Well, good morning. It's great
to see you all here today to hear the gospel. Today, we're
going to be reading through scripture from John chapter 19 verses 17
and 18. And the title of the message
that I'm going to deliver is Christ at the cross. Many religious
groups throughout the world will be gathered today to hear various
messages. I use the term religious groups
instead of churches because most so-called churches are not the
true Church of Christ. Some out there will be getting
pep talks. Some will get motivational speeches. But what the majority
out there will not talk about is this. What did Christ accomplish
at the cross? They will honor and glorify him
and his work. They won't talk about his death,
and they won't talk about what his death actually accomplished. Why did he rise from the grave?
What made all of that possible? And what does it actually mean
to those resting in him alone? So today I'm going to deliver
a message that deals with these questions. The message will contain
the reasons that salvation and satisfaction are both possible.
Read with me beginning in John 19, starting in verse 17. And he, bearing his cross, went
forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called
in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him and two other
with him on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. Our Lord
Jesus Christ was in the garden with his disciples praying when
a band of men and officers led by Judas came and arrested him. They had been sent to arrest
him by the high priest. They took him to Ananias first,
who was the father-in-law of the high priest. There he was
questioned, mocked, and ridiculed. Ananias sent him bound to Caiaphas,
the high priest. From there, our Lord Jesus Christ
was taken to Pilate and the judgment hall. Pilate turned him over
to the soldiers. There he was beaten, he was spit
on, and he was mocked by the soldiers. They put a crown of
thorns on his head, a reed in his hand and mocked him as the
king of the Jews. Then they brought him back to
Pilate. Pilate was willing to release him. It reads in John
19 verse six, Pilate saith unto them, take ye him and crucify
him for I find no fault in him. The Jews responded to Pilate
with two things. The first thing they said, was
in John 19, 7. They said, we have a law, and
by our law, he ought to die, because he made himself the son
of God. When they said this, Pilate was
scared. Verse 9, it says, and went again into the judgment
hall, and saith unto Jesus, whence art thou? But Jesus gave him
no answer. Then Pilate asked him in verse
10, why won't you answer me? Don't you know that I have the
power to crucify you? And I have the power to release
you. And then in verse 11, Christ said to Pilate, thou couldest
have no power at all against thee from above. Therefore, he
that handed me over unto thee hath the greater sin. Pilate
then brought him back out before the people. And it says in verse
12 that, and from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him.
But in verse 12, even though Pilate was willing to release
Christ, it says, but the Jews cried out saying, if thou let
this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself
a king speaketh against Caesar. Then in verse 13, it says, when
Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth and sat
down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement,
but in the Hebrew, Gebatha. That is, Pilate then delivered
Christ into the hands of the multitudes to be crucified. They took Jesus and led him away
to a place called Golgotha, and that's where they crucified him
between two thieves. Now, can you picture all of this
in your head? And I ask you today, and this is my question today,
what do you think of all of this? What do you think of the cross
of Jesus Christ? Of the death of Jesus Christ? What do you think about what
happened on that hill called Calvary? Now I want to ask you
if you have respect for the Bible, because most people do. I'm not
going to ask you if you believe the Bible because most people
believe much of the Bible today. I'm not going to ask if you believe
the historical events that I just described. Most people do. And
I'm not going to ask if you attend a place of worship. Some do,
some don't. Some attend regularly and some
attend every now and then. I'm not asking if you've made
a profession of faith or you've been baptized or if you're a
church member. A lot of people have been baptized
and there are a lot of people who are church members. And I'm
not asking you today if you've led a good moral life, but what
I am going to ask is one question. What do you think of the cross
of Jesus Christ? Who is this cross who died on
that cross at Calvary? Tell me something about his person
and his work and what it actually accomplished. Paul said in 1
Corinthians 1.18 basically that the world is divided on this
one question. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. It's saying right there that
the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ is nonsense to non-believers,
but to those who are saved The preaching of the cross is both
the wisdom of God and the power of God. Way back in the Old Testament,
a question is asked in Lamentations 112. Is it nothing to you, all ye
that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the
Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. The
question, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Is addressed
to the nations who had no sympathy or sorrow for the sufferings
and destruction of Jerusalem, but they gloried over and rejoiced
in Jerusalem's fall, and even judged self-righteously as men
always do. But as all scripture points to
Christ, we have to be spiritually blind not to see here a spiritual
application of the great and severe suffering of our Savior
for us to put away our sins and establish righteousness for us.
