Jesus Christ Our Salvation
Introduction
My Mom once won a horse in a raffle.
It was a little Shetland Pony.
There was only one problem.
She was afraid of the horse, and the horse knew it.
Because she was afraid of it, the horse hated her.
Eventually, it ran away and mom was actually relieved.
I don’t even know if they looked very hard for it.
Now, let me tell you another story.
When I was probably 5 or 6 my family got a little Cocker Spaniel.
Her name was Daisy.
Daisy had been abused by a little boy.
He would run into her with his electric tractor, scoop her up, and drop her in the pool.
This made Daisy very skittish around kids.
Especially if they held onto her and got in her face.
I was little. I love dogs. I got in her face.
She nipped at me.
I kept at it.
It took me a year or more, but I won her over through feeding her and petting her and playing with her.
These two scenarios demonstrate the difference between our natural human response and a response of love.
When someone or something hates us, our natural reaction is to reject that relationship and be relieved when it ends.
However, if we love the person, we will keep working and striving until the relationship we want to have is achieved.
Romans 5 described us as without strength, ungodly, sinners, and enemies.
Yet it is in that state Christ died for us, justified us, delivered us from wrath, reconciled us to God, and saved us by His life!
This morning it is my desire that we understand something about our sin.
Our sin is offensive to God.
Because our sin is offensive to a righteous and holy God, it must be punished.
Jesus suffered unimaginable pain to pay the penalty for sin.
Once the penalty is paid God is freed to woo us, pursue us, and lovingly draw us to Himself!
Like I did with our dog.
We are going to examine some of what Jesus endured this morning.
As we look at what Christ suffered for us, my desire is that we would ask ourselves a question.
What does God want to accomplish through this life He has purchased?
When He has His way in us, our lives put Christ on display.
The first thing Jesus endured was…
1. The Scourging
All the gospel writers but Luke record this.
Interestingly enough, what Luke records is how Pilate wanted to give Jesus a lighter whipping (chastise) and release him. We find that in Luke 23:16.
However, what we know from the other gospel writers is that Jesus was scourged as prophesied by Isaiah. Isaiah 53:4-6.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Isaiah 53:4–6 NKJV
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin they spit on Him and slapped Him.
Once He was released to be crucified, the scourging came first. Look at Mark 15:6-15.
Mark 15:6-15
Mark 15:6–15 NKJV
6 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.
8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.
9 But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.
12 Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
13 So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”
14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
A scourge was “a heavy whipping or flogging that could lead to death.”
Here is a diagram of how the scourging was done. 2 Roman soldiers (SLIDE).
39 lashes was a Jewish custom, not Roman. Romans had no limit. Jesus was whipped by Roman soldiers.
Eusabious of Ceasare was a 3rd century historian and he said that those scourged in this way had
their bodies frightfully lacerated. Christian martyrs in Smyrna were so torn by the scourges that their veins were laid bare, and the inner muscles, sinews, even entrails, were exposed.
If not careful Roman soldier could disembowel or sever arteries bringing premature death.
When we sift through the historical information this is what we are left with.
The whips had bone, glass, and nails at the tip embedded in lead.
The whips had anywhere from 3-12 straps.
The Roman Empire was a world power for around 600 years so there was quite a bit of variation.
This is a recreation of the whip used on Jesus might have looked like (SLIDE).
The whip has to be able to do kind of damage history tells us was done!
This whip has a circular, horizontal strap connecting the vertical straps.
If not in place the whip would destroy itself after only a few lashes.
Fresh blood is slick, no Roman soldier would have a whip that he has to stop and untangle after every swing.
The Romans were professional killers!
They used the most effective, cruel, and painful torture known to man!
I am going to demonstrate the whip on this box and as I do I want all of us to think about what Jesus suffered for us.
Whip the Box!
This was the price of your freedom!
Jesus paid the price for your sin and mine!
By His stripes we are healed!
Why would someone endure this?
Why would He suffer this cruelty and pain?
It wasn’t because of our worth!
It wasn’t because we are good people! 1 John 4:9-10 says this.
1 John 4:9-10
1 John 4:9–10 NKJV
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We didn’t love Him!
Yet He allowed Himself to suffer this for our sake.
Jesus could have called 12 legions of angels!
He loved you and me and that is what kept Him there!
We live in a society that has no idea what love is!
Love is not an emotion or an event.
Love is volitional.
Love is a choice we make and we demonstrate love through actions and words.
True love was tied to a Cross!
The greatest act of love ever took place 2K years ago on a battered wooden cross where an infamous carpenter was put to death because the religious leaders were jealous of His popularity.
As we read of this carpenter in the historical accounts of His life, we come to realize that Jesus was more than a man.
