presence this morning. Father, how we pray that you give us the spirit of humility, that you give us a spirit of true worship, and that you would enable us to bow at your feet, and that you would enable us to hear the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, exalted and magnified. In everything that's said and done here today, in the prayers, in the reading of the scripture and father, especially in the preaching of your word that you would enable the name of your son to be exalted. And father, while he is exalted, how I beg of thee that you would give us faith to hear and to see the Lord Jesus Christ and to believe him to fall more and more and more in love with him. Let us be completely taken up with Christ and Christ alone.

And Father, I thank you for a place that we can meet together in harmony and peace and worship together. And Father, I pray that you would continue to bless your word as it's preached from this place, here and as it goes out over the internet and different places, that Father, you'd bless it for your glory and for the good of your people. that you'd use it to call out your sheep, edify and comfort and instruct your people.

Father, we dare not forget to pray for those who are in times of great difficulty. It seems that now there are many those who we know about those who are suffering silently. Father, we pray you'd be with them, that you'd comfort their hearts with your presence and that you would deliver as soon as it could be thy will, that you would use these things to teach us the lesson that you'd have us learn and to teach us to trust you more and more and more.

Now, Father, all these things we ask in that name which is above every name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's for his sake and his glory we pray. Amen.

Now, I've titled our lesson this morning, Himself He Cannot Save. I took my title from the end of verse 31, where the scribe's mocking said, he saved others, himself he cannot save. I thought as I was studying this this week that today and in the past several weeks, we have been on high holy ground. Anytime we open the scriptures, we're on high holy ground, aren't we? The scriptures are the word of God. You can't put one scripture above another. But these scriptures, this is the subject of the whole Bible. The crucifixion, Christ and him crucified, how he suffered and died for the sins of his people.

And like every believer, I'm sure you're like me, I hate to think about the suffering of Christ our Savior. And I don't ever want to talk about it in a sense, or to give somebody the sense, oh, we ought to feel sorry for Jesus as he's suffering these things. Don't wanna give that impression, but I hate to think about my sin causing him so much suffering and agony. But the flip side of that is this, I love to hear about what he accomplished in his death for his people.

And you know, sometimes the Lord uses wicked men to tell the truth, to give us some nugget of truth and blessing in pointing us to Christ, they don't mean to do it, but the Lord uses them in spite of themselves. Balaam's a good example, isn't he? He blessed Israel in spite of himself. I can only say what the Lord's given me to say. He blessed Israel, and he was trying to curse them. He was trying to, you know, the king was gonna give him money to curse Israel, and instead he blessed them.

Caiaphas is a wicked, wicked man, in on condemning our savior to death. But listen to what he said one day to his cronies, the Pharisees and scribes. He said, it's expedient that one man should die for the people that the whole nation perish not. What a glorious message in that one sentence of substitution. Substitution and satisfaction. And in our text this morning, The Lord uses wicked men to declare some great truths about what Christ accomplished when he was crucified for the sin of his people.

The first one is this, the successful Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ will rise again the third day. Let's look beginning at verse 29, Mark chapter 15. And they that pass by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, ah, now that destroys the temple and built us didn't three days. Save thyself and come down from the cross.

Now, they're quoting something that the Lord said in the very beginning of his earthly ministry. He told them, you destroy this temple in three days, I'll raise it up. And that was the sign. They had asked for a sign. He said, this is the sign that I'm the son of God who has all authority everywhere. You destroy this temple in three days, I'll raise it up.

Well, they thought he was talking about Solomon's temple or Herod's temple, but we know he was talking about the temple of his body. And these wicked men, three and a half years later, are going to put this man to death. A man that they knew had never sinned, or at least that they couldn't convict him of one. You know, they had to get people to lie and so forth and perjure themselves in order to put him to death. But they knew they couldn't convict him of any sin, and they still put him to death anyway. And they did it in the name of religion.

And three days later, sure enough, he rose again, just exactly like he prophesied that he would. He rose again three days later because his death justified everyone for whom he died. He didn't die for any sin of his own. He died for the sin of his people. And in his death, he justified all of his people. That's the only reason he could rise again from the dead.

Look at Romans chapter four. This is something we read in quote often, but it's probably something that we ought to read even more often. His comfort for our hearts in trusting Christ. Romans 4, verse 25. He was delivered for our offenses. He suffered and died for our offenses, for our sins, and he was raised again for our justification. He was raised again as proof all of the sin of all of his people was gone, put away by his precious blood, that his death satisfied God's justice And he's raised from the dead.

The only reason he would die is for sin. Well, if all sin's gone, he cannot stay dead. He must rise again. But if he's going to rise again, he can't come down from the cross, can he? He's first got to suffer and die so that justice is satisfied and sin is put away. And that's exactly what he did. And three days later, he arose from the dead to give you and me proof positive. He put the sin of his people away in his substitutionary death for us.

