Edit — The Road to The Cross

Title:

Slug:

Content type: Sermon Poem / Prayer Service / Tribute Incomplete Biography

Body: Last week Cheryl taught on; The road to Jerusalem, and that this road is a road to humility, a road of fulfilment, a road of obedience, and a road of destiny. Today, on a similar path we will be discussing the road to the cross. I have tried to not interfere with the upcoming messages as Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are just a week away. INTRODUCTION Communicating clearly can be a challenge for us. When we use the wrong word or mix up our words the result is often humorous. Here are some actual examples of excuse notes (with original spelling) parents sent to school with their children: 1) My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him. 2) Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33. 3) Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot. 4) Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels. 5) Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins. 6). Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday. It is hard to communicate clearly! Sometimes it’s difficult to understand some of the cryptic passages of the Bible–but not this passage. Here Jesus speaks plainly. He doesn’t use apocalyptic language or use a parable with a hidden message. He says, “Read my lips: ‘I’m going to Jerusalem to die.’” And still, the disciples didn’t get it. Let’s read beginning in Luke 18:31: Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” Can you get any clearer than that? Yet look at verse 34: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” Even before His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus was on the road to the cross. Revelation 13:8 says the Lamb of God was “slain from the foundation of the world.” In this passage, Jesus is moving closer to the cross. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the south, near Jerusalem. He grew up in Nazareth up near the Sea of Galilee. For three years, His base of ministry was Capernaum, which is on the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a large freshwater lake, about seven miles long and three miles wide. He visited Jerusalem a few times, but He was basically a country boy who didn’t care for the big city. When Jews in Galilee visited Jerusalem, they traveled south through the valley surrounding the Jordan River. So, Jesus said, “Boys, it’s time to go up to Jerusalem”. As we retrace the road to the cross, let’s learn four important spiritual lessons: 1. THE ROAD TO THE CROSS WAS PREDICTED BY THE PROPHETS In verse 31 Jesus said, “Everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.” Although these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, He clearly fulfilled each of them. Now if you are still skeptical about the Bible, how do you respond to these fulfilled prophesies? You may insist Jesus was an ordinary man and, because He knew those prophecies, He intentionally fulfilled them so everyone would think He was the Son of God. Of course, He knew the prophecies, but there were many of those predictions over which He had no control. Do you think He said to Judas, “Now Judas, you’re my buddy, but I want you to betray me, and I want to be sure you get paid exactly 30 pieces of silver?” Or can you imagine He conspired with the Roman soldiers by saying, “Listen, guys, don’t forget to beat me, pluck out my beard, and spit on me. And remember to cast lots for my clothes. And by the way, no bones broken, please?” Or perhaps you believe Jesus accidentally fulfilled these scriptures–it was simply a matter of chance. In his book Science Speaks, Dr. Peter Stoner, has calculated the mathematical odds of one man in history fulfilling just eight of these prophecies, it is something like 1 in a quintillion. (That’s a one followed by eighteen zeroes.) Those are the odds of fulfilling just eight prophecies. And Jesus didn’t just fulfill eight prophecies–He fulfilled over 300! How can you maintain intellectual integrity if you ignore that kind of evidence? 2. THE ROAD TO THE CROSS PROMISED REJECTION AND PAIN In verse 32 Jesus told His disciples when they arrived in Jerusalem He would be “handed over to the Gentiles (the Romans), they will mock him, insult him, flog him, and kill him.” All the Jews were looking for a Messiah, but they imagined the Messiah would be a great King like David or Solomon. They envisioned the Messiah would come and lead a rebellion against the Roman Empire and set the Jews free. Somehow, they missed Isaiah’s prediction that the Messiah would be a suffering servant. God said in Isaiah 53:3-5, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering...But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Roman crucifixion was a common practice in His land. It was a common sight to see criminals nailed to trees along the road. Even as a boy, Jesus was aware He had to be about His father’s business–and His Father’s business was redeeming mankind of sin. The only way sin could be forgiven was through a blood sacrifice, and Jesus offered Himself as our sin sacrifice. At the beginning of His ministry, large multitudes crowded around Jesus because they were amazed by His miracles and wisdom. But Jesus didn’t come to heal, teach, or to do miracles. He came to die. It was one of the most inspiring sights of World War II. Four chaplains were standing on the deck of the USS Dorchester, hand-in-hand, singing