1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:05,800 Indeed, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is our Messiah, and I am not 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:10,000 ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,960 to everyone who believes, to the Jew 1st and then to the Greek. 4 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:19,360 Well, let us continue to relish and enjoy and wonder at this 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,640 Gospel as we come to the Gospel of Mark chapter 15. 6 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:27,640 And we will together at this time look at verse 21 down to 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,240 verse 32. We will begin to read this 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,400 immediately and see what the Lord has in store for us. 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:45,200 Mark 15 beginning in verse 21. And they compelled the passer 10 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:50,880 by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the 11 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,280 father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 12 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,480 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which 13 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:02,840 means place of a skull. And they offered him wine mixed 14 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:04,640 with myrrh, but he did not take it. 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,160 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, 16 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,920 casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,520 And it was the third hour when they crucified him, and the 18 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,680 inscription of the charge against them read The King of 19 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,080 the Jews. And with them they crucified 2 20 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,200 robbers, 1 on his right, and one on his left. 21 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,200 And those who pass by derided him, wagging their heads and 22 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,200 saying Aha. You who would destroy the temple 23 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,400 and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from 24 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,440 the cross. So also the chief. 25 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,320 Priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying He 26 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,960 saved others, he cannot save himself. 27 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,360 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the 28 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,880 cross, that we may see and believe. 29 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,200 Those who are crucified with Him also reviled Him. 30 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:05,080 But we ask that you would help us empower this time. 31 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,880 Change us. Let everything that is meant to 32 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,160 be said be said. Let things that you desire to 33 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,960 say be communicated clearly. We asked Lord again that the 34 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,440 only voice that we would hear would be yours. 35 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,920 And we trust that you will guide us at this time and your holy, 36 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:27,640 precious, sacred, eternal word in Jesus name we pray, Amen. 37 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,800 I've entitled this message something I've entitled this 38 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,320 message the fascinating details of Jesus's crucifixion. 39 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,240 And the reason for that is because as we come to this 40 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,920 passage, you'll realize that it is layered with profound 41 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:47,560 insights. And this is not going to follow 42 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,920 typical format of a sermon with headings and points because I 43 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,480 quickly discovered that each of the verses that we touched on 44 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,840 are brimming with thought provoking and heart stirring 45 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,000 revelation. And so how we're going to 46 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,000 approach this is like how you would if you've ever been on a 47 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,080 tour. I remember when I toured Israel, 48 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,120 what we did with most, if not all of our days was go from one 49 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:14,760 site to the next. And that's what we're going to 50 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,440 do with these verses. We're just going to visit one 51 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,920 verse, look at all the beauty has to offer, meditate on it, 52 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,400 and then move on to the next post to do the same. 53 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,480 Now, I'll tell you ahead of time that we will most likely not 54 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,680 cover every single detail presented here, though we could. 55 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,840 Instead, here's my prayer that whatever we touch on today would 56 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:39,360 so move you and stir you that you would linger longer at 57 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,680 Calvary and then on your own time, you would seek to discover 58 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,080 things that we did not. Look at today, that's all we're 59 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,960 going to do. We're just going to hold each 60 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,720 other's hands and go from one verse to the next and trust that 61 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:55,640 God will speak to us every single. 62 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,880 Time. If you recall, Jesus was 63 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,160 mercilessly scourged prior to his crucifixion. 64 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,520 And if that weren't enough, if you were destined to a Roman 65 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,320 cross, you had to carry your own instrument of execution until 66 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,200 you arrive to the place of your hellish death. 67 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,240 And it was no different. For our Lord. 68 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,959 But you have to understand, with the pain of the flogging and the 69 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:23,960 exhaustion and the blood loss, it's not difficult to imagine 70 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,280 how this trek would have been extremely difficult for the 71 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:30,600 Lord. And that was realized by the 72 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,040 very ones who led him. And so with all the multitudes 73 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,480 that followed this despicable parade, there was one individual 74 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,200 who seemed to be randomly selected to come to the aid of 75 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,400 Christ. And we could have just been told 76 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,480 that a man helped him. He could have remained unnamed. 77 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,480 Yet for some reason we are given his identity. 78 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,840 Look at verse 21. And they compel the passer by, 79 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,640 Simon of Cyrene. Mark is not the only one who 80 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,960 tells us about this man. We know that also Matthew and 81 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,240 Luke mention him as well. And it's helpful to stop here 82 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,280 and ask a couple of questions. Question number one, what is a 83 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:13,000 man from Cyrene doing here at Jerusalem? 84 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:19,720 That question is important when you remember where Cyrene is and 85 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,200 we have the answer from the Bible of exactly where this man 86 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,880 came from. Now you remember that when the 87 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,040 120 were stuffed in that upper room waiting on the Lord for the 88 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,800 Father that pour out the promise of the Holy Spirit, it was 89 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,840 during the feast of Pentecost. And we're told there in Acts 90 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:38,440 chapter 2 that multitudes, multitudes of Jews from all 91 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,920 across the world made pilgrimage to Jerusalem to honor the feast. 92 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,160 And when the Holy Spirit poured out on those 120, it made an 93 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,800 impact and an effect on the whole neighborhood, the whole 94 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:50,960 city. They began to hear in their own 95 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,720 respective languages the praises and the honors of God. 96 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,360 And then the Holy Spirit mentions the different places 97 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,520 where these Jews came from. Let me read to you Acts chapter 98 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,520 2, verse 10, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts 99 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:10,840 of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome. 100 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,040 There it is. Cyrene is a part of Libya. 101 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,440 This man was a North African. And the same verse where we're 102 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,480 told that we're also informed that there are many people from 103 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:24,440 Cyrene. They're also why? 104 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:26,760 Because again, we had the Passover feast and a few weeks 105 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,280 later we had what, Pentecost. So they're they're honoring what 106 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:34,200 the law commanded of them. And so while this man is here, 107 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:40,040 we have to understand that he would walk in one way and leave 108 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,480 another. This would be the most unique 109 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,680 Passover that Simon ever experienced. 110 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,400 We have every reason to believe that this would be a turning 111 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,680 point for him, and not just him, but others. 