Golgotha: A Place of Atonement

God's word is alive and his chances Changing Times.

an article published recently by US News & World Report Stated that over the course of the past 50 years or so the three most identifiable identifiable symbols worldwide not just here in our country. The three most identifiable symbols worldwide are as follows number one swastika. number to the Coca-Cola symbol and number three Mickey Mouse I don't know if you're surprised by that or not. I I was surprised by it when I read those statistics. I really thought that the cross would probably be at the top of the list of the most recognized symbols worldwide. How's the cross when you think about it adorns nearly? Every Protestant Catholic Orthodox Church in the country really all around the world in a dorms the neck of millions of people every day as they wear it as a piece of personal jewelry. You can hardly go to a cemetery without seeing at least one cross somewhere associated with a grave marker and usually it's associated with many grave markers. You can hardly take a trip anywhere in our country as you're driving down the highways that without eventually seeing usually somewhere on a hillside along the highway three crosses some On his erected standing there as silent testimony to Jesus Christ in his sacrifice on our behalf. I'm convinced that the cross has not lost its identity due to a lack of use because we see it everywhere. I think maybe what has happened is that people have become so accustomed to seeing the cross. But somehow lost meaning for them and maybe the Temptation is to take the cross for granted and just you'll just use it as another decoration another piece of jewelry another archaeological design. Peace, and not really think anything about what the cross represents. Today's topic as we journey together with Jesus from the upper room to the empty tomb will come as no surprise to you. There's a there's no symbol referred to more often in sermons. Then that Old Rugged Cross. And our text from this this morning for Matthew chapter 27, the 33rd verse tells us this that they came to a place called Golgotha. Which means the place of the skull? Now Golgotha is the Hebrew word for the more familiar Latin rendering the that were familiar with the term Calvary Golgotha and Calvary is reference to the same place. If you were to take a trip to the holy land today, one of the places you would undoubtedly visit is the place of the skull that is referred to here in the scriptures have a picture of it up here on the screen for my Mater Dei and I told by those who have actually been there then it's an eerie feeling to look up at this Rocky desolate place on what you can see the form of the skull time has worn it away some over the centuries what you can see the eye sockets in the remnants of the nose that have been worn away there, but it's just an eerie looking skull that is at the traditional place that that we call gargatha or Calvary is a place that's that's lifeless. It's a place that certainly not very attractive even today and it was here that the criminals were brought to die outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem Hebrews chapter 13 verse 12 points out that Jesus also suffered Outside The City Gate to make the people holy through his own blood. You see it was an execution too horrible. Too grotesque to carry out within the city limits of Jerusalem. It was a sight to graphic to take place within the confines of that City. And so they went out to this lonely Hill of brutality where they crucified the Lord this morning. I'm here to tell you that there is nothing in this world. Nothing in this world. Nothing in all of the Bible that is more important than what we're going to talk about today and the next two weeks the death burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ because they are familiar stories to all of us. But my hope and my prayer is that beginning today and these next couple of weeks that you will listen with fresh ears that you will listen with receptive hearts. So that you can better understand how it is that God took this awful instrument of cruel death. And somehow transformed it into a symbol of life and hope for the Christian. The first thing I want you to notice today is that gargatha was a place of suffering was a place of suffering now on numerous occasions. Jesus had warned his disciples stating that he would die that he would be crucified and that he would be raised on the third day. He revealed that to them numerous different times over there three and a half years with them. But now that day has finally arrived and it was a day of tremendous physical suffering. There was a scourging to begin with which was followed by a brutal beating, taters. Tell us that the majority of those who were victims of a Roman scourging didn't even survive that event. Most of them died as a result of the scourging and they never made it to the cross. most were unable to live through a beating like that, but Jesus Christ did could you see Jesus was a carpenter? Jesus was not one who look like what we see off the X in portraits paintings today by by artist. This is a milquetoast skin tone scrawny effeminate appearance know Jesus was a carpenter Jesus work out in the sun. Most everyday All Day Jesus was accustomed to carrying large loads of wood heavy planks of lumber. He worked with his hands and they weren't power tools that they use the only Power they had with the power of their arms their backs. So Jesus was strong. Jesus was fit and in his brutalize condition. He even was able to carry that cross partway to gotha Matthew 27 verse 31 says after they had mocked him. They took off his robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him and ask they were going out. They met a man from Cyrene named Simon and they forced him to carry the cross. Matthew 16 verse 24 several months prior to this crucifixion event. Jesus says to his followers. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me and what Jesus is proving to the World on the day of his crucifixion is that he was not the exception to the rule. He was the example he was willing to practice what he preached and he refused the easy Road and Matthew 27 verse 34 were told there. They offered Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall, but after tasting it he refused to drink it. You see this was a time of intense Agony and pain the 35th verse says that they crucified him and I don't think we in our culture here can completely comprehend or understand all that that entailed involve stripping him of his physical clothing and taking metal spikes and I'm betting them probably not through the palm of his hands expert hotels, but probably through the wrist which are considered part of the hand. Through the two bones in the wrist the intersect there at the hand and and then they put wouldn't start put a spike through his crossed feet and he was laying it onto a wooden cross before they did that and and they just watched him as he hung there on that cross slowly suffocate and bleed to death knowing all the time that this person who was being crucified had the knowledge that they were never going to come off of that cross alive. And frequently the soldiers would tilt the cross a little bit forward to add more weight to the body pulling against those spikes which would make the pain even more intense would make the attempts to breathe even harder as they hung there on that cross and it was also way too kind of speed up the dying process. And it would just cause excruciating pain and as a result their heart would either rupture. Or they would suffocate to death. It was a heinous sickening sight one that I don't think again. We can fully comprehend in a civilized society such as ours. Packet of sand early historian wrote this. He said crucifixion was a Despicable way to die. In fact crucifixion was so terrible that Rome who invented crucifixion said that a citizen a Roman citizen was never to be executed that way regardless of his crime because it was such a brutal and grotesque way to dye. It was too inhumane too undignified for even the most vile Roman criminal to be crucified. But it wasn't just physical pain that day on Golgotha. There was also emotional pain and suffering that occurred. You know, if you've ever been through a traumatic experience yourself, and then you would probably agree that there are times when emotional pain and stress can sometimes be even worse than physical pain and just look at the things that Jesus had to endure while he hung upon that cross the 35th verse tells us that they divided up his clothes by casting lots and sitting down they kept watch over him there. Almost reminiscent of what we read about back in Genesis the 37th chapter where we find Joseph being tossed into a pit by his brothers and being left there to die. And you remember what happens after he's tossed into that pit. What is the Bible tells his brothers did as he's in that pit? Left there to die. They immediately sit down and enjoy their lunch together completely ignoring their younger brother's pleadings for mercy. That's pretty much the scene. That's unfolding here. While Jesus is hanging there on that cross dying. The soldiers are sitting at the foot of the cross. Are there gambling over who is going to get his belongings some of his his clothing?