the old hymn "Nearer My God To Thee." These were inspiring men. And this was a scene the men of the USS Dorchester would never forget. It was a stirring sight to see these four men united, hand-in-hand, on the deck of that ship. But they weren’t conducting a service for the men as you might think -- they were preparing to die. It was in the early morning hours of February 3, 1943. The ship was bound for Greenland with 906 men on board. Suddenly a torpedo from a Nazi U-boat ripped through the hull and the ship began to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Fear gave way to panic among the soldiers. Rushing to the deck, many left their lifejackets below. The chaplains helped calm the panic by helping the men escape the sinking ship. Then, with the lifeboats full, they gave their own lifejackets to soldiers who had none. The ship completely sank in only twenty-seven minutes. As the men who had escaped looked back at their doomed ship, they saw the four chaplains standing on board the sinking ship hand-in-hand and listened as the men lifted their voices to God. It was a sight that would forever be etched in their memories. They chose to give their lives for others. Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus was traveling this road to the cross to do just that -- lay down His life for His friends. As Jesus looked down the road He saw rejection–ALL His disciples would flee. He saw the physical pain of having His back shredded. He visualized the searing pain of the nails being pounded into His flesh. He sensed the staggering agony of having a spear driven up under His rib cage into His laboring heart. He saw it all–and He kept on walking toward the cross. His entrance into Jerusalem announced His commitment to the task ahead. But do not forget that His journey did not begin there on that dusty road nor was He there by accident. In his book, And the Angels were Silent, Max Lucado writes, "Forget any suggestion that Jesus was trapped. Erase any theory that Jesus made a miscalculation. Ignore any speculation that the cross was a last-ditch attempt to salvage a dying mission. For if these words tell us anything, they tell us that Jesus died...on purpose. No surprise. No hesitation. No faltering. No, the journey to Jerusalem didn’t begin in Jericho. It didn’t begin in Galilee. It didn’t even begin in Bethlehem. The journey to the cross began long before. As the echo of the crunching of the fruit was still sounding in the garden, Jesus was leaving for Calvary." (Lucado, 15) 3. THE ROAD TO THE CROSS PRODUCED THE RESURRECTION Verse 32 is scary and full of pain. But after seeing all the pain, agony, and suffering He said, In Vs. 33 “And oh, by the way, on the third day, I’ll rise again.” (v. 33) The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was such an important historical event that all the world pauses to celebrate it. The death of Jesus was such a powerful event that to this day the cross is a symbol of peace and sacrifice. The world recognizes the power of this symbol. However, without the resurrection of Jesus, we wouldn’t have a Christmas, and the cross would be robbed of its meaning. In His birth, Jesus was the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. On the cross, Jesus became our Passover Lamb bearing our sins, so when the Judgement of God visits mankind, the sentence of eternal death will pass over us. But only in His resurrection was Jesus able to verify everything He did and said. Had there been no resurrection, Jesus would have been just a religious teacher like Moses, Buddha, Mohammed, or Confucius. Of all the ancient religions, Jesus is the only founder who is alive. Followers of other religions visit the grave sites of their founders to honor their remains. But there is no corpse for Christians to revere. And you can’t deny the fact Jesus predicted He would come back from the grave. He told the Jews, “Destroy this temple and three days I will build it back.” (John 2:19) They thought He was speaking about the temple building, but He was talking about His body. From the very start, He knew He had to die, because before there can be a resurrection there must be a death. Here’s how He described it in John 12:24, 27: Jesus said, “The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds...Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” And here we have Jesus--- God the Son. He hated sin and He loved the Father. He’d never been separated from the Father. And He’d never known the weight of sin. And all that was about to change---not because Jesus was going to sin, but because Jesus was going to take the weight, the guilt, the punishment of our sins upon Himself. The death and resurrection of Jesus can be compared to a seed. A seed that remains a seed will never produce anything. But a seed that is planted literally dies–it ceases to be a seed. Instead, it becomes a creative force that produces a plant that produces many more seeds. Jesus was that original seed. He died, but that wasn’t the end. He is alive and as a result of His life, there are tens of millions of seeds in this world today. The road to the cross passed through a dark valley of suffering and death, but it emerged on the other side of the cross into the brilliance of resurrection life! 4. THE ROAD TO THE CROSS IS THE PATTERN FOR EVERY DISCIPLE Verse 34 records that the disciples didn’t understand any of this. That’s the theme throughout the gospel–these