“Binding The Hands Of Jesus” - Sermon Outlines. Org



“Binding The Hands Of Jesus”

Mark 15:1

INTRO. In Mark 15:1, we read of how the enemies of Jesus bound in preparation for

the sending Him to Pilate, “Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held

a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they

bound Jesus, led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.” When you read

those words it is easy for your heart to be filled with sadness, and even with a

touch of “righteous indignation” for that crowd that bound Jesus in such a

way. Bound as a common criminal. Bound unable to move His hands. It

was a tragedy how this innocent man was treated. It was a travesty of

Justice. Yet, none the less, it was necessary to procure the redemption of

of our souls (Isaiah 53:5-7).

And yet, there are few today who are not guilty of binding the hands of

Jesus in a figurative way. Because of sin and self, God’s power, presence,

and purpose is limited in our lives. In essence, when we do this we are

“Binding The Hands Of Jesus.” To see what I mean, let us today consider

five ways we can be guilty of “Binding The Hands Of Jesus”…..

(1) BY REFUSING TO OBEY THE GOSPEL

Hebrews 10:29—“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye,

shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot

the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,

……an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of

grace?”

*When people deliberately reject Christ’s offer of Salvation, they reject God’s

most precious gift. They push away the work of the Holy Spirit, the one who

communicates to us God’s saving love. There is no other acceptable sacrifice

for sin than the death of Christ on the Cross.

A. In His Great love for us, Jesus stretched out His hands and

died for our sins…

ILLUS. Like a jewel’s brillance is displayed on a black cloth, Jesus’

love is displayed against the blackness of sin, and the

filth of the flesh (1).

Today, through His Gospel, He pleads with all to take advantage

of His vicarious suffering.

He doesn’t want us to suffer for the guilt of our own sins..that

is why He willing took our place (Hebrews 2:9-10).

ILLUS. In Ireland, a busload of miners was on their way home from the mines. It was a particularly cold day, windy, with just enough icy rain to make the road down the mountain especially dangerous. The miners were all ready for warm soup and a good mug of beer. The bus driver, however, was understandably nervous about the weather and the conditions under which he had to navigate the unwieldy bus on the ice in the wind. They were driving down a narrow road which wound around the hill, so that on one side was the sheer mountain face, on the other a drop into the valley.

As the driver came around a curve, some distance ahead of him,

sitting in the middle of the road was a young boy, playing in the

snow, his back to the bus. The bus driver had only a few seconds

in which to make a decision what he must do. If he hit the breaks

hard enough to avoid the child, he would send the bus into a skid

on the ice, which would either land it over the cliff edge or into

the rock wall, surely killing some if not all of the miners in his

care. If he used the breaks only enough to slow and not skid, he

would not be able to break in time to avoid hitting, and surely

killing, the little boy. The bus driver had to decide.

As the bus came to a slow grinding halt, the bus driver leapt

from the seat and went barrelling out the doors. Some of the

miners followed after him. Several yards behind, in the snow, lay

the body of the child. Dead. The bus driver had bent over the

little limp form and turned it up, craddling it in his arms. The

miners gathered round and removed their hats, all speechless.

The little boy was the bus driver's son. God saw the wickedness of

man. He willing chose to send His Son Jesus to die for the sins of

all mankind! The wages of sin is death and Christ’s death on the

Cross fully met the demands of Almighty God!

Jesus’ tender invitation of Matthew 11:28-30 is still being offered

today. Come whoever you are. Come however you. Come and

find rest, find peace in Christ Jesus! Jesus’ invitation is to all and

for all!

B. But When one refuses to obey the Gospel…..

John 5:40—“And ye will not come to me, that ye might

have life.”

The hands of Jesus are bound. He can do no more. He has done all He could do. He gave His life. He shed His blood for YOU! He

gave you His Word and the Holy Spirit. But if you refuse to obey

the Gospel…you bind His hands (Isaiah 59:1-2).

There is no way such a person can receive the benefits of Jesus

death!

For that person, the death of Jesus was in vain!

C. Is this true of you?

It is..if you have not accepted the gospel by obeying the com-

mands of Jesus-John 3:16; 5:24

And if it is, then you will one day have to face the righteous indig-

nation of Jesus Himself-2 Thess. 1:7-10

ILLUS. When the Lord Jesus comes in the clouds “in flaming fire,” He will punish those who have sinned with no knowledge of Christ; but with more intense wrath he will punish those who have sinned against the light and knowledge that God has given them concerning His beloved Son. The latter, we read, “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). What solemn words! What terrible warnings God has given men in order that they might face the question of their guilt and turn to Him in repentance! Like the danger signals at railroad crossings, He is saying, “Stop! Look! Listen!” (2)

God commands sinners to repent (Acts 17:30); rejecting Christ is

disobedience. When the lost stand before the Righteous Judge,

they will suffer eternal hell for two reasons: 1) They would not

come to know God (willful ignorance), and 2) they would not obey

God (willful disobedience) (3). What a great separation there will

be “in that day.” Gathered about Christ will be those who believed

the message, trusted Him as Savior, and maintained a testimony

for Him on earth, but were misunderstood and persecuted for His

name’s sake; these will rejoice with Him in the day of His power.

