CROSS TO COMMISSION | The King They Mocked | Matthew 27:27-31 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Summary

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Podcast Summary: CROSS TO COMMISSION | The King They Mocked

Podcast: 2819 Church
Host/Speaker: Philip Anthony Mitchell
Scripture Focus: Matthew 27:27-31
Date: February 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this charged and heartfelt sermon, Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell leads the congregation into a deep exploration of Matthew 27:27-31, focusing on the mockery and humiliation suffered by Jesus before the crucifixion. The message contrasts historical and contemporary mockery of Christ, explores the theological symbolism of His suffering, and calls both believers and skeptics to reflect on their own lives in light of Christ’s example. The tone is direct, passionate, and earnest, aiming to challenge, stir, and mature listeners in their walk of faith.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Context: A Church in the Last Days

• The church’s ongoing, multi-year journey through Matthew is nearing its end, focusing on the final hours of Jesus' life ([01:30]).
• Pastor Mitchell addresses not only the gathered church but a global digital audience, including those who may not yet believe:

  “You can belong before you believe… Our prayer is that you will feel the tug of the Holy Spirit.” ([01:00])

2. The Mockery of Christ: Then and Now

• Modern Mockery: The opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics is called out for staging a parody (drag queens reenacting the Last Supper), sparking outrage among Christians globally ([08:00]):

  “They would never talk about Muhammad like this. They will never talk about Joseph Smith like this. Well, why would they? For the devil would never attack what belongs to him.” ([07:40] - Pastor Mitchell)

• Historical Mockery:

  • The sermon walks through the trial and abuse Jesus faced, noting how the Gospel text records soldiers gathering (a battalion; 200-600 men) to ridicule and brutalize him ([14:00, 15:00]).
  • The mockery does not begin in the modern era; its origin is in the passion narrative itself ([11:00]):

    “The mockery of Christ...finds its origins in our text, in an incident that reveals the evil of mankind, the wickedness of human beings, the depravity of the heart of people apart from the Holy Spirit.” ([10:49] - Assistant Pastor)

3. Symbolism in Christ’s Suffering

• Nakedness & Garments: Jesus’ stripping is paralleled with Adam and Eve’s shame in Genesis ([17:00]):
  • “There is Jesus naked before these men, symbolic of the sin of the original man and woman.” ([17:47])
• Scarlet Robe: Symbolizes sins (“Though your sins are like scarlet...”) as well as imperial authority, but here placed in ridicule ([18:35]).
• Crown of Thorns: Links to the fall—“thorns and thistles”—symbolizing Jesus bearing the curse of creation ([19:08]).
• Mock Scepter (Reed): Ironically, what is given as parody will be used to hurt him further ([20:39]).
  • “Although they're making a mockery of God in the flesh, the Holy Spirit weaving into the narrative, the symbolism of one man carrying the sins of all...” ([20:39] - Lead Pastor)

4. The Response of Christ: Dignity in Suffering

• Jesus remains silent, demonstrating secure identity and mission ([21:30]):

  “Notice Christ says nothing. Notice Christ does not defend himself. Christ is not shaken in this moment, because Christ knows his identity and Christ knows his mission.” ([21:29] - Assistant Pastor)

• Challenges believers: “This is why it’s so important you have to know your identity in Christ and your purpose in Christ. So not even mockery can shake you...” ([21:29])
• Draws parallel for listeners: The devil seeks to strip believers of their dignity and righteousness, but Christ’s example offers assurance ([22:55]).

5. The Universality and Consequence of Mockery

• All people, regardless of faith, will one day “take a knee” before Jesus – voluntarily now, or involuntarily at judgment ([27:00]):

  “They took a mockery knee on earth. They will take a real knee in the judgment.” ([25:56]) “Every Muslim will take a knee. And every Buddhist will take a knee ... Every unbeliever would take a knee.” ([27:03] - Lead Pastor)

• The warning is repeated: mockery is not just external—it’s found within the church when believers’ actions don’t match their words ([41:00]):

  “You and I make a mockery of Christ when we have a mouth and a life that does not match.” ([42:25] - Assistant Pastor)

6. Contemporary Application: The Church’s Witness

• The congregation is challenged to examine whether their lives provide evidence for Christ, or fuel for mockery ([33:00-43:00]).
• Critique of Christian inconsistency and neglect of scripture (“SOPs” = Standard Operating Procedures) ([32:07]):
  • “But we do the same thing to God. What about all these sops I got in my hand called the scriptures?... Clear instructions from God that his people don’t follow.” ([32:07] - Lead Pastor)
• Urges reverence, humility, consistency, and a true embodied faith as the proper response to Christ’s suffering.

