The Darkness of the Cross
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Introduction
Look with me at again this morning, as we pick up in verse 16.
Throughout Mark’s gospel, we have been reminded of Jesus’ life and ministry. Throughout these last few chapters, we have been reminded of Jesus’ sufferings. And this morning, we come to His crucifixion.
Jesus’ earthly life, which was marked by miracles and messages, will come to an end in our text today.
The writer to the Hebrews warns against neglecting so great a salvation as we have in the Lord Jesus.
Jesus Himself, instituted Communion as a means by which we can do this in, “REMEMBERANCE of Him.”
I have attempted to point out over the past few weeks, and I do so again today, that we are prone to take our eyes off of the Savior. We have the tendency of taking our eyes off of this event.
And we have the tendency of having our minds go numb when we hear about the crucifixion because, we’ve heard it all so much.
But my prayer is, that’s not so among us today. This scene we come to this morning in Mark’s gospel, is a part of the scene which is central to the Christian faith. It is the moment Jesus has been predicting. It is the moment the prophets predicted for hundreds of years before Jesus was born.
And after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, it is the content of the scene before us, that would become the central content of the sermons preached by the apostles as they go forth as instruments used by God in the establishment of Christ’s church. Quite literally, all of history hinges upon this point in time, and all of humanity is divided into two camps based upon their response to what takes place in our text today.
So we approach this text this morning, with a prayer, that God would help us see it and hear it truly. That God would help us see, this main point in our passage…how that...
Jesus endures darkness, to bring us to light.
He endures the darkness of the Father’s wrath, to bring us to the light of the Father’s favor.
That is what I pray we grasp by the help of the Holy Spirit today.
We have a lengthy portion to read....so let’s go ahead and read it now
16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.
17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).
23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
The darkness of the cross, will soon give way to the brightness of the resurrection. And it is this whole work of Christ which brings you and I into relationship with Him, and eventually into the splendor of eternally knowing God, and being in His presence.
But prior to the resurrection, we have the heartbreaking details of the crucifixion. And I want us to focus this morning on 4 aspects of the crucifixion scene that reveal to us just how Jesus endured darkness, to bring us to light. The first of those 4, has to do with His mockery.
1. He is Mocked; We are Favored
1. He is Mocked; We are Favored
In verses 16-20, Jesus is terribly mocked and humiliated.
He is brought to the Governor’s headquarters, where the whole battalion (which is 1/10 of a Roman legion, and is usually about 600 men), gather for the public shaming which is typical after convictions.
Here, the charge that sticks, is that this man claims to be a king.
So they clothe Him in a purple robe
They make a crown for Him out of thorns
They salute Him, or greet Him, with royal greetings…sarcastically declaring, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Not only is His Kingship mocked, but He is also further physically abused. They take a reed, which is a rod or a staff....possibly even a mock sceptre they had for Him, and they begin to strike Him with it. They spit on Him.
The ESV then says, “They kneel down in homage to Him.” KJV says, “…bowing their knees worshipped Him.” The word carries these ideas. Respectful, worshipful, bowing before One who is greater than oneself.
But here…it is entirely sarcastic mockery and intended to humiliate.
Mocking His kingship. Taking from Him his dignity. Physically, and psychologically abusing Him. He is scorned, mocked, and humiliated. So that…we could be favored.
Illustrate
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
When we begin to attempt to define “grace” in the context of salvation, we often say it means, “unmerited favor.” And that’s true. We did not, nor could we, ever merit favor from God. A favored positioned, and the results that come from it, cannot come from creatures who are marked by perpetual rebellion against God.
Our thoughts, our attitudes, our disposition and our actions are ALL opposed to God. We therefore CANNOT…nor do we desire to…come to God to get salvation.
Salvation is given to us. And it is given to us, not based upon our works…but based upon God’s favor. Favor that we did not earn. BUT....favor that was earned, by works.
