1. “She Had a Dream!”
Matthew 27:15-26

2. In the middle of an important bout, this 17 year old Brazilian boxer had his mother enter the ring and order him home to finish his homework. Needless to say the young boxer suffered a serious setback in his budding career…

3. Pilate asked the crowd, “Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?”

4. This warning came from his wife. She had a dream
This warning came from his wife. She had a dream! Although none of the detail are given, the dream stirred Pilate’s wife. She pled with her husband to have “…nothing to do with this righteous man…”

5. Purpose:
to see why people reject the Gospel in spite of God’s urgent invitation

6. I Pilate Was Hungry

7. More Power
Pilate’s self-interest in this trial reveals part of the reason behind his refusal to heed his wife’s warning. He wanted more power...

8. I Pilate Was Power Hungry
A. He Coveted His Job

9. Pilate was appointed by Rome to oversee Judea… His was a position of wealth and power… and he liked it!

10. I Pilate Was Power Hungry
A. He Coveted His Job
B. He Wanted to Please

11. “…if you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar…”
John 19:12
“…if you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar…”

12. I Pilate Was Power Hungry
A. He Coveted His Job
B. He Wanted to Please
C. Are You Power Hungry?

13. II Pilate Was Cowardly
A. He Was Governor

14. Pilate was afraid of a small Jewish mob… He was afraid to set one prisoner go, One whom he knew to be innocent…

15. II Pilate Was Cowardly
A. He Was Governor
B. He Was in Hot Water

16. III Pilate Was Presumptuous

17. Being presumptuous can get a person into some really tight situations…

18. III Pilate Was Presumptuous
A. He Washed His Hands

19. The cowardice becomes clearer in this act… Pilate commits murder in God’s sight and at the same time tries to claim innocence in the matter!

20. III Pilate Was Presumptuous
A. He Washed His Hands
B. Are You Presumptuous?

21. IV Pilate Was Double Minded
A. He had a Heart for the Right
B. He Also had a Heart for the Wrong
C. Are You Double Minded?

22. Noncommittal can be illustrated in a product, of which this is not an endorsement…

23. Summary and Conclusion:
“But how many friends, neighbors and loved ones do we know who are none the different? How many here today know the truth; yet, reject the Gospel?...