7. Scripture Fulfillment & Submission

• Quoting Isaiah prophesying Christ’s affliction (Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 52:14) ([36:50-38:20]).
• Christ’s submission models “strength under control,” teaching that true humility is not weakness ([39:00]):

  “He models for all of us. This is what strength under control looks like. To not feel the need to retaliate and fight back all the time.” ([39:32] - Lead Pastor)

8. Call to Repentance and Prayer

• The episode concludes with a plea for mockers to repent and believers to renew their reverence for Christ ([44:03-46:19]):

  “People who mock Christ now are deceived by grace because they’re still waking up in their mockery. They think God does not care, grace has deceived them.” ([44:28] - Lead Pastor)

• Closing prayer for global church reverence and for the salvation of mockers ([46:10]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Mockery:
  “They would never talk about Muhammad like this... The devil would never attack what belongs to him. How Satan only attacks that which is a threat to him.” ([07:40])
• On Jesus’ Response:
  “Notice Christ says nothing... because Christ knows his identity and Christ knows his mission.” ([21:29])
• Judgement and Universal Knee-Bowing:
  “They took a mockery knee on earth. They will take a real knee in the judgment.” ([25:56])
• On Believers Mocking Christ:
  “You and I make a mockery of Christ when we have a mouth and a life that does not match.” ([42:25])
• On Grace and Mockery:
  “People who mock Christ now are deceived by grace because they're still waking up in their mockery. They think God does not care, grace has deceived them.” ([44:28])
• On Christ’s Submission:
  “He models for all of us. This is what strength under control looks like. To not feel the need to retaliate and fight back all the time.” ([39:32])

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Important Timestamps

• Welcome and Context: [00:00 – 03:18]
• Introduction to the Text (Matthew 27:27-31): [03:18 – 06:20]
• Modern Mockery (Paris Olympics): [06:45 – 09:22]
• Historical Mockery: Jesus on trial and beaten: [11:00 – 15:53]
• Symbolism of Suffering (stripping, robe, thorns): [17:00 – 20:39]
• Christ’s Silence and Endurance: [21:17 – 22:25]
• Devil’s Tactics Paralleled: [22:34 – 23:58]
• Every Knee Will Bow: [24:42 – 27:37]
• Brutality (spitting, reed, Pilate's absence): [28:17 – 32:07]
• Challenge to Church Consistency (“SOPs”): [32:07 – 34:47]
• Fulfillment of Scripture, Isaiah’s Prophecy: [36:50 – 38:20]
• Strength under Control: [39:32 – 40:02]
• Application and Call for True Witness: [41:00 – 43:48]
• Warning to Mockers, God’s Unmockable Nature: [44:03 – 45:42]
• Final Prayer: [46:10 – end]

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Takeaways

• The suffering of Christ was both deeply historical and profoundly symbolic, teaching believers about sin, redemption, submission, and integrity.
• Mockery—whether public or private, external or internal—is a serious spiritual issue with eternal consequences.
• Believers are called not merely to profess faith but to embody it, ensuring their lives align with the message and example of Jesus.
• Prayer and repentance are crucial responses—not only for those openly mocking, but for self-reflective Christians aware of their own inconsistencies.

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Transcript

[Lead Pastor]

Be seated. If you are guests. We want to welcome you to 2819, to these sacred holy gatherings where we are a church that's serious about the spread of the Gospel and the multiplying of disciples and what we believe are the final hours of the church age. To all of our digital disciples watching live across the nation, around the world, our global family on continents, all around the world, behind prison bars, wherever you are, you are family. We thank you for being a part of this global family. We pray for you, we love you. Wherever you are, you are representative of.

[Assistant Pastor]

The kingdom and an extension of 2819.

[Lead Pastor]

And whatever city you are in or whatever continent you're in, we welcome you. And if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ and you crept into this room or crept into this chat, we want you to believe that you're not here by accident. And we want you to know that you are welcome here. You can belong before you believe, you can be amongst us before you believe. And our prayer for you is that in a moment during one of these sacred holy gatherings, you will feel the tug of the Holy Spirit wooing you to the Lord Jesus and you will surrender your life to him and come aboard the Ark of Safety before time has run out. Family, we are in the final maybe seven messages in our three year journey through the Book of Matthew. No. I've seen some people criticize me for spending three years in Matthew. Yeah. So I'll take this moment to not defend myself, but just brag on Jesus for just a second. I just want to remind those of you who are ignorant that our teaching through Matthew, in which the Holy Spirit told me take my time. That was supposed to only be one year. But he said, take your time. A teaching that began with one hundred and eighty three disciples.

