WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.399 And turn a few books to John chapter 19. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:05.400 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:59.980 And turn a few books to John chapter 19. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:05.219 We remember today that the cross was the absolute priority of the Lord Jesus. 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:06.260 That is where we've met. 00:01:07.099 --> 00:01:09.260 That it was the absolute priority of Jesus. 00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:13.379 It was a priority to get to it and go through it. 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:18.939 And we remember that the cross was the message of the early church. 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:21.560 It literally turned the world upside down. 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:22.659 It went everywhere. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:27.920 And wherever the message of the cross went, people would hear and come to life. 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:31.700 And one day the believers will end up in heaven, won't we? 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:37.680 And we will discover that freshly and more keenly that we are going to sing about the Savior. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:40.420 And it will never ever get dull. 00:01:41.460 --> 00:01:43.480 Heaven will never ever be boring. 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:48.659 And in heaven we will sing the praise of the Lamb once slain. 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:50.300 We will sing of the cross for eternity. 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:52.719 And it will never get dull. 00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:57.760 And so there's nothing more important that we can give our mind to this morning. 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:02.540 This section has Jesus hanging on the cross. 00:02:03.320 --> 00:02:05.180 And he's saying two words. 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:07.219 One word in the original. 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:08.900 Literally, I thirst. 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:09.960 It's one word in the original. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.020 And the other word is one word. 00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:13.860 It is finished. 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:16.759 I thirst and it is finished. 00:02:16.920 --> 00:02:18.300 They're both single words. 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:20.960 And so Jesus speaks two words. 00:02:21.100 --> 00:02:23.800 I thirst and it is finished. 00:02:24.760 --> 00:02:25.840 And then he dies. 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:28.400 And then two men come and bury him. 00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:30.219 I want to focus on two things. 00:02:30.320 --> 00:02:31.980 One I'm calling the end of fear. 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:35.120 And the other one I'm calling the beginning of faith. 00:02:36.420 --> 00:02:39.439 The end of fear and the beginning of faith. 00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:42.060 Paragraph one leads to paragraph two. 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.439 Look at me with the end of verse 28. 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:45.540 The end of fear. 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:54.060 After Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said to fulfill the scripture. 00:02:56.579 --> 00:02:58.060 He's second away from dying. 00:02:59.459 --> 00:03:02.959 He has just followed the plan of God perfectly through his life. 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:08.079 And there is one more part of God's script which has to fall into place. 00:03:09.459 --> 00:03:10.639 It is a verse from the Old Testament. 00:03:11.579 --> 00:03:12.620 It's from Psalm 69. 00:03:12.620 --> 00:03:15.920 Where a man is surrounded by his enemies. 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:16.920 And he says this. 00:03:17.140 --> 00:03:18.159 They give me vinegar. 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:19.020 I thirst. 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:22.000 And yet they've not done that. 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.080 And here is Jesus at the cross. 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:28.319 And he says, because he is thirsty, I thirst. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:30.180 And they give him the vinegar. 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:32.980 A small incident. 00:03:33.140 --> 00:03:34.640 A small detail of this incident. 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:35.960 Is that he's really thirsty. 00:03:36.860 --> 00:03:37.819 It's the middle of the day. 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:39.520 It is hot. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.520 He's been worked hard. 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:43.240 He's been beaten hard. 00:03:43.540 --> 00:03:45.180 He's not pretending to be thirsty. 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:49.939 He's experiencing, isn't he, a very terrible thirst. 00:03:50.260 --> 00:03:52.820 He's experiencing the thirst of judgment. 00:03:54.600 --> 00:03:57.260 Do you remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus? 00:03:57.259 --> 00:04:00.799 The rich man did not listen to the gospel, did he? 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:02.459 And he ended up in hell. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:09.399 And it's told that he says to Abraham, can you send Lazarus to come and dip a bit of water on my tongue? 00:04:09.459 --> 00:04:12.000 Because I'm experiencing a great thirst. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.039 And I hope there's a hint of that here. 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:20.139 That Jesus is experiencing the judgment of God. 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:23.519 But Jesus is genuinely thirsty. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.420 And he knows that there is a promise to be fulfilled. 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:28.000 So he says, I thirst. 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:29.980 And they bring the sponge with vinegar. 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:33.120 And that sounds terrible to us, doesn't it? 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:35.540 Because our knowledge of vinegar is that it tastes disgusting. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:38.120 We lived in a house full of lads. 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:43.480 One of them was, when I was a student, he was ever so slightly overweight and started to run. 00:04:44.280 --> 00:04:46.000 He was a very, very unhealthy chap. 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:50.019 And after running, he had a bottle of Coke that he should have. 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:53.819 And so we wanted to wind up Ewan Reese. 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:58.180 And so took out about a quarter of the Coke and filled it with vinegar. 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:05.639 And so Ewan Reese comes in, very, very sweaty, gasping for a drink. 