On the other hand, those who spurned His lovingkindness will

experience the awfulness of divine retribution (4).

*But even those who obey the gospel can be guilty of “Binding the hands of Jesus”.

HOW? One way is……..

(2) BY REFUSING TO BE TRANSFORMED

Romans 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of

God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable

unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed

to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,

will of God.”

A. Christ’s Will is that we be Transformed….

The word transformed means “to change, transfigure, and transform.” The

Greek word is Metamorphoo from which we get our English word metamorphosis. This change begins the moment we receive Christ as LORD and Savior. But it is progressive only as we yield ourselves to HIM-His will and Word!

2. This transformation involves a renewal of the mind as Romans 12:2 tells us.

Second Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we are transformed as we allow the

Spirit to reveal Christ through the Word of God (5).

3. Thus we are renewed in mind as we read, study, and meditate upon the

Word of God-1 Peter 1:23-2:2; Phils. 4:8

B. But many Christians neglect the instrument by which we can be

renewed!

We do not “receive with meekness the engrafted word…” (James 1:21b).

2. We allow other things to take precedence in our lives, Thus we so do “bind

the hands of Jesus” that we do not change!

C. Are we guilty of this?

We are, if we neglect to study the Bible on our own.

ILLUS. The majority of all born-again Christians read the Bible once or

twice a week, or not at all. The survey found that only 18% of all Christians

said they read the Word every day, while another 18% read the Bible

between three and six days a week, 37% read it once or twice a week, and

23% said they do not read the Bible at all. Among non- Christians, 70% do

not read the Bible. Is this because many people do not own a Bible? No.

Our research has shown that 93% of all Americans own at least one Bible,

and most own more than one.

2. We are, if we fail to take advantage of opportunities to study with others!

3. When we neglect the transforming power of the Word of God, we are just

guilty of “binding the hands of Jesus” as wre those who delivered Him to

Pilate.

*We can also be guilty of “binding the hands of Jesus…..

(3) BY REFUSING TO PRAY

Phils. 4:6—“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known

unto God.”

ILLUS. Some years ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew

and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell

this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree.

Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Start Monday!"

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the

foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on

the way out today." Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally

we do," answered the foreman, "but we're letting you go today because you've

fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place

on Monday to last on Wednesday."

"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and

even have worked through my coffee breaks!"

The foreman, sensing the boy's integrity thought for a minute and then asked,

"Have you been sharpening your ax?" The young man replied, "I've been working

too hard to take the time."

How about you? Have you been too busy, too hard at work to sharpen your ax?

Prayer is the hone that gives you that sharp edge. Without it, the more work you

do, the duller you'll get.-- William D. Boyd "Liberating Ministry from the Success

Syndrome"

A. Jesus had become our “HIGH PRIEST”…..

He is now our High Priest. In the Old Testament, the High Priest was

mediator between God and His people. He would offer animal sacrifices

according to the law and intercede before God for the people’s sins.

Jesus has once and for all paid the penalty for all our sins by His own

sacrificial death, and He continually intercedes on our behalf before God (6).

2. He has made it possible for us to boldy approach God’s throne of Grace in

prayer-Hebrews 4:14-16.

3. As our High Priest…..

He is able to save those who come to God through Him-Hebrew 7:25a

What does it mean that Jesus is able to save completely? No one else

can add to what Jesus did to save us; our past, present, and future

sins are all forgiven, and Jesus is with the Father as a sign that our sins are forgiven (7).

He “ever lives” to make intercession for us-Hebrews 7:25b. As our

High Priest, Christ is our advocate, the mediator between us and God.

The Old Testament High Priest went before God once a year to plead

for the forgiveness of the nation’s sins; Christ makes perpetual inter-

cession before God for us. Christ’s presence in heaven with the Father

assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven (8).

B. When We don’t pray as we should…..

Jesus cannot be our High Priest, our intercessor!

Figuratively speaking, we have taken the “praying hands” of Jesus and “bound” them behind His back! He cannot work because we will not pray!

Matthew 7:7-8

C. Are We Doing This?

If so, what a travesty this is!

For here is Jesus…………

Who “lives” to intercede for us.

But Who can’t, because we prevent Him from doing so by our failure

to pray!

*There is yet another way to be guilty of “Binding the Hands of Jesus”………..

(4) BY REFUSING TO DO OUR PART IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

A. The Church is described as the “Body of Christ”-Ephs. 1:22-23

As His Body, we are individually members of one another-1 Cors. 12:27

There should be no schism-division in the body, since we all share the

same life through the Spirit.

As members of one another, we are to care for one another-Ephs. 4:15-

But it is not enough to simply avoid division; we must also care for

each other and seek to build the Church and strengthen the body (9).

It is through mutual edification that Christ provides much of His help for

the members of His body!

B. But when we fail to do our share, again Jesus is bound!

Just as our physical head can do little if our bodily members fail to follow

its leading, so it is with Jesus and His Church! Using the analogy of the

body, Paul emphasizes the importance of each Church member (1 Cors.