The Bible reveals that Jesus is God in the flesh!
God Himself came to earth to pay the penalty for sin.
That is love!
Sing with me
“How Deep The Father’s Love For Us”.
2. The Crown
Look with me at John 19:1-7.
John 19:1-7
John 19:1–7 NKJV
1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.
2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.
3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.
4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
We all need to understand something.
We have no idea what Jesus’ crown of thorns looked like.
This one was imported from Israel (SLIDE).
It might be similar to what they forced on Jesus’ head.
3 layers to the crown with the bottom being wider and the top, narrower.
It has thorns of varying length; the longest is over 3 ½ inches, the shortest is less than a ½ in.
A man wore one of these crowns for only ½ hour before blood matted his hair and trickled down his face.
They didn’t just set the crown on His head. They smashed it down. Look at Mark 15:16-20.
Mark 15:16-20
Mark 15:16–20 NKJV
16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.
17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,
18 and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19 Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.
20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.
One of my pet peeves is the artistic renderings of Jesus on the Cross.
I loathe the picture of wimpy Jesus, 2 thin streams of blood running down His forehead.
Jesus was a carpenter, so He would have been muscled. He was also intimidating enough to chase money changers out of the temple.
Anyone who has had a head injury knows that two thin streams of blood is ridiculous.
With this abusive treatment Jesus’ head would be pouring blood.
Scripture indicates Pilate was more convinced of Jesus' innocence after Jesus was scourged.
Why? Jesus didn’t change His story even after torture.
They put purple robe on Him while they mocked. This was after the scourging.
Then, they ripped it off. The cloth would have begun to stick to the lacerated flesh of His back.
Ripping off the robe would reopen the wounds.
A man named William MacDonald said the following
If they had only known! It was God the Son they clothed with purple. It was their own Creator they crowned with thorns. It was the Sustainer of the universe they mocked as King of the Jews. It was the Lord of life and glory they smote on the head. They spat upon the Prince of Peace. They mockingly bowed their knees to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Tortured, broken, beaten, Isaiah says His beard was torn out.
This is not the image of Jesus on the Cross we so often see today.
This reminds us just how awful sin is, and the horrible price that had to be paid.
The King of kings was crowned with thorns.
Red blood ran down His face and matted His hair.
Yet this blood was poured out for my sin, for yours.
The list of our offenses was blotted out as this river of red poured from the veins of the Savior.
Because of His agony, His payment, His suffering, I am free!
Sing with me
# 175 “Hallelujah, What A Savior!” Vv. 1-3.
SCREEN
3. The Crucifixion
No wonder Jesus couldn’t carry His Cross.
Blood loss alone sometimes killed victims before crucifixion.
Go to Matthew 27:32-44.
Matthew 27:32-44
Matthew 27:32–44 NKJV
32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,
34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”
36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS
38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads
40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,
42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
Gall and vinegar was an ancient painkiller that Jesus refused.
Jesus went through all this for sake of sinners, of enemies.
The Gospels state all of this as simple fact.
Most in that day were familiar with crucifixion.
Paintings of the crucifixion often have Jesus on a 13 ft Cross.
Romans used 7-9 ft crosses. Much like this one here.
When Jesus was on the Cross He wouldn’t have been very high off the ground.
They gambled for His clothing right under His feet!
These Crosses were not heavy, but after the beatings, whipping, and everything else, Jesus couldn’t carry it.
When He arrived at the top of the hill, they laid Jesus on the Cross, and pounded nails into His hands and feet.
They have found remains of crucified a man, and so we know method fairly well.
Nails (SLIDE). This extra ridge was so the nail could be easily pulled out.
Here is a heel bone that was found with the nail still in it (SLIDE).
The Romans even had the placement down to result in maximum pain.
The nail driven into the foot severed 3 nerves.
The nail driven into the wrist pierced nerve and tendon causing the hand to stay flexed.
All bones and arteries were avoided to allow the victim to be conscious and alive as long as possible.
The nails placed while the Cross was on the ground.
When they stood the Cross up, they dropped it into a hole, and the full weight of the person hit the nails.
NAIL THE BEAM!
What kind of language do you think they normally heard from the cross?
Jesus says Father forgive them!
Allowed to suffer, unable to breathe, it could take days to die.
To speed up the process, the legs were broken below the knee.
Jesus was only on the Cross 6 hours before death. This is what John 10:17-18 reveals.
John 10:17-18
John 10:17–18 NKJV
17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus willingly laid down His life for you and me.
Again, He could have called 12 legions of angels, but He chose to suffer and die.
Isaiah wrote that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity.
By His stripes, we are healed.
