Jesus Again Predicts His Death & Resurrection

The Setting: Jesus' Determined Journey to Jerusalem

0:02 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, June 28, 1987, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, if we are to come to this portion of Mark's Gospel read in your hearing with any reasonable expectation that we will understand and appreciate its teaching, then we must not only come to it as we've already done, expressing our dependence upon the Holy Spirit, but we must come determined to place this passage in the light which Scripture itself sheds upon it. And so let me remind you of the setting in which this paragraph is put before us. According to chapter 10 and verse 1, our Lord has left, the area of Capernaum and the northernmost parts of Palestine and is making his way down to Jerusalem through that area called Perea on the eastern side of the Jordan River and halfway between that area in the upper part of Galilee moving down towards Jerusalem. He is on his way to Jerusalem very constantly,

1:26 conscious that there he will lay down his life as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Luke 9 and verse 51, we are told that he set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem. By this time it is quite common knowledge that the leaders at Jerusalem are very much opposed to Christ, that they very much desire to get out of Jerusalem, that they very much desire to get out of Jerusalem, that they very much desire to get out of Jerusalem, that they very much desire to get rid of him. We read in John's Gospel, chapter 11, verses 8 and verse 16, these following indications of that condition.

2:08 The disciples say unto him, Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and do you go there again? And when our Lord clearly indicates his determination to go to the place where Lazarus lies dead, that he might raise him, that he might raise him from the dead, Thomas thinks that our Lord is speaking of actually going to death with Jesus, and says in verse 16, Thomas therefore who is called Didymus said unto his fellow disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. And so at this point in which we read of our Lord and the disciples once again entering into the way that leads up to Jerusalem, once again entering into the way that leads up to Jerusalem, and it's always up to Jerusalem because of its elevated place topographically, and also because of its elevated place in its religious significance for the life of the Jews, it is in this climate in which they are very much aware that the opposition to their master has greatly intensified, intensified even to the point that the leaders desire, has greatly intensified even to the point that the leaders desire, his death. Now while he is on the way, verse 17 of Mark 10,

3:33 he is stopped momentarily by the rich young ruler. And after our Lord deals with the rich young ruler, and he walks away in sadness, he then comments upon this matter of riches in relationship to entering the kingdom, he then comments upon this matter of riches in relationship to entering the kingdom, and then speaks with reference to the rewards given to those who have been given. and then speaks with reference to the rewards given to those who have been given. who sacrifice for the kingdom of God.

The Journey Resumed: Amazement and Fear Among Followers

3:59 And now verse 32 tells us that he once again enters into the main thoroughfare that leads from the area in which they find themselves down to Jerusalem, and they were on or literally in the way going up into or unto Jerusalem. And so it is in that setting that these verses are put before us in Mark's gospel, and in attempting to open them up this morning, we will very simply consider first of all the journey to Jerusalem resumed, verse 32a, and then the prediction repeated and expanded, verses 32b through the end of verse 34. First of all, then, Mark describes the journey resumed. Now from the wording of the passage, it would appear that the people present on this occasion were our Lord, that core of faithful followers who though not numbered among the inner circle of the twelve, nonetheless were constantly found attending upon the ministry of our Lord. The indications of this are found in,

5:23 the fact that we read in verse 32 that he took again the twelve and began to tell them, indicating that there was a separating of the twelve from others who were with them in the way going up to Jerusalem. And so as the journey is resumed, we must try to picture this band of inner, more committed disciples who in spite of all...

5:53 those who have defected, are nonetheless attached to Jesus of Nazareth with varying degrees of spiritual perception, varying degrees of faith and devotion, and yet they are attached to him and determined to follow him even as he makes his way to the center of opposition against him. And then there are the twelve. Among them, of course, the betrayer, Judas himself. But at this time, his true identity is unknown to all but our Lord and to Judas himself.

6:34 So we find our Lord, this circle of devoted followers, and then the inner circle of the twelve. And as they set out upon the way going up to Jerusalem, something very unusual and very discernible occurred, in our Lord. It was so unusual and so discernible, both to the twelve and to the larger group, as to cause what Mark describes as both amazement and fear. Notice the text.