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:07.540 Opens up the can of Coke. 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:09.519 And gulps it down. 00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:10.500 The bottle of Coke. 00:05:10.699 --> 00:05:11.519 And then we hear, 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:14.939 Didn't talk to us for the week. 00:05:16.259 --> 00:05:17.980 Vinegar is horrible to say you don't drink vinegar. 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:19.160 Why would you drink vinegar? 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:23.980 What it means is you mustn't think of vinegar or balsamic vinegar. 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:25.639 You must think of cheap wine. 00:05:26.660 --> 00:05:30.300 It's the sort of wine that the soldiers would have had on hand for their enjoyment. 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:36.720 And therefore, they are expressing here a little kindness to him by giving him something to drink. 00:05:37.939 --> 00:05:42.720 Now, if you know the story of the cross at all, you'll know that Jesus has refused a sensitive drink. 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:44.240 We're told that in Matthew and Mark. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:46.560 That was the sort of drink that would dull the pain. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:48.360 The kind of anesthetic he refused. 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:50.460 But he accepts this cheap wine. 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:52.300 And he takes it and he drinks it. 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:54.079 That is the small detail. 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:58.319 But there's a big detail going on here, isn't there? 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:00.779 There is a big plan taking place. 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:04.779 Where the script of God is being fulfilled perfectly. 00:06:05.159 --> 00:06:07.819 And we are not in the dark about the script of God. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:10.719 The script of God is the Bible you've got on your laps. 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:18.079 That all the promises of God and all the plans of God and all the purposes of God are going to take place. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:26.979 So although Jesus is treated on the cross as if he is like any other criminal, they think he was kind of number 173647. 00:06:27.719 --> 00:06:33.659 And although he looks like a little dot on the great Roman Empire, he is actually the king of that empire. 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.659 He's not just the king of the Jews, as Pilate said on that sign. 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:39.919 He is the king of the world. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:41.799 He is the saviour of the world. 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:52.420 And all the plans of God and all the plans of the universe and all the plans of eternity are bound up with this dying man on the cross. 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:56.379 And so do you notice that these plans fall into place? 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:03.360 God does not have any trouble getting his plans to fall into place. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:06.000 God is not blocked. 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:08.000 God is not stuck. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:10.019 God is not stalled. 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:15.979 And when Jesus says, knowing that there is a scripture to be fulfilled, I thirst, along comes the wine vinegar. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.779 Now our plans are much smaller plans, aren't they? 00:07:20.859 --> 00:07:22.359 They last for a little while. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:24.959 And very often they fail. 00:07:26.299 --> 00:07:30.740 But the plans of God are perfect, unstoppable, and wonderful. 00:07:32.039 --> 00:07:37.579 And if you miss the fact that Jesus is the key to the plans of God, 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:44.500 then you have to live in this world as if you've been forced through a door onto a stage in front of an audience 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:49.599 and you've got no script, you've got no plot, and you've got to live as though you've lost the plot. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.520 You've never been given the plot. 00:07:52.520 --> 00:07:54.160 You've never read the plot. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:59.939 But when you take up the plan of God, the word of God, the scriptures of God, 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:09.240 you discover that there is a great and eternal plan that all focuses on this man, Jesus, dying on the cross. 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:15.079 And when you come to him, and when you take him seriously, 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:20.420 you are caught up in that plan of God for good. 00:08:21.840 --> 00:08:27.400 I read this week, you might know, in 1925 there was a sect called the Order of the Star of the East. 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:34.159 And they built a 2,000 seat assembly just outside, well, just in Sydney, Australia. 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:37.120 And they were waiting for Jesus to come back. 00:08:37.199 --> 00:08:41.860 They predicted that he would come through Sydney Harbour, of all the places in the world to come. 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:45.159 In 1925, that's when Jesus would arrive. 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:48.819 The Bible says you should never make predictions about the coming of Jesus. 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:54.439 And of course, the Order of the Star of the East was shown to be completely wrong. 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:59.520 Four years later, in 1929, the Order of the Star of the East was disbanded. 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:05.280 They sold the amphitheatre, it is demolished, and I'm now told that there are two blocks of high-rise flats there. 00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:08.060 That is the predictions of man, isn't it? 00:09:09.560 --> 00:09:11.180 That is the planning of man. 00:09:12.940 --> 00:09:14.320 You just don't get that with God. 00:09:14.660 --> 00:09:16.740 Everything falls into place, everything. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:21.200 Now the second thing that Jesus says in the text, verse 30, is it is finished. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:25.680 It's one word in the original, it is tatalestoi. 00:09:27.160 --> 00:09:27.600 Tatalestoi. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:30.460 So what does Jesus mean by that? 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:37.879 He's not saying, is he, as he hangs on the cross, well, this is it, the cause is finished. 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:39.640 That would be ridiculous. 00:09:41.060 --> 00:09:44.540 He knows that there is a plan of God that is being worked out for good. 00:09:44.820 --> 00:09:47.320 He's not saying, my life is finished. 