Higher Ground - King’s Heralds His Eye Is on the Sparrow - Del Delker At Calvary - King’s Heralds God So Loved the World - King’s Heralds

Higher Ground - King’s Heralds His Eye Is on the Sparrow - Del Delker At Calvary - King’s Heralds God So Loved the World - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Man Who Wouldn’t Change a Word


Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus is coming again. Cheer up you pilgrims, be joyful and sing, Jesus is coming again. This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Coming again, coming again, Jesus is coming again.

From our Voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, we welcome you to this half hour of inspiration and music with the King's Heralds, Del Delker, Brad Braley, and the Voice of Prophecy speaker, H.M.S. Richards, the Seventh-day Adventist minister. I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day. Still praying as I onward bound, Lord plant my feet on higher ground. Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith my heavens table land.

A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. I want to scale the utmost height and catch a gleam of glory bright, but still I'll pray till heaven I've found, Lord, lead me on to higher ground. Lord lift me up and let me stand, My faith on heaven's stable land. A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we pray that this broadcast session may bring blessing to every hearer. Give us thy grace, Lead us all in a way of truth. Bring peace to our hearts. Guide the leaders of the world that the peace of mankind may be preserved in Christ's name. There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God, a place where sin cannot molest near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, Blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who bow before Thee, near to the heart of God. Amen. An expression of confidence in God's care over his children comes to us now as Miss DelDelker sings, His Eye is on the Sparrow. Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely and long and long for heaven and home. When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. I sing because I'm happy.

I sing because I'm free. For his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. ♪ Though he watches me ♪ ♪ Whenever I am tempted ♪ ♪ Whenever clouds arise ♪ ♪ when song gives place to sighing, when hope within me dies I draw the closer to him from care he sets me free his eye is on the his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me He watches me. Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me, he died on Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free.

Pardon there was multiplied to me, There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. O the love that drew salvation's plan, Oh, the grace that brought it down to man, Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

And now, here is HMS Richards, the voice of prophecy speaker. His subject, The Man Who Wouldn't Change a Word. It is written in the Gospel of John, chapter 19, verses 15 to 18. But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your king?

The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him and 2 other with him, on either side 1 and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

This title was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and since Golgotha was a public place, Many people read the inscription. Then the chief priests said to Pilate, Write not the King of the Jews, but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. He would not change a word. It was customary that the reason for the death sentence be inscribed on a headboard called in Latin the titulus, the technical term which is preserved here by John in its original Greek form.

The inscription was written in Hebrew, the language of religion. In Greek, the language of culture. Latin, the language of world rulership. From the record of the trial of Christ, it is clear that Pilate, the Roman governor, was convinced of his innocence of any political offense and he was not interested in the religious charges. However, he surrendered at last to the pressure of the leaders and the mob.

Pilate, who seems to have been fundamentally just, finally violated his own principles as a man and as a judge. Step by step he was beaten back by the demands of the people. Point by point he surrendered in his effort to do justice and save Jesus. Yet our Lord surely would not have been crucified if it had not been for Pontius Pilate. The familiar words of the Creed ring in our ears, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead, and buried.

And to the very end of time, the name of Pilate will be connected with our Savior's unjust condemnation and crucifixion. We know that Jesus came into the world to die for the sins of men, for he himself said, The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Reading Matthew 20, 28, that purpose would be fulfilled, was fulfilled. His death might have been accomplished in various ways. He might have been stoned in front of the palace of the high priest that Passover morning.

He might have been assassinated in the Garden of Gethsemane while on his knees in prayer. The whole council of his enemies were determined upon his death 1 way or another. But it was because of Pilate that he was put to death upon the cross. He delivered him to be crucified. John 19, 16.

Why did he do this when he knew Jesus was innocent, even proclaimed him to be innocent? Jesus was well known to Pilate. The Praetorium or Governor's Palace was the center of an information system which brought daily events of the whole land to the ears of the ruler. The great crowds that came to hear Jesus must have contained informers and spies for every movement that might develop into an insurrection was carefully watched by the Roman authorities. The work of our Savior had become a great issue in the land.

The people had taken sides. The authorities were concerned. The reports of our Savior's miracles were circulating everywhere. Pilate had heard of Him, so had Herod Antipas, to whom Pilate had sent the Savior in an effort to relieve himself of this terrible problem. But Jesus came back to Pilate.

He had to make a decision. He could still hear the words of his wife's warning ringing in his ears. Have thou nothing to do with that just man? For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." Matthew 27. What did she see in the dream?

Did she see the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief before his judges? Did she see her husband condemn him, a man whom he himself had declared to be righteous? Did she see him whipped by the order of Pilate? Did she see him scourged the second time, led away to be mocked, spit upon, beaten? Did she see the shadow of a cross arise upon a lonely hill?

Did she see another seen, a cloud of glory in the east growing larger and larger until it covered the heavens? Did she see myriads of radiant forms, and at last a face that had been marred of more than any face, now glorified? Did she see Him coming in the clouds of heaven? Did she see the judgment seen when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all nations shall stand before him, and the right hander on the left. Whatever she saw, she suffered much because of him in a dream.