Second, Christ could not save himself and come down from the cross because he came to save his people. That's the whole reason he came. That's the reason he came to this earth incarnate. That's the reason he went to the cross. He came to save his people from their sins. Verse 31 says, likewise also the chief priest, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, he saved others, himself he cannot save. Now they didn't know it, but truer words had never been spoken. And there's several reasons that Christ cannot save himself. He can't save himself if he's going to save others, because the very character of God demands it. All of the attributes of God's character demand that Christ die to put away the sin of his people. God's justice demands that Christ die. God's justice demands that Christ not come down from the cross because the one and only way God's justice can be satisfied against our sin is the death of Christ, the sinless sacrifice. If God would send you and me to hell, you know why we'd be there for eternity? Because our suffering could never pay for sin. And sin must be paid for. Our suffering could never satisfy God's justice, but the death of Christ could. Because he's the holy, sinless sacrifice.

God is holy. And this is the thing that all false religion does not get. God's holy. He must punish every sin. And he will punish every sin. And the only way justice could be satisfied, the only way God's holiness could be satisfied is if Christ died. If sinners are gonna be saved, somebody's got to die in our place as our substitute. Either we've got to die or a substitute's got to die, but somebody's got to die for our sin. And Christ, our substitute, suffered everything all of our sin deserves.

What do you say about that? I mean, how can you describe everything that our sin deserves? Our sins are more than the hairs on our head. I mean, we just don't even know most of our sin. And each one of those sins demands eternity in hell on our part. And Christ suffered everything. He didn't just suffer for a while and die, and God said, well, we'll call it square, even though it's not. He suffered till the debt was paid for every sin of all of his people, and only then did he give up the ghost. In a mystery the human mind will never understand, in about three hours on the cross, Christ suffered hell for all of his people. so that they will never be condemned to go there. And then he died, because that's what the law demands.

Here's something else false religion never gets. I've never heard a false religion have a true take on this subject. Do you know God never forgives sin? Not in the sense that he says, well, it's just okay, I'll forget about it. He never forgives sin. Every sin must be punished. And the only reason God will not punish you and me, so this is the sense in which he forgives our sin, the only reason God will not punish you and me for our sin is if he punished Christ our substitute for our sin. God does not condemn us, but our sin was still punished, wasn't it? Had to be punished fully in the person of our substitute. That's why he could not come down from the cross.

And here's good news for every believer. If Christ suffered and died for your sins, God will never punish you for your sins too. Never. There's no reason to ever fear facing God in judgment. There's no reason to think when we suffer trial, God's punished me for this sin. He's not. He already punished our Savior for our sin. Now he can correct us, and he will, and he can teach us, and he will, but he'll never punish his people for their sin, because he already punished Christ our substitute for our sin. That's why Christ couldn't come down from the cross, because if he came down from the cross, and you and I would be punished for our sins, it would require eternity in hell. Then Christ could not come down from the cross, because he loves his people. Christ has eternally loved his people. We call it a time, a day, but it's something without beginning and without ending, but for our understanding, we refer to God's election of a people as the father chose a people to save and he gave them to his son. He gave them to his son to save. And you know why the son agreed to save those people? Because he loved them. He loved those sinful, fallen, depraved creatures. He loved them.

People talk about the love of God, don't they? People who don't know anything about the love of God, they talk about the love of God, you know, the smile God loves you. You know, you can't say that to everybody. Sure couldn't say it to Esau, could you? How do we know that Christ loves his people? He doesn't love every son of Adam. How do we know Christ loves his people? Let me show you 1 John chapter 4. 1 John 4 verse 9. And this was manifested, the love of God toward us. Here's how God showed his love toward his people, because God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love. If you wanna see what love is, John says, here it is. It's not that we love God, but that he loved us. And here's the proof of it. He sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The father sent his son to be the sacrifice that would cover the sins of his people. And put those sins away so that those people are now fit to come into the presence of the Father. He loved his people so much, he willingly suffered untold agony, not just of body, but of soul. What he made his soul an offering for sin. And he did that because he loves his people.

Now here's the thing I don't think any believer could ever get over. God loves me? Me? I mean, I can see God loving y'all, but me? Yes. And here's the evidence of it. He sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. But in order to be the propitiation for our sins, I go back to what I said a minute ago. Yes, Christ loves his people, but justice still must be satisfied for those people that he loves. The cup of God's wrath must be fully poured out. That cup must be drank dry. The awful dregs, the worse of the bottom of the gunk that gathers at the bottom of it, it all must be drank. Our Savior said there's a cup that I must drink, and you can't drink of it. It's the cup of God's wrath, and he drank it dry. So that if he died for you, you'll never drink even a drop of it. Not even a drop, not even a taste. And he did it because he loves his people.