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:54.020 He is talking about something which is huge, to do with the whole purposes and plans of God. 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:59.379 Now what he calls out in a loud voice on the cross is this, my task is accomplished. 00:10:00.660 --> 00:10:02.340 The mission is done. 00:10:03.800 --> 00:10:07.320 The project that has been given to me by my Father is fulfilled. 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:08.860 I've done it. 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:14.300 It's an absolutely wonderful cry from the cross that we could spend hours thinking about. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:16.300 The implications of this. 00:10:18.060 --> 00:10:23.980 But when you do understand that Jesus' cry, it is finished, was a cry of success. 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:26.800 It is a cry of victory. 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:28.919 It is a cry of triumph. 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:33.199 Then it's much, much harder, isn't it, to have low views of Jesus. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.179 It's much harder to have low views of him. 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:40.459 You realise, don't you, that Jesus has accomplished everything. 00:10:42.059 --> 00:10:46.179 But though he looks like a dead man on a cross, he is actually succeeding. 00:10:47.719 --> 00:10:49.399 It's what he came to do. 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:56.980 It's why J.C. Ryle said this, we rest our souls on a finished work. 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:04.120 And it's also much harder to have anxious or proud thoughts about yourself, isn't it? 00:11:05.199 --> 00:11:08.399 When you know that Jesus cried out, it is finished. 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:12.779 You do not have to walk around today thinking, have I been good enough? 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:15.059 I'm not good. 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:17.939 He finished the work. 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:23.399 You don't have to go around today thinking, have I earned enough brownie points? 00:11:23.659 --> 00:11:26.500 Have I swung the scales so I will get in? 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:28.360 You don't have to think like that. 00:11:28.939 --> 00:11:31.559 Because Jesus cried, it is finished. 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:33.980 He did the work of salvation. 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:40.860 The work of salvation is a gift and not a trophy. 00:11:41.579 --> 00:11:42.220 Do you get that? 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:47.559 The work of Christ is a gift and not a trophy. 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:51.399 And that is why Jesus says it is done. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:56.679 Religion says to you today, go and do stuff. 00:11:57.799 --> 00:11:59.059 Go to the Hatch. 00:11:59.339 --> 00:12:00.179 Go to Mecca. 00:12:00.579 --> 00:12:01.479 Go to confession. 00:12:02.699 --> 00:12:04.799 Do this and do that. 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:08.419 And you will never ever know whether you've done enough. 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:10.000 So keep on doing it. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:14.019 Pride says, I can do it. 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:17.480 Anxiety says, I hope I'm doing it. 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:19.279 Jesus says, I have done it. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:21.799 I have done it. 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:27.679 And it is a gift that you can receive today. 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:30.199 And you can rejoice in that. 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:35.019 And that is why artists can never capture the cross. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:36.439 It doesn't matter how clever they are. 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:41.779 Photographers can never do some portrayal of the cross. 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:44.719 Filmmakers can never get that across. 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:47.219 About the cross. 00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:49.580 You've got to listen. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:52.139 You've got to listen. 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:55.160 To what Jesus is saying. 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:57.660 To realise that when he calls out, it is finished. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:12:58.680 What is he saying? 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:00.639 He is saying, it is mission accomplished. 00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:04.680 So having done the work of paying for sin. 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:06.740 We read in verse 30. 00:13:07.040 --> 00:13:08.899 He bowed his head and he gave up his spirit. 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:11.680 He bowed his head. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:13.920 And he gave up his spirit. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.639 Nobody took it. 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:19.039 He gave it up. 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:22.559 Well, what are we going to do with the corpse? 00:13:24.199 --> 00:13:26.759 And if you've done, if you know anything about the history of this period, 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:30.839 you'll know that the Romans had no sensitivities about burial at all. 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.879 That the Romans would happily leave a corpse on the cross or in the street 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:38.279 to be pecked to pieces by the birds. 00:13:39.319 --> 00:13:41.799 If a man or woman were crucified, 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:44.019 well, you can just let them know the birds will feast on them. 00:13:45.099 --> 00:13:46.059 If they were to Roman, 00:13:46.459 --> 00:13:47.459 who cares? 00:13:48.339 --> 00:13:49.159 Leave them to rot. 00:13:50.319 --> 00:13:52.679 The Jews would bury their people. 00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:55.359 They would put them in a mass grave. 00:13:56.439 --> 00:13:57.939 And because this is Passover week, 00:13:58.019 --> 00:13:59.599 and because it's a particular Sabbath, 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.000 do you see it in verse 31? 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:02.139 It's a special Sabbath. 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:03.240 It's a high Sabbath. 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:06.579 They don't want corpses hanging down on the Sabbath day. 00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:09.840 Because that kind of desecrates the Sabbath. 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:12.780 They decided they would speed up the process of dying, 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.620 and they would ask the Romans to do the breaking of the legs. 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.259 So that the whole kind of breath, asphyxiation, 00:14:19.420 --> 00:14:22.000 would be sped up, and they would die more quickly. 