We
Notice In This Suffering Savior:
A.
The Shame
Of The Cross
[- If there is
anything to be said about the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, then it must be
said that it was shameful. There
was nothing honorable or glorious about the Cross.
It was the worst kind of punishment, intended to completely humiliate and
shame all who hung upon one.]
As Jesus went to the cross we:
[Luke 23:27
27
And
there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed
and lamented him.]
[Galatians 3:13
13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree: ]
1.
Notice His Rejection (Isa 53.3; John 11.49-51) [-
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: . . ."]
a.
[He was rejected
by the religious leaders
- From the earliest moments of His earthly ministry the religious leaders had
determined to reject Jesus Christ.
They rejected Him because of:]
(1)
[Power - Their
personal authority and position in life was challenged.]
(2)
[Politics (John
11.49-51)]
[John 11:49-51
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto
them, Ye know nothing at all,
50Nor
consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people,
and that the whole nation perish not.
51And this
spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that
Jesus should die for that nation; ]
(3)
[Pride - They just
could not let this lowly man from Nazareth become
a great leader for
Israel.]
b.
[He was rejected
by the people
- Many blindly followed their religious leaders in rejecting and condemning the
Lord Jesus Christ. In the end they
would be heard crying, "Crucify Him!
Crucify Him!"]
2.
Notice His
Humiliation
(Isa
53.3; Gal 3.13)
[- ". . . He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." -
The Humiliation Of The Cross]
[Galatians 3:13
13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree: ]
a.
[He was stripped
of His dignity
– As Jesus Christ, the Lord of all Glory hung naked on the cross, a spectacle
for all to look upon and mock, He was stripped of His dignity.]
b.
[He was stripped
of all respect (vs 32)
– As Jesus Christ, hung between two criminals, so as to infer that He was some
kind of criminal Himself, He was stripped of His respect.]
3.
Notice His Determination (Isa 53.4; Philip 2.5-11)
[- "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."]
[Philip. 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7But made
himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
9Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name:
10That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth;
11And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. ]
a.
[Jesus willingly took the shame of the cross, so that you and I
might receive the hope of eternal life.]
b.
[We could not have known the love of God apart from the shame of
Jesus Christ.]
c.
[Notice the incredible
determination of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When the crowds mocked him and humiliated Him, He did not come down off
that cross to pridefully defend Himself, as you or I would have.
Instead, Jesus incredible, unspeakable love held Him to that Cross that
you and I might be saved through His propitiatory and finished work.]
B.
The Suffering Of The Cross [- What did Jesus endure when He
hung on that cross?] Jesus Endured:
1.
An Extreme Physical Torment (vs 33) [–
And when they were
come to the place, which is called Calvary,
there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the
other on the left.]
a.
[Roman Execution
- It has been suggested by many Bible scholars that crucifixion was the result
of the Roman governments desire to visibly torment and torture any and all who
would resist their government through insurrection. It has been estimated that
by the time of Christ’s death over 30,000 people had been crucified in Palestine
alone.]
b.
[The Torment of the Cross]
(1)
[They fastened Jesus to
the Cross - They then took Jesus, whom they have scourged, buffeted, pierced
with thorns, battered with reeds, plucked out his beard and hair, and spit upon.
They took Jesus and laid him upon that cross.
His body now cramped, his muscles contracted, they forcibly stretched his
arms out so they could drive those nails through His palms and his feet.]
(2)
[They reared the Cross
- They raised the cross dropped it into the hole.
As the heavy wooden cross dropped 3 to 4 feet into that hole and came to
the sudden stop at the bottom it is said that this impact would have pulled many
of Jesus bones out of joint and pour another form of pain and suffering upon the
already tormented body of our Lord.
Now Jesus hung there suspended by torn and cramping muscles, pierced hands and
feet, and disjointed bones.]
c.
[The Terror of the Cross]
(1)
[In his book The Lift
of Christ, Frederick Farrar describes crucifixion as follows:]
[A death by
crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of the horrible
and ghastly-dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic
fever; shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of
anticipation, mortification of intended wounds—all intensified just up to the
point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the
point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness.]
[The unnatural
position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons
throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually
gangrened [when a victim took several days to die]; the arteries—especially at
the head and stomach—became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood, and
while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added to
them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst, and all these physical
complications caused an internal excitement and anxiety, which made the prospect
of death itself— of death, the unknown enemy, at whose approach man usually
shudders most—bear the aspect of a delicious and exquisite release.]
[One thing is
clear. The first century executions were not like the modern ones, for they did
not seek a quick, painless death nor the preservation of any measure of dignity
for the criminal. On the contrary; they sought an agonizing torture which
completely humiliated him. And it is important that we understand this, for it
helps us realize the agony of Christ’s death. (Vol. 2 [New York: E. P. Dutton,
1877], pp. 403-4)]
(2)
[Dr. Truman Davis gives this description of the crucifixion:]
[At this point
another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over
the muscles knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps
comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral
muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be
drawn into the lungs but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in
order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the
lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically He
is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.…]
[Hours of this
limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial
asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves
up and down against the rough timber; then another agony begins. A deep crushing
pain in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to
compress the heart.]
[It is now almost
over… the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy; thick, sluggish blood
into the tissues. The tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in
small gulps of air. ("The Crucifixion of Jesus; The Passion of Christ from a
Medical Point of View" Arizona Medicine, vol. 22, Mar.