There are three things that we should marvel. No suffering and
sorrow like His. Number two, the Lord God afflicted
him in fierce anger. Number three, all of this is
based on the sins of his people imputed to him. The question
being asked here, what is all this to you? What do you think
of the cross of Jesus Christ? And this is the most important
question you can face in your entire lifetime. The cross of
Jesus Christ is not just a simple religious tradition and ceremony.
The cross of Jesus Christ is not just a point where men may
agree or disagree. It's not just the death of another
religious martyr. According to the word of God,
the scripture, the cross of Jesus Christ and what your relationship
is with this person on this cross spells the difference between
forgiveness and condemnation. 1 John 5.12 says, He that hath
the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life. The cross of Jesus Christ spells
the difference between eternal life and eternal death. John
3.36 says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
In Hebrews 9.22, the scripture plainly says that, and almost
all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding
of blood is no remission of sin. That's the difference between
forgiveness and condemnation, his blood. It's the difference
between eternal life and eternal death. The apostle Paul was sent
to spread God's message of redemption. God used him as one of the 12
apostles. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1.17,
for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of none effect." The first part of that is not discounting the
importance of baptism. He's just saying that God did
not send him to organize people into religion. God sent him on
a mission. The second part of that scripture
describes that mission. not with wisdom of words, lest
the cross of Christ be made of none effect. Paul is saying here
that in no way is the cross of Christ to be set aside as an
afterthought or as a part of our message. It is to be our
only message. He said in 1 Corinthians 2, 2,
for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus
Christ and him crucified. And in Galatians 6, 14, listen
to Paul again. He says, but God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. What
could Paul have gloried in? He could have gloried in his
ancestry. Paul was a Jew. A Hebrew of Hebrews
from the tribe of Benjamin. He could have boasted and gloried
in his education. He was a highly educated man.
He could have gloried in his position. He was an apostle.
But no, he said, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we talk about the cross
of Christ, what does that mean? Sometimes in the Bible the word
cross means the tree that Christ was crucified on First of all
in Philippians 2 8 it says and being found in fashion as a man
He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the
death of the cross This is talking about the type of death the humiliating
death of Christ on a tree and That's the cross referred to
in that scripture. Secondly, sometimes the word
cross means trials and afflictions of believers. The scripture says
in Matthew 16, 23, if any man will come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me. Now that scripture
right there is not talking about we need to take a wooden cross
and drag it around the streets. We're not told to do that. That's
not what I'm talking about here. The word cross here is talking
about trials, burdens, and afflictions. And today when I speak about
the cross of Christ, I'm talking about the atonement made by Christ
when he suffered on that tree. I'm talking about the sacrifice
and the sin offering that he accomplished on that tree. I'm
talking about the perfect, redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He took the place of, died in place of, bore the sins of, and
suffered for believers. That's what I'm talking about. Listen to the next few scriptures
that I have. In Ephesians 1, 7 it says, in
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of his grace. In Ephesians 2.16
it says, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. And Colossians 1.20
says, and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him
to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven. In Isaiah 53, 4, it
says, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised
for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. And with his stripes, we are
healed. And we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. When we talk about the cross
of Christ, we're talking about the atoning work, the sacrificial
work, the satisfying work, and the substituting work of Christ. I'm talking about the sufficient
work, the redeeming work, and the effectual work of Jesus Christ
that he accomplished on that cross when he died for those
who believe. That's what I'm talking about.
