Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / The Fascinating Details of the Crucifixion of Christ | Mark 15:21-32 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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The Fascinating Details of the Crucifixion of Christ | Mark 15:21-32 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Indeed, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is our Messiah, and I am not
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  ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation
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  to everyone who believes, to the Jew 1st and then to the Greek.
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  Well, let us continue to relish and enjoy and wonder at this
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  Gospel as we come to the Gospel of Mark chapter 15.
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  And we will together at this time look at verse 21 down to
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  verse 32. We will begin to read this
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  immediately and see what the Lord has in store for us.
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  Mark 15 beginning in verse 21. And they compelled the passer
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  by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the
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  father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
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  And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which
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  means place of a skull. And they offered him wine mixed
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  with myrrh, but he did not take it.
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  And they crucified him and divided his garments among them,
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  casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
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  And it was the third hour when they crucified him, and the
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  inscription of the charge against them read The King of
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  the Jews. And with them they crucified 2
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  robbers, 1 on his right, and one on his left.
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  And those who pass by derided him, wagging their heads and
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  saying Aha. You who would destroy the temple
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  and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from
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  the cross. So also the chief.
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  Priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying He
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  saved others, he cannot save himself.
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  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the
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  cross, that we may see and believe.
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  Those who are crucified with Him also reviled Him.
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  But we ask that you would help us empower this time.
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  Change us. Let everything that is meant to
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  be said be said. Let things that you desire to
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  say be communicated clearly. We asked Lord again that the
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  only voice that we would hear would be yours.
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  And we trust that you will guide us at this time and your holy,
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  precious, sacred, eternal word in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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  I've entitled this message something I've entitled this
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  message the fascinating details of Jesus's crucifixion.
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  And the reason for that is because as we come to this
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  passage, you'll realize that it is layered with profound
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  insights. And this is not going to follow
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  typical format of a sermon with headings and points because I
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  quickly discovered that each of the verses that we touched on
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  are brimming with thought provoking and heart stirring
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  revelation. And so how we're going to
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  approach this is like how you would if you've ever been on a
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  tour. I remember when I toured Israel,
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  what we did with most, if not all of our days was go from one
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  site to the next. And that's what we're going to
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  do with these verses. We're just going to visit one
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  verse, look at all the beauty has to offer, meditate on it,
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  and then move on to the next post to do the same.
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  Now, I'll tell you ahead of time that we will most likely not
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  cover every single detail presented here, though we could.
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  Instead, here's my prayer that whatever we touch on today would
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  so move you and stir you that you would linger longer at
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  Calvary and then on your own time, you would seek to discover
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  things that we did not. Look at today, that's all we're
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  going to do. We're just going to hold each
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  other's hands and go from one verse to the next and trust that
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  God will speak to us every single.
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  Time. If you recall, Jesus was
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  mercilessly scourged prior to his crucifixion.
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  And if that weren't enough, if you were destined to a Roman
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  cross, you had to carry your own instrument of execution until
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  you arrive to the place of your hellish death.
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  And it was no different. For our Lord.
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  But you have to understand, with the pain of the flogging and the
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  exhaustion and the blood loss, it's not difficult to imagine
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  how this trek would have been extremely difficult for the
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  Lord. And that was realized by the
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  very ones who led him. And so with all the multitudes
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  that followed this despicable parade, there was one individual
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  who seemed to be randomly selected to come to the aid of
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  Christ. And we could have just been told
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  that a man helped him. He could have remained unnamed.
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  Yet for some reason we are given his identity.
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  Look at verse 21. And they compel the passer by,
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  Simon of Cyrene. Mark is not the only one who
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  tells us about this man. We know that also Matthew and
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  Luke mention him as well. And it's helpful to stop here
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  and ask a couple of questions. Question number one, what is a
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  man from Cyrene doing here at Jerusalem?
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  That question is important when you remember where Cyrene is and
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  we have the answer from the Bible of exactly where this man
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  came from. Now you remember that when the
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  120 were stuffed in that upper room waiting on the Lord for the
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  Father that pour out the promise of the Holy Spirit, it was
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  during the feast of Pentecost. And we're told there in Acts
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  chapter 2 that multitudes, multitudes of Jews from all
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  across the world made pilgrimage to Jerusalem to honor the feast.
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  And when the Holy Spirit poured out on those 120, it made an
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  impact and an effect on the whole neighborhood, the whole
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  city. They began to hear in their own
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  respective languages the praises and the honors of God.
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  And then the Holy Spirit mentions the different places
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  where these Jews came from. Let me read to you Acts chapter
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  2, verse 10, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts
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  of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome.
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  There it is. Cyrene is a part of Libya.
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  This man was a North African. And the same verse where we're
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  told that we're also informed that there are many people from
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  Cyrene. They're also why?
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  Because again, we had the Passover feast and a few weeks
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  later we had what, Pentecost. So they're they're honoring what
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  the law commanded of them. And so while this man is here,
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  we have to understand that he would walk in one way and leave
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  another. This would be the most unique
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  Passover that Simon ever experienced.
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  We have every reason to believe that this would be a turning
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  point for him, and not just him, but others.
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  And I'll tell you why we can make that conclusion because
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  Mark does something strange, something that you should have
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  noticed that he doesn't just mention Simon of Cyrene.
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  Mark tells us that he's the father of Alexander and Rufus
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  and he doesn't give explanation of who these two are, implying
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  that Mark expects his original readers to know exactly who
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  Alexander Rufus are. So in other words, when this
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  gospel and we've determined when we when we open up the Gospel
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  Mark together some time ago that it's very likely that Mark's
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  original audience were Gentiles, specifically Roman Gentiles.
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  So when this letter was distributed and given and read
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  and and shared at this part, when they came to this part of
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  this account and they read and they compelled a passerby of
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  Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father
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  of Alexander and Rufus, the audience, the immediate author
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  of that. Oh, Alexander and Rufus's dad
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  helped him carry the cross. You're saying why is this
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  important? Here's why it's important,
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  because the name Rufus only appears in one other place in
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  all of the Bible. What do you think it is, Romans?