112 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,720 And I'll tell you why we can make that conclusion because 113 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:00,280 Mark does something strange, something that you should have 114 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:03,640 noticed that he doesn't just mention Simon of Cyrene. 115 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,440 Mark tells us that he's the father of Alexander and Rufus 116 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,960 and he doesn't give explanation of who these two are, implying 117 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,400 that Mark expects his original readers to know exactly who 118 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,840 Alexander Rufus are. So in other words, when this 119 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,320 gospel and we've determined when we when we open up the Gospel 120 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,920 Mark together some time ago that it's very likely that Mark's 121 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,600 original audience were Gentiles, specifically Roman Gentiles. 122 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,680 So when this letter was distributed and given and read 123 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,800 and and shared at this part, when they came to this part of 124 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,080 this account and they read and they compelled a passerby of 125 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,440 Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father 126 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,240 of Alexander and Rufus, the audience, the immediate author 127 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,720 of that. Oh, Alexander and Rufus's dad 128 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:56,360 helped him carry the cross. You're saying why is this 129 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:57,760 important? Here's why it's important, 130 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,640 because the name Rufus only appears in one other place in 131 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,120 all of the Bible. What do you think it is, Romans? 132 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,480 Interesting, right? Who is Mark's original audience? 133 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,520 Gentiles who are most likely Romans. 134 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,600 So years later, Paul writes his epistle to the Christians in 135 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:16,800 Rome. And look at Romans 16 with me in 136 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,520 verse 13 as he lists different names in that chapter, greeting 137 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,920 them and see what name comes up there. 138 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:33,960 Romans 16, verse 13, greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord. 139 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,720 Don't you love that? Also his mother who has been a 140 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,760 mother to me as well. If this is the same Rufus that 141 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,640 is referenced in the Gospel of Mark, then we have an amazing 142 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,320 testimony before us. Here's the testimony. 143 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,960 Simon of Cyrene, the faithful Jew who came to the city of 144 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:59,520 Jerusalem to honor the Passover, was chosen to carry and help 145 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:01,040 carry Jesus. Cross. 146 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,280 And after that moment he became a believer in the one who 147 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,080 carried that cross. And not only the Simon and 148 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,840 Cyrene acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but his family came to 149 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:18,280 that same conclusion themselves. And evidently Alexander and 150 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,760 Rufus, the children of Simon of Cyrene, became well known 151 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:26,600 believers in the Church of Rome. Wouldn't you love to know how 152 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,960 that happened? I think one day we will, but for 153 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:35,600 now we can only speculate. What did Simon of Cyrene see as 154 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:39,720 he helped shoulder that cross? What did he hear? 155 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:44,440 And after that life changing experience, what did he say to 156 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,680 his wife who who became a spiritual mother to Paul? 157 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:52,960 By the way, what did he, what did he say to his sons about 158 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,920 what he experienced on that road to Golgotha? 159 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,520 We don't know. All we know is that it made an 160 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,680 impact. And what we have here also, 161 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,360 though the details are unclear, a very certain thing that Simon 162 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:14,600 carrying this cross for Jesus sake would have an impact and 163 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,680 would bless his family. And I want to say this, that the 164 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:22,280 same opportunity is granted to you and I, if you're willing to 165 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:24,840 answer the call of discipleship, which in the same Gospel account 166 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,720 we're told we are called to carry our own crosses. 167 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,840 And if you're willing to carry your own cross, it can touch 168 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:37,000 those that mean the most to you. I want to. 169 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,560 Specifically address my brothers in the house, husbands and 170 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,840 fathers, those who are heads of their households. 171 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,800 I want you to understand from a fellow brother who loves you and 172 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,840 prays for you all the time. Do not underestimate the impact 173 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,760 that your sacrificial walk with Christ can have and also the 174 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,240 impact that a lack of it can have on those that you care 175 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,320 about the most. I know many of the brothers in 176 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:03,080 this house. You are hard working men. 177 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:07,080 You are devoted men. You love your family well. 178 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:08,720 But here's my heart for you again. 179 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,520 Please hear my love for you, that I don't want you to be 180 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,160 known in your family as someone who just went to church once in 181 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:20,800 a while. I wanted to see a man who has a 182 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,360 supreme delight in Jesus over everything else. 183 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:29,040 I wanted to see a man who brings everything to God in prayer. 184 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:35,120 I wanted to see a man who is rich in wisdom, rich in counsel 185 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,440 because you're a wealthy in the Word. 186 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:43,840 I wanted to see a man who knows how to say sorry and ask for 187 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:50,520 forgiveness when they're wrong. I wanted to see a man who exudes 188 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:54,640 heavenly peace and joy because you have an eternal perspective. 189 00:11:55,200 --> 00:12:00,440 I wanted to see a man who can love them stronger, better, 190 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,760 longer, because you experienced and you have tasted the 191 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:05,160 knowledge of Christ, love for you. 192 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:11,960 Men like Simon of Cyrene carry your cross and understand that 193 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,520 it can have generational blessings and He is right there 194 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,200 ready to energize you and animate you and empower you to 195 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,960 do that. So as you do what you need to 196 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,880 do, I know you're you're working maybe sometimes two jobs, maybe 197 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:26,920 long hours. You're exhausted. 198 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:28,680 You can barely offer anything else. 199 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:31,120 But understand what Christ your Lord said. 200 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,840 My yoke is easy and my burden is light. 201 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,600 He's willing to help you and He's willing to bless you and 202 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,640 bless those who are connected to you. 203 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,400 This is what we see here with Simon of Sirene. 204 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,920 This is no accident. This isn't just a random detail. 205 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:52,080 This is meant to show us that this man changed because of this 206 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,560 cross and his sons were willing to carry their own crosses. 207 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,640 Now let's read on. Simon help Jesus carry his 208 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:02,840 cross. But it came to a point where the 209 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,040 Lord needed to be helped more. Notice in verse 22. 210 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:09,000 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha. 211 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,360 They brought him. Compare that to verse 20. 212 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,240 Look how verse 20 begins. And they had mocked him, they 213 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,200 stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him, 214 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:23,040 and they led him. So went from the Roman soldiers 215 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,400 leading Jesus to doing what in verse 22 bringing. 216 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,600 Jesus, the strength of the Savior is waning. 217 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:34,360 It was a brutal, treacherous journey. 218 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,040 And so now it wasn't just Simon and Cyrene. 219 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:41,080 They had to in some way carry it and lift him up as well to this 220 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,040 place called Golgotha. Mark wants to tell us by the 221 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:49,720 Spirit the meaning of this Aramaic word, skull, place of 222 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,720 the skull. Now, if you are somebody who 223 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,800 reads the King James, the new King James, and you read this 224 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,680 part of the gospel from Luke's perspective, you're going to 225 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:00,600 find the word starts with the letter C. 226 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:02,400 What is it? Calvary. 