Four Powerful Truths at the Cross

the Bible says, and pilot a sentence that it should be as they required Any released unto them him that first edition a murder was cast into prison, but he delivered Jesus to that will Unless they laid him away, they lay hold upon one's Simon of Cyrene are coming after the country. I don't him. They laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And that followed him, a great company of people and if women, which also do whales in the men to him, but Jesus turned into them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem. Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves. And for your children, hold the days are coming into which they shall say, blessed are the barn and the rooms that never bad and the password navigate suck, then, shall I begin to say to the mountains to the hills? Cover us? If they do these things in a green tree, what shove? It shall be done in the drawing. and there were also two of them Mel fights his lead with him to be put to death and when they were comes the place, which is called Calvary that they crucified him and the one on the right hand and the other on the left then said, Jesus, father, forgive them for they know, not what they do and they cost at his arraignment, sand, cast, lots, And the people stood beholding in the rulers, also with them divided him saying he saved others. Let him save himself. If he Christ in the chosen of God and the soldiers. Also mocked him coming to him and offered him vinegar. Be the king of the Jews saved by self. His superscription also was written over him in lettuce of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews. And one of the most factors which hand rails on him saying, if I'll be Christ, save thyself and O's but the other and sit and swing rebuked him saying just I'm just not valve figured seeing that are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for, we receive the Jew reward. If I did to this man, after nothing amiss and he said unto Jesus. Lord, remember me when now, coming onto the kingdom, and Jesus said unto him, verily, I say unto the today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. And it was about the 6 hour and there was darkness of all the Earth until the ninth hour and the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, is it father into thy hands. I commend my spirit and having said this, he gave up the ghost know, when the century saw what was done a glorified God saying, certainly this was a righteous man and all the people that came together to that site before. And all the people that came together to that site, they holding the things, which were done, smoke that breast and returned and all his acquaintances. And the women that followed him From Galilee to the fire of beholding, these things. May the Lord, add a blessing to his word this morning.

Like to do something. I don't normally do and that is to present to you the number of quotations to start off at the very beginning. And before I do this, though, I'm also going to do something that is highly unusual for me, especially from the church lectern, and that is, there is a movie out in the cinema right now, and it's called the king of kings and it's, it's what you would think of as the king of kings, and it's a very accurate and very good depiction of the Life of Christ. And it again, always pay me to say this Subway Cinema. It's not paying me to say this, but it's very good. It's been, it's been put out by Ministry called Angel Studios. And so, highly recommend that one. If you want to take your your children to it, the movie is not questionable in anyway and theologically accurate to say We took some some children and around 2 to go see it. This week self treat yourself to that if you're able to. But then so I want to start off with these quotes and then I'm getting to the message. The first one is this. We live in a fallen world. There's a fundamental disorder in the universe or survival attributes, to send an alienation from God. John Stott, Fleming Rutledge said this from beginning to end the holy scriptures testified that the predicament of Fallen humanity is so serious. So grave and so irremediable from within that nothing short of divine intervention can Rectify it? J.c., Ryle said, take away the Cross of Christ and the Bible is a dark book. Author, Anonymous on this next one. Jesus did not come to Earth for an Excursion but an execution. I had my own words before this next Anonymous thoughts at Halloween. The Western World often celebrates the putrid in use of horror from a graveyard but the best news the world ever had came from a graveyard and then Nexus from Fleming Rutledge, perhaps the strongest statement that we can make about the resurrection, is that a Jesus had not been raised from the dead? We would never have heard of him. Millions of people died, right? The cross, we speak of in Christianity is not a brutal accident. It is an achievement. We live in a disgustingly hypocritical Society allowed to live the murderers and the ones who take advantage of women and children to live and then Kill a pre-born babies, who done nothing wrong. Kill off granny because she's in pain but has never done anything. Worthy of death, we live in a topsy-turvy world, killing the innocent, letting the guilty. Go free makes a God-fearing person like you and me want to scream and then pray with it. The Lord's Prayer by Kingdom Come invoking. All the the terms and conditions of Revelation upon the world to Georgia

The back to the point Easter is about the death of a man. Jesus convicted. And then sentenced to die, most forms of execution I meant to happen. Death is meant to happen very quickly, such as lethal injection, or the guillotine or whatever might be. But this form of death, this man was sentenced to was not. It was meant to prolong the suffering and so much that when a person finally succumb to an agonizing death Often by asphyxiation choking, no. Are sometimes it lasted more than a day.

