WEBVTT

00:00:10.020 --> 00:00:12.679
Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church

00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279
Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our

00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000
podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast

00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.879
you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll

00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.359
change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring

00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:28.500
message from our preaching team. Friends, grab

00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:30.500
a seat if you'd like. My name is Tim, I'm one

00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:35.270
of the pastors here. Tonight is a holy week.

00:00:35.350 --> 00:00:43.189
This week is a holy week. Let's pray together.

00:00:48.229 --> 00:00:51.710
Father, we worship you in the beauty of your

00:00:51.710 --> 00:00:55.570
holiness. We worship you for you are good. We

00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:58.469
worship you because you are the King of Kings

00:00:58.469 --> 00:01:01.810
and Lord of Lords. So we pray, Holy Spirit come.

00:01:02.559 --> 00:01:06.359
Come tonight come and speak come and speak your

00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:10.799
word that divides heart and spirit That comes

00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.579
and accomplishes your will I pray that you do

00:01:14.579 --> 00:01:19.439
this in the name of Jesus Amen When my son was

00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.379
born my life was forever changed I just turned

00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:26.099
25 when he was born and people say to you a lot

00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:28.180
of things when they know you're about to become

00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:31.719
a parent But nothing they say ever prepares you

00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:36.019
for the reality of that moment when he was born

00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:39.319
His mom needed a little bit of help So he's handed

00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:42.579
to me to clean and change and soothe and I really

00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:44.980
didn't know what I was doing I looked at his

00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:47.439
face and I knew that everything had to be different

00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:50.739
He was screaming and if I'm honest inside I was

00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:55.319
also screaming because becoming a parent is a

00:01:55.319 --> 00:02:01.390
kind of crisis a moment that you are forced to

00:02:01.390 --> 00:02:06.569
respond to. A moment that asks questions of you.

00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:12.330
How will I keep this thing alive? What kind of

00:02:12.330 --> 00:02:15.949
parent will I be? What kind of future can I give

00:02:15.949 --> 00:02:22.129
this child? Crisis aren't always bad. At its

00:02:22.129 --> 00:02:26.090
heart, a crisis is a moment of decision. What

00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:31.419
now? How will I respond? We have these kinds

00:02:31.419 --> 00:02:34.800
of crises in our lives where we're faced with

00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:40.080
a moment we must respond to. We might lose our

00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:43.240
job or lose a parent or a mentor or a friend.

00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.919
We may become a parent or get married. These

00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.259
kinds of crises happen in our lives and they

00:02:51.259 --> 00:02:56.719
ask us questions. What now? How will I respond?

00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.680
You know the cross of Jesus is a kind of crisis.

00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:11.020
Every year on Easter, this night, when Jesus

00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:14.439
is betrayed to this cross, tomorrow when Jesus

00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:18.039
will be lifted up onto this cross, every year

00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:21.759
at Easter we're confronted with the cross of

00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:26.020
Christ again. And as it did to the people who

00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:28.939
watched Jesus go to the cross 2000 years ago,

00:03:30.219 --> 00:03:35.000
so it still does for us today. The cross of Christ,

00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:39.340
it creates in us a moment of decision. It forces

00:03:39.340 --> 00:03:46.280
us to decide how we will respond. It asks questions

00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:51.039
of us. In fact, it asks one very specific question

00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:57.729
of us. Who is this Jesus really? This is the

00:03:57.729 --> 00:04:01.289
crisis of the cross. In the readings that Pastor

00:04:01.289 --> 00:04:04.810
Tex read, there are three kinds of people who

00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:09.550
look upon the crisis of the cross. And they have

00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:12.069
three different answers to this question. Who

00:04:12.069 --> 00:04:16.730
is Jesus really? Jesus has been so badly beaten

00:04:16.730 --> 00:04:20.149
that he can't even carry his own cross on the

00:04:20.149 --> 00:04:23.230
road to the place where he will die. And behind

00:04:23.230 --> 00:04:26.589
him, following him, is a large crowd where many

00:04:26.589 --> 00:04:29.589
women, women who look upon the cross that he

00:04:29.589 --> 00:04:35.310
was to die on, weep for him. They weep for him.

