The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ – Selected Scriptures. – Bible study
The Crucifixion of Christ
Selected Scriptures
by Cooper Abrams
Introduction: A. Over 1900 years ago an event in a dusty town inPalestine changed the world.
1. No greater event is recorded in history.
2. All Jerusalem was in an uproar. It was the talk of the city,shops, homes, stables, palaces and in the fields.
3. The religious leaders of the day were hysterical and wereworked up into a frenzy.
B. A carpenter’s Son had the whole country in a rage,from the palace to the beggar in the street.
1. A carpenter’s son who owned no property and all hehad was the clothes on His back.
2. For three years He had preached first in Jerusalem,but then because of opposition, He had gone north into Galilee. Now He was back in Jerusalem.
3. His enemies were a bitter lot. The Scribes andPharisees, the religious leaders of the Jews had unsuccessfully triedto kill Him several occasions.
4. It was His words that infuriated them. He said Hewas the Messiah! Not only that, but He said that God the Fatherand He were one.
5. He had performed miracles as never seen on earthbefore. The first time in history that a man blind from birthreceived his sight. He healed every disease. The lame, walked, thedeaf, heard, lepers were even made clean. He even raised menfrom the dead!
….Yet, he could not be the Messiah. He was only alowly carpenters son.
….The religious leaders, Scribes and Phariseesdenounced Him. Jesus seeking to open their eyes to the reality oftheir sin, called them serpents, whited sepulchers full of dead men’sbones. You see they were teaching the people a false religion anddoing so in God names. They hated Him for exposing them. Jesus quoted the Old Testament and showed them that men shouldlive righteous lives unto God and forsake sin. He said only therighteousness and grace of God could save a man, yet only ahandful of people believed Him and accepted Him as the Messiah.
C. Even today, still His words set some men to scorn. Hecauses divisions, separating men one from the other.
That is why He said, “Suppose ye that I am come to givepeace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For fromhenceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three againsttwo, and two against three. The father shall be divided against theson, and the son against the father; the mother against thedaughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in lawagainst her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against hermother in law.” Luke 12:51-53.
1. Those who choose to be identified with Him today manytimes are reviled, in some countries even today people are killedbecause they believe in Him, and follow Him. Families, people,and nations are divided because of Him. Some chose to believeGod’s word and others reject Him.
2. Still it goes on. Yet, men because of Him have donestrange things! Some have believed and given up wealth, fame,comfort, family, friends and all personal ambition…to follow Him.
Thousands throughout history have even died rather thandenounce Him for some pagan God or religion. History records world burned His follows at the stake, boiled them in oil, drownedthem, tore them apart with horses, even fed them to lions and wildbeasts.
3. Why? All because the loved Him. They knew Him to betheir Creator, God and their Savior.
D. Yet, in spite of the division caused by unbelief, some havebelieved on Him and have found peace, satisfaction and purpose for their lives.
1. Many have had there lives mended, broken lives put backtogether, lives restored.
2. Families reunited, alcoholics and addicts of all kinds cured!
E. The One who died that day…was who he said He was! Hewas the Son of God, come to the earth to saved all men who wouldbelieve and follow Him.
1. It was the greatest day in the history of the world!
2. For Christ died and after three days arose from the grave. HE paid the sin debt of the world, He conquered sin and death!
I. THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE WORLD IS THE LORDJESUS.
A. Man is born a sinner.
1. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, anddeath by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all havesinned:” Romans 5:12
2. Rom. 6:23, says “The wages of sin is death!
3. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of hisown lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringethforth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James1:14-15
4. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servantsto obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin untodeath, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16
5. But God does not stop there…He continues with the GoodNews, the saving Gospel of Christ…. “But the gift of God is eternallife.”
B. Christ was the sinless One. He alone could pay the price forthe redemption of man.
1. In Luke 23:13-14, Pilate a sinful ruler, found not fault inChrist.
2. V15, records that even Herod the wicked Jewish turncoat,a Roman puppet who sat on the Throne of Israel found no fault inHim.
3. Pilate, bewildered by the outrageous cry of the frenziedJewish mob…proposed to scourge Christ and let Him go. Themob would not hear of it, crying, Crucify HIM!! over and overagain.