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  Interesting, right? Who is Mark's original audience?
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  Gentiles who are most likely Romans.
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  So years later, Paul writes his epistle to the Christians in
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  Rome. And look at Romans 16 with me in
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  verse 13 as he lists different names in that chapter, greeting
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  them and see what name comes up there.
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  Romans 16, verse 13, greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord.
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  Don't you love that? Also his mother who has been a
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  mother to me as well. If this is the same Rufus that
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  is referenced in the Gospel of Mark, then we have an amazing
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  testimony before us. Here's the testimony.
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  Simon of Cyrene, the faithful Jew who came to the city of
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  Jerusalem to honor the Passover, was chosen to carry and help
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  carry Jesus. Cross.
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  And after that moment he became a believer in the one who
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  carried that cross. And not only the Simon and
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  Cyrene acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but his family came to
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  that same conclusion themselves. And evidently Alexander and
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  Rufus, the children of Simon of Cyrene, became well known
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  believers in the Church of Rome. Wouldn't you love to know how
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  that happened? I think one day we will, but for
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  now we can only speculate. What did Simon of Cyrene see as
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  he helped shoulder that cross? What did he hear?
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  And after that life changing experience, what did he say to
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  his wife who who became a spiritual mother to Paul?
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  By the way, what did he, what did he say to his sons about
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  what he experienced on that road to Golgotha?
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  We don't know. All we know is that it made an
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  impact. And what we have here also,
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  though the details are unclear, a very certain thing that Simon
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  carrying this cross for Jesus sake would have an impact and
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  would bless his family. And I want to say this, that the
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  same opportunity is granted to you and I, if you're willing to
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  answer the call of discipleship, which in the same Gospel account
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  we're told we are called to carry our own crosses.
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  And if you're willing to carry your own cross, it can touch
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  those that mean the most to you. I want to.
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  Specifically address my brothers in the house, husbands and
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  fathers, those who are heads of their households.
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  I want you to understand from a fellow brother who loves you and
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  prays for you all the time. Do not underestimate the impact
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  that your sacrificial walk with Christ can have and also the
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  impact that a lack of it can have on those that you care
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  about the most. I know many of the brothers in
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  this house. You are hard working men.
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  You are devoted men. You love your family well.
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  But here's my heart for you again.
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  Please hear my love for you, that I don't want you to be
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  known in your family as someone who just went to church once in
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  a while. I wanted to see a man who has a
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  supreme delight in Jesus over everything else.
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  I wanted to see a man who brings everything to God in prayer.
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  I wanted to see a man who is rich in wisdom, rich in counsel
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  because you're a wealthy in the Word.
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  I wanted to see a man who knows how to say sorry and ask for
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  forgiveness when they're wrong. I wanted to see a man who exudes
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  heavenly peace and joy because you have an eternal perspective.
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  I wanted to see a man who can love them stronger, better,
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  longer, because you experienced and you have tasted the
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  knowledge of Christ, love for you.
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  Men like Simon of Cyrene carry your cross and understand that
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  it can have generational blessings and He is right there
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  ready to energize you and animate you and empower you to
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  do that. So as you do what you need to
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  do, I know you're you're working maybe sometimes two jobs, maybe
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  long hours. You're exhausted.
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  You can barely offer anything else.
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  But understand what Christ your Lord said.
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  My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
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  He's willing to help you and He's willing to bless you and
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  bless those who are connected to you.
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  This is what we see here with Simon of Sirene.
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  This is no accident. This isn't just a random detail.
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  This is meant to show us that this man changed because of this
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  cross and his sons were willing to carry their own crosses.
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  Now let's read on. Simon help Jesus carry his
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  cross. But it came to a point where the
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  Lord needed to be helped more. Notice in verse 22.
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  And they brought him to the place called Golgotha.
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  They brought him. Compare that to verse 20.
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  Look how verse 20 begins. And they had mocked him, they
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  stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him,
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  and they led him. So went from the Roman soldiers
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  leading Jesus to doing what in verse 22 bringing.
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  Jesus, the strength of the Savior is waning.
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  It was a brutal, treacherous journey.
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  And so now it wasn't just Simon and Cyrene.
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  They had to in some way carry it and lift him up as well to this
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  place called Golgotha. Mark wants to tell us by the
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  Spirit the meaning of this Aramaic word, skull, place of
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  the skull. Now, if you are somebody who
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  reads the King James, the new King James, and you read this
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  part of the gospel from Luke's perspective, you're going to
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  find the word starts with the letter C.
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  What is it? Calvary.
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  Calvary, that is a word derived from the Latin calvarya, and it
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  means the same thing, skull. And the translators to the King
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  James were more familiar with the Latin, and so that's why
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  they did that. And you're saying, why are you
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  bringing this up? Because I want you to know what
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  you're singing and reading. I don't want any of us to ever
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  come to a point that we sing things or we read things and
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  commentaries or devotionals and we and we don't know what it
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  means. I'm here to tell you that
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  Calvary means skull and it's meant to tell you of the place
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  where Jesus died. So when we sing or when we read
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  something and the word Calvary comes because it's not something
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  that was just known in the Latin.
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  It was something that developed to be common in the English
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  speaking world for Christians at least.
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  We're singing, we're talking, we're studying about where Jesus
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  died, the physical location, Calvary.
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  But why was it called the place of the skull?
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  Some believe it's because it was a little hill and and depending
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  on the angle, that hill actually had the appearance of a skull.
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  Others would say it was just the name that it had as a reputation
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  because it became the designated regular spot for Rome's gruesome
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  executions. Those things are up for a
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  debate, but what's for certain is what the Bible says about the
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  geographical location of Jesus sacrifice.
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  Turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and let's
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  read a few verses together to see what the Spirit says about
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  where Jesus died. Hebrews 1310.
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  You have to remember that the author of Hebrews is speaking to
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  Jewish Christians, Jews who converted from the law to
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  accepting Messiah in Jesus, and they are experiencing the
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  temptation and the tension of returning to the Mosaic system,
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  the Mosaic law. And so the author of Hebrews
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  here is making a wonderful defense for the case of Christ
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  and how he's superior to everything, including the
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  Levitical system. And at this final part, he is
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  now giving final exhortations. And notice what he says.
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  We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no
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  right to eat. For the bodies of those animals
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  whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest
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  as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
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  So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify
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  the people through his own blood.
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  Now this is not just granted to us to satisfy our geographical
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  curiosity. This is given to us to draw a
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  spectacular gospel truth. We're told here that Jesus
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  suffered and died outside the gate, outside the city walls.
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  And he's reminding these Christians again, who have
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  sacrificed so much to put their faith in Christ.
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  They were rejected and denied from Jewish religious life and
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  social life. They were paying a high price to
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  follow Jesus Christ. But he wants to let them know
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  that as followers of this Jesus, they have access to something.
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  That others don't. Look at verse 10.
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  We have an altar. We have an altar with those who
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  serve the tent, which those who serve the tent have no right to
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  eat. So you have to remember that in
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  the Tabernacle. This is why it's so important to
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  study the Old Testament. Listen to me.
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  You cannot know the depths of the New Testament.
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  If you're lazy with the Old Testament, you cannot.
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  You'll be shallow in your understanding of God's Word,
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  especially in the New Testament. In the Old Testament with the
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  Tabernacle, the designated House of worship that later became the
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  temple, there was an altar that was called by God to be created
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  to be the instrument of making sacrifices, animal sacrifices,
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  and those sacrifices would serve to cover sins.
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  And so this language of altar was familiar to these readers.
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  And this author by the Spirit says, do you understand that in
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  the new covenant you also have an altar?
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  You have an altar saying, what kind of altar?
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  It's a spiritual altar. And more than just a spiritual
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  altar. It's a superior altar.
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  What is the altar? The sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
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  the Son of God who shed his blood.
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  That is your altar and mine. And he goes on to say that
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  unbelievers, including Christ denying Jews, have no access.
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  They cannot participate at that altar that you have access to.
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  You're saying, why is that? Because look at verse 11.
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  Now he reminds the Jewish Christians of the sacrificial
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  system. And he says for the bodies of
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  those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by
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  the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the
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  camp. See, this is you will not get
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  this if you skip Leviticus, you will not understand what he's
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  talking about. You just think he's being
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  poetic. No, he's pointing back to
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  instructions. And there are a variety of
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  sacrifices that were made and were instructed by God to give.
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  One of them was the sin offering.
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  And this is the illusion that he's making.
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  He's making an illusion back to a particular right, an
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  ordinance, this sin offering. And depending on the sin and who
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  sinned, the sin offering was unique in this way, that you
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  would put some of the bull on the altar and it would be
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  consumed. But in many cases you would have
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  to take the flesh of the bull and the pieces of the bull, and
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  you would have to leave the tent.
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  Leave. The walls and burn it outside
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  the camp. It was not fit for consumption.
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  There were other sacrifices that the priest, this was part of
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  their payment where they would make a sacrifice on behalf of
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  people or even large groups of people or leaders, and they
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  would eat of it. That was part of their
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  compensation. But the burnt offering, or
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  rather the sin offering in many cases was not fit to be eaten.
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  You were supposed to take it, go outside and let it be burned on
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  wood. Why?
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  It was a symbolic picture of sin being separated from the people
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  of God. That the tent and within the
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  walls we are holy. So anything that's sinful, take
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  it outside. So they could not benefit from
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  that sin offering when it came to consumption necessarily in
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  many cases. So what's his point?
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  He reminds him of that and then he comes back and he says here
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  in verse 12 in the in the same way the sin offering was
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  sacrificed outside, Jesus was sacrificed outside.
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  You're saying, what's his point? Here's his point.
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  Pay very close attention. This is what he's saying.
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  He's talking to these Hebrew Christians that are thinking
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  maybe we should just go back to the law.
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  And he says as long as you cling to the old covenant system that
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  prevents you from eating the sin offering that is made outside,
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  you are also excluded from benefiting from the sacrifice of
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  Jesus Christ, who was also sacrificed outside.
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  In other words, let me make it plain, he's telling these Hebrew
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  Christians, you got to make a choice.
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  Are you going to put your hope in the sufficient sacrifice of
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  Jesus Christ, which may call you, and it does call you to
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  turn your back on any other kind of sacrifice for your salvation?
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  Or are you going to back, go back to the law, embrace the
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  law, and in doing so, because Jesus was sacrificed outside,
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  your law prohibits you from benefiting from Christ who is
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  sacrificed outside. Let me make it relatable.
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  You have to make a choice. Everybody in this room.
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  Is salvation going to be by grace or by works?
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  Because you cannot, just like these original readers, you
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  cannot claim that you can receive the efficacy of Christ's
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  sacrifice, that it's sufficient, and then go eat at other altars.
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  It's either the altar of the Gospel or whatever altar your
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  choosing is. You can't have both.
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  That's what he's saying. So either take what Christ has
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  done and it will cost you. Yes, maybe some persecution and
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  denial and rejection, or you can go back to what you wanted.
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  But this tells you that you can't benefit from any sacrifice
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  outside the camp, including Jesus.
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  So you see how brilliant it is. You know, we're almost finished
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  marking some people saying, can we go to Hebrews next?
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  I'm thinking we're never going to get through it in a short
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  amount of time. If we ever go to Hebrews, we'll
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  be here for like 10 years. I think.
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  It's so deep. It's so deep.
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  You got to make a choice. Which altar will you worship at?
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  This is so powerful, so powerful.
