What Jesus Promised When He Carried His Cross to
April 17th
2011 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Matthew
27:22,23)
A.
The crucifixion of Jesus the
Messiah on the cross is a pretty dark event. Nothing can take away the awfulness
of that event. It, in its reality, can only be summarised as torture of the
worst kind!
1.
Invented by the Persians about
300 years before the birth of Jesus
2.
And the Romans “perfected” it!
3.
In Matthew 27:22, Pilate asks
“What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?
4.
They all say unto him, Let him
be crucified.”
5.
Crucified?
6.
In the next verse, Pilate
asked, “Why, what evil hath he done?”
7.
But they cried out the more,
saying, “Let him be crucified!”
8.
Just 12 verses later, the
Bible simply records, “And they crucified him”
B.
What does it mean to be
crucified?
1.
Publically
flogged first.
a.
Jesus was
publically stripped and tied to a tall wooden post and anchored so he couldn’t
move away from the approaching whip
b.
Two Roman
legionaires stepped forward each with a short whip
consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead
attached near the ends of each.
c.
The heavy whip was brought
down from two different directions with full force again and again across Jesus’
shoulders, back, and legs.
d.
At first the whip would cut
through the skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they would cut deeper into
the tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins
of the skin and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the
underlying muscles. Finally, the skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons,
and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it
was determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the
beating was finally stopped. The scourging was
intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death.
2.
Absolute Humiliation and
Mockery
a.
The half-fainting Jesus was
then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood.
The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a
king.
b.
They threw a robe across His
shoulders and placed a stick in His hand for a sceptre. They still needed a
crown to make their travesty complete. Small flexible branches covered with long
thorns, commonly used for kindling fires were plaited into the shape of a crude
crown.
c.
The crown was pressed into his
scalp and again there was copious bleeding as the thorns pierced the tender
vascular tissue.
d.
Dozens of
grown filthy soldiers circle Him and laugh at Him, spitting huge amounts of spit
upon Jesus’ face and upper body
e.
They ripped
the hair from Jesus’ beard from His face (Isa 50:6)
f.
After mocking Him and striking
Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from His hand and struck Him
across the head, driving the thorns ever deeper into His scalp.
g.
Jesus
stinks, is bleeding all over His face, is severely bruised, and yet not making a
whimper!
1)
His
hands have already been bruised by the ropes that bound Him tight in the Garden
2)
He
was hit hard by an officer in Annas’ home (John 18:22)
3)
He has been
beaten and spit upon already by the Sanhedren (Mt 26:67,68)
4)
By Herod’s
soldiers (Luke 23:7-11)
5)
And now by
Pilate’s best soldiers!
h.
Finally, they tired of their
sadistic sport and tore the robe from His back.
The robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in
the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical
bandage, caused excruciating pain. The wounds again began to bleed. Jesus was
handed his clothes again, and put on His own robe.
3.
Parading
through the streets of
C.
And then, the torture
began. Everything that had already happened,
just prepared the victim for the worst that was yet to come!
a.
The heavy beam of the cross
was tied across His shoulders. The procession of the condemned Jesus, two
thieves, and a company of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began its slow
journey along the route which we know today as the Via Dolorosa (the way to the
cross).
b.
For 650 metres Jesus journeyed
from the Fortress Antonia to
c.
Jesus was offered vinegar wine
mixed with myrrh, a mild pain-relieving mixture. He refused the drink.
d.
Jesus was quickly thrown
backward, with His raw shoulders against the rough wood. A Roman legionnaire
grabbed the wrist of Jesus and felt for the depression at the front of the
wrist. He drove a heavy, square, 5 inch wrought-iron nail through the wrist and
deep into the wood. Quickly, he moved to the other side and repeated the action,
being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexibility
and movement. The broad title “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”
was nailed into place just above Jesus.
e.