If we and I I know many of you do if we understand the point of Jesus death and we will have a greater appreciation for his resurrection. As the first, major powerful truth from the cross today is that at the cross God reveals Who We Are One Peter 1st. Peter 3:18 says, Christ also has once suffered for us. The just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Being put to death in the flesh but made a live by the spirit. There is the Resurrection, The Gospel in one package of a verse in 1st. Peter, 3 Verse 18, here, we have that Christ died and then he rose again, giving us life, making us alive by the spirits. But the cross reveals who we are. We are on just naturally with a big emphasis on social justice today, isn't there? Even some Ministries. Some churches are hiring a position where it is a social justice Minister. That is a position in some Churches, never in this one. But there is a position in this church called social justice minute Minister. But you know the water's get muddied on this topic. What is it just cause What about men and women's sport gaining, an unfair Advantage is causing injuries in worst things that I can't mention here. It's a social justice to allow a self-proclaimed marginalized group divorced their ideology on the rest of us. Or is it social justice to push back on it to declare the unfair advantages on the more disturbing? R rated aspects of it. I think this proves that as a society even as individuals, we are not great at being the sole Arbiters of Justice. Just people can't define justice. We've all committed sin Injustice. We need a higher standard, the unfailing non-political word of God. And so in the word of God, we find about the cross and it and it reveals a gap between humanity and God with a terrible Clarity, it true that jealous religious leadership were so cynical that they rejected the Messiah and then out of fear, has them died horribly. They failed miserably in their sense of social justice. Jesus is own disciples fled in fear. The gap between humanity and God couldn't be clearer or wider but let's not be smug as though. We're so far separated. From that group of people, we are by a couple millennia. but as humans were not, let's not look upon the religious leaders as though. We have no part in Jesus's. Death, from an early age, we parents are responsible to tell children that you my child as well as me your sin, but Jesus on the cross. Myson put Jesus on the cross. Every time bar one the word religion is used in the New Testament is a negative connotation. The positive connotation is in James chapter 1, pure religion and undefiled before God, the father is this to visit the fatherless and widows in their Affliction and keep himself unspotted from the world. That's a good sense of religion is, it's got invented but all that the other mentions of the word religion throughout the New Testament, all negative, because it's a human attempt to bridge the gap between us and God. We are. Well aware that there is a gaping gap between us and God, but any attempt to fill that Gap, Is a standing next to God from Perfection or attempt to be good without God, then becomes rather unnerving. Because we, we Glimpse ourselves in the shadows as God sees us in each of us stand before God as those who are accused or guilty and await judgment, we have not when we've got goodness, that's really wrong. The cross is a good visual image for us. It's angled as a As a letter x 4 for us, in our normal use, that can be, I can be the sign of a wrong answer, no wrong right next to it. I once had a rather cheeky High School teacher who a student was trying to convince the teacher that his answer was correct on the quiz. We had taken. And this was that the teachers response. It was basically, no, but he said just put a little X by it. Slightly mocking but we all got the humor of it but the x is a symbol of you got it wrong.

