King on the Cross

Scripture:

Mark 15:1–15 ESV

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

“At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!” Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!””

Mark 15:33-39 NLT

Story:

i was at my aunt leoras house and i loved playing with fire and matches - she foundout that some little kid was playing with matches and lined us up to confess, if no one did then we all were getting beat, so what do you do??? you double down and have everyone go down with you.

Imagine this:

You clearly breaks a serious rule—maybe you vandalize something, cheat in a major way, or hurt someone. You get caught, and the consequences are real: suspension, losing trust, maybe even being expelled.

You know you are guilty. There’s no excuse.

Now imagine this twist:

Another student—who is completely innocent, respected, and has done nothing wrong—steps in and says:

“I’ll take the punishment instead. Let them go.”

The authority actually accepts it. You being guilty walk scotch free, while the innocent one takes the consequences.

Why did Jesus Go to the cross???

Why did he have to die???

1. God is Holy — Sin Creates Separation

At the foundation is who God is.

• God is perfectly holy, righteous, and just

• Sin is not just “mistakes”—it is rebellion against God

sin isn’t i made an uh-oooo, ——- you hurt the very heart of God

Key Scriptures:

• Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

• Isaiah 59:2 “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” – Sin separates us from God

deep down in the depths of your DNA is the strand of Rebellion that runs through all of humanity. We are Un-holy

God is HOLY - HOLY - HOLY

A Holy God can not be around or indwell an unholy vessel/person.

If God is Holy and we are made in His image then we ought to be holy as He is holy the scriptures say

“The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God’s one aim is the production of saints. He is not an eternal blessing machine for men; he did not come to save men out of pity; he came to save men because he had created them to be holy.” Oswald Chambers

Doctrine: Because God is holy, sin cannot exist in His presence without judgment.

Why did He have to go to the cross???

2. The Justice of God Requires Payment for Sin

God is not only loving—He is just.

• Sin carries a penalty: death (spiritual + eternal)

• Justice means wrongdoing must be addressed

Key Scriptures:

• Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death”

• Hebrews 9:22 – “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”

describe - adam and eve and an animal being shed for them

EX. passover [give context of isreal] close and build relationship with the lamb and the angel of death would passover - joe isreal wouldn’t be walking at night even thoough he put the blood over the door post- you had to be in the house or the destroyer would take your life……..

you can’t just be covered by the blood you had to be in the house

In order for God to be completely loving and perfect in justice means God couldn’t turn a blind eye to the problem of sin.

Sin creates a debt that humanity cannot pay on its own

3. (WE) Humanity Is Unable to Save Itself

No amount of good works can fix sin.

• We cannot “earn” righteousness

• Even our best efforts fall short

Key Scriptures:

• Ephesians 2:8–9 – Saved by grace, not works

• Isaiah 64:6 – Our righteousness is like filthy rags

4. God’s Love Provided a Substitute

This is where the gospel becomes powerful.

• God didn’t just demand justice—He provided the solution

• Jesus came as our substitute

Key Scriptures:

• John 3:16 – God gave His Son

• Romans 5:8 – While we were sinners, Christ died for us

Doctrine: This is called Substitutionary Atonement — Jesus took our place.

5. Jesus Lived the Life We Couldn’t Live

Jesus was uniquely qualified:

• Fully God and fully man

• Lived a sinless life

Key Scriptures:

• Hebrews 4:15 – Tempted, yet without sin

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Doctrine: Only a perfect sacrifice could pay for sin.

6. The Cross Satisfied Both Justice and Mercy

At the cross, two attributes of God meet:

• Justice → sin is punished

• Mercy → we are forgiven

Key Scriptures:

- God is both just and the justifier

Romans 3:25–26 ESV

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The cross is where God remains righteous while saving sinners.

7. Jesus Became the Curse for Us

The cross wasn’t just physical suffering—it was spiritual.

Key Scripture:

• Galatians 3:13 – “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”

Jesus took:

• Our sin

• Our guilt

• Our curse

this Redemption — being bought back at a price.

We look at the story of barabbas and it was custom to set a prisoner free

pilate asks Jesus “are you the king of the jews” jesus replies, “you have said so”

pilate comes out standing in front of isreal “you want me to release for you the king of the Jews”???

they shouted, “give us Barrabas!!” x2

whhahaaat Barrabas???

Barrabas is crook , rebel, and a murderer

8. The Veil Was Torn — Access to God Restored

Because of the cross:

• The barrier between God and humanity is removed

• We now have direct relationship with God

Key Scriptures:

• Matthew 27:51 – The veil torn

• Hebrews 10:19–22 – Bold access to God

Doctrine: This is Reconciliation — restoring relationship with God.

Barabas illustration:

For the joy set before Him he endured the cross.

Crown of suffering before the crown of glory