227 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:08,480 Calvary, that is a word derived from the Latin calvarya, and it 228 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,200 means the same thing, skull. And the translators to the King 229 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,560 James were more familiar with the Latin, and so that's why 230 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:16,920 they did that. And you're saying, why are you 231 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:18,640 bringing this up? Because I want you to know what 232 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,320 you're singing and reading. I don't want any of us to ever 233 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:24,640 come to a point that we sing things or we read things and 234 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,360 commentaries or devotionals and we and we don't know what it 235 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:28,360 means. I'm here to tell you that 236 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:34,640 Calvary means skull and it's meant to tell you of the place 237 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,120 where Jesus died. So when we sing or when we read 238 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,760 something and the word Calvary comes because it's not something 239 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:42,760 that was just known in the Latin. 240 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:44,720 It was something that developed to be common in the English 241 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,720 speaking world for Christians at least. 242 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,680 We're singing, we're talking, we're studying about where Jesus 243 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,280 died, the physical location, Calvary. 244 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:56,520 But why was it called the place of the skull? 245 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:03,640 Some believe it's because it was a little hill and and depending 246 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,080 on the angle, that hill actually had the appearance of a skull. 247 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:12,080 Others would say it was just the name that it had as a reputation 248 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,560 because it became the designated regular spot for Rome's gruesome 249 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,680 executions. Those things are up for a 250 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,680 debate, but what's for certain is what the Bible says about the 251 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,720 geographical location of Jesus sacrifice. 252 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,920 Turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and let's 253 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,720 read a few verses together to see what the Spirit says about 254 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:47,540 where Jesus died. Hebrews 1310. 255 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:52,100 You have to remember that the author of Hebrews is speaking to 256 00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:56,060 Jewish Christians, Jews who converted from the law to 257 00:15:56,060 --> 00:16:00,220 accepting Messiah in Jesus, and they are experiencing the 258 00:16:00,220 --> 00:16:03,780 temptation and the tension of returning to the Mosaic system, 259 00:16:04,380 --> 00:16:07,420 the Mosaic law. And so the author of Hebrews 260 00:16:07,420 --> 00:16:11,360 here is making a wonderful defense for the case of Christ 261 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,480 and how he's superior to everything, including the 262 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,920 Levitical system. And at this final part, he is 263 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,640 now giving final exhortations. And notice what he says. 264 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,400 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no 265 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,000 right to eat. For the bodies of those animals 266 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,600 whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest 267 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:34,000 as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 268 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:40,280 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify 269 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,440 the people through his own blood. 270 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:47,160 Now this is not just granted to us to satisfy our geographical 271 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,640 curiosity. This is given to us to draw a 272 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,640 spectacular gospel truth. We're told here that Jesus 273 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:59,720 suffered and died outside the gate, outside the city walls. 274 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,280 And he's reminding these Christians again, who have 275 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,040 sacrificed so much to put their faith in Christ. 276 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,400 They were rejected and denied from Jewish religious life and 277 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,960 social life. They were paying a high price to 278 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:16,119 follow Jesus Christ. But he wants to let them know 279 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:20,119 that as followers of this Jesus, they have access to something. 280 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,520 That others don't. Look at verse 10. 281 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:27,079 We have an altar. We have an altar with those who 282 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:29,960 serve the tent, which those who serve the tent have no right to 283 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,920 eat. So you have to remember that in 284 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,040 the Tabernacle. This is why it's so important to 285 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:36,480 study the Old Testament. Listen to me. 286 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:38,400 You cannot know the depths of the New Testament. 287 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,960 If you're lazy with the Old Testament, you cannot. 288 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,400 You'll be shallow in your understanding of God's Word, 289 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,120 especially in the New Testament. In the Old Testament with the 290 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:49,640 Tabernacle, the designated House of worship that later became the 291 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,880 temple, there was an altar that was called by God to be created 292 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,040 to be the instrument of making sacrifices, animal sacrifices, 293 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,120 and those sacrifices would serve to cover sins. 294 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,120 And so this language of altar was familiar to these readers. 295 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,080 And this author by the Spirit says, do you understand that in 296 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,920 the new covenant you also have an altar? 297 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,040 You have an altar saying, what kind of altar? 298 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,760 It's a spiritual altar. And more than just a spiritual 299 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:19,560 altar. It's a superior altar. 300 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,240 What is the altar? The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, 301 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,440 the Son of God who shed his blood. 302 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:29,320 That is your altar and mine. And he goes on to say that 303 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:35,400 unbelievers, including Christ denying Jews, have no access. 304 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,600 They cannot participate at that altar that you have access to. 305 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,280 You're saying, why is that? Because look at verse 11. 306 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,440 Now he reminds the Jewish Christians of the sacrificial 307 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,200 system. And he says for the bodies of 308 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,600 those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by 309 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:57,680 the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the 310 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,800 camp. See, this is you will not get 311 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,480 this if you skip Leviticus, you will not understand what he's 312 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:04,520 talking about. You just think he's being 313 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,720 poetic. No, he's pointing back to 314 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:08,760 instructions. And there are a variety of 315 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,680 sacrifices that were made and were instructed by God to give. 316 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,160 One of them was the sin offering. 317 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:17,600 And this is the illusion that he's making. 318 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,160 He's making an illusion back to a particular right, an 319 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:26,360 ordinance, this sin offering. And depending on the sin and who 320 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:30,040 sinned, the sin offering was unique in this way, that you 321 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,440 would put some of the bull on the altar and it would be 322 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,520 consumed. But in many cases you would have 323 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:40,800 to take the flesh of the bull and the pieces of the bull, and 324 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:42,400 you would have to leave the tent. 325 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,440 Leave. The walls and burn it outside 326 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:50,440 the camp. It was not fit for consumption. 327 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,160 There were other sacrifices that the priest, this was part of 328 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,560 their payment where they would make a sacrifice on behalf of 329 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,760 people or even large groups of people or leaders, and they 330 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,560 would eat of it. That was part of their 331 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,480 compensation. But the burnt offering, or 332 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,560 rather the sin offering in many cases was not fit to be eaten. 