Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I’m your host, Chris Granger. Let’s jump in. All right, guys. This is typically would be your meet episode of the week, but as you know, well, as you may know by now, or you may not, this is a different focus this week.

Okay? So we’re not gonna have a guess. We’re not gonna have me giving, uh, my thoughts on a topic to help you grow as a Christian leader. What are we doing this? It’s Easter week. We’re just gonna let the word of God do all the, the lifting. And, and, and I know if you just take the time, I let the word soak in, it’s gonna reveal things to you.

It’s gonna move you. Okay. So if you missed our spiritual kickoff, go back cuz we’re, we’re reading the entire Easter story from the triumphal entry all the way to the crucifixion to, to the, uh, to his, uh, overcoming. Ascension through the Holy Spirit coming back, guys, this or coming to us guys, we’re telling the whole story.

So you’re not just gonna get one verse on a, on a Easter Sunday to to worship with your family while, although that’s great. Let the word of God just soak in. That’s what it’s about. So again, if you missed it on Monday, we went through the triumphal entry. We talked a lot about Jesus’s teaching. The Passover and the betrayal.

We read scripture outta Matthew, mark, and Luke on, on Monday. Okay, now let’s keep going. So for this, for this episode, we’re gonna talk about the trials. Okay? So they’re actually five trials. We’re gonna go through each one of them. We’re going to, we’re gonna talk about this crucifixion, and we’re going end at the burial.

Okay? So that’s kinda what we’re gonna be getting into for today. We’re gonna be digging into Matthew. Luke and John. Okay, so Matthew, Luke, and John will be bouncing between those three gospels. Now we’re gonna start off in Matthew. So this is the, this is the first trial, uh, that he’s gonna have with the high priest.

And this is also gonna touch on Peter’s betrayal. Okay. Cuz I know you guys know that, that story, you probably heard that before. So we’re gonna be in Matthew 26 and we’re gonna start at 57, uh, verse 57. And we’re just gonna go through the end of 26. Okay? It says now, so before the high. Those who had seized, Jesus led him away to Caius in the, the high priest were described and elders were gathered together, but Peter was following him at a distance as far as the court courtyard of the high priest, and entered in and sat down with the officers, officers to see the outcome.

Now, the chief priest in the whole council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so they might find him and put him. They, they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on, two on two came forward, but later on, two came forward and said, this man stated I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.

The high priest stood up and said, do you not? Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you? But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to him, Iju you by the living God to tell us whether you are Christ the son of God. Jesus said to him, you have said it yourself. Never.

Never. Nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. And the high priest tore his robes and said, he has blaspheme. What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the bla sph. What do you think they answered?

He deserves death. Then they spat on his face and beat him with their fists and others slapped him and said, prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is it, the one who hit you now? Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and his servant girl came to him and said, you too will work. Jesus a gal, the Gallian. But he denied it before the mall saying, I do not know what you’re talking about.

And when they had gone out, the gateway. Another servant girl, girl saw him. It said to to those who were there, this man was with Jesus in Nazareth, and he again united with an oath. I do not know the man. A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Shirley, you two are one of them for even the way you talk gives you away.

Then he began to curse and swear, I do not know this man. And immediate and immediately, a rooster crow. Peter remembered the words, which Jesus had said before, Roha Crow, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Now we’re going to turn over to Luke. Okay? So if you’re gonna turn in your Bible in into your, your Bible with me, go over to Luke.

Now we’re gonna be looking at Luke 22. So we’ll be in Luke 20. And we’re gonna look at five, uh, at a couple verses here at the end of Luke 22 at verse 66. So we’re gonna start at 66 and we’re just gonna read to the end. It’s just a few verses here. So this is, um, Christ before the the Sanhedrin. Okay, so Luke 2266, when it was day, the Council of Elders of Descri of the people assembled both Chief Priest and scribes, and they led him away on their co council chamber saying, if you are the Christ, tell us.

But he said to them, if I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on, the son of man will be seated at the right hand of the power of. And they all said, are you the son of son of God then? And he said to them, yes, I am. Then they said, what further need do we have a testimony for?

We have heard it from, we have heard it ourselves from his own mouth. Now we’ll get into P into his, his first trial in front of pallet. Okay, so we’re gonna read Luke 23. Luke 23 1 through. Says then the whole body of them got up and brought before and brought him before Pilate, and they began to accuse him saying, we found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king.

So Pilate asked him saying, are you king of the Jews? And he answered him and said, it is, as you say. Then Pilates said to the chief priest in the crowds, I find no guilt in this. But they kept on insisting, saying he stirs up the people teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place.

Now let’s go to his next trial with Hart. So we’re staying in Luke 23. We’re going read Reverses six through 12. So Luke 23, 6 through 12. When Pilot heard it and asked whether the man was a galin and. And when he learned that he had belonged to Harris jurisdiction, he sent him to Hart, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

Now Hart was very glad when he saw Jesus, where he had wanted to see him for a long time cause he had been hearing him and was hoping to, to, and was hoping to see some signs before by him. And he questioned him at some length, but he answered him. And the chief priest inscribes were standing there accusing him eminently Herod with his soldiers after treating him with contempt and maah him, dressed him in a gorgeous rob and sent him back the P.

