"CrossUp, CrossOut, CrossOver"

Introduction to the message

At the cross where I first saw the light, and the burdens of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith, I received my sight and now I am happy all the day. Alas and did my Savior bleed and did my sovereign die, would He provoke that sacred head for such a worm as I. Everyone under the sound of my voice that has received the Lord Jesus and Savior and master can echo the sentiment in this song because we’ve all have had the cross moment. Don’t know when you came or if you’ve come, but we all have the choice to accept the cross, but you don’t have the choice to pass by the Bema judgement seat of Christ. This week we celebrate Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rides in triumphantly in fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Zechariah. Jesus enters the city and to his surprise, the temple of God had become a den of thieves and he put them out the Temple. He prepares for the Passover celebration with the disciples by instructing them to find a man that had a room. It was in that hour the ritual of passover met the reason for the passover in the person of Jesus Christ, and he revealed His true purpose to the disciples and the eventual betrayal by Judas (who had been dismissed) and the eventual denial by Peter (later restored). He and the disciples go out to the Mount of Olives where Jesus prays for God to remove the cup but through fervent prayer he submits to the will of God. Judas, with the scribes and Roman soldiers come and arrest Jesus. They led him from judgment to judgment hall, yet he never said a mumbling word. The scripture says that he was treated as a lamb to the slaughter (). After being examined by Pilate, he decided to leave Jesus’ fate up to the mob and the mob mentality played true to form and selected the murderer and rejected the Savior of the murderer. Jesus was beaten beyond recognition and given an old rugged cross to carry to the hill called Golgotha (the place of the skull) along the Via Dolorosa (the “Painful Way”) for roughly 650 yards. Yet, this last earthly journey of the Messiah was the most difficult because the weight of all humanity was literally on His shoulders. As he reached the pinnacle of the place of the skull, the Roman soldiers uncaring and unfazed took the garments of Jesus and placed him on the cross. This place became the pinnacle of pain for the one whom knew no sin, yet became sin all men. This was the pinnacle of pain for the one who created all things, now under subjection to the treacherous trap of the religious leaders. This was the pinnacle of pain for the Messiah who came in love yet received hate in its place. This was the pinnacle of pain for the one who healed the sick and raised the dead, but now is faced with His own mortality. This is pinnacle of pain for Jesus who had to forgive his enemies and offer salvation to a guilty thief. This is the pinnacle of pain for the one who would bear the sins of humanity on his own shoulders. The Jesus who did wonders among the people now seemingly needed his own miracle, but now there was no miracle for him. Jesus gives his hands to the nails, his feet to the spikes, his head to the crown of thorns, and his side to the spear. He gives his clothes to the gamblers and his mother to John. The last of the seven saying of Christ all prophetic in nature, yet carry a practical application for believers today.

Jeremiah 11:19 ESV

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”

Jeremiah 11:19 ESV

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”

Jesus’ crossUp reveals the Person of Christ.

How do you know a person true value and worth? Watch what they carry and how they carry themselves and it…In Roman time, a convict carrying his cross to the place of execution was saying that he was guilty of a great crime. To carry his cross meant he carried our reproach, our guilt, our sins and separation from God. This carrying of the cross revealed the person of Christ in that he was all God and all man…

He is the Preexistent One....

He was equal with God....

He was worthy of worship....

He was a member of the Trinity....

John 10:30–36 ESV

I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Matthew 14:33 ESV

And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

John 5:17–18 ESV

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

He

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Philippians 2:5–12 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

To carry your cross today means to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ. It is to be so identified with Him that when they accuse you of being a Christian, you are found guilty. When someone accuses you of being His disciple, you say, “You got me.” To carry your own cross is to admit publicly that you are committed to the Christ, guilty of placing Him first. Carrying you cross is when a girl tells her boyfriend, “I can’t sleep with you because I am Christian.” It’s when a businessman says, “I can’t do that unethical thin, because I am Christ’s disciple. I am living by a different agenda.” Carrying your cross is dying to yourself and what you want and putting Jesus first. It’s not comfortable to carry a cross.

bearing (bastazon: to take up anyone from the ground; to take up; bear off)

cross (stauros: suffer unto death)

Jesus’ crossOut revealed the purpose of the cross.

No one should never join Christ with the misconception of the cross and its significance in the plan of salvation. Jesus told the disciples that he was the way, the truth and the life, and no man could come to the Father except through him. The only way to the Father is through the Son and the only way to the Son is by way of the cross. The purpose of the cross is not to be just a symbol of a holiday, but a constant remind of what Jesus gave up for us. The revealed purpose of the cross is not in the sticks that reveal suffering and death, but it is the sacrificial offering and atonement of humanity’s sins at Christ’s expense and God’s broken heart at the ideal of being separated from his only son. Jesus declaring that “it is finished” is more than an exciting point for the shout cue or the organ, but its a statement of completion. What did Jesus complete?

Tetelestai (finished): to terminate, complete; fully accomplish; understood; to discharge fully, pay off

Genesis 3:15-the crushing of the serpent head

-the passover requirement

Leviticus-completed the sacrificial law

-he was the bronze serpent on the pole

-he was the prophet coming spoken of by Moses

-he is the captain of the host

Judges-he is the righteous judge

-the redemption of his kinsman

Samuel-the Great High Priest

The Book of the Kings-He is king of kings

The Chronicles-the Author and Finisher of our faith

Ezra-prayer

Nehemiah-restoration

Esther-favor

Job-answer to his questions

David’s-praise and pardon

Solomon’s wisdom

Isaiah’s suffering servant

Jeremiah’s balm in Gilead and mercies that are new every morning

Ezekiel’s wheel in the middle of wheel and horse pawing in the valley

Daniels deliverer

Hosea’s love affair

Joel’s restoration

Amos’

Amos’ plumline

Jonah’s fisherman

Micah governor

Nahum avenger

Habakkuk’s vision

Zephaniah’s healer

Haggai’s glory

Zechariah’s Branch

Malachi’s message

Jesus’ crossOver revealed the power of the cross.

At the point of completion of the sacrifice, the revelator of the revelation stated Jesus bowed his head (klino: as in one dying; incline, bend; pour out.....) and gave up the ghost “pneuma” back to the Father. The power of the cross is not in the wood, but its what’s on the wood that matters. When you know the power of the cross, the you can be what God wants you to be in this life.

A woman went to a huge mall and had her little young son with her. The mom wanted to do some shopping for things around the house, but the little boy wanted to go down into the toy factory and get some things to play with. They went in opposite directions. When they got ready to leave, the mother couldn’t find the son and the son couldn’t find the mother. They closed the store and the mother didn’t know where the son was. She went on home and kept on praying that someone would locate her boy and bring her son on back home. Late that night, a police officer was walking along the street and looked in the mall and saw the young man laying on some cardboard boxes…The police officer went and found the store owner and had him to unlock the door and went in and said to the young man, young man are you lost? He said yes sir..do you know the address to where you live…he said no sir....do you know the phone number....he said no sir.....he do you know the neighborhood from where you live, he said I really don’t know…The police officer said I’m trying to find a landmark…the boy said well at the end of the street there’s a church and on top of the church there is a steeple and on top of the steeple there is a cross…if you can get me to the cross I can find my way back home....

The power to purchase for us our eternal salvation

You can conqueror things that used to conqueror you

Your debts are paid in full