We are not saved by our works…but we are saved by works. We are saved, by the work of Christ. Christ merits, He earns, the favor of the Father…for ALL those in Him.
He did so by His perfect life....He did so through His substitutionary death.
He was mocked, humiliated, spit upon, beaten, so that we could be forgiven, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
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.
Apply
Never forget loved ones, when you are facing suffering in your life, Jesus truly KNOWS all about it. He knows what it is to suffer. He cares for you in your suffering.
And your suffering is never in vain…it is allowed into your life for the purpose of purifying you and making you more like Christ
And never forget loved ones, if we suffer for the sake of the Gospel, we join with Christ in His sufferings…we are united with our Savior
If we’re mocked by our co-workers, our close family members and friends, those at school, etc.
Although our suffering isn’t to earn favor with God....Christ has already suffered to that end
Our suffering for the gospel’s sake, however, is BECAUSE of the favor we have with God…and it brings us into a fellowship, a partnership, a participation with the sufferings of Christ.
So then…in completely the opposite way the world around us views suffering…when we suffer for the gospel....we should, rejoice
32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
You see…because of Christ’s sufferings, we have a confident hope, that one day our sufferings will end. We have a hope beyond this life. Because Jesus was mocked, so that we might be favored....we set our affections where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.
HE IS MOCKED, WE ARE FAVORED....SECONDLY
2. He is cursed, we are blessed
2. He is cursed, we are blessed
Let me draw a verse from Galatians to help us unpack this...
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
The crucifixion of Jesus, became the central message of the apostles and the early church. And in Galatians, Paul is highlighting a point about the crucifixion that is beneficial for us to grasp. Jesus....became a curse…while hanging upon the tree.
He is quoting from ....and the point is clear…anyone hanged on a tree, is cursed.
So then, keep that in mind as we consider what Mark records next. After the mockery at the Governor’s headquarters…they led Jesus out to be crucified.
Mark then introduces us to a man named Simon…a Cyrenian....coming from the country (there are many reasons as to why). He is the father of Alexander and Rufus, who are possibly known to those to whom Mark is writing…possibly even at Rome, since there is a Rufus mentioned in .
Jesus is weak from the pain of the whip lashes He has received…He has not the strength to carry His own cross as He was supposed to do…so it is Simon who is called upon to take part in this scene.
22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).
Which describes the look of the knoll
They offered Jesus wine with medicinal myrrh, in order to dull His senses…but He did not take it
Then notice how these words just kind of appear, as simply part of the sentence.... “and they crucified Him”
24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
They nailed Him to the cross. They lifted the cross and there He was hanging, on a tree, in great torment and pain.
Beneath Him, they divided up His garments among themselves....they cast lots (similar to our dice rolling) for at least one particular part of His clothing
Here…they were motivated by their greed and callousness to the death of the Savior. But all the while, they were fulfilling God’s own Word
18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
We then learn, that it was the third hour of the day…which was 9am. And that the charge over Him, on the sign criminals carried with their charges listed, in front of them on their way to the cross…and over them while they suffered....Jesus’ sign read, “The King of the Jews.”
He is crucified, in the middle of two real criminals…fulfilling the prophecy of “…He was numbered with the transgressors”
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Then listen in our text, to the ridicule of all those around Him
Mark 15:
29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
The derision and head wagging fulfilled OT prophecy as well. Notice the irony in the words, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself.”
There are several things worth noting here...
Jesus could have saved Himself from their torture. But He was far more concerned with fulfilling the Father’s mission.
THEY were concerned only with this life…only the here and now. Which is another reason it’s easy to call the health and wealth gospel a heresy. It too is concerned entirely with the alleviation of suffering in the here and now. What good will it do if you feed someone’s hungry belly…if you don’t give them the only good news that will save their souls?
Jesus could have saved Himself, but it would have meant He did not save others. Jesus must be willing, to NOT save Himself, in order to save others. Also, worth noting, Jesus did not give into the temptation to provide some miracle to help them believe.