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  But he doesn't even end there. Look at verse 13.
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  Now He makes it very practical. Therefore, let us go to Him
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  outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured.
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  So if a sacrifice was made outside the camp and it was
• 23:13
  deemed as unclean, rejected, denied, separate, join it.
• 23:26
  If Jesus was sacrificed outside the camp, discarded and rejected
• 23:29
  by others, let's then join Him. It's a privilege to have this
• 23:35
  level of loyalty to Him. And just as lepers and the
• 23:39
  unclean and the disease were expelled and had to remain
• 23:42
  outside, if following Christ means that we are treated the
• 23:46
  same, so be it. Let's go outside with Him.
• 23:53
  Let's consider the honor of bearing the reproach that he
• 23:56
  endured. So this is what the Spirit is
• 23:59
  telling these Christians, and it's no different for us.
• 24:02
  There is a high price to pay. Are we willing to be shunned to
• 24:07
  be associated with him? Are you willing to be scorned at
• 24:10
  by your friends? Are you willing to have to
• 24:11
  endure awkward Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners with your
• 24:15
  extended unbelieving family because they know you're one of
• 24:18
  those fanatical evangelicals? Bear the reproach.
• 24:24
  Join him. Go outside.
• 24:26
  Let them say whatever they want. Let them treat you however they
• 24:29
  want to treat you. And and the Bible is realistic.
• 24:35
  The Holy Spirit knows that it's a challenge for many of us.
• 24:37
  So he gives at least one encouragement for us to pack our
• 24:40
  bags and say if he went outside, let me go outside with him.
• 24:44
  Look at verse 14. For here we have no lasting.
• 24:47
  City, but we seek the city that is to come.
• 24:53
  In other words, the rejection that you fear, the property and
• 24:58
  the privileges that you worry about losing, all of that is
• 25:01
  temporary. You must take and make this
• 25:06
  decision with an eternal perspective.
• 25:09
  And the same one who suffered outside the walls of the city of
• 25:12
  Jerusalem will one day come again.
• 25:15
  To establish a new world and a new city, where he will rule and
• 25:18
  reign, and we who suffered with him will rule and reign with
• 25:22
  him. Look beyond this life, my
• 25:24
  friend. Look beyond the little aches and
• 25:27
  awkwardness of your temporary existence on this planet, my
• 25:30
  friend. And realize what's to come and
• 25:33
  realize the honor that Christ will grant you for the reproach
• 25:36
  that you're willing to receive on His behalf.
• 25:40
  Do you see how even the location of?
• 25:42
  Jesus death carries incredible insight and even application.
• 25:47
  He suffered outside on Golgotha. Let's go and suffer.
• 25:51
  Let's come back to Mark 15. It says there that they brought
• 25:56
  him to a place called Golgotha once they arrived.
• 26:00
  On Golgotha or Calvary it says here in verse 23.
• 26:04
  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh but he did not take
• 26:10
  it. What is myrrh?
• 26:15
  So at the station they had wine and it was infused with murmurs
• 26:20
  like a gum like resin. It's a substance that can be
• 26:23
  extracted from the bark of certain trees ahead of
• 26:25
  fragrance. They did possess medicinal and
• 26:29
  aromatic properties, but why was it being offered?
• 26:33
  And I think there's one verse that gives us a little bit of a
• 26:36
  clue. You don't have to turn there,
• 26:37
  but let me quote it to you. From Proverbs 31, verse 6, we're
• 26:41
  told there give strong drink to the one who is perishing.
• 26:48
  So that might be an insight that tells us that it was an ancient
• 26:51
  Jewish custom for the people to provide some kind of pain
• 26:56
  numbing narcotic to those who have been executed or planning
• 27:01
  to be executed to death. So this would be kind of like a
• 27:03
  deadening thing for the census to help these criminals embrace
• 27:09
  the pain that they were about to endure.
• 27:11
  And it could have been a custom that followed all the way up to
• 27:13
  Jesus day that was included even though the Romans were governing
• 27:17
  and supervising these affairs. And that makes sense because as
• 27:21
  Jesus is there ready to be nailed on the cross, He refuses
• 27:25
  this wine mixed with myrrh. Do you know why?
• 27:28
  Because he's a strong savior. Do you know why?
• 27:32
  Because as he was ready to drink the wrath of God, he wanted to
• 27:35
  be fully conscious of it. He would not numb himself.
• 27:38
  He wanted the entire experience and untainted sacrifice and Lamb
• 27:44
  of God. He denied it.
• 27:46
  He shunned it. He rejected it.
• 27:49
  Now what becomes even more moving is when you realize how
• 27:52
  many times myrrh appears in the Gospels.
• 27:55
  Do you realize that including this, what we find in Mark 15, a
• 27:58
  total of three times, only three times in all of the Gospel
• 28:03
  accounts are we told about myrrh.
• 28:06
  So let's go on a little trip, right?
• 28:07
  We're still on our tour, but we're going to take a little
• 28:08
  rabbit trail and come back. Myrrh is mentioned here, but
• 28:12
  myrh is also mentioned when Jesus was ready to be buried.
• 28:17
  Look at John 19 with me in your Bibles.
• 28:19
  Look at verse 39, John 1939. Nicodemus.
• 28:31
  Also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night came bringing a
• 28:37
  mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 lbs in weight.
• 28:45
  You know some people criticize Nicodemus for going out at
• 28:48
  night. I guess that you are trying to
• 28:52
  be discreet. But how discreet are you when
• 28:54
  you bring 75 lbs of ointment? You're not carrying that in your
• 28:58
  hands. You're hauling that in some way.
• 29:02
  So he's bringing all of this perfume, right?
• 29:05
  Including myrrh. Look at verse 40.