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:24.580 But do you notice the ugliness of this religion? 00:14:25.540 --> 00:14:27.160 Isn't it so ugly, religion? 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:30.199 So these are the Jews, 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:31.799 that they don't mind killing the Messiah, 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:35.339 but they don't want to walk into Pilate's house. 00:14:36.839 --> 00:14:37.799 Here are the Jews, 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:41.139 that don't mind killing the Son of God, 00:14:41.699 --> 00:14:43.799 but they just don't want to have a body 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:45.179 hanging there on the Sabbath day. 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:48.679 There's an ugly side of religion. 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.259 There's an ugly side of religion, 00:14:51.259 --> 00:14:52.740 where you don't get focused on, 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:55.259 and fixating on things that matter. 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.340 You get focused on the things that don't matter. 00:14:58.059 --> 00:14:59.519 And you miss the things that do. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:01.139 So they go to the Roman soldiers, 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.179 and the Roman soldiers oblige. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:06.039 But they don't break the legs of Jesus. 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:06.500 Why? 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:07.980 Because he's dead. 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:11.220 We've already been told, haven't we, 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:12.720 he gave up his spirit, 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:13.639 and he died, 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:14.679 because he's dead. 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:17.539 And John is deliberate, 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:19.819 probably the most deliberate of all the Gospel writers, 00:15:19.819 --> 00:15:20.639 to say to you, 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:21.620 he's dead. 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:23.899 So first of all, 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:24.459 John tells us, 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:25.459 he gave up his spirit. 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:26.220 Verse 30. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:28.039 Then second, 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.980 the soldiers do not need to break his leg. 00:15:31.319 --> 00:15:32.379 And the Roman soldiers, 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:33.919 I would want to argue with you, 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:35.659 know much better than you or I, 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.139 whether a body is dead or alive. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:40.620 Little do they realise, 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:42.299 that God had actually predicted, 00:15:42.439 --> 00:15:43.779 that they would not break his legs. 00:15:43.939 --> 00:15:45.559 Not a bone will be broken. 00:15:45.959 --> 00:15:47.159 So these Roman soldiers, 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:49.439 who've got no real interest in Jesus, 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.840 and no great belief in Jesus, 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.400 are doing exactly what God expects them to do. 00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:58.220 Again, Bishop Royal says, 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:00.880 the wickedest enemies of God, 00:16:01.140 --> 00:16:02.320 are only axes, 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.380 saws, 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:05.040 and hammers in his hand. 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:07.720 The third reason we know Jesus is dead, 00:16:07.760 --> 00:16:08.780 is in verse 34. 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:10.440 It's that one of the soldiers, 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:12.280 jabbed Jesus with a spear. 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:16.419 And we read that there is a flow of blood and water. 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:20.559 Some medical people think that that's the serum, 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:22.740 and clotted blood of the heart, 00:16:22.819 --> 00:16:23.779 that's been speared. 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:26.379 It's romantically written about, 00:16:26.439 --> 00:16:26.639 isn't it, 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:27.699 in Rock of Ages. 00:16:27.839 --> 00:16:28.379 You know that hymn, 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.079 let the water and the blood, 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.159 be of sin the double and cure. 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:35.039 But whether there's meant to be something, 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:36.740 very powerful and meaningful, 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:38.139 in this blood and water, 00:16:38.199 --> 00:16:38.659 I don't know. 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:39.639 But I do know, 00:16:39.699 --> 00:16:41.240 that it's a perfectly clear sign, 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:42.600 that the body is dead. 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:46.360 And so even the soldiers, 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:47.860 with their rough spear, 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.680 are fitting into the plans of eternal God. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:54.399 And the fourth reason we know, 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.620 that Jesus is definitely dead, 00:16:55.680 --> 00:16:57.340 is because two friends come along, 00:16:57.539 --> 00:16:58.460 in the next paragraph, 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:00.039 and take him down from the cross. 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:02.960 And they see that he is dead. 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:05.759 And they wrap him from head to toe, 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:07.140 in bandages for burial. 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:08.539 My suspicion is, 00:17:08.620 --> 00:17:10.519 you don't normally do that on a living person. 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:13.279 They stick him in a grave. 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:16.740 And so I am saying, 00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:18.900 that this is the end of fear. 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:21.980 Not because Christians stop being afraid, 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.339 we continue to have certain fears, 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:23.680 don't we? 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:24.559 But I am saying, 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:25.839 that it is the end of fear, 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:27.519 because it really is, 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:28.859 the end of danger, 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:29.579 for the believer. 