INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• As we have been closing in on Resurrection Sunday, we have been taking a journey together in the series, It Matters. As Christians we have to be careful not to miss the details of our faith lest we end up not having a basis for why we believe what we believe.
• If we gloss over the details of our faith, when corned by someone who as a question for us to answer as to why we believe the way we do, we will not be able to give them a Biblical answer.
• When one realized the details of one’s faith are important to apprehend, it can cause one to want to engage in deeper study of the Word.
• When we live out a faith lacking an understanding of the details of one’s faith, that faith can be easily shattered.
• When you examine the Bible, one of the things you cannot help but notice is the fact that God is detail oriented.
• When God told the Israelites to build a Tabernacle, He gave them all the details as to how He wanted it built.
• When the Ark of the Covenant was built, God gave detailed instructions as to how that Ark was to be built. God gave Noah instructions as to how to build the Ark.
• God gave mankind instructions as to how to live in a manner that is both beneficial to us as well as pleasing to God.
• When God offered a way for us to be saved, God offered us a detailed plan by which one can be saved.
• Today we will examine the crucifixion of Jesus together.
• There are are at least 29 prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus during the 24-hour period beginning with the betrayal of Jesus to His burial.
• These prophecies were offered by different people over 5 centuries from about 1000 to 500 BC. McDowell, (1999).
• The details of the crucifixion are important enough for God to speak through the prophets hundreds of years before the crucifixion took place.
• These details also are further evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
• The details also shoot down the ideas some have promoted over the centuries that Jesus really did not die, that He passed out and then escaped the sealed tomb.
• Today we are going to hit a great number of passages, but I will run them on the screen, if you have the Youversion App, you will be able to have them in the notes.
• We are going to examine 11 of the 29 prophecies concerning the crucifixion of Jesus.
• Let’s begin by looking at Psalm 22:16 and the fulfillment in Luke 23:33
• SLIDE #2
• Psalm 22:16 (HCSB) — 16 For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.
• Luke 23:33 (HCSB) — 33 When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. His hands and feet were pierced
• Jesus was taken to be crucified. Psalm 22 speaks of how the enemies were surrounding the one being punished. The passage speaks of having the hands and feet of the one being hurt pierced.
• Psalm 22 was written by King David; it is recognized as a Messianic Psalm. David would have written this Psalm between 1020-975, Smith (1996).
• Britannica reports that the first historical record of Crucifixion was about 519 BC when "Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon" (Encyclopedia Britannica, crucifixion).
• So it is amazing that David would write about something that did not exist at the time.
• The truth is that this psalm reads as if it were composed at the foot of the cross. Ps 22 has two major divisions: (1) the gloom of the cross (vv. 1-21); and (2) the glory of the resurrection (vv. 22-31). Old Testament Survey Series, The - The Old Testament Survey Series – The Wisdom Literature and Psalms.
• Jesus was crucified, and when the Romans did so, they drove dull nails through the hands and feet. This hit all kinds of nerves and the pain was terrible.
• Let’s turn to Psalm 69:21 and Matthew 27:34.
• SLIDE #4
• Psalm 69:21 (HCSB) Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
• Matthew 27:34 (HCSB) they gave Him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when He tasted it, He would not drink it.
• SLIDE #5
II. He was offered a sour drink.
• When you look at this detail, Psalm 69 is one attributed to King David. God knew the reproach that would be heaped upon His servant, He knew the troubles He would endure, and His servant would ask for help.
• His affliction would be magnified by the fact that instead of meat to fill his hunger, the persecutors would offer a bitter drink!
• What seemed like a cruel move could have been one of mercy?
• This had the effect of stupefying the mind and nerves and shortened the life. It was offered by some pitying person to shorten the agonies of Jesus.
• Jesus refused, He was going to suffer for the sins of mankind.
• SLIDE #6
• Isaiah 53:12 (HCSB) Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
• Matthew 27:38 (HCSB) Then two criminals were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
• SLIDE #7
III. He was crucified between two robbers.
• Ok, here is another issues Jesus has no control over, who He was crucified with.
• Jesus was hung between two thieves, people walk by Jesus and mocked Him. They looked at Him as being guilty because He was being crucified!