So they also infer guilt by association verse 37 says above his head. They placed the written charge against him a plaque that read this is Jesus the king of the Jews.

Now the priests if you recall had been unsuccessful in in attempting to persuade Pontius Pilate to change what it was that he had written Pontius Pilate had ordered this to be written. The Jews felt that it was too much a statement of fact the king of the Jews. But pilot was sick to death. He was he was tired of being bullied by these religious leaders in his time. And so he said what I've written I've written I want to hear any more about it. And he was unwilling to change it and so as a result of that it forced the religious leaders to try to different ways to discredit what the sign above Jesus head said and the first is found in verse 38 where it says that two robbers were crucified with him while on his right and one on his left and so they surrounded him on either side with these notorious criminals. And the reason they did that was so they can insinuate that what they have been unable to prove to this point to insinuate that Jesus was a vile criminal just like those two I didn't know the inference is that birds of a feather flock together? And if you just glanced up at one of the crosses and saw one of these terrible criminals on one side and you would naturally think yourself. Well, the guy in the middle is probably the worst of all because he was placed in the middle. But they didn't just stop there. They also chose to verbally assault Jesus in an attempt to make a farce of those words King of the Jews. You see the Jewish leaders were so infuriated with pilot and in what he had done the sign sounded so real to them that their only recourse was to set up shop right at the foot of the cross right at the foot of Calvary and there they did their best to discredit what that sign above Jesus head read. And they did so through the use of sarcasm first. 39 says those who passed by hurled insults at him shaking their heads and thank you who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days. Save yourself come down from the cross if you really are the son of God. And you look at the 41st birth, which region the same way the chief priests the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him why he saved others they said but he can't even save himself.

That's why we stopped right there for just a moment because did you catch what just happened? Did you catch what they said? He saved others they said. Is he even in the midst of their anger? They still could not deny the truth of Jesus wife his miracles and they begin to accidentally pay tribute and honor to Jesus Christ. Well, he did save others, but he can't save himself. And verse 43 reads he trusts in God let God rescue him now if he wants him or he said I am the son of God.