00:04:36.670 --> 00:04:38.850
But he turns to them and says, don't weep for

00:04:38.850 --> 00:04:42.509
me. Weep for yourselves and for your children

00:04:42.509 --> 00:04:46.949
that are to come. To them and as it is to many

00:04:46.949 --> 00:04:49.930
of Jesus followers, as he is let out to die,

00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:53.329
they look upon the cross and they see their hopes

00:04:53.329 --> 00:04:58.149
being let out to die. Many look to Jesus as the

00:04:58.149 --> 00:05:01.310
long awaited and prophesied Messiah, a warrior

00:05:01.310 --> 00:05:04.250
king who would overthrow foreign oppression and

00:05:04.250 --> 00:05:07.589
restore to their people peace and justice. They

00:05:07.589 --> 00:05:12.269
look to Jesus as the one who would save them.

00:05:12.730 --> 00:05:15.550
And when they look upon the cross, they look

00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:18.899
upon Jesus, they weep. Because what use is a

00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:22.899
dead warrior king? What can Jesus be in this

00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:27.459
moment but a false hope? Many who watch him on

00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:30.779
the walk to Golgotha, they see their hopes going

00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:34.220
to die. Others look upon the cross of Christ

00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:37.060
and they scoff with cynicism. They mock and they

00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:39.819
sneer him. They put a crown of thorns upon his

00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:44.000
head and hang him on the cross. And they say,

00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.410
if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.

00:05:49.810 --> 00:05:51.829
The crowds and the rulers they mock Jesus even

00:05:51.829 --> 00:05:54.689
one of the criminals who is hanging there with

00:05:54.689 --> 00:06:00.410
him mocks him. They look upon the cross of Christ

00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:03.990
and they see an imposter, a tall poppy cut down,

00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:07.610
a failure, a man who believed his own press,

00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:13.029
a dangerous myth laid bare. How after all can

00:06:13.129 --> 00:06:16.970
A man who claimed to be God's son die, just a

00:06:16.970 --> 00:06:20.370
man after all. So they sneer and they jeer and

00:06:20.370 --> 00:06:23.910
they glee as this imposter gets his just desserts.

00:06:25.569 --> 00:06:28.649
But one person sees all of this differently.

00:06:30.370 --> 00:06:33.189
These eyes are not the eyes of the rich, the

00:06:33.189 --> 00:06:36.269
rulers or the religious elite. The one who sees

00:06:36.269 --> 00:06:39.750
differently is a convicted criminal crucified

00:06:39.750 --> 00:06:43.490
with Jesus. when he looks at the cross of Christ,

00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:48.269
the crisis of the cross forces a response in

00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:53.009
him because he doesn't see a criminal. He sees

00:06:53.009 --> 00:06:57.290
a blameless man sentenced to die a death he does

00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:00.730
not deserve. He doesn't see a cross, a wooden

00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:03.490
instrument of death, instead he sees a throne.

00:07:04.509 --> 00:07:06.769
He does not see thorns on Jesus' head, instead

00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:10.069
he sees a crown. He does not see the walk to

00:07:10.069 --> 00:07:13.730
Golgotha as a death march but as a royal procession.

00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:16.730
He doesn't look upon someone who is busy trying

00:07:16.730 --> 00:07:19.529
to save himself. He looks upon one who is laying

00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:23.990
down his life in order to save them. To even

00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:28.310
save him. This crucified criminal looks upon

00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:32.350
the cross of Christ and he sees truly. He doesn't

00:07:32.350 --> 00:07:36.329
see Jesus impending death. He sees his coronation.

00:07:37.100 --> 00:07:42.980
the King of the universe. The irony is that everything

00:07:42.980 --> 00:07:45.600
they're weeping over him for, everything they're

00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:50.779
mocking him for is true. He is the one who will

00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:52.819
free them from oppression. He is the hope of

00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:56.540
salvation. He is the King of the Jews. He is

00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.480
the Messiah. He is the chosen one of God. He

00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.720
can save himself, but instead he is saving them.

00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:09.220
at his own ultimate personal cost. This criminal,

00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:13.180
he sees truly. He looks upon the cross of Jesus

00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:18.800
and he knows who Jesus is, who he really is.

00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:25.019
He's the King. He says to him, Jesus, remember

00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:29.540
me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus

00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:32.960
replies, I assure you today you will be with

00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:38.379
me in paradise. This criminal's request is not

00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:41.860
just granted. He gets something even better than

00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:44.879
what he asked for. It won't just be remembered.

