His Final Days on Earth & The Giving of the Great Commission - The God Man (Part 8)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. They put up over his head the accusation written against him. This is Jesus, here is his crime, the king of the Jews.

Christ’s Kingship and the Political Cost of Discipleship

He claimed to be king when in their system only Caesar could be king. And by the way, this is why Christians have been hated from the very beginning. All throughout history this is why Christians are despised.

Because a true Christian recognizes the authority of Christ over and above any human ruler. Why do you think Morse Corner Church has been open for the past year and a half? Because of this. Because Jesus is the Lord of this church.

There's some people, they get very uncomfortable when they perceive that someone is trying to mix together religion and politics. And I think it's absolutely, I don't like it at all when people, you know, make the church about political things and trying to get one candidate elected.

I think that's terrible that that kind of thing would happen in a church. But you can't avoid these issues because Christ saying that he is king is a political statement. You understand that? Saying Jesus is king of kings is a political statement.

This is why Christians have been despised. Because we recognize the authority of Christ. Do we seek to be good citizens? Were the disciples good citizens? Of course they were. They were wonderful citizens.

Christians today are good law abiding citizens. But we don't bow to the edicts and the decrees of men. Especially when they directly go against the word of God, which they often do. This is where cultural Christianity departs from true Christianity.

Because cultural Christianity takes the faith and tries to blend it together with the culture and kind of iron everything out. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. So, this is a claim of authority that Jesus made that he was the king.

And we need to recognize him as the ultimate authority. And again, this is why Christians have been despised throughout history. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar?

Bow down to the golden image.

What did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say? No, we won't do it. During the time of Rome, when Rome was in charge, they would tell Christians to if you're going to have your religion, just offer a pinch of incense on the altar to Caesar.

What did Christians do? No, we won't do it. Or say, Caesar is Lord. They said, no, Jesus is Lord. Shut down your church because we say so. No, because you don't have that authority. Because Jesus challenged and went against the authority of Israel's rulers, they had him crucified.

Christ Forsaken on the Cross

Matthew 27, verse 45. Now, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, Jesus is on the cross. There was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani.

That is my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And because Jesus was speaking partially in Aramaic and partially in Hebrew, he's misunderstood. They think he's calling out for Elijah. The psalm says, those who stood there, when they heard that, they said, this man is calling for Elijah the prophet.

And immediately, one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and offered it to him to drink, which was an act of mercy. The rest said, let him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come and save him.

Did Elijah come to rescue him?

No.

And Jesus, here's the thing. He would have if Jesus said so. But Jesus wasn't calling for Elijah to save him because this is why Jesus came. When Jesus flipped over the tables, when he's speaking the parables against Israel's rulers, when he's telling them how the temple will be destroyed, Jesus knows what's coming.

This is why Jesus came to earth, to die for your sins and mine. And he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why did he say that? Because that's how he felt. Because that's what was happening.

Jesus Gives Up His Spirit and Dies on His Own Terms

Verse 50, and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Notice that he yielded up his spirit. Why is that significant? I have a theory. Normally I don't share theories from the pulpit.

But because John 10, 18 says, Jesus says, no one takes my life for me. No one takes my life for me. But I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down. I have the power to take it up again. I have a theory that Jesus would have hung on the cross indefinitely.

He never would have died if he didn't give up the ghost. Somebody asked me, it got me to thinking, could Jesus get sick? Well, getting sick isn't a sin. I mean I don't see why he couldn't. But could Jesus die?

Every time they wanted to throw him off the cliff, or they wanted to take him by force, what would happen? Jesus would just walk through the midst and go on his way. It was impossible. It was impossible for them to kill him.

So I believe Jesus would never have died if he didn't give up the ghost. If he didn't yield his spirit. No one takes my life for me, he said. But I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down.

And I have the power to take it again. So Jesus died exactly the way he chose to die on his terms. And I believe, I believe that. That if he didn't give up the ghost, you say, well he'd still be alive today.

He is alive today because he rose from the dead. He rose from the grave. Exactly what he said to his disciples. And Jesus, in rising from the dead, you understand that Jesus' resurrection was different.

