Moving Closer to the Cross - Part 2
Matt 27:11-54
Sermon by: Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - April 1, 2007
*Today we will look at the darkest day in human history, the day when the holy Son of God was nailed to a cross for our sins.
*Max Lucado wrote: The Cross...
-It rests on the time line of history like a compelling diamond.
-Its tragedy summons all sufferers.
-Its absurdity attracts all critics.
-Its hope lures all searchers.
*My, what a piece of wood!
-History has idolized it and despised it.
-Gold plated it and burned it.
-Worn it and trashed it.
-History has done everything to it but ignore it.
-That’s the one option that the cross does not offer.
*No one can ignore it!
-You can’t ignore a piece of lumber that suspends the greatest claim in history.
-A crucified carpenter claiming that he is God on earth!
*The cross. Its bottom line is sobering.
-If the account is true, it is history’s hinge... -Period. (1)
*Today I want to ask you to move closer to the Cross of Jesus Christ, but it is not always and easy journey. We are bound to see some things that are hard to look at: the suffering of our innocent Lord, and the ugliness of the sin that put Him there... -The ugliness of our sin.
*It may be hard, but we must move closer to the Cross to see the Lord as He really is. We must move closer to the cross to find the victory and joy God wants us to have.
1. So come close today and first see the Lord’s serenity. Look for the Lord’s calmness and composure in vs. 11-14:
11. Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?’’ So Jesus said to him, "It is as you say.’’
12. And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
13. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?’’
14. And He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
*Pilate was amazed by Christ’s serenity in the face of His murderous accusers. Jesus uttered not one word of protest when a word was all it would have taken to end that travesty of justice.
*Earlier in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus had asked the disciples: “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than 12 legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53)
*That’s over 80,000 angels! -But Jesus didn’t call for help, because in that Garden, He had already confirmed His commitment to die for us.
-There He made the most difficult decision anyone has ever made.
*Matt 26:37-39 tells us that,
37. . . . He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
38. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’’
39. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’’
*Luke 22 tells us that Jesus was in agony in the Garden, and as He prayed His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. But after Jesus prayed that third time, “Father, Thy will be done,” His heart was settled as He stood before that mob.
2. Come closer to the cross of Jesus Christ. See the Lord’s serenity, and see His purity. Even a hard-hearted, Roman politician like Pilate could see the Lord’s purity in vs. 15-24:
15. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.
16. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’’
18. For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him.
19. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’’
20. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
21. The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’’ They said, "Barabbas!’’
22. Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’’ They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!’’
23. Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?’’ But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!’’
24. When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’’
*Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. He knew that the chief priests wanted to kill the Lord, because they envied Him. And at least three times he said that Jesus was not guilty.
*But if the Lord’s purity was so obvious, why were the people so easily persuaded to scream for His death?
-It’s because the Lord did not play by their rules.
*As Wayde Wilson said.
-“From the time he was born until the day he died, [Jesus] was always doing things differently than people expected. He was a man on a mission. But the mission was one few could understand.
-Jesus taught us how to love like no man has ever loved. He was full of compassion. He continuously extended grace when others were casting guilt.
-No one was hopeless. Every life mattered. He loved the prostitute as much as he loved the preacher.
*He said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save those who were lost.” And that is what he did. He sought out the lonely, the hurting, the destitute, the forgotten ones, the guilty, the hopeless, the rejects of society.
-And his love transformed them. Everywhere he went, Jesus changed lives.
*But his methods were unorthodox. People kept trying to squeeze him into a mold, and he was unwilling. He had obvious power. He could heal the sick, the deaf, the blind, the crippled, the diseased – it seemed his power was limitless.
-[He] even raised the dead.
*He claimed to be the Messiah, but about the time you’d expect him to put on a crown and take the throne, he’d pick up a towel and a bowl and wash his disciple’s feet.
-The Jews were looking for more power and less humility and love.
-They wanted fewer parables and more politics.
-They didn’t want a Savior, they wanted a deliverer.
-They wanted a warrior; they got what seemed to be a wimp.
-He wouldn’t play by their rules, so they crucified Him. (2)
*God is not always going to play by our rules. As He told us in Isaiah 55:8-9...
-My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’’ says the Lord.
-For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
*We may not understand what the Lord is doing in our lives, but He always does the right thing! God is good all the time!
*Corrie ten Boom went through the unspeakable horrors of a Nazi death camp during World War II. Her sister Betsie died in that camp, but Corrie was miraculously freed just a few days before she was scheduled to die.
*After the war, Corrie said, “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’
-Yes, God is good when He sends good weather, but God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp.
-I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us.
*"No, Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: ‘For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.’"
*Corrie concluded, "There is an ocean of God’s love available--there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love, whatever the circumstances." (3)
*God is good all the time. And He had to be. He couldn’t die for your sins, if He had to die for His own. But Jesus Christ did die for our sins.
*As Wayde Wilson said: “Drunkenness and drug overdose were heaped on His back. Abortion, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality... Every sin you can think of was added to the weight.
-Jesus Christ carried much more than the Cross. He carried the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders.
