044. Sightseers at the Cross

Our first text today is...  Matthew 27:35,36   

‍

It’s about the crucifixion, and it says in verse 35 …

PP2

v35   “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:  ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ ”    

PP3

v36   “Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.”   

Or as the old King James Version says …

PP3

Verse 36  K.J.V. 

“And sitting down, they-watched-Him-there.”    

Sightseers at the Cross!

Sightseers!  They come to our Bribie Island to see the dolphins, the pelicans, the passage and the surf, the fancy canal houses, and of course, the Bribie Island Butterfly House 

Bribie Island’s a great place, and sightseers come to Bribie.

Down through history there have always been sightseers.  There were a lot of them on that strange and momentous day when the fire came down from the sky.  Elijah had prepared an altar.  He prayed, and God sent the fire.  There were many sightseers there.  Some were affected, but the majority were not.

There were sightseers on the Day of Pentecost.  People were there from every part of the world.  They watched what was happening, and some said, “These men are full of new wine.”  Yes, some of the sightseers saw the strange and wonderful happenings on that day, but they didn’t see what they were supposed to see, the wonderful power of Jesus Christ.

One of the strangest places in the world to find sightseers, was at the Cross.   I wonder if you’d come with me today, back to that Old Rugged Cross, and meet some of the sightseers.  -----

Our Heavenly Father was there.  He was looking down at His only Son, nailed to a cross.  I would think that He was weeping, weeping.  If you were a father, how would you feel if your son was nailed to a cross and left to die while you looked on?  It would tear your heart out.  But I want to tell you something, our kind of earthly love is only a shadow beside the heavenly Father’s love.   And because His love is so much deeper than our love, His pain as He watched His Son die would be so much deeper than our pain.  The Father knew He was innocent, absolutely innocent.  But there He was, dying on a criminal’s cross, for you and for me. ----

Who else was sightseeing at the cross?  The soldiers were there – shaking dice, gambling to see who’d get the victim’s clothes.  What fun!  And above them on the cross, the Saviour of the world was dying.  The biggest thing that ever happened in the whole universe was taking place above them as they gambled for His clothes.  And I guess Jesus knew what they were doing.  How would we feel if we were on that cross looking down at those soldiers gambling for our clothes at the foot of the cross?  ----

Who else was there?  Jesus’ dear mother was there.  What was she thinking?  What would you mothers think if he were your son?  A good son – a very good son, an innocent son – flogged and bleeding and dying while ignorant people laughed at Him.   What was His mother thinking?  Was she remembering what the angel had said before He was even born?  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great.”  And then the angel went on to say, that “of His Kingdom there would be no end.”

I guess Mary was looking forward to Jesus being great, as any mother would.  But wait, He’s been stretched out and nailed to that cross!   What’s gone wrong?  He’s not on a throne.  He’s dying!  My son is dying!  The blood’s running down His forehead and into His eyes.  His lips are swollen and parched with thirst.  He’s naked.  The shame of the cross!

If she walked around behind the cross, she would see His back.  Cut up like raw meat for you and me.  How did she feel?  Friends, how do you feel as you see Him dying?  I’ll tell you how I feel.  As I watch Him dying on that cross for me, my feeble love for Him is growing, how about you?

I read a statement that said, ...

PP      “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day contemplating the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes of His life.  

The story of the cross should reach your heart, and break your heart, and melt your heart, so that you’ll begin to love Jesus and want to become a follower of Him.  Only Christ and His Cross can do that.”  -----

Well who else was at the cross?  Well there were some folk who were simply looking on.  They weren’t doing any harm.  They didn’t hate Him.  They simply sat down and watched Him as He died.  They didn’t really care.  We’re like that sometimes too, ----- every time we sin afresh.  ----   As the little poem says ...

PP    “For the guilt of our sin

    The nails drove in

  As Him we crucified.”   

-----   Then there was another sightseer at the cross.  His disciple John was there!        ------          You know, if I’d been up there on the cross, I guess I’d be feeling sorry for myself, but not Jesus!  He was feeling sorry for His mother.  Yes, Jesus loved people to the end.  In His agony, He looked down and said, “John, behold your mother.”   And turning painfully to His mother he said, “Behold your son.”   In essence He was saying, “John, I’m the substitute for the people in the church.  I’m the substitute.  And  John, I want you to be the substitute for the Substitute.  I’m dying for you so you can have eternal life.  Now you be My substitute and look after My mother while I’m gone.”

Friends, Jesus tells us that we are His substitutes too.   The great theologians say that Christ’s work on earth was finished on the cross.  Yes it was – and no it wasn’t.  On earth He has some unfinished work for us, His substitutes, to do.   Jesus said, ...

PP    “Go out into all the world and preach the gospel.  Don’t stop until everyone knows that I love them, and died for them, and paid their sin debt on the cross.”  

