Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church Podcast. And behold, the veil of the temple was written twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.

Now did you hear that? Do you know that is one of the most forgotten things about the death of our Lord and Savior? That literally believing saints at that time were resurrected from their graves and sent to heaven.

Wow. Verse 54, now when the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying, truly, this was the Son of God. What is interesting about that phrase is they just had seen him die on the cross, and they had saw him yield up the ghost which means, as we'll talk about in just a little bit, that he gave his life, they didn't take it.

He yielded up the ghost. And it's amazing in that phrase they said, truly, this was the Son of God. But little did they know in three days that that phrase should have said, truly, this is the Son of God because it wasn't over.

Actually, it had just begun. Let's pray, Lord, we love you and thank you for all that you've done. Lord, help us today just to kind of be a reminder, almost like a post-it note as we get busy with our life to think of what's important, to be reminded of what you've done in Jesus' name, amen.

Yesterday they had this baby shower for hope and my wife made a food item for that baby shower and we had ball games for our boys yesterday that we had basketball games to go to and she had made that stuff the night before real late. And so I had gotten up that morning and was going out to get the car and start the car and on the garage door, we have a door that goes into our garage that we go out, obviously, and there was a bright pink post-it note and it said, pinwheels. And that goes to show how often we have arrived here at church with the food still sitting in the fridge at home or on the counter and so that note was there that as we go out that we would not forget what was very important that day and that is to get those pinwheels, those little snack things, whatever you want to call them, into Mills Hall.

And you know this morning, this is a post-it note. As you're busy going throughout your day, I think that especially at this time of the year, it's good for us just to be reminded before we head on out the door and enjoy all the blessings that God's given us that we think just for a second to make ourselves remember what he went through. Now number one this morning, I want you to see very briefly, I want to encourage you to always remember the cruelty. Always remember the cruelty. Do you know that what Jesus went through was a very cruel thing? The first thing is that I see that there was a cruel crown and that was a cruel process that he went through. Now as you hold your place there, I'm gonna read you some scripture and in that same chapter, Matthew chapter 27, if you'll look earlier at verse 27, the Bible gives this depiction, listen to this, it says, then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers and they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. Now just think just for a second how cruel this was and demeaning this was. Imagine if you as an individual that all of the police force of Kernersville came and they just came and took you and they led you maybe to a common area, let's just say maybe 4th of July Park or something in our town that's kind of a common area and here is half the town gathered around or just about the whole town and all the police force and they put you in the middle of everybody where you can see it and strip every piece of clothing off of you. Just that would be traumatic.

Just that is almost as cruel as you could be to an individual. And that was just the first thing that our Savior went through. The shame, the embarrassment, the demeaning things that were done to him. They stripped him, notice if you would verse 28, they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe and when they had platted a crown of thorns they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying, Hail King of the Jews. They made fun of him. They ridiculed him.

They made him literally as we would call it the subject of the joke. Notice verse 30, and they spit on him and took the reed and smote him on the head. Not only had they already crushed this crown of thorns, his head bleeding, then they just beat him over the head. Verse 31, and after they had mocked him they took the robe off from him.

Now he is naked again in front of everybody. And put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him. A cruel crown. As he had made claim that he was the king of the Jews, they decided to mock that and ridicule that and so they decided, Hey, we're gonna crown him ourselves. Since he says he's the king and since he says he deserves to be crowned, we're gonna crown him. And of course you know the crown of thorns and all the things and you think of this cruel process and all this cruel crown was, it was a symbol of a rejected sovereign.

Somebody who claimed to be sovereign and they were ridiculing that by letting him know, we reject your claim that you're the sovereign king. I want you to notice secondly there was a cruel crowd. Not just a cruel crown here but we find in verse 39 of Matthew 27 where you are, it says that passed by. This is the crowd, just the people. This isn't all the soldiers that were doing all these unbelievably cruel things to him.

Not only physically but emotionally and all these things. It says that those that passed by reviled him wagging their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself if thou be the son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests, these are the religious people. Now even if they didn't believe that he was the Messiah, these are religious people for them to act like this.