[Assistant Pastor]

A journey that began with a hundred and eighty three disciples. Glory to God. But it was Jesus who said, if I be lifted up.

[Lead Pastor]

That's why we got to learn to tone down all of our attention to.

[Assistant Pastor]

Ignorant people and check for fruit.

[Lead Pastor]

So yes, we are in the final few messages in our three year journey through the book of Matthew. But we are studying Matthew 26:28 together in our last series in the Book of Matthew called Cross to Commission, in which we are studying the final hours and the final days of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our text today is a very short one, very short, only a few verses. It's coming from Matthew 27, verses 27 through 31. Eternal God and ever wise Father, we approach your throne in humility, just acknowledging our weakness. Our frailties, even the person with the microphone. But thanking you for the opportunity you've given us to lean into your word and help us to never take that for granted. Lord, you know the tears that I shed this week over this text has made me emotional. I pray you would help me to communicate its truths to these my brothers and sisters and even the unbeliever. Ask in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our soon coming king, the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said, Amen. Yeah, I hear you, family was Two weeks ago, my family and I were walking through the Vatican Museum in Rome. And as we walking through the Vatican Museum in Rome, I came upon one of the most I iconic paintings inside the Vatican. It was a depiction of the Lord Jesus Christ on the night before he was crucified. Before he was crucified with his closest followers seated at a table in an upper room and what has been known.

[Assistant Pastor]

To us throughout history as the Last Supper. And it was in that room at.

[Lead Pastor]

The Last Supper we know historically how.

[Assistant Pastor]

The Lord began to speak about his impending death and transition out of his life. He began to speak to his followers about the coming of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He began to pray for them and talk to them about things that were coming after that night. He washed feet that night.

[Lead Pastor]

And was also on that sacred night.

[Assistant Pastor]

That he instituted the perpetual ordinance of what we call communion. This holy meal that he gave us of bread and wine to remember the sacrifice that he made to pay the price for your sin and mine that redeemed a people back to the Father and and gave us an escape from.

[Lead Pastor]

Being hellbound for all eternity.

[Assistant Pastor]

It is one of the most sacred and holy and important moments recorded in the history of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. A very significant moment in the final hours of his life. And yet in 2024, at the opening of the Paris Olympics, we saw globally the desecration of that holy moment when the world watched with disgust of a now condemned parody that stirred up believers from around the world and what will become the mockery of and one of the most sacred moments in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Give me the picture control room. This is what the world saw for the opening of the Paris Olympics. A video of drag queens seated at a table mocking the Lord Jesus, mocking his followers and mocking one of the most important holy sacred moments in the life of the Lord. What they turned into a joke was the desecration. The desecration of one of the most celebrated incidents in the Life of the Lord. And what resulted in that parody was an outrage, a cry from the church around the world, outrage of what happened. They would never talk about Muhammad like this. They will never talk about Joseph Smith like this. Well, why would they? For the devil would never attack what belongs to him. How Satan only attacks that which is a threat to him. That's why he's constantly on the attack against Jesus and the church and for the church, the body of Christ. For those of us around the world, this was the mockery of something we hold dear, something that is revered in Christendom, something that we look at when we think about that night. For Christians, we think about that night with a sense of reverence and respect. And yet these drag queens in ignorance, God help them, at the opening of.

[Lead Pastor]

The Paris Olympics, this is the mockery they made of the Lord Jesus Christ. I dare not show you the video in the gathering, so I freeze the frame so you just see the imagery of what happened that day.

[Assistant Pastor]

Now, family, the mockery of Jesus. I mean, this is all too common in our society. How we see all across our society, men have this kind of dangerous fixation on mocking Jesus. From the mockery of Christ in movies to the mockery of Christ in commercials, to the mockery of Christ in music videos. Men putting themselves on the cross, comedians on stages mocking Christ. Men, fully depraved and ignorant, seems to have this weird desire to take shots and mock the Son of the living God. God help those who die in their mockery, for that mockery will come to an end when they take their last breath, when they wake up on the.