------------------------

PP   ‘Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today; 

He has no feet but our feet to lead people in His way.        He has no tongue but our tongue to tell them how He died; 

He has no help but our help to bring people to His side.’   

------   You know, it is through the Spirit, acting as Christ’s power and influence in our lives, that we do this work Christ commissioned us to do ---- in place of Him.

Who else was there sightseeing at the cross?  Well we know someone who wasn’t there.   Judas wasn’t there.  He’d hung himself.  When Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, he sold all of his stocks and shares in eternal life.  -----  Maybe we’re like Judas.  …

PP 

What might we sell Jesus for?  A house, a boat, pleasure, a business, sports, our friends, our bank balance?  Does something mean more to us than Jesus?  

-----   Matthew 27:41 tells us that the chief priests were there at the cross.  Yes, the church leaders were there mocking Him.  …

PP

What?  Ministers, priests, mocking Jesus?    Yes, friends, when I tell people what the Bible teaches about how to have good health, or perhaps Bible baptism instead of sprinkling, or God’s holy Sabbath day instead of Sunday, or that God doesn’t want us to sin, do you know what they sometimes say?   They say, “My minister has been to Bible College for years, and he should know, and he says, “Don’t worry about those things.”  Yes friends, right there at the cross, the ministers were mocking Jesus and His teachings.

I want to tell you something, take notice of what your Bible says before you take notice of what some ministers tell you.  It’s just the same as listening to me if I don’t tell all the truth.  If you want to be lost, then stop studying the Bible for yourself, and only listen to the preacher.  Listen to what it says in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15 ...

PP    2 Corinthians 11:13-15   

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, and no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers (that’s Satan’s ministers) also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

Yes friends, on the great judgment day, we read in Matthew 7:22,23                that when these false ministers and false church members say to Jesus,...

PP1     “Lord, Lord, we’ve done many wonderful things in Your name.  We’ve cast out devils, we’ve healed, we’ve done miracles.”

Then Jesus will say, “Get away from me, I never knew you.”

       Matthew 7:22,23     

PP2    I knew about you but I never knew you, personally.  ------

------  Friends, if the sheep go stray, will the false shepherd pay?  Yes!  But so will the sheep.  Why!  Because they didn’t bother to get their Bibles out and check things for themselves.  And if they did read their Bibles and saw something different from what their preacher said, they put it to the back of their minds, because it didn’t suit them to change from their man-made ideas.  ------    Alright, the preachers were at the cross, mocking Jesus as many of them do today by their lifestyle and teachings.

Who else was there?  Look at the chapter we’re in.   It says that some other people were there.  …

PP     Mathew 27:39 

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads....”     

----   We say ‘stupid, ignorant people’!   But maybe we do that.  If we’re not really proud of the fact that we’re Christians;  if we’re not really proud to stand up and be counted for Him, to be associated with Him, then we’re like those people who were really saying, “Look at Him, that Jesus, He’s not a friend of mine.”

They were ashamed of Jesus.  What about you and me?  I used to be one of them.  And I thank God that by His mercy I am changing.  Yes, when I was young, my Dad used to preach on the street.  He was a street preacher.  He used to take me with him and I absolutely hated it.   Some of my non-Christian friends might see me and laugh at me for looking like a Christian.  I liked the winter-time best because it got dark early and my non-Christian friends couldn’t see me as I stood in the dark shadows of the shops.  Ashamed of Jesus!  Yes, that was me.  But today, praise God, when people ask me if I’m a Christian, I tell them, “I’m proud to be a Christian.”  ----

Who else was at the cross?  The devil himself was there.  He was there working through people.  He got people to tempt Jesus.  They said, “You saved others, Yourself You cannot save.”   Satan tempted Him to come down from the cross.  Jesus could have come down.  He wanted to come down.  But then He thought of you and me, and knew that if we were to live, then He’d have to die. -------

------    When I was just a kid, my Dad told me a story that I’ve never forgotten.  

Captain John Coutts was a wild, swearing tyrant of a sea captain and so were his men.  On one voyage he was taken ill, and was dying.  He knew that if he wanted eternal life he’d need Jesus.  Captain John Coutts called the First Officer to bring a Bible and to pray for him.  But the First Officer didn’t have a Bible, and he couldn’t pray.  And nor could the Second Officer, and nor could the Third.  They searched the ship for a Bible and a praying man.  Finally they found little Willie Platt, the cook’s boy.  ---- The captain said, “Willie, I’m going to die.  Find something in your Bible about God having mercy on sinners.”   Willie remembered the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.  It’s a prophecy about Jesus, written over 700 years before Jesus walked on this earth.   Willie turned to …

PP    Isaiah 53:3  (and began to read.)  

v3    “He is despised and rejected by men, 

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;  

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  

v4   Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

v5  But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.”

