The Crucifixion of Christ

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Crucifixion of Christ. He will be in John 19:17-30.

Because Christ voluntarily offered up Himself to the Father, He absorbed the wrath of God for my sins and now whoever places their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they do not live under the wrath of God but they live under the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is Hope Worth Having and this is Pastor Mike, your host. We are excited that you are with us today and we’re looking forward to studying the Bible together. We have been studying in the Gospel of John for quite some time.

We’re now in the Gospel of John chapter 19 and we are learning about the crucifixion of Christ and as we think about the times and the seasons that we live, we are always drawn to the cross. For we know within the cross is the power of the Gospel and it is the salvation of all who believe in Jesus Christ and so we are delighted to be able to lift up Christ to you.

Join me this morning as we open our Bibles to John chapter 19 and learn about the crucifixion of Christ. We’ve been tracking through the Gospel of John and we’re now at John chapter 19 verse 17 through 30 and when we come to this point, this is really the focal point of John’s Gospel.

It is the message that he wants to get across to each and every one of his readers and that is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and I want you to note in John chapter 4 verse 34, John chapter 5 verse 17, chapter 17 verse 4 and then when we come to chapter 19 28 through 30, Jesus has been emphasizing this work that the Father has sent him to do and that work is to pay the price to purchase the souls of mankind to bring us to eternity.

life and it is on the cross that Jesus finishes the work that the Father had given him to do. I want you to note in verse 28 the Scripture says, and this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Now there was a set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished.

He bowed his head and he gave up the ghost. On the cross Jesus made seven statements and those statements include, Father forgive them, they know not what they do. Today to the thief he said, you will be with me in paradise as…

He looked at his mother, woman, behold thy son, as he pleaded to the father in the midst of his separation between God the father and God the son, who can figure 100% within the Godhead, that Jesus would cry out to the father, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

Here we just read that he cried out, I thirst. He said, it is finished. And finally he said to the father into thy hands. You and I could spend years studying just those seven statements. But this morning I wanna focus our attention on it is finished.

And when we come to the cross this morning as we study the gospel of John, there are three words that I want you to remember when you leave, three words that I want you to write down, three words that I want you to put in your device, whatever you’re using, write it on the back of your Walmart receipt, do what you gotta do, but remember these three words because these three words encompass what the cross means to you,

what the cross means to you. We start off with the word completion. We start off with the word completion because we live in a world where many have left tasks undone, haven’t they? There are people that God has promoted to heaven and their tasks on this earth is finished, but maybe they were in the middle of a project and it was undone.

But I want you to know that Jesus is the great finisher, that whatever Christ has started, he always finishes. And that’s why I love what the apostle Paul said when he said in Philippians 1 .6, being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will what?

He’ll complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, what he has started in your heart, what he has started in your life. He will. complete it. What it means is that this good work of salvation that Jesus has begun, this good work of redemption, this work of God bringing grace into your life and pouring forgiveness onto your heart, what He has begun, He will complete.

That’s what I want you to understand about the cross, is that the cross is a reminder to us that Jesus finishes what He starts and that He has completed the good work of salvation for each of our lives.

He has completed what is necessary for us to inherit eternal life in Jesus Christ. Let’s think about what Christ completed. Logistically, in relating to the Old Testament, Christ completed all the requirements that the law demanded.

when I tell people that Christ not only saved us through his death and resurrection, but he saved us through his life. Here’s what I mean, is that Jesus told us in Matthew 5, he said that I did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it, to fulfill the law.

Jesus came to fulfill the law. Now just this past few days, the Xfinity man showed up at my house and I was waiting forever. You know how they tell you that they’re gonna text you and you better be there in 15 minutes and they’re gonna be there.

And so I ran to the house and there was no Xfinity man. And I waited and I waited and he finally got there. And the Xfinity man was working on helping me get all connected. You know how you gotta have wifi, right?

You gotta be all connected. And so I was talking to him, just small talking, and he said the name of the Lord in vain. But I just said something to him. I said, I just want you to know God loves you.

And he said, what did you say? I said, I just wanted you to know that God loves you. And he said, oh yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, should I? I said, well, I’m just letting you know that God loves you.

And so he proceeded to tell me that he was watching the History Channel. And you know, you get all your good theology on the History Channel, right? And so he said, you know, we’re worshiping God on the wrong day.