The left foot was next pressed
backward against the right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was
driven through the arch of each foot, leaving the knees moderately flexed. It is
at this point, that the entire wooden structure was raised at an angle into a
square whole almost 2 feet deep, when the victim, attached to his cross was
dropped.
f.
And at that
moment, every joint in Jesus’ body went out of place (Ps 22:14) – because of the
tension holding Himself still against all the pain as the cross moved and
jerked!
g.
Jesus looks
like raw hamburger mince meat hanging on that cross (Isa 52:13,14)
h.
Jesus was now crucified.
2.
From here on out, it takes
every bit of strength just to breath!
a.
As Jesus sagged down, the
weight on the nails in the wrists was excruciating. Fiery pain shot along the
fingers and up the arms and exploded in the brain. In order to avoid this
stretching torment in His wrists, He placed His full weight on the nail through
His feet and pushed upwards. Again there was searing agony as the nail tore
through the nerves between the bones of this feet.
b.
At this point, another
phenomenon occurred. As the arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the
muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps
came the inability to push Himself upward.
Hanging by the arms, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of the
chest, were paralyzed and the small muscles between the ribs, were unable to
act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus fought
to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon
dioxide level increased in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps
partially subsided.
c.
This would continue for hours,
and sometimes DAYS, until the victim finally had no further strength to breath,
and died!
3.
Remember,
all of this was done in front of a speachless crowd of thousands who watched in
silence for four hours!
4.
And
remember, that it was during those final hours, that instead of screaming and
crying out in pain, Jesus spoke forgiveness, assurance to the thief on the cross
next to Him, prayed, took care of His mother!
5.
Now we know that Jesus wasn’t
killed by the crucifixion. He had a job to do, and He was going to stay on that
cross until that job was done! He stayed on the cross until EVERY sin was paid
for. Every sin of MINE, of YOURS, and YOURS too! And then He shouted “IT IS
FINISHED!”
D.
That was only the surface
event. Something else was happening a promise was being kept – as a matter of
fact, several promises!
E.
Turn to John 16:20-22
1.
You see, the cross was not the
end! It was the conclusion of a chapter yes, but not the last page of the book.
2.
Something else was finished!
Something only the cross could accomplish!
3.
Something bigger, and better
than anyone could have ever imagined!
4.
It was the resurrection! And
that was just ONE of the promises of the cross!
5.
Jesus said that there would be
such sorrow for the disciples at the cross, but He PROMISED that their sorrow
would be turned to JOY!
F.
Let’s look at the JOY of the
many promises of the cross – the many results of the cross!
II.
Message
The first
promise fulfilled on the cross was…
A.
That God’s Righteousness
would be Satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)
1.
This is THE most important
promise of the cross – it is the one thing we, as a human race have to worry
about
2.
The wages of sin is DEATH – no
escaping it!
a.
You will see people live
ungodly, and wickedly, and live sometimes pretty long lives
b.
But in the end, they all die!
Every last one of them!
c.
And then they face the
judgment (Heb 9:27) of God!
d.
The wrath of God is what all
of us will face because of our sins.
1)
John the Baptist shouted to
the crowds that came to him every day, “Who hath warned you to flee from the
WRATH of God?”
2)
It doesn’t matter who you are!
Doesn’t matter how few sins you have committed
3)
God said in Ezek 18:4, “The
soul that sinneth, it shall DIE!”
3.
But because of the cross, that
horrible event of 2,000 years ago:
a.
God’s wrath has been emptied
out
b.
God’s justice has been
satisfied
4.
How?
a.
Because Jesus took our place
(1Peter 3:18)
1)
He became forsaken and
abandoned by God (Psalm 22:1)
2)
HE was wounded, bruised,
chastised FOR US “all WE like sheep”
3)
He finished the requirements
of the law (Col 2:14) – there is no more any of us have to do to be perfect in
God’s sight except accept the free gift of forgiveness at Christ’s expense!
b.
The cross reconciled sinners
to God (Eph 2:16; Rom 5:6,8)
c.