[Lead Pastor]

Other side of eternity and realize the.

[Assistant Pastor]

Man they mocked has now become the judge they must stand before.

[Lead Pastor]

And I want to tell you the mockery of Christ, or it is popular in our society.

[Assistant Pastor]

It did not begin with the 24 Paris Olympics. It did not begin with comedians. It did not begin with music videos. It did not begin with television or people standing on platforms. It did not begin with all of that. But the mockery of Christ, the Son of God, finds its origins in our text, in an incident that reveals the evil of mankind, the wickedness of human beings, the depravity of the heart of people apart from the Holy Spirit. You remember, you recall in our series how Christ was arrested by the religious leaders of Israel, how he was illegally tried and found guilty of blasphemy, how he was brought to a man named Pilate, the governor of Judea, for the.

[Lead Pastor]

Agency of capital punishment.

[Assistant Pastor]

How then Pilate tried Christ in a Roman court and at the end of that trial, he found Christ innocent and not guilty. Yet because of a bloodthirsty mob and a jealous religious leaders, they cried out all the more, no, we don't want to crucify him. And how Pilate made every attempt to exonerate Jesus, that mob and those religious leaders cried out all the more, crucify him. Pilate attempted to play his last card, brought out an infamous prisoner named Barabbas. Presents Barabbas and Jesus to the mob. Choose which one I would release. And in their depraved, manipulated minds, they choose a murderer, an insurrectionist and a thief. Pilate has Jesus scourged, beaten within an inch of his life. You saw the imagery of that the last time I spoke to you.

[Lead Pastor]

He brings Jesus back to the people, hoping this will satisfy their thirst. And still they cry out, crucify him. The fact that he's standing there, a lump of flesh, according to Isaiah, not recognizable. His body opened with wounds, his bones showing organs ripped up to shreds from the flag alone.

[Assistant Pastor]

They look at this big lump of.

[Lead Pastor]

Flesh, busted and bleeding, and you would think that this would be enough to satisfy them.

[Assistant Pastor]

But know that the brave hearts of men looks upon this lump of flesh.

[Lead Pastor]

And say, nah, we don't want him.

[Assistant Pastor]

Crucify him.

[Lead Pastor]

And what happens next in our text, for me, as I wept over this.

[Assistant Pastor]

Passage, could only be described as inhumane, dehumanizing treatment of a man who could barely stand up on his two legs.

[Lead Pastor]

After Jesus is flogged and beaten and sentenced to be executed, we come to our text in Matthew chapter 27, beginning in verse 27. Then the soldiers of the governor who was Pilate, took Jesus into the governor's headquarters or the praetorium, and they gathered.

[Assistant Pastor]

The whole battalion before him. Now Pilate sentenced Jesus to be executed. I want to believe at that moment, Pilate, who was dealing with guilt and pressure, who washed his hands and says, I want nothing to do with this man, walks off. And then I want to believe behind his back. These men now, who had the orders to take Jesus to the cross, they do not immediately take him to the cross. Instead, they take him to a place where there is a gathering spot for Roman soldiers. Now, the Roman Senate had passed a law saying anyone sentenced to death was would get at least 10 days deferment before they was executed. But the Lord Jesus did not get those 10 days. Instead, he's carried into this back room. And Matthew tells us that he is surrounded by a battalion of men.

[Lead Pastor]

That is a very important detail in the text.

[Assistant Pastor]

A Roman battalion averaged anywhere from 200 to 600 men. And if we take this one detail of Matthew seriously, then we can reconstruct a scene in our minds. There is Christ, bloodied and bruised, weak, limp, almost beaten, within an inch of his life. He is now in a large room surrounded by a minimum of 200 bloodthirsty men. Roman soldiers in the first century was known to be brutal and have no mercy. And there is Christ standing in the middle of those men, anywhere from 200 to 600 men. They are staring at him like sharks in the water, sniffing blood.

[Lead Pastor]

Now, family, I'm from the hood. And if you've ever been in a circumstance when you knew you was about to get jumped, Then some of you, you know the tension of this moment.

[Assistant Pastor]

If you've ever been surrounded what felt like warfare on every side, then a lot of you know the tension of this moment. If you've ever been surrounded by people.

[Lead Pastor]

Who don't have your best interest at heart.

[Assistant Pastor]

Then you. You kind of know in your heart.

[Lead Pastor]

The tension of this moment when you.