333 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,800 You were supposed to take it, go outside and let it be burned on 334 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:11,640 wood. Why? 335 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:15,200 It was a symbolic picture of sin being separated from the people 336 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,240 of God. That the tent and within the 337 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,960 walls we are holy. So anything that's sinful, take 338 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:25,800 it outside. So they could not benefit from 339 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,960 that sin offering when it came to consumption necessarily in 340 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:31,960 many cases. So what's his point? 341 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,840 He reminds him of that and then he comes back and he says here 342 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,960 in verse 12 in the in the same way the sin offering was 343 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:44,160 sacrificed outside, Jesus was sacrificed outside. 344 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,080 You're saying, what's his point? Here's his point. 345 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:50,920 Pay very close attention. This is what he's saying. 346 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,600 He's talking to these Hebrew Christians that are thinking 347 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:55,160 maybe we should just go back to the law. 348 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:01,080 And he says as long as you cling to the old covenant system that 349 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:05,880 prevents you from eating the sin offering that is made outside, 350 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,480 you are also excluded from benefiting from the sacrifice of 351 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,920 Jesus Christ, who was also sacrificed outside. 352 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,200 In other words, let me make it plain, he's telling these Hebrew 353 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,440 Christians, you got to make a choice. 354 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,640 Are you going to put your hope in the sufficient sacrifice of 355 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,840 Jesus Christ, which may call you, and it does call you to 356 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,400 turn your back on any other kind of sacrifice for your salvation? 357 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,160 Or are you going to back, go back to the law, embrace the 358 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,960 law, and in doing so, because Jesus was sacrificed outside, 359 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,240 your law prohibits you from benefiting from Christ who is 360 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:49,000 sacrificed outside. Let me make it relatable. 361 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,680 You have to make a choice. Everybody in this room. 362 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,280 Is salvation going to be by grace or by works? 363 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,840 Because you cannot, just like these original readers, you 364 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,320 cannot claim that you can receive the efficacy of Christ's 365 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:12,280 sacrifice, that it's sufficient, and then go eat at other altars. 366 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:17,320 It's either the altar of the Gospel or whatever altar your 367 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:19,560 choosing is. You can't have both. 368 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:23,400 That's what he's saying. So either take what Christ has 369 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,280 done and it will cost you. Yes, maybe some persecution and 370 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,640 denial and rejection, or you can go back to what you wanted. 371 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,640 But this tells you that you can't benefit from any sacrifice 372 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,120 outside the camp, including Jesus. 373 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:40,440 So you see how brilliant it is. You know, we're almost finished 374 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,640 marking some people saying, can we go to Hebrews next? 375 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,320 I'm thinking we're never going to get through it in a short 376 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:46,800 amount of time. If we ever go to Hebrews, we'll 377 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:48,320 be here for like 10 years. I think. 378 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,120 It's so deep. It's so deep. 379 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,920 You got to make a choice. Which altar will you worship at? 380 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:00,880 This is so powerful, so powerful. 381 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:02,560 But he doesn't even end there. Look at verse 13. 382 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:06,080 Now He makes it very practical. Therefore, let us go to Him 383 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,440 outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. 384 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,680 So if a sacrifice was made outside the camp and it was 385 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:24,560 deemed as unclean, rejected, denied, separate, join it. 386 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,720 If Jesus was sacrificed outside the camp, discarded and rejected 387 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:35,120 by others, let's then join Him. It's a privilege to have this 388 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:39,720 level of loyalty to Him. And just as lepers and the 389 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,840 unclean and the disease were expelled and had to remain 390 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,680 outside, if following Christ means that we are treated the 391 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,240 same, so be it. Let's go outside with Him. 392 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,040 Let's consider the honor of bearing the reproach that he 393 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,320 endured. So this is what the Spirit is 394 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:01,800 telling these Christians, and it's no different for us. 395 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:07,200 There is a high price to pay. Are we willing to be shunned to 396 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,360 be associated with him? Are you willing to be scorned at 397 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:11,960 by your friends? Are you willing to have to 398 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,720 endure awkward Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners with your 399 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,280 extended unbelieving family because they know you're one of 400 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:23,560 those fanatical evangelicals? Bear the reproach. 401 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,720 Join him. Go outside. 402 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,960 Let them say whatever they want. Let them treat you however they 403 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:34,520 want to treat you. And and the Bible is realistic. 404 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,360 The Holy Spirit knows that it's a challenge for many of us. 405 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,960 So he gives at least one encouragement for us to pack our 406 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,960 bags and say if he went outside, let me go outside with him. 407 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:47,880 Look at verse 14. For here we have no lasting. 408 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,120 City, but we seek the city that is to come. 409 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:58,560 In other words, the rejection that you fear, the property and 410 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,000 the privileges that you worry about losing, all of that is 411 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:06,400 temporary. You must take and make this 412 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,040 decision with an eternal perspective. 413 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,240 And the same one who suffered outside the walls of the city of 414 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,440 Jerusalem will one day come again. 415 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,360 To establish a new world and a new city, where he will rule and 416 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:22,240 reign, and we who suffered with him will rule and reign with 417 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:24,640 him. Look beyond this life, my 418 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,680 friend. Look beyond the little aches and 419 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,600 awkwardness of your temporary existence on this planet, my 420 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,120 friend. And realize what's to come and 421 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:36,920 realize the honor that Christ will grant you for the reproach 422 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:38,800 that you're willing to receive on His behalf. 423 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,040 Do you see how even the location of? 424 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:46,800 Jesus death carries incredible insight and even application. 425 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,240 He suffered outside on Golgotha. Let's go and suffer. 426 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:56,360 Let's come back to Mark 15. It says there that they brought 427 00:25:56,360 --> 00:25:59,680 him to a place called Golgotha once they arrived. 428 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,760 On Golgotha or Calvary it says here in verse 23. 429 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:10,880 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh but he did not take 430 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,080 it. What is myrrh? 431 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:20,080 So at the station they had wine and it was infused with murmurs 432 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,320 like a gum like resin. It's a substance that can be 433 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,920 extracted from the bark of certain trees ahead of 434 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,640 fragrance. They did possess medicinal and 435 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,240 aromatic properties, but why was it being offered? 436 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,240 And I think there's one verse that gives us a little bit of a 437 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:37,440 clue. You don't have to turn there, 438 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,400 but let me quote it to you. From Proverbs 31, verse 6, we're 439 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:46,640 told there give strong drink to the one who is perishing. 440 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,480 So that might be an insight that tells us that it was an ancient 441 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:56,160 Jewish custom for the people to provide some kind of pain 442 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:01,280 numbing narcotic to those who have been executed or planning 443 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,840 to be executed to death. So this would be kind of like a 444 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:09,040 deadening thing for the census to help these criminals embrace 445 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,080 the pain that they were about to endure. 