These people hated Jesus with a passion. And this was their day. This was their hour of Triumph. The one who'd made them look so foolish in the face of the crowds the one who who had opposed then expose their hypocrisy. Well, this was the time that he was going to pay the price for that and they relished every single second of Jesus in his crucifixion. And in their minds, they thought themselves will get the last laugh here.

Because we know it didn't quite work out that way. You know, sometimes I wonder sometimes if we don't see Christ's love displayed as much by the people that he tolerated that day. Is in the pain that he endured.

So golf it was a place of terrible suffering. But on that particular day was also a place of sacrifice not just suffering was a place of sacrifice those two words suffering and sacrifice.

Those two words are kind of foreign to the vocabulary of many people in our culture today, right? Shopping and suffering and sacrifice. Those are those are fighting words in our culture today. We have a difficult time with those two words and we attempt to avoid them at all costs. Maybe some of you feel like you've suffered and sacrificed just being here this morning. I don't know maybe some of you feel like you're suffering and sacrificing having to sit and listen to the preacher go on and on for 40 minutes

when so many people around the world. Look forward to Sunday morning as the day to sleep in.

You just wonder self and you got up and you came to church.

When we watch someone on TV and athletes like a Alyssa Lou tiny little world champion figure skater from the United States when I watched her as I did recently perform a Flawless figure skating program. It's easy to look at her to look at an athlete of some accomplishments kill and say boy, I wish I could do that. I wish I could win a gold medal in the US national figure skating championship.

But you know what? We don't see. We don't see the countless hours 9 10 hours a day disciplining themselves practicing their skills over and over and over again the sacrifice that they put in in order to get to that status as an athlete. When we want someone like Marcus Howard or Zion Williamson or an admiral Schofield play basketball with a boy. I wish I could play basketball like that. I'd give anything to be able to play basketball in the NCAA tournament games. Again, what don't we see? We don't see those guys after two or three-hour practice is officially over staying on the floor and shooting free throw after free-throw after free-throw. We don't see them running endless windsprints. We don't see them staying up late at night trying to catch up on the classes in the class work at their behind and as a result of all of the traveling and all of the practicing You said we all want to play basketball like that? But very few of us would ever be willing to sacrifice the time in the effort to be that good. Remember that old phrase that says no pain. No gain. We see somebody walking around who's really well-built. Somebody like me perhaps And I'm not me but you see someone who's really well-built. You say boy. I wish my body looks like that. I mean, we'll see some guy who looks like he's chiseled out of stone. The guy who has muscles in places that I don't even have places and I'll say boy. I wish I could look like that but no pain. No game. People who are on the fitness kick do that in order to look their best. Everybody seems to be doing that these days but it takes suffering and it takes sacrifice. What I think there are four reasons why Jesus was willing to be that sacrifice for us. We look at that Crossing we say and why did Jesus white? Why didn't he come down from there? He could have And I can give you at least four good reasons why LG why Jesus stayed up on that cross first the very simply it was because of love. One commentator right snails don't hold God's two trees. but what does And those Nails didn't hold Jesus Christ on that cross. Why did? The second reason I Think Jesus didn't come down was was because of knowledge. They said if you come down then we will believe in you. Now that sounds pretty good on the surface. Doesn't it? If you come down will believe in you and it and I can see somebody saying that but on closer examination Jesus knew in His Infinite Wisdom that at that point in their hearts in their lives, they were too hardened to ever change.

He could prove more by facing death humbly than he ever could by Saving his own life. I mean if they were not convinced by the fact of a virgin birth if they were not convinced by seeing Jesus feeding 5000 people from such a small amount of food. If they were not convinced after seeing and hearing of Lazarus rising from the dead if they were not convinced by the fact that he could walk on water.

If they weren't convinced by the fact that the night before he had healed a man who is ear have been lopped off by a sword. Then I don't really think they probably would have changed their tune if he simply Cause 3 nails to disintegrate off a cross. See Jesus in his knowledge knew that it was best for him to stay right where he was on that cross. Some love was a part of it in and knowledge was a part of the reason he stay there for the third reason. He stayed was because of forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness of sins because he knew that there was no other way for mankind for you and I to be redeemed that was the only way this could ever happen if the cross was not a change in plans. The cross was not a last-ditch effort. The cross was no accident. The cross was planned from the very beginning of time. In Acts 2 verse 23 on the day of Pentecost Peter stands up and he preaches to the crowds that are gathered. He says this man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and for knowledge and you with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

It was no accident that he was there in the fourth reason. He stayed there was because of of one simple word and that's the word prophecy. Because the sea for hundreds of years the prophets of God in the Old Testament. Paid for toll of how the coming of the Messiah would be and if Jesus were to take the easy way out and he were come down off of that cross then all of those mini many prophecies in the Old Testament would go right out the window. That's weakening all the evidence proving the deity of Jesus Christ. Now we look at a situation like this and we say okay, but what does all that have to do with me? It's all good and well, but what does it have to do with me? Well, it has everything to do with us because you see the only way that we can experience the forgiveness of sin. The only way that we can reap the many benefits is if we realized that there was a Golgotha as well.