4. He tried to release to them Christ instead of the hardenedand hated criminal Barabbas.
5. The crowd, hungry for blood, cried even louder, “CrucifyHim!”
6. Still trying not to harm an innocent man, Pilate proposedagain to let Christ go with a whipping and the crown morevehemently cried “Crucify Him!!!”
C. It chilled the blood of this hardened Roman ruler.
1. Afraid of what the mob might do, Pilate yielded, butpublicly washed his hands, and said let His blood be on your heads.
2. With no regard for what they were saying they, when thecried, “Let His blood be on us and our children!!”
II. ISAIAH SAYS IN 53:1-8, THAT JESUS STOOD AS ALAMB LED TO THE SLAUGHTER.!
A. Note Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Christ was there because ofour sins, our transgressions!
1. But you say, “I was not there…the Jews they murderedHim…not me.”
2. V6 Says, “ALL”, everyone, you included put Him there.
3. Who hath gone astray?? Everyone!
4. He shall bear THEIR sin. V12, He bore the sins of many.
5. ON Him was laid the iniquity of us all!
B. Note V10,….It please to Lord to bruise Him. Why?Because we being sinners, guilty of sin and under the penalty of itcould not pay our own debt. It takes a righteous and sinless Oneto be offered for our sins because we have no righteousness of ourown. Man is lost in sin and unable to save himself. That is whyour perfect and righteous God came to this Earth, incarnate in man, to live and die in our place so that we could receive forgiveness ofsins and eternal life. Christ was the Messiah, and He came toearth:
1. As an offering for our sins.
2. As a sacrifice for us.
C. He who had created all the Universe, made Himself subjectto man whom He had created, that He might save man.
1. Without complaint, He opened not His mouth.
2. Fully knowing the torment that lay ahead for Him, Heloved you and I so much, He did not turn from the horror of thesins of men.
III. HE WAS CRUCIFIED FOR YOU AND I. Matt. 27:33-44
A. Placing a rough beam of wood on His back, tormentingHim further they made Him drag his own Cross up that steephill called Calvary.
B. They placed a crown of thorns on His head in scorn.
C. They then laid him on the beams and as he extended Hishands, first one and then the other, the drove long nailsthrough His tender flesh.
Next, placing his feet together, they positioned the thirdspike, and then with a hammer drove it home thought His feet.
Almost you shudder to think of the agony He felt as theylifted the wooden beams into place. The Cross goes upright anddrops into place. His flesh tears and His whole body jerks as theCross falls into the hole.
D. Quickly the torment increases as He begins to suffocate,His lungs can expand in His diaphragm because with His armsextended and His body is sagging under His own weight. Hischest is heaves as He tries to get air.
He tries to push up with his legs to relieve the pressure onHis chest. Cruel pain shoots through His entire body.
E. As cruel as all this is…His suffering was much more.
1. Other men had been crucified, but this crucifixion wasdifferent. The one on the cross was Jesus the Christ, Godincarnate in man, totally sinless. He was not only bearing thetorment of the cross, but taking on Himself the sins of all theworld.
2. He who had never sinned, now bore the full penalty andthe horror of all the sin.
3. His spiritual torment was beyond human comprehension! Jesus in agony cried out, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”
IV. TRUE TO HIS SINFUL NATURE…MAN STOOD BY INA DEATH WATCH.
A. In horror, without any compassion…the vile impassionatesoldiers gambled at the foot of the cross for His garments.
B. As vultures, feasting on death, the crowd sat down,without emotion, with only curiosity watched, as He quiveredin pain.
C. Next came the more despicable act.
1. V39 The religious leaders one by one came by and reviledHim, wagging their heads in scorn.
2. Mocking Him the cried, “If thou be the Son of God, comedown from that Cross!!”
3. The pious religious leaders, vile hypocrites, expressingSatan’s their father’s scorn, laughed, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!” But you see He was not there to save Himselfbut to save men from their sins, to pay their sin debt, even thosecruel religious leaders who reviled Him.
4. Even the two criminals crucified with Him forgot for amoment their own pain and “cast their teeth at Him.” We thankGod that one of them a short time later came to understand whoHe was and he believed and was saved.
