SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years.
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible teaching ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, choir and church family.
SPEAKER_01: We are so grateful for the opportunity to worship the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And today we're going to uh take the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: As you know, we've been in a series where we've been walking uh from the life of Jesus when he was born at Christmas time, and we are moving towards the time of Easter.
SPEAKER_01: And so last week we saw that moment where Jesus was meeting with his disciples and he cast that vision for uh what we would be doing after he had accomplished salvation and went to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: So today we find them still in the upper room, and they are observing what we call the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: As you know, that actually was a uh Old Testament tradition after the Passover when they came out of the land of Egypt and they were observing the Passover, and so Jesus had pulled his disciples together, and we talked about this a couple of weeks ago in the in uh when he entered into the city on the back of that donkey, and they made preparations for all of that, that he's taking what they refer to as the Lord's Supper, but in that moment, Jesus steps into the Lord's Supper, into the Passover Supper, and he turns it into what we call the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: There he makes clear to his followers that he is the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world, that he is the Passover Lamb.
SPEAKER_01: He has told them that he is about to head to the cross, and then they observe the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: And so today we're going to take the Lord's Supper, we're going to observe this about the Lord's death and his sacrifice for us, and then in the sermon time, we will watch Jesus go to the cross and die in our place.
SPEAKER_01: And so, as we take the Lord's Supper, it's great to think about this as an intro point into going to the cross because Jesus literally says, This is my body which is broken for you.
SPEAKER_01: So let me show you from the Gospels where Jesus himself speaks into what we call the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: You'll see on the screens the scripture there, I think.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, um there we go.
SPEAKER_01: Matthew 26, the Bible says, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take and eat, this is my body.
SPEAKER_01: Then Jesus took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood that establishes the covenant.
SPEAKER_01: It is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
SPEAKER_01: And there Jesus affirms that what we are doing is representative of his death for us on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: But then Jesus says this, but I tell you, from this moment, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in my Father's kingdom with you.
SPEAKER_01: And there he is giving prophecy of his second coming and of eternity spent with him because of the impact of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: Now in 1 Corinthians 11, the scripture that we normally use when we're observing the Lord's Supper, this is the Apostle Paul reminding the church, the churches in Corinth, what the Lord's Supper is and how it works.
SPEAKER_01: And so Paul says, For I, Paul, received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.
SPEAKER_01: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it.
SPEAKER_01: And so here you get a connection between exactly what Jesus did and how the disciples went out and taught the church to do this, and we do today exactly as Paul instructed, following the instructions of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: On the night when Jesus was portrayed, betrayed, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, This is my body which is broken for you.
SPEAKER_01: Do this in remembrance of me.
SPEAKER_01: In the same manner, after supper, Jesus also took the cup and said, This cup is the new covenant established by my blood.
SPEAKER_01: Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
SPEAKER_01: For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
SPEAKER_01: And there Paul states clearly when we take the Lord's Supper, we are proclaiming the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the price for our sins.
SPEAKER_01: And of course, he died for our sins, and then he rose again, conquering death and sin to complete that gift of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus himself said, I'm not going to drink the wine again until we are in the new kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: And he gave that promise of eternity, and Paul reminds the churches in Corinth and us, as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are telling the world that we believe Jesus conquered death and sin, made a way of salvation, and he is coming back again.
SPEAKER_01: In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul also gives us some instruction on how to take the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: Apparently, in those days, it had gotten to a point where the Lord's Supper had become more of a celebration church event kind of a thing than it was in the heart of a moment of worship.
SPEAKER_01: And so Paul is trying to call them back to the heart of what the Lord's Supper means, and he gives this instruction.
SPEAKER_01: What he's also instructing us as believers, if we come to the Lord's Supper and we have given our lives to Christ and trusted him to save us, and yet we are coming with unconfessed sin in our lives because we are living in rebellion, then we are sinning and breaking the picture of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: So he says, so a man should examine himself in this way, in an examined way, in a way where you have allowed the Holy Spirit to cleanse what might be in your life and give you the freedom to be in the presence of the Lord and worship him freely.
SPEAKER_01: In this way, he should eat the bread and drink the cup.