The third that that we were there at Golgotha along with the crowd that day this wasn't something that was just in the past in a very real sense. We were right there that day maybe not physically I don't think any of us were that old. So physically we weren't there. But rest assured everyone of us were represented there. We were represented by a truckload of sins sins which we have committed and sends which we have yet to even commit and that truckload was backed up and it was lovingly dumped upon a king nail to that cross. I love with a poet writes when he says you say it's hard to understand why Jesus had to die. You wonder why the Jewish band would cry to crucify. You're horrified at the thought that you were standing there that your presence was truly bought by Satan's sinful Fair. You cry aloud will it cannot be that I would crucify. But yet you cost him Agony God's word will testify. You drove the nail you push the thorn into his flesh. So deep you pierced his heart with worldly scorn you cause the Lord to weep. For you were there as were the Jews two thousand years ago you share with them the shameful news. You caused his blood to flow. He died for you. He trod the road of death to set us free. He paid our price when his blood flowed on lonely Calvary.

songwriter sings Were You There When They Crucified My Lord

You better believe you were there. I was there. Right beside you Martin Luther says we carry the nails in our pockets everyday. Isaiah 53 verse 5 says he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.

There's a church on the west coast that has an unusual mural painted on the wall of their Sanctuary. It's a painting of this scene Golgotha. It covers a huge wall in the church and they are the political rulers. And in that Bureau are the religious leaders in the crowd all Milling around and there is a frightened disciples portrayed in the picture. But what makes this mural so unusual is the fact that the members of the congregation posed for the faces of those in the crowd.

You see Jesus Christ sacrifice serves as an eternal reminder that God's love is stronger than any mistake we could ever make. Including the murder of God's very son. Menthol early this morning want you to see that Gaga. That was also a place of Supernatural power.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross there were some miraculous occurrences that took place simultaneous to that event. I think these occurrences serve to just further validate the fact that Jesus Christ truly was and is the son of God. Notice first the miracle of Darkness that occurred the miracle of Darkness verse 45 tells us from the sixth hour until the ninth hour Darkness came over all of the land. That was from noon until about 3 in the afternoon for those three hours. It was thick pitch black one commentator suggests that since Jesus would only answer the crowds insults by praying for them that God answered their insults and such a manner as to fill them with Terror. And every minute that it remain dark the more ominous in the more terrified those who observed it must have become. But there was also the miracle of the temple veil being torn in two. First 51 says at that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

And I understand that the temple veil that's talkin about here was not just some flimsy piece of sheer material that we would think of is Avail today historians tell us that it was made very very thick was made of heavy sturdy material will speculate that. It was several inches thick this veil was because it served as a barrier between the holy of holies in the temple work the spirit of God resided and the rest of the temple area and that is so important for us to understand because when it was torn how was it torn it was torn in from the top to the bottom and by that it symbolize that all of a sudden there was now going to be access to God he ripped it from the top to the bottom. and now Wayne was open to God. Did you see prior to that event? The only person who was allowed to enter into that? Holy of holies and intercede on behalf of the sins of all the people was the high priest and he can only do that one specified time each year according to Hebrews chapter 10 every believer at this point now, can you go into the presence of God by the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us? We no longer need an animal sacrifice. We don't need a priest to intercede for us. We don't need a preacher to intercede for us. Jesus Christ himself is our intercessor. He is our mediator. Jesus is our high priest and Paul writes in Colossians 2 verse 14 and says having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and it still opposed to us. He speaking of Jesus. He took it away nailing it to the cross. And then the third miraculous occurrence, this time was the earthquake. The earthquake first 51 says that at that very moment the Earth Shook and The Rock's split.

And I would bet that the foundations of Hell itself. quivered as well Cuz when the earth shook, it was a stamp of approval. It's signified that God was allowing all of this to happen that he was pouring out his Spirit pouring out his forgiveness on people. You see the darkness calls Terror through its continuation, but the earthquake cause Terror through uncertainty. If you've ever been in an earthquake, then you know that sometimes the scariest time is not the point of the initial earthquake which takes you off guard. The scariest I'm usually is the next few minutes after the earthquake occurs. That's the most frightening time thinking will it strike again? And if it strikes again, will it be exponentially worse this time? And that terror is only multiplied if you were in the midst of total darkness as it's occurring at an IV miracle that what was that of the resurrection of the Saints?