7:12 And they were amazed, and they that followed were afraid. And the verbal construction indicates, that this amazement and this fear were not just instantaneous or momentary flashes of emotion, but that there was something about the very manner in which our Lord made his way to Jerusalem that caused a condition of amazement and fear to exist in this part of the journey. Now what was it? When we turn to the parallel passages in Matthew and in Luke, there is nothing to indicate an inspired answer to that question. In fact, it is Mark alone who even records this amazement and this fearfulness on the part of those who are following with our Lord. But if you note carefully, some of the details included by Mark, and by comparing other scriptures, I believe we can at least arrive at a position where we can say with some degree of certainty that we understand what it was

Jesus' Unusual Demeanor: Leading with Urgency and Resolve

8:37 that caused both the amazement and the fear. And first of all, we learn from the passage that the position of our Lord in relationship to his followers was something that was different from the ordinary. And they were on their way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was going before them. Mark describes a detail that is different from the ordinary picture we receive of our Lord when he is in companionship with the twelve and with his other devoted followers. The general picture we receive is that the teacher is in the midst of his disciples. The Lord is in the midst of those who follow with him. But once his dealings with the rich young ruler are completed, and he has brought the subsequent lessons recorded in verses 23 to 31, as they move out again into the way, this time our Lord separates himself from that inner band of devoted followers, separates himself even from the twelve,

10:02 and is found going ahead of them, going before them. Now in trying to illustrate this, I thought of the experience, I am sure, that many of us have had. Perhaps you have decided to take a bike trip with some of your biking friends. And it isn't long before usually a leader of the pack emerges.

10:25 And when you have stopped for a water break or you have stopped for a lunch break, there is usually someone who is antsy to get back on the bikes and get on the way. And no sooner are you back on the road than he usually breaks to the front of the pack and becomes the leader. Others of you have experienced this, perhaps if you have done any hiking and in a group of hikers, usually you will find those that tend to want to stop and observe things along the way. But then there is always that individual that seems to break out and wants to be ten steps ahead, setting the pace, pushing for the next rest stop, always out in front.

11:05 Well, that's the picture that we are given of our Lord. That once they got back into the way with a clear purpose of going up to Jerusalem, that our Lord was possessed with a tremendous sense of urgency. That as they now make their way to Jerusalem, it's as though intrusions will not be dealt with lightly. Anything that would deter him will not be welcomed.

11:36 He is on his way to Jerusalem. He is taking the lead. He is very aggressive in his very physical, physical posture. And then there would appear to be, and this is where we must read between the lines and then bring in the light of other scripture, there would not only appear to be something about his position with relationship to the rest of the group that struck them as unusual, but something about his overall bearing and demeanor in contrast with previous journeys.

12:17 There was an apparent absorption with his own thoughts. There was very clearly in the light of Luke 9 and verse 51 a set in his face that indicated determination and resolution. Notice how Luke describes it in Luke 9, 51. And it came to pass when the days were well nigh come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

The Prophetic Parallel: Jesus' Face Set Like Flint

12:55 And perhaps this is an allusion to something recorded 800 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 50. And will you turn please to that portion of the word of God. Here the servant of the Lord is speaking, and in verse 4 he says, Isaiah 50 and verse 4, The Lord God has given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. He wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as they that are taught. The Lord has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me.

14:07 Therefore have I not been confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. And in this great prophetic utterance of the servant of Jehovah, it is in a context in which he is facing the smiters, those who would pluck off the hair from his face, those who would spit upon him, and yet the servant of Jehovah says, confident that the Lord will help me, confident that I will not be confounded even in the face of my sufferings, therefore I have set my face like a flint. Now do you begin to see what may have caused the amazement and the fear? Remember what the disciples know. They know that Jerusalem is the seat of the open hostility to their master.

