Well, please do sit down.
Before we start properly, I do want to thank Paul for his welcome.
Thank you all for your welcome.
And thank you for your prayers for us over the last few months.
We really appreciate it.
I know some kind offers of help as well.
So thank you.
Thank you very much.
It's nice to be back.
It's nice to stand up here in the new building for the first time.
It's even greater.
Better bring God's word to you.
Let's pray together again.
Almighty God, our Father, it is wonderful to sing these truths about the power of the cross.
Christ became sin for us.
Heavenly Father, we pray that you'd send your spirit now.
For flesh cannot discern the things of the spirit.
Help me to handle these unfathomable truths.
With reverence and awe.
And by the power of your spirit, help us to grasp afresh something of the magnitude of your love for us in Christ Jesus.
And the hideous nature of our sin and what it deserves.
For we ask it in the precious, powerful name of Jesus, your only Son.
Amen.
Many of you will know, and my wife can confirm this, and my children, I am not the most observant person in the world.
If there is a bird in the garden, I will be the last to see it.
And when it comes to things that I kind of see every day, I'm completely useless.
Does he wear glasses?
I have no idea.
What color is the wallpaper?
What color is our bedroom painted?
I don't know.
Is it Magnolia?
Probably.
That's what I wanted everything to be, because that makes my life simple.
I just don't recognize things that are in front of me.
And the danger, as we look at the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, is this is a story we know so well.
We're familiar with it.
If you've been a Christian for any length of time, or around church for any length of time,
you'll be aware of the doctrine of the atonement and what it meant.
And yet, it can be like wallpaper.
Paul, in writing to the Galatians, one of the earliest letters in the New Testament,
he says to them at the start of the chapter 3,
you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you'd be turning to another gospel which is no gospel?
It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
And so this morning, I hope that by God's grace, Jesus Christ will be publicly portrayed as crucified.
That he might grip our attention.
And that we might not turn to the various false gospels, the self-help, the freedom by following your desires,
and all the other nonsense that is around us in the world, and yet can seem so attractive,
and come back again to Christ and not be bewitched.
Well, I am a child of the 1970s, I'm pleased to admit to.
And that meant when I was learning to cross the road, I was helped by the Green Cross code man,
who very simply said, stop, look, listen.
And having done that, decide to respond safely in whether you cross the road or not.
So this morning, very simply, I want us to stop, to look, to listen,
and then to respond to what we have seen and heard.
So first of all, let's look, especially in verses 32 to 39,
as Matthew trains his camera on this scene,
and highlights particular things he wants us to see.
And what do we see as we look at this man stumbling out of Jerusalem,
with a cross beam of a cross on his back?
It's a scene of complete horror and humiliation, isn't it?
When we sit and look at it.
Complete horror and humiliation.
For a start, the very location of it.
He is outside the city, verse 32,
as they went out.
So they go out of the city.
This crucifixion is so horrible.
It has to take place out of the city.
It's beyond the pale.
You can't be part of society and be crucified.
In fact, the Romans would often have crucifixions in a very public place,
where people coming into a city could see it.
So they would learn the lesson from it.
And so here it is.
This man, Jesus,
is facing the most horrendous death of all.
Crucifixion, Cicero wrote,
should be farthest from the mind of the Roman citizen.
It is the lowest of the low.
No Roman citizen could be crucified
except with the express order of Caesar.
It was left for the slaves and the lowest in society.
Deliberately public example.
It's horrific.
But also look at the horror
and the humiliation of this sight.
As they went out,
they found a man of Cyrene named Simon by name.
They compelled him to carry his cross.
Why?
Because Jesus was so weak.
He'd been, after all,
he'd been up all night.
Been marched backwards and forwards through the city
for his trial.
In the previous scene,
we didn't look at.
He'd been flogged and mocked and beaten.
As he comes out of the city now,
there's blood from where the crown of thorns had been
on his head.
There's blood dripping from his back,
from his scourging.
It's a horrible sight.
And he is weak.
He's not like the James Bond action figure
who can come out of the destroyed building
and yet still be all guns blazing
and kill the enemy.
He has no strength left to carry his own cross.
It's pitiful.
It's humiliating.
And look closely at who do we see with him?
No one.
It's a horror and humiliation
of facing this dark hour on his own.
Paul read earlier on in our prayers
from Psalm 88
that darkness was his closest friend.
That was true for the Lord Jesus.
The previous night,
as he was arrested,
all his disciples disappeared
into the darkness.
Ashamed and scared,
they ran away.