[Assistant Pastor]

Know something is about to happen to you and you know the pain that is coming. And this is where we find Christ.

[Lead Pastor]

In verse 27 and then verse 28, they come for him and they stripped him and they put a scarlet robe on him.

[Assistant Pastor]

And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and.

[Lead Pastor]

They put a reed in his right hand.

[Assistant Pastor]

And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews.

[Lead Pastor]

These soldiers knew that Christ was about.

[Assistant Pastor]

To be executed for the crime of being called the King of the Jews. So they used his accusation to create a parody of mockery. Since you are the King of the Jews, they use this secret moment to create an evil parody to mock this man as a king. And so the scripture says they stripped him. That is, they left him naked for a moment. It is symbolic of what sin did to Adam and Eve.

[Lead Pastor]

This is so powerful.

[Assistant Pastor]

Just watch all the symbolism in the text, symbolic of what happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned against God and they realized they were naked. There is Jesus naked before these men, symbolic of the sin of the original man and woman. Then they said they put a scarlet cloak on him.

[Lead Pastor]

This is so powerful to me.

[Assistant Pastor]

Another writer says purple. Maybe it's faded, I don't know. But watch.

[Lead Pastor]

They put a scarlet cloak on him, on his.

[Assistant Pastor]

On his wounds. They put this heavy garment on his wounds, a scarlet cloak, which only would have been the robe of an emperor. And they find an old robe laying around on the floor, and they put that old heavy robe on, on a.

[Lead Pastor]

On a whelped up, lacerated back.

[Assistant Pastor]

But peep the symbolism in the text. In the Old Testament, our sins are described as scarlet. And there is Christ, who was first naked, representing sins, and now wearing a scarlet robe symbolic of carrying sins. And then they plait a crown of thorns and they put that thorn on his head, that crown. And if you ever walk through a rose bush and you've ever been pricked in your finger, then you know the pain of that thorn on its head. They're not doing that just to be kind. They're doing that to inflict more pain on the Son of God. But peep the symbolism in the text for us. In Genesis, when the Scripture tells us God cursed the ground, and he says thorns and thistles it will bring forth. And there is Christ carrying on his head, symbolically the curse of creation. Oh my God, this is insane to me that although they are mocking him as a mock king, symbolically he is walking out the redemption story of God, first naked, representing the sins of man, then carrying that cloak representing the sins of man and scarlet. So he's now carrying the crown of thorns representing the curse of creation, the curse of humanity and sin, the curse of creation in society. He's symbolically carrying all of it.

[Lead Pastor]

That although they're making a mockery of God in the flesh, the Holy Spirit weaving into the narrative, the symbolism of one man carrying the sins of all and one man carrying the curse of creation, one man getting ready to redeem creation and redeem man permanently in the end. And then they put a reed in his right hand, a mock scepter that they would later use to inflict harm on him. And then they bow down and they. They mock him, saying, hail, King of the Jews.

[Assistant Pastor]

And they mock him. And why did they do all of that to the Lord Jesus Christ?

[Lead Pastor]

What is the purpose of all of that man? In their mind, they're trying to strip him of his humanity. Watch.

[Assistant Pastor]

They're trying to strip him of his dignity. But notice Christ says nothing. And notice Christ does not defend himself. And Christ is not shaken in this moment, because Christ knows his identity and Christ knows his mission. And this is why it's very important that you have to know your identity in Christ and you got to know your purpose in Christ. So not even mockery can shake you from what God has called you to do or called you to be. That when identity is tattooed to your heart, there is no mockery of Christianity towards you. Not even mockery that leads to social persecution. Or death can phase you on the inside where you hear men and women talking trash about you or even people in your family. But when you are secure in your identity in Christ, man, you can stand.

[Lead Pastor]

Firm in the face of that mockery. The Lord says nothing. And I see in them the same behavior of your adversary, the devil.

[Assistant Pastor]

Does not the devil try to do.

[Lead Pastor]

The same thing to you?

[Assistant Pastor]

I just want to remind all of.

[Lead Pastor]

You who always condemn yourself. Always beating yourself up, always thinking about.

[Assistant Pastor]

Your past, always crying over something God already forgave you for not realizing some of those thoughts are not yours.

[Lead Pastor]

Lord, help your people.