Also, worth noting, Jesus did not give into the temptation to provide some miracle to help them believe.
He didn’t do so with Satan in the wilderness, when He was tempted to turn stones into bread. He didn’t do so here, when they said, “If you come down, we’ll believe.”
And the fact is brothers and sisters, we ought not give into such claims in our day either.
“If when I come to your church I can FEEL the presence of God, THEN I’ll know God’s there, and I’ll believe.” “If I see signs, wonders, and miracles…then I’ll know God is real, and I’ll believe.”
No they won’t. As one commentator said, “The problem for them was not in a lack of evidence, but in the presence of unbelief.”
The rich man cried out in Hades to Abraham, when he’s asking him to send Lazarus back from the dead, to his brothers who are still living, so that they can be warned not to come there. But Abraham responds, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.”
They have God’s Word....if they won’t hear God’s Word, they won’t believe, even if something as miraculous happens as one returning from the dead.
“He saved others, He cannot save Himself” was their cry....in reality, right in front of them, He is saving a number no man could number.
Jesus is being hanged on a tree…He is becoming a curse…coming under the curse of God…so that…we can be blessed.
He is cursed…so that we are blessed.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Not…WILL bless us, although that’s true. He HAS blessed us.
Apply
But, I don’t have the job I want. You’re still blessed
But, I don’t have the relationship I want. You’re still blessed.
But, I don’t have the income I want. You’re still blessed.
Christ took our curse…so that we could receive THE blessing!
If you’re with us on Wednesdays, you’ll know that 2 Wednesdays ago we were talking about how our fear of man often comes when we have a wrong view of what we “need.”
Instead of saying, I want a career that gives me satisfaction and validation, we begin to say, “I NEED a career that....”
But in reality, the only thing we truly NEED…is our sins atoned for
And if we’re in Christ…the only curse we need lifted, has been lifted…and we have been BLESSED!
Don’t lose sight of this…He was cursed…we ARE blessed!
Jesus is enduring the darkness of God’s wrath, to bring us into the light of His favor!
Praise God…for Jesus!
He is mocked; we are favored. He is cursed, we are blessed.
3. He dies; we live
3. He dies; we live
Verses 33-39, describe the death of Jesus. And in it, we get a feel for the immense darkness He endured.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
From noon, until 3pm…darkness covered the skies
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The cry with a loud voice, probably also contains the cry we see in , when Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”
Jesus, hanging on the cross in torment, cries out, quoting from the Aramaic version of , which we’ve read together already today…asking God, why it is He feels deserted in this great time of need.
Notice…Scripture is our Lord’s prayer language even while upon the cross
Jesus’ life is still governed by Scripture, even while upon the cross
And in this cry, we get a sense of the alienation God the Son was experiencing.
Some thought (or mockingly thought, one or the other), that Jesus was calling for Elijah the prophet, would lived hundreds of years before Jesus. Jesus was thirsty, so they gave Him a drink…and waited to see if Elijah would show.
Jesus was thirsty, so they gave Him a drink…and waited to see if Elijah would show. But the cry was not for Elijah…Jesus’ cry was out of the feeling of alienation and abandonment.
But the cry was not for Elijah…Jesus’ cry was out of the feeling of alienation and abandonment.
Forever, He has been in relationship with the Father. And since His conception, while on the earth, Jesus has been referred to by the Father as, “My Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
But here…the favorable disposition from the Father is removed.
Jesus is no longer under the shining favor of God…He is under God’s curse. And in this despairing moment, Jesus quotes in prayer, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Two things to note about this prayer....
One: It is without Jesus’ usual address of “Abba” to His heavenly Father
Two: It is still prayed in faith....MY....God
Even with all the sin of His people on Him…even under God’s curse....God, was still His God!
But in this moment of physical darkness, Jesus is feeling the darkness of the wrath of God.