When Willie got to the end of verse 5, the dying Captain said,  

“Stop, boy, now that sounds like it; read it again.”

Once more Willie read those words in verse 5,

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes - we – are - healed.”

“Aye, boy, that’s good, that’s it!”

Then he said, “Boy, read again and put your Captain’s name in, John Coutts, John Coutts.”

Then the boy read,

 “He was wounded for John Coutts transgressions, 

He was bruised for John Coutts iniquities;

The chastisement for John Coutts was upon Him,

And by His stripes John Coutts is healed.”

When Willie had finished, the Captain said, “That’ll do boy.  Go on deck.”

--------    Then he lay back ----   having heard those glorious words ringing in his ears --- and he repeated them over and over, putting his own name in --- and as he did so, the joys of heaven filled the heart of a new-born soul.  -----

-----   Soon after, the captain died.  His body was wrapped in canvas and slipped over the ship’s side to disappear into the ocean, there to wait till Jesus comes, and the sea gives up it’s dead. -----

PP     Friends, John Coutts put ‘his name’ in.  Have you put ‘your name’ in, yet?

-----------

But Ray, I’m a church member.  But Ray, I live a good life.   etc.    Yes!

But that’s not my question.  My question is, “Have you put your name in yet?  Are you really sure you have the free gift of eternal life?  ------  We should all read Isaiah 53, and put our names in.

-----   Yes, at Calvary, Satan tempted Jesus to come down off the cross, and Jesus desperately wanted to get down off that accursed cross.  But Jesus knew full well that if we were to live, then He’d have to die.  And so He did. ------

And at the cross the devil tempted Jesus to hate those people who were treating Him like dirt.  But the more they abused, the more He loved.  And finally He said, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Yes, the devil was surely there at the cross tempting Jesus.  He tempted Him to drink the alcohol and to take the drugs.  …

PP   Mathew 27:34   (says,) 

“They gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.”  

The old King James version of the Bible uses the word vinegar instead of sour wine.

Vinegar of course, was made from wine, by allowing the vinegar fly to get in and send it sour.  Vinegar often has two or three % of alcohol in it and the gall was a poisonous drug used to numb the senses.  The devil tempted Jesus to take these things so He wouldn’t feel the pain.  -----   Commentators believe that there on the cross, Jesus was still saying no to temptation, just as He wants to help each one of us to say NO to temptation also.  ------

PP    (sightseers at the cross and three crosses picture)

Who else was sightseeing at the cross?  The two thieves of course.  They were jeering at Jesus.  And then I imagine one of them must have turned and looked into the face of Jesus and he saw a face like he’d never seen before.  Then I imagine he looked at the other thief and said, “Stop insulting the man in the middle.  We deserve what we’re getting, but this man in the middle has done nothing wrong.  Stop it!  You and I have run together, we’ve murdered together, we’ve lied together, we’ve robbed together, but now, NOW, there’s someone come between us   and I’m glad.  I’m glad they didn’t crucify Him on the outside.  I’m glad they put Him between us.” 

Friends, would Jesus like to come between us and something else that keeps us away from Him?  Is there some little sin that’s between us and Jesus?  Is there some little sin that’s between us and eternal life?   Let’s decide now to spend more time with Jesus, in our Bibles and on our knees, and our little pet sins will disappear – guaranteed.  ------

  -----  That thief knew peace.  Friends, if you don’t have real peace, even when you’re walking through dark valleys, it may be because you haven’t let Jesus come between you and the thing that’s bothering you.  You’ll never have peace until you come to know Jesus.  There is only peace in the dark valley  if the Prince of Peace is walking with you.    You can sleep tonight like a baby if you personally know the Man on the cross.  -----

-----   So the cross divides.  It divided between the two thieves.  And one was lost and the other was saved.  Which one are we?  -----

----   Any other sightseers?  ----- 

PP    Jesus on cross (silhouette)      

   Yes!         Jesus was there sightseeing too!  In fact, He saw this sight 4,000 years earlier.   The first chapter of John tells us that Jesus was there at creation.   And as he looked down the corridor of time over the thousands of years leading up to the cross, He decided with the Father, that He, a Divine Being, would come down to this sin infested earth, be born in a dirty animal stable, be hunted by Herod, rejected by His own brothers, and people would plot to kill Him.  He knew all this would happen.  But despite His foreknowledge, because of His great love for us, He still chose to veil His divinity and take on our humanity and come down to this hell hole called earth that was ruined by humans.   -------

I’m glad He came down to mix with such unworthy, unthankful people on this earth – people like Ray Archer.    I’m sure glad Jesus keeps bad company, aren’t you?

