Jesus endured the cross
Hebrews 12:2. Luke 16:19-31
Good morning everyone,
We recognize today as being Palm Sunday. The journey that Jesus the messiah took into the city of Jerusalem before His crucifixion on the cross and His resurrection from the grave.
The mindset of the people at this point was one moment they loved Jesus yelling hosanna in the highest because of what He was supposedly going to do for the people and the next moment when they realized that He was not sent to deliver them from the evil Romans, they yelled crucify him and wanted him killed.
They wanted a warrior to fight against the Romans and He was sent from the Father to be their savior.
Just like us to get the wrong idea of what Jesus came for-
Before we turn to the passage I just want to say that women were not allowed to brew the coffee in the OT. Please turn to Hebrews not Shebrews chapter 12
Hebrews Chapter 12:2- “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer (author) and perfecter (finisher) of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
Right now the Christian world is getting ready for Easter (Resurrection Sunday) it is one of the three largest Christian holidays alongside Christmas and Pentecost Sunday.
Before the resurrection we celebrate next week, there has to be the cross.
NO RESURRECTION WITHOUT THE CROSS.
The cross on which Jesus died is the most horrific event Jesus could ever go through and yet, He endured it for each one of us sitting here this morning. He made a way for all who would come to repentance.
Jesus lived a pure sinless life. If anyone didn’t deserve the cross it was Jesus. It was God’s plan for Jesus the sinless savior to come and die on that cross so that we could receive a way of salvation.
One commentary says that Jesus accepted his assignment but did not relish the experience. Our text says “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This verse clearly tells us that Jesus endured and also despised the cross.
Jesus endured all the pain and agony willingly. Why? Because that was the price demanded for our sins to be forgiven and the redemption we celebrate next week.
He died for the people who laughed at him.
He died for the soldiers who mocked and auctioned off his clothes.
He even died for the religious leaders who demanded that he be put to death for a crime he did not commit.
Why would someone die like that for you and I?
The Hebrew writer was very careful about what words he used to describe the event.
Greek word for endured is hupomeno. (hu-ko-mean-o) means to abide and stay. It portrays a person who is under some type of incredible load but refuses to stray from that position because he is committed to the cause.
He is not going to surrender for any reason or give up till the task is completed.
He refuses to bend, break or surrender because he believes in the task and doesn’t accept defeat.
Regardless of the stress, load, or weight that comes against him.
Renner says that the fact that the Holy Spirit uses this word to describe Jesus on the cross was so that we understand that He didn’t enjoy it but he was committed to endure it was because the shedding of his blood was the only way to purchase our freedom from sin.
Satan owns us because of the curse that Adam’s disobedience brought upon the human race.
The cross was so horrific that scripture tells us that Jesus despised it.
The Greek word for “despised” means to think about something and despise it or hate it. The cross and having been put to death on a cross was the most degrading, crushing, and humiliating thing a person can go through. It was crudest, lowest barbaric form of death in the Roman Empire. They specialized in fear and death and that was the best they could come up with for the worse way to die.
Matthew 26:53tells us that he could have called on 12 legions of angels to come to his rescue.
Why would the God of the universe do that for you and I?
Jesus loves you
Jesus love me this I know…for the bible tells me so.
“For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
ROMANS 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
1 JOHN 4:9
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” – 1 John 4:9
Have you ever heard the word Karma?
Karma in the Western world has a different meaning than around the rest of world. Karma here is the phrase “what goes around comes around” In our culture it is a bad thing happening to someone who has done badly. It is a payback for something we have done or should have done and we didn’t. Karma gets you if you don’t do the right thing. But to a Hindu person Karma has a much more meaningful meaning. To the Hindu it is a recycling or regeneration of their spirit. They believe that they progress from one thing and advance to another by what good you did in the last life determines what you come back as in the next life. You don’t do much good, you may come back as a butterfly…or if you are bad enough, you may come back as a frog, or an alligator, You keep coming back and if you eventually do enough good and enough times and lives, you eventually get to the state of muck-sha. The elite state of being and live in Nirvana.
To the believer of Christianity- We believe that faith in Jesus Christ alone and what He did on the cross, His shedding of His blood and His life changing resurrection, that we are not recycled from bad to best.
We are not able to earn our salvation
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith. And this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
If Jesus did what He said he did, (AND HE HAS) and you believe that He did it by faith, the bible tells us that we will spend eternity with Him as our Lord and savior.
