Sermon Read Mark 15:16-32

Intro

“What comes to mind when you think of Christianity” You may think that it is someone who represents a movement or a political idea. At the heart of every religion is a moral code we must live up to. Christianity is news. Did you notice something strange in what I just read…they crucified him. So plain and so simple. Why would Mark give so little detail about the crucifixion? Mark is more focused on why Jesus was crucified.

Sin

This passage is another famous Mark sandwich.

Why point out all of the people in the passage? Every type of person is opposed to God. “Hatred toward God is as wide as the people of the world are”. All people are rebellion.

Mark shows not only the extent of our sin, but the depth of it.

The problem was their heart, they hated God. We are not better than the people who crucified Christ, we are them. Your gratitude to God will run only as deep as your knowledge of your own sin.

add “Unbeliever, maybe this is your mindset. If God would just prove himself in a certain way, then I’d believe”. add to talking about the mockers who sarcastically said they would believe if he came off the cross.

2. Christ

Great irony in the passage: we would laugh at their laughter. they mock him for three things

A. King of Israel- beaten man who is the king. Christ’s infinite sovereign power is used to infinitely serve selflessly.

B. His body is the the temple

C. They mock Jesus because he could not save himself-

individualism, consumerism, and utopianism are the main three heresies that Sam deals with in our congregation

“its almost like the soldiers went to their post that morning and got their commands directly from the book of Isaiah. They do exactly what Christ wants them to”.

3. Salvation

the crown of thorns only makes visible what the saved can see.

Christianity is an announcement. God’s blessing was placed on your head so your curse could be placed on his”

What do you do with news? It is not law, it is not moral code. You believe the news!

End of the news point, application: If you are looking at Christ’s crucifixion and doing something other than simply believe it, you are saying that the cross was insufficient. Yeah God the son died for me, but I still need to do moral acts for my salvation.

4. Discipleship

One person doesn’t fit with the mockers: Simon of Cyrene.

The cross is the source of our life. Congregational application: we are committing to die.

nate loves the locking arms term.