What I'm about to say is very important, so please listen carefully. Beware of any religion out there,
no matter how beautiful it looks or how sweet it sounds. Beware
of any religion if the central theme of that religion is not
Christ and Him crucified. People can read the Bible, approve
of the law, and do good works. They can talk about peace and
love, But I'm telling you this, redemption is only through the
Son of Jesus Christ. Redemption is only by the blood
of the Son of God. 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19 says, for
as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot. Now
that right there is about as clear as it gets. We are not
redeemed by things, things we do, things we have, or things
we give. We are redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ, nothing else. But let me give another warning.
It's when you're trying to mix works of the law with the blood
of Christ. It cannot be done. Salvation
is by what He did and not by what you do. It is by His blood
and not by your works. It says in scripture, by the
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. If Christ crucified
is not the central theme, then stay away. Another caution, beware
of any hope, no matter how sweet it is, however precious it is
to you. Beware of any experience or any
hope of acceptance with God, or for that matter, any relationship
with God apart from the person and finished work of Jesus Christ
on the cross. Only the true gospel has a crucified,
risen, exalted, and ascended Redeemer. In every other religion,
You're your own Savior. You're your own Redeemer. In
every other religion, Christ can't save you unless you do
something to seal the deal. Your faith, your repentance,
your praying, it goes on and on. Christ is a substitute. He is the Savior. Without Christ
crucified, the church is a car with no engine. Without Christ
crucified, The church is a lighthouse with no light. Christ told his
disciples in Matthew 16, 15, go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature. The gospel is concerning his
son. Without Christ crucified, you'll call on a God who will
not hear. God will only work through one
mediator. Jesus Christ Jesus by his death
paid the entire sin debt Let me repeat that Christ bought
the entire sin debt Not part of it the entire debt owed by
those he represented Christ is the only high priest and by his
death he secured that sacrifice and that sin offering and Without
the perfect lamb, Christ, there is no coming to God. It says
in Galatians 3.10, for as many as are of the works of the law
are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone that
continue with, not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them. Without Christ crucified, you
come to a judgment with no plea. And if you don't have a plea
at judgment, there's no hope. Hebrews 9.27 says that, and as
it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. And here's some words from the
Apostle Paul in Galatians 6.14. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. In closing, I want to leave you
with a few thoughts. First of all, we see the eternal
purpose of God fulfilled in the death of Christ. God says this
in Revelation 13, eight about his lamb, and all that dwell
upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written
in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Secondly, we see in Christ crucified
all of the Old Testament promises, all of the Old Testament prophecies,
and all of the Old Testament types and pictures completely
fulfilled in Christ. The blood of bulls and goats
could never take away sin. Our best efforts cannot take
away sin. Only Christ's blood can take
away sin. It plainly says in 1 Corinthians
5-7, for even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. It also
says in 1 Corinthians 10-4, and did all drink the same spiritual
drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them, and that rock was Christ. The rock that gave forth cleansing,
refreshing, thirst-quenching water was Christ. In Christ Crucified, we see God's
love for sinners. Romans 5, 8, it says, but God
commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Christ died for us ungodly sinners. God's justice and righteousness
is fulfilled in Christ. Second Corinthians 5 19 says
to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed
us the word of reconciliation through Christ and him alone.
We see the law honored and justice is satisfied. With Christ being
crucified, there is hope for all who will believe. There is
no hope without Christ doing His job. Without Christ completing
the work of redemption and satisfying God the Father, there's no hope. We have hope in Christ. John
20, 31 says, But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have
life through his name. Jew or Gentile, bond or free,
old or young, male or female, whoever you are or wherever you
are, whatever your sins are, Christ is the Savior of sinners. His death on the cross is the
only way to justify and satisfy a holy God. 1 John 5.20 says, And we know that
the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding that
we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true,
even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal
life. The cross of Christ is salvation.
It's the finishing of the work. He's the only ultimate Savior.
He's the Redeemer. Without Christ, there's no hope. There's no cure. Without Christ,
we are all terminally ill, with no place to go but to eternal
condemnation. Christ did the work. He finished
the job. He made the atonement. He made
that final payment. Amen.