There had been people who had been raised from the dead before. Jesus' resurrection was a true resurrection. Why? Because he will never die again. He was raised with a new glorified immortal body. The thing about Jesus' body, once he rises from the grave, he is able to appear, disappear, hide his identity at will.

Seemingly he is able to walk through walls. You say, so he was a spirit then. Well no, because they could touch him and handle him.

He could eat.

You know some people wonder, when I get to heaven can I still eat in heaven? I don't know that this proves that, but maybe. I mean I don't know. That's a carnal way of thinking by the way. Don't worry about other things.

So was he a spirit? Was he flesh? Well it's hard to say exactly. It's something that we really can't comprehend. He did rise bodily, we know that. Jesus said in John 5, 28 and 29, the hour is coming. Here's why that matters to you.

The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice. Do you believe that this morning? And come forth those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

Faith in Jesus Alone and the Promise of Resurrection

So Jesus made a promise that he would return. And when he does return, the dead will be raised. And if you're alive at his coming, you will be translated. This body that you have now with all its faults and aches and ailments, be transformed into a new glorified body, just as Christ had this new immortal glorified body.

There's only one way to get it. Placing your faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone. If you're trusting in Jesus and then your own good works, 50 Jesus, 50 your own good works, you're not going to get it.

If you're trusting in Jesus, 98%, but my baptism 2%. No, it's 100%. You trust in Jesus and in Jesus alone. And if you do that, the promise is one day we will be like him. Now let's turn to Luke 24. And this is where we will close.

Of course, the resurrection is far from the end of the story. It was my plan not to preach part four. So we're going to, we're going to get this done. But from the time Jesus rose to the time he ascended into heaven, he spent 40 days upon the earth.

We learned this from Acts chapter one, verse three. So Jesus rose from the dead, which was the proof that his sacrifice was accepted. And he appeared to Mary Magdalene, the other women and the disciples.

Christ in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms

In Luke 24, verse 44, Jesus speaking to his disciples said, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me.

Just a little piece of information. Jesus breaks down the old Testament into three sections. What does he say? The law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures.

Hopefully this is one of the reasons why you come to church. Not that I could do this the way Jesus can obviously, but that you come to church to hear the preaching of God's word so that your understanding to the scriptures is, is open.

I have little doubt that Jesus went through many things, maybe starting at the beginning, Genesis one, verse one, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And Jesus might've said, and I was there, I was with God and I was God.

And then pointing to the first promise of his incarnation in Genesis three 15, how the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. That's me. He said, Psalm 22, 16. He probably covered this when David wrote in the spirit, they pierced my hands and my feet.

David never had his hands and feet peers.

Jesus could say,.

You speaking of me. And then in Isaiah 53 verses four and five, hundreds of years before Jesus was even born, the prophet wrote, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteem him stricken smitten by God and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our inequities and the chastisement for our peace was upon.

Him.

And by his stripes,.

We are healed.

The Great Commission and the Church’s Mission

Luke 24, 46. And this is where we will close. Then he said to them,.

Thus,.

It is written. And thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

And that repentance,.

That's what happened. And now here is the church's responsibility, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all.

Nations,.

Beginning at Jerusalem. What is this? This is the great commission. This is my responsibility, your responsibility, Morris quarter churches, responsibility to make sure that this great commission is being carried out.

This is the purpose of the church, the evangelization of the world. That's a big task. We need everybody involved. The evangelization of the world to make disciples of all the nations, to baptize them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and to teach them all that Christ commanded.

So do you believe that Jesus is Lord of Lords?

That's weak. That's weak.

Do you believe that Jesus is king of kings? And do you believe that we need to all be part of carrying out the great commission?

Amen.

Let's close in prayer.

Father,.

What a wonderful story. The greatest story ever told. Of course, we know that it's not a story as some people talk of a story as like a fable, but it's true. Every word of it. And it says that they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem.

After Jesus was carried up into heaven, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.

Amen.

So Lord, we just ask that if there's anyone listening today who has never given their heart to Christ, they would do it now to receive the gift of everlasting life. But that's not where it ends. It's the beginning of a new life serving you, helping to carry out the evangelization of planet earth.

We pray these things in his name.

Amen.

Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Corner Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornerchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, with the grace of God be with you.