SPEAKER_01: For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
SPEAKER_01: This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.
SPEAKER_01: If we properly are evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged.
SPEAKER_01: But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we may not be condemned with the world.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another, and then he gives some instructions about how we are doing this together as a body.
SPEAKER_01: So as we come to the Lord's Supper, we want to make sure that we're following that instruction because we've seen the seriousness that Jesus sets up the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: He teaches us that this is his body broken for us.
SPEAKER_01: He does it by preparing his disciples for his journey to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And now, as Paul says, we, when we absorb the Lord, observe the Lord's Supper, we are looking back to the cross of Jesus, but we are projecting forward to eternity.
SPEAKER_01: And so let me give you just a couple of thoughts.
SPEAKER_01: First of all, if you are visiting with us, if you've not accepted Christ as your Savior, we've tried to explain this is for believers, but we are so glad you're here to see this moment, to learn about it, and to hear about the faith that we have placed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: So we want you to worship along with us, to watch and see and listen and understand what's happening.
SPEAKER_01: If you are visiting with us, you're not a member of our church, but you are a follower of Christ and you've given your life to Him, we are more than comfortable with you taking the Lord's Supper today if you are comfortable in doing that.
SPEAKER_01: If you would rather wait till you get to your home church or whatever, that's fine as well.
SPEAKER_01: But worship along with us and walk through this moment with us, and at the end of the service, we will have an invitation.
SPEAKER_01: It will be an opportunity for you to trust Christ as your Savior and give your life to Him.
SPEAKER_01: So if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, this is an incredible day for you to see and hear what Jesus did for all of us and what he did for you as he died on the cross for us.
SPEAKER_01: Now, the next thing we'd like to do is make sure that we are taking this in an examined fashion, as Paul said.
SPEAKER_01: So in just a moment, I'm going to ask you to bow your heads, and here's what we're going to do.
SPEAKER_01: I'm just going to give you a couple of moments.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to give your life to the Holy Spirit, open up the doors of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: He already sees it all anyway.
SPEAKER_01: So just go ahead and say, listen, Lord, show me what might be in my life.
SPEAKER_01: What unconfessed sin?
SPEAKER_01: What issue do I have?
SPEAKER_01: What do you want to deal with?
SPEAKER_01: And we'll give you a moment just to deal with that.
SPEAKER_01: If it's a simple thing that God points out, listen to him and confess that sin to him.
SPEAKER_01: Call it sin what it is and give it to him and ask him to forgive you, and he will forgive that and cleanse it so that you can freely come and worship him in this moment.
SPEAKER_01: If it takes a little longer than that, maybe it's a life issue that you've been struggling with, but Jesus points it out.
SPEAKER_01: Just do this.
SPEAKER_01: Make a commitment in this moment to deal with it this afternoon or tonight.
SPEAKER_01: And just make that commitment to him, Lord, I know it's there.
SPEAKER_01: You've told me before, you've pointed it out today.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I promise here in this moment, I'm going to give that to you, and I'm going to deal with it with you as it comes.
SPEAKER_01: So what I'm going to do is just uh bow and start us in a little prayer, give you a few moments to pray that, and I will conclude that prayer time and we'll observe the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: So bow your heads with me.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we come now as your children.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, we give ourselves to you.
SPEAKER_01: We ask that you look into our lives and our hearts, that you speak into that.
SPEAKER_01: If there's anything that you see in our, each of our individual lives, if you'll just, as you do in love and in grace, point that out to us.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we want to give that to you in this moment.
SPEAKER_01: And we want to worship you freely for the salvation and the forgiveness that you have given us through the sacrifice of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you so much beyond what just mere words could ever say.
SPEAKER_01: We thank you that he loved us so much, he stepped out of heaven and he lived a sinless life.
SPEAKER_01: And then he voluntarily went to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: He chose to go out of grace and love for us.
SPEAKER_01: As your word says, and for the joy set before him, he endured the cross for us.
SPEAKER_01: And then he rose again, conquering death and sin.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you for your word that tells us and teaches us exactly how this works.
