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

Moore's Corner Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts.

00:06

Morse Corner is a non -denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:13

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist

00:19

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.

00:27

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message.

00:35

They put up over his head the accusation written against him. This is

00:41

Jesus, here is his crime, the king of the Jews. He claimed to be king when in their system only

00:49

Caesar could be king. And by the way, this is why Christians have been hated from the very beginning all throughout history.

00:58

This is why Christians are despised. Because a true

01:03

Christian recognizes the authority of Christ over and above any human ruler.

01:11

Why do you think Morse Corner Church has been open for the past year and a half?

01:17

Because of this. Because Jesus is the Lord of this church.

01:22

There's some people, they get very uncomfortable when they perceive that someone is trying to mix together religion and politics.

01:30

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.

01:41

I think that's terrible that that kind of thing would happen in a church. But you can't avoid these issues.

01:46

Because Christ saying that he is king is a political statement. You understand that?

01:52

Saying Jesus is king of kings is a political statement.

02:00

This is why Christians have been despised. Because we recognize the authority of Christ.

02:08

Do we seek to be good citizens? Were the disciples good citizens? Of course they were. They were wonderful citizens.

02:14

Christians today are good, law abiding citizens.

02:20

But we don't bow to the edicts and the decrees of men.

02:26

Especially when they directly go against the Word of God, which they often do.

02:32

This is where cultural Christianity departs from true Christianity.

02:37

Because cultural Christianity takes the faith and tries to blend it together with the culture and kind of iron everything out.

02:46

It doesn't work. It doesn't work. So this is a claim of authority that Jesus made that he was the king.

02:54

And we need to recognize him as the ultimate authority. And again, this is why

02:59

Christians have been despised throughout history. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar?

03:04

Bow down to the golden image. What did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say? No, we won't do it.

03:13

During the time of Rome, when Rome was in charge, they would tell Christians to, you're going to have your religion just offer a pinch of incense on the altar to Caesar.

03:25

What do Christians do? No, we won't do it. Or say, Caesar is Lord. They said, no,

03:31

Jesus is Lord. Shut down your church because we say so.

03:37

No, because you don't have that authority. Because Jesus challenged and went against the authority of Israel's rulers, they had him crucified.

03:51

Matthew 27 verse 45. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour,

03:57

Jesus is on the cross. There was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour,

04:03

Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is my

04:10

God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And because Jesus was speaking partially in Aramaic, and partially in Hebrew, he's misunderstood.

04:20

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.

04:30

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.

04:41

The rest said, let him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come and save him.

04:48

Did Elijah come to rescue him? No. And Jesus, here's the thing, he would have if Jesus said so.

04:58

But Jesus wasn't calling for Elijah to save him, because this is why Jesus came.

05:05

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,

05:13

Jesus knows what's coming. This is why Jesus came to earth, to die for your sins and mine.

05:23

And he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why did he say that? Because that's how he felt.

05:29

Because that's what was happening. Verse 50, and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

05:38

Notice that he yielded up his spirit. Why is that significant?

05:45

I have a theory. Normally I don't share theories from the pulpit, but because John 10, 18 says,

05:53

Jesus says, no one takes my life from me. No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself.

06:01

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.

06:09

He never would have died if he didn't give up the ghost. Somebody asked me, it got me to thinking, could

06:15

Jesus get sick? Well getting sick isn't a sin. I mean I don't see why he couldn't.

06:21

But could Jesus die? You know every time they wanted to throw him off the cliff or they wanted to take him by force, what would happen?

06:30

Jesus would just walk through the midst and go on his way. It was impossible. It was impossible for them to kill him.

06:36

So I believe Jesus would never have died if he didn't give up the ghost, if he didn't yield his spirit.

06:46

No one takes my life from 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.

06:55

So Jesus died exactly the way he chose to die on his terms.

07:02

And I believe, I believe that, that if he didn't give up the ghost, you say, well he'd still be alive today.