15:22 They may have remembered, though they did not spiritually perceive the significance of his words, they may have remembered the two previous concentrated intimations of his coming suffering. The two that are recorded in Mark 8.31 and Mark 9.31, and 32, it may well be that they at least remembered the content of his words, that he would suffer, that he would be killed, and that he would be raised from the dead on the third day.

15:59 And so with their present awareness that Jerusalem was the seat of opposition to their master, they see him moving into the way with a determination that puts him in a physical position contrary to the ordinary position in which they found him accessible, near to them, ready to hear their questions and interact with them. But now he goes out ahead of them. His step is resolute. Something about his countenance, about the set of his very face, to use the language of Isaiah, his face is set like flint.

16:41 His mind no doubt wrapped up in the coming ordeal and all that it would mean for him to lay down his life as a ransom for sinners. And in that context, as they behold the position of their Lord, as they see the indications of his being totally wrapped up and absorbed and preoccupied with his own thoughts, one group is amazing. And the other, or perhaps all of them, are filled with fear. They are amazed at what?

17:21 Amazed at knowing that Jerusalem means focused opposition, facing those committed to destroy him and to kill him. Nonetheless, as they move out into the way, he does not move. He does not move with slowness or reticence of step. But he moves out ahead of them.

17:48 He moves with resolution, with determination. He moves with an intensity of commitment that is written over the set of his jaw, the look of his eye, the bearing of his shoulders, as well as the firmness of his step. And this causes them amazement. They cannot figure out how one could go up to Jerusalem, such a place, with such resolution and determination.

18:19 And also they are filled with fear. For on the one hand, they are committed to follow him. They are committed to be with him. They are committed to hear the words of life from his lips.

The Prediction Repeated and Expanded: Details of Suffering and Resurrection

18:32 And yet they know that if they are with him, and opposition focuses upon him, it may well be that some of that will spill over and affect them. And so they are filled with fear and apprehension, not only in terms of what may await their Lord, but also what may also await them. So as the journey is resumed, Mark is careful to underscore that our Lord is going up to Jerusalem with resolution and determination, which exude from his entire being so evident to those around him that it causes both amazement and fear. Now then, note in the second place, having looked at what we are told about the journey resumed, now notice what we are told about the prediction repeated and expanded. The prediction repeated and expanded. And he took again the twelve.

19:42 He takes the twelve aside from the rest of that inner circle of followers, and began to tell them the things that were to happen unto him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge him, and shall kill him, and after three days he shall rise again. Now in these words we have what I have called a prediction both repeated and expanded. I say repeated because already in chapter 8 in verse 31 our Lord, it is said, began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Chapter 9 in verse 31. He taught his disciples and said unto them, The Son of Man is delivered

21:08 up into the hands of men and they shall kill him and when he is killed after three days he shall rise again. So our Lord now repeats what on two other occasions he had already told them but he not only repeats things he already told them, he greatly expands upon the details of the sufferings that await him. He tells them first of all that he will be delivered or betrayed into the hands of the Sanhedrin. When Mark tells us that the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes he knows that this is a reference to the highest ruling body in Israel. The formal description would be chief priests, scribes and elders as we saw in chapter 8. But this body of men under Greek and Roman rule constituted what we would say the supreme court in Israel. There was no higher court to which appeal could be made.

22:27 And here our Lord predicts that coming to Jerusalem he will be delivered or betrayed into the hands of the Sanhedrin. Secondly, he now prophesies that the Sanhedrin will pass a death sentence upon him. Look at the language. And they shall condemn him to death.

22:55 The Sanhedrin will arrive at the conclusion that death and death alone is the proper way to dispose of the Son of Man. But because under Roman rule they could not carry out the execution, he then says thirdly that they shall hand him over to the Gentiles which obviously refers to the Roman authorities. Now imagine how again this sounded upon the ears of these followers. The Jews who hated the usurping presence of the Romans and yet the ones who were most vocal in their opposition against these unclean Gentile dogs will enter into a cooperative effort with them in getting rid of the Son of Man. They shall hand him over to the Gentiles. Now having handed him over to the Gentiles, what will the Gentiles or the Roman authorities do? Do with him.