12:14-22). Each member must use the gifts given them and encourage

others to use theirs. If we do not do our part, we bind Jesus!

Jesus could do so much more for the Church and through the Church, if

only each member did their part!

C. Have you ever considered it this way?

That by failing to do our part, we “handicap” the body of Christ? That fact

should motivate us to be the strongest member we can be. Every part of the body makes some kind of contribution toward the growth of the Church.

ILLUS. I've never lifted a barn, but Herman Ostry, a farmer in Bruno, Nebraska, has. Shortly after buying a piece of land and a barn, a nearby creek rose and the barn was under twenty nine inches of water. He half-jokingly said to his family, "I bet if we had enough people, we could pick up that barn and carry it to higher ground." To his surprise, one of his sons, Mike, started thinking about it, and by counting the number of boards, timbers, and nails, he estimated that the barn weighed about 19,000 pounds. Mike figured that three hundred forty four people would only have to lift about fifty-five pounds to carry the barn to higher ground.

But how do that many people get a grip on the barn in order to lift it? Mike ingeniously designed a grid of steel tubing and attached it to the inside and outside of the barn. This provided handles for the "barn raisers." As the town of Bruno was planning its centennial activities, Herman suggested a "barn raising" as part of the celebration. As the centennial approached word of the "barn raising" spread far beyond Bruno. On the morning of the lift, July 30, 1988, nearly four hundred thousand people from eleven states were there. When everything was ready, Herman counted, "one, two, three." The 344 people lifted the barn, and it rose like nothing at all. The crowd cheered and applauded as they carried that 9-ton barn fifty yards up a hill in just three minutes.

TS: How'd they do it? They got enough people to work towards a common goal, spreading the load evenly and equally, and at the same time, with one heart, one mind, one purpose, one direction and two hands they were able to accomplish the impossible.

2. That because of our neglect, or apathy, or lukewarmness……

Either the whole body of Christ suffers…

Or others are forced to do “double duty” in order to make up

the difference?

*Yes, there are many ways we can be just as guilty of “Binding The Hands of Jesus”

today as were the religious leaders in delivering Jesus to Pilate! But consider just one

more…..

(5) BY REFUSING TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH THE LOST

Psalm 107:2—“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath

redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

ILLUS. George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a

man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and

sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm

near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currier's sentence was terminated, and a

letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor

was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for

the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom

he worked had died.

Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier's plight, found

him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.

Sweeting concluded that story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent

you an important message -- the most important in your life -- and year after year

the urgent message was never delivered?" We who have heard the good news

and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others

still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the

message?--Our Daily Bread, November 6, 1994.

Jesus has made His disciples to be His “hands” in taking the Gospel to

the lost….

Consider Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; 1 Peter 2:9.

In every case of conversion recorded in Acts, Jesus used a disciple to tell the good news.

Jesus works the same way today! We are His ambassadors. His messengers! We don’t need to pray about whether or not to witness, we should just do it!

ILLUS. Norman Cates shared the humorous story of a guy who prayed this prayer ever morning, “LORD, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is.” One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to our praying friend. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried with a loud voice, “I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the LORD. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?” He turned to the Christian and pleaded, “Can you show me how to be saved?” The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, ‘LORD, is this a sign?” Are you looking for a “sign” to start witnessing? It can be found in Matthew 28:19-20 or Acts 1:8 (10).

But to the degree that we keep the “Good News” to ourselves…..

We have “bound the hands” of Jesus once again! We are His hands, feet,

and mouth!

When we refuse to share the Gospel we hinder Jesus from telling others of

His wonderful Grace!

Are We “Binding The Hands Of Jesus” in this way?

Every day countless souls die with no hope of eternal life. Every two

seconds three lost souls slip off into eternity.

This need not be, if more would make the sharing of the Gospel the

primary concern in their lives!

Sadly, in too many cases the primary concern of Christians is the pursuit of

pleasure and acquisition of worldly treasure!

CLOSING: Yes, one does not have to literally “bind the hands of Jesus” to be guilty of

the same sort of offense that we read about in Mark 15:1; as we have

seen, there are many other ways as well! WE “Bind The Hands of Jesus,”

when we: 1) Refuse to obey the Gospel, 2) Refuse to be transformed, 3)

Refuse to pray, 4) Refuse to do our part in the Church, and 5) Refuse

to share the gospel with the lost.

Why not today, resolve to “loose the hands of Jesus” so that IN us and

THROUGH us He may accomplish His full desire? Which is…a) to SAVE US!

to TRANSFORM US! and c) to USE US!

NOTES: 1. Charles R. Swindoll. The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart. Pg. 313.

2. WordSearch Bible Software. Commentaries of 1 & 2 Thessalonians by H.

A. Ironside.

3. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament

Pg. 609.

4. WordSearch Bible Software. Ironside’s Commentaries.

5. Wiersbe. pp. 399-400.

Living Letters from the Life Application Bible. Pg. 208.

Living Letters. Pg. 208.

Living Letters. Pg. 208.

Wiersbe. Pg. 455.

10. Raymond McHenry. The Best of In Other Words. Pg. 88.

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