The DEATH Of DELIVERANCE-II—Mark 15:26-47(15:1-47)
This ‘bare-bones’ sermon was delivered @ Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting by 1)focusing on the historical aspects presented thru reading the verses themselves, 2)presenting the bare divisions, & 3)commenting from memory in the moment.
Need:
To examine the historical reality of Jesus’ death on the Cross & thus to wrest/rescue the ‘Easter season’(as with the ‘Christmas season’) from the confines of secular thinking.
Mk. 9:31-32—“He taught His disciples & said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, & they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” But they did not understand this saying, & were afraid to ask Him.”
Mark related/described the chain of events surrounding Jesus’ death on the Cross.
Certain events transpired in bringing about the death of Deliverance.
BUT:
*?What causes Deliverance to die?
OR:
?How does Deliverance die?
10 delusions ensuring the death of Deliverance.
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Sunday morning we found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
Today we'll ALSO find that:
5—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
ASSIGNMENT/Categorization(:26-28)
Explanation:(:26-28) Categorize
:26—“And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Written in Hebrew, Greek & Latin—Lk. 23:38; Jn. 19:20
:27—“With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right & the other on His left.”
—Jesus was not the only one crucified that Friday. 2 real criminals(“robbers”) were also crucified on either side of Jesus.
:28—“So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.””
—Fulfillment of Isa. 53:9, 12—a distinctly Messianic chapter.
The Delusion that Jesus was deserving of His punishment.
So Jesus died a criminal’s death. Between 2 actual criminals.
Argumentation:
Mat. 11:18-19—““For John came neither eating nor drinking, & they say, ‘He has a demon.’ “The Son of Man came eating & drinking, & they say, ‘Look, a glutton & a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors & sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.””
Mk. 2:15-17—“Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors & sinners also sat together with Jesus & His disciples; for there were many, & they followed Him. And when the scribes & Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors & sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats & drinks with tax collectors & sinners?” When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
1Sam. 16:7—“...For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1Cor. 1:27-29—“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, & God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; & the base things of the world & the things which are despised God has chosen, & the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
Illustration:
After the Twin Towers fell, but before the ISIS Crisis, our immediate family was returning from a vacation to Gettysburg, PA. We decided to stop for one day & catch a glimpse of the U.S. Capital environs. On a train into Washington D.C. there was a family of Middle-eastern dress & descent. ?Muslims?—People outside of my box. I immediately thought of terrorists! Assumptions of ASSIGNMENT
•They could have been Christians who had lived under the thumb of Sharia Law & traveling to the US for residency.
•They could have been Christian missionaries returning to speak in a church, demonstrating traditional garb.
•They could have been ‘non-Jihadist’ Muslims.
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of ASSIGNMENT/Categorization dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have your Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
Do You ASSIGN people to categories based on Looks(hair, clothing, jewelry, vehicle, residence, etc.), Smell, Career, Jobs, Education, Inabilities, Abilities, Challenges, Skin color, Accent, etc....
But do you trust that ASSIGNMENT for the rest of your life?.....
*If you do, then your Deliverance is Dead!
You ASSIGN the Church a place with the dregs & on the fringes of society, with all the other ‘nut-buckets,’ & so, NOT to be taken seriously.
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So far we’ve found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
5. ASSIGNMENT/Categorization(:26-28)
We’ll find that...
6—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
IMPOTENCE/Inability(:29-32)
Explanation:(:29-32) ‘What I CAN do’, versus ‘What I do.’
It is never IMPOTENCE when God acts contrary to our choosing, OR if a godly person acts contrary to popular opinion or even common sense.
:29—“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads & saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple & build it in three days,”
Jn. 2:19-21—“Jesus answered & said to them, “Destroy this temple, & in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, & will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”
:30—““save Yourself, & come down from the cross!””
:31—“Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.”
Their false Assumption is:—“Himself He cannot save.”
BUT, Why would Jesus want to “save” “Himself”? His whole purpose is to “save” mankind!
:32—““Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see & believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.””
YET: One of the criminals did eventually commit himself to Jesus as Lord!...