446 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,800 And it could have been a custom that followed all the way up to 447 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:17,400 Jesus day that was included even though the Romans were governing 448 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:21,600 and supervising these affairs. And that makes sense because as 449 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:25,120 Jesus is there ready to be nailed on the cross, He refuses 450 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:28,240 this wine mixed with myrrh. Do you know why? 451 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,000 Because he's a strong savior. Do you know why? 452 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,040 Because as he was ready to drink the wrath of God, he wanted to 453 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,680 be fully conscious of it. He would not numb himself. 454 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:44,520 He wanted the entire experience and untainted sacrifice and Lamb 455 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:46,520 of God. He denied it. 456 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,360 He shunned it. He rejected it. 457 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,680 Now what becomes even more moving is when you realize how 458 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,160 many times myrrh appears in the Gospels. 459 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,640 Do you realize that including this, what we find in Mark 15, a 460 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:03,200 total of three times, only three times in all of the Gospel 461 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,400 accounts are we told about myrrh. 462 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:07,280 So let's go on a little trip, right? 463 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:08,880 We're still on our tour, but we're going to take a little 464 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:12,720 rabbit trail and come back. Myrrh is mentioned here, but 465 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,640 myrh is also mentioned when Jesus was ready to be buried. 466 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,240 Look at John 19 with me in your Bibles. 467 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:31,560 Look at verse 39, John 1939. Nicodemus. 468 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:37,200 Also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night came bringing a 469 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:44,720 mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 lbs in weight. 470 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,560 You know some people criticize Nicodemus for going out at 471 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:52,000 night. I guess that you are trying to 472 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,760 be discreet. But how discreet are you when 473 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:58,560 you bring 75 lbs of ointment? You're not carrying that in your 474 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,760 hands. You're hauling that in some way. 475 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:05,800 So he's bringing all of this perfume, right? 476 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,760 Including myrrh. Look at verse 40. 477 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,720 So they took the body of Jesus and bounded in linen cloth with 478 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:16,320 the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 479 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,640 So now out of the the three references, we cover 2 with 480 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:23,480 myrrh, the first one at the cross, the second one at his 481 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,320 burial. So right here in terms of theme, 482 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,400 in terms of connection, the mention of mirror is strictly 483 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:34,200 associated with death, death and affliction and suffering, right? 484 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,840 If it's there at the cross, if it's there at the tomb, that's 485 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:41,760 what we're getting so far. But there's one more place. 486 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:42,640 You know this. Very well. 487 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:46,400 And as we come to the Christmas season, we'll be reminded not at 488 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,760 the cross, not at the tomb, but shortly after his birth. 489 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,000 So go to Matthew 2. This is the final reference of 490 00:29:54,000 --> 00:30:02,790 myrrh in the Gospels. These are when the wise men from 491 00:30:02,790 --> 00:30:05,270 the East came, these Gentiles who are looking for the king of 492 00:30:05,270 --> 00:30:06,550 the Jews. And notice what it says in 493 00:30:06,550 --> 00:30:12,830 Matthew 2, verse 11. And going into the house, they 494 00:30:12,830 --> 00:30:15,390 saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and 495 00:30:15,390 --> 00:30:18,350 worshipped him. Then opening their treasures, 496 00:30:18,350 --> 00:30:21,510 they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 497 00:30:21,790 --> 00:30:23,710 This is where we get a Christian myth. 498 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,800 That there were 3 kings that came from the East. 499 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,920 Because there are three gifts. We're not told how many of them 500 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,280 came. They just came. 501 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:32,360 It could have been a collective effort. 502 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:33,400 There could have been thirty of them. 503 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:35,840 There could have been much more. Remember when they came to 504 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:40,200 Jerusalem, it was a scene. But they did bring 3 gifts, 505 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:45,000 gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I I understand the value of gold 506 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:50,720 and frankincense, but myrrh? OK, it's a perfume, but I 507 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,520 believe it's more than that when you consider the Holy Spirit's 508 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,760 authorship. I believe what these kings are 509 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,600 doing, what these wise men are doing as they come, is that this 510 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,000 was a foreshadowing of what was to become of this child, his 511 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,360 destiny to be born so that he would die. 512 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,480 If myrrh was used as a custom for the burial of the Jews, 513 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:12,960 you're giving this to this child who came into this world for 514 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:18,560 that very purpose, to suffer, die, be buried, and then raised. 515 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,840 Now here's here's where it gets so exciting, because this is not 516 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:27,160 the only time that the King of the Jews and the King of Kings 517 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:30,880 will be offered gifts by Gentiles believing Gentiles. 518 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:35,280 No, there is a prophecy granted to us about the same Jesus who 519 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,200 in His second coming will come back not to die. 520 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,520 He will come back to redeem, to restore, and to reign. 521 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:45,280 And when He does, there will be another visit. 522 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:49,320 There will be plenty of visits where people will come to offer 523 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:53,920 their gifts to the same king. Can I show it to you? 524 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:59,720 Go to Isaiah 60. I know it's a lot of scripture, 525 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,680 but what else are we supposed to do at church? 526 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,920 What else is a preacher supposed to do? 527 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,320 And it's my prayer that you would leave here with the 528 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,560 Scriptures burning in your hearts. 529 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:15,000 Nothing else. The Scriptures, Isaiah chapter 530 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,040 6. This is a prophecy that when the 531 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:22,800 Lord returns and redeems the nation of Israel of what will 532 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,080 take place. So this is speaking about a 533 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:29,240 prophecy what will come to the Jewish people and their nation 534 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,480 in the millennial reign. And notice what it reads in 535 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,600 verse one just so we can understand the context. 536 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:39,880 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord 537 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,280 has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover 538 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,840 the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. 539 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,760 But the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen 540 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:54,440 upon you, and nations shall come to your light, and kings to the 541 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:57,160 brightness of your rising. So notice this distinguishing 542 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,800 factor of what will take place in the headquarters of Jesus 543 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,120 Kingdom, which will be Jerusalem. 544 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:09,200 Sorry, it's not going to be New Jersey, Jerusalem, He's going to 545 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,800 rule and reign from there. The glory of God is going to 546 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,040 shine from there and it's going to be the attraction of the 547 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:19,000 world, the glory of the Lord, and it's going to draw leaders 548 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,760 and kings and politicians and different peoples from different 549 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,720 places and as they come because they are drawn to this. 550 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,560 Notice after these verses, you can read it on your own time, 551 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:29,240 but I want to highlight verse six. 552 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:33,880 Look at this specific detail. A multitude of camels shall 553 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,400 cover you. The young camels of Midian and 554 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,080 IFA, all those from Sheba, shall come. 555 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:43,320 Pause, these are Gentiles, and notice what they will bring. 556 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:48,680 They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring 557 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:50,640 good. News, the praises of the Lord. 558 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,080 They shall bring what gold and frankincense? 