but there's another Sense of this x, other than not good. At the cross. God reveals who we are. Does he do anything? More positive Willy does will continue with this little little stration, the same cross angle is the x is also a sign of devotion love and loyalty. We sign off a tag on a greetings card, dear so-and-so, happy birthday, love yourself, x x. So it's not all bad sometimes. It's a sign of love and Devotion to one another. At the cross, God not only reveals who we are but he reveals who he is until this. How good God is. The shame that so many people are bent on instead of investigating. The claims of Christ will simply adopt mortar, sand more cynical definition of who God is They want to say that God is perpetually angry with Humanity, waiting for an opportunity to crush us like whack a mole type of game. You know, the sinner pops up. You at some people's made-up version of who got is but the cross has a completely different story. It's like the second you said that that ex is one of love and devotion, my Bible tells me and John 3:16 that God. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son on a cross that whoever believes in him, will not perish. But have everlasting. Life is very different than a God who just looking for someone to mess up a squash. You Galatians 2:20, Paul says to the galatian church, I am crucified with Christ on a cross. He himself a Christ, not I that lives, but Christ in me and the life, which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Ephesians 5 verse 2. Paul races from a dark tank Roman prison to the Church of Ephesus in Asia Minor. In modern-day turkey. Hey tell the employees at church and walk in love as Christ. Also has loved us and is giving himself for us as an offering and sacrifice of God on a cross. For a sweet-smelling. Savor, that's what my Bible tells me the cross does. For me, it reveals who I am, yes, it reveals who God is. Putting the horror that God makes a statement of how much he loves us, how much is value. So we learned the next powerful Truth at the cross. God rescues us for Who We Are. The Cross isn't a tragic accident of a perfect life, surprisingly ended. No, Jesus even announced it several times before he was crucified and risen. So wasn't an accident. Jesus knew it was coming. It is a Triumph. The word gospel means, good news. What brought Jesus to the Cross? Was ultimately not the authorities of the Jews, not the authority of the Romans, but God's love and his purpose. Human authorities. Certainly played a role in Jesus crucifixion, but the ultimate cause was God's loving plan for salvation. God knew what would happen? His pretty prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed by whom by one whom he even named an apostle Judas to go back and read your Bible. You find that Judas was not only a disciple, he was a named apostle. Yes, unconverted. The rest of the disciples didn't realize that there was a rat in the room. It was a bad apple in the room. It was Judas. and as you're well aware Judas betrayed Jesus and his whereabouts in the Garden of Gethsemane, the thirty pieces of silver, the price of a Slave, That was the value that Judith put on, Jesus, the price of a slave. I daresay there are millions of people today who put that price on Jesus. That price that would lead them to say. Jesus Christ in a Blasphemous way. But God, made Christ, who would never send to be our offering for sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ. I heard a preacher on Good Friday, speak of the prophecy as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man. Jesus be lifted up. How do you spoke of how people look at the the brass serpent after they rebelled against God, got sand snakes to bite them and then they look at the brass Serpent and be healed after they are for a way of salvation, but I want to take that a bit further because the word of God, says, cursed is everyone who is hung up on a tree Now, what was the first part of nature that was cursed? Any guesses. First part of nature that was cursed, the serpent Satan, the serpent lifted up on the tree, the curse is lifted up and now instead of the snake, it's the savior. He then became the curse for us so that I wouldn't have to be cursive. So that you wouldn't have to be cursing damned forever in a place for eternity called help that God never designed for you and me, but designed for Satan and his angels. But, because God is still wholly. He's perfectly. Holy, he must banish people there who have said, no to him. I have not repented of their sin. And if not ask for God to make that transaction for God made Christ, you never send a video frame person so that we can be made right with God. So it was indeed a rescue plan but what qualifies Jesus to be a rescuer both perfect God and perfect man. One thing I don't like to say now you might squirm with it a statement like this but hear me. God did not die. God never ceased to exist. God always, was, he never died and he always will be. So what happened on the cross? Jesus actually died. His life actually expired. His pulse ceased to be the brain activity ceased to play out. So what happened the perfect body. Human body of Jesus Christ actually died, but there was no sin ever done in that body, which qualifies him to be the sacrifice and God rays that body up three days later by this. Jesus was able to represent both sides as he is divine, but he was also able to represent my side and yours because you semen. humanly speaking, it's conflict of interest, your lawyer and the prosecutor I do that pair are all the same person if you had committed a crime and you walked into the court of law, by the way, the prosecutor is going