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Journey to the Cross

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Bob Bradley

_________________________ 

 

Isaiah is speaking about Jesus Christ.  He is talking about what He is going to endure.  As we read these verses in Isaiah, keep in mind that he is talking about Jesus.  We are going to go over and look at the last seven things that He said here. 

 

Isaiah 53:1-12

 

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Isaiah is writing about Jesus Christ about 750 years before He would ever come to earth and die.  Yet, Isaiah was writing by the inspiration of Almighty God about what Jesus Christ was going to do; and about what was going to happen to the Messiah when He came to earth.  It is a wonderful lesson. 

 

As we have studied about the last week of Jesus' life, those words should be very real to us; with the suffering that He went though and how that He was despised and rejected.  He was a man that was acquainted with sorrow and with grief.  The last week that Jesus lived on earth was a very tough week for Him.  Sometimes we think that He did not really suffer like that we would suffer, yet He did.  He was God, but He was human.  He was God incarnate.  He suffered, He had emotions, and He felt pain just like we do.

 

This past week we have been studying about the last things that Jesus said here while hanging on the cross.  We do not give much thought to what He said.  However, the words that He said were awesome words.  To be suffering as He was suffering and going through what He was going through but He could look, see the needs of people, and see what they needed.

 

Jesus' Last Seven Statements

 

Day 30 - The First Statement: Forgive Them

Luke 23:32-39

 

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

 

Could you imagine?  He is hanging on the cross.  He has been scourged, beaten, spit upon, and wore a crown of thorns, yet He makes the statement, "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..."  Could you imagine how much that He not only loved us, but He loved even the soldiers that drove the nails in His hands and in His feet?  He loved even those that came along and spit in His face.  He loved even those that came along and pulled the beard from His face.  He loved those that mocked Him and put the reed in His hand then bowed down and said, “…prophesy to us if you are the King of the Jews and the Messiah.”  He still yet loved those that even mocked Him.  The statement that He made, "...Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do..." is a great example for us.

 

Not only how much God loved us, God loves people, and God loves humanity; but this should be a pattern for you and me.  Not everybody is going to like us.  Many people may ridicule us and make fun of us.  Many people may misuse us and abuse us; they may do that.  However, if we are going to be Christ-like, then we are going to have to forgive them.  We are going to have to have a forgiving heart, not just saying it with words, because words are cheap.  Jesus was speaking from the heart in what He was saying. 

 

Many times when people misuse us and abuse us we should understand that we were once in the same shape that they are in.  We were once lost and we were once bound for a lake of fire.  We did not understand and we could not see what we were doing, but God saved us.  The people that may be using us, abusing us, or taking advantage of us; they are no more lost than we were.  We need to have a forgiving heart.  We need to be able to forgive people.  It is great to know how much love that Jesus Christ has for us. 

 

Picture this: 

 

He is hanging on a cross, just outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem, up on a little raised place that looked like a skull.   There are maybe a million to two million people in the city of Jerusalem during this time because this is Passover season.  He is hanging on the cross with two others, one hanging on each side of Him.  The soldiers are gambling for His clothes. 

 

Crucifixion was a time of a great drunken, party because the people came to see what was going on.  There are certain people that like to see gruesome scenes, and they like to see people suffer and bleed.  That is what was going on here.  People were mingling around everywhere.  They were drinking, gambling, and walking by.  Some were making fun of Him, and some were making snide remarks about Him.  He is hanging there because He loved you and me. 

 

We needed a Savior and He needed to provide forgiveness for us.  There was no other way to obtain forgiveness.

 

John, one of His beloved disciples is here.  His mother is standing here at the foot of the cross.  Mary Magdalene is at the foot of the cross.  It would have been a horrible time. 

 

We see pictures with Him hanging on a cross with little trickles of blood running down.  He did not look like that.  He did not look like that at all.  He was not a hippy.  He did not look like what we think that He looked like.  He looked like any other ordinary Jew man would have looked at that time. 

 

I just read to you out of Isaiah that He had no form or comeliness.  There was no beauty about Him that we could be attracted to Him.  His physical attributes were not there.  Yet He was the Son of God. 

 

Here He is hanging there, dying, and He simply makes the statement "Father, Forgive them. for they know not what they do"  The forgiveness that He is going to provide is the a forgiveness not only for my sins in the past, but also for my sins that I may commit today, and the sins that I may commit tomorrow.  Jesus Christ when He died at Calvary paid the price for all of them.  From the time, that Adam sinned to the last man or woman that will ever be born on planet earth and their sin, the blood that He is going to shed on this day, the forgiveness that He is going to gain on this day for us is going to cover the sin of the entire world. 