24:03 Well, our Lord says they will do four things to him. And the verbs again are very simple and straightforward. And they, that is the Romans, the Gentiles to whom he has been handed by the Sanhedrin, they shall mock him. They will commit the ultimate act of disdain.

24:28 When you want to show contempt and disdain for someone, what do you do? You mock them out. And it is said that they would mock him. And you remember how that mockery came to its shocking apex.

24:46 When dressed in the mock garb of a mock king, crowned with thorns, they fall down before him and pay him mock homage and call him King of the Jews. They shall mock him. They shall commit with reference to the Son of Man the ultimate act of disdain. And then it says they shall spit upon him.

25:18 The ultimate act of contempt. When a Jew wished to show his utter disdain and contempt for a Gentile, he would mention his name and then spit upon the ground having mentioned his name. And to our day, to spit in someone's face carries probably an almost parallel connotation of the ultimate act of contempt. They shall mock him.

25:53 Disdain. They shall spit upon him. The ultimate act of contempt. And then he says they shall scourge him.

26:04 The ultimate act of physical cruelty short of death. The Roman lictor will take his instrument of torture with its leather tongs and with its pieces of glass or metal tied into the leather straps and lay it upon his back and draw it once and twice and again and again until his back becomes one massive bleeding welt of torn and bruised flesh. They shall mock him. They shall spit upon him.

26:43 They shall scourge him and shall kill him. And here our Lord is not recorded as using the term crucify but under that setting of Roman execution in the posture of a common criminal they understood that it would be death by crucifixion. The ultimate act of utter rejection taken outside the city wall to the place of a skull and there crucified in the company of the outcast of society. But these he predicts these he says are the things that await me at Jerusalem. But then with equal certainty he predicts that which neither the Sanhedrin nor the Romans could either anticipate or blessed be God could they hinder and listen to the text and after three days he shall rise again. And after three days he shall rise again. It will appear when he is delivered over or betrayed into the hands of the Sanhedrin

The Disciples' Astonishing Lack of Understanding

28:11 and the Sanhedrin passes the sentence of death and having passed the sentence hands him over to the Romans and the Romans commit the ultimate acts of disdain contempt and cruelty and utter rejection it would appear as though man is in charge and the powers of evil have won the day. But our Lord says just as surely as these events shall come to pass at the hands of the Sanhedrin and the Roman executioners so surely after three days he shall rise again from the dead. Now Mark does not record what the response was to this repeated and expanded prophecy of what awaited their master at Jerusalem but one of the most astounding passages in all of the Bible is Luke chapter 18 in which Luke does record their response this is the parallel passage describing the same event Luke 18 31 and he took unto him the twelve and he said unto them behold we see we go up to Jerusalem and all the things that are written

29:40 through the prophets shall be accomplished unto the son of man and then we have the details given in verses 32 and 33 but now look at the amazing statement of verse 34 and they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them and they perceived not the things that were said you see we preachers the longer we live the less fastidious we are about repeating ourselves Luke would have had this composition rejected this part of it by his English composition teacher as redundant isn't it enough to say they understood none of these things they didn't understand they didn't perceive but Luke goes on to say this saying was hid from them they didn't understand they did not see it it was hid from them furthermore they perceived not the things that were said alright Luke we get the message yes he says I want you to get the message as plain and as clear as explicit as were the words of our Lord they had no understanding of these things rejection

31:08 by the Sanhedrin ultimate death and all of the treatment predicted at the hand of the Roman government this did not fit into their scheme of how their master would accomplish his mission they did not understand these things these saying or this saying was hid from them they did not perceive the things that were said yes they could hear the words if our Lord had said give them back to me they could have given them back by rote memory but they had no insight no perception as to how it all fit into God's scheme of saving their own immortal souls and establishing the kingdom of the one whom they loved and trusted and knew to be the Son of God and God's Messiah well that's what the passage teaches us we've considered what Mark sets before us of the journey resumed the prediction repeated and expanded now what are the vital lessons that we are to learn from this portion of the word of God well let me underscore what to my understanding is the heart of the whole passage it contains a vital lesson with reference to the person