Begs me to ask the question that most ask at some point in their lives… What happens when you die? What did Jesus overcome for us?
If Jesus rose from the grave, then we do not have to fear death, because Jesus has conquered death.
John chapter 20 speaks of the resurrection of Jesus and we will look at that next week. But that passage also talks about Mary coming to that empty tomb and grabbing the truth of the resurrection. After speaking to the angels and actually speaking with Jesus, she realizes that Jesus is alive! That truth is embedded in her heart and the promise of His return was made real.
It means that death does not have the last word to those that believe.
Though many of us fear death…some because of not understanding and some because we know better and choose to play Russian roulette with our lives. It is a promise from the Lord that He has conquered death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death- that is the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Fear of death is slavery! Fear holds us like we are a prisoner that cannot be let loose because we do not have the power or the authority to do it.
Sir Michael Faraday (When asked to speculate about death)
Speculation? I know nothing of speculation. I’m resting on certainties. I know my redeemer lives, and because he lives, I shall live also.
Apostle Paul answers us in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written- death where is the victory. Death where is the sting?”
Because Jesus lives, death does not have final say!!
We will get new bodies one day! Some of you say amen!
With my body having Rheumatoid arthritis, I will be glad to get a new body. I will not have pain anymore… that is a promise from my savior that went to that cross for me. That is ultimate love for you and I.
Anyone can say they love you but we all know it means nothing unless they show us they love us! Jesus loves me this I know …for the bible tells me so!
Some believe that when you die you don’t exist anymore. The Bible tells us that is not true. Each one of us has a soul and will either live with the Lord for eternity or be separated by their choice for eternity from Him. The choice is ours. One place or the other we will live somewhere for eternity.
God’s Unconditional Love
As we reflect on the love of God, we recognize that it is unconditional, without any strings attached. He died on that cross for each and every person on this earth. We decide if we believe that and accept that.
We often find ourselves questioning our worth, thinking we have to earn His love through good deeds or perfection. However, God’s love is not like our human love; it doesn’t waver based on our actions or circumstances. In these moments, we can embrace the truth that He loves us just as we are but desires to take us where we are to be in a relationship with Him.
God’s love is incomprehensible.
No human mind can comprehend God. We cannot define God. We cannot provide a comprehensive account of who he is. He "dwells in unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16). If God is incomprehensible, then so is his love. While we may and must speak truthfully about his love, we can never fathom it, because it is divine love, as different from our love as his being is different from our being.
There are shows on TV portraying people leaving this earth by death and becoming ghosts in next life. People who are speaking to the dead and bringing into our realm of influence and talking like they can change the place of the dead person is a lie from the pits of hell. Only Jesus conquered death and rose out of Hades victorious and we must accept that while were living…impossible after we die.
God’s love can be known by what He did on the cross
We cannot define God in the sense of exhaustively who He is, but we can describe him truthfully. We can do so because he has made himself known to us in his Word and He opens our eyes to that Word by his Spirit.
Close,
One last illustration this morning showing what Jesus did on the cross. Luke 16:19-31. The Rich man and Lazarus. We are not going to take the time to read this morning but would be a good study for you this week as we prepare our hearts for resurrection Sunday next week.
Two main characters- Rich man and Lazarus
When we die two places we will go. Remember either with the Lord or separated from the lord. Here is a text that explains it. It also explains where people before Jesus go when they die.
Rich man to Hades and Lazarus to Abrahams side or bosom.
The rich man begged God to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue.
God says that that is impossible because there is a gap between the two places. It is impossible to get from one side to the other.
The bible calls this place Sheol.
Positive and Negative things said about Sheol. Psalm 88:3-6 the negative about those who are separated from God and Psalm 139:7-8 the positive and being safely in Abraham’s bosom or side.
One side of the place Sheol for the righteous and one side for the self reliant.
Both sides before Jesus awaiting the time of judgment.
After Jesus birth, death and resurrection, the believers of what Jesus did on the cross bypass Sheol and the word of God in 2 Corinthians 5:8 says absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.
Jesus died…dead to the dead dead. He took the keys away from Satan and we are told that Jesus preached in Sheol.
1 Peter 3:18-20
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison.”
Ephesians 4:8-9
“”When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean but that he also descended into the lower regions, the earth.”
As we see what Jesus did on the cross, we can appreciate the significance of His resurrection and what it means for each of us.
Do you know that Jesus? The one who died for you? The one that loves you that much?
Prayer