[Assistant Pastor]

Is this not what the enemy does? He tries to strip us of our identity in Christ. He tries to derobe you from what God has given you. How the Scripture teaches us we've been clothed in righteousness. And how the devil always comes and try to strip you of that garment. How he tries to put on you a garment of shame. Nobody know nothing about that. Liars. I know I'm not the only one who post salvation has felt shame or has condemned yourself. I know I'm not the only one post salvation who has beat myself up for something the Lord already forgave me for. I'm just trying to help. Some of you know, man, that those thoughts are not coming from God. But the devil behaves the same way. He'll surround you. He'll try to strip you of dignity, strip you of your righteous robes and.

[Lead Pastor]

Try to clothe you again in condemnation and clothe you again in shame and clothe you again in regret and mock you. The devil behaves the same way. But when you know your identity in Christ, watch. You will be reminded of your past and scripture will come up in your heart. This one thing I do, I say this to the enemy. I forget what is behind. I press on to the high mark. But you're always doing wrong.

[Assistant Pastor]

Dang.

[Lead Pastor]

I feel bad for a moment and then the Scripture comes up in my heart. There is now no condemnation. To those who are in Christ. And I find it ironic. That the man they put on a crown of thorns, in just a few hours he will be crowned in glory. And I find it ironic that the man they kneeled down, they knelt down and said, hail, King of the Jews, was about to be exalted to be King of Kings. I find it ironic that they took a false knee in mockery. But a day is coming for all those men who are dead.

[Assistant Pastor]

Where they're.

[Lead Pastor]

Going to take a real knee by force.

[Assistant Pastor]

But when the Scripture says every knee will bow and those Same men, every tongue will confess that Jesus is the son of Almighty God. They took a mockery knee on earth. They will take a real knee in the judgment. They mock that king on earth. They will be afraid of him in the judgment.

[Lead Pastor]

They took advantage of that king in earth. He will have the last laugh in the judgment.

[Assistant Pastor]

Y' all think this is a joke. God help those men.

[Lead Pastor]

They're dead already.

[Assistant Pastor]

I feel sorry for where they are right now, in hell.

[Lead Pastor]

I feel sorry for their time of.

[Assistant Pastor]

Judgment that is coming.

[Lead Pastor]

They took a knee in mockery. They will take a knee in humility. And every Muslim will take a knee. And every Buddhist will take a knee. And every atheist will take a knee. And every Hindu will take a knee. And every Jehovah's Witness would take a knee. And every Mormon will take a knee. And every unbeliever would take a knee.

[Assistant Pastor]

And every agnostic will take a knee. And every fake Christian will take a knee. Every false prophet will take a knee. Every false apostle will take a knee. Every knee will bow. Every knee will bow. They ignore him now, but they will bow. They mock him now, but they will bow. They mistreat him now, but they will bow. They are fake now, but they will bow. They will bow.

[Lead Pastor]

Our prayers that they.

[Assistant Pastor]

Bow in this life voluntarily.

[Lead Pastor]

So we will not be forced to a knee involuntarily. In the judgment. This is evil. This is wicked. This is cruel. This is demonic. This, this is the influence of Satan. This is a. A glimpse at the depravity of men who, who saw this. Bloodied, lumped up men. And that was not enough for them. Verse 30. Man, I. I don't know if I could do this. And, and they spit on him, the Lord better than me. And they took a reed and they struck him on the head. Look at me. They, they, they hawking phlegm and spitting on him. And there is the Lord with 200 plus men spitting on him, hand bound and his face covered in phlegm and.

[Assistant Pastor]

Spit is running off of his lip and it's dripping past his bloodied eye. It's on his hand on his head.

[Lead Pastor]

And it's on his forehead, it's running into his mouth. He has that crown of thorns on his head.

[Assistant Pastor]

And they take that reed and they strike him on the head, bashing that crown and even deeper into his skull, striking him one after the other on his head. This is evil. This is wicked. This is depraved. And I got to believe that they're doing this probably without Pilate knowing. Watch Pilate said go and crucify him. They take this one moment to abuse him in a place where prisoners should have been safe for a moment. It just reminds me of all the times in our lives where we was in places that were supposed to be safe. A home, a family, a church. All the times we were supposed to be in a safe place and the enemy abused us in that safe place. And I see the behavior of these men and I want to go deeper. It reminds me of those of us. It is akin to people watch who deviate from the words of a leader. I ain't telling you to do that. That don't represent the organization. That don't represent our church. Ain't tell you to mistreat that person in the parking lot. We didn't tell you to strip him and crown him and beat him and spit on him. Pilate and give none of those orders. It's just like all of us men who deviate from the orders of leadership.