SPEAKER_01: We thank you for your word that encourages us and calls us to live and examine life and to surrender ourselves to you.
SPEAKER_01: And we thank you for your word that teaches us, like in 1 John, that if we are confess our sins, if we go into this examination time as Paul instructed, and we confess those sins to you, that you are faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
SPEAKER_01: As we observe the covenant that is represented in the cup today, it pictures the blood of Jesus and it reminds us that that covenant means that you have sealed every promise to us as your children in the blood of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And we stand on that covenant today and say thank you for salvation.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for forgiving us.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for the privilege of coming to your house, to your table with our brothers and sisters, and together worshiping you and saying thank you for Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we pray now you'll take great pleasure from seeing your children come to your house in your name and to your table to say thank you for Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: It is in his saving name we pray, and all God's people said, I'm gonna ask our deacons to come and to help us now as we serve the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: And I think Jacob will lead us in worship.
SPEAKER_02: Will you sing with me?
SPEAKER_01: As the Bible says, as the scripture says, as we have read.
SPEAKER_01: On the night in which he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread.
SPEAKER_01: He gave thanks and broke it.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, This is my body, which is broken for you.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you and we praise you.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for what Jesus did for us on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: We thank you for the worship that we're allowed to accomplish.
SPEAKER_01: Being in your presence to say thank you for what Jesus did for us.
SPEAKER_01: Well, we pray now as we read from the scripture that journey to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: I pray that the Lord's Supper, as we've observed it, will help us to do exactly what Jesus said.
SPEAKER_01: Remember.
SPEAKER_01: Remember what he went through.
SPEAKER_01: Remember how purposefully he went to the cross with a design and a plan there to take on our sin and pay the price for that.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to remember the beatings and the cross and the blood and how that represents the ugliness of our sin.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to remember the picture of Jesus and love and mercy on the cross taking our place.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, we pray as we prepare for next Sunday that we will not just see the cross, but we will see the empty tomb.
SPEAKER_01: That with the shed blood of Jesus, we see the power of the resurrection.
SPEAKER_01: With the covenant that is in his blood, the promises that he made to accomplish salvation, we pray we'll see the empty tomb and see the finished work of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: We pray on the cross we will see his mercy.
SPEAKER_01: And we pray at the empty tomb we will see his victory.
SPEAKER_01: And we pray these things in the loving, sacrificial name of Jesus and all God's people said.
SPEAKER_01: Well, today what I want to do is something a little bit different than I have normally done.
SPEAKER_01: Since we are walking this journey from Christmas to the cross, today what I'd like to do is I just want you to see in Scripture how Jesus went to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to see the description from the words of God.
SPEAKER_01: You know, movies depicted, shows depict it, and I think sometimes that's helpful because it helps us to see that this is more than just words on a page, the reality of that and what that means.
SPEAKER_01: But today what I want to do is just walk you through the sacrificial death of Jesus from God's word itself.
SPEAKER_01: Because it is the foundation of the gospel that we preach.
SPEAKER_01: When we observe the Lord's Supper, it is a picture of the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: It's what Jesus said.
SPEAKER_01: You are remembering his death and what he did for us on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: In every service, like just in a little while, I'll give an invitation.
SPEAKER_01: And when we give an invitation, we give the gospel the good news.
SPEAKER_01: And in that is this all of us are sinners, and all sin must be punished.
SPEAKER_01: But Jesus loved us so much that he stepped out of heaven and he went to the cross, and there he died in our place, so that he could take the full wrath and punishment of God for us as a substitute for our death.
SPEAKER_01: And then he rose again, conquering death and sin.
SPEAKER_01: You cannot preach the gospel without the explanation of the cross.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says there is no remission or payment of sin without the shedding of blood.
SPEAKER_01: And we speak of the cross, we call people to the cross, we point out the sacrificial death and love of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: But today we want to want to do is take some time from the Word of God and let's read and see how Scripture teaches us the truth of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: First, and I don't want you to have to turn to these scriptures.
SPEAKER_01: I have them on the screen, but I want you to follow with me as we unpack Jesus' journey to the cross here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: First, I want you to remember the fact that Jesus went to the cross willingly and intentionally on purpose.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus knew what he was doing, and he knew why he was going to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And in preparing for that moment, in John chapter 10, he tells his disciples this is why the Father loves me, because I, Jesus, am laying down my life so that I might take it up again.
SPEAKER_01: And then in verse 18, he makes it abundantly clear.
SPEAKER_01: No one, no one took Jesus' life from him.
SPEAKER_01: He says, fellas, when you see this unfold, what's about to happen, I lay it down on my own.
SPEAKER_01: I, Jesus, have the right to lay my life down, and I have the right to take it up again, and I have received this command from my Father.
SPEAKER_01: So as we see Jesus and his journey to the cross, and we see those moments, over and over, he will repeat the truth of this.
SPEAKER_01: He is going intentionally and willingly and on purpose to accomplish God's plan of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, as he starts to head to the cross and he gets in these moments, like in the Lord's Supper, upper room, and other times, he intentionally explains in a very specific way to his disciples exactly what is about to happen.
SPEAKER_01: In Matthew chapter 16, verse 21, he tells them specifically that he is going to die on the cross and be raised again on the third day.
SPEAKER_01: He reiterates that very specific and clear message on Matthew 17 in verses 22 and 23.
SPEAKER_01: And then again, Matthew records that Jesus says this to them and explicitly and clearly explains he's going to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: Show that next scripture, please.
SPEAKER_01: While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately, and he said to them on the way, listen, we are going up to Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_01: The Son of Man, which is Jesus' reference to him, it's an Old Testament prophecy of the Messiah that he pulls out trying to explain what he's doing.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Jesus to death.
SPEAKER_01: Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and he will be resurrected on the third day.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus does not back away from this, and he makes it clear what's about to happen.
SPEAKER_01: He wants them to understand as every one of these moments unfold that this is on purpose and this is the plan of God.
SPEAKER_01: He was so clear with his disciples in one of these moments, the Bible records that Peter got so agitated and angry that he rebuked Jesus for describing all of this.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus reaffirms again, repeatedly, he is going to Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_01: He is going to be prosecuted falsely.
SPEAKER_01: He is going to be beaten, mocked, and flogged.
SPEAKER_01: He will die on the cross, and then he will be raised again.
SPEAKER_01: Exactly what happens is what Jesus described.
SPEAKER_01: You know the story, they're in the upper room, they observe the Lord's Supper as we've just done.
SPEAKER_01: Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, he leaves, he betrays Jesus, he tells them where Jesus is going to be so that they can arrest him and begin this process.
SPEAKER_01: They go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and there in that moment, Jesus asks his disciples to watch and pray with him.
SPEAKER_01: He gets aside to pray, and there he prays, Father.
SPEAKER_01: In an incredible moment, I'm not sure all of us could ever fully understand.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus knowing exactly what would happen.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus having read in Isaiah where it is prophesied he will be beaten beyond recognition, that you couldn't even recognize him as the person of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He had read Psalm 22 that describes in great detail, long before crucifixion was ever hatched as a plan of discipline.
SPEAKER_01: It describes the medical process of dying on a cross.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus was so familiar with Psalm 22 that he actually quotes it from the cross.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, knowing what's going to happen, having already described it, he said, Father, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me.
SPEAKER_01: But not my will, but yours.
SPEAKER_01: After he's completed his prayer, Judas brings a group of men who have been commissioned by the Pharisees and the Sadducees to arrest Jesus, and they take him to a mock trial.
SPEAKER_01: And there in that trial, Jesus makes very clear lies there and what his purpose is.
SPEAKER_01: They have arrested him for heresy.
SPEAKER_01: They have arrested him for claiming that he is the Son of God, that he is the deity of Yahweh, that he is his son, and they are putting him on trial for that.
SPEAKER_01: And they have false witnesses and all of that.
SPEAKER_01: And then they look to Jesus, and the high priest stood before everyone and he questioned.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this is a very specific role that authority is given to the high priest to question someone in this moment.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus has taken their abuse, he's taken their challenges, he's taken the false witnesses, and he's not said anything in his defense.
SPEAKER_01: And so the high priest says, Don't you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?