It's now humiliated,
horrifically alone.
He comes out of the city.
As we go on,
verse 34,
they offered him wine to drink
mixed with gall.
But when he tasted it,
he would not drink it.
It's like the sufferer
in Psalm 69.
The humiliation of getting something
that should be comforting,
but is not.
It's a cruel,
mocking joke.
It wasn't something
to satisfy his thirst.
As the psalmist says
in Psalm 69,
I looked for pity,
but there was none.
For comforters,
but I found none.
They gave me poison
for my food,
and for my thirst,
they gave me sour wine
to drink.
It's humiliating, isn't it?
They mock him.
And there's the horror
and humiliation
of his powerlessness.
Verse 39,
when they crucified him,
they divided his garments
among them
by casting lots.
Now, if we lived
in the first century,
we'd know fine well
that to be crucified
would mean to hang there
naked, exposed,
humiliated.
And it's the powerlessness
of it, isn't it?
The soldier's just
playing dice for his clothes
as he hangs there,
humiliated above them.
And if you and I
were good first century Jews,
we'd see another level
of humiliation here.
For the law of God
stated very clearly,
Deuteronomy 21, 23,
that anyone who is hung
on a cross
is under the curse of God.
And see,
we see this man
who'd ridden into town
just a few days earlier,
being acclaimed
as a king,
coming in the name
of David
and the coming kingdom.
Yet here he is,
publicly,
horrifically,
humiliated,
in front of our very eyes,
under the curse of God.
And if we're sensitive
to what Matthew
is showing us,
we see it as the horror
and humiliation
of a king.
because that's the overall
picture here.
We would have seen it
in the previous scene
where the Roman soldiers
mocked him,
gave him a reed,
gave him a crown
of thorns,
dressed him in a purple robe
and mocked the idea
of him being king.
We see it in the sign
above his head,
verse 37.
This is Jesus,
the king of the Jews,
hanging between two robbers.
We see it most of all
in the expert way
Matthew sets up his camera
like a brilliant movie producer,
showing us scenes
which echo
and show signs of,
scenes from previous movies.
So Matthew highlights
what looks like Psalm 22,
which David starts
by saying,
my God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?
The very worst,
Jesus will cry out
in a few hours,
a few verses later.
He deliberately points
to the camera
so he can see
all that being echoed.
And the question behind it
is,
who is God's king?
Who is God's king?
Which kingdom rules here?
The kingdom of Pilate?
The kingdom of the world?
The kingdom
of the religious leaders?
Or the kingdom
of this humiliated,
horrific-looking man
rejected by God?
And of course,
the answer,
if we know Psalm 22,
is that what starts
with suffering
and humiliation
and rejection
ends in victory.
Psalm 22,
verse 28,
for kingship
belongs to the Lord
and he rules
over the nations.
This is the humiliation
of God's king.
And we should ask,
shouldn't we,
why is this happening?
We could give
all sorts of answers.
We could say
it's because of the envy
of the religious leaders.
And certainly,
that's something
Pilate had noticed
back in verse 18.
We could say
it's because
Pilate is a coward
and despite
declaring Jesus
to be innocent,
still gave in
because he feared a riot.
And there might be
some truth in that,
verse 24.
But Matthew,
the gospel writer,
wants us to see
another truth,
a deeper,
more profound mystery.
This is happening
because the night before,
Jesus had knelt
in Gethsemane.
Chapter 26,
verse 39,
and prayed,
my father,
if it be possible,
let this cup,
this suffering,
this horrific humiliation
pass from me.
Nevertheless,
not as I will,
but what you will.
That cup,
that horrific humiliation
was God's right anger,
right punishment,
his settled personal hostility
against all this evil
in the world,
against all our sin,
all our self-centeredness,
all the ways we swallow
Satan's lie that says,
God is not good.
God doesn't really love you.
All our gossip,
all our comparing ourselves
to other people,
all our self-satisfaction,
all our little selfish moments
and bitter thoughts
and angry resentments,
all our shame,
all our secrets.
And Jesus,
the Holy One,
understood better than any of us
ever could
what it meant
to take the Father's wrath
against all that.
And yet still,
that previous night,
he renewed his commitment
to come and suffer
in the place of people
like you and I.
Of course,
that commitment
was older than just
the previous evening.
It was a commitment
he'd renewed
every day of his life
from the cradle
in Bethlehem
to a dying breath
on Calvary
as he committed himself
to go the Father's way.
It was a commitment
that was born
in his very name,
the name the angels
had given him
before he was born
as a child.