5. The Jews had looked for centuries for their promisedMessiah to come and when He came in God appointed time, thesereligious and devout Jews had Him crucified. Have you everwonder why?
a. These were very religious people and devoted toJudaism. They believed that by being born Jews, going to thetemple, doing good works they could earn their way to heaven. You see they did not believe God’s word. God told them theirworks would not and could not save them and that is why God hadpromised the Messiah would come. They ignored God and madeup their own religion and said it was from God.
b. They believed they could be good enough andrighteous enough to save themselves.
c. They blinded by their sin would not admit their needof a Savior the Messiah. They were Jews the chosen people. Their pride in their nationality and ethnic heritage and theirobserving religions acts and ritual was their salvation. They did notneed a spiritual Savior, but only a material hero and politicalconqueror. God in the Old Testament had clearly told them oftheir need and that the Messiah would come but they pervertedeven who the Messiah would be and why he would come. Remember Isaiah 53. Do you know today that this Old Testamentpassage is referred to as the forbidden passage. Can you not seewhy? Before them was greatest demonstration of God’s love forHis creation man….and yet would not accept it.
d. Jesus in John 3 told Nicodemus the devout Phariseethat he must be born again. Nicodemus thought he was going toinherit the kingdom of God because he was born and Jew and didgood works. Jesus was telling him that he must be spirituallyreborn and that is what happens when a man believes and receivedJesus Christ as His Savior, as he atonement for sin.
e. Jesus said, in John 3:15-19 that to be saved one mustbelieve….believe in God’s son to save him because man wascondemned already.
f. Eph. 2:8-9 states it emphatically that man cannot save himself. “For by grace you are saved……” Yet, man today likethese misguided religious Jews, teach you must join a particularchurch, be baptized, do good works and a host of other works andsacraments in order to save yourself. Who is right, my friend, Godor the religious leaders of our day? Who will you put your trust inGod….or some man?
D. He could have called 10,000 angels, and all the host ofheaven to His aid, yet He willingly suffered all.
Some soul was touched by His suffering and He finallyoffered Him a pain killer made of vinegar and gale…but He refused.
1. The pain and suffering He was bearing could not belessened. He had to suffer for the sins of the world. No mancould take His place or could they take His life, but He willinglygave His all for man.
2. In love, desiring even the salvation of those whotormented Him in that hour.
3. He died…..for you…..He died for me.
V. Christ had to die!
A. On the Cross He bore our sins. John 10:30 records thaton the Cross Jesus cried, “It is finished.” What was finished? His suffering and payment for the sins of the world.
B. 1 John 2:2, says He was the propitiation (full payment) forour sins, but not our only, but for the world.
1. Millions had lived and rejected their God and Savior andwhen they died they awoke up in fires of Hades, to be reserveduntil the final judgment in the Lake of Fire as Rev. 20:11-15 says.
2. Millions have and are still reviling Him and His sufferingfor them. Many are still rejecting Christ, rejecting the truth ofGod’s word, and running Hell bent into eternity and everlastingtorment.
3. What a pity! Their sins were paid for and nothing isrequired of them but to believe and accept God pardon for sin, yet most refused the gift of God and His free pardon for sin.
Many trusting their churches, rituals and the whole spectrumof Satan’s lies and false religion are still refusing to believe,refusing to repent, and refusing forgiveness and eternal life. Manyare still trying to offer up the filthy rags of their works to savethem. and God has clearly stated….only Christ, our Savior and Godcan save us.
Others are not concerned. They are too busy living theirlives, looking for pleasure in money, and material things to beconcerned about the eternity that lies before them. I know,because that is the way I was until I was 32 years old. Working,playing as hard as I could, but never being satisfied having no realpeace in my life. Yet, one day all that changed. You see I hearda true Gospel message must like what you are hearing now. Godtouched my heart and opened my eyes and I saw Jesus Christ forwho He really is. I realized I was a sinner bound for the Devil’s hell and I also saw a loving Savior, who died in my place offeringme forgiveness of all my sins and eternal life….if I would butbelieve and accept Him. I did and God changed my lifecompletely.
CONCLUSION:
1. Are you today in the crowd mocking the death of Christ? Areyou belittling and shunning His sacrifice for you by ignoring thetruth that while on that Cross He was suffering for you?
2. The importance of the whole event is simply this! He wasdying in your place, He was dying for you. Yours and my sin putHim there. And He loved you enough to go in your place.
3. The Gospel is this, Romans 10:9-10.
4. You accept by faith Christ’s payment for your sin. WOULDYOU CONFESS THAT YOU ARE A SINNER AND REPENTOF YOU SIN?
5. Would you receive Christ as your Savior right now?
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