00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:32.779 And the more that you begin to receive, 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:33.619 and grasp, 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:34.559 and acknowledge, 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:35.559 and understand, 00:17:35.679 --> 00:17:36.399 or get convicted, 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:37.559 by the work of Jesus, 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:38.359 and the plan, 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:40.099 that the plan of God has been done, 00:17:40.159 --> 00:17:41.439 the more that you will be set free. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.299 The more that you will be secure. 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:46.820 The more that you will be sure. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:48.320 The more that you will be hopeful. 00:17:48.320 --> 00:17:50.220 And the less that you will be fearful. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:52.259 Because it is finished. 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:56.599 And you should find yourself on Good Friday, 00:17:57.079 --> 00:18:00.079 rejoicing that Jesus died on the cross for sinners. 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:03.899 And you will find yourself saying, 00:18:04.159 --> 00:18:05.079 that is me. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:07.879 And I am so grateful. 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:11.460 And I don't want to pay for myself for my sins. 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.839 And the fact that somebody has paid the debt for me, 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.699 and that debt is paid and it is finished, 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.740 well it is unbelievably good. 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:24.879 And I'm going to take up his offer this morning. 00:18:25.179 --> 00:18:26.779 And I'm going to take up his invitation. 00:18:27.179 --> 00:18:28.960 And I'm going to take up this salvation, 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.740 as a free gift for God. 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.380 And I'm going to put myself lock, stock and barrel 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:34.360 in his hands. 00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:35.940 And I will be glad. 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:39.319 Well the second thing is the beginning of faith, 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:40.680 verses 38 to 42. 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:43.100 The end of fear, the beginning of faith. 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:45.900 And you've got these two Jewish men coming. 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:47.559 They put their faith in Christ. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:51.960 Joseph of Arimathea is only mentioned 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.920 in this incident. 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:56.579 He's also mentioned in Matthew, Mark and Luke and John. 00:18:56.600 --> 00:18:57.620 This is all we have about him. 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:00.579 He's a member of the Jewish council. 00:19:01.479 --> 00:19:05.459 He is a very serious, senior Jewish figure. 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:06.819 He's part of the establishment. 00:19:07.439 --> 00:19:10.519 And we know, don't we, that the whole council 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:12.219 has opposed Jesus. 00:19:13.479 --> 00:19:15.119 And now Joseph of Arimathea 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:17.679 stands against the council. 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:21.500 And the reason he's done that is in verse 38. 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:25.420 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:27.700 who was a disciple, he was a follower 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:30.759 of the Lord Jesus, but secretly for fear 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.480 of the Jews. 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:36.779 He's been a secret disciple 00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:39.480 up till now. 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.940 But he's not going to be a secret disciple 00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:43.539 anymore. 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:49.079 He's been a secret disciple 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:50.680 up till now, but he's not going to be a secret 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:51.360 disciple anymore. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:52.940 He's going to stand publicly 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:55.220 with a dead Messiah. 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:58.380 And he's going to bury him 00:19:58.380 --> 00:19:58.980 with honour. 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:00.640 And I suspect Pilate agreed 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:01.579 to give him the body, 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:03.860 partly because he was an important man. 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:06.079 And a wealthy man. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:08.059 And partly because Pilate felt guilty 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:09.700 because he had handed over Jesus 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:11.360 and he wanted something to be done properly. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.139 And so you see what Joseph 00:20:13.139 --> 00:20:14.179 and Nicodemus do. 00:20:15.979 --> 00:20:17.439 Nicodemus is the man who came to Jesus 00:20:17.439 --> 00:20:18.559 in John chapter 3. 00:20:19.379 --> 00:20:21.199 And Jesus said to Nicodemus, 00:20:21.459 --> 00:20:23.139 listen you religious hypocrite, 00:20:23.379 --> 00:20:24.479 you need new birth. 00:20:25.639 --> 00:20:26.719 You need new life. 00:20:27.479 --> 00:20:28.879 You need eternal life. 00:20:29.979 --> 00:20:31.000 And these two men, 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:33.740 who have been very senior Jewish leaders, 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:37.000 turn their back on their Jewish compatriots. 00:20:38.439 --> 00:20:40.459 And they align themselves with Jesus. 00:20:42.139 --> 00:20:43.759 And they wrap his body with great care. 00:20:43.879 --> 00:20:46.019 They place it in a new nearby tomb. 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:47.639 Now why would Joseph do that? 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.979 Jesus is dead. 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:54.240 Why commit career suicide? 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:58.699 Why get offside with the Jewish council 00:20:58.699 --> 00:21:00.199 at the very point 00:21:00.199 --> 00:21:03.740 when this Christian hero has gone? 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:07.159 When it looks like a lost cause, 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:07.879 doesn't it, at this point? 