SPEAKER_01: But he kept silent and he did not answer anything.
SPEAKER_01: And again the high priest questioned him, Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?
SPEAKER_01: And he puts Jesus square on the moment.
SPEAKER_01: Are you the Messiah?
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus without hesitation says, I am.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, I am because it speaks back to that moment that everyone would know where Moses stood in front of the burning bush.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, How are people supposed to believe me that you have sent me?
SPEAKER_01: And God from the bush in his presence tells Moses, you tell them, I am.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus states, I am.
SPEAKER_01: And all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power of God and coming with the clouds of heaven.
SPEAKER_01: And the high priest tore his robes and he hollers out to everyone, Why do we still need witnesses?
SPEAKER_01: He has just admitted, don't you hear his blasphemy?
SPEAKER_01: And he is convicted in their kangaroo court of blasphemy.
SPEAKER_01: Then what happens?
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is taken to the Roman leader, the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, because they don't have the authority to put Jesus to death themselves.
SPEAKER_01: And so they present him to Pilate, and Pilate says, I don't have anything to do with this.
SPEAKER_01: This is Jewish law, it's not me.
SPEAKER_01: He sends him to Herod, who is the trumped-up puppet ruler, who is a Jewish ruler, and he is the puppet of Rome, and he does whatever, and I don't have anything to do with it.
SPEAKER_01: He sends him back to Pilate.
SPEAKER_01: Pilate says, Look, I don't have anything to do with this.
SPEAKER_01: And then he gives them, as is the custom of the day, the opportunity to trade Jesus' life for another criminal.
SPEAKER_01: As a part of those Passover festivities, Rome would allow them to select one criminal.
SPEAKER_01: And they called for a man named Barabbas, who was a murderer, and who was a rebel.
SPEAKER_01: And they say, we would rather have Barabbas than Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus is then allowed, given back to the Roman, uh by the Romans, to the Jews, the leaders, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees to put him to the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And then the Bible tells us in the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, in an incredible way, for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And here's what that looks like.
SPEAKER_01: The soldiers at that point lead Jesus away into the courtyard in their headquarters.
SPEAKER_01: And they call the whole company together.
SPEAKER_01: They dress Jesus in a purple robe.
SPEAKER_01: They twisted together a crown of thorns and they put it on his head.
SPEAKER_01: Now these are not rose thorns.
SPEAKER_01: These are thorns as long as from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger.
SPEAKER_01: That's what those look like.
SPEAKER_01: They jammed that on his head and they began to salute him.
SPEAKER_01: Hail, King of the Jews.
SPEAKER_01: They kept hitting Jesus on the head with a reed, which is a mockery of worship, knowing the pain of those thorns in his head.
SPEAKER_01: One version in another one of the Gospels from Mark says that they would hit Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: They blindfold him in this process.
SPEAKER_01: They would hit him and they would say, Prophesy, who hit you now?
SPEAKER_01: They kept hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him.
SPEAKER_01: Getting down on their knees, they were in mockery, paying him homage.
SPEAKER_01: When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe.
SPEAKER_01: They put his clothes on him and they led him out to crucify him.
SPEAKER_01: After the beatings and the whippings and everything else, Jesus stumbling through the streets of Jerusalem to walk outside of the city.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says they forced a man coming in from the country who was passing by to carry Jesus' cross.
SPEAKER_01: He was Simon, a Serenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
SPEAKER_01: And they brought Jesus outside of the city to the place called Golgotha, which means skull place.
SPEAKER_01: They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, and he did not take it.
SPEAKER_01: Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each one would get.
SPEAKER_01: It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
SPEAKER_01: The inscription of the charge, the custom of the day was to nail somewhere on the cross, if there was a piece above his head, or on the side, if their cross piece did not go that high, they would nail on there the bill of particulars and the crimes for which they were being crucified.
SPEAKER_01: And Pilate, in a mockery of the Jews, had this inscription written.
SPEAKER_01: The charge written against him was the king of the Jews.
SPEAKER_01: They crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left.
SPEAKER_01: So the scripture was fulfilled that says, and he was counted among outlaws.
