Untitled Sermon

Do you understand that God understands the pain of loss.

Last week looked at the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It brings tears to the eyes of every believer to picture our LORD on the cross, laying down His life for our sins.

God felt the pain of stripe.

Mark 15:19–20 Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

I have had students at school. Their children did wrong they are guilty, they deserve the punishment that comes to them and the punishment isn’t even severe. You know they used to spank kids in school. Now a child gets detention and the parents come in and say THAT’S NOT FAIR! That’s cruel to Johnny.

But they are guilty.

Jesus was not guilty.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Johnny would deserve what Jesus recieved. But my point is that if Johnny’s mom feels the punishment of her child, how much more does God feel what Jesus went through.

God understands sorrow.

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

We often speak of the submissiveness of Jesus. He could have called ten thousand angels. He could have taken Himself off the cross.

But WOW picture this from another perspective. Think like God now for a second. You can’t think like God it’s impossible but put yourself in His place.

Jesus innocent Jesus on the cross. MY SON! My only begotten Son!

He cries out. My God My God why have You forsaken Me?

Those words hit deep.

The hardest thing I ever did as a Father was to hold my Son down as they stitched his face back together right near the eye and he yells out. “Dad this man is bad give him a spanking!”

I wanted to grab that Doctor and say what are you doing to my son can’t you see He’s suffering. I let it happen because it was the best for Silas

GOD allowed Jesus to take our place.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Look at that verse differently. I have always and I am not wrong though Jesus who is God showed us His love by dying on the cross.

Now look at that verse from a different perspective. God the Father showed Demonstrated His OWN LOVE toward us. By sitting there and allowing Christ to die for us. Man if I am God and you all better be glad that I am not. I am saying I don’t care what I told NOAH. Jesus is coming off that cross and I flooding the world again. This is wrong. BUT GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS OWN LOVE TOWARD US

God understands grief.

Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

Everyone here who is morning someone. So well everyone here! God understands what you are going through.

The morning I prepared this Sonrise service I started off my morning before my feet hit the floor by reading an article by psycologist Tara Whitmore on the difference of people who chose not to have children and people who couldn’t carry a child.

That title hit me. I have known families who couldn’t have children. I have seen the joy of families who tried for a long time and had the joy of welcoming a child as a miraculous gift from God, I am thinking specifically about 3 families in our church and 2 from the Christian school.

Tara said in my clinical work, I’ve sat with women navigating infertility for years even decades. What strikes me is how closely the emotional landscape of infertility mirrors bereavement, except there’s no funeral, no casserole on the doorstop, no two week window where people check on you.

It is the most difficult thing and when yo don’t have that bereavement period it is so HARD!

I have had conversations with men, I don’t want a funeral or memorial service. Do you know what my answer has been, it’s your choice it’s your funeral.

But it’s not is it. I am going to change my tune. I have experienced enough to see that there is something that happens when you lose something.

God cares for your loss.

Psalm 113:9 He grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!

I think about God seeing barren Sarah Rebekkah Rachel Hannah Elizabeth. They all couldn’t have children and God saw their sorrow. That they morned alone. I do not believe in their husbands could understand. But on those three days God sorrowed alone. Think about it. Jesus had gone to paradise to preach to the Old Testament saints, to set the captive free. He wouldn’t ascend to the Father until Resurrection morning. Heaven wasn’t full those people were in paradise. I have my suspicions that the angels weren’t comforting. Not that they couldn’t but I believe that God wanted to face every moment of grief without bereavement.

God and Jesus understand your sorrow.

Isaiah 53:3–4 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

On that note I want to turn our attention to Pilate

Jesus grabbed Pilates attention.

Mark 15:5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Three times Pilate found no fault in Jesus.

John 19:4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

I have spoken on this in detail at other times but in the book of John Pilate declares Jesus innocent three times. It is important because He had to declare Jesus innocent.

Pilate became of afraid of Jesus.

John 19:7–8 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,

I have read the accounts of Jesus dying on the cross and see spiritual warfare of the highest degree from what happened in the upper room until Jesus cried out It is Finished. Pilate was a power but simple bystander in the process whose britches weren’t big enough for the moment really the battle of eternity. It doesn’t matter who you are. Adolf Hitler George Washington Napolean Alexandar the Great

Pilate understood the Jews envy and wanted to release Jesus.

Mark 15:9–10 But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

Pilate washed his hands of Jesus.

Matthew 27:24–25 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

Every word of the Bible is important but some just hit home and resonate. We all know about Pilate washing his hands. But those words the blood of a just person. WOW that is significant and the His blood be on us and our children! That is a loaded statement that went far beyond the Patroreum.

Joseph of Arimathea and Pilate.

Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Now my message is Resurrection morning for Pilate. I have to tell you the Bible has no answers so we are going to speculate. That is why I started talking about God the Father because I also want to consider Resurrection morning for the Father. Something a little more concrete.