559 00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:00,240 Where's the myrrh? It's not there. 560 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:05,120 Why is myrrh not mentioned? Because if myrrh signifies 561 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:08,120 death, affliction, and suffering, it has no relevance 562 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,199 at this point. Why does it have no relevance 563 00:34:11,199 --> 00:34:12,960 for King Jesus when he comes to ruling reign? 564 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,000 Because he already suffered and died, that's why. 565 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,440 Because Hebrews tells us that he came once for all with his 566 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,440 sacrifice. And Hebrews tells us that he's 567 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:26,080 going to come a second time, not to deal with sin, but to rescue 568 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:29,280 those who are eagerly waiting for him. 569 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:33,159 So myrrh doesn't matter anymore because Jesus fulfilled that 570 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:36,199 part of his destiny. He died, He suffered, He was 571 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:37,960 buried. Now here we are in the 572 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:40,480 millennial reign, and the nations are coming once more, 573 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:43,920 and they bring the gold and they bring the frankincense, but no 574 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:45,159 myrrh. What do they replace the myrrh 575 00:34:45,159 --> 00:34:46,120 with? Read it again. 576 00:34:46,199 --> 00:34:48,199 They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring 577 00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:49,960 good news, the praises of the Lord. 578 00:34:50,679 --> 00:34:51,760 That's what they're going to bring. 579 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:54,239 Do you see how brilliant the Bible is? 580 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:56,800 You see how glorious it is? Do you see why we go from 581 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:00,120 Scripture to Scripture? So they can burn on your hearts. 582 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:05,680 And you can see the brilliance of the supernatural author in 583 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:09,480 replacing of myrrh. There will be Mary, there will 584 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,720 be praises, there will be honor, and we will rejoice in his 585 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:18,360 sacrifice for eternity. We're still on our tour. 586 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:25,160 Let's go to Mark 15 again. It says in verse 23. 587 00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:27,520 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take 588 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:34,680 it. Verse 24 And they crucified Him. 589 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:45,480 4 words that in hearing them demands our silence, demands are 590 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:47,920 awe, our captivation, and our contemplation. 591 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:53,680 And they crucified Him. How much more for those who 592 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:55,960 stood there and witnessed it with their own eyes. 593 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:07,680 What a sight Jesus Christ of Nazareth murdered, hanging. 594 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,320 And not just hanging in pain, they shamed Him even more. 595 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:14,360 How much more shame can you bestow upon somebody? 596 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,040 Here's the shame, it says here in verse 24. 597 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,560 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, 598 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:24,320 casting lots for them to decide what each should take. 599 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:31,880 You would think that even if you had an ounce of dignity, that 600 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,480 standing at the shadow of the foot of the cross would cause 601 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,600 you to think with a little bit of respect. 602 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,920 Instead, what do you find? You find Roman soldiers in that 603 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:43,160 same shadow. Gambling. 604 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:49,800 Maybe we've heard this enough where we come kind of numb to 605 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:51,240 this narrative. Let's make it. 606 00:36:51,240 --> 00:36:53,640 This is a poor example. Can you imagine being at a 607 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,040 funeral and the person there in the coffin is there and you see 608 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:58,120 people gambling for their clothes and their possessions? 609 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:00,320 Now, do you feel it a little bit? 610 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,560 Being in the ICU with a loved 1? You see the nurses and doctors 611 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:06,680 gambling for that person's possessions while they're dying. 612 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,760 Now do you feel a little bit? Do you feel how gross this is? 613 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:11,880 Do you see how appalling this is now? 614 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,560 As much as we have loved ones and we hate to see them go, this 615 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:19,280 is the perfect sinless Son of God, and you have Roman soldiers 616 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:23,560 gambling for his outfit while he hangs there nearly naked. 617 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:27,760 He was stripped of his clothes so that you can be clothed with 618 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:33,760 his righteousness. And though this may seem like a 619 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,240 detail meant to highlight the dark drama of this moment, 620 00:37:36,240 --> 00:37:39,200 actually sure serves to show us that yet another prophecy from 621 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:41,480 hundreds of years ago was fulfilled. 622 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:48,480 Psalm 22, one of the clearest unmistakable prophecies about 623 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,840 Messiah, the suffering Messiah. You know these verses well, but 624 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,640 let me quote them to you once again. 625 00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:00,640 Psalm 22, verse 16. For dogs encompass me. 626 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,960 A company of evildoers encircles me. 627 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,360 They have pierced my hands and feet. 628 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:13,240 You understand how powerful this is 1000 years before Jesus died, 629 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:17,600 hundreds of years before the crucifixion was even invented. 630 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:21,120 David by the Holy Spirit perceives that the Messiah will 631 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,040 be pierced in his hands and feet. 632 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:28,560 You know, this has bothered rabbis and Jewish scholars so 633 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,320 much who, who don't believe that Jesus the Messiah that they had 634 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:35,080 done a number on this text to try to make it sound or be 635 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,920 something else. But when you look at the 636 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,320 original Hebrew, when you look at the Septuagint, when you look 637 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:42,800 at some of the Masoretic texts, when you look at the original 638 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,440 writings, what you'll discover is that you cannot deny this. 639 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,200 This is talking about a piercing. 640 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,800 They have pierced my hands and feet. 641 00:38:54,200 --> 00:39:00,600 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me. 642 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,440 They divide my garments among them. 643 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:07,800 And for my clothing, they cast lots. 644 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,840 There it is. How specific do you understand 645 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,960 1000 years before it actually happened you get a play by play 646 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,440 prophecy of what's taking place and what we're reading in Mark 647 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,200 15. I I hope that still blows your 648 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,320 mind to understand what we have in our hands. 649 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:30,680 What else can be said of prophecy in this brief section 650 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:34,880 so much we can discuss the timing of Christ's crucifixion 651 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,000 back in Mark 15. Notice it says here in verse 25, 652 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,960 it was the third hour when they crucified. 653 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,800 This is not random. This is not just to say here 654 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,280 here's an eyewitness account. I'm telling you what time it 655 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:46,800 happened. There's a connection between the 656 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:49,760 timing of Christ's sacrifice and the sacrifices in the Old 657 00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:52,840 Testament. We can look at and discuss how 658 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,440 verse 27 fulfills Isaiah 53 verse 12, where we're told there 659 00:39:56,440 --> 00:40:00,120 in verse 27 what that he was. He was there in the middle 660 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:02,920 between 2 robbers, 1 to his right and one to his left, and 661 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:05,240 Isaiah 5312 tells us that he was numbered among the 662 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:09,680 transgressions. We can look at verse 29, look at 663 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:12,440 verse 29 again. It says and those who pass by 664 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:15,240 derided and wagging their heads and saying aha, you would 665 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:17,400 destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. 666 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:19,440 Save yourself and come down from the cross. 667 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:22,920 Jesus early in his ministry in John 2, you know this well. 668 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,000 He predicted what would happen, that they would destroy this 669 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,480 temple, my body, and I would raise it up. 670 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:33,480 I would raise it up, and here's how these unbelieving Jews 671 00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:35,080 interpreted it. You're going to destroy that 672 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:38,680 physical temple, that glorious temple, and you're going to 673 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:43,320 rebuild it in a few days. And here they are mocking Christ 674 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:46,560 for that supposed prediction, failing to realize that he's 675 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:48,320 actually fulfilling it in their presence. 