Yes friends, before He came down, He knew He was destined to die on the cruel cross – the most shameful and dishonourable and painful death that anybody could die in those cruel Roman days. -----

------  As a sightseer, what else did Jesus see?  He saw Peter, who denied Him.  He sees you and me there at the cross.  What are we doing there at the cross? ----- Are we still driving those nails in again and again into His pain-wracked flesh?

Yes we are, if we are still cherishing some little sin.  Something we’re not prepared to give up for Jesus just yet.  Are we indifferent to His suffering?  Don’t we care?

PP    If we come to Jesus just as we are, warts and all, He will accept us, and give us the free gift of eternal life.  He will then help us to get rid of our pet sins that have been dogging us – guaranteed!   

-------

PP1

There on a hill stood that blood stained cross,

Cruel were the nails and cruel were the thorns          

And cruel were the crowds cruel jeers,

But cruellest of all was His heart-breaking thought

That His Father rejected His tears.

PP2     

But such was His love, He accepted that cup

And drank to the last bitter drop;

Drank anguish and heartbreak – forsaken! Alone!

Drank, knowing He could have called ‘Stop!’         

Why?    (use next bit as an add on for the pp)

PP3    WHY?

PP4    

That I might be clothed in His righteous robe

And dwell in those mansions on high.      

-----   That’s why!   ------

PP      What Amazing Love!  What an Amazing Free Gift!

-----  Remember the inscription that was placed above Christ’s head on the cross?  It was written in three languages so every sightseer could understand.  -----   The Gospel, which means Good News, the Good News of the gift of salvation and eternal life, is in more than a thousand languages today so everybody can understand.  You and I understand. ----  But in …

PP    Hebrews 2:3   (we’re asked the question,)    

“...do we ‘neglect so great salvation’?”   

That word ‘neglect’ in Hebrews 2:3 simply means to ‘put it off’.   

And in Hebrews 2:1 it says, ......

PP     Hebrews 2:1   “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”        

---------   In Luke 23:48  it says that some of the sightseers at the cross ‘saw and smote their breasts’ .  Did they follow Jesus further?  We don’t know.  Maybe they saw Jesus and were convicted but not converted, and slipped away.  Yes, maybe they saw Jesus and they knew in their hearts that He was right and they should follow Him, but they put it off, and drifted away.  It’s so easy to happen to each one of us.  ----

So when …

PP     Jesus says, “Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”   ….

... then we need to decide right now, today, that we’ll accept His offer.     -----

-----    Now listen to this little poem.  -----  

“The road is too rough,

Lord there are stones that hurt me so.”

“Dear child, I understand, 

I walked it long ago.” ------

“But there’s a cool green path,

Let me walk there for a time.”

“No child,” He gently answered me,

“The green path does not climb.” ------

“My burden is far too great,

How can I bear it so?”

“My child, I remember the weight;

I carried My cross, you know.” ------

“I wish there were friends with me

Who’d make my way their own.” 

“Oh yes,” He said, “Gethsemane

Was hard to bear alone.”  -----

And so I climb the stony path,

Content at last to know

That where My Master had not gone

I would not need to go.  -----

  And strangely then I found new friends,

The burden grew less sore;

And I remember -  long ago

He went that way before. -------

----  A man was preaching at the pulpit.  The day was hot – and the seats were hard.  A little girl wanted a drink of water.  Her mother was trying hard to hear the sermon.  Finally the little girl pointed vaguely in some direction and said, “There’s a man over there who has a drink of water.  Can I go and get one Mummy?”  Her mother gave permission, telling her to come back as quickly as possible. -----

Suddenly, with unbelieving eyes, she saw her small daughter  walk right up on the platform and ask the speaker for a drink!  She sat transfixed as she saw the pastor stop and poor a glass of cool water from the jug that had been placed on the desk.  And the child expressed her thanks by lifting her blue eyes to gaze into his. -----

Friends, there is a Man over there on that cross who has a drink of water!  Living water!  And you can walk right up to Him and ask Him for a drink.  He won’t mind being interrupted.  ------

------   Jesus was dying that Friday afternoon.  The guilt of this world’s sin was crushing out His life.  In all history there has never been a more important moment.  And the thief on the cross beside Him interrupted His dying with a request.

What happened?  The whole plan of salvation stopped and waited while Jesus answered the prayer of the repentant thief!

  Friends, He will stop to answer you!   You can walk right up and ask Him for a drink  - and never thirst again!  You can ask Him now, before it is too late!

  And a new and living hope will get you through the day.  Any day.  Every day.  From now – to forever.     Amen.

5 second pause

Friends, if you would like the message titled ‘Receiving the Free Gift of Eternal Life’, then please go to the LIFE LESSONS section of the website and download the message.

5 second pause

PP

Friends, if you have been blessed and challenged by this message, 

       then please take time now to send it on to your friends.

                                      To God be the Glory! 

‍