But I want to talk to you about Pilate. When He died Joseph of Arimathea has to get courage to talk to Pilate and what detail does Mark give us and Mark is not the detail writer of the gospel by any means but it does say

He was waiting for the Kingdom of God.

He was a Jew who would fit in with First Baptist Port Crane Shouting Maranatha! Come Quickly LORD JESUS! What did they talk about. Did Joseph talk to Pilate about the coming of the Kingdom. Was there a prophecy study. Did Pilate hear all the things that Jesus said and did.

Pilate hears the resurrection prophecy.

Matthew 27:62–64 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

I always read this and think. Man the Pharisees had more faith in Jesus Resurrection than his disciples did. They were so concerned about it that they wanted security and they are the ones who placed the security there themselves. They believed Jesus words even if His disciples didn’t

Pilate marveled.

Mark 15:44–45 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

The word Marvel means to wonder or to admire. In other words it goes beyond the word contemplate. Pilate had to real think about this Jesus! What happened to Jesus.

You know that is it about Pilate! Nothing More

The Bible goes silent

We know from history that he ruled in Jeruslem for about 3 years after Christ death but was sent back to Rome by the emporer Tiberius

I will tell you this the Ethiopean Orthodox Church and early coptic traditions believe he was converted.

They honor him as a martyr and a saint. Can it be proven. NO! It would be nice to think but the truth is the Bible goes silent.

That is the best case scenario, I will be so excited if we get to heaven and Pilate is there.

But think about the other possibility. The Bible is silent.

Pilate was given so much proof

He heard about Jesus

Being King

Being God

Proclaimed Him innocent

He heard claims of His Kingdom

Saw a glimpse of the power of His blood

Understood that Jesus was a big deal

Witnessed Him dying in place of a sinner.

Heard about His Kingdom

Heard about the promise of His Resurrection.

He was closer than anyone! But if He had all that and all we hear is crickets.

You have heard the gospel, You have seen it all. You are so close to the gospel.

You are so close.

Mark 12:34a Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Would you accept Jesus today? Listen to the Power of the resurrection.

I just wonder what Pilate was thinking as news spread on Resurrection morning. Did He hear? Did it terrify him. Was he too proud for the moment. We may never know. But I pray that we do find out. While Pilate Cared about what happened to Jesus. Not enough to stop it. But Jesus death seemed to effect him. Don’t let the death of Jesus effect you and miss the gospel message of the empty tomb

That is the sad part of the story but we are here to rejoice so I turn your attention back to the Morning Father.

God is heaven dealing with the death of His Son.

Jesus had a mission to get to the Father.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

Jesus knew that He had to go and get to the Father. He had to go Home. His mission wasn’t going to be stopped for anything. The last thing that He said to the Father was WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? The Prayer in the Garden was so hard. Jesus needed to be reunited with the Father to give Him a hug.

I am going to turn us to the story of the prodigal son. Not because I am suggesting that Jesus sinned and disrespected the father. But because I am saying that Jesus humbled himself and because sin for us like we read this morning. He wallowed in the pigs for awhile and HE ME Jesus never sinned, He never rebelled He took our rebellion and Resurrection morning was Him coming Home but He wasn’t coming alone.

The reunion in Heaven.

Luke 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Can you picture the reunion in heaven. People debate the timetable of events for Jesus between the cross and the empty tomb. But lets picture Jesus going to paradise and spending three days there and then returning to heaven with an army of OT saints. And making a brief appearance to Mary. Could you imagine and it doesn’t matter when it is. The reunion the job is done. Sin and the grave have been defeated. The Father must have been so ready to have the Son home again.

Honor the Resurrected Son.

Luke 15:22–24 But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. “

The celebration in heaven must have been similar to the story of the prodigal son coming home.

Jesus left the Father’s home.

Philippians 2:5–8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

That is the Part that Pilate saw. That is the part that he marveled at, it is the part that captivates people every year, the movie the Passion of the cross even unbelievers are moved to tears by the innocent man who carried the sins of the World.

The Father rejoiced to have the Son Home.

Philippians 2:9–11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I see this as the scene in heaven, when Jesus ascended to the Father. Don’t be so close to the gospel and miss it. I think about it each year there are visitors on Easter morning. What have you done with JESUS! Is He your King of Kings and LORD of LORDS. I know on Resurrection Morning we like to picture the empty tomb. We will at the 1045 service. Right now I want you to picture the reunification in heaven. and guess what it is that hope of resurrection that we know that as He rose so will we rise also and because Jesus Lives Live is Worth the Living there is hope. For all those who have lost! Heaven is our home. Christ is our Savior and when we get to heaven what a day of rejoicing I long to see my Jesus first of all, but oh to see the sorrow finally be turned to JOY! It will be worth it all when we see Jesus

He is Risen!

Mark 16:6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

Because He Lives!

1 Corinthians 15:51–53 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

What a day of rejoicing that will be