When we think of Calvary, it speaks of sins forgiven, but in order for those sins to be forgiven there had to be someone to pay the price. It speaks of Peace with God, but before we can experience Peace there must be Victory. It speaks of Eternal Life, but before we can have eternal life, the demands that a Holy and Righteous God had placed upon sin must be satisfied. Now who paid the price, who fought the battle, who satisfied the demands, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, you see he went all the way for you and I that we too might get the victory, He conquered every obsacle that the devil had placed before him, Let me show you what I mean....Lets read Matt. 26:36-46
#1 GETHSEMANE- Look at verse 38 notice the words Exceeding Sorrowful, even unto death, that means his soul was so heavy laden, so burdened down with what was about to take place, I mean he was about to experience something that he had never experienced before. The man who knew no sin was about to be made sin for us, listen he was about to take upon himself every sin that would ever be committed, then pay the price for that sin by later dieing on Calvary, he would die for something that he was not guilty of, and listen to his Prayer in verse 39 "O MY FATHER IF IT BE POSSIBLE LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME." He did not want to go through it. Can you feel the anguish of his soul , can you feel the burden he is bearing, listen it weighted him down so that in Luke 22:43 " THeir appeared an angel unto him strengthening him." and it goes on to say in verse 44 " An being in agony he Prayed the more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood." Let me ask you a question have you ever really sat down and pondered what was going through his mind their at Gethsemane, I mean he knew that he was about to be
LED DOWN THE PATH OF REJECTION
a. his sinless life was being rejected
b. his miracles were being rejected
c. his words of truth were being rejected
d. his life was being rejected
e. his plan of salvation was being rejected
LED DOWN THE PATH OF SUFFERING
Listen to me this morning there was more pain and suffering and agony involved in our being set free from the bondage of sin that we realize, you see he suffered Physically
a. when he was scourged
b. when he was crowned with a crown of thorns
c. when he was nailed to that old rugged cross
d. when they tortured him while hanging on that cross
e. when they tried to cast doubt on who he even was in Matt. 27:39-44, you see they not only broke the body but then they even tried to break the spirit by tring to get him to doubt who he was, and who his father was.
But I believe the greatest agony that he went through was when he took upon himself my sins and the father had to turn his back upon his only begotten son, and he cried out in Matt. 27:46 " MY GOG MY GOD WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?" I know the pain he must have felt, and the pain the father must have felt to hear his son cry out . You see I had about the same experience when my son was about 7 years old, I remember I was in the service stationed at A.P.G Md, when my son got terrible sick and I had to take him to the doctors, they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, then they thought he had spinal menigitis, they said the only way they could know for sure was to take a needle about 6 inches long an stick it in at the base of the spine and draw fluid out of the sack and have it tested, the only problem was that if he moved and the needle hit a nerve or anything that he would be paralized from the waist down, if I didn’t let them do it , and it was what they suspected it would kill him, so I said do it, they prepared him for they surgery and before they said I could go in and assure him every thing would be alright, I walked in and when he saw me he began to scream Help me daddy, help me daddy, the doctors said that it would be better if I left, as I walked out all I could hear was HELP ME DADDY DON"T LEAVE ME HERE< HELP ME DADDY I stood in the hall crying my eyes out cause I wanted to just take him in my arms and leave oh what pain I felt that day and I can only imagine what he felt, Yes I had to turn my back on my only son, I’ll never forget that day as long as I live, I can only imagine what The only Begotten Son of God felt as he cried out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me, I believe that was the greatest agony that he felt, then on top of that he knew that he must go
DOWN THE PATH OF SURRENDER
You see even though he would be rejected of them, go threw all that he was about to go threw, he knew he must surrender his life to sinful man in order that you and I might be saved, you see he fulfilled IS. 50:6
He surrender his brow to the crown of thorns, he surrendered his hands to the spikes, he surrendered his feet to the nailes Here in the garden of Gethsemane he knew all that was about to take place, its no wonder that his soul was exceeding sorrowful unto death, it’s no wonder he cried out if it be possible let this cup pass from me, hey let me tell you there in the garden he got the victory over the flesh, you see he didn’t want to go through all of this but I’m glad he prayed "NOT AS I WILL< BUT AS THOU WILT