For his name is Jesus,
that he will save his people
from their sins.
It was a commitment
he renewed every day
as he obeyed the law,
not only in the obvious things,
but never having a look
of frustration,
never a sigh of self-centeredness
against God's will.
It was written
in the scriptures
he fulfilled.
It was written
before the dawn of time.
Peter says
in 1 Peter chapter 1,
he was the lamb
slain before the foundation
of the world.
It was written together
in the mystery
of the eternal covenant
that we read about
in Ephesians 1
and in John 17,
where the Father
chose to redeem,
the Son chose
to come into the world
and shed his blood
to rescue us,
and the Spirit
chose to come
and apply that
to blind sinners
like us.
This is happening
because the man
Christ Jesus
chose for it to happen
in fulfillment
to God's eternal purposes.
So as we look
at the horror
and humiliation
of this man
on the cross,
what must we grasp here?
But we need to grasp,
don't we,
that there was
no other way,
there was no other way
that we could be forgiven.
There's no quick,
easy route
to say sorry.
There's no get out
of jail free card
for God to just
overlook our sin.
It matters.
There's no cheap price.
No cut price deal.
And as we look
at Jesus'
humiliation
before people,
we need to grasp,
don't we,
that what he suffered
publicly that we see
is,
it's only the tip
of the iceberg.
You know what they say
about icebergs,
don't you?
We only see
sort of the 10%
that is visible,
the vast majority
that is underneath.
And so it is
as we look
at Jesus' suffering.
We only see
the tip of the iceberg.
We don't get
to grasp
the full wrath
that he bore for us.
We hear it a little bit
in his cry later on.
My God,
my God,
why have you forsaken me?
But we only get
a glimpse of it.
And moreover,
the horror
and humiliation
he suffered
before men
that day
is,
my friends,
what you and I
deserve before God.
And yet he bore
it for us.
what we see here
is how serious
our sin is.
But also,
don't we see
something else?
How incredible
is God's love?
How incredible
is the love
of Jesus
that he should
choose to do that
for me
or for you?
How incredible
is the love
of the Father
that he would
give his only
son
that we
could be his?
That Jesus
should be despised
and rejected
so that we
could be loved
and accepted?
That he should
be humiliated
and cast down
so that we
can be lifted up?
That he should
be bloodied
and bruised
so that we
should be safe
forever?
Can we get
a glimpse
of this love
that he would
willingly suffer
for us?
How can we
ever doubt
that God
loves us?
In those
dark moments
where you think
God does not
care,
can you look
back at Jesus
on the cross
and really
ask that?
As the hymn
writer put it,
upon the cross
of Jesus
mine eyes
at times
can see
the very
dying form
of one
who suffered
there for me
and from
my smitten
heart with
tears
two wonders
I confess
the wonders
of his
glorious love
and my
own
worthlessness
well that's
what we see
what do we
hear?
Listen,
stop,
look,
listen,
what do we
hear as we
listen?
Verses 39
to 44
well what
the English
translation
can't really
capture here
is we
what we
hear
is continual
mocking
and temptation
from all
around
it's continual
in the original
language it's
clear it's
harder in the
English
verse 39
the passers-by
kept on
deriding him
verses 41
to 43
the religious
leaders keep
on saying
things
that are
mocking and
tempting
and accusing
him
verse 44
the two
robbers kept
on reviling
him
it was
consistent
it didn't
stop
it was
from all
around
not just
the robbers
on either
side
but from
the highest
in society
the leaders
the passers-by
just doing
their thing
and the lowest
of the low
they crucified
with him
albeit Luke
tells us
one changed
their tune
later
let's listen
to what
the mocking
consists of
the passers-by
verses 39
and 40
they were
wagging their
heads
a sign
of
disdain
and contempt
and they
distort
Jesus'
words
verse 40
you who
destroy
the temple
and rebuild
it in three
days
save yourselves
see there's
something about
Jesus
there's something
about what
he said
but they
get it wrong
what Jesus
has actually
said
John 2
verse 19
was you
destroy this
temple
meaning his
body
and I will
rebuild it
in three
days
but they
didn't really
understand
so instead
they're mocking
him
saying
you think
you can
destroy
this
beautiful
temple
Herod's
built
and then
rebuild it
in three
days
but it
took him
40 years
but here's
the very
first irony
because the
true temple
the true
meeting place
of God
with his
people
is not
the real
estate
back in
the city
that's
gone
in 40
years
that will
be
rubble
the real
meeting
place
is in