Lk. 23:39-42—“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself & us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Jn. 10:14-15—““I am the good shepherd; & I know My sheep, & am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; & I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Jn. 12:23-25—“But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground & dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. “He who loves his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
Argumentation:
Mk. 14:32-36—“Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; & He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, & John with Him, & He began to be troubled & deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here & watch.” He went a little farther, & fell on the ground, & prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.””
•That is NOT IMPOTENCE!...But Trust & Submission to God!
Acts 5:27-32—“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, & intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter & the other apostles answered & said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince & Savior, to give repentance to Israel & forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, & so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.””
THAT is Strength!...Attained thru Trust, & Submission to God!
•Obedience to God is never IMPOTENCE, but is instead power!
‘The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Gospel’—Tertullian
1Cor. 6:7—“Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”
Illustration:
A Remora(a particular kind of fish) attaching itself near the mouth of a Shark. The shark may seem tame & friendly. But a shark is capable of & will eat just about anything! Simply because a shark appears at a particular moment to be harmless, does NOT mean we should assume the shark's IMPOTENCE!
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of IMPOTENCE dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have your Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
Do not be deluded into thinking that Christianity is IMPOTENT! That kind of thinking only hurts yourself as well as others!
You get baptized & member-ized to a Church in the spiritual IMPOTENCE of ignorance. You Dare her to real vitality, Just to prove her wrong, View her Pastor as IMPOTENT, her Ministries as IMPOTENT, & her future as IMPOTENT....
IF you trust that IMPOTENCE for the rest of your life.....
then your Deliverance in Christ is Dead!
Christian IMPOTENCE is a delusion promoted by the devil!
Christians always bring a leveling effect to any society!
One by one, by one by one, they make a positive & God-ordained difference for the whole of every society!
********************************
We’ve found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
5. ASSIGNMENT / Categorization(:26-28)
6. IMPOTENCE / Inability(:29-32)
7—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
NATURE(:33)
Explanation:(:33) Natural explanations
:33—“Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
God is making a statement here. He is supernaturally imposing His will through His creation. Judgment is being meted out...& is about to be. At that point in time, the deciding point is being formulated before the very eyes of those involved. Jesus is about to be ‘judged as sin’ on their/our behalf. He--Jesus—is the difference between life or death!
Three hours had passed since the crucifixion had begun at 9:00am. It is now 12 noon(“the sixth hour”).
The very height of day brought, “darkness over the whole land”, noon-day light.
It is not possible from the text to determine the extent of the the darkness. But it lasted for 3 hours, until 3:00pm(“the 9th hour”). The darkness was supernatural.
•A solar eclipse is impossible during a full moon(Passover is always on a full moon).
Apocalyptic implications & inferences are obvious!
Argumentation/Illustration:
Amos 8:4-9—“Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, And make the poor of the land fail, Saying: “When will the New Moon be past, That we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, That we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small & the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit, That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals-- Even sell the bad wheat?” The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall the land not tremble for this, And everyone mourn who dwells in it? All of it shall swell like the River, Heave & subside Like the River of Egypt. “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;”
*2Pet. 3:3-10—“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, & saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, & the earth standing out of water & in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens & the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment & perdition of ungodly men.”.....“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, & the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth & the works that are in it will be burned up.”
•God will invade ‘your space’ one day!
The book of ‘Revelation’ is filled with unusual natural occurrences—Chapts. 8 & 16
—Hail & fire mixed with blood—destroys 1/3 of the green grass & trees.
—A great burning mountainous looking thing, is thrown into the sea—destroying 1/3 sea creatures, & all ships.
—Those people with the “mark of the beast” become miraculously inflicted with painful, “foul & loathsome sores.”
—The “Sea” “became blood as of a dead man”, & everything in it dies.
—Freshwater resources become blood.
—Sun “scorches” men “with great heat.”
—“Darkness” comes upon the throne of the beast(Antichrist).
—The worlds largest earthquake causes cities to fall & Islands & Mountains are destroyed.
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of NATURE dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have YOUR Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
Assuming a NATURAL explanation for everything is severely limiting!
You get baptized & ‘member-ized’ in a Church for purely social reasons, Disagree with the miraculous, See all her Ministries as mere social endeavors...You see them as psychological out-workings as you do civic programs. You see her Pastor’s success or failure as purely NATURAL, her Ministries as NATURAL, & her future as NATURAL....
