Date: March 20, 2008
Text: Mark 15
Objective: Christians can begin to understand the reality of the crucifixion by knowing what Christ’s sacrifice has bought us.
What Christ’s Sacrifice Bought Us
1. It Bought us freedom from shame
a. Do we understand the shame?
2. It bought us rest
a. Do we understand the pain?
3. It bought us full communion
a. Do we understand the isolation?
I. Read text – Mark 15
II. Introduction
a. Eugene Sledge Illustration
i. WWII Documentary The War
1. People didn’t understand what the men overseas had endured
2. In one sense, there was no way that they could; in another sense, however they may not have wanted to – they were comfortable and secure with their families and possessions, and it was easier to just not think about it
b. We are similar to the people Mr. Sledge encountered
i. We have an understanding of what happened on the cross; we can probably tell you all about it, but do we really know what was going on there? Do we really understand what took place on that day in Jerusalem? Can we?
ii. I don’t think we can ever fully understand it…but by looking at what His death afforded us, and conversely what He endured to secure those things, we can better come to grips with its full scope.
1. What Christ’s Sacrifice Bought Us
a. Honor
i. Do we understand the Shame?
b. Rest
i. Do we understand the suffering?
c. Communion
i. Do we understand the isolation?
III. Christ’s Shame Bought Us Honor
a. The Honor He Forfeited
i. King of Glory – impossible for Him to have more renown and more of a place of honor
ii. Light of the World – the very One who pierced the primeval darkness before the creation of the world
1. All things created through Him and to Him
b. The Shame He Endured
i. Leading up to text
1. Betrayed by a close follower of His, denied by another
ii. Stood before Pilate and Sanhedrin
1. Stood against false accusations and jealous priests
2. Jesus had sway over the people, and Passover was an opportune time to make this public display
a. They knew Pilate, normally in Caesarea, would be there
b. Heightened sense of patriotism during Passover – a time when they celebrate deliverance
iii. Barabbas
1. His people chose Barabbas over Him
2. No different than what we do on a daily basis
3. The very ones who sent “Hosanas” into the air days ago are now chanting “Crucify him!”
iv. Soldiers Mocked
v. Crucified – likely nude
1. THE KING OF THE JEWS
2. Between 2 theives
c. The Depth of the Shame
i. Who was doing this?
1. His people – the Jews
2. His creations – “fit together in mothers womb”
ii. Came from a place of unimaginable honor and glory, and now subject to the punishment of a common criminal
iii. He didn’t have to do this
1. Matthew 26:53 – call 12 legions of angels
2. He Himself is God – spoke the world into existence with His word
a. Took the shame
d. Because of His Shame, we have honor
i. To be sure, it is completely undeserved – it doesn’t take us long each day to do something completely dishonorable and despicable before the Lord
ii. We have honor because Christ is honored – because He endured the shame, we no longer have condemnation
1. Romans 8:1
iii. Our place in eternity is because of what Christ did
iv. We so easily throw a word around like “Christian” without giving the slightest thought of what it cost so that we could wear that name
1. Just as we throw the name “American” around
2. We take His name in vain with our lifestyles, and He still loves us
3. Do we really understand the shame? We can start to understand by looking at the honor He has given us.
IV. Christ’s Pain bought us Rest
a. The Rest He Forfeited
i. He had all the rights, honors, and privileges of deity, but gave them up to give us Rest
ii. Didn’t know pain, hunger, cold, loneliness – came to earth, where those are real things – to give us rest
iii. Came as a baby – completely needy
b. His Suffering
i. Passion Illustration
1. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw
2. Whatever you think about the movie, “The Passion”, if you’ve seen it, you’ll agree that it gives an intensely graphic image of what this process must have been like.
ii. Flogging
1. Flagellum – whip with metal tips
a. Designed to tear the flesh from the bone
b. Most prisoners didn’t survive this stage – large amounts of blood and exposure
iii. Carrying cross
1. Describe briefly the process
2. Crossbeam weighed between 75-150 pounds
a. After flagellation
iv. Crucifixion
1. Cicero, “cruelest and most hideous punishment possible”
a. Excruciating
2. Nails
3. Suffocation
4. Hung for days
v. Because of His Suffering, We have Rest
1. Because of the Pain He suffered for us, we can an eternal life of rest and peace
a. We inherit a peace that passes all comprehension
2. His pain was unimaginable, yet He endured it for us
a. Before they crucified Him, they even offered him something to dull the pain, but He refused
3. He could have saw to it that the cross didn’t hurt, or as they hurled insults at Him, he could have taken Himself down
4. Don’t be fooled, though they put nails in His hands and feet, the nails didn’t hold him there
c. His love for us is why He endured the pain, and now we have a place of extreme rest, not only from the trials of the physical world, but from our own guilt and shame and sinfulness – we have rest from the pain of guilt, the pain of sorrow, the pain of rejection
i. He has endured these things for us
ii. Do we really understand the amazing gift we have been given? We can understand it better by looking at His pain.
V. Christ’s Isolation bought us Communion
a. Finger Stuck in Hole Illustration
i. When my classmates left, and the 8th graders filtered in, I felt so alone
b. Do we really understand the Isolation Christ felt?
i. Gethsemane
ii. Friends left Him
iii. On the cross He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
1. Psalm 22:1-8 – Helps us to see the depths of His misery and loneliness
iv. Here is a man, the Son of God, who had perfect communion with the Father in heaven, perfect communion on earth, and now because of my sin, the Father can’t even look on Him
1. Do we even understand?
v. Our relationships with God as a whole aren’t very deep – and we make decisions and live our lives as if He doesn’t even exist
1. Granted, we try, but most of the time we fall so short
2. Yet, Christ completed depended on the Father and constantly sought time to be with Him, even getting up before daybreak just to be alone with Him
a. Now, the Father has forsaken Him
3. What amazing isolation and loneliness our Lord Jesus must have felt!
c. The Fellowship we Now Have
i. Yom Kippur- Day of Atonement – once a year, the priest entered to the holiest place – laid the sins of the people onto a scapegoat, and this goat was taken by a non Israelite into the wilderness to die
1. This was a symbol of what Christ would do for us
ii. The curtain was torn in two
1. v38 – easy to glance over this, but we can’t miss it
a. Because of His isolation, we now have sweet communion
b. We don’t need a priest to communicate with God – we are called a royal priesthood
i. We have a direct line to God
c. This isn’t a small thing – we know that, but we live as if it is just another thing for us to have in our Christian lives
i. We have His Word in our hands
ii. We have His attention anytime we speak to Him
iii. He cares about our lives – we are His children, and He loves us
VI. Conclusion
a. How can we better understand what He did for us?
b. Simon the Cyrenian
i. Simon was made to carry the cross
ii. This impacted his life greatly
iii. It was no accident that Mark mentions Rufus and Alexander – the Roman church would have known this people
1. Paul mentions Rufus and Simon’s wife in Romans
iv. Simon was moved by what He saw that day – He was given a unique opportunity, and through it, He was changed – He came to know Jesus that day
c. We won’t get the same chance Simon received, but we have God’s inspired Word that tells us what went down that day at Calvary
i. We’ll never fully understand the things Christ bought for us that day – the honor, the rest, the sweet communion.
ii. We’ll never fully understand the things Christ went through – the shame, the pain, the isolation.
iii. But, Christian, let us never forget. Let us not live our lives as if these things never happened
iv. As we come to the table – In Remembrance of Him – let us truly be grateful for promise of eternal life because of Jesus, and His death on the cross.
VII. Close