00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:50.039
He will be with him, with this King in paradise

00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:54.799
today, this day. I wonder what the crisis of

00:08:54.799 --> 00:09:00.500
the cross creates for you. When you look upon

00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:04.779
it, when it asks you, who is this Jesus really?

00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:10.240
How do you answer? Do you see in the cross a

00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:14.559
false hope that has died? Like those who weep,

00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:17.840
do you see the unmet expectations you had of

00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:21.879
God? Do you see your own disappointment with

00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:26.299
God? Friends Easter comes to remind us to look

00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:30.419
again. to look again at the cross of Christ and

00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:34.659
to see the truth. Jesus will always surpass your

00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:39.080
expectations. Maybe when you look upon the cross

00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:41.919
of Christ, like the cynics, you just see a man,

00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:44.879
an imposter, a good guy with good teachings,

00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.759
whose followers took too far. Myth or man or

00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:51.840
both, but not a king, not the son of God, just

00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:57.980
a dead philosopher. Easter comes, friends. Look

00:09:57.980 --> 00:10:00.360
again. Look again at the cross of Christ and

00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:04.259
see the truth. Sunday is coming. Jesus will die,

00:10:04.299 --> 00:10:08.259
but God will raise him from the dead. Or maybe

00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:11.399
for you, you look at this cross and you're seeing

00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:16.139
it afresh or for the first time with the eyes

00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:21.340
of faith. You see Jesus for who he really is.

00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:23.980
The King who sits at the right hand of the God

00:10:23.980 --> 00:10:28.820
the Father. You know, crisis creates in us moments

00:10:28.820 --> 00:10:33.879
of decision, forces us to answer questions. What

00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:40.840
now? How will I respond? If Jesus is the King,

00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:45.700
if he is everything that he and we hope and more,

00:10:46.500 --> 00:10:50.399
if he is who he says he is, how will you respond?

00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:55.740
A King rules his kingdom. He's in charge, he's

00:10:55.740 --> 00:11:02.139
the boss. Does this king rule you? If he is who

00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:04.860
he says he is, if he is better than what you

00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:08.059
could ever hope for, I wonder, have you bowed

00:11:08.059 --> 00:11:12.120
the knee to this king? Does his kingdom, his

00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:15.659
rule and his reign flow into your life? Do you

00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:19.179
let him lead as a king must lead one of his people?

00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:23.340
Tonight, as we look upon the cross of Christ

00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:26.090
together, as we contemplate it, we think about

00:11:26.090 --> 00:11:30.490
it, as we sing about this cross, I wonder, how

00:11:30.490 --> 00:11:34.250
do you need to respond? Tonight I want to challenge

00:11:34.250 --> 00:11:39.210
you, I want to challenge you to look again, to

00:11:39.210 --> 00:11:43.090
look again with the eyes of faith, to behold

00:11:43.090 --> 00:11:47.970
the tree that held the King who created it, the

00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:50.950
King of the universe, our King, the King who

00:11:50.950 --> 00:11:54.440
has come into his kingdom. Look again. My friends,

00:11:54.440 --> 00:12:10.659
let's pray. Calm Holy Spirit. Calm Lord Jesus.

00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:16.080
Lord, I just pray that you would just make known

00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:20.080
to each of us the glory of your good news for

00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:24.190
us. That we would understand the cross not just

00:12:24.190 --> 00:12:29.690
at a head level, but at a heart level. That we

00:12:29.690 --> 00:12:32.090
would understand that what you did on that cross,

00:12:32.789 --> 00:12:37.509
you did it for us. Not other people, but us personally.

00:12:38.490 --> 00:12:41.529
That you love us, that you have given your life

00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:45.149
for us. I pray, Lord, that you would help us

00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:49.490
to know how to respond to this cross. To your

00:12:49.490 --> 00:12:53.419
finished work on this cross. that saves us by

00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:57.960
your grace, that covers over our sin, that leads

00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:03.820
us into life everlasting. Holy Spirit come, come

00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:09.220
in the name of Jesus. Thanks so much for tuning

00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:12.220
into this week's message. If you felt challenged

00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:14.899
or need prayer, we'd love to hear from you on

00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:18.340
Instagram at encounterhemley. Or if you're interested

00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:20.899
in how you can support this ministry, please

00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:25.059
go to our website encounteradelaide .com .au.

00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:27.960
Thanks again for listening. God bless you.