 

He is hanging there with this weight of sin for all humankind, hanging on Him.  Imagine the pressure of the weight that was there.  It was a very black day.

 

Day 31 - The Second Statement:  A Pledge to the Penitent Thief

Luke 23:39-43

 

Luke 23:43

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

 

Do remember what is going on?  There are two thieves hanging beside of Him, one on the right side and the other on the left.  As you read about the crucifixion, you will find out that one of them is making fun of Jesus in saying, "If you be the Messiah, then get down from the cross, save yourself, and save us too."  However, the other guy said, "We are getting what we deserve.  We deserve to be hanging up here.  This man has done nothing wrong to be here."  Then this thief said, "Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me."  That is an awesome statement. 

 

Here is a guy that is just hours away from death.  He knows that he is going to die.  He knows that he is not going to get off this cross.  He knows that there is no hope for him. 

 

I do not understand where he got his information.  Maybe it was by looking at what Jesus had done.  Maybe he had been in a crowd where Jesus had been teaching. 

 

However, he put faith in that Jesus was the Son of God; that He was the Messiah.  That would take faith.  To be dying on a cross, hanging there with nails through your hands and through your feet; and they had been beaten and whipped just as Jesus had been, because that was the process.  First, they scourged you then they put you on the cross.  Here he is hanging on a cross.  Jesus is hanging on a cross and the one thief looks over at Jesus and says, "Hey, remember me when you get to your kingdom." 

 

Do you remember when you asked the Lord to save you?

 

Do you remember when you asked Him to come into your life? 

 

I did not say, "Lord, remember me when you get to your kingdom."  That would have been something that we would not have understood anyway.  However, I can remember the time that I said, "Lord, please save me.  If you don't save me, I'm going to perish."  I can remember the weight of sin being lifted off my shoulders and things changing in my life.  When I got up from the altar and went back to sit down, I felt like there had been a million pounds lifted off my shoulders.  Jesus Christ moved in and I accepted what He had done at Calvary to pay my sin debt.  He forgave me of my sins and washed me as white as snow.  I have never been the same since. 

 

I make all kinds of failures everyday.  I am not perfect by no means at all, but it is great to know that I am forgiven. 

 

It is great to know that this man that was hanging here on the cross, looking for Jesus and His kingdom. 

 

The kingdom is going to come one day.  However, I am looking forward to the place that we are going to get to go to the home that He prepared for you and me.  When I accepted Him as my Savior then the promise of John 14 became real to me. 

 

JOHN 14

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so , I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 

It became real to all of us, if we are saved, we have a promise that He has a home for you and me.  Not only does He have a home for us, but also He is going to come and get us and take us to that home one day. 

 

Because He hung on this old cross, not only that, but also, we came to the place in our life, as this thief did, that we understood that He was our only hope.  We came to that place in life.  That is where that thief was.  He had come to the place that he understood that Jesus was his only hope. 

 

If you think the world is going to rescue you, if your hope is in the stock market, if you think that your hope is in your family, your home, or in your cars then you are not trusting Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is our only hope. 

 

This is a good statement.  The thief said, "Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me."  Then Jesus said, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." 

 

The word paradise, if we read the scriptures, we know that some writers call it Abraham's bosom; but the Jews knew of what Abraham's bosom was.  The Jews understood that paradise was a place of rest, a place where they would not have to toil anymore.  It was a place of rest and relaxation.  Jesus said, "Today, thou shall be with me in paradise."  Do you know where this guy went when he died?  He went to paradise. 

 

When you look at the place called hell...hell is a word that we use very loosely many times, a word that we use as a catchall.  Many times, we want to compare hell and the lake of fire to the same place, but they are actually two different places.  In the Greek, the word hades is translated hell for us.  Hell is a place that is divided and it has three different compartments in it.  It has paradise, a place for resting for the saved, it has a place for the wicked, but it also has a great gulf between them.  Read Luke chapter sixteen and it will tell you that. 

 

Luke 16

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

 

There is a place called paradise there.  There is a place where the wicked/dead go waiting upon the judgment, but there is also a great gulf there.  Do you know where Jesus is going to go this day?  If you read in the book of Peter, the Bible tells us that he died and after he had died, he went to the prison to preach to those spirits that were there.

 

I Peter 3

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

 

Jesus went to paradise that day and this thief went to paradise because he said, "Lord, remember me when you come into thy kingdom."  This guy did not get baptized.  He did not have the opportunity because he was going to die. 

 

However, I think if you get saved that you need to be baptized.  It is great that you get baptized.  Baptism will help you grow and mature and you will have to do that.  However, many of our churches are hanging on baptism.  Baptism is all they know.  It takes the blood.  Without the blood, there is no reason baptism.  If you are not saved there is no reason to be baptized.

 

Jesus said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."  That is a promise.  There is going to be a day that you and I are going to go home to be with Him.  I am looking forward to that time.

 

Remember when Jesus told this thief...today you are going to have salvation.  You are going to have salvation today; not next week, not next month, not next year but he got salvation today.

 

Day 32 - The Third Statement:  Jesus Cares for His Mother

John 19:25-27

 

John 19

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home .

 

This is the third thing that He is doing here.  This should be a lesson for us. 

 

Not only is it a lesson that we need to forgive, but we need to ask Jesus for our forgiveness.  Look what Jesus is doing here to show how important it is and to show how much Jesus loved His mother.  Here He is dying.  Mary had been with Him through this whole thing.  Mary understood who Jesus was.  Here He is hanging on a cross.  Her son is dying.  He did nobody wrong.  He did not deceive anybody.  The Bible says that He had no guile in His mouth.  There was no deception about Him, but here her son is hanging on the cross about ready to die.  He was bloodied, bruised and no doubt in horrible agony; yet here he is thinking about His mother.  Do you think that He loved His mother?  Do you think that we should love our mothers?  We should.  He was making provision for someone to take care of His mother.  He knew that He was going to die; He knew that John was going to be around for a long time.  He wanted to make sure that His mother was going to be cared for.

 

That is what He says here.  "Woman, behold thy son."  When Jesus said that, He was looking at John.  John was there at the foot of the cross and when He says Woman or Mother, I want you to look at John here as being your son.  Jesus is saying that John is going to take care of her just as Jesus would take care of her.  Then He said to the disciple, "Behold thy mother."  Jesus looks at Mary and says here is your son; he is going to take care of you just as a son would take care of you.  Then He looks at John and He says, "John, behold your mother."  In other words, John is to take care of her just as he would his own mother. 

 

I think sometimes that we forget about our parents.  We go our separate ways in life.  I am not saying that all of our mothers always treated us right; I am not saying that all the mothers were what they should have been.  I am not saying all of that.  However, they are still yet our mothers.  They are still yet our parents and we owe them many things.  Jesus was going to make sure that His mother was cared for.  That is a good lesson for us to remember.  Even through our sufferings, even through the things that we go through in life, if we can help people; we need to show compassion towards people. 

 

He is dying.  The suffering of the cross, we cannot comprehend.  If you have time, get some books to read about crucifixion and all the horrible things that went on; the pain, the thirst, the suffering.  Probably by this time, His lungs were starting to fill up with fluid and no doubt, He would be gasping for air to get enough air into His lungs to live. 

 

Here He is thinking about His mother and having compassion towards His mother.  That should be a lesson for us.  Our relationship with Jesus Christ can and will make a vast difference in the relationships that we have with other people.  There are many people that if we didn't have Jesus Christ in our life then we couldn't get along with at all.  It is great that Jesus changes things.

 

Day 33 - The Fourth Statement:  Jesus, Both God and Man

John 19:28-29

 

John 19:28

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

 

The suffering is about over.  He is just a short time here from death.  He makes the statement, "I thirst."  This horrendous thirst went along with the crucifixion.  The suffering, the beatings, the intense pain and the intense thirst went along with it.  I know that pain is bad.  Have you ever gone without water for long time even though you really needed it?  It is bad. 

 

Some of you have been in the army, and some of things you go through in training make you extremely thirsty.  However, you will never get as thirsty as He got here.  Most assuredly, He was showing us that He was a man.  He was showing us that He had need of water just as we have need of water.  Even though He was God, He was also man.  Yet He is there because of my sin and because of your sin.

 

Day 34 - The Fifth Statement: Jesus Forsaken

Mark 15:33-39 and Psalm 22:1

 

Mark 15:34

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 

They nailed Him on the cross at nine o'clock in the morning.  The crowds walked by mocking and ridiculing Him from the sixth hour to the ninth.  The Romans kept time one way and Jews kept time another way.  From nine o'clock until twelve o'clock many things happened.  We know that from twelve o'clock until three o'clock there was darkness over the whole land. 