Vital Lesson 1: Christ's Perfect Foreknowledge and Resolute Determination

32:36 and work of our Lord Jesus Christ a vital lesson with reference to the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ and that lesson breaks into two prongs first of all we see in this passage our Lord's perfect and infallible foreknowledge of his suffering death and resurrection we see in this passage our Lord's perfect and infallible foreknowledge of his suffering death and resurrection with his face set like a flint to the amazement and the fearfulness of his followers he draws the twelve aside and says to them with a totally unruffled spirit and absolute certainty these are the things that await me at Jerusalem this is what will happen to me at the hands of the Sanhedrin this is what will happen to me at the hands of the Gentiles and when they've done all that I've predicted on the third day I shall rise from the

34:06 dead and what lies before me is the resurrection therefore any suggestion that this suffering death and resurrection were an afterthought in the mind of God or in the mind of our Lord is nothing short of blasphemy any thought that our Lord was an unwilling victim overcome by the aggregate powers of the tremendous political and military might of Rome and somehow that combined force buried him in rejection and death I say such thought is tantamount to blasphemy no our Lord goes back into the way verse 32 going up to Jerusalem with death and resurrection and he goes with that perfect and infallible foreknowledge determined to subject himself to everything that he knows awaits him why that brings us to the second prong of the vital lesson with respect

35:34 to the person and work of our salvation we see his resolute determination to undergo all that was necessary for our salvation as the time approaches as he goes ahead to Jerusalem it's as though he is so thirsty so consumed with his people that he cannot even wait for the disciples to catch up with him on the road that goes down to Jerusalem he goes out before them something of the resolution so exuding from his face and his form brought his resolute determination that he should undergo all that was necessary for the salvation of his people yes Gethsemane still lies before him when in a way that is not revealed to us God

37:02 lets him taste in a way he never previously had the taste of the unleashed fury of God against the sins of his people there in Gethsemane the father pulls back the veil and allows him to see things he had never seen before in terms of what the actual experience of abandonment would mean what it actually tastes like but all that Gethsemane reveals is this that the set pace and the determined step that the disciples noticed on that road going up to Jerusalem that indeed there was holy and uncompromising resolution that was not my will but thine be done and when the hour comes for him to be apprehended and actually carried off to the Sanhedrin and from the Sanhedrin to the Roman authorities and they

38:31 come seeking him in the garden he says I am he and there is a prostrate before the incarnate God and then when they rise up whatever outshining of deity whatever outburst of majesty prostrated them is now tucked in and veiled in that humanity and he goes forth not against his will not overcome of his own eternal love for sinners determined to do whatever must be done that we might be saved without in any way staining the full majesty of God's holiness justice or truth and in this picture set before us this morning those about him amazed and fearful the expanded prediction of what awaits him God would have us to understand that our Lord was resolute our Lord was determined to undergo all that was

40:00 necessary for our salvation and what should that elicit from our hearts dear people of God but the admiration of such an unspeakably glorious reality that he was so committed to save the lives of me that nothing would deter him from that which was awaiting him at Jerusalem an old hymn writer used the phrase that has come to me again and again in my preparation by thirst for our salvation by thirst for our salvation there is a sense in which the joy set before him the writer to Hebrews tells us enabled him to endure all that he endured and what was the joy set before him bringing many sons to glory he saw you and he saw me and what we would be like when he brought us all home safe at last in the into his presence with every last stain of sin removed from our souls brought us home with resurrected bodies as the fruit of his own conquest of death and of the grave and when he