By the way religious people still act like this sometimes. Listen to this, likewise also the chief priest mocking him with the scribes and elders, here's the higher up religious people, listen, said, come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said, I am the son of God. But the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth.

A cruel crowd. As if it wasn't enough the suffering that they went through mocking him and crowning him, now just the crowd, the people that were around began to jump in on the action. You see when he got a cruel crown that was a symbol that he was a rejected sovereign, but when the crowd ridiculed him that was a symbol of a rejected servant. The Bible says he came unto his own and what happened, his own received him not.

He did nothing but serve them and they rejected that. By the way, just about every day there are individuals that reject Jesus and all he ever did was come to try to save them. I want you to notice number three, there was a cruel cross and I'm sure you knew that's where we were heading. A cruel crown, a cruel crowd and a cruel cross. Look at verse 35 of Matthew 27. And they crucified him and parted his garments casting lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They parted the garments among them and upon my vesture did they cast lots and sitting down they watched him there almost like somebody watching a favorite TV program.

They were enjoying watching his suffering. Verse 37, and set up over his head his accusation written, this is Jesus the king of the Jews. A cruel cross.

Now I'm not gonna go through all the things. I'm sure you're familiar with the things that went on at the cross and we went through all that just about year after year. We talk about these things but I want you to know something that when he was given a cruel crown it means that they rejected his sovereignty. When he had to face a cruel crowd it means that they rejected his servanthood. But that cross is a symbol that they rejected a savior. That cross was all about salvation for you and me. And they didn't even realize that that was about salvation for them.

They rejected it. Don't ever forget the cruelty that Jesus went through. Don't ever forget how demeaning it would be if somebody just walked up to you if you're in Walmart in Kernersville and they just walked up and just because for some reason something happened that they knew you or whatever the case might be and just right in the middle of Walmart they just began to holler and scream at you and then just spit right in your face. What would you do to that? Let me tell you what I would do to that. I would get down and I would say Lord forgive them for what they just did. You know better. Whatever aisle I was in I'd find something to clobber them with right over the head. Don't look at me with that judgment.

You would too. Just think what Jesus went through and listen to this. When they stripped him naked and all that they did he answered not a word. Number two I want you not only to always remember the cruelty but number two I want you to always remember the cries. There are some things that I see through these passages beginning in Luke and John and Matthew and I'm gonna read these verses to you but there's some things that I see that Jesus cried that we need to always remember. First thing I want you to know in Luke chapter 23 verse 34 let me read this verse to you. It says then said Jesus father forgive them for they know not what they do. That means number one I want you to always remember a forgiving cry. That in the middle of all this Jesus cried to his father father forgive them.

You say how could he do that? Well because the very people that were doing this he was dying for them because he loved them. And he loves you. Father forgive them. Let me just say this you and I I don't think really fathom and are really appreciative of the forgiveness of God but if he wanted to forgive those that weren't even saved and weren't even believers I'm here to tell you when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ you might have a wicked evil rotten past and there might be some things that you've done that you wouldn't want one soul to even ever find out about but I'm here to tell you he's forgiven you. You're forgiven. He loves you enough that even those that would do that to him he wanted to forgive them. He's forgiven you. I know it is secondly not just a forgiving cry but a favoring cry. In chapter 23 of Luke verse 43 Jesus said unto them verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Well what's he talking about here? Well there were two men crucified with Jesus. One on the right hand and one on the other and obviously one was not a believer and one jumped right in on the crowd and one began to ridicule him too in different things but you know what's interesting one of the thieves that hung on the cross beside Jesus he literally confessed that he believed that Jesus was the son of God and in the middle of the suffering that Jesus had done he showed favor on that thief that was hanging on the cross by him and literally because of his faith even while Jesus was going through the very suffering for him he said today I will remember thee in paradise. Jesus showed favor on him right in the midst of the suffering. I'm here to tell you dear friend that is still all it takes for salvation to come into your life and that is for you to believe that he is Jesus and to put your faith and trust in him. What's amazing this man was never able to be baptized. Baptism doesn't save you.