 

I have thought about that many times.  Some of us went out to Carter Caves a few years ago and went in some of the caves.  I have been there when they have turned off the lights inside of the caves and they would ask you to put your hand in front of your face.  You cannot see anything.  There is total darkness, total blackness. 

 

There is no doubt in my mind that is what was on planet earth on that day—total darkness.  Jesus says, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"  Here Jesus is hanging and His own people have rejected Him.  The religious crowd said that He could not be the Messiah.  The disciples are here but they are scattered all over the place.  Here Jesus is dying all alone in total darkness.  He makes that statement.  We may wonder why Jesus makes that statement about His Father.  Here He is hanging on the cross; the sin offering for all of humanity.  God has to turn His back on His Son as He is hanging there on that day, so that His Son could die so that we could have way to be forgiven and to be saved.  He died All Alone. 

 

I have sat beside the bedside of many dying people.  That is sad when all the family gathers around and someone takes their last breath, yet they are comforted in knowing that all the family is around.  I have been in places where people have died and there was nobody around--All alone.  It is a different kind of death. 

 

Here Jesus is dying, all alone in total darkness, rejected by the world; His Father has turned His back so that His Son can pay the penalty for my sins and for your sins. 

 

That is how much God hates sin, in that He would demand His Son to die as He did to pay the penalty for sin.  That is how much God hates sin.  If you think that you are going to get into heaven being a sinner, you are dead wrong.  You are not going to make it.  God hates sin.  He loves the sinner.  Sin will never stand in the presence of Almighty God.  He cries out "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 

 

I have thought about all the crowd, all the noise, all the racquet, all the talking, all the making fun of--at noon day when it turned black--I'd say that it all stopped then.  These guys probably did not know what was going on.  The crowd was there but it was total darkness.

 

When you are in your own house, you may joking and laughing and the kids may be running then electric goes off and everything gets black and everybody stops. 

 

Day 35 - The Sixth Statement:  Take Me Home

Luke 23:44-49

 

Luke 23:46

46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

 

He is very near death.  He is just about to die.  He makes the statement here, "...Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit...he gave up the ghost."  He gave total complete surrender into His Father's Will.  God has a great work for you, if you will completely and totally surrender your life unto Him.  We cannot give Him just half a person.  We cannot give Him just part of ourselves.  We just cannot give Him our self on Sunday's and Wednesday's, but it is an everyday walk with God.  If we will surrender our will unto Him, then God will use us.  Into His hands, He was commending His spirit.  He knows that He was about ready to die. 

 

I hope we understand how bad He was really suffering. 

 

Day 36 - The Seventh Statement:  The Death of Jesus

John 19:28-37

 

John 19:30

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

 

He makes the statement about being thirsty.  We know that some of the soldiers took a sponge soaked in vinegar water and touched His mouth.  With that done, He said, "It is finished."  Then He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.  The three words, "It is finished" in the original Greek is one word 'tetelestai.' 

 

There is an awesome study in that word or the three words in our English.  Tetelestai means, it is finished.  It is done.  Salvation, as far as the suffering part, is complete. 

 

We know that He is going to raise again in three days on Sunday Morning, but as far as the offering goes here on earth; it is finished.  There is not going to be any more offering.  There is not going to be anymore suffering.  Nothing has to be offered here on earth; Jesus simply received the vinegar and said, "It is finished."  He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.  That means that He died.  The spirit left this body and He died. 

 

There He hangs with His down, arms outstretched, nailed to a cross beam, His feet nailed to the upright, bloodied, beaten, bruised, humiliated, and He is dead.  The sacrifice for my sin, for your sin, and for all of mankind’s sin had been accomplished.  The work that Jesus Christ had to do here on planet earth for our salvation was complete.  We know that He is going to rise from the dead.  The offering is complete.  Three o'clock and He dies.  We know as we read, when it gets close to evening time the soldiers were going to break their legs but when they got to Jesus, He was already dead. 

 

Jesus completely, totally surrendered His life and everything about Him to the Will of God.  He accomplished what God His Father had set Him to accomplish. 

 

Are we really accomplishing what God has asked us to accomplish.  Have we surrendered our life, our will, our desires, and everything about us?  Have we put that in the hands of God?  Are we accomplishing what God wants us to accomplish?

 

If we all will be sincere, we would have to say, “No. I am not doing all that I can.”  There are things that God has asked me to do that I have not done.  There is noting like being or accomplishing what God has asked you to be or accomplish.  There is nothing like that.  When we do that, God blesses us in a great way.

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