Crucifixion 4/5/2020

Welcome to the powers Church of God. I'm Pastor Don pedrick and we're here to worship and we thank you that you're here to worship with us as well. Let's begin with the word of prayer Grace's Father in Heaven how we thank you that we can gather together in your name, whether it's so over the electric lines of that are sent broadcast or whether you're actually here in present father. We know that your spirit is here. May you bless us richly in this time and may your spirit be active and Alive as we worship you our living God in Jesus name. Amen.

Are reading this morning is taken from Matthew chapter 10 verses 37 to 39.

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

We have several prayer request that we need to remember and be in prayer for.

Russell and Rosita this week said goodbye to Rosita's father Dale and we need to be in prayer for their lives. We also want to remember Mary's sister Louis. She has cancer breast cancer. She had once before it's returned. And so we need to be in prayer for her because she can't get in for an operation right now. So she must just be in chemotherapy and we've been praying for Brett or a number of weeks. Now remember he had an accident that caused him to become a paraplegic with the No sense in his legs at all. He did begin to feel a little sense over the last week, but he has also been on by his father. So that's a raise and pray that he continues his recovery. Well and will remember the unspoken request that are out there. Let's pray. Russia's father. We thank you that we can gather and we can come before you you're the Mighty God who knows us all and knows our desires in our prayer requests. So we we thank you that we can come before you and lay these burdens at your feet that brings peace and comfort to our lives as we do. So Lord, we pray for our world for our community that you would be working and that you would be using our lives to bring about connection to you so that people will realize the need to know you and love you and make you the Lord of their lives. changing their eternity We do want to remember the needs that have been mentioned that we think of Russell and Rosetta as they mourn the loss of Rosita's father Dale. It's been awhile coming and so we pray that you would be with them and encourage their lives bringing peace to them for they do trust in you father and we thank you for your carry them through this situation. May you bless and restore and strengthen their lives. We do want to remember Louis as she is going through this chemo. We pray that it would begin to destroy the cancer and that she would be strengthened until the time of her operation in the future. We do want to thank you for granting for the little feeling that he is beginning to have we pray that it would continue and that he would be fully restored but father, you know, the directions that will take and we pray that you would be with rap with the family in this recovery and that it would draw them closer to you. And that you would be a greater part of their Lots. We want to remember the unspoken request that around there the request for healing from this disease that has ravaged our world and caused so much disruption to lives. We pray that you would be there in each life and each heart as they battle this we pray for financial needs that are out there because of the struggles. We pray for the needs of lives that need to know you and people are praying and and pleading for their lives before you that you would bring about change. Father, you know each request and you know their lives and we pray for your rich blessing. And now father is we continue on we pray that your Mighty hand would be laid upon us as we worship you in word and song in prayer bless us. Oh Lord in Jesus name. Amen.