[Lead Pastor]

Oh my God.

[Assistant Pastor]

Deviate from clear instructions. And then we blame the organization instead of taking responsibility for not carrying out your sops at your job. Woe is the job. No, woe is the employee. I'm going to go deeper than that.

[Lead Pastor]

But we do the same thing to God. What about all of these sops I got in my hand called the scriptures? Oh my God in heaven.

[Assistant Pastor]

I feel the spirit of God in this place. I have a handful of sops that came to us from heaven. Clear instructions from God that his people don't follow. We only post them and we put them on clothing, but we don't obey them. The scripture says forgive. We don't do that. The scripture says love deeply. We don't do that. The scripture says be generous. We don't do that. The scripture says be humble. We are not that. What about all of the deviation from these SOPs from the highest leader the world has ever known? You got a whole New Testament full of red, a whole book full of.

[Lead Pastor]

God's commands that we don't.

[Assistant Pastor]

We don't.

[Lead Pastor]

And then you wonder why people mock the church.

[Assistant Pastor]

Now don't be mad at Drewski. We should be mad at ourselves. Be mad at that man. He only mocking what he sees. Why are we mad at him for when you got a people that call themselves Christians and don't do what their Lord says. But then you got other people who follow demon spirits and are more disciplined and devoted to demon spirits of false religions. And they have more dedication than those of us who have the truth. And then we wonder why people have no respect for our Lord and no respect for the church. And why they make a mockery of him. Not only because of their evil, but because of what we do. The evidence that they probably did this.

[Lead Pastor]

Behind Pilate's back is in the last verse, verse 31. And when they had mocked him, ed finished, they stripped him of all of that stuff. They put back on his own clothes. It's all done in secret. And now they follow instructions. Now they want to follow instructions after.

[Assistant Pastor]

They'Ve been deviant in the dark.

[Lead Pastor]

Looks like anybody you know want to follow instructions in the gathering where we can see. Deviant in the dark. Now they come out to the light. Scripture never says they took off his crown. And the Lord says nothing wipes, no spit off of his face, no defense of himself. And I want to show you what, like what he demonstrates for us, he demonstrates for us, like his full submission to the Father. This bothers me. In Western church, how we love to dance and shout and come to church. We don't come to church. You are the church. We come to gatherings. I don't understand this. And then when it's time to actually appropriate things, we learn. We don't. We don't do that. But here, here is the Lord modeling for you what it is to be surrendered and submitted to the Father. Even at the expense of being mocked and humiliated. The evidence of that is just seen in the Old Testament. I'm going to read you two passages. Isaiah 56. This is Isaiah. A 20 year old prophet, a young man writing 700 years before Christ was even born. He prophesies about the future affliction of Christ. In Isaiah 50 and verse 6, he says, this is Christ in the future. I gave my back to those who strike me and my cheeks to those who pull out my beard.

[Assistant Pastor]

They took his beard from his face.

[Lead Pastor]

And ripped it out of his skin.

[Assistant Pastor]

I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. So because the Word said this about him, it must happen that way. He does not break the Scriptures. He is so surrendered to the Word that the Word even governs his emotions and his decision making. What an example for you and I. But Isaiah didn't stop there. Isaiah 52:14. As many were astonished at you, his appearance was marred. Do you know what that is? Marred. Beaten beyond human semblance. They beat him so bad in that moment. And he was not recognizable. And from his form beyond that of the children of mankind, they beat him.

[Lead Pastor]

Till he was not recognized. I was reading this text this week and I thought about how many times I pushed away from my desk. And I cried. I cried because I had the imagery of how they disgraced my Lord, how they. They vandalized his body. I can't even imagine keeping my composure of somebody spitting my face. And my hands was not handcuffed. I might get at you and repent later, but yet in this moment. No, look at me. I'm serious. Christ models for us. Watch this. Like, humility is not weakness. Look. He models for all of us. All of us. This is what strength under control looks like. To not feel the need to have to retaliate and fight back all the time.

[Assistant Pastor]

He models for us what submission to.

[Lead Pastor]

The Father looks like. He models for us what it is to be surrendered to the word of God. I mean, how many times will he set an example for us that we will not follow? Look at me. But I want to just lean on you for just a few more moments. And I just want to encourage all.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of you who have ever been mocked, ever been made fun of, all of you right now, who have family members that don't understand your sacrifice, don't understand.

