Open Heaven For Teens Monday, April 21, 2025

Title: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Memorize: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (Nkjv)

Bible Reading: John 19:1-18 (Nkjv)

1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.

3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,

9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

Message:

If you were at the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion, looking at Him on the cross, you might have said, “I see a man in pain.” Jesus had been beaten, and a crown of thorns had been placed on His head before His crucifixion.

Someone else at the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion might have said, “I see a man being ridiculed.”

Matthew 27:39-44 says that the people who were passing by said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save.”

Even though Jesus had the power to call for angels to rescue Him, He chose to endure the ridicule so that you and I can have a chance of spending eternity in heaven.

If you were present at Jesus’ crucifixion, and you took a closer look at Him as He hung on the cross, you would have seen a man that was so much in love with you and me that He went through the highest level of physical and emotional torture just to save us.

Thank God He resurrected on the third day and has made eternal life available to all those who surrender their lives to Him.

Beloved, don’t let that sacrifice go to waste. Don’t live your life for the devil; live your life for the One who loves you so much that He gave His life for you.

Key Point:

Jesus gave it all so you could be saved and live a holy life. Don’t let His sacrifice go to waste.

HYMN 28 – WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY STAIN

1 What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:

O precious is the flow

that makes me white as snow;

no other fount I know;