to try to stick it all to you, get the maximum sentence to you. And where is your defense? Attorney is meant to sort of hold back as much judgment as possible to help. Get you, the lighter sentence impossible to get you off entirely. But you walk into the court of law. I need to find out some pretty good news. You find out that the lawyer you've been speaking with on the phone. Introduces himself also is the prosecutor, no answer. You have a sense of dread do they what did I get myself into My lawyer is also the prosecutor, a pool but actually it's not that the lawyer who is on your side, says, yeah. I'm off to the prosecutor and I'm on your side too. I will adjudicate properly and when you are condemned, do step in your place and I'll even pay your fine. I'll do it all for you. And all you must do is say God, I want that on my account and that's it done, forgiving, it's all done. The prosecutor is not against you, he's for you, your lawyer is not against you, he's for you that, that is not against you. It is paid in full but that's how God designed. It was a perfect storm of your record, wife, the way through repentance and Faith did the blood of Jesus Christ. It was not a lucky rescue. By Design God's design, and that brings us to the last powerful truth. The act, the cross God restores us to, who we were meant to be God, restores us to who we are, meant to be the crossover's forgiveness, for those who want to receive it. But the cross doesn't just offer a cold and formal dismissal of your record. Illegal. Verdict of not guilty declared innocent it goes much farther. It goes not only from reconciliation, it goes to Restoration and that's really important. Let's say you received a classic cars again that would be fun and payment but instead of a nice brand new amazing looking classic car is Rusty. is really really old is falling too dry rotted tires and a seized up engine that's a lot of work but you're not only The registered keeper then something else happens. The engine gets rebuilt for you. The body work Body Work gets redone for you. The interior gets reupholster for you and now presented to you is not only a Reconciliation payment, but a completely restored vehicle and you have a beautiful thing. I like gawking drooling, whatever sitting at traffic light classic car pulls up next to me, I just think my wife has light screen time to go and I love to see you. Something that I know was old that I know is falling apart and now it's restored. And that is what the cross offers us. Not only reconciliation, but complete restoration, here's what happens at the cross. Your record. My record of rebellion that was against us is now cancelled. We now know God not only as our judge but as our father Jesus, is now our older brother who looks after us. God stand beside stand beside us in life and in death, that's the song. We just sang Christ, Our Hope in life and death. And then not only that you get the whole Triune God, my friend, the Holy Spirit lives in US. Protect our hearts are mines and guys are still the Troubles of life. Never leaving us. Until we stepped foot into heaven, was that we receive God face-to-face. We are transformed. We receive our glorified bodies forever in the presence of almighty God. That's a life. Not only reconciled, but restore. Go back to that analogy. Of the X. Not only sign of condemnation, it's not only a sign of Love X X kiss kiss. It's also a sign of something that's no longer relevant. At the cross, your sin is no longer relevant. This is a sign of cancellation. Let's mark out the bet that no longer applies to take the X and put it over your previous record, no longer applies. Now, you may still have some consequences of passing that haunt, you didn't stay, but don't think for a moment that it is Unforgiven, when you came to Jesus and repentance and Faith asking him to save you, to wash your sin Away by his blood. He put that big fat X over your record and now it no longer applies to you. It's kind of sold. Maybe someone gives you a rough draft of a document or maybe you were in high school or uni and you are proof reading a paper granted that you didn't turn into rough draft like maybe. I did a couple times but you went through and you read through the flow of it and you said, I don't like that paragraph. What do you do? That no longer applies, that's not part of the overall paper. I'm going to hand in at the cross friends, you're saying is no longer relevant, not only a sign of condemnation or love and cancellation. it means finally that if we turn it a bit like this, no, I'm not talking about the cross of Calvary, maybe was trying to think ahead of me. That's not what I'm getting at. And also is a plus sign of addition. Not only is your record never held against you crossed off Eternal record. But in our minds, we can turn that accept crossed into a plus. With a cross. No represents an addiction is not a cancellation of bad news of our debt. And also offers the gospel offers, good things in our lives. At this number, I told add your face virtue to Virtue and I forgot the verse, but you get the idea. But at one aspect of achievement of the Resurrection is vital and throws a dazzling light into the element of existence that Hunter saw death. So you know what the What does a cross add to death life? Has life to us. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and that you might have it to the fool that you might have it more abundantly. I will add life to you, you have a new relationship with God, death itself, died in the death of Christ. I life itself became a reality for you because Christ is risen, Church was the appropriate response when someone says he is risen.