Sing with me the last two verses of
# 175 “Hallelujah, What A Savior!” Vv. 4-5
SCREEN
4. The Spear
John is the only gospel writer who records a medically significant fact, Jesus was pierced with a spear.
Go with me to John 19:30-37.
John 19:30-37
John 19:30–37 NKJV
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
After doing some research I discovered that the spear usually picture isn’t the kind used on Jesus.
The one normally pictured was for throwing.
The one they would have used looks something like this (SLIDE).
The stress that John places on this event has lead to much discussion on the blood and water that flowed out.
From a medical perspective it seems most likely that Jesus’ heart ruptured which is what caused His death.
This “was followed by an effusion of blood into the pericardium (the area around the heart). This blood, separated into its thicker and more liquid parts, flowed forth when the pericardium was pierced by the spear.”
This unexpected result proved beyond a doubt that Jesus was dead.
There was some belief in John’s day that Jesus hadn’t died or that it wasn’t a real human body, or various other beliefs.
John makes this assertion to prove that Christ had a real physical body that really died for sin.
This was not a poke but a jab.
After death the hole was still present. When Thomas saw Jesus after the resurrection; Jesus said “put your hand in my side”.
As John points out here, Scripture prophesies that they will look on Him who they have pierced.
Jesus endured all this to redeem lost, broken, sinners like you and me.
That is love.
Sing with me
“Blessed Redeemer”
Have you heard of the sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”?
This famous sermon was preached by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741.
It has been studied and discussed over the years.
It has been championed by many. But, it may surprise you to hear, it has also been hated.
There are people who don’t want to believe that God is angered by our sin.
They don’t want to believe in the wrath of God.
This attitude demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of sin.
Our sin is repulsive to God!
It is repugnant!
It is a filthy stench in His nostrils!
My sin is so offensive to God that He did the unthinkable to be rid of it!
He sacrificed His one and only Son to pay the penalty for my sin!
That is how offensive my sin is!
My sin is so vile that the only perfect being to ever walk this earth had the flesh of his back shredded for it!
My sin is so rotten that a crown of thorns was driven into a head that never held a cruel or wicked thought!
My sin is so corrupt that hands that had only brought healing and comfort were mutilated by iron nails as they were pounded through the wrists into a rough wooden cross!
Because of my sin, feet that walked to bring peace to the nations were punctured with a cruel iron nail.
My sin is so despicable that the side of God in the flesh was pierced for it.
The enormity of the sacrifice brilliantly illuminates the insidious degradation of my wicked heart!
SIN IS OFFENSIVE TO GOD!
It is the opposite of Him in every way.
And because sin is offensive to God He sent His one and only Son to pay the penalty for it!
My sin does not bring dishonor to Christ only if it is found out.
My sin dishonors Christ by its very existence.
This is why we fight sin.
This is why we develop a hatred of sin!
Sin took Christ to the Cross! On that Cross Christ shed His blood and paid the penalty for sin.
That is what we celebrate at communion.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11:23-32. This is a time for believers to remember the price that was paid. To be reminded of the penalty of sin. Taking part of communion does not save you. This is simply a way for us to be reminded of what Christ has done. If you know the Lord as savior this morning, please join us in bread and juice as we remember Jesus Christ. These are only symbols, they represent the body and blood of our Savior. Examination – verses 26-32
1 Corinthians 11:26–32 NKJV
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
OBSERVANCE OF COMMUNION
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
The Bread (His Body) vv. 23-24 #364 “My Jesus I Love Thee” (Verse 1)
1 Corinthians 11:23–24 NKJV
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
The Cup (His Blood) v. 25 #364 “My Jesus I Love Thee” (Verse 2)
1 Corinthians 11:25 NKJV
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Conclusion
Why have we looked at all of this?
Why does it matter?
Look at Ephesians 2:8-10.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We have been created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works.
We have been redeemed for a purpose!
We are to bring others to Christ, we are to live for Christ, all to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Christ gave His life for those who were His enemies!
Sinners opposed to Him, without strength, without hope, without any merit of our own!
Yet in His incredible love, mercy, and grace Christ died to justify us and reconcile us to Himself!
All this was willingly endured by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Why? John 3:16.
John 3:16
John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
If you have never believed, do it now.
Trust in His death burial and resurrection.
If you have trusted in Him, What does God want to accomplish through this life He has purchased?
He purchased you, bought you with His blood, and wants to conform you to His image!
What is he asking you to give up, to let go of?
He is making you like Christ!
Let it go!
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ cost too much for us to take the Christian life lightly.
This week may we give Him our lives!
May we hold nothing back and endure any trial in service to the one who died for us.
PRAY
#453 “I Gave My Life For Thee”