“The darkness visualized what Jesus’ cry () expressed.” ~John Grassmick
The darkness visualized what Jesus’ cry () expressed.
Here, Jesus is enduring the darkness of God’s wrath and anger against sinners.
But He is enduring the darkness of God’s wrath, not due to sins He has committed. But due to sins WE have committed.
He has taken our sins upon Him. He is under God’s curse; God’s wrath. It is a dark place in which to be.
Apply
Which, by the way, if you are not a true believer, that’s exactly where you still are.
You may live life comfortably right now. Perhaps you don’t feel a hole inside, or something that’s missing. You have it all and life is good.
But without Christ, you are in darkness, whether you feel it or not. Soon, you will be called from this life. You go before God. And the question will not be, “Did you feed the poor? Were you generally nice to people?” None of that will matter.
Instead…the question for you today is this, “Have you run to Jesus for salvation?”
You are a sinner. You will receive God’s wrath. Unless, you turn to Jesus. How? Simply trust that He lived perfectly in your place. He died receiving your punishment in your place. He rose from the grave, in victory over death.
God will save you…right at this moment. We’d love to answer any questions you have about it.
Brothers and sisters, remember these words from Scripture:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The wages of sin never change. The wages of sin, is still death. But for believers…the wages have been received by another. Jesus, died THIS death…so that we can be given eternal life.
Be comforted by this reality:
Jesus died, so that you could live
He was alienated, so that you would never be forsaken
He was
Even though this scene is dark, and it feels like a defeat....there is victory here!
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:
Jesus’ cry here, was probably the cry of , “It is finished!”
The curtain that kept people from the Holy of holies…the place where the mercy seat was within the Temple, where the priest would sprinkle the blood from the sacrifice. The place where God manifested His presence most clearly, and only the High Priest could enter…it was ripped in two, from the top down…signifying GOD created the tear....GOD had put an end to this system, and this way of approaching Him.
And all of this, caused even a Roman centurion to confess, whether with true faith or just overwhelmed by the evidence....TRULY this man was the Son of God (or the son of a god)
This is the climax of the gospel
Mark declares who He is in the opening
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Peter declares who He is
29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
Now, near the end, a Gentile declares who He is
This is a scene of victory! Jesus is finishing the Father’s plan. He is saving His people from their sins.
Be comforted by this reality:
Jesus died, so that you could live…and not only be comforted...
He died, so that you could live....so live
Live now in ever increasing victory over sin! Live with the hope of one day seeing Him, and being with Him, with NO sin! Live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you!
He died…we live!
Jesus was alienated, so that you would never be forsaken
Jesus was alienated, so that you would never be forsaken
Jesus endured darkness, to bring us into the light.
He was mocked; we are favored. He was cursed; we are blessed. He died; we live.
Lastly...
4. He is buried; we are raised
4. He is buried; we are raised
I understand Jesus will be resurrected in the very next passage
But we are focussing upon the accomplishments at the cross
Verses 40-47, describe the women present at the crucifixion, their role in Jesus’ ministry, and also the burial of Jesus
Joseph of Arimathea, a man who was anticipating the Kingdom of God’s arrival, comes with courage to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body, so He can be properly buried.
Pilate is surprised yet again…this time, not because of Jesus’ silence, but because of the comparative quickness of Jesus’ death. Crucifixion victims could hang for days upon the cross…Jesus dies within hours.
But what Pilate failed to realize, is that no one took Jesus’ life…He is giving it up willingly. He offers Himself up. He gives up the ghost…He dies when it is all finished.
Joseph wraps Him in an expensive linen cloth. He then lays Him in a tomb…and the women take note of the burial location. Since this is the day of preparation, which is the day prior to the Sabbath…there isn’t enough time to anoint the body with all the spices typically used.
The Sabbath began, at sundown on Friday, and went until sundown on Saturday. The women will return, not the next morning…since that was the Sabbath. They will return on Sunday morning, but they will of course, be surprised by what they find.
