Last week we looked at the work of Christ by examining several I am statements of Christ. The truth is, Christ came to save the world, and He came that those who believe would have life more abundant. Today we look at the fourteenth thing they did to our Lord. They drove nails in His feet and hands. Christ was weak and much pain. He had been beaten, mocked, and now was to be crucified. The crowds were almost in riot to make sure that Christ was crucified. The scene of the cross is not something that would have been good to see. In fact more than 400 yrs before Christ went to the cross David gave a glimpse into what the scene would be like.
Read Ps. 22:12-21
The scene at the cross was gruesome, but in the end, God had the victory..
I. The Setting v. 12-13
David is in great distress. He is calling out to the Great God. While David calls out in his distress, he also paints a picture of what is to come. In v. 12 one begins to see the setting of the cross. The crowd is referred to as bulls. They had surrounded the One whom they were looking to destroy. These were not simply small animals. These are large strong bulls. Animals there were capable of doing great damage.
The crowd is also referred to as a lion. Lions are load and mean. The roar is one that fills the air and can be heard far away. Mat. 27:36 says that they sat down and watched Him. They watched as if this were entertainment, as if they were watching a movie or a play.
The crowd stood and hurled insults at Jesus. He was taken and surrounded by the angry mob. There was no where that Jesus could run to, He was surrounded. Even as He hang on the cross, the roar of the crowd was great.
Could you imagine the setting that day. What it must have been like?
There are times in our lives when it seems this very setting is in place. Everywhere we turn it seems as if people are against us. We feel alone, abandoned, encompassed about with wild animals and we are their prey.
You are not alone! God came in the flesh and suffered just as you and I do. He had the same hurts, pains, temptations, and struggles as every other person in the world. Jesus never lost focus.
Whatever you are struggling with, whatever is encircling you today, there is a place you can go. God is there. Christ knows what you are dealing with and wants to help. All you have to do is let Him.
II. The Work v. 14-18
Christ hangs on the cross gasping for every breath. Out of joint bones were common for those who were hung to a cross. The person was hung in an awkward position and would have to stretch and struggle for every breath. Their torso was stretched and they would have to lift themselves for each breath they took. Jesus was no different. He was thirsty. He had not had anything to eat or drink since the night before. When He stated that He was thirsty He was given sour wine, unfit to drink. The strength of Jesus was gone. A potsherd is a pottery fragment. The pottery vessel has strength when it is in one piece. When the vessel is broken the pieces become weak. They are no longer able to maintain their strength. People are strong, but there comes a point when they become broken and weak. Remember that Christ had been awake for some time. He did not sleep the night before because He was arrested. He was taken from Gethsemane to 6 different trials throughout the city. After the trials He was then beaten and made to go back through the city to Golgotha to be crucified. Once there they drove nails through His feet and hands. They would not settle for tying Christ to the cross, as was the common practice. The guards even divided His clothes and gambled for them.
Through all of this- GOD WAS AT WORK!
V. 15 says that “You have brought Me to the dust of death.” God had brought Jesus to the point where He was. God is bringing about the death of Christ b/c there had to be a sacrifice. There had to be a way to bring man back into right relationship with God. The only way was through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Is. 53: 5 “...by His stripes we are healed.” according to Rm. 3:25 that is because Christ was the atonement for the sins of humans. Through Christ’s atonement, people who come to Him in faith are given God’s grace and mercy and eternal life.
Is. 53:11 “By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.”
Through all of the suffering of Christ, God was at work. God had a plan. God chose to give His Son so that man could be with Him in heaven.
Even though Christ was suffering, God was at work. There are times when we too will suffer and we must see that through our struggles God is at work.
God is at work in you! God wants a relationship with you and will do whatever He has to do to get you to come to Him.
God is at work in the struggles of the Christian too. There are times when we have struggles that God is teaching us and developing within us His character (Heb. 12:11).
III. The Trust v. 19-21
Christ knew that He must die. He knew that He was the only way. Yet, Jesus never took His trust away from the Father. Jesus kept His focus. God was His strength. His deliverance and ability would come from God. Christ would bring salvation. Jesus trusted God for the provision and help.
When we trust God then He directs our paths, He shows us the way to go. Prov. 3:5-6. That is what Jesus did. He stayed focused on the Father and the path that He was to take. God was there at work, even through the suffering.
Let us stay focused on the Father. Heb. 12:1-2 tells us to fix our eyes upon Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith and run with endurance the race marked out before us.
In whom or what do you place your trust? I will take a guess and say that it hasn’t been working. God wants you and desires you. He gave His Son on the cross to suffer and die for your sins so that you might be with Him for all eternity. All we have to do is trust Him and come in faith.
Confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins. Call upon Him and you will be saved.
Christian- why are you trusting your friend to get you through? Trust God. Why are you looking to anything else other than Christ and Him crucified?
If God is worthy enough for Christ to focus on and trust while He was on the cross suffering and dying, then why is God not worthy enough for your focus?
Will you trust Him today?