IF you are deluded by THAT outlook on NATURE for the rest of your life....You will miss what is truly ‘Super-natural’ in God’s work!....& your Deliverance is thereby Dead!
********************************
We’ve found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
5. ASSIGNMENT / Categorization(:26-28)
6. IMPOTENCE / Inability(:29-32)
7. NATURE(:33)
8—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
UNDERSTANDING(:34-36)
Explanation:(:34-36)Self-condemnation/Grasp
:34—“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?””
Upon the arrival of 3:00pm("the ninth hour"), Jesus “cried out” in Aramaic, the first verse of Ps. 22, a decidedly Messianic Psalm!
•That reference minimally serves 2 purposes....
1)It is to call us to the entire Psalm itself;
2)It is the revelation of Jesus’ separation from the Father.
God the Father of “Jesus” had turned His back upon His only-begotten Son, in whom He was well-pleased.
The sinless Jesus became sin for us!
“Jesus’” Heavenly Father rightly judged that sin as dealt with & paid for in full for all mankind & for all time!
Jesus did not cease being God OR the Son in nature, essence or being(God’s Trinitarian nature), but did briefly surrender His intimacy & fellowship with God, because God cannot look on sin(Hab. 1:13).
:35—“Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!””
Ironically, the Jews waited to see whether the prophet “Elijah” would come to help Jesus. But the fact is that “Elijah” had already come in John the Baptist!(NAC)(cf.-Mal. 4:5-6)
•Mal. 4:5-6—“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come & strike the earth with a curse.””
:36—“Then someone ran & filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, & offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.””
They no doubt reasoned that pain & desperation has gotten to Jesus, so that He was speaking nonsense.
Argumentation:
Eph. 4:17-24—“This I say, therefore, & testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him & have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, & be renewed in the spirit of your mind, & that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness & holiness.”
Rom. 1:21-22—“because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”
•Personal ‘head-knowledge of God’ must lead a person to acceptance of God, reverence for God, & gratitude for God’s love, in Christ Jesus.
Mat. 13:14-16—Jesus to His disciples,—““And in them the prophecy of Isaiah[6:10] is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, & your ears for they hear;”
Illustration:
An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York & says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother & I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," his dad says. "We're sick of each other, & I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago & tell her," & he hangs up.
The daughter calls Phoenix immediately, & screams at her dad, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there.
I'm calling my brother back, & we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" & hangs up.
*Dad hangs up his phone & turns to his wife.
"Okay," he says, "They're coming for Thanksgiving & paying their own fares...Now what do we tell them for Christmas?
Delusions of UNDERSTANDING
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of UNDERSTANDING dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have YOUR Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
********************************
We’ve found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
5. ASSIGNMENT / Categorization(:26-28)
6. IMPOTENCE / Inability(:29-32)
7. NATURE(:33)
8. UNDERSTANDING(:34-36)
9—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
RECOGNITION(:37-41)
Explanation:(:37-41)Realization/Grasp fullness of
:37—“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, & breathed His last.”
*Jn. 19:30— “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
:38—“Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
At the point of Jesus’ death. immediately the “veil” or curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, was “torn” in its entirety “from top to bottom.” This is also recorded in Mat. 27:51, & Lk. 23:45.
*The “tearing”/rending of the “veil”(curtain) is significant in at least 3 things:
1)The end of the Jewish animal sacrificial system having become permanently satisfied thru Christ.
2) The judgment of God upon Israel’s trust in the physical temple & grounds, as Jesus Christ is the eternal temple.
3) Unrestricted access into God’s very presence. With the death of Jesus was forever ended the need for sacrifice, ritual or priest to approach God.
:39—“So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this & breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!””
There was a Roman soldier, a “centurion” was standing beside(“opposite”) Jesus. That soldier witnessed all seven of Jesus’ cries on the Cross(see list below), & thus the manner in which He died. As a result, the “centurion” came to the realization that the man who had been crucified(Jesus) “was the Son of God”!