676 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:54,840 That temple was being destroyed right before their eyes, and 677 00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:57,920 they were so blind, they were so caked with unbelief that they 678 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,000 said he said He would do this. That's another prophecy being 679 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,200 fulfilled. So how many prophecies can we 680 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:06,640 deal with? So many of them. 681 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:09,760 But I just want to come straight to the last few verses for our 682 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,720 consideration. Look at verse 31. 683 00:41:19,310 --> 00:41:21,790 So also the chief. Priests with the scribes mocked 684 00:41:21,790 --> 00:41:26,240 him to one another, saying He saved others, he cannot save 685 00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:28,920 himself. Let the Christ, the King of 686 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,320 Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and 687 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:33,080 believe. Pause. 688 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:34,640 Aren't you glad that he didn't take that up? 689 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,280 Because if he did save himself, if he didn't want to prove 690 00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:42,480 himself, none of us would be saved. 691 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:47,400 This is the humility of Jesus. Can you imagine having the power 692 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:52,400 in the blink of an eye to get off that cross, to restore every 693 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,800 wound that they inflicted upon you, and to look at them all in 694 00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:59,440 the face and say, Now what? How tempting would that have 695 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:01,880 been? But what was he doing? 696 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:06,320 He chose to still stay there, being heaped upon heap with all 697 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:10,120 this scorn and mockery to save us. 698 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,520 The last part is what I want you to see in our closing time. 699 00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:20,440 Those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him. 700 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:29,920 The robbers, the thieves. How much venom do you have to 701 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:34,880 have in your heart that as you are experiencing excruciating 702 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:37,720 pain, as you are approaching death's door, as you're about to 703 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:41,320 slip into eternity, instead of thinking like maybe I should get 704 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:43,480 right with God with my final breaths. 705 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:47,360 You use up the. Last energy, you have to join 706 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:48,960 the enemies of Christ and mock Him. 707 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:55,040 If there is, I mean, we talk about people who are beyond hope 708 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,920 of being saved. This is top of the list. 709 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:04,120 You're you're about to die, you're in your deathbed and 710 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:06,840 you're mocking the innocent, sinless Messiah. 711 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:14,960 And you know this very well, that something changes between 712 00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:18,600 the third hour, the 6th hour later, the 9th hour. 713 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:21,840 We're ending here. So please turn with me to Luke 714 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:24,880 23 if you'd like to see it with your own eyes. 715 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:27,480 But we're very familiar with this, so allow me to just quote 716 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:30,120 it. One of those. 717 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:32,440 Thieves. Something happened to him. 718 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:38,360 He, like Simon of Cyrene, he perceives something and he makes 719 00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:45,280 this strange, incredible confession and request, Jesus, 720 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:48,400 Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom. 721 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:54,240 Remember, he rebukes the other thief, and now he looks at the 722 00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:58,160 Lord and he says, Jesus, Remember Me when you come into 723 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:01,680 your Kingdom. Do you understand how incredibly 724 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:04,920 amazing that statement is? Because it's a statement of 725 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:05,560 faith. What? 726 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,000 What is Jesus? What's happening to him? 727 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:12,320 He's dying. And yet this thief has the 728 00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:15,680 revelation and has the faith that the same Jesus who's dying 729 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:18,160 will one day come with his Kingdom. 730 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:21,200 He one day will come with his Kingdom, meaning he's going to 731 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:22,760 be king. So the the thief. 732 00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:24,880 Understood this is not the final stage for Christ. 733 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:26,080 This is not the end of the story. 734 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:29,480 He understood He is the King. He is going to come with his 735 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:31,160 Kingdom and I want to be a part of it. 736 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:39,320 So Jesus, Please remember me when you come with your Kingdom. 737 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,160 Now. Just moments ago he mocked them. 738 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:49,280 He slapped them around verbally. He despised him. 739 00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:54,400 Now you would think that if you just experienced that in the 740 00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:59,360 most painful point of your life, that you would say something in 741 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:01,720 response. You would remind that person of 742 00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:04,080 what they did to you before you continue the conversation. 743 00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:05,720 Christ doesn't address it at all. 744 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:09,640 He bypasses it and He assures them by saying truly, I say to 745 00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:11,200 you today you will be with me in paradise. 746 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:16,520 What kind of grace is that? That He doesn't even address the 747 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:20,800 scorn. He sees past all of it and he 748 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:22,720 sees the repentance, He sees the faith. 749 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:26,320 And this is an example of how quick the Lord is to forgive us. 750 00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:33,000 Now, the Lord could have said, I will. 751 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:39,160 I will keep you in mind in my Kingdom, but he doesn't say 752 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:42,920 that. He declares an immediate 753 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:48,080 enrollment into Paradise. Today you will be with me in 754 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,480 paradise. But more than listen, more than 755 00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:54,880 a promised place in paradise, there are two important words 756 00:45:54,880 --> 00:45:59,720 that he adds with me. You see this? 757 00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:01,920 This man simply asked if he could be remembered. 758 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:07,360 Christ takes it far beyond that. I'm not just going to keep you 759 00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:09,720 in mind. I'm going to bring you close to 760 00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:14,760 me. You might be thinking that 761 00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:19,000 sounds like a nice thought, and it's probably because this man 762 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:22,600 needed those comforting words because he was fearful of death 763 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:26,520 and scared of what was going to become of him in eternity. 764 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:29,680 But I want to tell you today that when Jesus says you will be 765 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:32,800 with me in paradise, it wasn't exclusive to this man. 766 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,200 It's something that he has in mind for every single one of us 767 00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:41,960 who will believe with me. Listen to these words as Jesus 768 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:45,400 is now speaking to his disciples, preparing for them by 769 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:48,000 way of discourse for his departure into heaven. 770 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,320 He he, he goes through John 141516. 771 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:54,000 Then he ends up with a high priestly prayer in John 17. 772 00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:56,120 But don't turn there. Just please, please pay 773 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:57,600 attention to these words as I read them to you. 774 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:00,840 This is Jesus to his own. Disciples, and not just to his 775 00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:04,160 original disciples, the 12 apostles, but to all of us. 776 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:06,600 John 14, verse 2 Listen, listen, listen. 777 00:47:07,640 --> 00:47:10,120 In my Father's house are many rooms. 778 00:47:10,720 --> 00:47:13,120 If it were not, So what? I have not told you that I go to 779 00:47:13,120 --> 00:47:16,280 prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place 780 00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:18,560 for you, I will come again and we'll take you. 781 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:20,480 Pause. How many of us would finish that 782 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:21,680 sentence? He's been talking about 783 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:23,400 preparing a place. Preparing a place. 784 00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:26,440 I'm going to come take you. And you think what? 785 00:47:26,600 --> 00:47:28,720 Take you to an ethereal destination? 