1965, pp. 183-87)]
[The
Physical Torment of the Cross is more than we can reckon in our minds.
Some of us have experienced a single disjointed bone, and recall the
incredible pain. Others have
experienced the pierce of a knife or the misfortune of torn flesh.
Few of us have had to bear multiple physical misfortunes all at the same
time, but some do. Yet, Jesus bore
it all in His flesh as he hung upon that cross.]
2.
An Extreme Emotional Torment (vs 35-39; Matt 27.41-43;)
a.
[There were those that
Purposefully
humiliated Jesus
(vs 35; Matt 27.41-43) - He was humiliated by the religious leaders.]
[Luke 23:35
35
And
the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided
him, saying, He saved others;
let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.]
[Matthew
identifies these rulers for us.]
[Matthew 27:41-43
41
Likewise also the chief priests mocking
him, with the scribes and
elders, said, 42 He saved others;
himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him
now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver
him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. ]
b.
[There were those
that Passively
humiliated Jesus (vs 36-38)
- Pilate, Herod and their soldiers knew little about Jesus and were not much
concerned with Him. Yet in their quest for political power they were willing to
punish even an innocent man. But it
was not enough to punish Jesus, they had to belittle Jesus.]
[Luke 23:36-38
36
And
the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the king of
the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a
superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and
Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.]
c.
[There were those that
Presumptuously
humiliated Jesus (Luke 23.39)
– Even the thief on the cross, dying next to Jesus found it in his corrupt heart
and mind to mock and ridicule the Lord Jesus Christ..]
[Luke 23:39
39
And
one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be
Christ, save thyself and us. ]
[People in our day
are not much different than those who actually watched the physical crucifixion
of our Lord. They are no different
than those who mocked Jesus as he hung upon that Cross.
They do not know what they scoff at.
They do not recognize the incredible
Love of God represented by that cross.
They just laugh and mock because their corrupt hearts and minds are just
too callused to see how much Jesus was willing to endure for them.
Jesus endured it
all that even these scoffers might be saved.]
3.
The Extreme Spiritual Torment (Matt 27.46; Isa 59.2)
a.
[When we are sick or afflicted it is always helpful to know that
your family and friends are there to encourage and support us.
Perhaps they cannot bear your pain and suffering for you, but somehow
their presence, and prayers make the pain a little easier to bear.
Matthew’s account of the crucifixion does much to help us understand the
spiritual torment Jesus Suffered on the cross.
Matthew recorded:]
[Matthew 27:46
46
And
about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ]
b.
[On Calvary’s Cross Jesus was all alone.
The penalty of all our sins were placed upon Christ and our sins caused a
separation between God the Father and God the Son, as sin does.]
[Isaiah 59:2
2
But
your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid
his face from you, that he will
not hear. ]
[Jesus was all
alone on that Cross, just as the condemned will be when they are writhing in
torment in the eternal confines of the Lake of Fire.
Was Jesus alone because the Heavenly Father did not love Him?
Of course not, Jesus was alone because the sin of our lives and world had
cause a separation between Him and God.]
C.
The Salvation Of The Cross
1.
The Condemned on the Cross (vs 40-43)
[–
But the other
answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the
same condemnation? 41 And we indeed
justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done
nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto
Jesus,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him,
Verily I say unto thee,
To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
– This thief, condemned by mankind and human government, was not forsaken by the
Lord Jesus Christ, but by calling out for help to the Lord Jesus Christ was
given the promise of an eternal paradise to come.]
a.
[There is no sin that is beyond the redeeming power of
Calvary’s Cross except one.
The sin of rejecting the saving grace provide by the Lord Jesus Christ on
the Cross.]
b.
[Recognize what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you on
Calvary’s Cross, call out to Him as your personal Lord and Savior
and you will be saved.]
c.
[You may deserve
the judgment of this world, this malefactor did, but God still has grace that is
greater than your sin. God, in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ stands ready to forgive your sins and save you for
all eternity to come.]
2.
The Centurion by the Cross (vs 47) [–
Now when the
centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a
righteous man.
– Notice also this man standing by the Cross.
As the centurion standing next to the cross most likely this was the
military authority responsible to oversee this crucifixion.
He was the man responsible for inflicting the excruciating pain of the
crucifixion upon our Lord and all those who were crucified and he had once again
succeeded.]
a.
[There are none
beyond the redemption provided by the Cross.
Even this man, possibly responsible for the terror inflicted upon our
Lord, found that grace and redemption was available.
You may think you have committed the unpardonable sin, you may think you
are beyond salvations hope, but if you are able to believe that the Lord Jesus
Christ died on the Cross for your sins, and physically arose from the grave, and
you can call out to the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then
you too can be saved. The only
unpardonable sin is the sin of failing to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your
personal Lord and Savior.]
3.
The Christ of the Cross (John 19.30)
[– When Jesus therefore had received the
vinegar, he said,
It is finished: and he
bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. – Jesus came to seek and
to save that which was lost. Jesus
suffered horribly before He went to the Cross. Jesus
suffered tragically as He hung upon the Cross.
Jesus died a painful death on the Cross.
Jesus did it all so that you might be saved.
He finished His purpose, He paid the full cost for your sins.
Will you accept what Jesus did for you on Calvary’s Cross.]
CrossRoads
Baptist Church,
March 16, 2008