•“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”;
•“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”;
•“Woman, behold your son.”...“Behold your mother.”;
•“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.”;
•“I thirst.”;
•“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”;
•“It is finished.”
:40—“There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less & of Joses, & Salome,”
Certain of the women were known to the writer & reader(cf- :47).
*These women were carefully observing the situation/events while the disciples are never mentioned.
They included:
“Mary Magdelene.”—Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her(Lk. 8:2) & she is mentioned in all 4 Gospels.
“Mary the mother of James the Less”(Shorter or less prominent). That “Mary” was also the mother of “Joses.” This “Joses” is ‘probably’ NOT ‘Joses, Jesus half-brother’(Mt. 13:55), NOR the “Joses” named Barnabas(Acts 4:36). But “Joses” could possibly have been “the wife of Clopas” of Jn. 19:25(parallel).
“Salome” is not named except here. There is a woman mentioned in the present context as a witness who is described as “the mother of Zebedee’s sons(James & John)” in Mat. 27:56.
:41—“who also followed Him & ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, & many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”
Argumentation:
Jn. 16:1-3—“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
Lk. 19:41-44—“Now as He drew near, He saw the city & wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you & close you in on every side, & level you, & your children within you, to the ground; & they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.””
Illustration:
Before I was saved, I truly believed that I knew truth. I lived under the Delusion of RECOGNITION
BUT, Jesus woke me up to the fact that my former recognition was limited to the world’s interpretation. The reality is that, Jesus died for my sins! Actual RECOGNITION
•While openly declaring, sharing, & transparently living—People believe. NO mere Delusions of RECOGNITION
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of RECOGNITION dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have YOUR Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
?Do You RECOGNIZE Christian Faith is based solidly on fact?
?Do You RECOGNIZE Christ & His Church are to be taken seriously?
That RECOGNITION can carry you thru the rest of your life here & into eternity.....
...BUT without it, your Deliverance is Dead!
********************************
We’ve found that...
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
5. ASSIGNMENT / Categorization(:26-28)
6. IMPOTENCE / Inability(:29-32)
7. NATURE(:33)
8. UNDERSTANDING(:34-36)
9. RECOGNITION(:37-41)
10—Deliverance ALSO dies with Delusions of...
COMMITMENT/Duty(:42-47)
Explanation:(:42-47)Duty at hand
:42—“Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,”
Joseph did this in order to NOT ‘profane’ the Sabbath. His decision was based on compliance with...
Deut. 21:22-23—“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, & he is put to death, & you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
The crucifixion was the Friday before Passover as it was “the Preparation Day” before “the Sabbath”(Saturday).
:43a—“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,...”
This Joseph was “a prominent....member” of the “council”(the Sanhedrin).
•The Great Sanhedrin(in Jerusalem)—contained 71 members including the high priest. It consisted of a ruling council of chief priests(mostly Sadducees), scribes & elders(lay people, some Pharisees).
*Luke 23:50-51 informs us that “Joseph of Arimathea” “had not consented to” the council‘s “decision & deed” condemning Jesus to die.
*According to Jn. 19:38, “Joseph” was a “secret disciple” of Jesus.
*As “a prominent council member”, “Joseph of Arimathea” was “a rich man”(Mat. 27:57), as is the case with many who have any kind of representative political affiliation.
:43b—“...Coming & taking courage, went in to Pilate & asked for the body of Jesus.”
*“Joseph’s” “taking courage” in his approach of “Pilate” is not to be taken lightly.
•Anyone associated with another accused of treason would naturally become suspect themselves.
•Even more so, “Joseph’s” position in the/his Sanhedrin would absolutely be threatened because of such an allegiance.
No doubt, “Joseph’s” good character was known by “Pilate.”
•Plus “Pilate’s” knowledge of Jesus’ innocence, must have played into his allowing Joseph to take down Jesus’ corpse.
:44—“Pilate marveled that He was already dead; & summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.”
Jn. 19:31-37 tells us that the Jews asked Pilate to ensure the death of the crucified by breaking their legs & sealing their death, in order to take the bodies away before the Sabbath began. Thus their commitment, in that particular instance, was to the Scripture!