Vital Lesson 2: Imitating Christ's Spirit of Self-Denial

41:28 went back into the way having dealt with the rich young ruler having done some mopping up instruction it was that determination and that commitment for my salvation that caused his step to be so certain his jaw to be so set his mind to be so utterly wrapped up in all that awaited him what a lesson concerning our blessed Lord and how it should draw forth our admiration and our worship and our love the dear people of God it ought also to draw forth our imitation he that saith he abideth in him ought himself so to walk as he walked and you see the spirit of the Lord Jesus so beautifully reflected in the great apostle Paul and we will come to it God willing in our reading next Lord's day morning but in the providence of God I direct you to it this morning in Acts chapter 21 Paul committed to bear the name of Christ to the Gentile world in the course of that is assured by God from the outset and then repeatedly throughout his ministry only one thing he knows awaits him wherever he goes bonds and afflictions the prophecy is made

42:57 that if he goes to Jerusalem he shall receive the treatment his Lord received Acts 21 11 in coming to us and taking Paul's girdle he bound his own feet and hands and said thus saith the Holy Spirit so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles sound like familiar language Jerusalem Gentiles then Paul answered what do you weeping and breaking my heart for I'm ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus and when he would not be persuaded we cease saying the will of the Lord be done where did he get that spirit my friend he got that from his master he saw his master so thirsty for his salvation that he going before went up to Jerusalem there to be delivered to the hands of Gentiles there to be killed and in obedience to his commission someone now comes and says Paul if you go to Jerusalem and there bear witness to Christ you too shall receive the treatment your master received

44:25 and he says all the tears you could weep if they float me out of this place will not deter me for I am ready not only to be bound but to die for his name and dear people of God it's when the spirit of the cross by which we have been brought into life becomes the principle by which we live out all our lives it is then that the gospel begins to make conquests it is then that the sacrifice essential to see the gospel taken to the ends of the earth and people trampling underfoot personal ambition and personal reputation and personal goals parents will give up their children to the living God parents will plead that God will not only save them but so give them a vision for the need of lost souls that if they must go through the agony that some of our parents sitting right here know about of years of separation not to be present to hold the grandchildren not to be present to just sit down and have a chat over a cup of tea willing for that constant pain and irritation of this emergency situation which causes son and daughter to leave father and mother and go to strange lands

Vital Lesson 3: The Cross as the Acid Test of Our Religion

45:55 to learn strange languages to preach the gospel to strange people it's when we are baptized into the spirit that possessed our Lord on that road that day that we shall see the gospel triumph in our generation that's the great vital lesson of the passage that lesson with respect to the person and work of our Lord Jesus but then there is a vital lesson with reference to what I would call the acid test of our religion you see the acid test of our religion is always bound up in one word the cross the cross for our Lord the cross and the open tomb were central for the poor disciples at this point they had no place in their scheme of salvation how ever Messiah son of God and that they knew him to be and had already confessed him to be and they knew it by the revelation of the spirit whatever they knew him to be as Messiah and son of God there was no place in their scheme of messianic accomplishment for spitting for contempt for crucifixion for rejection for death no place for it ah but when the Lord

47:24 had actually died and risen from the dead and spent 40 days with them in post resurrection ministry and then sent his own spirit from the right hand of the father on the day of Pentecost who came among other things in his capacity as the great teacher what place did Christ crucified then have in their religion it held the beginning middle and end of their religion so that when they preach what was their preaching it was the preaching of the cross God forbid that I should glory save in the cross I was determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him as crucified we then are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we beseech you in Christ be reconciled to God why for he who knew no sin God made to be sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and you see after the Lord enlightened their minds and sent the Holy Spirit in his copious powerful presence on the day of Pentecost then the cross took its rightful place in their religion and it was not something that was just out there in the tangent position it wasn't halfway to the center morality and civility

48:53 and religious forms and ceremony and words and mumbo jumbo and sacraments these were not the central issues with the cross somewhere out here after our Lord accomplished the things he predicted the spirit of God was given to illuminate their minds and he himself taught them out of the scriptures for forty days subsequent to his resurrection and prior to his ascension then the cross was utterly central and only in the cross could they now see the solution to the great problem how can a holy God do anything other than damn sinners they said the answer is in the cross because in the cross he is both just in the punishment but he's justifier of him that believes in Jesus the sinner substitute in the cross they saw the resolution of how God can be utterly and unstained in his holiness and yet forgive and cleanse and pardon the unholy and the unclean and by his grace take them into fellowship with him now and into his presence forever in the cross their whole religion now had its existence and my friend by way of application I say to you this morning the acid test of your religion is this what place does the cross not as a gold