This man didn't even have the chance to do a lot of good works. I mean literally the moment he got saved he died. So that means good works don't save you. What's amazing is that while that man was there hanging on that cross Mary the mother of Jesus was right there and that man never looked at Mary and said I want you to remember me in heaven and I want to go through heaven for you because Mary can't save him. Mary can't save you.

Jesus is the only way to heaven. It's amazing he never joined the church. Now that doesn't mean you're not supposed to join a church. It means joining a church doesn't save you. It means whatever denomination you claim you're not saved because you're part of that particular denomination. It's Jesus that saves.

Once you notice number three they're not just a forgiving cry and a favoring cry but number three I see a family cry. What is interesting while this suffering was going on that the mother of Jesus was in his presence and can you imagine what she went through watching her son being put through this. We do know that Jesus' dad Joseph was not there.

We believe that at some point obviously he died and I have shared that with you that we don't even think about the fact that Jesus knew what it was to lose a father. He knew what it was to lose a parent. To watch somebody that he loved and was close to him go into a grave. He knew what that was.

He knew what that felt like. And in the middle of all this suffering in John chapter 19 one of the best accounts of this verse 25 it says now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved he saith unto his mother woman behold thy son. Verse 27 then saith he to his disciple behold thy mother and from that hour that disciple John obviously took her unto his own home. That means this right there on the cross his mother he knew had nobody.

He wanted to make sure that his mother was taken care of. And he looked at her and as he pointed to John he said behold thy son in other words he's now gonna be your son. He looked to John and he said behold thy mother she is now gonna be your mother and by the way this goes all the way back to the Jewish wedding ceremony. He was creating a covenant with John that he would always take care of his mother and we know through scripture that he stayed alive. He never died until after Mary had gone home to be with the Lord and that means this Jesus made sure that his mother was taken care of. When he put John in charge of Mary by the way nothing's gonna kill John. Jesus made sure he stayed alive to take care of his mother until she was gone.

A family cry. By the way Jesus knows what it is to love family. He knows how that feels. He knows the love that a child feels for their parent.

He knows that. I gotta be honest with you of all the things and before my mom ever died I preached about the whole thing about how apparently somewhere during Jesus' life we don't know if it was when he was young or when he was old. We don't have a lot of information from really age 13 on up to where his earthly ministry began but at some point his dad Joseph had passed away and all that but I'm gonna be honest with you through my times I realized that Jesus even younger than I was had experienced the loss of a parent and not only was his child not only was Joseph his father figure but Jesus was also his savior so Jesus loved him with an earthly love and he loved him with a heavenly love and he felt that loss.

Family cry. I want you to notice fourthly we see something else in Matthew chapter 27 where you are in verse 46. It says in 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? Fourthly we see a forsaken cry. Jesus literally cried out for the first time in his life having been forsaken by his heavenly father. Now he knew what it was like to lose an earthly father and now he knew what it was like to literally lose his heavenly father.

By the way that's something you'll never lose. That's something you'll never feel. None of us will ever know what it's like to lose the heavenly father. We will never know what it's like for God the Father to turn his back on us. We will never know what it's like for God the Father to have to remove his sight from us because of the sin because when Jesus died his blood covered our sin and so he'll never turn away from us but he turned away from Jesus because he took our sin.

I believe, now listen to me. I believe of all the beating and the spitting and being stripped naked in front of people. I just think about that how humiliating that would be to me and all the physical pain and the spear in the side and the crown of thorns on his head and the nails through his hands and his feet and all these things.

I think of all the physical pain. I don't think anything hurt near as much as losing his heavenly father. Jesus was forsaken in a way that no other individual in past, present or future will ever be forsaken. He's the only individual that's ever felt that. I want you to notice next that I see in John chapter 19 verse 28.

Let me read this to you. Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled. What needed to be accomplished? What's amazing is that before Jesus literally had his last breath the Bible says that he knew that everything that needed to be accomplished had now been accomplished.

Well why couldn't it have been accomplished earlier? Why did he have to if they just needed a sacrifice because there had been things that had been prophesied in the Old Testament and everything that had been prophesied he made sure that everything that he said would happen happened. And all the suffering and all the shame and all the things that had to be done it got to the point that he literally knew that everything was done.

