9/13/26                                                                               Rentz

 

 

When Jesus Remains Silent

Matthew 27:11-14

 

Introduction—Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt that God was not responding to your prayers?  Sometimes, He may want us to wait for the right time for our answer.  At other times there may be a reason that we feel that Heaven is silent.  There were definite reasons that Jesus refused to respond to His accusers when He stood before Pilate.  Let's be certain that we are not guilty of allowing these same reasons to be evident in our lives.

 

I. When Our Minds Are Not Open

               A. The religious and political leaders were guilty of

                   having hard and impudent hearts (Ezek.3:7)

               B. Like Israel, our society has a heart that is far from

                   God (Is.29:13; Matt.15:8)

               C. Many have open minds to everything except Jesus

 

II. When the Will of God Is Opposed

               A. Jesus was accused of blasphemy by those who

                   blasphemed the Holy Spirit—the religious leaders

                   knew that Jesus was from God (Jn.3:1-2)

               B. Man reveals his folly when we assume that God

                   can be ignored

               C. Satan's great sin of rebellion began with pride—

                   pride leads us to oppose the will of God

 

III. When We Refuse Our Divine Opportunity

               A. God has a reason for our existence and our

                   influence—"for such a time as this" (Est.4:14)

               B. Don't ignore your spiritual opportunity—"almost

                   persuades thou me" (Acts 26:27-29)

               C. Every day is a fresh opportunity for God; don't

                   waste your opportunity

 

IV. Submission Is Our Holy Obligation

               A. There were two thieves crucified with Jesus

                              1. One cursed Jesus and died in his sins

                              2. One exhibited faith and joined Jesus in

                                  Paradise

               B. We need a holy submission when we realize God's

                   holiness—"Here am I; send me" (Is.6:8)

               C. Jesus came to do the Father's will

                              1. Jesus is the "Lamb of God" from before

                                  the foundation of the world

                                  (I Pet.1:19-20)

                              2. He paid the price for us that we could

                                  never pay

                              3. There is coming a day when God will

                                  speak and all will hear and respond

 

Conclusion—The Word of God guarantees that we can hear from God and see our needs.  We need to have a fresh daily relationship with Jesus to live properly in this world.  Let's make certain that we don't get so focused on our wants that we fail to grasp the spiritual moving of God in our hearts.