It actually made peace between
TWO enemies – God and ME (
5.
Take a look at the promise of
the cross in Isaiah 53:3-5, 10,11
a.
Only Jesus’ blood, dripping
down the cross could satisfy the demand that somebody die for all the sins of
the world
b.
Only the punishing death of
the cross would open the flood gates of forgiveness (Zech 12:10-14; 13:1)!!!
6.
All because God was satisfied
– He was pleased with His Son taking the place in punishment for all mankind!
7.
Thank God for the promise of
the cross!
8.
Thank God that Jesus could
confidently cry out IT IS FINISHED!
9.
But the promises don’t stop
here! It just gets better!
B.
That Sin would be Unplugged
– and it still is
1.
Sin has a power, doesn’t it?
an attractiveness
a.
It wouldn’t be a problem if it
wasn’t so much fun and so enjoyable
b.
Sin is like a magnet – tell a
person to not do something, and from that moment, all they think about is doing
it!
c.
Sin has power of our thoughts,
it has power over our chemicals – all you have to do is see something or someone
dress immodestly and something “turns on!”
d.
It has POWER
1)
It has power to numb you and
ruin your brain
2)
It has power to confuse you
3)
It has power to kill you! Name
me a sin that doesn’t kill
a)
Smoking…?
b)
Pornography? Let your wife or
girlfriend see you watching it
c)
Stealing? Just try and run
from being caught
d)
Drinking? Liver failures,
oesophageal cancers, stomach cancers
e)
Lying?
f)
They all ruin your life, and
kill you in the end!
4)
It has power to draw you into
more sin
5)
Sin will take you farther than
you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than
you want to pay.
2.
But thank God!
a.
The cross promised that SIN
would be unplugged
b.
What happened on the cross was
actually the fulfilment of a promise that SIN would lose its power there (John
8:36; Gal 5:1)
c.
Praise God that a Christian is
freed from the BONDAGE of sin – from the dominion, the power, the control of sin
(Romans 6:6-14)
d.
Hey! A Christian lives not
sinless, but free!
1)
Yes Christians do sin, and
grieve terribly
2)
But we live free of sin
constantly controlling our lives like it used to
3)
Why can we say that? Because
of the cross!
3.
Jesus didn’t take sin away
from you – He just unplugged it
a.
He took away the power source
behind sin in the life of the believer
1)
It still looks pretty and fun
2)
It still pulls on this flesh
and on this mind
b.
But thankfully, it does NOT
have the power over us like it used to!
4.
If any of you Christians have
problems with any sin in your life, it is simply because you keep trying to plug
it back in for old time’s sake! Which is stupid! Why would you try and enjoy
what was killing you before?!!!
5.
Thank God sin’s power has been
unplugged in my life!
6.
Start living free of the sins
that used to control you! By just obeying God’s word by faith instead of by your
own strength and feelings!
C.
That Satan would be
Defeated (Gen 3:15) – and he was!
1.
Like I said, it just gets even
better!
2.
I love it when the devil
loses!
3.
Satan is the god of this world
– the prince and the power of the air, the prince of darkness
a.
He runs this world
b.
And up to the crucifixion, he
had little to no competition
4.
And then Jesus laid His mighty
arms across the main beam of the cross, and pressed down his feet onto the
supporting beam, and with every strike of the hammer, Jesus crushed Satan’s
power!
5.
Jesus, by DYING, destroyed
“him that had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14)
6.
That’s the power of the cross!
a.
It is not a charm, or a good
luck piece
b.
Not a crucifix that people
wear around their necks
c.
It is the REAL cross of 2,000
years ago that defeated Satan!
d.
Satan was always trying to
kill off Jesus
e.
But Jesus death was no victory
for Satan – it was his defeat!
7.
And next time Satan tries to
convince you that he is pretty powerful, with fear, and nightmares, and worries
and anxieties, just remind him that he is defeated! He has LOST the war!