He is risen indeed so let's try it. I'll say the first part is risen and then, you know, your part he is risen He is risen indeed. Praise God. We have to believe in one verdict about the resurrection of Jesus. One offer one author gave us four possible verdicts a read a book on Friday night. I was giving away a Good Friday service at billing. Hey and it was a lawyer who wrote the book, fascinating fascinating. But first, the first verdict that you can come up with about the resurrection. First lady is that it's a myth. You look at the details of the Bible and you can conclude your the jury. I'm the jury, we can conclude that it's a myth. I didn't say you should, I said that you can conclude that, it's a mess people. Don't rise from the dead second verdict. You could come up with that. The resurrection is a fraud, somehow people just date. They manufacture this thing to make it look like Jesus died. There's different theories about this. Is that a swollen theory that Jesus went and fell unconscious and that, and that they put him in there. They're cool too. Cool. As in temperature wise and ended the coolness, and the dampness just kind of raised them back up to life. Kind of revive him, a little bit, like a, like, a cold pack on your forehead revives you a bit. Now, there's a lot of factors against this for one, the Romans were experts in death. Now, the Phoenicians invented crucifixion with the Romans. They were sadistic they perfect. They wanted to make a person suffer, as long as possible before they died. They loved seeing Agony really sick in the head, but the Romans love seeing that they were bloodthirsty as you might say. So the Jews were not permitted to just just like today, you're not permitted to bury a body without a death certificate, if someone in your family died and you just went on to a lonely Hill in the UK and you buried them under a pile of rocks and then just left them. You can get a lot of trouble for that. You need a death certificate, which sadly I read in the news. This week is taking up to eight weeks to acquire a death certificate. That means you can't have the funeral 48 weeks which is really horrible. I hope that improves but none the less political here. You must have a death certificate in order to bury someone, because there has to be someone who concurs that the person is indeed dead. Because you can do all kinds of fraud, steal her identity. You can do all kinds of things. But the Romans were experts in death and the Jews had to get the Rome. Permission to even bury someone, remember what Joseph of Arimathea did. What do you do? He just went to the cross and took Jesus down. No need to get permission first. He went and requested the body of Jesus. He was given permission only after what the Roman guard made. Sure he was dead. So they went and they broke the legs of the two thieves one and either side of Christ, they come to Jesus and they find. Yeah, this guy's dead. But one good enough for them was it where they show they took a spear and I thrust it in the side of Jesus, many theories are Bound by Blood and water came out, maybe a heart had ballooned and and as a result, a lot of water came out. But whatever Theory you take on that the scripture say blood and water poured out and in that quantity friends he was dead for sure he was dead. The Romans would not have released him. If they were uncertain, he was dead or not. No, Jesus did indeed die. So, the whole Spoon Theory, the whole fraud theory about Jesus, and maybe not died. No, the secularist wanted him dead, and he was indeed a third. 1/3 verdict about the resurrection was one that we read in the scripture is that somebody stole the body. Oh, that's seems really likely. I am guarded by armed soldiers, or maybe, maybe. Let's go back to the previous when Jesus heal woke from his stupor and then he moves that great, big heavy Stone all by himself, right? Oh, and then guarded by guards in front of it. I dare say, you know, someone who's been weakened that much by the flogging and the torture before before their death. Let's say, Jesus didn't die, for argument's sake. Let's say, we take that verdict. Let's say he had all that blood loss. Do you think you would have had enough strength to move that stone by himself? Do you think that Jesus would emerge as a Victor from the grave Victorious? Peoples, who saw their Master died and raise them up again, to be powerful. Preachers of the