• 29:07
  So they took the body of Jesus and bounded in linen cloth with
• 29:11
  the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
• 29:17
  So now out of the the three references, we cover 2 with
• 29:20
  myrrh, the first one at the cross, the second one at his
• 29:23
  burial. So right here in terms of theme,
• 29:26
  in terms of connection, the mention of mirror is strictly
• 29:29
  associated with death, death and affliction and suffering, right?
• 29:35
  If it's there at the cross, if it's there at the tomb, that's
• 29:38
  what we're getting so far. But there's one more place.
• 29:41
  You know this. Very well.
• 29:42
  And as we come to the Christmas season, we'll be reminded not at
• 29:46
  the cross, not at the tomb, but shortly after his birth.
• 29:51
  So go to Matthew 2. This is the final reference of
• 29:54
  myrrh in the Gospels. These are when the wise men from
• 30:02
  the East came, these Gentiles who are looking for the king of
• 30:05
  the Jews. And notice what it says in
• 30:06
  Matthew 2, verse 11. And going into the house, they
• 30:12
  saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and
• 30:15
  worshipped him. Then opening their treasures,
• 30:18
  they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
• 30:21
  This is where we get a Christian myth.
• 30:24
  That there were 3 kings that came from the East.
• 30:26
  Because there are three gifts. We're not told how many of them
• 30:29
  came. They just came.
• 30:31
  It could have been a collective effort.
• 30:32
  There could have been thirty of them.
• 30:33
  There could have been much more. Remember when they came to
• 30:35
  Jerusalem, it was a scene. But they did bring 3 gifts,
• 30:40
  gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I I understand the value of gold
• 30:45
  and frankincense, but myrrh? OK, it's a perfume, but I
• 30:50
  believe it's more than that when you consider the Holy Spirit's
• 30:53
  authorship. I believe what these kings are
• 30:55
  doing, what these wise men are doing as they come, is that this
• 30:58
  was a foreshadowing of what was to become of this child, his
• 31:02
  destiny to be born so that he would die.
• 31:07
  If myrrh was used as a custom for the burial of the Jews,
• 31:10
  you're giving this to this child who came into this world for
• 31:12
  that very purpose, to suffer, die, be buried, and then raised.
• 31:19
  Now here's here's where it gets so exciting, because this is not
• 31:22
  the only time that the King of the Jews and the King of Kings
• 31:27
  will be offered gifts by Gentiles believing Gentiles.
• 31:31
  No, there is a prophecy granted to us about the same Jesus who
• 31:35
  in His second coming will come back not to die.
• 31:38
  He will come back to redeem, to restore, and to reign.
• 31:41
  And when He does, there will be another visit.
• 31:45
  There will be plenty of visits where people will come to offer
• 31:49
  their gifts to the same king. Can I show it to you?
• 31:55
  Go to Isaiah 60. I know it's a lot of scripture,
• 31:59
  but what else are we supposed to do at church?
• 32:02
  What else is a preacher supposed to do?
• 32:03
  And it's my prayer that you would leave here with the
• 32:06
  Scriptures burning in your hearts.
• 32:08
  Nothing else. The Scriptures, Isaiah chapter
• 32:15
  6. This is a prophecy that when the
• 32:17
  Lord returns and redeems the nation of Israel of what will
• 32:22
  take place. So this is speaking about a
• 32:25
  prophecy what will come to the Jewish people and their nation
• 32:29
  in the millennial reign. And notice what it reads in
• 32:31
  verse one just so we can understand the context.
• 32:33
  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord
• 32:39
  has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover
• 32:43
  the earth, and thick darkness the peoples.
• 32:46
  But the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen
• 32:49
  upon you, and nations shall come to your light, and kings to the
• 32:54
  brightness of your rising. So notice this distinguishing
• 32:57
  factor of what will take place in the headquarters of Jesus
• 33:00
  Kingdom, which will be Jerusalem.
• 33:02
  Sorry, it's not going to be New Jersey, Jerusalem, He's going to
• 33:09
  rule and reign from there. The glory of God is going to
• 33:11
  shine from there and it's going to be the attraction of the
• 33:14
  world, the glory of the Lord, and it's going to draw leaders
• 33:19
  and kings and politicians and different peoples from different
• 33:21
  places and as they come because they are drawn to this.
• 33:25
  Notice after these verses, you can read it on your own time,
• 33:27
  but I want to highlight verse six.
• 33:29
  Look at this specific detail. A multitude of camels shall
• 33:33
  cover you. The young camels of Midian and
• 33:36
  IFA, all those from Sheba, shall come.
• 33:39
  Pause, these are Gentiles, and notice what they will bring.
• 33:43
  They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring
• 33:48
  good. News, the praises of the Lord.
• 33:52
  They shall bring what gold and frankincense?
• 33:56
  Where's the myrrh? It's not there.
• 34:01
  Why is myrrh not mentioned? Because if myrrh signifies
• 34:05
  death, affliction, and suffering, it has no relevance
• 34:08
  at this point. Why does it have no relevance
• 34:11
  for King Jesus when he comes to ruling reign?
• 34:13
  Because he already suffered and died, that's why.
• 34:16
  Because Hebrews tells us that he came once for all with his
• 34:19
  sacrifice. And Hebrews tells us that he's
• 34:21
  going to come a second time, not to deal with sin, but to rescue
• 34:26
  those who are eagerly waiting for him.
• 34:29
  So myrrh doesn't matter anymore because Jesus fulfilled that
• 34:33
  part of his destiny. He died, He suffered, He was
• 34:36
  buried. Now here we are in the
• 34:37
  millennial reign, and the nations are coming once more,
• 34:40
  and they bring the gold and they bring the frankincense, but no
• 34:43
  myrrh. What do they replace the myrrh
• 34:45
  with? Read it again.
• 34:46
  They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring
• 34:48
  good news, the praises of the Lord.
• 34:50
  That's what they're going to bring.
• 34:52
  Do you see how brilliant the Bible is?
• 34:54
  You see how glorious it is? Do you see why we go from
• 34:56
  Scripture to Scripture? So they can burn on your hearts.