D.
That Jesus’ Stripes Would
actually HEAL (1 Peter 2:24) – and it HAS!
1.
By His STRIPES – what does
that mean?
a.
The whipping
b.
The lashes across almost all
of His flesh
c.
The beating, the bruising
d.
The PUNISHING for all MY
wrongs, and things I have done both against other people AND against an all holy
God!
2.
Those gashes criss-crossing
across the flesh of Jesus, HEAL…
a.
Broken minds
b.
Broken marriages
c.
Broken hearts
d.
They heal every abuse, and
bitterness, and guilt
3.
Do you realise why most people
in the world are only coping with life through drink every weekend, and drugs
throughout each day of every week?
4.
Because they rely on every
other possible help besides Jesus! And none of those “helps” actually HEAL!
5.
Some of you this morning in
here are still in bondage
a.
Wrapped in the bondage of
bitterness, and unforgiveness – JESUS DIED ON THAT CROSS to free you from that
bondage!
b.
Some of you are trapped in
lust and pornography – JESUS DIED to pay for that wicked filth coming into your
head and heart!
c.
Some of you are trapped by
sinful habits that the Bible clearly says you have been made free from, and you
won’t accept it by faith!
6.
It’s time you started
believing the promise that the CROSS healed you the moment you believed in the
Saviour that hung there, bruised and bleeding for you!
E.
That Death would be
Swallowed up in Victory (Isaiah 25:8) – and it
was!
1.
What looked like absolute and
total defeat, was actually DEATH being defeated!
2.
Jesus promised over and over
that not only would he be cruelly tortured and crucified, but that He would RISE
AGAIN three days later very much alive (Mt 16:21; 17:22,23; 20:19; 27:63)
3.
The cross was not the death of
a Man – it was the defeat of DEATH
a.
John 5:24
b.
John 6:67 – I got ETERNAL life
c.
John 8:51
4.
That’s why Christians don’t
fear death – because we will never die! Our flesh my die, but this sinner has
been GIVEN eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord!
5.
Hey! Jesus will never die
again (Heb 10:9-14). He is alive forevermore!
a.
More about that next week!
b.
Which, by-the-way is NOT
Easter –it is RESURRECTION Sunday!
F.
Lastly, That Sinners would
be Drawn to follow Him (John 12:32,33)
1.
Not the gruesomeness of the
crucifixion, but drawn to the promises of the cross
a.
That LIFE, both eternal life,
and abundant life are found at that old rugged cross
b.
That the Man who died there,
cried out “Father Forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
c.
That the same Jesus who died
on that cross, rose again, and loves every sinner, and asks them to look unto
Him and be saved (Isaiah 45:22)
2.
How do you draw nigh to God?
a.
Repent of your sinful life
b.
Gladly believe that He is all
you will ever need to be forgiven and made able for heaven!
c.
He will refuse NO ONE (John
6:35-37)
d.
IF they will just come as a
sinner, ready to be changed!
3.
Those of us who have gotten to
know all about what happened on the cross, glory in the cross, and get blessed
just reading about it!
a.
Gal 6:14 “But God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
b.
1Cor 1:17,18, 22-24 “For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God.”
III.
Conclusion
A.
The crucifixion of Jesus the
Messiah on the cross is a pretty dark event. Nothing can take away the awfulness
of that event. It, in its reality, can only be summarised as torture of the
worst kind!
B.
What did it mean to be
crucified?
1.
Publically
flogged first
2.
Humiliation and mockery
3.
And then, torture.
C.
But that was only the surface
event. Something else was happening a promise was being kept – as a matter of
fact, several promises!
1.
God’s Righteousness was
Satisfied
2.
Sin was Unplugged
– and it still is
3.
Satan was Defeated
4.
Jesus’ Stripes actually
HEAL
5.
Death was Swallowed up in
Victory
6.
Lastly, Sinners are still
Drawn to follow Him