Download the transcript as a Word file to receive access to the full outline and complete sermon.

• Illustration: May summarizes a novel in which people see themselves in a painting from 300 years ago—a painting of Jesus suffering among the crowds of Jerusalem, where the people see their own faces painted on the faces of the crowd.
• Big Idea: We don’t have to spend our lives being typecast in the same kind of roles; we can learn to live a new way.

• Matthew 20:18-11
• Matthew 27:27-31
• We too sometimes make a mockery of Jesus’ kingship by going through elaborate motions of crowing him king of our lives—all without serious intent.
• The soldiers mocked Jesus by not taking him seriously, and by not taking seriously the things they said to him.

• Matthew 27:45-49
• Jesus was speaking some of the most spiritually significant words that have ever been spoken in history—and the bystanders didn’t understand.
• We too sometimes hear the words, but miss the message.
• We have a tendency to hear what we want to hear and filter out what we don’t want to hear.
• Clear away your prejudices and your preconceived ideas and let God’s Word speak to you.

• Matthew 27:55
• All too often, I allow myself to become disengaged from full participation in following Christ, and limit myself to being a mere spectator.
• Illustration: To illustrate the emotional distance we put between ourselves and the things of God, May tells the story of men outside the church who looked at their watch and said, “Well, it’s about time. Let’s get this over with.”
• We sometimes keep a safe distance between ourselves and the risks that come with following Christ with total involvement.

• Matthew 27:54
• This Roman officer witnessed all that had happened, and he could draw only one conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God.
• Look at the evidence: every claim Jesus made about himself has been proven to be true.
• The lessons learned from the players we have looked at today all point to this simple directive: pay attention to your Christian life.