, I'm like, just the Word is just so powerful.

Then the soldiers took Jesus and gathered the whole garrison around him. So all these soldiers are around him and this is when they stripped him and put on this scarlet robe and began to poke fun and make fun and beat him and put that crown of thorns that went down into his skull. And that's where the blood began to rush down his face.

And they put something in his right hand like a king would carry and they bowed the knee before him and they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews." On their knees mocking him, spitting on him, hitting him with the thing that is in his hand.

And when they had mocked him even more, they took the robe off of him and they put his own clothes on him and they led him away to be crucified. Sometime we should do a study on how many people in the Bible mocked God and where they're at today.

Last time I checked, he's still on the throne. He's still in control. But we read a few weeks ago in the book of Acts, Herod, King Herod's pride destroyed him. Sennacherib cursed God and God wiped him out. The Assyrians mocked God. Pharaoh challenged him.

The Philistines blasphemed him. The Babylonians boasted against him. All of them have been annihilated. Yesterday I looked up famous atheists from the 1500s. I didn't recognize any names. 1600s, 1700s, no. 1800s, maybe one—when did that Nietzsche guy live? Voltaire, yes.

Where are they today? God still reigns. You have to remember that because there is a time—"this is your hour when darkness reigns"—but when this hour is over, Christ is still on the throne. That's why it says every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord.

That's the truth of the scripture. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. And so as they were leading him away, they found this man of Cyrene, Simon, and they told him to carry Jesus' cross. Normally they would carry their cross over the shoulder.

They're not too sure if it was fully made already or just the beam. Regardless, it's heavy. They're carrying their place of death, what they're going to be crucified on. And it's up that road that's called Golgotha, which is the place of the skull, that mountain there that would look like a skull.

And they're carrying the instrument of their death. But Jesus was so beaten and marred and weak that they had to have a man come and carry his cross. To me, none of this is accident. I'm sure they thought about when Jesus said, "Whoever denies himself follows me, carries his cross."

"You cannot follow me unless you carry your cross." You know, that's a doctrine in the church today that is avoided. We have this idea of this carefree, easy, "God bless me" Christianity. But Jesus said, "Die to self, carry your cross."

There's a load, there's a heaviness, there's a burden to bear. "If you don't hate mother and father and kids and put me first, you cannot be a disciple." Now, the word actually means to prefer less than. So if you don't prefer me more than everyone else, you cannot be my disciple.

Discipleship has a cost. There's a cost, and we don't tell people that. "Try Jesus, man, everything will be good." Well, sometimes not everything is good. Sometimes that cross is heavy and you don't know what the future holds. But as we often say, we know who holds the future. Praise God for that.

And so this man is carrying Jesus' cross. I've often wondered if he ever became a Christian. And when they had come to that place, it's called Golgotha, and it's a place of a skull. It looks like a skull. And they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink, but he tasted it and he would not drink.

Then they crucified him and divided his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." Sitting down, they kept watch over him there and they put up over his head, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Then the two robbers on each side were crucified with him. And those who came by, they blasphemed him and wagging their heads. You can imagine, "Oh yeah, look at you. Come down, you're this great teacher. Look at you, it got you nowhere. Call on God now."

And I still picture those words: "This is your hour." This is your hour when darkness reigns. Enjoy it, because when this hour is over, there's hell to pay. The creation mocking their creator. "You destroy the temple," you said, "and you'll rebuild it in three days. Then save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

And it was so ironic that he actually did exactly that. They put him in the tomb and God resurrected him. All these mockers, where are they now? Listen, God always wins. God always wins. Always has the final say, even when darkness looks the bleakest, the most damning and dark and confusing and fearful.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to *Regaining Lost Ground* with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at westsidechristianfellowship.org. That's westsidechristianfellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with His ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms.

Westside 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.