• 35:00
  And you can see the brilliance of the supernatural author in
• 35:05
  replacing of myrrh. There will be Mary, there will
• 35:09
  be praises, there will be honor, and we will rejoice in his
• 35:13
  sacrifice for eternity. We're still on our tour.
• 35:19
  Let's go to Mark 15 again. It says in verse 23.
• 35:25
  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take
• 35:27
  it. Verse 24 And they crucified Him.
• 35:37
  4 words that in hearing them demands our silence, demands are
• 35:45
  awe, our captivation, and our contemplation.
• 35:49
  And they crucified Him. How much more for those who
• 35:53
  stood there and witnessed it with their own eyes.
• 35:58
  What a sight Jesus Christ of Nazareth murdered, hanging.
• 36:08
  And not just hanging in pain, they shamed Him even more.
• 36:12
  How much more shame can you bestow upon somebody?
• 36:15
  Here's the shame, it says here in verse 24.
• 36:18
  And they crucified him and divided his garments among them,
• 36:20
  casting lots for them to decide what each should take.
• 36:26
  You would think that even if you had an ounce of dignity, that
• 36:31
  standing at the shadow of the foot of the cross would cause
• 36:34
  you to think with a little bit of respect.
• 36:39
  Instead, what do you find? You find Roman soldiers in that
• 36:41
  same shadow. Gambling.
• 36:47
  Maybe we've heard this enough where we come kind of numb to
• 36:49
  this narrative. Let's make it.
• 36:51
  This is a poor example. Can you imagine being at a
• 36:53
  funeral and the person there in the coffin is there and you see
• 36:56
  people gambling for their clothes and their possessions?
• 36:58
  Now, do you feel it a little bit?
• 37:01
  Being in the ICU with a loved 1? You see the nurses and doctors
• 37:04
  gambling for that person's possessions while they're dying.
• 37:06
  Now do you feel a little bit? Do you feel how gross this is?
• 37:10
  Do you see how appalling this is now?
• 37:13
  As much as we have loved ones and we hate to see them go, this
• 37:15
  is the perfect sinless Son of God, and you have Roman soldiers
• 37:19
  gambling for his outfit while he hangs there nearly naked.
• 37:25
  He was stripped of his clothes so that you can be clothed with
• 37:27
  his righteousness. And though this may seem like a
• 37:33
  detail meant to highlight the dark drama of this moment,
• 37:36
  actually sure serves to show us that yet another prophecy from
• 37:39
  hundreds of years ago was fulfilled.
• 37:43
  Psalm 22, one of the clearest unmistakable prophecies about
• 37:48
  Messiah, the suffering Messiah. You know these verses well, but
• 37:52
  let me quote them to you once again.
• 37:55
  Psalm 22, verse 16. For dogs encompass me.
• 38:01
  A company of evildoers encircles me.
• 38:05
  They have pierced my hands and feet.
• 38:08
  You understand how powerful this is 1000 years before Jesus died,
• 38:13
  hundreds of years before the crucifixion was even invented.
• 38:17
  David by the Holy Spirit perceives that the Messiah will
• 38:21
  be pierced in his hands and feet.
• 38:24
  You know, this has bothered rabbis and Jewish scholars so
• 38:28
  much who, who don't believe that Jesus the Messiah that they had
• 38:31
  done a number on this text to try to make it sound or be
• 38:35
  something else. But when you look at the
• 38:37
  original Hebrew, when you look at the Septuagint, when you look
• 38:40
  at some of the Masoretic texts, when you look at the original
• 38:42
  writings, what you'll discover is that you cannot deny this.
• 38:45
  This is talking about a piercing.
• 38:50
  They have pierced my hands and feet.
• 38:54
  I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me.
• 39:01
  They divide my garments among them.
• 39:04
  And for my clothing, they cast lots.
• 39:09
  There it is. How specific do you understand
• 39:13
  1000 years before it actually happened you get a play by play
• 39:17
  prophecy of what's taking place and what we're reading in Mark
• 39:20
  15. I I hope that still blows your
• 39:23
  mind to understand what we have in our hands.
• 39:27
  What else can be said of prophecy in this brief section
• 39:30
  so much we can discuss the timing of Christ's crucifixion
• 39:34
  back in Mark 15. Notice it says here in verse 25,
• 39:38
  it was the third hour when they crucified.
• 39:40
  This is not random. This is not just to say here
• 39:42
  here's an eyewitness account. I'm telling you what time it
• 39:45
  happened. There's a connection between the
• 39:46
  timing of Christ's sacrifice and the sacrifices in the Old
• 39:49
  Testament. We can look at and discuss how
• 39:52
  verse 27 fulfills Isaiah 53 verse 12, where we're told there
• 39:56
  in verse 27 what that he was. He was there in the middle
• 40:00
  between 2 robbers, 1 to his right and one to his left, and
• 40:02
  Isaiah 5312 tells us that he was numbered among the
• 40:05
  transgressions. We can look at verse 29, look at
• 40:09
  verse 29 again. It says and those who pass by
• 40:12
  derided and wagging their heads and saying aha, you would
• 40:15
  destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.
• 40:17
  Save yourself and come down from the cross.
• 40:20
  Jesus early in his ministry in John 2, you know this well.
• 40:22
  He predicted what would happen, that they would destroy this
• 40:26
  temple, my body, and I would raise it up.
• 40:29
  I would raise it up, and here's how these unbelieving Jews
• 40:33
  interpreted it. You're going to destroy that
• 40:35
  physical temple, that glorious temple, and you're going to
• 40:38
  rebuild it in a few days. And here they are mocking Christ
• 40:43
  for that supposed prediction, failing to realize that he's
• 40:46
  actually fulfilling it in their presence.
• 40:50
  That temple was being destroyed right before their eyes, and
• 40:54
  they were so blind, they were so caked with unbelief that they
• 40:57
  said he said He would do this. That's another prophecy being
• 41:01
  fulfilled. So how many prophecies can we
• 41:05
  deal with? So many of them.