guys weren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer! In Acts 1:6 we see even on the day Jesus ascended back into heaven, the disciples still didn’t get it. What do you suppose was the very last thing the disciples said to Jesus before He was taken up into heaven? Did they say, “It’s been great, Lord, You can count on us to spread your message throughout this world?” Now, remember, this was after the cross and the resurrection. They had seen the empty tomb. They’d observed Jesus passing through locked doors and making fish appear out of nowhere. And still the very last thing the disciples said to Jesus was, “Lord, are you NOW going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” After all He had shown them, they were still looking for an earthly kingdom! The fact that the first disciples weren’t too bright gives me hope–because there’s still a lot about being a disciple I don’t understand! Most of us have a hard time understanding the full meaning of the cross. We must learn that: The cross is not just an historical event; it is a present reality for every disciple. I’m not talking about wearing a cross around your neck or carrying a cross in your pocket. Every disciple of Jesus must walk the road to the cross. It’s our daily pattern. In Luke 9:23. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” It means we must acknowledge that our ego, the “big I,” has been crucified. And Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” If we allow “I” to remain at the center of our lives, “I” wants to get all the attention. “I” likes to boast, and “I” loves to be recognized and praised by the world. Every real disciple must embrace this attitude: “For my part, I am going to boast in nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others, and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate.” (Galatians 6:14, The Message) Are we supposed to suffer or rejoice? Simple, we are to rejoice in our suffering. Remember there is the pain of the cross, but there’s the glory of the resurrection, too. The key is in Hebrews 12:2. It says, “For the joy that was set before Him, (Jesus) endured the cross and despised the shame.” What was the JOY set before Jesus? What enabled Him to look through the pain? I believe it can be found in the very first thing Jesus said from the cross, “Father forgive them.” That’s the joy that was set before Him–the joy of forgiveness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor in WWII who was arrested and died in a concentration camp for refusing to go along with Hitler’s policies. While in prison, He came to understand the cost of discipleship, and was able to experience joy in the midst of his suffering. He wrote: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…The cross is there right from the beginning, you have only got to pick it up. There is no need for a disciple to go out and look for a cross, no need to deliberately run after suffering. Our forgiveness came by the cross of Christ, thus the call to follow Christ always means to share the work of forgiving men their sins. Forgiveness is the Christ-like suffering which it is the Christian’s duty to bear.” (The Cost of Discipleship, pp. 99-100) And Bonhoeffer forgave his Nazi guards before they executed him–he told them, “I forgive you for what you’re about to do.” But he had to die to himself before he could forgive them. They didn’t really hurt him when they executed him because he was already dead–dead to self. When you’ve been hurt by someone, your human nature screams for justice and punishment for that person. So, in order to forgive them, you must die to your own selfish demand for revenge or retribution. To forgive someone doesn’t mean you stop the judicial system from carrying out justice or punishment–the Bible says that’s the job of the government. But forgiveness means you don’t become your own judge, jury, and jailer to try and punish that person who has wronged you. Jesus had to die for your forgiveness, and you must die to forgive others. When “I” is on the throne, you can’t forgive another person. There is a difference between reconciliation and forgiveness. In the cross, Jesus provided for the forgiveness of everyone. But not everyone will be reconciled with Him–because they won’t seek to be reconciled with Him. Bonhoeffer forgave his Nazi guards, but he was never reconciled with them. The same is true for you. You can forgive anyone who hurts you, even if they don’t seek your reconciliation. You may not like this talk about forgiveness, because you have been hurt so deeply by someone and you think it’s impossible to forgive them. Remember, I’m talking about disciples of Jesus. If you aren’t a disciple of Jesus, it would be easier for you to kiss your elbow than to forgive another person! But if you are disciple of Jesus, you can forgive anyone–you just must die first. Remember a cross is for one thing only–and that thing is death. Have you trusted Jesus? The evidence of the Bible is overwhelming, but it’s not just the facts that are important. God loves you so much He sent you a personal Christmas present in the form of an infant. The child grew up to die on a cross for your sins, and God raised Him from the dead. Today, if you will put your faith and trust in Him, you can receive the greatest gift ever given to anyone–eternal life.

Sermon date:

Author:

Location:

Status: Published Draft Needs Review Confirmed Duplicate

Topics:

Scripture: