WEBVTT 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:06.299 Dear God, we're so grateful that you did die 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:08.419 for us, for each one of us, to forgive us for 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:12.039 our sins. We're thankful for new life with a 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:15.179 young baby. We're thankful for all the young 00:00:15.179 --> 00:00:17.980 people we had for Children's Story and for the 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:20.140 energy and excitement that each one of us can 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:22.899 have as we recognize what you have done for us. 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:27.219 In your name we pray. Amen. There was a survey 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.140 that was done a little while ago. from the BBC, 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:35.640 the British Broadcasting Corporation, and they 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:37.780 were talking about several different religious 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:41.020 questions, different things, and one of the questions 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:43.320 that they asked different people, particularly 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.979 Christians, was, do you believe in the resurrection 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:49.219 of Jesus? Do you believe in the resurrection? 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:52.140 So this was in Britain, this was in England, 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:56.240 perhaps a little more secular society, but again, 00:00:56.299 --> 00:00:59.780 they were asking Christians, Do you believe in 00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:03.700 the resurrection? And the orange line right here 00:01:03.700 --> 00:01:06.420 where it says do not believe, the orange line 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:10.500 represents Christians. And if you can make out 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:14.480 that number at the bottom, it was about 25 % 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.959 or so said they did not believe in the resurrection. 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:24.359 25 % of Christians in a little bit more secular 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.519 society were claiming that they did not believe. 00:01:28.250 --> 00:01:32.310 in the resurrection. That's hard to imagine, 00:01:32.510 --> 00:01:35.829 hard to believe. And so let's turn over to 1 00:01:35.829 --> 00:01:39.590 Corinthians as we get started here, because I 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:42.129 think the Bible seems to make it pretty clear, 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:46.969 at least to me. 1 Corinthians 15, we'll start 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:52.609 in verse 1. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 1, it says, 00:01:52.689 --> 00:01:57.489 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel. 00:01:58.030 --> 00:02:00.370 which I preached to you. So this is Paul writing 00:02:00.370 --> 00:02:04.170 to Christians in Corinth. And he says, I declare 00:02:04.170 --> 00:02:06.909 to you the gospel which I preached to you, which 00:02:06.909 --> 00:02:10.050 you received and in which you stand. And then 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:13.169 verse 2, it says, by which you are also saved, 00:02:13.169 --> 00:02:16.289 if you hold fast that word which I preached to 00:02:16.289 --> 00:02:20.469 you. Verse 3, for I delivered to you, and then 00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:23.669 here's the message. First of all, that which 00:02:23.669 --> 00:02:27.189 I also received, that Christ... died for our 00:02:27.189 --> 00:02:30.849 sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was 00:02:30.849 --> 00:02:34.710 buried, and that he rose again the third day, 00:02:34.789 --> 00:02:37.389 according to the Scriptures, and that he was 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.449 seen by Cephas, by Peter, and by the twelve, 00:02:40.629 --> 00:02:44.389 and it goes on to talk about 500 people that 00:02:44.389 --> 00:02:48.870 Jesus appeared to. So it seems to me, in my estimation, 00:02:49.229 --> 00:02:53.289 that you cannot have Christianity if you don't 00:02:53.289 --> 00:02:56.270 believe in the resurrection. You can't have Christianity 00:02:56.270 --> 00:02:59.909 if you don't believe that Jesus died and that 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:03.349 he rose again. Those things are not really compatible 00:03:03.349 --> 00:03:06.909 to call yourself a Christian and then not believe 00:03:06.909 --> 00:03:10.889 in that preeminent doctrine, that preeminent 00:03:10.889 --> 00:03:14.669 belief that Jesus died for our sins and that 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:18.289 he rose again. And we could take the time today, 00:03:18.530 --> 00:03:21.870 there's lots of different ways to do it, to explore. 00:03:23.289 --> 00:03:25.569 reasons that we do believe in the resurrection, 00:03:26.009 --> 00:03:29.270 evidence for the resurrection, and so forth. 00:03:29.409 --> 00:03:32.349 But I think today, I want to take a little bit 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:36.490 different angle. So while we're still in 1 Corinthians, 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:40.810 let's turn back to chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:44.870 1. We're going to look at verse 18. 1 Corinthians 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:54.389 1, starting in verse 18. It says, is foolishness 00:03:54.389 --> 00:03:58.150 to those who are perishing, but to us who are 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:02.810 being saved, it is the power of God. It's foolishness 00:04:02.810 --> 00:04:05.129 if you don't believe in it. It's foolishness 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:10.110 to say you worship a God that died. That seems 00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:14.110 foolish to the Greek mind. But to those who are 00:04:14.110 --> 00:04:19.959 believing, it is this power for salvation. And 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:23.720 we'll skip down to a verse or two to verse 22 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.000 and following, which was our Scripture reading. 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:35.439 It says, We preach Christ crucified to the Jews 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.439 a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:43.540 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:48.019 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 00:04:49.180 --> 00:04:52.480 For some, this Christ crucified is foolishness. 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:55.040 For others, I can't believe that. I don't want 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:59.540 to believe that. But as we are instilled with 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:03.639 the Holy Spirit, and as we're surrendering ourselves 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:07.139 to the Word of God, it says that this Christ 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:11.240 crucified is the power and the wisdom of God. 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:13.660 And so that's what we want to look at today, 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:16.790 this story of the cross. But again, We want to 00:05:16.790 --> 00:05:20.569 look at it from some different angles. Maybe 00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:22.990 you remember back to when you were in school. 00:05:23.110 --> 00:05:25.509 Maybe some are still in different classes, taking 00:05:25.509 --> 00:05:27.649 school. But if you were perhaps in an English 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:32.009 class, maybe learning to write an article or 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:35.389 a journalism class or something like that, at 00:05:35.389 --> 00:05:38.449 some point you probably learned some questions 00:05:38.449 --> 00:05:41.529 that we ask of things to learn, some questions 00:05:41.529 --> 00:05:44.410 that we learn. There's typically five questions. 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:48.740 W. You familiar with some of these questions? 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.379 Just one word. What's one of these questions? 00:05:52.819 --> 00:06:00.180 Who? What? When? Where? Why? Thank you. Yeah, 00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:03.959 we sometimes add how, which is an H, so it's 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:06.540 a little bit of an oddball there. But these are 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:09.839 the questions that we ask of things, that we 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.220 ask of events, in order to learn. So if an event 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:18.220 happens, And maybe you would want to know what 00:06:18.220 --> 00:06:21.459 happened. You would ask some eyewitnesses. And 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:25.060 perhaps these eyewitnesses all saw the same story, 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.860 but maybe they were standing in a different place. 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:32.040 And so they would have a slightly different perspective. 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:36.000 It doesn't mean it's not true. It just means 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:38.819 it's a different perspective. And as you hear 00:06:38.819 --> 00:06:41.899 these testimonies, hear the fullness of this 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:45.329 picture, you can gain an understanding. of the 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:47.029 complete picture. So that's what we're going 00:06:47.029 --> 00:06:49.009 to do today. We're going to look at the story 00:06:49.009 --> 00:06:52.550 of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection, but 00:06:52.550 --> 00:06:55.829 we're going to use these questions as our eyewitnesses. 00:06:55.829 --> 00:06:58.490 So we're going to go over the story five different 00:06:58.490 --> 00:07:02.230 times, looking at these different questions. 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:04.829 So I just wanted to make sure you're clear on 00:07:04.829 --> 00:07:07.290 that. So if we go back to the beginning, don't 00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:09.490 think, oh, he's forgotten his place. What's he 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:12.389 doing? We're just looking at the next question. 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:16.240 So we're going to start. With where? This story 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.980 of the cross, where did it take place? Well, 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:23.139 the obvious answer is planet Earth, that big 00:07:23.139 --> 00:07:27.040 blue marble floating in the vastness of the universe. 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:32.079 And yet that planet became a battlefield, a proving 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.819 ground for this thing we sometimes refer to as 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:39.600 a conflict or as a great controversy, trying 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:44.790 to see which side of... This argument, God's 00:07:44.790 --> 00:07:48.490 side or Satan's side, is to be believed. So where 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:52.009 did this story take place? Planet Earth. But 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:54.889 to be a little more specific, the city of Jerusalem. 00:07:55.870 --> 00:08:00.350 A city that's still today adored and honored 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:03.310 by millions and millions and dare we say billions 00:08:03.310 --> 00:08:07.490 of people on this planet. From three of the world 00:08:07.490 --> 00:08:10.649 religions, the Jewish faith and the Muslim religion 00:08:10.649 --> 00:08:13.889 and of course the Christian. All look to this 00:08:13.889 --> 00:08:16.889 city as an important city. Where did this story 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:21.329 take place? On this dusty road, on this dusty 00:08:21.329 --> 00:08:24.610 town that sits on the top of a rocky mountain 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.569 spine? Where did this city take place? Where 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:31.949 did these events go? Well, as we continue in 00:08:31.949 --> 00:08:34.929 the story, we can go just outside the walls and 00:08:34.929 --> 00:08:38.730 perhaps could see a garden with olive trees. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:45.700 Flowers in bloom with fruit or vegetables even 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:48.620 beginning to grow in this garden outside the 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:51.980 city. Where did this story take place? Well, 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:55.580 maybe you see in your mind's eye a rocky rise. 00:08:55.860 --> 00:08:59.480 It almost looks like a skull. Golgotha, the place 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.559 of the skull, a place where criminals would go 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:06.379 to die. Where did this story take place? Well, 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:10.840 maybe there's another garden. Not far. but a 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.820 place where rich men go to be buried. So that's 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:18.000 some of the answers we could give for where. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:22.000 But another question we could look at is when. 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:27.899 When did this story take place? When did this 00:09:27.899 --> 00:09:30.919 event happen with Jesus on the cross and the 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:33.720 resurrection? Well, if we look at Scripture, 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:35.940 Scripture would tell us that it took place at 00:09:35.940 --> 00:09:38.899 the appointed time, that Jesus came in the fullness. 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:43.120 of the time. And if you look at Daniel, the prophet 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.340 Daniel tells us about a 70 -week prophecy, and 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:48.740 in the midst of that final week, in the midst 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:51.620 of that 70th week, the anointed one, Messiah, 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:56.960 would be cut off just as prophesied. When did 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.779 this event take place? Well, Exodus would tell 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:04.779 us that it was a day of remembrance, a day to 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:07.840 remember an event where God reached in and he 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:10.480 brought the people out of the bondage of slavery 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:15.100 in Egypt on a day called Passover. When did this 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:18.860 event take place? Well, it was a holiday. It 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:21.779 was the biggest holiday of the year. And just 00:10:21.779 --> 00:10:25.320 like we have holiday traffic there, the people 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:28.580 from around the nation and around the nations 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:31.919 would flock to Jerusalem in particular for this 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:35.299 Passover holiday. And so the streets would be 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.470 crowded as the crowds. pressed in. Some think 00:10:38.470 --> 00:10:41.090 maybe up to two million people would come to 00:10:41.090 --> 00:10:44.850 Jerusalem for this event, for this holiday, when 00:10:44.850 --> 00:10:48.730 this event took place. And we could say, then 00:10:48.730 --> 00:10:53.769 what? What happened in this story, in this event? 00:10:54.129 --> 00:10:57.529 And in our mind's eye, we could go to a road 00:10:57.529 --> 00:11:01.649 leading into Jerusalem. Oh, on a Sunday, and 00:11:01.649 --> 00:11:05.809 the crowd is waving palm branches, and they're 00:11:05.809 --> 00:11:09.259 singing Hosanna. to the son of David. Blessed 00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:12.019 is he who comes in the name of the Lord as they 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:15.259 see this teacher riding down the street on this 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:20.120 white horse, this white donkey. Is this the king? 00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:24.059 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:27.059 And during that week, the crowds gather around 00:11:27.059 --> 00:11:29.860 him as they see him chasing people out of the 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.759 temple. They hear him teaching messages of truth. 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:35.899 They hear him talking about signs of the times. 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:38.519 It's going to happen before Jesus comes again. 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:43.960 What happens in this story? We come to a Thursday 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:48.659 and we see this teacher, this Jesus. What happens? 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:51.059 Well, he brings these disciples into an upper 00:11:51.059 --> 00:11:57.279 room and he kneels down before them and he washes 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:01.100 their feet. He takes that role of a servant. 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:04.779 And in this upper room, they have spread before 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:08.659 them the elements of the Passover meal. And he 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:11.440 takes that meal and he says, this is my body, 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:15.019 which is broken for you. This is my blood, which 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:18.460 is poured out for you. What happens in this story? 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.940 Well, Jesus, he leads this group of disciples 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:24.759 and they go out of that upper room. They go out 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.600 of the gates of the city to a garden, not far 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.120 outside the city. I imagine they all have... 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:33.779 Clean feet at this point. And they go to this 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:38.879 garden with olive trees, with olive press, and 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:44.220 they sit and they pray. And they begin to get 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:48.159 sleepy. They begin to grow tired. As Jesus continues 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.580 to pray, but this group of followers, these disciples, 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:57.120 fall asleep in this event. What happens in this 00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:59.899 story? Well, you see the same garden, but now 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:02.019 there's a little bit of illumination because 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:05.000 there's a mob coming with torches or with lamps, 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:07.080 and they're coming out of the city, armed to 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:10.559 the teeth, looking for someone. And they say, 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:13.059 are you the one? And when Jesus says, I am he, 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.139 boom, something, the power of God. In John, it 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:21.840 says they're all knocked to the ground. What 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.779 happens in this story? Well, we see a Passover 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:29.340 crowd, this holiday crowd, just a few days before 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:33.179 they'd been saying Hosanna, shouting Hosanna 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:37.840 and worshiping, but now the cry has changed and 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:41.200 it's no longer Hosanna, but some of them at least 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.539 are lifting up a voice as a riotous murdering 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:49.519 mob saying crucify him, crucify him. What happens 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:52.179 in this story where there's a kangaroo court? 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:56.919 where an innocent man is guilty even though he 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:00.259 hasn't done anything wrong. An unfair death sentence 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:04.519 is poured out. And this man, what happens? Well, 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:08.399 he's stripped and he's beaten and he's tortured. 00:14:08.700 --> 00:14:11.419 And with a leather whip, they bring that down 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:13.460 on his back as hard as they can. And there's 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:17.330 leather and metal and bone. With that force, 00:14:17.429 --> 00:14:20.389 it snaps on his back and it tears that flesh 00:14:20.389 --> 00:14:23.009 and blood begins to come out and eventually you 00:14:23.009 --> 00:14:25.850 can even see the muscle visible through that 00:14:25.850 --> 00:14:31.090 torn flesh. What happens in this story? Well, 00:14:31.090 --> 00:14:35.649 that tortured man is led down a street, a Via 00:14:35.649 --> 00:14:38.429 Dolorosa, carrying a wooden cross on his back, 00:14:38.570 --> 00:14:42.269 stumbling and falling and supported. Somebody 00:14:42.269 --> 00:14:44.730 else takes up the cross and eventually they come. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:49.740 to that place of the skull. And he's laid down 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:54.100 upon that cross and a nail is driven into his 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:57.779 hand, nailing him to a tree. And what's happening 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:00.480 here? There's a Messiah. There's a man who's 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:04.580 now hanging and waiting to die, waiting to face 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:11.279 the very judgment of God. And what happens? Well, 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:16.009 God turns the light off. He makes the sky go 00:15:16.009 --> 00:15:19.110 black. He's sickened by the sight of this abuse. 00:15:19.830 --> 00:15:22.669 And there's lightning and there's thunder and 00:15:22.669 --> 00:15:25.350 the earth even shakes and an earthquake that 00:15:25.350 --> 00:15:28.190 shakes the very dead back to life. The temple 00:15:28.190 --> 00:15:34.490 veil is torn in two. What happens in this story? 00:15:35.690 --> 00:15:38.889 Well, that man on the cross dies and he's placed 00:15:38.889 --> 00:15:43.029 into a tomb and then there's a rest in the tomb. 00:15:43.629 --> 00:15:47.730 There's a silent Sabbath that takes place, and 00:15:47.730 --> 00:15:50.409 it reminds us that just because God is sometimes 00:15:50.409 --> 00:15:55.889 silent, it doesn't mean God is absent. God is 00:15:55.889 --> 00:15:58.470 still there, even in those challenging times. 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:01.110 And then that Sunday morning, there's an awakening, 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:03.929 there's a surprise, there's an earthquake, a 00:16:03.929 --> 00:16:08.590 stone is rolled away, and God is awakened from 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:13.080 that sleep of death so that He can return. back 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:15.779 to the glories of the Father in a while. Not 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:18.919 yet, but in a while. So those are just some of 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:21.639 the things that take place in this event that 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:26.139 answers the what. But then we could ask the next 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:29.799 question, why? Why did all these events happen? 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:33.480 Why did this take place? And we can see in Scripture 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:36.940 the story of a lamb that's slain from the foundation 00:16:36.940 --> 00:16:41.190 of the world. Why did this take place? We can 00:16:41.190 --> 00:16:44.090 see the story of a planet that is in rebellion 00:16:44.090 --> 00:16:48.409 because of a piece of forbidden fruit. We can 00:16:48.409 --> 00:16:52.529 see a broken commandment in a garden home. Why 00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:55.110 did this take place? Well, because this book 00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:59.870 has so many prophecies that talked about the 00:16:59.870 --> 00:17:02.549 lion of the tribe of Judah, that talked about 00:17:02.549 --> 00:17:05.690 the root of Jesse, that talked about one that 00:17:05.690 --> 00:17:08.099 would... that would be a leader like Moses, one 00:17:08.099 --> 00:17:11.039 that would be a victor like Joshua, and so many 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:15.240 others down through the pages that tell us that 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:18.920 someone is coming, or a suffering servant, and 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:22.079 by his wounds, by his stripes, we are healed. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.200 Why did this take place? Well, we see jealous 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:30.980 religious leaders who are unable to admit that 00:17:30.980 --> 00:17:33.819 they're wrong. And we see a God who loved us 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:36.730 enough that he didn't want to go throughout eternity 00:17:36.730 --> 00:17:41.730 existing without us. The Bible speaks of a victory 00:17:41.730 --> 00:17:45.690 over sin that has been won, a death that is defeated, 00:17:45.809 --> 00:17:49.390 and a Satan that is shackled. And so one more 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:53.269 question we could look at. Who? Who is involved 00:17:53.269 --> 00:17:55.930 in this story? Who are the characters that are 00:17:55.930 --> 00:17:59.230 engaged, that are participating in this event? 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:03.970 As we look at it again, we have a serving master. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:09.160 washing his servant's feet. We have a frustrated 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:13.200 disciple who's adding the weight of 30 silver 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:17.460 coins to his money bag. We later see that same 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:21.720 Judas trying to rid himself of the guilt by turning 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:24.920 to a tree and a rope instead of turning to the 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:31.140 man on the tree. We see a mob gathered in this 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.799 garden, a mob that's knocked down by the power. 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:37.019 of God's Word. Who are the characters of this 00:18:37.019 --> 00:18:41.079 story? Well, we see priests, Annas and Caiaphas, 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:45.160 those holy high priests who are involved in unholy 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:49.819 actions on this particular weekend. We see them 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:52.319 condemning an innocent man, selling out their 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:54.859 nation as they cry, we have no king, we have 00:18:54.859 --> 00:19:00.660 no king but Caesar. We see Peter, boastful, saying, 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.450 Jesus, I'm never going to leave you. Other people 00:19:03.450 --> 00:19:07.069 will, but I will never forsake you until we see 00:19:07.069 --> 00:19:10.490 this mob coming. And then we see Peter running 00:19:10.490 --> 00:19:14.970 away and following at a distance. He regains 00:19:14.970 --> 00:19:17.329 his confidence a little bit as he comes into 00:19:17.329 --> 00:19:20.950 the courtyard where Jesus is being tried until 00:19:20.950 --> 00:19:24.369 that young girl at first comes up to him and 00:19:24.369 --> 00:19:27.150 says, aren't you Jesus' friend? Aren't you one 00:19:27.150 --> 00:19:30.009 of his disciples? Whoa, no, I don't know the 00:19:30.009 --> 00:19:33.759 man. I don't know the man. And then with a vulgar, 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:37.400 a dirty mouth, no, I promise you, I do not know 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:43.440 this man. And then we hear a rooster crowing 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:47.319 in the distance and we see tears welling up in 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:50.619 Peter's eyes. And if we fast forward just a little 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.880 bit, we hear Jesus, a resurrected Jesus, reaching 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:57.140 out to Peter. And a little bit further, we hear 00:19:57.140 --> 00:20:00.099 Peter preaching with power, the power of one 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:05.089 who has been changed. by God. Who's involved 00:20:05.089 --> 00:20:07.910 in this story? Well, we see a governor named 00:20:07.910 --> 00:20:11.490 Pilate pressured by the priests, and we see him 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:14.650 wavering, unable to do what is right because 00:20:14.650 --> 00:20:17.690 of the inconvenience it may cause him, and we 00:20:17.690 --> 00:20:20.130 see him showing his lack of interest, his lack 00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:22.890 of care, as he asks the question and says, what 00:20:22.890 --> 00:20:26.369 is truth? Who's involved in this story? Well, 00:20:26.390 --> 00:20:29.750 we see a criminal named Barabbas. That name means 00:20:29.750 --> 00:20:33.630 son of the father. Son of a father. Aren't we 00:20:33.630 --> 00:20:37.349 all son of a father? But this Barabbas is a murderer, 00:20:37.569 --> 00:20:41.750 but really no worse than any of us. Because if 00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:44.470 you break one commandment, you're guilty of breaking 00:20:44.470 --> 00:20:48.069 them all. And we see Barabbas, the life spared 00:20:48.069 --> 00:20:51.609 by the death of the righteous one. And just as 00:20:51.609 --> 00:20:54.750 Jesus took his place, we recognize that Jesus 00:20:54.750 --> 00:20:59.910 takes our place. We see these soldiers. beating 00:20:59.910 --> 00:21:03.009 Jesus, mocking him. If you are a king, then you 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:05.430 need a crown. Well, here's a crown of thorns. 00:21:05.849 --> 00:21:08.970 If you're a king, you need a robe. Well, here's 00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:12.170 a robe. I'm sorry, it's red with your own blood. 00:21:12.450 --> 00:21:15.529 Well, if you're a king, you need a scepter. How 00:21:15.529 --> 00:21:19.130 about this iron nail to be placed in the palm 00:21:19.130 --> 00:21:22.829 of your hand as it nails you to the tree? Who's 00:21:22.829 --> 00:21:26.640 involved in this story? We see angels. who bow 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:29.980 their heads at the very name of Jesus, and they 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:33.200 cry out, holy, holy, holy. And we can almost 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.059 see the angels in shock as this crazy, evil, 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:41.700 wicked planet are harming their master, their 00:21:41.700 --> 00:21:44.920 creator, Jesus himself. We see these angels in 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:48.240 our mind's eye, ready to rise up and destroy 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:51.599 this weak human race who would dare to allow 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:55.779 sin to enter this world. We can almost see those 00:21:55.779 --> 00:22:00.519 angels anxiously waiting for that command to 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:04.619 be given to go and open up that tomb. And you 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:08.140 can see the angels roll that stone away. Do you 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.519 think the angels did that so Jesus could get 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:13.380 out? Or maybe they did that so the disciples 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:16.980 could get in. Because I don't think Jesus needed 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:19.920 that. They could see and realize, the disciples 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:22.740 could see and realize what had happened so that 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:27.119 we, can realize what had happened. And as we 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:30.420 understand this power of the cross, as we hear 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:33.720 this story again, we can talk about the story. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:37.480 We know this story so well, but we have to consider 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:41.160 what does this cross mean for me? It's an amazing 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:43.559 story. It's an incredible story of God's love, 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:48.460 but what power does this have for us? I want 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:51.440 to look at two verses, two things. The first 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:56.000 is in 1 Peter. chapter 2, verse 24. 1 Peter, 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:00.019 chapter 2, verse 24. And I love the phrases in 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:05.180 this chapter, or in this verse, as it just reiterates 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:08.859 over and over what this story is about. 1 Peter 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:14.799 2, 24. Who himself, Jesus himself, bore our sins 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.779 in his own body, on the tree. that we, having 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:23.440 died to sin, might live for righteousness by 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:27.319 whose stripes you were healed. This Jesus on 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:30.980 the cross, he bore my sins, he bore your sins. 00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:35.359 And so this cross is about forgiveness. It takes 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.140 care of the things that we have done in the past. 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:43.420 But the power of the cross doesn't stop in the 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:46.980 past. Because we can go to 1 Corinthians chapter 00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:53.460 5. 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 21. 1 Corinthians 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:57.339 5. It's actually 2 Corinthians 5, 21. 2 Corinthians 00:23:57.339 --> 00:24:03.440 5, 21. It says, For he made him who knew no sin 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:08.859 to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:15.819 of God in him. Jesus became sin so that we can 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:18.769 become the righteousness of God. And so the cross 00:24:18.769 --> 00:24:23.450 forgives sins and it changes the life. The power 00:24:23.450 --> 00:24:26.730 of the cross is the power to forgive and the 00:24:26.730 --> 00:24:31.130 power to change. That's what the cross is all 00:24:31.130 --> 00:24:33.609 about. And so we hear this story again. We're 00:24:33.609 --> 00:24:36.549 reminded of the power of the cross, but hearing 00:24:36.549 --> 00:24:40.990 is not enough because we recognize that we have 00:24:40.990 --> 00:24:43.569 fallen short. And so if we ask these same questions 00:24:43.569 --> 00:24:46.809 about ourself, sometimes the answer doesn't look 00:24:46.809 --> 00:24:51.009 so good. Because we could say, where is my life 00:24:51.009 --> 00:24:54.990 going? Where can I hide this sin in my life? 00:24:55.069 --> 00:24:58.609 Where can I hide this particular defect? Or I 00:24:58.609 --> 00:25:01.890 could ask of myself, when? When will this tragedy 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:05.130 be over? When will this trial that I'm going 00:25:05.130 --> 00:25:08.089 through pass? When can I find the peace that 00:25:08.089 --> 00:25:11.210 I'm looking for? And we can say, what? What's 00:25:11.210 --> 00:25:15.660 going on in my life? What have I done to deserve 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:20.119 this? What must I do to be saved? And we could 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:22.900 say, who? Who? Who would love me if they really 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:26.700 knew what I was like? And if we ask these questions 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:31.200 of ourself, we don't get good answers. Life looks 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:34.880 bleak. We don't like what we see. If we question 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:37.460 our own integrity, if we question our goodness, 00:25:37.619 --> 00:25:40.269 we are always going to fall short. of the glory 00:25:40.269 --> 00:25:42.910 of God. And so I think Jesus invites us to ask 00:25:42.910 --> 00:25:46.869 these questions one more time, but not of ourself, 00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:50.190 but to ask them and remember the power of the 00:25:50.190 --> 00:25:52.670 cross, remember the glory of the resurrection. 00:25:52.869 --> 00:25:57.549 So I could say, who? Myself? A sinner? Or I can 00:25:57.549 --> 00:26:02.269 say, who? Jesus, my Savior. Because the Bible 00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:06.230 says in Romans 6 .23, the wages of sin is death. 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:10.220 But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:13.059 Jesus our Lord. It's not about me. It's about 00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:16.559 my Savior. We can ask ourselves the question, 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:22.259 what? And we can see it's not about me, but it's 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:25.700 about Jesus' perfect life. As we just saw in 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:29.380 2 Corinthians, Jesus lived a perfect life and 00:26:29.380 --> 00:26:34.660 still died my death on the cross. We can say, 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:39.549 where? Where? Well, where does Jesus want to 00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:43.210 be? Jesus, in Revelation 3 .20, it says that 00:26:43.210 --> 00:26:46.210 Jesus stands at the door of our heart and he 00:26:46.210 --> 00:26:48.349 knocks on the door of our heart. And it says, 00:26:48.450 --> 00:26:51.309 behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone 00:26:51.309 --> 00:26:54.549 hears my voice and opens the door, I will come 00:26:54.549 --> 00:26:57.829 into him and dine with him and he with me. Jesus 00:26:57.829 --> 00:27:00.950 wants to live in your life. He wants to live 00:27:00.950 --> 00:27:04.269 in your heart. And we could ask the question, 00:27:04.309 --> 00:27:07.089 when? And we can answer that with several words. 00:27:07.529 --> 00:27:12.450 When? We could say yesterday. Because Jesus covered 00:27:12.450 --> 00:27:15.769 my sins. He died for my sins, for the things 00:27:15.769 --> 00:27:18.509 that I have done in the past. And we could say 00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:21.529 when? And we could say, well, today. Because 00:27:21.529 --> 00:27:25.730 Jesus wants to give me the strength to live for 00:27:25.730 --> 00:27:29.529 him today. And we could say when? And we can 00:27:29.529 --> 00:27:33.670 say tomorrow. Because the promise is that Jesus 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:38.000 is coming soon. Jesus promises to return for 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:41.099 each and every one of us. As it says in Revelation 00:27:41.099 --> 00:27:44.380 12, 11, it says, they overcame him, they overcame 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:47.700 the devil by the blood of the lamb and by the 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:51.180 word of their testimony. Jesus today picks us 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:55.799 up when we fall. Jesus gives us an answer for 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:59.299 our life today and a promise for our life tomorrow 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:02.640 as we trust in what Jesus has done. And I want 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:06.410 to look at just one more verse here. In 1 John 00:28:06.410 --> 00:28:12.009 chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. It's actually two 00:28:12.009 --> 00:28:13.710 verses, but they're right next to each other. 00:28:14.349 --> 00:28:21.210 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:25.769 11. It says, This is the testimony that God has 00:28:25.769 --> 00:28:30.369 given us eternal life, and this life is in His 00:28:30.369 --> 00:28:34.039 Son. That's about the easiest mathematical equation 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:37.460 that you can do. If you have the Son, you have 00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:40.220 life. That's what the equation tells us. He who 00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:42.900 has the Son has life. He who does not have the 00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:46.119 Son does not have life. And then if we look at 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:55.380 verse 13, notice what it says. It says, What's 00:28:55.380 --> 00:28:59.779 that word say there? That you may hope that you 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:03.769 have eternal life? That you may wish that you 00:29:03.769 --> 00:29:07.210 have eternal life? That you may have a plan to 00:29:07.210 --> 00:29:11.630 try to earn eternal life? No, it says that you 00:29:11.630 --> 00:29:15.630 may know that you have eternal life and that 00:29:15.630 --> 00:29:19.150 you may continue to believe in the name of the 00:29:19.150 --> 00:29:22.130 Son of God. And so as we ask all of these questions, 00:29:22.170 --> 00:29:26.230 as we focus on what Jesus has done, we can ask 00:29:26.230 --> 00:29:33.240 one more, why? Why? The simple answer is love. 00:29:33.380 --> 00:29:38.220 The Bible says over and over, God is love. But, 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.039 you know, little children like to ask questions, 00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:44.099 and if you give them an answer, sometimes they'll 00:29:44.099 --> 00:29:48.799 ask the same thing. Why? God is love. Why? Well, 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:53.359 because. Why? And that can be a never -ending 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:55.460 thing, but I think we have to leave it right 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:59.640 there. Because God is love. That most famous 00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:05.700 verse in Scripture says, For God so loved the 00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:08.819 world that He gave His only begotten Son that 00:30:08.819 --> 00:30:13.180 whoever believes in Him shall not perish but 00:30:13.180 --> 00:30:16.740 shall have everlasting life. The early church 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:19.180 had a saying. It's recorded in Scripture as well. 00:30:20.019 --> 00:30:22.619 But instead of saying hello, instead of saying 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:24.920 how are you, instead of greeting one another 00:30:24.920 --> 00:30:28.019 like that, the story says that they would... 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:30.480 greet each other in this way. They would say, 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:33.480 the Lord is risen. And then the response would 00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:37.859 be, he is risen indeed. Let's try that. The Lord 00:30:37.859 --> 00:30:41.440 is risen. He is risen indeed. Let's do that one 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:45.940 more time. The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:49.420 And so when we look at these questions, when 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:52.000 we look at the story from different angles, we 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:55.319 can be reminded that Jesus is risen, that he 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:58.480 is risen indeed. So let us never forget the glory 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.819 of the cross. Let us never forget the power of 00:31:01.819 --> 00:31:03.920 the resurrection. And let us always remember 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:07.619 that Jesus is coming again soon. Let's bow our 00:31:07.619 --> 00:31:10.099 heads for prayer. Dear God, we thank you so much 00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:12.400 for all that you have done for us. We thank you 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:14.680 for the story of the cross. We thank you for 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:18.460 an empty tomb. We thank you for the power that 00:31:18.460 --> 00:31:20.660 you give us and the promise of your soon return. 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:23.079 In your name we pray. Amen.