50:23 symbol hung around your neck not as a wooden symbol on the top of a building but the cross in terms of what Jesus talked about the cross in terms of rejection by men the cross in terms of bearing the wrath of God the cross followed by the resurrection the vindication of Christ claims and the validation of his work what place does the cross have in your religion my friend do you see that in the cross and in the cross alone God can be just and still forgive the sinner do you see that in the cross and in the cross alone God can turn away his wrath from you having vented it upon his own beloved son and let me ask you this for everyone who has a saving sight of the cross as the only way of his salvation that cross has also become the most powerful motive to live a holy life and a life well pleasing to God for through the power of that cross the apostle says we die to the world and the world to us and the faith that lays hold of the forgiveness provided in the cross is always the faith attended with a sight of the cross that makes

51:52 this world ugly and makes sin ugly and sin detestable and implants in the heart of everyone who's had a saving sight of the cross a hunger to be holy and to live for another world other than this one now my friend don't you play around with your conscience when I ask you the question what place does this cross have in your religion what place does it have in your religion if it is in central dead center as the only ground of your hope for mercy if it is in dead center in producing modus to holiness and to live for another is in where the bag you carry it in will go to hell with every other religion it may have the name of Jesus in it it may have the words faith and believe and trust and peace and happiness in it but if it hasn't done for you what we've described from the word of God it hasn't done enough friend and I beg you this morning I plead with you this morning go to that road going up to Jerusalem there behold the son of God

Call to Salvation and Radical Discipleship

53:21 breaking out of the pack of his followers with resolute step with face set like a flint because there was no other way to secure the salvation of sinners consistent with the righteousness and holiness of God but bless God he went that way and all that he said would happen happened and he has been raised from the dead and he sits at the right hand of the father and he lives this morning to make good every promise he ever made to sinners oh sinner go to him go to him go to him everything he said he would do for sinners and you who've gone to him and have gone to him a thousand times over go again and say Lord Jesus as I gaze upon you with your face set like a flint on your way up to Jerusalem there to face the ultimate in derision the ultimate in scorn the ultimate in suffering and rejection oh Lord Jesus that others may know you fill me with the spirit that animated your own

54:48 spirit by your own spirit Lord Jesus give me that resolution that I may know you and the power of your resurrection and the fellowship of your sufferings being made conformable unto your death oh Lord Jesus deliver me from my foot dragging religion deliver me Lord Jesus from my foot dragging give me the resolution to embrace the cross and all that it means in radical discipleship for my own progress in grace and for the progress of the gospel in this generation dear people of God this is what this church is all about if you're a visitor and wondering what are we all about this is what we're about and if God is going to keep his hand upon us for good it will be to the extent that the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ on his way up to Jerusalem is the spirit that possesses and animates and quickens and governs us as we lose our life for his sake and for the gospels let us pray oh our father what can we say when we

56:18 have even gazed but briefly upon our Lord Jesus Christ and his commitment to our salvation we confess ourselves to be such fickle unworthy sinners but we thank you that there was no fickleness in our savior and we would again rest the whole weight of our souls upon him and the perfection of his obedience obedience unto death even the death of the cross we pray for those who like the disciples had no place for a rejected immolated crucified Christ in their religion Lord open their eyes and draw them to Christ crucified and for your people who do joyfully confess that he alone is the object of their trust and the one in whom alone they look for salvation we pray that more of his spirit would be our portion that we would be delivered from all vacillation and all tentativeness in our determination to take up the cross and to follow him hear our cry seal your word to our hearts and to your name be praise and honor

57:47 and glory through Christ our Lord