Lessons from the Cross - Part 2: Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart!
Lessons from the Cross
Part 2: Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart!
John 19:16-30
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 20, 2018
(Revised June 11, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 19. Here we are taking an in-depth look at the darkest day in human history: The day that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. But Christians, we know that the Lord's sacrificial death was God's perfect plan for salvation, and we rejoice in the miraculous mercy of the cross. By dying on the cross, our risen Savior fully paid the price for our sins! Thank God for the cross of Jesus Christ!
*Tonight, we will take a closer look at the events in this chapter and see some great reasons why we should trust in the Lord. Let's get started by reading John 19:16-30.
MESSAGE:
*Who do you trust? I trust my wife. And I know many good, godly Christians I would trust with my money, my children and my life. But standing over and above all, we can trust in the Lord our God! The cross of Jesus Christ proves that forever. I trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior almost 45 years ago. And though I have failed Him many times in those years, He has never failed me once. And He has blessed me beyond measure.
*We can always trust in the Lord, and we should! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
*You will never get better guidance than that. And as long as we are in this world, God has us in His "school of wisdom," learning to trust Him more and more, in every situation we face.
*The Lord wants us to have bold confidence in Him, total trust, tenacious trust, sticking to the Lord like Super-Glue, and not letting go for any reason. Tonight's Scripture can help us have that kind of trust in the Lord.
1. SO FIRST: TRUST IN THE LORD FOR HIS CROSS.
*We can always trust in the cross of Jesus Christ! Verses 16-18 say this about our Savior:
16. So he (Pilate) delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
17. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
18. where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
*The Bible says that Jesus was bearing His cross, but it was really our cross wasn't it? Yes, it was in a very real way. I say that because it was certainly our sin. It was certainly our death that Jesus took on the cross.
[1] JESUS DIED ON THAT CROSS FOR OUR SIN, AND THAT REMINDS US: NO CROSS; NO PARDON.
*Imagine what it would be like to go through all eternity without God's pardon, -- to forever bear your guilt and punishment. How would you like to be punished for every sin you ever committed? Even one sin would bring more punishment than we could stand. And Christians: That's where we would surely be without the cross of Jesus Christ.
[2] NO CROSS, NO PARDON. AND NO CROSS; NO PEACE.
*No peace with God, no peace in our hearts, no peace in the storms of life. But in the cross of Jesus Christ we can find total pardon and peace. That's the greatest reason for totally trusting in the Lord, so always remember the cross.
*Malinda Fillingim told about a mom and her little girl going to the zoo one day. For some reason, the little girl began to count the crosses on the churches they passed.
*She was counting out loud. Then she paused and asked, "Mom, how many times did Jesus die?"
-"One time dear," her mother answered.
-"Then why are there so many crosses?" the little girl asked.
-Her mother replied, "To help us remember how much Jesus loved us, and that He died on a cross for us."
*Her little girl thought about it for a moment and asked, "How could we ever forget something like that?" (1)
*Well, we couldn't, and we shouldn't. But when we get preoccupied with everyday issues and concerns, the most important things can get put on the back shelves of our minds. But we must never forget the cross of Christ, and never get over the cross of Christ.
*You may have heard of Garrison Keillor on NPR. He was the creator behind the weekly radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." Keillor told the story of his Thanksgiving dinners as a child. His Uncle John usually gave the prayer, and that caused everyone to squirm.
*As Keillor said, "Everybody in the family knew that Uncle John couldn't pray without talking about the cross and crying. . . Sure enough, Uncle John prayed, talked about the cross, and cried. Meanwhile, the rest of us shifted nervously from one foot to the other and longed for the prayer to end." Then Garrison added this powerful observation: "All of us knew that Jesus died on the cross for us. But Uncle John had never gotten over it." (2)
*That's the way God wants us to be. Never get over the cross of Christ!
2. TRUST IN THE LORD FOR HIS CROSS, AND TRUST HIM FOR HIS CROWN.
*Verses 19-22 remind us of the Lord's crown:
19. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.
20. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
21. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews.'''''
22. Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written.''
*"After the Romans sentenced a prisoner to die on a cross, the sentence was immediately carried out. First, the prisoners were scourged, but in this case Jesus had already been scourged. Then the condemned prisoners were led on a winding path through the streets to the place of crucifixion. An officer walked before the prisoner holding a sign that stated the crime for which he was condemned to die.
*William Barclay tells us that there were two reasons why: First: They might pass someone who could be a witness for the condemned man. If that happened, the procession was stopped, and the case was retried. But the main reason for the procession was to serve as a gruesome warning to anyone else tempted to commit that crime." (3)
*That's why Jesus was marched to the cross with the sign in tonight's Scripture. It stated the crime for which He was condemned to die. And in the Lord's case, the sign simply read: "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews."
*Both Matthew 27:37 and Mark 15:26 call this sign an "accusation." And Pilate refused to change it when the chief priests complained. In vs. 22 Pilate simply said, "What I have written I have written."
*It's ironic that the Roman governor who earlier asked Jesus: "What is truth?", the Roman governor who also rejected the truth about Jesus, is the same man who then insisted on writing the truth about our Lord: "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews."
*Why did Pilate refuse to change the sign? Maybe he had just had enough of those blood-thirsty priests. We really don't know what was on Pilate's mind. But God wanted the truth on that sign, and God is in control, so the truth is what they saw: "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews."
*Pilate was right about that, but he could have written "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Whole Universe," and he would have been just as right! Hebrews 2:9-10 is speaking about Christians and says:
9. . . We see Jesus (that is, by faith, we spiritually see Jesus), who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death CROWNED with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
10. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
*In Revelation 19:5-15, God miraculously allowed John to look into the future, and there, John said:
5. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!''
6. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.''
8. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' '' And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God.''
10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.''
11. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
12. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were MANY CROWNS. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
15. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
*CHURCH: THAT IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! And that's why Matthew Bridges wrote this great hymn:
"Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne
Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns, All music but its own.
Awake my soul and sing, Of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless king, Through all eternity." (4)
*Richard Deem was thinking about our Risen King, and said: "If you're searching for Jesus this evening, don't look in the cradle. The cradle is empty. If you're searching for Jesus this evening, don't look at the cross. He is no longer there. If you seek the Lord this evening, don't stoop to peer into the tomb, for it stands forever vacant, a memorial to the Resurrected Lord! If you're searching for Jesus this evening, turn your gaze toward Heaven!"
*In Isaiah 6:1, the prophet saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. In Acts 7, Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father. In Acts 9, on the Road to Damascus, Paul heard the Lord's voice thunder from Heaven."
*In Revelation 5:11-14, the Apostle John said this about our Lord and Savior:
11. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12. saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!''
13. And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!''
14. Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!'' And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
*He came as a baby to a cradle, but now He wears a crown. He came to die for our sins on the horrible, horrible cross, but now He forever wears a crown." (5)
3. TRUST IN THE LORD FOR HIS CROWN, AND TRUST HIM FOR HIS CONFIRMATIONS.
*Verses 23-24 are one of many places where God has confirmed His Word:
23. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.
24. They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,'' that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.'' Therefore the soldiers did these things.
[1] THESE SEEMINGLY MINOR DETAILS CONFIRM GOD'S WORD FOR US.
*A thousand years before Jesus came, God gave a prophecy about what would happen to the Lord's clothes. God used King David to write this prophecy. It's in Psalm 22:18 where God's Word says, "They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."
*That's one reason why Psalm 22 is called the Psalm of the Cross. It's also where some of the Lord's words on the cross were recorded a thousand years in advance. In Psalm 22:1 David wrote, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, that is exactly what Jesus said on the cross.
*Then in Psalm 22:16 God's word prophesied the exact way Jesus would die: "They pierced My hands and My feet."
*These prophecies remind us that we can always depend on the Lord. He will always be true to His Word. And if He says something is going to happen, it's going to happen!
[2] SO THESE DETAILS CONFIRM GOD'S WORD FOR US. THEY ALSO CONFIRM GOD'S PLAN FOR OUR FUTURE.
*We see here that God had things planned-out down to the smallest details: where the nails would be placed, even what would happen to the Lord's clothes. God was working out His perfect plan. And He is doing the same for us too, so we can trust Him with our future!
*When God's Spirit told David what to say in Psalm 22, God knew what was going to happen a thousand years in the future. And He knows what's going to happen a thousand years from today! We can trust Him with our future.
4. TRUST IN THE LORD FOR HIS CONFIRMATIONS, AND TRUST HIM FOR HIS CARE.
*We can always trust the Lord to care for us like He cared for His mother in vs. 25-27:
25. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!''
27. Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!'' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
*When the Lord told John, "Behold your mother, Jesus was showing that He cared. And we see that the Lord's care is personal. Jesus doesn't just care about the world in general. He cared about His mother, and He cared about His friend John.
*But think about the Lord's mother, Mary. There she stood at the foot of the cross, broken hearted, watching as her son suffered in agony and then died. And it is most impressive that even as the Lord suffered for our sins, He still cared about His mother's hurt.
*Even on the cross, Jesus took care of His mother. He knew that Mary would need special help over the next three days. The Lord also knew that Mary would need help after He rose again from the dead and returned to Heaven.
*So, Jesus told Mary, "Behold your son! And Jesus told John, "Behold your mother!" In that day, those words of a dying man had the authority of a last will and testament. Jesus knew that John was the best person to provide the help Mary needed. And from that hour she lived in John's home. (6)
*Jesus cared about His hurting mother:
-Speaking from the cross, He cared about her everyday needs.
-Suffering on the cross, He cared about her everlasting needs.
*In those dark hours, Mary must have wished for her son to come down from the cross. But the best way that Jesus ever helped His mother was by staying on the cross. The best way that Jesus ever helped His mother was by dying on the cross for her sins! And this is the best way He ever helped us, too.
*So in vs. 28-30 we read:
28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!''
29. Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
30. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!'' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
*The Lord cared about His mother. He cared about His friend John. And He cares about you! Even when Jesus was suffering more than anyone else ever has, Jesus cared about them, and He cared about us.
CONCLUSION:
*So, in every situation of life, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
(1) Adapted from Malinda Fillingim - Kentucky - THE UPPER ROOM, March/April 1996, p. 41 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "Who Could Forget That?" by King Duncan - Mark 14:1-15:47
(2) Sermon "Standing in the Light of the Cross" by Bill Bouknight - Good News March-April 2002, p. 21 - Source: Sermonillustrations.com email 03132002
(3) WILLIAM BARCLAY'S DAILY STUDY BIBLE by William Barclay - "The Way to the Cross" - John 19:17-22 - https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/john-19.html
(4) "Crown Him with many crowns" - Author : Matthew Bridges (1851)
-https://hymnary.org/text/crown_him_with_many_crowns
(5) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "The Cradle, The Cross, The Crown" by Richard Deem - 11242001
(6) Original source unknown, but see "Final Words of a Family Man" by Ray Pritchard - 04141991 - John 19:25-27 - Jesus' Last Will and Testament