•That was also the time when Jesus’ side was pierced, fulfilling Zech. 12:10(Jn. 19:37). Not breaking Jesus’ bones fulfilled Ex. 12:46(Jn. 19:36), which recalls the ancient prophecy of the Passover sacrifice....
•Thus Jesus is Himself the fulfillment of the Passover sacrifice!
:45—“So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”
Jn. 19:31-37—“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day[Friday], that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day[Passover Sabbath]), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, & that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came & broke the legs of the first & of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus & saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, & immediately blood & water came out. And he who has seen has testified, & his testimony is true; & he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”[Ex. 12:46] And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.””[Zech. 12:10]
:46—“Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, & wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, & rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”
Fulfillment of:
Isa. 53:9—“And they made His grave with the wicked-- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”
Joseph’s COMMITMENT/Duty was to human dignity, & to honor Jesus of Nazareth, whom Joseph saw as undeserving of the charges that put Him on the Cross.
Jn. 19:39-42 informs us that Joseph was joined by Nicodemus(himself a “ruler of the Jews” & “a Pharisee”—Jn. 3:1) in the work of entombment.
•The men brought +/- 100 Roman pounds, or 75lbs. U.S.
•1 Roman pound’(litra) = 12oz. U.S..
•Therefore 100 Roman pounds = 75lbs.-U.S..
The men brought this heavy mixture of myrrh & aloes for anointing the body. The Jews did not bleed, or mummify, or cremate their dead.
Joseph “laid” the corpse of Jesus in his own new tomb, which he himself had commissioned to be hewn out of the rock(Mat. 27:60).
Joseph then “rolled a stone” against the opening of the tomb in order to seal it.
:47—“And Mary Magdalene & Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.”
•There was no question as to WHERE Jesus’ body had been laid.
They didn’t get confused & go to the wrong tomb in the morning.
Argumentation/Illustration:
Heb. 10:24-25—“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Mat 28:19-20—“Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
•Our COMMITMENT/Duty is to Love, Reach & Nurture others by, in, & for Christ! The work you do, is to be a product of faith in Christ!
Rev. 2:2-3, 9, 13, 19, 3:1, —Ephesus—“I know your works, your labor, your patience, & that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles & are not, & have found them liars; “& you have persevered & have patience, & have labored for My name’s sake & have not become weary.”
Application:
?Have YOUR Delusions of COMMITMENT/Duty dismissed the Deliverance offered to you in Christ?
?Have YOUR Delusions removed God’s true Deliverance from your life?
A mere Delusion of COMMITMENT/Duty is pointless, if not empowered thru Christ by the Holy Spirit!
Your COMMITMENT/Duty to God & His Church is to be taken seriously.
COMMITMENT/Duty to God should be entered into by the Spirit.
Fulfilling our COMMITMENT/Duty can open new opportunities for all in Christ!
Applying yourself in faith opens new possibilities.
Joseph’s COMMITMENT/Duty was directed toward what he knew was the right thing to do, even when he did not understand fully.
COMMITMENT/Duty thru lesser revelation, yields greater revelation....The Resurrection is coming in chapter 16!
Trust unempowered COMMITMENT/Duty for the rest of your life.....
.....& your Deliverance will be Dead!
CONCLUSION:
Deliverance dies with Delusions of...
5. ASSIGNMENT(:26-28)Categorization
6. IMPOTENCE(:29-32)Inability
7. NATURE(:33)
8. UNDERSTANDING(:34-36)
9. RECOGNITION(:37-41)
10. COMMITMENT/Duty(:42-47)
1. POWER(:1-5)
2. GAIN(:6-15)
3. CONTROL(:16-20)
4. CONDEMNATION(:21-25)
Pts. 5-10 presented 04/09/2025pm(Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting) to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pts. 1-4 presented 04/06/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
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Pts. 1-2 presented 03/29/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Ended with pts. 1-5(see below) Palm Sunday! Did not continue the series!
Pts. 3-5 presented 03/29/2015pm
Palm Sunday to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
These points(6-10) not presented Palm Sunday to FBCC(2015), but preached :29-47 with no notes! Did not continue the series.
*********************
Pts 1-5 Presented 03/28/2013am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Pt#s 6-10 Presented 03/28/13pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
