[review: The Old Rugged Cross]
     Good morning and welcome to another Berean Break.  My name is George Sinkie and I am encouraged that you are with us this morning.  I hope that you are here because you desire to know the word of God better.  I encourage you to open your Bible and check out the things that are taught on this program.  If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you, the address will be given at the end of the program.  As we begin this morning, let’s go to God in prayer,

We thank You dear God for this day in our lives.  We also thank You for this new week.  Help each of us to use the time You give us to do Your will.  As we hear the truth this morning on this program, may we obey your will with our lives.  In Jesus’ name we pray,  AMEN!!

     Last week we looked at the Old Rugged Cross from our angle.  This week I want us to reverse that angle and in a sense, “see” what Jesus saw.  It is sort of interesting that the Bible does not spend a lot of time looking at the suffering of Christ.  For the most part it just states the facts about what happened to Him, since we are humans as well, we know how much a crown of thorns being hit down on the head would hurt.  Or having nails driven through the hands and feet.  We understand as best we can without going through it ourselves what a scourging would feel like.  Now let’s look at some of the things that Jesus saw as He looked down from that Cross.
     Turn with me over to Matthew 27:35-36 and let’s read,

   35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots;
   36 and sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

     The solders had already made fun of Him, beat Him, and crucified Him.  Now they gamble over His few possessions and then they sit down to watch Him suffer and die.  These were calloused men, they had probably crucified many others and this was no different to them.  Another day another dollar, no biggie.  They were just indifferent to the whole thing.
     Sadly, almost two thousand years later there are still people like this.  They hear of the Cross of Christ and what Jesus did on the Cross that day — but it is no big deal.  The cross causes no change in their life.

     The Cross also reveals to us those who are forced to be there.  Look back just a couple of verses in Matthew 27:31-32

   31 And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
   32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

     Who was this Simon of Cyrene?  What did he know about Jesus?  How did he feel about Jesus?  Your guess, like mine, would be just that, a guess.  But we do know that he was “pressed into service” — that means he was forced to carry the cross.
     Unfortunately there are those today who are forced to the cross.  Mom and Dad make them go.  Or they do good things because they are “supposed to,” even though they don’t want to.  In order to please a “boyfriend or girlfriend” they “go to church.”  These type of people will ask things like, “how much do I have to give?” or “Do I have to attend the Sunday afternoon Bible Study?”  Now you don’t have to give anything and you don’t have to attend any of the assemblies — “have to” NO, but you should “want to.”

     A third type of people seen from the Cross are those who mocked the Lord.  Read with me now Matthew 27:39-41

   39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads,
   40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
   41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him...

     We have already mentioned some of the soldiers mocking of Christ as king, and in a way one might understand their ignorance of God’s will.  But these are the Jewish people and not just the people, but the religious leaders of the Jewish people.
     There are many that make fun of Jesus yet today.  In our world of political correctness it seems that the only things acceptable to make fun of are Christians and Godly morals.  There are those who mock His resurrection by wearing crosses with Christ still hanging on them.  Others mock His Kingship, by saying that His kingdom is yet to come.  Sad but truth mockers are still around the Cross of Christ.

     In addition to the indifferent and those who are forced to be there and those who mock the Cross, are those who are skeptics.  Matthew writes of these in Matthew 27:46-49

   46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
   47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
   48 And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
   49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”

     You see these people don’t necessarily deny the Cross, they just wanted more proof.  Jesus had spent the last three years giving proof, every lame that walked, every blind that saw, and every deaf that heard because of their encounter with Jesus was living proof.  And speaking of living proof, what about those were dead and then were brought back to life.  There were thousands who could witness to the multiplying of loaves and fishes.  Proof — there was more than enough proof, but these people wanted more.
     Skeptics are still around the Cross today.  They think God will give them some sign, that they will be moved by the Spirit.  They crow like chickens, bark like dogs, and roll around on the floor.  Some will jabber like babies and they will all claim it is proof from God.  These things are no proof from God, they are the rantings and ravings of skeptics of the Cross and what was done on the Cross that day so long ago on Calvary.

     Also looking down from the Cross, we would look into the face of fear.  When Jesus died, look at what Matthew records, Matthew 27:50-54

   50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
   51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split,
   52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
   53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
   54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

     Was this confession sincere and accepting of Jesus?  God alone knows for sure, but we know why it was made.  These men were scared, the Greek word means “to put to flight, to scare, or to frighten,” — from this word we get the idea of phobias.
     There are those today who come to the cross only because they fear God, not fear as in respect, but fear and in being terrified. They look at the Cross and see God’s wrath and nothing more.  They do not see God’s love.  They do not see God’s grace for man’s salvation.  Now don’t get me wrong — we need to fear God and fear being punished by God for our sin.  But we miss the point of the Cross if that is all we see.  If we come to the Cross and humble ourselves to the will of God then this type of fear will be gone.

     The final group of faces that the cross shows are those who continued to love Him.  Again in Matthew we see these, in Matthew 27:55-56

   55 And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him,
   56 among whom was Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

     While the majority in some way rejected the Cross, there were still the few that followed and were there for Jesus as best they could be.  This is still the response that God is looking for to the Cross.  Those who stay even though there are those shouting threats and mocking.  Those who endure the horrifying experience because they Love the Lord that much.

     Looking down from the Cross we can truly see a variety of responses to God and His gift.  There are however two other things that the Cross reveals that I would like for us to consider this morning.  The first of these is that the Cross shows the darkness and pain of Sin.  Let’s read again Matthew 27:45-46

   45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
   46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

     While Jesus gave up equality with God and His home with God, to become a man. Jesus did not give up His relationship with God.  God was always there for Him and with Him.  Here on the Cross, when Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all mankind — your sin and my sin — this was the first, and only, time that God and Jesus were separated.  At this point Jesus was dead in sin, just like we are, except that His death was not because of His sin but because of ours.  Jesus then died physically, in this spiritually dead condition.  He had to, that is what we deserved and He paid the price for our redemption.
     The final thing that the Cross shows is our faith.  Where do you place your faith, are you indifferent?  Or pressured into coming?  Perhaps you mock the Cross?  Or need more proof like the Skeptic?  Do you tremble with fear at the cross?  Or do you lovingly respond to the cross?  Paul said in Galatians 2:20

   20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

     Paul was crucified with Christ and lived this new life the same way every person ever has done it or ever will do it — he was baptized into Christ as he wrote about in Romans 6:3-4

   3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
   4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

     What does the Cross reveal about you?
[review: The Old Rugged Cross]