-Remember how you felt when you were weighted down by the guilt of your sin. Now, multiply that guilt and shame times every man and woman who would ever live. That’s what Jesus carried.” (2)
*His own purity made that possible.
3. Come closer to the cross of Jesus Christ. See the Lord’s purity, and see His destiny. The Lord’s supreme destiny is revealed to us in vs. 33-37...
33. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,
34. they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’’
36. Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
*None of this caught the King by surprise. All of this had been prophesied centuries before Jesus was born. Vs. 35 is just one of the over 300 prophecies Jesus fulfilled!
-The Cross was God’s plan from before the beginning of time.
*When the early Christians began to face persecution, Acts 4:24-28 tells us:
24. . . . They raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
25. "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: `Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things?
26. the kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’
27. "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
28. "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
*The Cross was God’s plan from the beginning, so in Phil 2:6-11, Paul said this about Jesus:
6. . . . Being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
4. Come closer to the cross of Jesus Christ. See the Lord’s destiny, and see His loyalty. Jesus went through so much for us! Take a look at it in vs. 25-31...
25. And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children.’’
26. Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.
28. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!’’
30. Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
31. Then when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
*But also see vs. 38-44...
38. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
39. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads
40. and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’’
41. Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said,
42. "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
43. "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, `I am the Son of God.’ ’’
44. Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
*Why was Jesus willing to endure so much suffering and abuse? Because He was absolutely devoted to the Father, and He was absolutely devoted to sacrificing Himself for us.
5. Come closer to the cross of Jesus Christ. See the Lord’s loyalty, and see His majesty. Don’t miss the amazing, miraculous things that happened in vs. 45-54.
45. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’’ that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’’
47. Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!’’
48. Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink.
49. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.’’
50. Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit.
51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52. and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53. and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!’’)
*The Roman soldiers there that day got it. They began to comprehend the majesty of Jesus Christ, and said: “Truly this was the Son of God!”
*George Vandeman told of a young man who made his first climb in the Alps. It was a steep, treacherous climb, but he felt secure with one expert guide ahead and one behind. For hours they climbed and finally reached the summit.
*The guide ahead wished to let the young man have the first glorious view, and moved aside to let him go first. Forgetting the fierce winds that would blow across those rocks, the young man jumped to his feet.
-But the guide dragged him down. "On your knees, sir!" he shouted. "You are never safe here except on your knees." (4)
*That mountain is not a pebble to Jesus Christ. Those gale force winds are not a whisper of His breath. How much more should we bow down before the One who made all these things? How much more should we bow down before the One who can turn the sun off with a word, the one who can shake the whole earth, the One who by His death tore open the impassable barrier our sin put between us and a holy God?
6. Come closer to the cross of Jesus Christ. See the Lord’s majesty, and see His victory. We get a glimpse of the Lord’s resurrection victory in vs. 50-53:
50. Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit.
51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52. and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53. and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many..)
*He is risen! It was a victory for Him. And it was a victory for us.
-When Jesus rose from the dead, there must have been such a burst of life-giving energy that believers all over that graveyard rose too! It was a witness to the Lord’s resurrection, and a small taste of the victory that waits for all who trust in Jesus to save them.
*Ruth Dillow got another small taste of this victory. On Feb. 27, 1991, Ruth was home in Chanute, Kansas. On that day she received word that her son, Clayton, a Private in the U.S. Army, had been killed by a land mine in the Persian Gulf. It was a tragedy beyond measure.
*Ruth Dillow later wrote,
"I can’t begin to describe my grief and shock. It was almost more than I could bear. For 3 days I wept. For 3 days I expressed anger and loss. For 3 days people tried to comfort me, to no avail because the loss was too great."
*But after 3 days the telephone rang. The voice on the other end said, "Mom, it’s me. I’m alive!"
*Ruth said, "I couldn’t believe it at first, but then I recognized his voice and he really was alive."
-The message was all a mistake!
*She said, “I jumped up and down. I was overjoyed! I laughed, I cried, I felt like turning cartwheels, because my son whom I had thought was dead, was really alive.” (5)
*That’s the joy we all can have!
-Because Jesus died on the Cross for us.
-Because He rose from the dead!
-And because He gives new life to all who will believe in Him.
Conclusion:
*The Roman centurion who was so close to the cross that day got it.
-He said: “Truly this was the Son of God!”
-Have you really gotten it yet?
*The question Pilate asked in vs. 22 is a question for every one of us today:
-“What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
*Trust Him. Love Him. Follow Him. Worship Him!
-Come closer to the Cross.
1. Max Lucado Six Hour One Friday - Found in SermonCentral sermon “Your Face in the Crowd” by Ryan Johnson Matt 27:32-56
2. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “The Wounded Warrior” by Wayde Wilson - Isaiah 53:3-5
3. Found at SermonIllustrations.com - GOD, goodness of - Corrie Ten Boom
4. Story in Leadership magazine: incident that George Vandeman wrote about in TOUCH AND LIVE - Found on Christianglobe.com sermon “Lord’s Prayer - Thine Is the Kingdom” by Eric Ritz Matt 6:1-4
5. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon: “Easter - What A Difference” by MELVIN NEWLAND 1 Cor 15:1-11