Listen to this. After this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled saith I thirst. I want you to notice next we see a fervent cry. I thirst. This is the humanity of Jesus Christ that was so thirsty. He was literally the living water and he couldn't even get a drop of it for himself.

You see dear friend the fact that Jesus said I thirst reminds us that he was man. But the fact that three days later he rose from the grave reminds us that he was God. It reminds us that he felt every pain. He felt all the suffering just like you and I would.

He was so thirsty. A fervent cry. A forsaken cry.

A family cry. I want you to notice next in John chapter 19 verse 30 we see a finishing cry. John chapter 19 verse 30 when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar. Thanks for the drink.

If you are desperate to where you scream out I thirst, what you really want is vinegar. It's just another way to ridicule, to spite. You say why did they hate him so much? Because when you claim to be the Messiah that means you are sovereign over them. Nobody likes to think that anybody's in charge of them. Do you know we're like that too? We don't like it when a preacher gets up and says hey this is what the Lord said in his word. They don't want to be reminded that he's over us. That's pride. Pride says I don't care what the Bible says I'm not going to do that. That's fine. He might be sovereign but he's not a dictator.

You do what you want to do. But that doesn't change the fact that he's sovereign. He's king. He's Messiah.

He is Lord of lords and king of kings. Verse 30 of 19 it says when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished. It is the word tetelestai. And that word tetelestai means it is finished. It means to bring to a close, to end and to finish.

Now here's what's interesting. He said it is finished. But he hadn't died yet. So what was finished? I mean we think that when he finally took his last breath all right now it's finished. No he said it was finished before he took his last breath.

What was finished? Our redemption was finished. The sacrifice was finished. The suffering was finished.

All those things that he must go through as the sacrificial lamb was finished. He had taken it all. By the way in the middle of all that he could have killed every person in front of him in the matter of one second. We believe the Bible teaches he could have called legions of angels and stopped it any time he wanted to. Because he was king. But he didn't. He took it and took it and took it until it was finished. By the way if he hadn't kept taking it all the things he went through would have been wonderful but we wouldn't be saved today.

I'm gonna be honest with you. If Jesus had been crucified and died and not risen from the grave we could not have salvation. But I believe if he would have died and never rose again I believe he would be worshiped worldwide now. We wouldn't have salvation. But they would think what a great individual.

Wow. And he might even have a day a year that we get off on Mondays in his honor. Last time I checked all the people that we get a day off on Mondays for didn't die for us. But the fact that he rose again that proved he was the savior that's what separates. That's what makes people angry. That's what they don't like to hear. That he is the only way to heaven. That his word is the only word. And that he is the only God.

They don't like that. It's a finishing cry. It was finished.

I want you to notice something very closely here this morning. Notice that Jesus did not say I am finished. He said it is finished. He wasn't finished. But the process he had to go through to redeem our souls was finished.

But he wasn't. In fact that body as they took his last breath and he gave up the ghost he wasn't finished yet. He knew that he would raise from the dead. I want you to notice lastly I see a farewell cry. In Luke chapter 23 verse 46 the Bible says that when Jesus had cried with a loud voice Jesus these cries he 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 gave up the ghost. No man killed him.

Look at me. You say oh yeah but look at all the suffering that. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Remember what I told you. I mean they could have beaten him even more than they did. They could have abused him even more than they did if that was even possible. But it is not because of injury that Jesus died. He gave up the ghost. Now listen in our Wednesday morning Wednesdays in the Word we've been dealing with this and we encourage you by the way you have Wednesday mornings and you're interested in a Bible study we have a really great time a good number every Wednesday morning. And I've started in Genesis chapter 1 and we're talking about the sovereignty of God in creation and not only the creation of life the continuation of life and obviously the conclusion of life how God is always sovereign in those areas and if you don't believe that then that's what's gonna usher in all the things that our world has brought in. When you believe that any part of that that God is not sovereign then you don't believe God's sovereign at all. But I want you to know because we believe God determines when life starts and God determines if life continues and God determines if life concludes that means this nobody killed Jesus He determined when it was done. He gave it. They didn't take it. God bless you.