Now, Herod and Pilate became friends one another that very day for before they had been enemies with each other. Right now this is the final trial, so we’re gonna go to John. So let’s go to. Ration go. Gonna go to John 18. Okay. So go to John 18 and we’re gonna look at verse 28, starting at verse 28. We’re gonna read through, uh, 19 through verse 16.

Okay. So starting at 28. This is before pilot. Okay. So we’ve gone through, uh, front of the high priest in front of the Edon, in front of pilot, the first time in front of. Now we are in front of, in front of PIL for this final trial in John 1828. Then they led Jesus from Caius into the Pretor and it, it was early and they themselves did not want to enter, enter into Theorum, so they would not be filed but might eat the Passover.

Therefore, Pilate went out to them and said, what accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said to him, if this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. So Pila said, Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. The Jews said to him, we are not permitted to put anyone to death to fulfill the world word of Jesus, which he spoke signified by what kind of death he was about to die.

Therefore, PIL entered into the pretor and summoned Jesus and said to him, are you the king of Jews? And Jesus answered, are you saying this on your own initiative or did others tell you about me? P. I am not a Jew. Am I your own nation? And the chief priest delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this world.

If my kingdom, kingdom were of this world, then my servants will be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm. Therefore, P said to him, so you are a king, and Jesus answered. You say correctly that I am a king for this admin. And this half comes through the world to testify the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilot said to him, what is the truth? And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him, but you have accustomed that I released someone before you at the Passover. Do you wish that I released for you the king of the Jews?

So they cried out again saying, not this man but Barb Barbara. Now he was a robber, not this man but baras because he now he was a robber. John chapter 19. Pilate then took Jesus and scoured him, and the soldiers twisted together a crown of thos and put it on his head and put a purple robe on him. And they began to come up to him and say, hail king of the Jews, and to give him slaps in the face.

Pilot came out again and said to them, behold, I am bringing him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilty in him. Jesus then came out wearing the crown thorns and the purple robe pilot said to them, behold the man. So when the chief priest and the officers saw him, they cried out saying, crucify Crucify.

Pilot said to them, Hey, come yourselves and Crucify for, I find no guilt in. The Jews answered, we have a law. By that law, he ought to die because he made himself out to be the son of God. Therefore, when Pil heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered into the auditorium again and said to Jesus, where are you from?

But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, you do not speak to me. Do you not know that I have the authority to release you? I have authority to crucify you. Jesus answering. You have no authority over. Listen, had been given to you from above. For this reason, he’ll deliver me to you has the greater sin.

As a result, Pilate made efforts to release him, but the Jews crowd out saying, if you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself out to be a king oppose a Caesar. Therefore, when P heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat him on the judgment seat at a place called. The pavement.

But in Hebrew, G Gatha. Now, it was at the time of preparation for the pass Passover, and it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, behold your king. So they cried out, away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilot said to them, surely I shall crucify, shall I crucify your king? And the chief priest answers, we have no king but Caesar.

So they then handed him over to be cruc. Now let’s go back to Luke. Okay, we’ll look Luke 23 again. We’re back in Luke 23. We’ll start at 26. Okay. 26. We’re gonna go through 49. Okay. For the crucifixion here. So Luke 23, starting in verse 26, when they let him away, they seized the man, Simon of Sirening coming in from the country and placed him on the cross to carry behind Jesus.

And following him was a large crowd of people and a women who are mourning and lamenting him. But Jesus turned to them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, these days are coming when they will say, blessed are the bearing and the wounds that never bore, and the breast, that never nursed.

Or they will begin to say, the mountains follow on us into the heels. Cover us. Or if they do these things, When the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? Two others also who were criminals were being led away to people to be put to death with him. When they came to the place called the Skull, they were CR there, they crucified him and their criminals, one on the right and another on the left.

But Jesus was saying, father, forgive them for they, they do not know what they are doing, and they cast lots, dividing up his garments among themselves, and that people stood by. And even the rulers were sneering at him saying He saved others. Let him save himself. If this is the Christ of God, his chosen one, the soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him, offering him sour wine and saying, if you are the king of Jews, save yourself.

Now, there was also an inscription above him. This is the king of the Jews, verse 39. One of the criminals who were hanging there was hurling abuse at. Saying, are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other answer in rebuking him said, do you not even fear God since you were under the same sentence of condemnation?

And we indeed are suffering justly, but we are receiving for what we deserve for our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. And he was saying, Jesus, remember me when you come in two your kingdom. And he said to him, truly, I say to you. You shall be with me in paradise. It was about the sixth hour and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour because the son was obscured and the veil of the temple was torn into.

And Jesus crying out with a loud voice, said, father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. Having said this, he breathe his last. Now when this centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, certainly this man was innocent. And all the crowds who came together for the spectacle, when they observed what had happened, what had happened began to return, beating their breasts, and all his acquaintances and the women who accompanied him from galley were standing at a distance seeing these things.