Gracious father again we come before you and thank you for the incredible sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that cross changed the lives of millions of people because of their trust in that life. It was given so that we might have life. But thank you for your spirit that is in us that is working mightily to help us draw near to you father. May your spirit touch each of our hearts and especially touch me that is I open your word before the people that it would be your spirit. It is speaking powerfully and mightily so that they will hear of your word in Jesus name. Hey, man. We're going to be taking a look today at the resurrection of Jesus Christ taken from Mark chapter 15, if you wanted to go there we're going to try and do it as I mentioned last week a little bit differently as we are looking at it from the perspective of what difference it makes in your life and my life because the mighty work on the cross was done by the Living God Jesus Christ is he came to this earth live the perfect life died on that cross shedding his blood that will cover the sin of all those who truly call on his name. And his resurrection is a guarantee that when we believe we too will be Resurrected. What difference has it made in your life and my life and that's what we're going to try and take a look at today. You see the incredible change that happened to each of Our Lives as we trusted in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior is amazing. Because it changed the complete direction of Our Lives each and every one of us was born with a destiny of hell. That we were heading towards and that is completely changed when we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. We have turned around and our destiny then becomes heaven. And that's the destiny that each of us should desire a complete changed. The Living God came into our lives the power of the Holy Spirit. Did get becomes our guarantee of that Eternal salvation. So again, the question of what change does it truly make in our lives the most amazing thing that could ever happen to us. It is just a simple change that happened and we go on our way and say that's it. Let me give you an indication of what it ought to mean to us if we truly. Believe that Jesus Christ has changed our lives through the power of the Cross and the resurrection. Little story when I was much younger. I was an athlete I enjoyed running and that became a very important part of my life. Ultimately it paid for my education in going on to college. And so it was a very important part of my life. And as I began to think about it early on in my life, I thought about certain standards that I would set so that I would be able to compete at the most at the highest level I could possibly think about and so there were four areas that I gave over to this work of running the best that I could run. The first one was the idea of what I ate. And that that was that I I gave up all sweets. I didn't have any cookies or cake or ice cream or pie even for my birthday. I didn't need any of that stuff for four straight years didn't have any soda, none of those things. I tried to eat what encouraged and strengthened my body. The second thing was sleep. I decided that I was going to make sure I was in bed by 10 every night because I wanted to wake refreshed and strong and ready to use this body for running and so at 10 I went to bed now you may think about that little Bill. Well, that's okay, but I was dating my wife to be at the time and so at 9:30 went on a date I would say okay it's time for me to go home and go to bed. And so it wasn't just as something that I played off I stuck to it. And so that was an important part. The next thing is I wanted to make sure my mind was focused on what I was doing. And so I thought about it all the time. Particularly when I was coming up to erase I thought through each and every aspect of that race that I was going to run and I ran it in my mind over and over again. And each time. I ran it I thought about each of the things I would do and I thought about my self finishing that race ahead of everyone else. I won each race in my mind whether I did when I actually did it or not. I did it in my mind and the last thing was that I Decided that I was going to work harder than anybody else. I was going to compete against and so whether it was a practice that was with a coach or whether it was on my own going out in the offseason and running on a regular basis. I did everything I could to make sure that I was the best runner possible. So I had those four areas that I sent. Because it was so important to my life. I think about this a little bit. If you've asked Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior if you set him apart in your life so that your life is set apart for him. Doesn't it make sense that that would be a valuable part of your life and that you would think about things that you need to set aside so that you're living the life that God has called you to remember what he said in that first episode. I read from Matthew earlier on then if you don't love God more than your father and mother more than your son or daughter.

Then you're not loving God enough. Think about those things that God says you need to come it will take a look at that a little bit. But that's what we're going. That's the direction. We're heading when we take a look at the crucifixion today. Christ died for a reason and that reason was you and he calls you. To reason out your lives to live for him. But let's take a look will read the first few verses from verse 21 to 24.

It says a certain man from serenay Simon the father of Alexander and Rufus was passing by on his way in from the country and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha which means the place of the skull and then they offered him wine mixed with. Myrrh, but he did not take it and they crucified him dividing up his clothes they cast lots to see what each would get. and we take a look at this picture and if we think through this picture a little bit, let's think about what God has called each of Our Lives to be You know God van about you way back before he even brought about the Creation Bible tells us and we'll read about it that he thought about your life before creation is a matter of fact, he wrote down every single event of your life. Listen to this verse Psalm 139:16 David wrote these words. He said your eyes saw my unformed body all the day. They were written in your book before one of them came to be. You know, we don't get a lot of choices in our lives about where we are in position God. Created us to be born into this era in the existence of man. God created us to be born where you are and to live Where You Are. Any created us to make a difference Where We Are? And that's what we're looking at today. What difference am I making for the kingdom of God? because of my trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior We're taking a look at some individuals here. We don't often think about Simon the man who carried Jesus is cross, but let's take a look at his life a little bit and what influence he might have had for the sake of the Gospel noticed. He was from Sara Ney, it's a port that is in present-day Libya is where CRNA was it was a Jewish Colony that happened to be there and he had probably traveled to To Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with a multitude of Jews that came to that City at that time of year and so he was coming to worship. And then he sees this event that is happening and wondering what in the world is going on and all of a sudden he's dragged from the crowd and made to carry the cross of Jesus Christ. And he takes this cross to go agathe and what he did he may have stuck around in it did in fact he probably stuck around for the rest of the week. Wondering what event is this if he stuck around and observe the cross and all the events that happened there. He saw some miraculous things happen and we'll talk about those things.