786 00:47:28,920 --> 00:47:31,600 Take you to a heavenly mansion? That's not what he says. 787 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:34,400 I will come again and we'll take you to myself. 788 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:40,960 That where I am, you may be also. 789 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:46,080 Heaven is not about a place, it's about a person. 790 00:47:47,720 --> 00:47:51,920 Being saved is not. It's more than about escaping 791 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:55,440 eternal torment, it's about enjoying your Savior forever. 792 00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:58,040 This is the essence of our faith. 793 00:47:58,440 --> 00:48:03,880 First Corinthians 19 We are told that God is faithful by whom he 794 00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:06,000 has called us into fellowship with His Son. 795 00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:11,160 Fellowship with the Son of God. This is, this is the heart of 796 00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:14,920 Jesus Christ, that when he was dying on that cross, the thief 797 00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:18,640 beside him and all believers later who would trust in him, 798 00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:21,520 that they would accept him so that they can be with him. 799 00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:25,520 This is why we as Christians have liberty, as we witness and 800 00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:28,920 as we testify that we have a personal relationship with our 801 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:31,280 God. That's the essence of salvation, 802 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:35,440 that we will be brought to Him, that we would be with Him. 803 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:38,640 So listen, you're not just say, then you have a number slapped 804 00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:41,880 on you and you have some kind of slot in the Lamb's book of life, 805 00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:44,000 and you're just a statistic in heaven. 806 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:48,800 He wants you to be with Him. Realize that that when you give 807 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:52,640 your final breath, and you will give it, as will I, you are 808 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:55,640 going to encounter a Savior who shed His blood so that you can 809 00:48:55,640 --> 00:48:58,480 be with Him. That's what's awaiting you. 810 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:02,400 That's what's awaiting me. He's not going to be distant. 811 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:04,800 And then we have to go through all these appointments with 812 00:49:04,800 --> 00:49:07,600 angels and seraphim and cherubim just to have an audience with 813 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:09,720 him. At one point in eternity he 814 00:49:09,720 --> 00:49:12,760 purchased us so that we can stay with him and be with him and 815 00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:15,720 enjoy him. This is your salvation. 816 00:49:15,720 --> 00:49:17,680 This is this is the glorious gospel. 817 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:21,120 Our God loves us. You know, you have some people 818 00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:23,440 go with extremes when it comes to presenting the gospel that 819 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:26,480 Jesus Christ died for the glory of the Father. 820 00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:29,640 He did die for the glory of God, but he also died because He 821 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:33,960 loves us. He actually loves us. 822 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:38,080 He actually wants you to be with Him for eternity. 823 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:43,000 We're going to see this thief in heaven. 824 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:47,040 Undeserving. Sure. 825 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:48,760 Scandalous. You better believe it. 826 00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:55,160 Welcome to Grace and the confidence that will he will 827 00:49:55,160 --> 00:49:59,600 have as he is prepared to enter into that new world will be 828 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,560 because Jesus said it would happen. 829 00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:05,720 And that's the same assurance that you and I have. 830 00:50:06,560 --> 00:50:11,000 You put your faith in what Jesus said and listen here. 831 00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:14,400 Here's the wonderful thing as we close, we're not just waiting to 832 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:16,520 have fellowship with him. I can have fellowship with him 833 00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:18,520 now. What now? 834 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:22,240 And I was studying this late last night, not too late, but 835 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:28,000 into the night. And I just wanted to put my 836 00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:31,880 stuff away because here's the thought that ran through my 837 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:36,120 mind. Lord, if you died for 838 00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:39,760 fellowship, I want to fellowship with you. 839 00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:48,960 Spend time with you, sit at your feet and meditate on your 840 00:50:48,960 --> 00:50:58,000 beauty, your compassion. This is His love. 841 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:01,120 As there are other things that we could have discovered in this 842 00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:05,120 passage, you better believe it. Go fellowship with Him in the 843 00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:08,080 Word, and He will show you mighty and wonderful things. 844 00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:12,360 But as our time concludes, I believe that we have enough to 845 00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:16,160 think about and relish in. Shall we pray? 846 00:51:17,840 --> 00:51:43,440 Let's pray. Well, what words can we put 847 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:49,280 together to communicate our hearts response to this truth? 848 00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:56,720 Lord, if if fellowship with you is not real to anybody in this 849 00:51:56,720 --> 00:52:01,480 place today, if the extent of someone's relationship with you 850 00:52:01,480 --> 00:52:10,160 is just knowledge and moral codes, Lord, please open all of 851 00:52:10,160 --> 00:52:15,200 our eyes to see the intimacy that you desire to have with 852 00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:25,240 each of us. Help us believe that, Lord, help 853 00:52:25,240 --> 00:52:27,360 us. Only your Holy Spirit can make 854 00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:35,310 that real to us. We ask, Lord, that as we sing 855 00:52:35,310 --> 00:52:38,590 that you'll be blessed. And we ask, Lord, in these final 856 00:52:38,590 --> 00:52:41,310 moments of the service, that you'd give us a little sample of 857 00:52:42,190 --> 00:52:46,270 the presence that we will know forever when you call us home. 858 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:53,920 Thank you, Lord, that as we're here serving you, you are in 859 00:52:53,920 --> 00:52:55,720 heaven, preparing a place for us. 860 00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:01,560 Thank you, Lord, that what awaits us is more than just 861 00:53:01,760 --> 00:53:07,120 golden streets, glorious gates, even the reunion of loved ones 862 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:11,280 who also put their faith in you. We are promised to be with you, 863 00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:17,760 to be with our Savior, and we will see the tokens of your love 864 00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:21,160 in those pierced hands and those pierced feet and that pierced 865 00:53:21,160 --> 00:53:24,360 side. And we know that forever and 866 00:53:24,360 --> 00:53:28,120 ever we will remember the great price you paid for us to be with 867 00:53:28,120 --> 00:53:31,360 you. Lord, if there's anybody here 868 00:53:31,360 --> 00:53:35,960 who doesn't know you, may they realize your love for them. 869 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:42,880 We thank you for the cross. We thank You that you were 870 00:53:42,880 --> 00:53:44,560 stripped so that we can be clothed. 871 00:53:46,280 --> 00:53:50,440 We thank you that you thirst so that we would never thirst. 872 00:53:52,720 --> 00:53:55,160 We thank you that you were isolated so that we would know 873 00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:57,920 the warm face of God shining upon us. 874 00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:04,560 We honor you today in Jesus name, Amen. 875 00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:10,040 Let's stand, let's worship the Lord. 876 00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:15,520 Are you somebody here who doesn't believe in what I just 877 00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:18,480 preached? Are you visiting here today and 878 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,640 you have not put your trust in Jesus Christ? 879 00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:23,840 I want to tell you today that everything can change for you, 880 00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:25,760 just like it did for Simon of Cyrene. 881 00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:28,880 He went into that place one way and he left another. 882 00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:31,240 And I believe that the same destiny can be for you. 883 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:33,760 What you have to do is acknowledge what Christ has done 884 00:54:33,760 --> 00:54:35,440 for you. Acknowledge that you're a 885 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:39,480 Sinner, that He's the Savior, and for this transaction from 886 00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:43,800 you going to be an enemy of God to a friend of God is by 887 00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:45,760 repenting and believing on Christ. 888 00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:50,000 Have you ever, ever, ever made a conscious decision to repent and 889 00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:53,400 believe on Jesus Christ? Why don't you make that decision 890 00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:56,400 today? Why can't today be the day where 891 00:54:56,400 --> 00:55:01,120 you become His own? Why can't today be the day where 892 00:55:01,120 --> 00:55:04,080 you go home and you have the assurance and the peace as you 893 00:55:04,080 --> 00:55:07,280 lay your heavy head on that pillow, that you have peace with 894 00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:10,720 God? That can happen. 895 00:55:10,720 --> 00:55:14,280 It's a free gift. You got an idea of the great 896 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:16,120 price that was paid on your behalf. 897 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:19,840 Will you reject it? Will you ignore it? 898 00:55:22,160 --> 00:55:25,760 How can you? What about it? 899 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:31,720 Would you reject it? Why, It's his love, God's love, 900 00:55:31,720 --> 00:55:33,960 your Creator, but not just your Creator, your Redeemer. 901 00:55:33,960 --> 00:55:37,240 Receive Him. At any point while we sing, you 902 00:55:37,240 --> 00:55:40,720 can speak to this God. You don't have to go through any 903 00:55:40,720 --> 00:55:42,200 man. You can go straight to God in 904 00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:45,440 the name of Jesus Christ. And if you're sincere in your 905 00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:50,560 heart, with your repentance and faith, you'll be saved and 906 00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:53,000 you'll know it. Let's sing.