We’re supposed to be worshiping on Saturday. And I said, really? I said, where’d you learn that from? He said, well, I was listening to the History Channel and then I had a friend who told me that the Catholics started this Sunday thing.

And I said, you know what? If you’re open to input, here’s what the Bible says. And I said that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament and that the early apostles always gathered on Sunday because Christ finished all that was necessary and required by the law.

Therefore we gather on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are no longer under the old covenant, but we are under the new covenant. And after… Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Thank you.

Praise God. And after I said that, he said, can you help me with this wire? And I knew that I had just, like, overwhelmed him. But anyways, what I want you to know is that on the cross, Christ finished it.

And so you don’t have to work your way to heaven. You don’t have to find ways that you could somehow supplement what Jesus did, or maybe that you could add on to what Jesus did. No, it’s Christ, and it’s Christ alone.

He completed all that is necessary for my salvation, and all the demands of the rituals and the ceremonies, and even the diet that the Old Testament required, all of that has been fulfilled. in Jesus Christ in that when he walked on this earth, he lived a sinless, perfect life.

And it doesn’t just mean that he was able to keep your list of do’s and don’ts. But what it means is that he fulfilled what God required in the Old Testament. So when Jesus said it’s finished, when he said those words, he didn’t mean that it was finished for now.

But what he meant was that the job of paying for the price of sin is finished. And that there is never a need again for a sacrifice to be made. And this was in sharp contrast. This is in sharp contrast to what the Jews believed in that the high priest made the sacrifice annually at Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

And there he would come and he would offer the sacrifice for the people of God. But now we don’t have to keep going through that ritual. We don’t have to keep offering up other sacrifices because Christ voluntarily, willingly offered up himself to the Father.

He absorbed the wrath of God for my sins. He absorbed the punishment for my sins. And now whoever places their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they do not live under condemnation. They do not live under the wrath of God, but they live under the grace and the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that’s why the Bible says for by one offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sacrificed. Jesus completed all the suffering that was required to pay for our sins. In a real sense, I want you to understand this.

And I don’t mean this in a trite way, I don’t mean it in a derogatory way, but he took our hell on the cross. because the worst thing about hell, even though I believe very much in the flames, and I believe very much in that, the torture of the sense that you will be living in an eternal lake of fire separated from God.

The worst thing about hell is that very point is to be separated from the love of the Father, the grace of God, to be separated from His compassion and His mercies that are new every day in our life, that is the worst thing about hell.

And what I want you to get is that while Christ was on the cross, He was separated from the Father. And that’s why He cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The Scriptures teach us that the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin.

He did what we could not do, and therefore by faith in Christ your salvation is complete and I’m a strong believer in the eternal security of the believer the perseverance of the saints because of what Christ did completely for me the second word I want you to note is the word conquest so the first word is what completion thank you the second word is conquest throughout the life and ministry of Jesus Christ over and John takes time to show us the seven signs in the gospel he takes time to show us that we have a conquering savior and I want you to know that on the cross that Jesus Christ conquered for you and I and it was only a continuation of his ministry think about it while he walked on this earth he conquered disease right that is he entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he healed a man and the whole town was an uproar and all the religious elite were in an uproar but Jesus Christ conquered disease second of all he conquered demons Jesus Christ took his disciples and there they went and they met the man who was possessed of demons and there he cast those demons out Jesus Christ he conquered death even before his resurrection this is what distinguished Christ from all who claimed to be Messiah all who claimed to be the Christ is that Jesus Christ interrupted funeral procession and he raised the little girl and brought her to life that Jesus Christ walked up to the tomb of Lazarus four days after he had died and he called forth his name and brought life back in to Lazarus and Jesus Christ himself resurrected which we’ll learn very shortly here in our study of the Gospel of John and what is the distinguishing mark of the resurrection of Christ from all other resurrections because the Bible says that Jesus was the firstborn meaning not in order but the firstborn of the resurrection meaning in quality meaning that there was no resurrection like Jesus’s resurrection because all other resurrections were resurrections unto death meaning they had to die again but the resurrection of Christ was a resurrection unto life and here’s what I want you to get is that through him dying on the cross he is conquered death he is conquered sin he is conquered the devil and then through his life and through his resurrection and through his death you and I are now more than conquerors.

Jesus conquered. Jesus finished and defeated sin. When he cried out it is finished it was not a sigh of defeat but it was a cry of victory. And when you look at this passage and you see Jesus saying it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost don’t think in terms of defeat but think in terms of victory.

And what I want you to walk away today with is on the cross my victory was obtained. On the cross victory was achieved by my Lord and Savior and on the cross I am able to live and victory from here on out.

Now the holiday seasons are tough. They’re bitter and they’re sweet. They’re sweet because we love to get with family and friends. They’re wonderful because we love to connect. We love to eat. We love football.

We love all this wonderful stuff about Thanksgiving and Christmas but for some of you it’s your first Thanksgiving without your spouse and it’s your first Thanksgiving without your parent. And I know that overwhelms you and it’s very emotional and I say to you don’t be afraid to grieve.

Don’t be afraid to express your heart because God designs you that way. God designs you and you say well pastor sometimes I just feel like that it’s just overwhelming me but I want you to understand that in the midst of all that emotional upheaval in your heart that there is a Savior who is using grief to heal your heart.

There’s never going to be a day that you’re over that special person. There’s never going to be a time that you feel like you’re done with that but I tell you there is a Savior who will help you to move forward.

There’s a Savior who will help you to take another step. Why? Because He has conquered death. He is the victor. He has has victory for every person who puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I don’t want you to put your identity in death.

I don’t want you to put your identity in the grave. I don’t want you to put your identity in what you’ve lost. I want you to put your identity in Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for you. Some of you are struggling.

I appreciate what Jason said earlier. You’re struggling and he called us back to the cross. How important that is to come back to the cross and find our meaning and our hope and our identity in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the hope that we have is that each and every one of us, because of what Christ has accomplished through his death and his resurrection, is that we’re gonna one day be reunited with our loved ones.

And for all those who have died in Christ, they’re gonna rise again and we which are alive will be caught up together to meet them in the air with the Lord forevermore. That is our hope. And yes, we have a tear in one eye, but we have a gleam in the other eye.

We are grieving in our hearts, but we are grateful in our minds for we know the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the victor and that He has paid the price for our sins. And so let us walk out of here wherever we are at in the walk of life, let’s walk out of here in victory because of what Christ has done on the cross for you and for me.

And let’s be people who are more than conquerors. Let’s not walk around like we don’t have any hope, like we’re just defeated and the circumstances of the world are overwhelming us. But let’s look to Christ and look to Him as our refuge.

Now, why should I do that? First for your own spiritual health, right? That’s good enough. But second of all, think about everybody that’s watching you. Man, I’m telling you that if you’re having a meltdown because your water heater is broken and falling apart, then what does the world think about your God?

What does He think about your Savior? If you’re falling apart, every time you run into a struggle, if you’re retreating to everything but Jesus Christ, every time you’re hurting, what are you communicating about Jesus Christ to the world?

He is either our hope and our refuge and our strength or He’s not. He can either support us, encourage us and strengthen us through the valleys and through the struggles or He can’t. And my response is the big indicator that preaches the message to everybody that’s watching my life.

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians and he says, that the reason he faced adversity, the reason that he faced adversity he said was for the encouragement of others and the salvation of others. Second Corinthians 1 verse 6 check it out later but here’s my point that the third reason why you should retreat to the cross when you’re hurting is because there are other brothers and sisters in Christ who are learning and growing and developing through your example.

You don’t realize it but people are watching you, new believers are watching you, young Christians are watching your life and when they see that Jesus is the rock of your life and that you have peace in the storm and that even when you’re hurting you’re crying out to God when they see that they learn and they become encouraged and they grow and they’re able to serve from their pain.

When people walk through valleys I tell them they have to do three things. It’s a journey, it’s not overnight but number one. You have to learn from your pain. You have to learn. What does God want you to identify?

Maybe some things to change. Maybe some lessons to learn. God is teaching you, even in the pain. Second, you have to grow. You see, there’s a difference between learning and growing. And all you gotta do is go to school to figure out the difference.

In the sense this, a lot of people have a book knowledge, but they don’t have real life experience, right? And so you learn it, but you don’t go out and live it. And the difference between learning and growing is that one difference of going out there and living it, what you’ve learned.

The greatest lessons that my Sunday school teacher ever taught me were not her Sunday school class lessons. I mean, I have to be honest with you. I don’t remember one lesson that she taught me relating to Sunday school and opening the Bible.

And I feel bad about that. But I do tell you, I remember her life. I remember her love. I remember her impact upon me. I remember her big bear hugs every time I came to Sunday school. I just remember her life.

And sometimes more is caught than taught. And so learn, grow, and here it is, serve. Learn in your pain, grow in your pain. But the ultimate height and culmination of growth is serving from your pain.

It is to serve, to let God use your setbacks and your struggles to help you. And that, my friend, is a person who truly is more than a conqueror. The third word I want you to remember. The first word was what?

Completion. The second word was what? And the third word is comfort. I love this. I want you to go back to verse 25, all right? Verse 25 of chapter 19. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas 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. Then he said to the disciple, behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home.

Here’s what I want you to understand, is that Jesus was concerned, not only for people in general that they would be saved, but he was concerned about people personally and individually. When you look at the cross and you see a savior who said, I notice you mom, I notice you, you notice me, and he says to John, John take care of her, take care of her.

Jesus was interested in providing for his mother, for taking care of her future. The detail of making sure that she is cared for is an amazing expression of affection from the cross. We are stunned by his expression of forgiveness, but think about this.

What an amazing expression of affection and comfort from Jesus while he’s enduring the wrath of God upon him. While he is enduring the punishment for my sins, he’s thinking about others. He’s not thinking about himself, but he’s thinking about others.

And I want you to get this, that Jesus cares about you. You see, Mike, I need something deeper. No, you don’t. Jesus cares about you. He cares about every one of you this morning, what you’re going through, what you’re dealing with, what you’re struggling with, what’s hurting you.

He cares about your broken heart. And that’s why there’s nothing too little to bring to Jesus. There’s nothing too big. And Jesus went to that cross to turn your tears into joy, because that’s what he did for his mother.

He took care of her. She wept bitterly the death of her son, but she would rejoice greatly in his resurrection. And I want you to see this morning something very beautiful, that Jesus cares when I am lonely.

He cares when I’m in despair. He cares when I don’t understand, when I have a lot of questions. I love that song, Consider the Lily. He does care about you. He takes care of the sparrow. He takes care of the flowers.

He’s going to take care of you. Now get this church. You not only have comfort in that as you have a savior who cares, but I love what Jesus taught us. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be what?

Comforted. So when you grieve, when you weep, yes, God will comfort you. But this morning, I want you to get this out of the cross, that in the full context of what Jesus was teaching and the beatitude.

It was so much deeper than helping us through grief. He was telling us that when you grieve over your sinfulness, when you are broken. Because you have shamed the name of God when you are devastated because you have hurt the heart of God because of your sin Jesus is saying that blessed are they that mourn over their sin They will find and experience the comfort of God in their heart and that comfort flows from the cross Knowing that my sins are paid in full that every bit of it is paid I’m sure there’s many of you this morning that you have a lot of student loans debt Whatever they say student loans are the number one debt in America now if somebody walked into your life and said I’m paying off The debt man,

you’d be so happy you’d give him a big hug Maybe a big kiss maybe a high -five, but let me tell you Jesus did something greater than that He stepped into your life and he paid in full the debt of your sin And you don’t have to live under the weight of it You don’t have to live under the grief of your sin or the shame of your sin You can find comfort that Christ’s hate and full were your sin.

That’s why you and I can rejoice and say we look at the cross, we see completion, we see conquests, and we see comfort. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the focal point of John’s gospel. Everything that John has been writing and sharing with us about the life of Christ has been building up to this moment where Christ would give His life for the sins of mankind.

On the cross, Jesus finishes the work that the Father had given Him to do to pay for the sins for all who believe in Jesus Christ. And so today, as we study the crucifixion of Christ, we look to Him for our true salvation and we express our love and our joy in what He has done and accomplished for us.

There’s nothing we can bring to the table. We simply come recognizing that Christ has done all that is necessary for my true salvation. And I am called to repent and to believe. If you have never repented, now is the time to repent and believe on Jesus Christ.

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. I want to remind you that this month, any gift given to the Hope Worth Having Ministries to help us to stay on the radio, you get a copy of my book, The Dynamic Devotions.

In this book, you are going to be encouraged and challenged in your faith as you are encouraged to draw closer to Christ. And I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity. You can make your gift to HopeWorthHaving .com and just hit the donate button, or you can call us at 717 -264 -3266 and make your gift over the phone.

Or if you’d like, you can simply write us at Hope Worth Having Ministries, 600 Miller Street, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1 -7. This is Pastor Mike reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.

This is Pastor Mike reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.