but interesting character world see Renee is mentioned several times else other times in scripture. One of them happens to happen at Antioch Antioch is probably the biggest church that initially occurred after Jerusalem and a number of very powerful people were living there powerful in the word of God. It was where Paul and Barnabas and mark the writer of this text were sent off on the first missionary journey. One of the characters that was there that was helping lead. That was a man from serenading Lucius. Somehow he got connected in and I think perhaps it was through Simon who went home to Sara Ney and told about the things that happened is a matter of fact, he might have been even one who came to Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and 3000 people came to know the Lord that day. Who knows maybe it was Lucius it was there. Anyway, lucious went on and he went to Antioch and he became part of that and then we see one other text that kind of refers to that Paul in his missionary Journeys had a letter that he wrote to the Romans and in this letter he greets certain people. He wants the greeting to go to certain people that were living in Rome. One of them was named Rufus if you remember 2 of Simon Sons were Alexander and Rufus. Was this the same Rufus? We don't know for sure. But the connections in the Bible are pretty apparent on occasions. And remember this Mark who also knew Lucius is writing this text.

Making the connection. So anyway, Paul says in the letter to Rome the Romans chapter 16 verse 13 grade Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother who has been a mother to me, too. You see God makes connections. Anna and these people are in a place where they become can Lord and what happens they become convicted of their walk with the Lord and they become powerful instrument in God reaching out to the world to make connections through it all. And there are times when we are called to suffer. And that if you think about it Simon began his understanding of Jesus Christ through his suffering in carrying the cross. What a connection that is what a connection that is Paul writes about those connections in the book of Philippians. He writes this letter to Phillipi and he talks about a number of things but in chapter 3, he's talking about our lives in the value in the importance of our lives and he says I've done all these amazing things but they don't mean anything to me. They're simply rubbish because there's something that is far more important and for each of us who recognized Jesus as our Lord and savior this ought to be the most important thing for us to in chapter 3 verses 10 11. He says I want to know Christ and the power is of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead in other words the key. Going to his life was his connection to Jesus Christ. How do you gain that connection? What's of importance and value to your life? It is going through those episodes of God brings into your life and looked at him to be the guide and the strength for those whether those are suffering or whether those are Glory moments. They are brought to your life by the Living God. And our attention to those by keeping our eyes and our focus on Jesus Christ make the difference in how we connect with other people. And when we go through those things we recognize there is no shame. Think about Jesus on the cross. He knew he was headed to the Cross. He told the disciples all along the way from the early chapters of the gospels all the way to the very end. He kept out telling the people that he was going to come to suffer and die for their sake

That's part of life, but there is no shame in that there is no shame in that and Paul recognize this. He was a route to the Philippians from jail. He was suffering. In jail for the sake of the Cross and these are the words. He says in chapter one, one of the most powerful verses in all of scripture is verse 20, you said I usually and expect and I hope I will in no way be ashamed but have sufficient courage so that now is always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by lime or by Def

how important and valuable art our relationship with Jesus Christ be that we would respond in such a way that I don't care whether the activities I do for God leads to glory in this world or to death because I'll have glory in eternity because of that. It's recognizing that he is a part of our lives and the importance of us to give our lives completely him. Let's continue on verses 25 to 32. It was the third hour. When They Crucified him the written notice of the charges against him read the king of the Jews They Crucified two Robbers with him one on his right and one on his left those who pass by hurled insults at him shaking their heads and saying so you were going to destroy the temple and build it in three days come down from the cross and save yourself. In the same way the chief reason the teachers of the law and mocked him among themselves. He saved others come down now from that cross that we may see and believe. And even those crucified with him also he insults on him. You know, everyone was taunting. And trying to cast shame upon his life and yet he boldly stood by that cross. Each and every one of us is called bear the cross remember what what I said earlier in the Matthew chapter that each one of us has to take up our cross and follow him. We are called to that Duty Luke 9:23 and force as if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me for whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me will save it. Okay, you have been saved by a believing in the work of Jesus Christ by having your lives cleanse through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Doesn't that cry out to you to take up your cross and follow him to make it far more important? In anything you have in your life today.

You know God is has called us and giving us that life and he's also giving us work to do, you know each and every one of us have a responsibility as a believer in Jesus Christ to do the work that God has called us to he doesn't leave anyone out of that job. We all have that a job to do for Jesus Christ. In 2nd Corinthians, 5:19 and 20. We have this past scribed the incredible change that comes Upon Our Lives when we become Believers and then he calls us to be reconcilers just as he reconciled you to God, he made you ride before God and it's our job to go out and help others understand that they need to become right with the Living God. Verses 19 and 20 says God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ not counting man sins against them and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors is a God we're making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ behalf. Be reconciled to God. Make that step is what our lives need to say to a world that is lost. We don't have to change the world and make it right. We have to let them know about Jesus Christ because it is only through Jesus Christ that people are changed and made right before the Living God. It changes our Eternal destination to know Jesus Christ. And if we are truly going to serve him we must step into that idea of Being reconcilers for the kingdom of God. And we don't have to worry about what difference it makes in our lives. As I said earlier Christ was willing to suffer on that cross and involve all the humility and all the anger and hate that was thrown at him and he bore it. Isaiah speaks of Christ in the last third of the book of Isaiah and in that last third he has a section in chapter 50 where he talks about Christ in the work that he did in the ability to change lives and the in that it talks about what he did and verse 7 it says because the Sovereign Lord helps me I will not be disgraced. Therefore. I have set my face like flint and I know I will not be put to shame, you know, we need to set our faces Like Flint in honoring the Living God in our lives. There's no shame in seeking after the Living God. We can do that in so many ways part of that is even listening to this message is making yourself a part of that. But there it involves prayer. It involves attending church. It involves the study of God's word making it able to change our lives and make us more like Christ in his we become more like Christ. We become more able to appeal to others to Aid in the reconciling of their lives. You know, we're not going to change every life. But we can change some as we live our lives for Jesus Christ. Paul talks about that in 1st Corinthians verse 9 chapter 9 verse 22 and 3. To the weak. I became weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some I do all this for the sake of the Gospel that I may share in its blessing. In other words Paul made his life available to everyone he could. Now think about Jesus Christ on that cross. Those who pass by cried out and mocked his life, you know, he wanted to save others and there he is on the cross. He can't even save himself. The Pharisees and the Sadducees the the lawgivers they they said hey Erie was he said he could raise himself up. You can't do anything even those Thieves that were crucified right next to him. We're crying out and abusing his life and you imagine being hung on the same cross and somebody else and then you abused that person and that's what he was doing what they were doing, but Jesus bore it with dignity and power and strength think about this a little bit. He did that.

And someone came to know him. Who was that? It was one of the thieves on the cross we see that in the text found in Luke 23 42.

They've been sitting on the cross for 6 hours. One of the thieves was still abusing him the other one got upset with him and said, why do you abused the god before you and then he says the Jesus Christ Jesus Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said today you will be wearing dice. You see he abused all the pain all the suffering of that cross. and only one and we know change their mind, but if one person changes their mind you redeem the life for all eternity not just for the time on this Earth. That's minimal Time by fraternity. You can change a life. Let's finish off the the reading verses 33 to 39. If a sixth hour Darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour and if the ninth hour Jesus cried in the loud voice eloi eloi Lama sabachthani. Which means my God my God. Why have you forsaken me when some of those standing near heard this they said listen, he's calling Elijah. One of them ran filled as fun with wine vinegar and put it on a stick and they offered it to Jesus to drink. Now leave him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take him down. He said with a loud cry Jesus breathed his last the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and when the century and who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry and saw how he died. He said surely this man was the son of God.

Pretty amazing that somebody could go through the pain and suffering for 6 hours on a cross. And change the hearts of men.

God's call call to each and every one of us is from that cross. Then he suffered so that you and I don't have to suffer for all eternity. We can avoid the consequences but that's not what he wants from us other than the fact that when we do have a consequence by trusting in Him. We can change the world around us.