• The Romans would crucify people before Passover because of the large crowds that would be in Jerusalem for the Passover.
• The Romans would do so in order to flex their muscle to the Jews, to make sure they knew what could happen to them.
• This comment is important because of the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, which states that God’s servant is “numbered with the transgressors.” Jesus has already cited this text in 22:37.
• SLIDE #8
• Luke 22:37 (HCSB) For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment.”
• Jesus knew what was coming.
• Let’s look at some more scripture!
• SLIDE #9
• Isaiah 53:12 (HCSB) Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
• Luke 23:34 (HCSB) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
• SLIDE #10
IV. He made intercession on behalf of His persecutors.
• ISAIAH 53:12 tells us yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
• In spite of all that was being done for Jesus, His love allowed Him to ask God to forgive the people.
• Jesus was the bearer of sins for the group. They owed their lives to him. And they had never suspected what he was doing.
• Can you imagine the love it took for Jesus to do this? Probably not. He could have stopped it, but He was not even willing to allow His senses to be dulled with the gall.
• This next event would be hard to take.
• SLIDE #11
• Psalm 22:18 (HCSB) They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing.
• John 19:23–24 (HCSB) When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the soldiers did.
• SLIDE #12
V. He saw others gamble for His possessions.
• A Psalm by David as we said earlier. David is describing the further humiliation Jesus would face.
• The executioners had rights to the condemned mans clothing. The tunic was seamless, which made it more valuable, so the soldiers divided up His other garments and cast lots for the tunic. Outer coat.
• Psalm 22 had a direct connection with the Messiah, some of the events of David’s life foreshadowed what was to happen to the Messiah, who would come from his family tree!
• Next we see….
• SLIDE #13
• Psalm 22:7–8 (HCSB) — Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He relies on the Lord; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in him.”
• Mark 15:29–31 (HCSB) — Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! The One who would demolish the sanctuary and build it in three days, save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes were mocking Him to one another and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself!
• SLIDE #14
VI. He was mocked.
• The Son of God, hanging on a cross being mocked by humans, the irony behind that is staggering!
• Jesus could have done whatever He wanted, but He stayed on the cross, endured the mocking for our sake!
• Jesus did not falter in the face of persecution!
• SLIDE #15
• Psalm 69:21 (HCSB) Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
• John 19:28–29 (HCSB) After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth.
• SLIDE #16
VII. He thirsted and was given a drink.
• In the beginning Jesus would not take the drink that would dull His senses, now as death approaches, He is thirsty.
• This time He doesn’t reject the offer, notice this time it is only sour wine, no gall mixed with it.
• Next we see…
• SLIDE #17
• Psalm 38:11 (HCSB) My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.
• Luke 23:49 (HCSB) But all who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
• SLIDE #18
VIII. His friends watched Him be crucified from afar.
• I guess Jesus told His friends they were too close!
• SLIDE #19
• Psalm 34:20 (HCSB) He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.
• John 19:31–33 (HCSB) Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that their bodies be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with Him. When they came to Jesus, they did not break His legs since they saw that He was already dead.
• SLIDE #20
IX. His bones were not broken.
• This was written before crucifixion was done, it was common to break the legs of the victim so that they could not push themselves up for air, hastening the suffocation of the victim.
• It was actually an act of mercy, yet Jesus left the cross with no broken bones!
• SLIDE #21
• Zechariah 12:10 (HCSB) “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.
• John 19:34 (HCSB) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
• SLIDE #22
X. His side was pierced.
• The Romans soldiers were professional killers, that is what they did, they knew when someone was dead. Jesus was dead on the cross!
• SLIDE #23
• Isaiah 53:9 (HCSB) They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.
• Matthew 27:57–60 (HCSB) When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.
• SLIDE #24
XI. He was buried in the tomb of a rich man.
• Usually the Romans just threw the body into a mass hole, the Jews would bury those they could. Jesus ending up in a tomb such as He was laid would not be normal for one who died of crucifixion.
• Yet Jesus was buried in a tomb.
CONCLUSION
• All the details matter! The crucifixion was prophesied about in great detail 100’s of years before Jesus was crucified and a few hundred years before the Persians started crucifying people in 519 BC.
• Next week Jerry will share with us what happened in the tomb!