Now that's a love that passes all understanding in it. Who can possibly, with the human mind, grasp that love? You can't do it. It's a love that passes all understanding, but it's a love that every believer has experienced. We've experienced it. And here's a blessed thought. Christ did not come down from the cross because he loves his people. And if Christ loves you, he'll never allow you to perish because he paid the price for you, because he loves you.

Then I like this one. Christ cannot come down from the cross because he will be gracious to whom he will be gracious. Christ cannot come down from the cross. He cannot save himself because mercy must be shown. Just as surely as God must satisfy his justice, God must satisfy his mercy and grace, too. He must. Now, grace is God giving a sinner what we do not deserve. Can you think of anything that you've ever received from God saying that you deserve? Not one. God's so gracious to us, isn't he? And mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Oh, I'm so thankful God has not given me what I deserve. Oh, I love God's mercy.

But now remember, God's holy. God's just. The only way God could be merciful to sinners like you and me and not give us what we deserve is if he gives Christ our substitute everything that we deserve. Christ did not come down from the cross to enable God to be merciful to sinners and do it in justice so that it's right for him to do it.

And I'll show you a perfect example of that. Look at verse 32. They said, let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. We read in other places, that those two thieves that were crucified on either side of him cast the same in his teeth. And you know what they wanted. They said, well, you come down from the cross and bring us down too. That's the way that whole deal started with those two thieves.

Now we know the rest of the story, don't we? As Paul Harvey would say, we know how God dealt with one of those thieves. God revealed, God, the Holy Spirit revealed something to one of those thieves so that he said, Lord, Would you remember me when you come into your kingdom? And the Savior said, today, Shawn, in just a few hours, you shall be with me in paradise.

Now this man is so vile, he's so guilty, he's guilty of such awful crimes against humanity that they even You know, these hardened Roman soldiers and people of the society said, this man's got to be put to death. I mean, he's just robbing people and killing people and, you know, he's trying to overthrow the government. We got to put him to death. How could the holy God tell him, today you'll be with me in paradise? He didn't say, well, you're going to hell because that's what you deserve. No, I'm going to give you what you don't deserve. I'll be gracious to him. I will be gracious. He didn't say it to both thieves, did he? Just one of them. Because at that very moment, Christ was suffering hell for that thief to enable God to be merciful to him and bring him to glory.

This man, he was never baptized. He was never witnessed. Witnessed to folks, he never gave a tithe. He never witnessed to people except when he was talking to the Lord, saying, Lord, would you remember me when you come into your kingdom? That said a whole lot if anybody was listening, but as far as You know, going out and trying to witness to somebody, read the scriptures to somebody. He never did any of that. And when he closed his eyes in death, he appeared in glory the exact same way the Apostle Paul did. Who did more for the early church than anybody. Because salvation is by grace. God's merciful to sinners because Christ suffered hell for them so they don't have to. That's why he didn't come down from the cross, to enable God to be both just and justifier of the ungodly.

Then here's another reason Christ couldn't come down from the cross. Righteousness can come no other way except through the death of Christ. Look at Galatians chapter two. Galatians, the second chapter, verse 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. If righteousness can come by you and me keeping the law on our own and make ourselves good enough that God would accept us, then there is no need for God to crucify his son. There was no reason that Christ would go to all this extent of horrible suffering if we didn't need him. Righteousness is being without sin. It's obeying the law perfectly. Can you think of anything more vain, more useless than you and me trying to keep the law? I mean, we didn't even keep, I bet you there's not a person in this room that even obeyed the speed limit on the way here this morning. How can we obey God's law?

No, the death of Christ was not in vain. It was the only way God's people could be made righteous. God doesn't do anything in vain. Everything God purposes, He always accomplishes His purpose. And God's purpose in all things is that His Son will be glorified in the salvation of His people. That's why Christ could not come down from the cross. It's because it's the only way His people could be made righteous. And the only way the Father can accept them is if they're righteous.

I said this last week and it bears repeating. The most insulting thing that anybody could say about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he died for all men, to give all men a chance to be saved. And even though Christ died for you, you could go to hell because you didn't accept him, because you didn't do enough. That's saying Christ is dead in vain. Most insulting thing that you can say about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now here's comfort for everyone that believes Christ. If Christ died for you, you're righteous. Now you can't see any righteous thing you've ever done. You can't see any holiness in yourself, but he made you righteous in his death as your substitute. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He didn't come down from the cross because he was determined to make you righteous. He saved others because he did not save himself.

And here's the third thing. Christ did not come down from the cross to show us this. Salvation has to be by faith. It cannot be by sight. Verse 32 in our text, Mark 15. They said, let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross that we may see and believe.