Paul was standing before those leaders of Rome who had the opportunity to condemn him or release him and he's talking about his relationship with Jesus Christ and how we first came to know Christ and Christ came to him and he said these words to him. I will rescue you from your own people in from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from Darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are Sanctified by faith in me. He's called us to change. And use Paul for that purpose, but he also wants to use each and every one of us. Not one of us can say I don't have a call if we've actually asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and savior of us from all our sins. We are then called to be God's ambassadors. We live in a world of incredible Darkness because the light of life hasn't hit the eyes of those around us and we have an opportunity to be that light. One of us starts at the same point lost Romans 3 10 and 11 says as it is written there is no one. I just not even one there is no one who understands no one who seeks God in other words were all born separated from God and we must come to that point of transition where we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior and change our lives in our Direction in our lives. Jesus Christ is the only way. That's the only option we have you can't call upon another religion to do it. God doesn't give you that option. God give you only one option. And knowing him he is the worst 10 19 and 20 says therefore Brothers since we have confidence to enter the most. Holy place by the blood of Jesus by a New and Living Way open for us to the curtain. That is his Bop. Remember the curtain was torn upon his death. That curtain tour the way to the inner sanctuary of the Living God is the only one person could go a year into that sanctuary and even that person had a rope tied to his leg because if he wasn't pure and holy when he went in there he died and he had to be dragged out.

But God opened up that door to our lives through the life of Jesus Christ when he died on that cross God Tour that curtain from top to bottom and open the way for each and every one of us to come before him. We don't need somebody to lead us. We don't need a pastor to take R Us that way. We need Jesus Christ to lead us into take us there. Trusting in Him. There's the only one he's the only way the Bible over and over again says that Jesus said that at the Last Supper, I'm the way the truth and the life no one comes unto the father, but mine by me. Then Peter and John were going to the temple early on in there a time after the resurrection. And there was this crippled. there and he was begging them for for food and Peter said I don't have any food. But what I have to you I give you any healed him raise him up in the name of Jesus Christ. And the Sanhedrin those the spiritual leaders of the land wanted to hear about this because they had been upset and Jesus and Peter had an opportunity to tell them about Jesus Christ whom they killed. And then he got to the point where you finished it off by saying these words. He said Acts 4:12 salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under Heaven given to Men by which we must be saved.

Jesus Christ is the only way.

And I hope that you listen to the lesson today. For those of you who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This lesson has been to help you understand the importance of truly giving your lives completely over to Christ and letting him use you and how he desires to use you he put you in this place and this time not for yourselves not for your joy and entertainment but to honor him through your lots and if you've struggled with that if you've decided to separate yourself from the body of Christ and do your own thing, you're not living in obedience to the Living God you're living in sin. You know we have changed.

The way we respond to God's so much in the last sixty or seventy years here in this country. Because we've gotten to the point where church is an important where prayer isn't important where the study of God's word isn't so important and because of that we become weak and impotent in our ability to live for Jesus Christ, and he want is calling you even take to turn your lives around and become more powerful in your ability to live for him. But there's some of you out there today who have never asked Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior. You know, he's dying for your loss. The crucifixion was to cover your sins. Doesn't matter. How many sins you committed in this life. Remember that we were all Sinners and indeed of a living God every one of us. myself included We were all Sinners before the Living God and everyone of us needed to Humble ourselves and follow on our knees before the Living God in Christ out. Forgive me Lord come and be my Lord and Savior and when we do that God says I will honor that and I will send my spirit into your life.

And help you on the glory. If you haven't made that commitment my cry today is that you would do so. We don't know how much longer we have with all the events that are happening in our world. Now. There's an uncertainty in the time when Jesus will come again and will take his own into Glory. I hope that you want to be one of his own. For the sake of your lives and even the lives of so many others. Did you could be a reconciler for?

I was prey. Grace's Father in heaven, we thank you for this. Time that we have to gather together in your name. And even though sometimes these are tough moments of challenge that it is important for us to remember that is a call you have because you love us deeply and you want us to know you and so father. I pray that your spirit would be moving in the hearts in the lives of each one who listens as listen to this message may be ready to respond with a desire to love you more. And disturb you in this life. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.