Now if there ever was a miracle recorded in the Bible that is more overlooked and more swept under the carpet and forgotten.

It would certainly have to be this miracle. Nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to preach on it. Because the see what takes place there in 50 second verse it says the tombs at this time broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

Can you imagine that? I can't even imagine that an inverse 53 says that they came out of the tombs and after Jesus resurrection, they went into the holy city and they appeared too many people.

I mean you you talk about an awesome display of God's power. This is it. People who had been dead who maybe had been in those Graves for years. We're now suddenly coming back to life. You see Jesus Christ was the first fruits. of the Resurrection He was the first one to come back, but he was only a predecessor for other Saints who came back as well. And what does all this mean? We're trying to wrap things up here. What does it all mean? What's the significance of this entire picture that we just painted here? I would say to you that you can learn an awful lot by learning by watching how a person lives. You can learn a lot by watching the way a person lives, but you know what? I think you can learn even more by watching how a person dies.

You don't believe me you don't take my word for it. Ask a Roman Centurion. The person who would have been least likely to give a tribute or testimony on behalf of Jesus Christ. You think your job is tough? You think you've got her hard when you have to go to work tomorrow morning? Probably nothing in comparison to the job. This guy had for the Roman Centurion death was an everyday thing. It was an everyday part of his job was a large part of his life experience. He was surrounded Everyday by death. He had seen death occur in hundreds of different ways. And when a person would die, he had seen all sorts of faces. He'd seen anger hate seen bitterness. He had been spat upon he had been cussed at but never before had to come face-to-face with a person looked at him in the midst of that brutality and loved him. Wonder willingly laid his hand down upon that cross in order to have the nails driven through it. What a verse 54 that says when the century and those with him regarding who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that. It happened. They were terrified and explained surely. He was the son of God Max Lucado rights. Maybe this was what was running through the centurions mind while they mock him as a king. But if he were crazy they would just ignore him if he had no followers, they would just turn him away if he was nothing to fear. They wouldn't kill him. No, you only kill a king if he truly has a kingdom. Let me see. The significance of the Cross is that we are no longer separated from God because of our sins. We are a tone for through the sin sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that cross John wrightson in in 1st John. 4:10. This is Love. Not that we loved God, but then he loved us and he sent his son is atoning sacrifice for our sins. He removed our sins. Now, there are no longer any barriers between us and God. Now we can't fully understand that. We can't really explain that type of love but Jesus explains a forest and he does so months before the cross. We find this explanation way back in John chapter 10 verses 17 and 18 a very familiar verse where Jesus says I laid down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. You see we've heard the story so many times most of us that we tend to overlook the fact that Christ's death was totally voluntary. He wasn't murdered that day. He wasn't assassinated that day in a technical sense. He wasn't even killed that day. Jesus Christ gave himself up. He was not the victim of circumstances. This was no accident his death was painfully and purposely planned far in advance. And when Jesus is arrested and he stands there before Pilate Jesus won't respond to him and you were called what happens then pilot gets right up in his face and he says don't you understand that I have the authority to save you or to crucify you and Jesus looks back at him and says, you know what the only Authority that you have is because it's giving you from above. And what Jesus is in essence saying there is pilot make no mistake about it. You're not taking my life. I'm giving my life and the significance of the crosses that Jesus could have called Ten Thousand Angels and they would have been there in instant to defend him. But he didn't. In the Old Testament, it was the Sheep who died for the shepherd. But in the New Testament, it was the shepherd who died for the Sheep.

You know the scripture for God so loved the world. That's Bethlehem.

Did he gave his one and only son?

That's Calvary. That whoever believes in him. That's our nation shall not perish but have everlasting life and that is eternity. Charles Colson writes there been hundreds and thousands of Kings princes presidents and whenever it comes time for a war the same thing always happens. Charles Colson wrote that all of those kings all of those princes all of those presidents have one thing in common at that point when it comes to war. You know what it is. All of those kings all of us princes all of US presidents send their subjects off to die on their behalf. And then he says there's only one king that went out and died on behalf of his subjects. His name is Jesus Christ.

And if you've not met him as Lord and savior of your life.

Why wait what's holding you back? Jesus Christ came and willingly gave himself as a sacrifice for your sins my sins for the sins of all mankind and all you have to do is accept him as Savior and Lord of your life. And he'll forgive you and he will give you his holy spirit to empower you and lead you and guide you and direct you. And you will live with him today and for all eternity.