SPEAKER_01: Those who passed by were yelling insults at Jesus, shaking their heads and saying, Ha! The one who would demolish the sanctuary and build it in three days.
SPEAKER_01: And they're mocking his prophecy that if they killed him, he would be resurrected in three days.
SPEAKER_01: They screamed, save yourself by coming down from the cross.
SPEAKER_01: In the same way the chief priests with scribes were mocking Jesus to one another and saying, He saved others, he cannot save himself.
SPEAKER_01: Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down now from that cross so that we may see and believe.
SPEAKER_01: And even those who were crucified with Jesus were taunting him from their crosses.
SPEAKER_01: In the midst of all of this, the Bible records and makes clear that Jesus never wavered from his purpose on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: They record statements that Jesus called out hanging on the cross so that we would know that Jesus never wavered from his purpose there.
SPEAKER_01: Luke records when they nailed the nails through his wrists and his feet.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
SPEAKER_01: When the thieves mocking him on either side, and one of them says, Save us and take us off the cross, and the other one says, Hush, don't you know that we deserve to be here?
SPEAKER_01: But he does not.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus spoke to this man and he said, Today you will be with me in paradise.
SPEAKER_01: As the time on the cross progressed, and Jesus is beginning to deal with the sin and the weight on it, and his body is beginning to break under the pressure of all this.
SPEAKER_01: He cries out, It is finished.
SPEAKER_01: Because he was on the cross for a purpose.
SPEAKER_01: And then the Bible records that Jesus says this as well on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: As you continue to read, he says, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Now remember, Jesus made clear to his disciples, no one takes my life.
SPEAKER_01: I lay it down.
SPEAKER_01: And here on the cross, Jesus hollers out, and everyone who is listening hears him say, Father, I am now giving you my spirit.
SPEAKER_01: This week, during the week, just as an encouragement to you, each day on our social media, I will take just a couple of minutes and I'll unpack each of the seven things that are recorded that Jesus said from the cross as a devotional this week and to remind us of the cross of Jesus as we head towards the empty tomb.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible continues in Mark chapter 15, when it was noon, darkness came over the entire land until three in the afternoon.
SPEAKER_01: And at three, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloh, Elo, Lama Sabakfani, which is translated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
SPEAKER_01: You see, Jesus is now bearing the full weight of sin.
SPEAKER_01: Some of those standing there, they heard this and they said, Look, he's calling out for Elijah.
SPEAKER_01: Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, on a reed, and offered him a drink.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down.
SPEAKER_01: They're mocking him still.
SPEAKER_01: But Jesus let out a loud cry.
SPEAKER_01: Why is this recorded in the Gospels?
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus said, I lay down my life.
SPEAKER_01: He says, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, in a moment of strength, the physical strength, hollers out so everyone knows he is still alive.
SPEAKER_01: And then he gave his life for our sins.
SPEAKER_01: And he breathed his last.
SPEAKER_01: In that moment, the Bible records that over in the temple, the veil that separated the priests and the people from the presence of God, the Holy of Holies, God tore it from the top and ripped it all the way down.
SPEAKER_01: And this is probably one of the greatest testimonies ever recorded in history.
SPEAKER_01: When the centurion who was standing opposite of Jesus and saw the way, he breathed his last, he said, This man was really God's son.
SPEAKER_01: And how he watched Jesus never waver in his purpose.
SPEAKER_01: As he saw the hand of God move in the darkness and all of those things.
SPEAKER_01: As he is standing there in the presence of Jesus and he sees the grace for Jesus to ask, do not lay this at their feet, the ones who are doing this to me.
SPEAKER_01: Father, they don't understand the magnitude of what's happening.
SPEAKER_01: Forgive them.
SPEAKER_01: As he looked at a pre- at a thief who was hanging on the cross next to him, and he says, You will be with me in paradise.
SPEAKER_01: This centurion who had seen untold numbers of people die on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: He was an expert in watching death on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: He had never seen this.
SPEAKER_01: He said, This was God's son.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible records that this happened for you and for me.
SPEAKER_01: This was God's body, which is broken for us.