Resurrection, this Haggard being staggering from the tomb. Do you think that would have inspired confidence in them if that indeed was what happened? That Jesus didn't really die was just unconscious is it's completely unbelievable to say that either. The resurrection is a fraud or that stealing his body to make it look like a resurrection was one but we have a fourth Burdick's. And that the resurrection was a miracle, I daresay most if not all of us in here in Blessing by Wave Internet know that that is it. The resurrection is indeed a miracle. I want to do a little bit of a a fun analogy today. Alright Can I get you to come up and help me? Just just next to me? Lorelei just comes down here. And then since you're up, Thumbs down next to me. At least two people represent while there's three here but there's two people, represent something. Now you get to be a Roman slave girl. You're the one who and I'm Peter, by the way, nice to meet you. So we're sitting by the fire Jesus is over there, he's being condemned to death. We're warming ourselves by the fire at night, very cool. And and the slave girl said to me, you were one of them. You're one of them followers of Jesus. I'm a page. Are you know, on the man's man? I wonder, why do. Where is it? I don't know who the guy is. I'm afraid of the slave girl. But then after Jesus's resurrection day of Pentecost, 50 days. After Passover, we come to this other character, you are the big bad religious Elite of Jerusalem. Now you see, why do they just delete of Jerusalem and II? Peter who fled from a slave girl? That would be found out I know stand boldly and I Proclaim Jesus whom you crucified, sorry you crucified. But now he is risen and I don't care what you could possibly do to me because he changed me from within. Do you think a fraud of a resurrection would put that kind of change in someone? No. Only the miracle of the Resurrection. Couldn't use that kind of courage and confidence and a person who would flee from a slave girl. But yes, and before all of Jerusalem is here, I stand, I can do no other, like, Martin Luther. Thank you, appreciate it, both of you.

Christ is not only the reason of our faith. We submit to him. We live in his lordship. Someone would not die for a lie. Jesus is Alive. He is the one that ever since the apostles price has transformed hundreds of millions of people who now follow him. Jesus is Alive. So, here's a question to you Believers today. Are you living in the shadow of the cross? I did so much for, you know, you don't any longer have a debt to pay Jesus. Paid your dad's. What are you grabbing hold of a life that reflects the four powerful truth of the cross? At the cross, God reveals who you are, who reveals who he is. He rescued us from who we are? And lastly, God restores us to who we were meant to be. Are you living in that truth today friend? If there's never been a time in your life, when you have trusted in the Risen Lord, Jesus as your substitute, as your savior, Redeemer and your rescuer today, you need to turn away from your sin as anything you think say or do that does not please God and ask him to forgive you. He alone can provide the payment. We are said, let's pray. Father, we come before you this morning, we asked you That you would set that truth Upon A Hearts. Yes, in some regards is heavy because we have to talk about the crucifixion but another sense is the addition to us eternal life and life in Christ. Now, I pray for the person who doesn't have the Abundant Life abiding in them that they would repent of the sin and trust you as Savior but they wouldn't wait another day, it's not messing around and playing games. And thousand and trust you as Savior for the rest of us. Lord, I pray that you would give us great confidence in the word that we serve a living savior. Give us great confidence that even as the Hindus go to Graves of their predecessors, their leaders, their tombs are still full. That a Muslim who goes to the grave of Muhammad. There's still dust in there from the body but Lord, thank you. That we visited two men or a Mind's Eye. A tomb that is still there. And it is empty because our leader is not dead. He is alive. Lord, thank you that you are Alive, forevermore. And therefore you give us hope that no matter what we are going through in life and in death, you are indeed our savior and a friend in Jesus mighty name we pray

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