VICTORY OVER THE FLESH, NOW TURN TO JOHN 19:13
#2 GABBATHA- Now after Gethsemane we find were they came and got Jesus, bound him as a common crimanal and they take him to Annas, who was the father in law to Caiaphas, the High Priest, and he is questioned and then sent to the High Priest who already had his mind made up that he was to be crucified, in John 18:28 we find where he is taken to the Hall Of Judgement, Pilate then questions him and three times he goes back to the Jews and tells them I find no fault in him but still the mob cries out CRUCIFY HIM< CRUCIFY HIM< He then has Jesus scourged, beaten with a cat of nine tails, stands him before them an still they cry out CRUCIFY HIM< CRUCIFY HIM... You see the world found him guilty, even those who followed him failed to stand with him when he needed them, at this point Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to come an set him free, but he didn’t, he chose to die for you and me, Then in John 19:13 " he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgement seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in hebrew, Gabbatha." and their judgement was passed and the sentence of death by crucifiction Verse 16 "Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified, and they took Jesus and led him away." It may have looked like a defeat that day but in reality it was a VICTORY, you see he got the victory over the world
VICTORY OVER THE FLESH< VICTORY OVER THE WORLD
#3 GALGOTHA- READ JOHN 19:17 We find that he has gone from the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Hall of Judgement Gabbatha, and now he is nailed to the cross of Calvary where the devil will go to the very limit of tortureing him, and well not go into that again, but if you turn to John 19:30 you will find where he cries out IT IS FINISHED Te Telestai, I believe that that was the greatest word ever spoken, why because it not only meant that his suffering was over but that he had gotten the victory over the third obstacle that he had to conquer and that was the devil. Why was it so important that he get the victory over the devil... Well satan was created lucifer, son ofthe morning, the annointed cherub that covereth, ezekiel describes him as full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, he was God’s chosen untill iniquity was found in him an he was cast out of heaven, ever since he has raged war with God, and tried to frustrate the plans of God, he tried time and time again to kill Jesus, to discredit God’s word, and on the Cross of Calvary when Jesus cried out IT IS FINISHED it meant that the devil was a defeated foe. Thats why I believe that it is the greatest word ever spoken by the greatest man who ever lived, it made known the greatest proclamation, it effected the world and it declared the greatest victory I cry out as Paul in 2 Cor. 9:15 " Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
VICTORY OVER THE FLESH, VICTORY OVER THE WORLD, VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL
#4 The GRAVE- Turn to John 19:38-42
We find where they take Jesus off the Cross and they place him in a judean tomb, the Jews go to pilate and ask that the tomb be made secure and he did. They thought in three days it would all be over, but thats not how the account ends, because look at Matt. 28:1 We find where God reaches down and just shakes the earth as if to say your about to witness the WONDER OF ALL WONDERS, THE MIRACLE OF ALL MIRACLES, THE GLORY OF ALL GLORIES, and if all of ceasars army had been their that day they could not have prevented what was about to happen, you see Jesus stepped out of that tomb with the wounds he had gotten on Calvary, he had returned fromn the grave, he had just gotten victory over the next obstacle and that was death, I can hear him cry out from 1 Cor. 15:55 "O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory.." You see now according to Rom:1:3-4 it was an undisputed fact that he was who he claimed to be THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, THE MESSIAH, THE LAMB OF GOD WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.
Do you know why he went through all of this let me tell you read John 15:13 read Rom. 5:8 read 1 John 4:9-10 and finally he asscended to heaven to get the victory over all
VICTORY OVER THE FLESH, VICTORY OVER THE WORLD,VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL, VICTORY OVER DEATH, VICTORY OVER ALL
Notice the order, you see if you are to ever get saved your gonna have to get the victory over the flesh, there is proabally someone right now the devil is trying to talk you right out of salvation, saying you can’t live it, what would your friends think, your not all that bad, let me tell you Jesus himself said in John 14:6 I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE NO MAN COMETH TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME" don’t give in to the flesh, don’t give in to the world and more importantly don’t give in to the devil and you too can have eternal life and get the victory over it all. Just remember in the end what will matter the most is what you have done with this man they call Jesus? The one who conquered it all just for you.