the flesh
of Jesus
Christ
his body
is the
new
temple
and they
spoke too
soon
didn't
they
if only
they'd
waited
till
Sunday
afternoon
they'd
known
he was
alive
the body
had indeed
been raised
from the
dead
but it's
not just
the
pastors
by
it's
the
religious
elite
as well
and their
continual
mocking
is
laden
with
irony
so verse
42
he saved
others
he cannot
save
himself
but that's
the whole
point
he's choosing
to save
others
by not
saving
himself
he resisted
the temptation
to show
his power
then
so his power
can be seen
for all
eternity
and the
people
like you
and me
he's brought
to himself
then they
mock the
idea of
his kingship
and power
he is the
king of
Israel
the king
of God's
covenant
people
let him
come down
now from
the cross
and we
will believe
in him
if you're
the king
show us
your power
and yet
it is because
he is the
king
of God's
people
he stays
up on
the cross
to win
an eternal
kingdom
that you
and I
can be
part
of
because
he is
God's
king
he stays
on the
cross
until
he is
defeated
sin
and death
and Satan
for kingship
belongs to
the Lord
and he
rules over
the nations
Psalm 22
verse 28
again
and then
they mock
the idea
don't they
in verse
43
that God
desires him
he trusts
in God
let God
deliver him
if he
desires him
for he said
I am the
son of
God
that's
an echo
of Satan's
temptation
back in
chapter 4
verses 3
and 6
if you
really are
God's son
then do a
miracle
show God
loves you
show God
cares
and if
you're a
Christian
you will
know that
temptation
won't you
oh really
you think
God loves
you
and why
did he let
one of your
loved ones
die
during this
pandemic
you think
God loves
you
then why
did that
relationship
not work
out
you think
God loves
you
then why
hasn't he
answered that
prayer you've
been praying
for years
why are some
of your
children still
walking away
from the
Lord
you think
God loves
you
then why
is life
so miserable
and hard
you think
God loves
you
then why
do you
constantly
deal with
the anxiety
and depression
if God
loves you
why are you
so lonely
and if you
know that
temptation
then do you
see
you see
what Jesus
is doing
he is
resisting
it
he is
overcoming
it
he is
continuing
to trust
his
father
and he's
waiting for
God the
father to
vindicate
him
and that
gives us
hope
when Satan
hurls those
fiery arrows
at us
and insinuates
that God
doesn't care
and we can
see God's
love
as we look
at Jesus
well then
there's the
robbers next
to him
verse 44
they keep
on mocking
him
and they
simply have
the same
taunts as
everyone else
don't they
just fall
into line
with what
everyone else
is saying
and so it
comes from
all sides
here is
poor Jesus
hanging on
his own
getting continually
mocked and
tempted from
all sides
and listen
carefully
do you hear
any encouraging
words
anyone on
his side
any cheerleaders
no
he's absolutely
isolated
all his disciples
have gone and
deserted him
he dies alone
to establish
his kingdom
and if we
believe in
Jesus as
king
if we live
for his
kingdom
not the
kingdom of
this world
then we
will face
that mocking
too
won't we
many of us
have already
experienced it
you'll be laughed
at for
believing in
God
like believing
in the tooth
fairy
you'll be
mocked
for believing
in ancient
fairy tales
you'll be
mocked
for thinking
that Jesus
is the
only way
to God
if you're
at school
perhaps you're
or even
if you're
not at
school
you'll be
mocked
and face
humiliation
believing
what Jesus
teaches
about
about ethics
especially
sexual ethics
and relationships
and identity
and male
and female
how narrow
minded
how oppressive
will face
the temptation
to cave
in
and yet
what kingdom
are we
living for
are we
living
for being
accepted
now
or for the
kingdom
to come
we need to
remember
Jesus earlier
promise
blessed are
those who
are persecuted
for righteousness
sake
for theirs
is the
kingdom
of heaven
blessed are
you when
others revile
you
and persecute
you
not are
all kinds
of evil
against you
falsely
on my
account
Jesus
was blessed
as he hung
there
faithful to
the father
and what
do we hear
from Jesus
as we listen
we hear
nothing
not a murmur
of complaint
not a sigh
of self
pity
not a quiet
word of
explanation
he suffers
in silence
so look
we see
the horror
and humiliation
that our
sin incurs
listen
we hear
the continual
mocking
and temptation
but finally
let's respond
where do we
see ourselves
in this picture
Matthew paints
it's easy
to be like
the passers
by
there were
religious people
going to
Jerusalem
around Jerusalem
for worship
at Passover
and it's
easy
in a sense
even if we
are Christians
to pass
by
here once
a year
we get
to Good
Friday
and we
think about
it there
J.C.