07:09

He is alive today because he rose from the dead. He rose from the grave.

07:17

Exactly what he said to his disciples. And Jesus in rising from the dead, you understand that Jesus's resurrection was different.

07:27

There had been people who had been raised from the dead before. Jesus's resurrection was a true resurrection. Why? Because he will never die again.

07:34

He was raised with a new glorified immortal body. The thing about Jesus's body, once he rises from the grave, he's able to appear, disappear, hide his identity at will.

07:51

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

08:02

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.

08:10

I mean I don't know. That's a carnal way of thinking by the way. Don't worry about other things.

08:18

So was he a spirit? Was he flesh? Well it's hard to say exactly. It's something that we really can't comprehend.

08:25

He did rise bodily, we know that. Jesus said in John 5, 28 and 29, the hour is coming.

08:31

Here's why that matters to you. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice.

08:38

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.

08:51

So Jesus made a promise that he would return. And when he does return the dead will be raised.

09:01

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.

09:21

There's only one way to get it. Placing your faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone.

09:28

If you're trusting in Jesus and then your own good works, you know 50 % Jesus, 50 % your own good works, you're not going to get it.

09:36

If you're trusting in Jesus 98 % but my baptism 2%. No, it's 100 % you trust in Jesus and in Jesus alone.

09:46

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.

09:54

Of course the resurrection is far from the end of the story. It was my plan not to preach part 4 so we're going to get this done.

10:04

From the time Jesus rose to the time he ascended into heaven he spent 40 days upon the earth.

10:12

We learned this from Acts chapter 1 verse 3. So Jesus rose from the dead which was the proof that his sacrifice was accepted.

10:21

And he appeared to Mary Magdalene the other women and the disciples. In Luke 24 verse 44

10:27

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

10:41

Psalms concerning me. Just a little piece of information. Jesus breaks down the

10:46

Old Testament into three sections. What does he say? The law of Moses, the prophets and the

10:52

Psalms. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures.

11:01

Hopefully this is one of the reasons why you come to church. Not that I could do this the way

11:06

Jesus can obviously. But you come to church to hear the preaching of God's word so that your understanding to the scriptures is open.

11:17

I have little doubt that Jesus went through many things. Maybe starting at the beginning. Genesis 1 verse 1,

11:24

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And Jesus might have said, And I was there.

11:30

I was with God and I was God. And then pointing to the first promise of his incarnation in Genesis 3 verse 15,

11:39

How the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. That's me.

11:44

He said. Psalm 22 verse 16, He probably covered this, When David wrote in the

11:49

Spirit, They pierced my hands and my feet. David never had his hands and feet pierced.

11:56

Jesus could say, You speaking of me. And then in Isaiah 53 verses 4 and 5,

12:03

Hundreds of years before Jesus was even born, the prophet wrote, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

12:11

Yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions.

12:19

He was bruised for our iniquities. In the chastisement for our peace was upon him.

12:25

And by his stripes we are healed. Luke 24, 46.

12:34

And this is where we will close. Then he said to them, Thus it is written.

12:40

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

12:48

And that repentance, that's what happened. And now here is the church's responsibility.

12:54

That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

13:04

What is this? This is the Great Commission. This is my responsibility, your responsibility,

13:11

Morris Quarter Church's responsibility to make sure that this Great Commission is being carried out.

13:18

This is the purpose of the church, the evangelization of the world.

13:26

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

13:38

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to teach them all that Christ commanded.

13:44

So do you believe that Jesus is Lord of Lords? That's weak.

13:50

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

13:59

Great Commission? Amen. Let's close in prayer. Father, what a wonderful story, the greatest story ever told.

14:11

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.

14:17

Every word of it. And it says that they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem after Jesus was carried up into heaven.

14:27

They returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing

14:35

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.

14:47

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

14:57

Earth. We pray these things in His name. Amen. Thanks for listening.

15:09

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

15:17

MorrisCornickChurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.