00:21:07.939 --> 00:21:08.679 He is dead. 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:12.500 It's a lost cause. 00:21:14.560 --> 00:21:16.799 But it isn't a lost cause, is it? 00:21:16.820 --> 00:21:18.980 It is the exact opposite of a lost cause. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:21.440 This is the cause of God. 00:21:22.840 --> 00:21:24.580 And this is the cause of eternal life. 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.259 This is the cause of being reconciled to God. 00:21:27.320 --> 00:21:29.779 This is the cause of having an eternal future. 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:34.000 And when Joseph and Nicodemus stand boldly in support of Jesus, 00:21:34.379 --> 00:21:35.559 you can imagine, can't you, 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:38.660 that is the end of their welcome in the Jewish council. 00:21:40.740 --> 00:21:42.579 But they have worked out, aren't they? 00:21:43.139 --> 00:21:45.000 They have worked out that they are going to gain 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.000 infinitely more 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:50.420 by standing with a dead Messiah 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:54.840 than by staying in secret in the Jewish council. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:58.220 They are privately convinced 00:21:58.220 --> 00:22:01.200 that Jesus is the King and the Saviour of the world 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:05.220 and so they are publicly ready to stand for him. 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:08.440 And they are doing 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:12.019 what I fear some of us might be doing. 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:15.079 Which is 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:19.420 well, what some of us might not be doing. 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:21.980 They have given up on the secret Christian life. 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:25.799 They've given up on the secret Christian life. 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:29.639 I secretly believe 00:22:29.639 --> 00:22:32.639 but actually I'm not doing anything. 00:22:33.919 --> 00:22:35.480 I secretly believe 00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:37.240 but I'm not committing to anything. 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:40.000 I secretly believe 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.279 but I'm not making any sacrifices. 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:44.139 I secretly believe 00:22:44.139 --> 00:22:46.539 but I'm not prepared 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:49.819 to turn my back on these certain sins. 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:51.279 I secretly believe 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:53.180 but I'm never going to tell anyone in school. 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:55.519 I secretly believe 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:58.180 but I never want my work colleagues to find out. 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:00.139 And these two men say 00:23:00.139 --> 00:23:01.099 no, that is over. 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:04.339 All the secrecy is over. 00:23:05.379 --> 00:23:08.059 Trying to live a double life is over. 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:11.259 Sitting on the fence is over. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:14.220 We're coming out publicly for Jesus of Nazareth. 00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:16.619 It's the most wonderful thing. 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:19.680 You'll know, don't you? 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:22.000 That we are in a kind of massive 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.099 secularisation process. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:27.759 What's the one of the politicians said last night 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:29.160 or one of the spin doctors said, isn't it? 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:31.200 The NHS is the closest thing we have 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:32.240 to a national religion. 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:33.859 It's quite funny. 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:35.379 We do have a national religion. 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:36.220 But 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:38.839 the NHS is the closest thing we have 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:40.379 to a national religion. 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.200 And this secularisation process 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:45.099 has a huge impact on our country, isn't it? 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:48.319 So our friends and our neighbours, 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:49.399 our work colleagues, 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:51.480 they centre their lives around themselves. 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:55.500 Around self and pleasure and money and success. 00:23:55.500 --> 00:24:01.480 And so the cross and the message of Jesus 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:03.119 has been driven out 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:05.339 of our country in the public sphere. 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:07.880 And there's a great deal of darkness. 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:11.680 But actually what we see here 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:15.839 is this massive wedge that there is 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:19.220 between private faith and public declaration, 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:21.200 which is very appropriate for us today. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.620 It's as if, isn't it, in our culture, 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:25.380 people say, 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:27.539 listen, you can have your private faith. 00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:28.200 That's alright. 00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:31.140 You believe what you want to believe. 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:31.640 Alright? 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:35.240 But it must not emerge into the public sphere. 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:37.540 Yeah, yeah, yeah, 00:24:37.540 --> 00:24:38.540 you can have faith in Jesus, 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:39.259 that's fine. 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:41.560 But just don't allow him in the public sphere. 00:24:42.540 --> 00:24:44.360 Don't let the claims of Christ 00:24:44.360 --> 00:24:46.000 over morality, 00:24:47.300 --> 00:24:48.759 over judgement to come. 00:24:49.280 --> 00:24:50.740 Don't you dare bring them into public. 00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:51.980 You can believe that in private. 00:24:52.100 --> 00:24:54.120 Just don't dare say it. 00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:59.160 And secularisation and ideology 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:00.820 is so dangerous. 