God was trying to help Pilate. He gave him every opportunity, but he was afraid he would lose his political position, be considered a failure in ruling a turbulent nation. Those words, if I'll let this man go, you're not Caesar's friend, pierced his heart. If you let him go, your position's gone, your lifeline ambitions fall in the dust. Do we sympathize with Pilate?

Yes, he was human. He was like millions of others today. What he did was wrong, but it was natural. He was like so many of us. Man must live, we say, but must he really?

Is it really living to break every rule and principle of righteousness and justice and holiness and honesty? Is that living? It seemed for a while that everything was going to be all right after this colossal injustice. Pollitt and Herod were made friends again. Pollitt hears again those cries, away with him, away with him, release Barabbas.

Barabbas the murderer, the seditionist. That was a masterful idea, he thought. I'll bring Barabbas out and compare him with this just man. I'll make them decide after all. They'll vote against Barabbas.

But did they? A mob can be as cruel as the highest authorities. Louder than ever the shout went up, Away with him, away with him. But why, demanded Pilate, what evil has he done? I haven't found anything wrong with him nor heard either.

Again the cry, away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saw through the envy of the man who had condemned Jesus. Jealousy. Speaking of this terrible envy at this very time of the rejection of Jesus, the chorus in the Passion play over Amagar gives this warning, "'Tis envy which no mercy knows, in which hell's flame most fiercely glows, lights this devouring fire. Yes, envy, jealousy.

It was a terrible morning for Pilate. We may never realize what he went through. If we turn our eyes inward and look at our own souls, we might ask ourselves, what would we have done that Passover morning had we been in Pilate's place? To protect ourselves, to keep our position, to stand well with the people? Would we not have washed our hands of it all and scurred Jesus, though we had already admitted he was righteous and innocent?

If we ever in the hour of test have denied known truth because it was unpopular or hard to obey or contrary to our inclinations, Dare we cast a stone at Pontius Pilate? We live in a self-seeking, self-sheltering, truth-selling, soul-selling age. After the farce of a trial was over and they were kneeling Jesus to the cross, Pilate seemed to get hold of himself and wrote the inscription, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. These men came and wanted it changed. What did Pilate do?

For once he refused their demands point-blank. He who had given in on the big things was determined on the little things. "'What I have written, I have written, ' he said. This may seem like the effort of a small soul to regain its own self-respect, but Pilate never told a greater truth. What he had written he had written and never would it be changed.

To the very last syllable of recorded time, his deeds, his words that day have been inscribed with a pen of iron in the rock forever. He crucified Jesus rather than lose his political appointment. 5 years went by. What were his thoughts during those years? Only God knows.

He did lose his job. He was undermined by the very men who had frightened him at the trial. He went to Rome and was banished far away into the West. Tradition says he ended his life with his own hand. Of this scripture says nothing But those words of his make a text that every preacher ought to use once in a while.

What I have written, I have written. This brings before us the irrevocable past. None of us can change it. It will be read yonder in the other world. You see, our actions carry eternal consequences.

Character remains. Character is carried over from this world to the next. Memory remains. Someday we shall read the record. Angels will read it.

The whole universe will read it. God will read it. The devil will read it. The record of our lives with all our illusions, our rationalizing stripped away. What I have written, I have written.

We shall all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.10. But here is the hope we bring. The past cannot be changed. It cannot be made as though it had not been, but God's pardon may be given.

The past will be non-existent for 1 who has confessed his sins in his and his life in Christ as far as personal consequences are concerned. God says he will blot out our sins as a thick cloud, remember them no more forever, separate them from us as far as the east is from the west. Friend, how about that? Our characters will be renewed, sanctified to the new birth. True conversion will change life from evil to good.

It may be a weary climb to the cross, friends, but it pays. The sun seems brighter there because of the fog below. There as we look upon it we seem to see another cross, the 1 on which Pilate wrote his words of bitter truth, What I have written, I have written. We seem to see a change come in the lettering, and there above the fogs of earth we see the handwriting of the Heavenly Father Himself revealed in the dying agonies of His Son. And what are the words?

They are these, God is love. O love the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso believeth, believeth in him, in him should not perish, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be world, God so loved the world, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso believeth, believeth believeth in him, should not perish, should not perish, but have everlasting life, everlasting life, everlasting life, everlasting life, everlasting, everlasting life. God so loved the world.

God so loved the world. God, soul of the world. And now, friend, until next week again, this is Orville Iverson saying, let us keep looking up, going forward in faith. Have faith in God. As Pilate wrote, we sing, Have faith in God, Forever let it ring, Have faith in God, Christ is the King, the King.

Have faith, dear friend, in God. We hope our broadcast today has served to give you spiritual blessing for the week. And now we invite you to join us again next week, Same time, same stations, for another broadcast brought to you by the Voice of Prophecy. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Amen.

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The Man Who Wouldn’t Change a Word

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