Ryle
writing
about 140
years ago
said let us
meditate
frequently on
these things
let us
often read
over the
story of
Christ's
passion
let us
not settle
for second
hand
knowledge
like those
passers
by
if we
don't
understand
what's
going on
then let's
pray
let's seek
let's
think
let's
ask
for help
let's
not be
overtaken
by urgent
matters
of the
day
that
outweigh
the
eternal
matters
of
judgment
before
the
throne
of
God
let us
not
pass
by
the
son
of
God
on
a
cross
let's
just
wallpaper
our
eyes
let us
ponder
until
we can
save
the
apostle
Paul
the
son
of
God
loved
me
and
gave
himself
for
me
maybe
we're
like
religious
leaders
unfortunately
like me
you've
grown up
in a
church
you may
think of
them as
pantomime
villains
we see
them
we want
to
boo
and hiss
because
they're
the
bad
guys
right
but
actually
they were
the people
who knew
their
Bibles
they were
the people
who in
one sense
were
zealous
to do
what
God
wanted
but not
according
to
knowledge
they were
people
with a
privileged
position
and yet
you didn't
really respond
to it
what
happened
why is it
they were
so arrogant
to Jesus
it's because
God blinded
them
God gave
them over
to their
pride
to their
self
righteousness
to their
hard
heartedness
and if
we're honest
if we come
from a
religious
background
like I
do
it's easy
to grow
up knowing
the answers
it's easy
to grow
up looking
good in
the eyes
of the
world
and thinking
we're
quite
fine
thank you
I
wouldn't
it be
an awful
thing
if God
left us
blind
in our
sin
it's
only by
the mercy
of God
that we
can see
this
so let's
pray
that the
doctrine
of the
atonement
will not
merely be
a fact
that we
assert
but a
heartwarming
truth that
informs our
lives
and the
way we
live day
by day
we might
not stand
at the
foot of
the cross
and mock
as they
did
but weep
over our
sin
and weep
over his
love
maybe we
can be like
the robbers
you just
join in
without
thinking
let's not
just join in
with the
taunts of
the world
maybe you've
done that
for some
time
not
taking
christianity
and the
cross
seriously
please don't
fall into
that trap
please
consider
what god
has done
for you
in christ
but if
you're a
baptized
christian
here today
i hope you
can see
yourself
somewhere
else in
this
story
because
the amazing
truth is
we are
baptized
into
christ's
death
do you
not know
says the
apostle paul
all of you
baptized into
christ jesus
were baptized
into his
death
as you look
at this
scene
where do
you see
yourself
baptized
christian
you can
see yourself
in christ
on the
cross
for he
has taken
your sin
he has
borne your
punishment
as he
hangs there
not only
that he
has taken
our very
sinful
nature
our old
selves
with all
our distorted
loves and
twisted desires
he has
nailed it to
the cross
so it is
dead
and now
we have
a new
life
by faith
in christ
in him
you are
justified
it's just
as if
you'd
never
sinned
it's just
as if
you'd
always
obeyed
it's just
as if
you'd
lived
jesus
life
your old
sinful
nature
hangs
there
dead
no longer
with power
over you
you have
a new
nature
to come
it comes
out the
tomb
on sunday
you are
dead to
the world
system
you're
dead to
belonging to
this age
needing to
prove yourself
to needing
to be popular
to needing
to be accepted
because you
are loved
by the king
of kings
and you're
a place
in an
eternal
kingdom
so why
worry about
riches or
honor or
success or
reputation or
promotion or
whether you've
got a house
or not
you have
an eternal
dwelling
place
and as
you hear
jesus
breathing his
last
victory
cry
that is
your victory
because jesus
has won it
for you
and satan
is defeated
life is
ours to
live
because he
has died
where do you
see yourself
as you look
at this scene
i hope we
see ourselves
united to
jesus
the one who
has died
for us
and he
will rise
again
because it's
friday
but sunday
is coming
i hope you
see yourself
loved and
cherished forever
because that
is what you
are
so how do
we respond
to what we
see and
hear
well it's
right to
weep with
sorrow for
our sin
by god's
grace may
we also
weep for
joy
and for
love that's
been shown
us
and may
we live
on in
confidence
knowing our
king will
come back
and that
life is
ours to
live
through him
let's pray
Amen.