[Lead Pastor]

Why you attend a gathering, don't understand.

[Assistant Pastor]

Why you give, don't understand why you serve.

[Lead Pastor]

Don't.

[Assistant Pastor]

Don't understand why you're not walling out in the streets. For all of you who are being mocked on social media and condemned by people who got your last name, the Lord models for us what it is to not have to give them a defense for why you are faithful to the Lord. He models for us one of the greatest. Flex. Like sometimes silence is a flex. Just let them keep watching you and see the fruit of your life. And let the fruit convince them that something has happened in your life, that the Lord knows how to vindicate you in time, just like he would be vindicated in glory. But I just want to lean on you just a little bit more. Just like they mock Christ in that moment. So you and I, a lot of us are guilty of mocking, mocking Christ. I'm talking to you, man. I'm talking to all of us who all we do is post Christian things and don't live that way. We. We sit under this teaching and you don't live it. You read and you don't obey. I'm talking to all of you who you have a poor witness before other people. People you're on your job and you have a poor witness and before other people we make a mockery of Christ. I'm talking to all of you. I know you're going to like this, who you enjoy your sinful patterns. But you say you love Jesus. This is crazy to me. You say you love Jesus, but you don't live a life that represents that confession. And when we do that, people walk, watch you, and we make a mockery of the one we say we love. You love this man, but you don't follow what he says. We make a mockery of Christ.

[Lead Pastor]

When.

[Assistant Pastor]

We have mouths and lives that don't match. I'm going to say this to you one more time. I'm going to tattoo this to your heart. You and I make a mockery of Christ when we have a mouth and a life that does not match. And when people watch that, we make a mockery of the one we call Lord and Savior, like he's not strong enough to keep you. He didn't give you the Holy Spirit. That gave you strength and the power over sin and all of the evils that we want to do. And I'm not talking about perfection. I'm talking about trying. I'm talking about getting up every morning and saying, man, I want to live holy. I want to live right. I want to serve him. I want him to be proud when he looks at me. I'm talking about, I'm done with a sinful life. And at some point in time, we.

[Lead Pastor]

Got to not look at those Roman soldiers like, they guilty. We guilty, too. We strip him too. We crown him with thorns, too. We beat him too. And we got to learn to revere him, love him, honor him, bow our knee to him.

[Assistant Pastor]

Now turn from our wicked ways, like, live the kind of life that we.

[Lead Pastor]

Don'T even have to say, I'm a Christian.

[Assistant Pastor]

People just see the way that you live and sense that something is different about you so that believers are not constantly making a mockery of Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

Give me that camera. But for you, the mocker, your mockery will come to an end. I pray now let me read something to the mocker. Galatians, chapter 6 and verse 7. Do not be deceived.

[Assistant Pastor]

That's what grace does to people.

[Lead Pastor]

People who mock Christ now are deceived by grace because they're still waking up in their mockery.

[Assistant Pastor]

They think God does not care grace has deceived them. They don't know that they're riding on that grace until they die. And then that grace will run out and they will meet the wrathful person they've been mocking. So you have. Too many people in society. They think they tough because they love to mock God. No, they have been deceived by grace. They've been deceived by the fact that God is withholding wrath. Just enough time to deal with them after they die so they can trash Jesus and wake up the next day and make parodies about him and wake up the next day and clown him and clown his people and wake up the next day. No, they riding on grace. It's only God allowing them to breathe, giving them an opportunity to repent. But God says through the apostle Paul, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows that will he also reap.

[Lead Pastor]

That is, no man is going to get away with the mockery of Christ. No men. So may we pray for those who are mockers and may we turn from mockery ourselves, Eternal God and of a wise father.

[Assistant Pastor]

Gosh.

[Lead Pastor]

I pray Father, for the sons and daughters. You will turn our heart away from mockery. I pray Father Lord, you'll pour out on the church globally a spirit of reverence and respect for Yahshua. I will soon come and king. And we pray for the mockers, God in our society that in mercy you will save them and redeem them and turn them from their mockery. I pray Father, for the brothers and sisters of 2019, that there would be an explosion of awe and wonder over Christ, of deep reverence and respect, And that we would remember what he suffered for us and respond with lives fully surrendered to him. That is my prayer in the mighty and the majestic, in the matchless name of our soon coming king, the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said, Amen. If you receive that, put your hands together, give God praise.