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.240 Because we believe in a Christian gospel, 00:25:04.360 --> 00:25:05.360 we believe in a God 00:25:05.360 --> 00:25:07.080 who integrates the world. 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:09.800 We believe in a God 00:25:09.800 --> 00:25:11.300 who explains the world 00:25:11.300 --> 00:25:12.360 and everything in it. 00:25:15.080 --> 00:25:18.180 And we believe that eternity is so big. 00:25:22.040 --> 00:25:22.500 But you see, 00:25:22.580 --> 00:25:24.259 here is a man in John's gospel, 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:24.920 Nicodemus, 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:26.600 who has decided that that wedge, 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:28.020 that great divide 00:25:28.020 --> 00:25:29.700 between private faith 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:31.080 and public declaration 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:31.939 is over. 00:25:33.059 --> 00:25:34.059 It is over. 00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:38.319 It brings the two together. 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:39.359 And so Nicodemus 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:40.679 and Joseph Marimathea, 00:25:40.859 --> 00:25:42.699 they stand publicly for Christ. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:46.819 I hope you learn from these two men. 00:25:47.939 --> 00:25:49.839 They have a private faith 00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:52.220 which has a public expression. 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:54.559 And that is called 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:55.500 biblical Christianity. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:58.440 And when you realise 00:25:58.440 --> 00:25:59.620 that Jesus is King 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.500 and Saviour, 00:26:00.660 --> 00:26:02.140 you cannot go 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:03.100 and hide 00:26:03.100 --> 00:26:04.140 in a little box 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:05.120 called church 00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:06.240 or home. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:11.079 I want to finish by asking 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:11.720 one question. 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:14.519 Why does the death of Jesus 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:16.940 lead to the birth 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:17.960 of this faith 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:18.779 in these two men? 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:21.379 what is it 00:26:21.379 --> 00:26:23.379 that causes 00:26:23.379 --> 00:26:24.180 this tragedy 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:25.759 which is really a triumph 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:26.680 to turn into 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:27.879 utter transformation? 00:26:28.879 --> 00:26:30.539 The tragedy of the cross 00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:31.799 which is a triumph 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:32.960 which transforms 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:33.839 these two men. 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:35.460 How is that? 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:36.879 What is it 00:26:36.879 --> 00:26:38.420 that causes the change 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:39.559 and can cause the change 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:40.119 in your life? 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:41.700 Jesus is dead, 00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:42.299 dead, 00:26:42.639 --> 00:26:43.099 dead, 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.660 but now there are two men 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:45.220 who are living, 00:26:45.379 --> 00:26:45.619 living, 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:46.079 living. 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:47.799 What did it? 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:51.559 And part of the answer 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:52.079 is this. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:54.199 John 19 00:26:54.199 --> 00:26:54.740 is at the end 00:26:54.740 --> 00:26:55.359 of John's Gospel. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:26:58.240 And Joseph and Nicodemus 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.000 have listened 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:00.319 obviously to Jesus. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.799 When Jesus said 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:03.759 in John chapter 6 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:04.899 whoever comes to me 00:27:04.899 --> 00:27:06.720 I will never drive away. 00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:08.639 Or when he said 00:27:08.639 --> 00:27:09.179 in John 8 00:27:09.179 --> 00:27:10.799 the truth will set you free. 00:27:11.179 --> 00:27:11.859 Or when he said 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:12.539 in John 10 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:13.279 the good shepherd 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.419 lays down his life 00:27:14.419 --> 00:27:14.960 for the sheep. 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:16.220 Or in John 11 00:27:16.220 --> 00:27:16.779 when he said 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:17.940 I am the resurrection 00:27:17.940 --> 00:27:18.600 and the life 00:27:18.600 --> 00:27:19.940 whoever believes in me 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:20.660 will live. 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:22.600 Or John 12 00:27:22.600 --> 00:27:23.920 the man who loves his life 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.640 will lose it. 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:26.100 Whoever serves me 00:27:26.100 --> 00:27:27.120 must follow me. 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:29.000 They listened 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.000 to those things 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:31.000 and they put their trust 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:31.480 in him. 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:35.400 And even the death 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:36.220 of the Lord Jesus 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:37.180 didn't fool them. 00:27:38.340 --> 00:27:39.480 Because they knew 00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:41.380 that the cross 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:42.440 of Jesus Christ 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.720 was the culmination 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:45.420 of the purposes 00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:46.160 and the plans 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.100 of God 00:27:47.100 --> 00:27:48.779 to save sinners. 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:51.440 And there is 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:52.420 no more secrecy. 00:27:53.860 --> 00:27:54.799 There is 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.680 no more 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:56.840 serving two masters. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:57.620 You cannot 00:27:57.620 --> 00:27:58.680 serve two masters 00:27:58.680 --> 00:27:59.360 Jesus says 00:27:59.360 --> 00:27:59.740 to them 00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:00.360 and to you. 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:02.559 You can talk 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.039 about a master 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:04.259 but who do you serve? 00:28:05.820 --> 00:28:06.660 And Jesus 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:07.539 and Nicodemus 00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:08.440 have done their 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:08.820 listening 00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:09.960 and made their decision 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.120 and they've come out 00:28:11.120 --> 00:28:11.640 publicly. 00:28:13.120 --> 00:28:14.000 And there's still 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:14.819 one real reason 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:15.600 why these two men 00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:16.299 have come to faith 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:17.079 and come to life 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:18.039 and this is the climax 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:19.140 it is Jesus 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:19.940 who saves them 00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:20.680 by dying. 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:23.400 The power 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:24.380 of the cross 00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:25.759 is what saves 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:26.440 these men. 00:28:27.600 --> 00:28:28.660 What Jesus did 00:28:28.660 --> 00:28:29.360 when he died 00:28:29.360 --> 00:28:30.039 for their sins 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:31.140 and gave up his life 00:28:31.140 --> 00:28:31.740 to provide 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:33.100 for these men 00:28:33.100 --> 00:28:34.059 a new life. 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.240 So the link 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:37.019 between Jesus 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.559 dying 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:39.539 and Joseph 00:28:39.539 --> 00:28:40.119 living 00:28:40.119 --> 00:28:41.759 is that 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:43.079 Jesus is dying 00:28:43.079 --> 00:28:44.579 causes people 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:45.079 to live. 00:28:46.399 --> 00:28:47.579 It's the pain 00:28:47.579 --> 00:28:48.679 that sets 00:28:48.679 --> 00:28:49.559 people free. 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:50.859 It's the death 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:51.819 which breathes 00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:52.460 new life 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:53.119 into Joseph 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:54.359 and wherever 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:55.139 the message 00:28:55.139 --> 00:28:55.759 of the cross 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.039 is being proclaimed 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:58.099 this Good Friday 00:28:58.099 --> 00:28:59.599 around the world 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:01.019 people hear 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:02.119 the simple message 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:02.799 of the cross 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:04.299 which is so simple 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:06.000 and when they get it 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.480 new life begins. 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:09.919 eternal life 00:29:09.919 --> 00:29:10.619 begins. 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:13.099 So Jesus said 00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:13.980 in John 12 00:29:13.980 --> 00:29:15.879 if I am lifted up 00:29:15.879 --> 00:29:17.779 I will draw 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:18.619 people to myself 00:29:18.619 --> 00:29:20.859 and Jesus 00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:21.839 was lifted up 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:24.259 and these two men 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:24.819 were drawn 00:29:24.819 --> 00:29:25.379 to him. 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:27.240 Through the preaching 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:28.079 of the cross 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:29.200 Jesus Christ 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:30.159 is lifted up 00:29:30.159 --> 00:29:31.220 and he draws 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:31.619 people 00:29:31.619 --> 00:29:34.139 and it may be 00:29:34.139 --> 00:29:34.919 that for you 00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:35.380 today 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:36.480 you realise 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.660 this is the time 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:40.720 that my secret 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:41.740 Christianity 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.779 has got to be over. 00:29:45.140 --> 00:29:46.640 It's got to be over. 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:49.240 And I want to be 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:49.880 a clear 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:50.759 and faithful 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:51.660 and courageous 00:29:51.660 --> 00:29:52.180 follower. 00:29:52.620 --> 00:29:53.740 You cannot play 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:54.820 the double game 00:29:54.820 --> 00:29:55.360 anymore. 00:29:57.140 --> 00:29:57.820 And it may be 00:29:57.820 --> 00:29:58.539 that this morning 00:29:58.539 --> 00:29:59.500 for the first time 00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.160 you realise 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:01.420 that he has 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:02.120 finished 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:02.759 the work 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:03.500 of salvation. 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:05.920 I thought 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:06.800 it was up to me 00:30:06.800 --> 00:30:08.920 but it is not 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:09.980 because he cries 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:10.800 it is finished. 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.860 And all of that 00:30:13.860 --> 00:30:16.460 is part of the 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:17.480 sovereign plans 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:19.580 of the living God. 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:21.899 the end of fear 00:30:21.899 --> 00:30:23.679 and the beginning 00:30:23.679 --> 00:30:24.119 of faith. 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:24.699 Let's pray.