• 41:07
  But I just want to come straight to the last few verses for our
• 41:09
  consideration. Look at verse 31.
• 41:19
  So also the chief. Priests with the scribes mocked
• 41:21
  him to one another, saying He saved others, he cannot save
• 41:26
  himself. Let the Christ, the King of
• 41:28
  Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and
• 41:31
  believe. Pause.
• 41:33
  Aren't you glad that he didn't take that up?
• 41:37
  Because if he did save himself, if he didn't want to prove
• 41:40
  himself, none of us would be saved.
• 41:43
  This is the humility of Jesus. Can you imagine having the power
• 41:48
  in the blink of an eye to get off that cross, to restore every
• 41:52
  wound that they inflicted upon you, and to look at them all in
• 41:55
  the face and say, Now what? How tempting would that have
• 41:59
  been? But what was he doing?
• 42:02
  He chose to still stay there, being heaped upon heap with all
• 42:06
  this scorn and mockery to save us.
• 42:12
  The last part is what I want you to see in our closing time.
• 42:16
  Those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him.
• 42:22
  The robbers, the thieves. How much venom do you have to
• 42:29
  have in your heart that as you are experiencing excruciating
• 42:34
  pain, as you are approaching death's door, as you're about to
• 42:37
  slip into eternity, instead of thinking like maybe I should get
• 42:41
  right with God with my final breaths.
• 42:43
  You use up the. Last energy, you have to join
• 42:47
  the enemies of Christ and mock Him.
• 42:52
  If there is, I mean, we talk about people who are beyond hope
• 42:55
  of being saved. This is top of the list.
• 43:00
  You're you're about to die, you're in your deathbed and
• 43:04
  you're mocking the innocent, sinless Messiah.
• 43:10
  And you know this very well, that something changes between
• 43:14
  the third hour, the 6th hour later, the 9th hour.
• 43:19
  We're ending here. So please turn with me to Luke
• 43:21
  23 if you'd like to see it with your own eyes.
• 43:24
  But we're very familiar with this, so allow me to just quote
• 43:27
  it. One of those.
• 43:30
  Thieves. Something happened to him.
• 43:32
  He, like Simon of Cyrene, he perceives something and he makes
• 43:38
  this strange, incredible confession and request, Jesus,
• 43:46
  Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom.
• 43:50
  Remember, he rebukes the other thief, and now he looks at the
• 43:54
  Lord and he says, Jesus, Remember Me when you come into
• 43:58
  your Kingdom. Do you understand how incredibly
• 44:02
  amazing that statement is? Because it's a statement of
• 44:04
  faith. What?
• 44:05
  What is Jesus? What's happening to him?
• 44:08
  He's dying. And yet this thief has the
• 44:12
  revelation and has the faith that the same Jesus who's dying
• 44:15
  will one day come with his Kingdom.
• 44:19
  He one day will come with his Kingdom, meaning he's going to
• 44:21
  be king. So the the thief.
• 44:22
  Understood this is not the final stage for Christ.
• 44:24
  This is not the end of the story.
• 44:26
  He understood He is the King. He is going to come with his
• 44:29
  Kingdom and I want to be a part of it.
• 44:32
  So Jesus, Please remember me when you come with your Kingdom.
• 44:41
  Now. Just moments ago he mocked them.
• 44:45
  He slapped them around verbally. He despised him.
• 44:50
  Now you would think that if you just experienced that in the
• 44:54
  most painful point of your life, that you would say something in
• 44:59
  response. You would remind that person of
• 45:01
  what they did to you before you continue the conversation.
• 45:04
  Christ doesn't address it at all.
• 45:05
  He bypasses it and He assures them by saying truly, I say to
• 45:09
  you today you will be with me in paradise.
• 45:11
  What kind of grace is that? That He doesn't even address the
• 45:16
  scorn. He sees past all of it and he
• 45:20
  sees the repentance, He sees the faith.
• 45:23
  And this is an example of how quick the Lord is to forgive us.
• 45:30
  Now, the Lord could have said, I will.
• 45:33
  I will keep you in mind in my Kingdom, but he doesn't say
• 45:39
  that. He declares an immediate
• 45:42
  enrollment into Paradise. Today you will be with me in
• 45:48
  paradise. But more than listen, more than
• 45:50
  a promised place in paradise, there are two important words
• 45:54
  that he adds with me. You see this?
• 45:59
  This man simply asked if he could be remembered.
• 46:03
  Christ takes it far beyond that. I'm not just going to keep you
• 46:07
  in mind. I'm going to bring you close to
• 46:09
  me. You might be thinking that
• 46:14
  sounds like a nice thought, and it's probably because this man
• 46:19
  needed those comforting words because he was fearful of death
• 46:22
  and scared of what was going to become of him in eternity.
• 46:26
  But I want to tell you today that when Jesus says you will be
• 46:29
  with me in paradise, it wasn't exclusive to this man.
• 46:32
  It's something that he has in mind for every single one of us
• 46:35
  who will believe with me. Listen to these words as Jesus
• 46:41
  is now speaking to his disciples, preparing for them by
• 46:45
  way of discourse for his departure into heaven.
• 46:48
  He he, he goes through John 141516.
• 46:51
  Then he ends up with a high priestly prayer in John 17.
• 46:54
  But don't turn there. Just please, please pay
• 46:56
  attention to these words as I read them to you.
• 46:57
  This is Jesus to his own. Disciples, and not just to his
• 47:00
  original disciples, the 12 apostles, but to all of us.
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  John 14, verse 2 Listen, listen, listen.
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  In my Father's house are many rooms.
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  If it were not, So what? I have not told you that I go to
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  prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
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  for you, I will come again and we'll take you.
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  Pause. How many of us would finish that
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  sentence? He's been talking about
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  preparing a place. Preparing a place.