SPEAKER_01: I told you at the beginning of the service there would be an opportunity for you to give your life to Christ.
SPEAKER_01: When you come to give your life to Jesus, you are trusting the truth of what is recorded in Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: And you are asking for forgiveness of your sins that Jesus died for you.
SPEAKER_01: And you are making the testimony of this centurion, this man really was God's son.
SPEAKER_01: From the beginning of the church until today, this has always been our message.
SPEAKER_01: On the day of Pentecost, just a short time later, the Bible records in Acts chapter 2, verse 22, that very first message publicly preached at the temple, offering salvation and explaining the impact of what had happened.
SPEAKER_01: Peter in preaching the gospel preached the gospel the way we preach the gospel today.
SPEAKER_01: Men of Israel, listen to these words.
SPEAKER_01: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.
SPEAKER_01: No, they watched it happen.
SPEAKER_01: Though Jesus was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, he used useless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.
SPEAKER_01: And then God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Jesus to be held by it.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus hung on that cross.
SPEAKER_01: He endured that to pay the price for our sins.
SPEAKER_01: And as we'll study next week, he rose again, conquering death and sin to offer us salvation.
SPEAKER_01: As Peter preached, that is the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: That is the gospel that we preach.
SPEAKER_01: That is the gospel that we sing in our song services.
SPEAKER_01: That is the gospel that we observe as Jesus said we would do and as Paul called us to do.
SPEAKER_01: And it is the gospel that we offer today.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus loved you and he died for you on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: He rose again, conquering death and sin.
SPEAKER_01: If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, we want you to know from the Word of God what Jesus did for you.
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to ask you to bow your heads as we close.
SPEAKER_01: And just as we promised, we're going to give an invitation.
SPEAKER_01: It's an opportunity for you to place your faith and your life and your trust in what God's word prophesied and testified that Jesus did.
SPEAKER_01: You heard Peter say this was God's plan.
SPEAKER_01: He sent Jesus to the cross for you.
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, I want to invite you this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Recognize that he was the Son of God.
SPEAKER_01: Hear the witness of the centurion who stood at the foot of the cross and said, This was God's Son.
SPEAKER_01: Hear the message that Peter offers.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus died for you and then he rose again because the grave could not hold him.
SPEAKER_01: He conquered death and sin for you.
SPEAKER_01: If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, in a moment I'm going to pray.
SPEAKER_01: And God's people who have trusted in this very message, they're going to stand and sing this song in the words of this song, giving testimony that they believe and have trusted that Jesus died for them.
SPEAKER_01: And we want to invite you to give your life as well.
SPEAKER_01: If you're watching online or by television, right there where you are, you don't have to be here in this building to give your life to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: That centurion was standing at the foot of the cross.
SPEAKER_01: That thief was hanging on a cross next to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Right there where you are, you can give testimony.
SPEAKER_01: And you can surrender your life to Jesus, to the one who gave his life for you.
SPEAKER_01: You just recognize you're a sinner.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I'm sorry I've sinned.
SPEAKER_01: You take your life, everything you've been, you are, and you ever will be, and you give it all to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Friends, he'll do more with your life than you could ever imagine.
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to pray, God's people are going to sing.
SPEAKER_01: And if you need Jesus, we have pastors here at the head of these aisles.
SPEAKER_01: Someone, if you come down out of the balcony, they'll meet you there.
SPEAKER_01: Come and give your life to Jesus who died for you.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you for your word.
SPEAKER_01: It does not pull any punches.
SPEAKER_01: It does not cover up what you went through for us.
SPEAKER_01: We thank you for your word that teaches us that this was not some accident or some conspiracy by the Pharisees, but God planned it from the beginning, and Jesus purposefully and intentionally and willfully and powerfully went to the cross, took on our sin, paid the price for our sin, and then rose again, offering us salvation, conquering death and sin.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I pray that there's someone who doesn't know Christ.
SPEAKER_01: They've not trusted him.
SPEAKER_01: Through your word this morning, they will see how much Jesus loves them and give their life to him.
SPEAKER_01: This is our prayer.
SPEAKER_01: We prayed in the name of Jesus when all God's people said.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.