Look at John chapter 12, I think here's a verse that's real good commentary on this, what they're saying there. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross that we may see and believe. John 12 verse 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. Now that word men is in italics, it's been added by the translators He's not gonna draw all men, all sons of Adam to him when he's lifted up and crucified, is he? He's gonna draw all unto him. All that the Father gave him to save, all those. That's who's gonna be drawn to him when they see by faith Christ crucified.

This he said signifying what death that he should die. He said this not just telling the manner in which he would die, being crucified, being lifted up on a tree, But he said what he would accomplish in his death on the tree, that when Christ and him crucified is preached, it's gonna draw all unto him. It's gonna give faith to all of God's elect, and they're all gonna be drawn to Christ.

Of all the glorious attributes of our Savior, and all the glorious things that he did, the miracles and the preaching that we have recorded in scripture that he did, It's all glorious, it's all wonderful, it all just reaches our hearts. But what is the thing that breaks your heart the most, that warms your heart the most, that thrills your heart the most about Christ our Savior? Is that he was lifted up on a tree, he was made a curse for you. That he was lifted up on a tree bearing your sin and putting your sin away so that you would be drawn to him by faith. That's the thing that thrills our heart the most. And when the Lord said that with I be lifted up from the earth will draw all unto me, he wasn't talking about physical sight, was he? I mean, I'm assuming that there were many people who saw the Lord lifted up on a tree. Maybe they were passing by leaving Israel. Maybe they're just a passerby. They didn't really know anything was going on, but they saw him lifted up.

The chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, they saw him lifted up. And there's no record in scripture that any of them later on ever believed. Now maybe they did. I mean, I don't know. Maybe some of them did, because we know what the Lord prayed. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Whoever he prayed for, they're forgiven, weren't they? Whoever he prayed for eventually were drawn to Christ. But I'm assuming that there were many who physically saw him lifted up who never believed on Christ, who were never drawn to him.

Seeing him in that bloody agony was so offensive. Seeing all the important people wagging their heads and turning thumbs down on him, reviling him, that didn't draw them to Christ. They didn't want to be drawn to him and then be treated the same way. But seeing Christ by faith, if God the Holy Spirit ever gives us faith to see Christ crucified for me, that he was crucified for my sin, that he suffered and died for my sin. Oh, that's gonna draw me to Christ. I'm gonna come running, aren't you? If he suffered and died, was crucified for my sin, for my offenses, and when he had the opportunity to come down from the cross and didn't do it, but he stayed there so he could save me, so he could make me righteous because he loved me, oh, I'm coming to him. I'm coming to him.

And you know, the Lord Jesus had the power to come down from the cross, didn't he? He could have come down from the cross. He could have called 12 legions of angels and put a stop to this old thing. He could have come down from the cross. And if he did, let's just suppose for sake of argument, that he did come down from the cross, just somehow miraculously just came down from the cross. You know, the nails didn't fall out. He just came down from the cross and the nails are still in the tree, but he came down from the cross anyway. And there he stood. Maybe he floated in the air, you know, down from the cross. Maybe those chief priests and Pharisees, they might have believed, yeah, he's the son of God. They might would have believed it. I doubt it, but they found some other excuse, but maybe they would have.

But you know what they wouldn't have? A savior to trust in. They wouldn't have a sacrifice to trust in. Christ did not come down from the cross. in order to save his people from their sin. If he had come down from the cross, and those men believed he's the son of God, he still would have damned them, because they didn't have a savior to believe in, and he'd have had to damn you and me too. He didn't come down from the cross because this is the only way that his people could be saved, and he was determined to do it.

You see, no one sees and believes, do they? You know, we don't give somebody physical proofs, scientific proofs that Jesus lived and he died. I see articles all the time, oh, they found this archaeological dig, they found this city from, you know, some story in the Old Testament, and that proves the story's true. I don't care. I just need to read it here to know it's true. Nobody sees and believes. What does the scripture say? We hear and believe. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. How shall they believe in him of whom they've not heard? Not whom they've seen, not whom they've been convinced, but whom they've heard. How is it the believer walks? Not by sight, by faith.

And here's what we hear in the gospel, that salvation is by faith. It's not by sight, it's by God-given faith in Christ alone.

One last scripture, Galatians chapter three. Galatians chapter three. Verse 21. It's a law then against the promises of God, God forbid. For if there had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteousness should have come by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin. All of us are under sin, completely lost and undone by sin, that the promise, the promise of God's grace, the promise of salvation in Christ by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

And Paul said this exactly right. That the promise, he didn't say that by the promise, by faith in Jesus Christ, it's by the faith of Christ. By the faithfulness of Christ to do everything that it took to save our sorry souls. That's why he didn't come down from the cross.

And since salvation is completed by the faith of Christ, we lay hold on it when God gives us faith in Christ. And it's not because we saw him, it's because we heard him. And that's why Christ didn't come down from the cross.

And I hope that'll be a blessing to you.