These are hard words to read. Hard words to read. So now let’s look at the burial. We’re gonna go to John, John 19. Okay. John 19. We’ll look at verses 38 through 42 after these things. Joseph Joseph of of, of Armenia being a disciple of Jesus. But a secret one for fear of the Jews as Pilate, that he might take away the body of Jesus and pilot granted permission.

So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus, who had first come to him by night also came from bringing a mixture of me and aloes about a hundred pounds of weight. So he took the body of Jesus and found it with Lennon Rapids, with spices as the burial’s custom of the Jews. Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a.

And in the garden, a new tomb which no one had yet been laid. Therefore, cause of the Jewish day of the preparation since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. All right guys, so we have the, these are the scriptures we’re going, that we read today. So again, the trials are from the high priest, the Sanhedrin, the first pilot, pilot trial herd when he went back in front of, of the pilot the second time through the crucifixion and the burial.

So some heavy scriptures there guys. For sure, for sure. Heavy scriptures need to come back for our Friday episode because on Friday we’re going to tell the rest of what happened. The rest of the accounts, guys, and I, I get it. These things can be hard to hear sometimes, but you need to remember, this is not just a story.

These are actual events. These actually happen to our savior. Okay? Don’t miss that for a second. And if you’ve never accepted Christ as your. You’re this far into the line within us and you’re listening to the Easter story and you’re, you’re, you’re finally getting some, maybe some dots are starting to connect for you, and you want to know what, what do you need to do?

What do you need to do? Like, I, I, I’m ready. What do I need to do to move forward to to, to make Jesus a bigger part of my life and actually put everything, commit everything to him? It’s very simple. You need to submit to your sin. You’re our sinner, and the sin is anything that separates us from. Because we are sinner.

There’s nothing we can do. Nothing we can do to close that gap. Cause God is holy, he’s perfect and we’re not. So we needed a payment. We had to, to be able to cover that. We couldn’t do that ourselves. God sent Jesus, he came here. He’s the son of, he is the son of God. He is the son of man. He is here. He was with us right now.

You just, just, Just heard how he paid the penalty right there on that cross, the crucifixion. He paid the penalty, his perfect blood ran for for our sins. He paid it in full. And when you come back on Friday, you’re gonna hear the rest of the story. He overcame death. The tomb is empty, the tube is empty, and that’s what we’re celebrating.

We do not worship a dead man. We worship a living. Right now he’s sitting at the right-handed father, and guys, you have to confess him as Lord. Don’t miss today. Don’t let this be an opportunity you miss cuz you are nev never promised tomorrow. So if the spirit is moving you, you have to act. And I was gonna say a, a prayer salvation.

Father, there is someone listening right now, and I know they’re ready to accept you as their savior. So for, for, for right now. This man, this woman, this child, whoever’s listening that is confessing is Lord God, we just pray that you just poured out, uh, that Holy Spirit upon them. That we, that, that, Lord, they commit their life to you, Lord.

And we know by making this profession, Lord, that at this moment salvation is theirs. We’re so blessed, Lord, we’re so blessed that you give us this. And we are so thankful for Jesus. We’re so thankful for, uh, the ability to read your word and to grow closer to you, God. So I just thank you, Lord for the way that you are moving here with, with all the people who are listening to the line with Dennis, for how you’re touching our ministry.

And we pray we keep doing all we can to honor and glorify you and point others to Christ saying your name, we pray. Amen. So guys, if you just prayed that prayer salvation with me, and you have now accepted Christ as your. Send me an email cause I wanna send you some free things to get you started cuz now you’re in the battlefield guys, it’s going get a lot harder.

I’m just gonna be real with you, but have no fear. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but a power, love, and self-control. That sound mine. That’s what it’s about guys. So send an email support at the line with them.us and I won’t send you some stuff to help you get started. Okay? That’s. Just send, shoot an email over support at the line within us.

Okay? I want to help you with that. Other than that, guys, if you’re enjoying this and you’re just hearing the Easter story, send it out to others. Let others know about it. That’s all I’m asking this week. That’s your call to action this week. It’s not about the the community or membership, sir swagger or none of that stuff, guys.

It’s about sharing God’s word with others. So send it over. Say, Hey, behind with Vanessa is doing something special. This. It’s blessing me. This could be something while you’re doing your workout, while you’re cutting the grass, working the garden, whatever, taking your walk. Just let guys work. So can, and I get it.

There’s a whole lot of, of, of, of better ways to do this. But guys, I just enjoyed going through the different accounts of gospels and kind of, uh, stitching all this together as we walk through it. So come back on Friday. Friday, we’re gonna get into the resurrection. We’re gonna get into his appearances.

We’re gonna talk about the Great Commission and make sure you guys know that, and then we’re gonna get into the ascension and the day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit when it, when it arrived. Guys, there’s a lot to look forward to. I know today was heavy. It’s heavy to think about Christ being tortured, put through this the way he was.

But guys, it was not in vain. It was for a purpose to come back on. Let’s finish out the rest of the, the, the, the account of what happened to Jesus and what we have our hope in. As Christian leaders, our fellas get after it. It’s time to unleash the lion within.