But, it is clear, Jesus has died. His death has been verified by Jewish and Roman sources. He is wrapped in linen cloth and laid in a tomb. He is buried.
There is a certain finality to it all. Mark, in his typical fashion, hasn’t given all the details the other gospel accounts give. But he has given enough to make it clear…Jesus has died....Jesus has been buried.
Apply
As a side note application, you and I should be comforted by the reality that our Savior has suffered these things, and therefore knows what we’re going through when death comes…to our loved ones or to us ourselves.
Are you suffering separation from one you love? Jesus knows about that. He knows about the experience of loss from death. (Lazaurs)
And when we are nearing death, Jesus is the only One to whom we can talk who has experienced death…and lived to tell the tale.
He knows…what you’re facing…so go to Him in faith
And besides that brothers and sisters, Jesus’ death…is what provides us life. Spiritual life. Powerful life. Jesus was buried…and raised…and we too are buried with Him…and raised.
We join in His death and resurrection
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
You HAVE died with Him…and you HAVE been raised with Him…so live like it!
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Listen, brothers and sisters, one day…we WILL be raised with Him!
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
But as we’ve already read....not only WILL WE be raised....we HAVE BEEN raised with Him now!
It is, Christ’s church, who are filled with the Spirit’s power…to be witnesses in this world. We must live on then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, SINCE we have been raised with Christ and live now in Spirit’s power…the resurrection power.
We have been raised out of our bondage to darkness, and into the light of His freedom!
13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 8
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Are you struggling with a particular sin?
The power of sin over your life was buried in the tomb with Jesus
Trust in Christ for forgiveness…trust in Christ, for the power of the Spirit, to be set free from sins’ control
Cry out to Him for repentance and faith
Look to Jesus…both for victory over sin now, and for the hope of the finished result, of seeing Him one day at the end of the race, and being made like Him
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
And if you’ll allow me one more point of application, in light of the fact that we have been raised with Christ....and we have all then been filled with the Spirit if we’re truly in Christ....this then should cause us to live:
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Give yourself to Him. Look in the book of Acts, and see at least the principles that guided the hearts of those believers. Know, that the same should guide ours.
Devotion to Christ…devotion to His church…and a devotion to spread His message. The message of Christ, and Him crucified.
Committed to Him personally
Committed to Him corporately
Committed to Him globally
Personally, in our daily lives at work, school, and at home
Corporately, in the reality that Christ didn’t come to build our individual lives....He didn’t come to build our homes, or our family lives....He came to build a church. So we are to be committed, not just present, but heart-felt committed to the lives of the fellow believers around us…because we’re committed to Him.
Globally, both to the church global, in similar but not the same fashion as the church local. AND…to the spread of His gospel to the ends of the earth. We have been raised with Christ, so take His gospel TO…everywhere you go.
For a snapshot of what this looks like....check out
Conclusion
Jesus endured darkness, so that we would be brought into the light.
He was mocked; we are favored.
He was cursed; we are blessed.
He died; we live.
He was buried; we are raised.
And even a message that powerful, we are prone to forget. So my call to you this morning, is as it has been the past few weeks. Look to Jesus! See Him! Trust Him! Love Him! Serve Him! Worship Him!
Prayer
Providentially, with this sermon text on the crucifixion, we also have our regularly scheduled time to partake of the Lord’s Supper together as a church family.
This meal is for baptized believers, belonging to and committed to the Lord’s church. It is not for those who do not believe. It is not for those, who are living in un repentant sin, who have been disciplined by a local church.
This meal is a sobering, reverential meal whereby we memorialize our Lord. This meal is a celebratory meal, whereby we celebrate all our Savior accomplished. This meal, is a encouraging meal, as we are reminded of a time when we will gather with our Lord in a meal with Him in heaven.
As the musicians come, let us pray, and make preparations to partake together.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”