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  I'm going to come take you. And you think what?
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  Take you to an ethereal destination?
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  Take you to a heavenly mansion? That's not what he says.
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  I will come again and we'll take you to myself.
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  That where I am, you may be also.
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  Heaven is not about a place, it's about a person.
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  Being saved is not. It's more than about escaping
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  eternal torment, it's about enjoying your Savior forever.
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  This is the essence of our faith.
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  First Corinthians 19 We are told that God is faithful by whom he
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  has called us into fellowship with His Son.
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  Fellowship with the Son of God. This is, this is the heart of
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  Jesus Christ, that when he was dying on that cross, the thief
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  beside him and all believers later who would trust in him,
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  that they would accept him so that they can be with him.
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  This is why we as Christians have liberty, as we witness and
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  as we testify that we have a personal relationship with our
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  God. That's the essence of salvation,
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  that we will be brought to Him, that we would be with Him.
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  So listen, you're not just say, then you have a number slapped
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  on you and you have some kind of slot in the Lamb's book of life,
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  and you're just a statistic in heaven.
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  He wants you to be with Him. Realize that that when you give
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  your final breath, and you will give it, as will I, you are
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  going to encounter a Savior who shed His blood so that you can
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  be with Him. That's what's awaiting you.
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  That's what's awaiting me. He's not going to be distant.
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  And then we have to go through all these appointments with
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  angels and seraphim and cherubim just to have an audience with
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  him. At one point in eternity he
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  purchased us so that we can stay with him and be with him and
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  enjoy him. This is your salvation.
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  This is this is the glorious gospel.
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  Our God loves us. You know, you have some people
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  go with extremes when it comes to presenting the gospel that
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  Jesus Christ died for the glory of the Father.
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  He did die for the glory of God, but he also died because He
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  loves us. He actually loves us.
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  He actually wants you to be with Him for eternity.
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  We're going to see this thief in heaven.
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  Undeserving. Sure.
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  Scandalous. You better believe it.
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  Welcome to Grace and the confidence that will he will
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  have as he is prepared to enter into that new world will be
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  because Jesus said it would happen.
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  And that's the same assurance that you and I have.
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  You put your faith in what Jesus said and listen here.
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  Here's the wonderful thing as we close, we're not just waiting to
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  have fellowship with him. I can have fellowship with him
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  now. What now?
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  And I was studying this late last night, not too late, but
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  into the night. And I just wanted to put my
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  stuff away because here's the thought that ran through my
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  mind. Lord, if you died for
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  fellowship, I want to fellowship with you.
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  Spend time with you, sit at your feet and meditate on your
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  beauty, your compassion. This is His love.
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  As there are other things that we could have discovered in this
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  passage, you better believe it. Go fellowship with Him in the
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  Word, and He will show you mighty and wonderful things.
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  But as our time concludes, I believe that we have enough to
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  think about and relish in. Shall we pray?
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  Let's pray. Well, what words can we put
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  together to communicate our hearts response to this truth?
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  Lord, if if fellowship with you is not real to anybody in this
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  place today, if the extent of someone's relationship with you
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  is just knowledge and moral codes, Lord, please open all of
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  our eyes to see the intimacy that you desire to have with
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  each of us. Help us believe that, Lord, help
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  us. Only your Holy Spirit can make
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  that real to us. We ask, Lord, that as we sing
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  that you'll be blessed. And we ask, Lord, in these final
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  moments of the service, that you'd give us a little sample of
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  the presence that we will know forever when you call us home.
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  Thank you, Lord, that as we're here serving you, you are in
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  heaven, preparing a place for us.
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  Thank you, Lord, that what awaits us is more than just
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  golden streets, glorious gates, even the reunion of loved ones
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  who also put their faith in you. We are promised to be with you,
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  to be with our Savior, and we will see the tokens of your love
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  in those pierced hands and those pierced feet and that pierced
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  side. And we know that forever and
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  ever we will remember the great price you paid for us to be with
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  you. Lord, if there's anybody here
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  who doesn't know you, may they realize your love for them.
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  We thank you for the cross. We thank You that you were
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  stripped so that we can be clothed.
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  We thank you that you thirst so that we would never thirst.
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  We thank you that you were isolated so that we would know
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  the warm face of God shining upon us.
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  We honor you today in Jesus name, Amen.
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  Let's stand, let's worship the Lord.
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  Are you somebody here who doesn't believe in what I just
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  preached? Are you visiting here today and
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  you have not put your trust in Jesus Christ?
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  I want to tell you today that everything can change for you,
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  just like it did for Simon of Cyrene.
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  He went into that place one way and he left another.
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  And I believe that the same destiny can be for you.
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  What you have to do is acknowledge what Christ has done
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  for you. Acknowledge that you're a
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  Sinner, that He's the Savior, and for this transaction from
• 54:39
  you going to be an enemy of God to a friend of God is by
• 54:43
  repenting and believing on Christ.
• 54:46
  Have you ever, ever, ever made a conscious decision to repent and
• 54:50
  believe on Jesus Christ? Why don't you make that decision
• 54:53
  today? Why can't today be the day where
• 54:56
  you become His own? Why can't today be the day where
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  you go home and you have the assurance and the peace as you
• 55:04
  lay your heavy head on that pillow, that you have peace with
• 55:07
  God? That can happen.
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  It's a free gift. You got an idea of the great
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  price that was paid on your behalf.
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  Will you reject it? Will you ignore it?
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  How can you? What about it?
• 55:27
  Would you reject it? Why, It's his love, God's love,
• 55:31
  your Creator, but not just your Creator, your Redeemer.
• 55:33
  Receive Him. At any point while we sing, you
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  can speak to this God. You don't have to go through any
• 55:40
  man. You can go straight to God in
• 55:42
  the name of Jesus Christ. And if you're sincere in your
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  heart, with your repentance and faith, you'll be saved and
• 55:50
  you'll know it. Let's sing.