And sitting down they watched him there

Sermon notes from 9 April 2017

Luke 23 verses 26 - 33

It tells us here in verse 26 "and as they led him away".  The scriptures pick up on this point - a procession making their way from Pilate`s judgment hall to where they would crucify Jesus.  The cross was laid on this man Simon of Cyrene, a visitor to Jerusalem.  Out of curiosity Simon had joined the crowd to see what was going on. The soldiers arrested him and laid the cross on him.  Jesus had been tortured and abused for some hours in the judgment hall and maybe was so weak now that he couldn`t bear the cross.  This man was drafted in to help.  Every thief, condemned prisoner carried his own cross but Jesus knew no sin.  He was not guilty of any sin.  We catch a glimpse of this procession in verse 33 "and when they were come to the place which is Calvary there they crucified him."  When they came to this place - it is the preachers task to bring his hearers always to the place where Jesus died.  If we miss the cross this meeting is of no benefit.  Paul said he was sent to preach the gospel "not with enticing words of man`s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1 Corinthians 2 verse 4)  It is the way of the cross that leads home.  If you miss the cross you could miss heaven`s glory.  I want to bring you face to face wiht the cross.  Oswald Chambers said "all heaven is interested in the cross, all hell is terrified of the cross and guilty man shuns the cross."  Maybe that is what you have been doing, maybe you have now come face to face with this issue of eternity, maybe you have been shunning the cross as if it doesn`t exist.  Look at this place they came to.

A place of watching.  In Matthew 27 verse 36 it says "and sitting down they watched him there."  Those soldiers who had mocked, beaten him, nailed his hands to the cross, lifted the cross into the air, those were the same who sat down content and well.  They watched every movement because they were warned that the disciples might move in and take Jesus down from the cross.  I wonder have you sat down with the word of God before you, gone through the words of scripture and watched how the Saviour died for you and me?  It was a place of watching.  As they watched every movement no doubt they looked around them.  They observed those who also came to spectate, what their attitude was to what was happening.  The religious leaders were gathered around.  They had watched him to trap him when he preached in the villages.  They saw the people come, those who were blind, lame and sick.  The Pharisees watched to see if they could trap him in his words, whether he would heal on the Sabbath day.  The soldiers would gaze up into his face, when he called out for a drink of water, when they thought he called out for the great Elijah, watched when the darkness came over the whole earth.  We can get a view of Jesus as a teacher, a miracle worker, a prophet but the most important look is to see him at Calvary.  Have you ever come to this place called Calvary as Jesus died on the cross just for you?

A place of weeping.  The women folk and disciples who followed Christ came here weeping in their heart and on their faces.  Their friend, master, son was dying on this cross.  They could hear those in the crowd broken hearted.  "Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." (Luke 23 verse 28)  Why were these people weeping?  Perhaps because of the torment meaured out to Jesus.  As they watched this man who they had followed for 3 years they knew the abuse he had suffered.  A body beyond virtual recognition yet Jesus says "weep not for me."  Maybe they had a wrong view of Calvary.  Have you got a right view of Calvary for the saving of the precious soul?  Whenever Peter told the crowd on Pentecost "this is the divine plan of God."  This was God`s plan in dealing with your sin, that he must be taken and nailed to the cross.  This was the plan of salvation.  "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4 verse 12)  Have you the right view of Calvary?  As he died he was dying for your sin and mine.  We could miss that.  There is an enemy for your soul tonight.  He is a master of disguise, he blinds the minds of them that believe not less the glorious light of the gospel should shine in their hearts.  He wants to damn your soul for all eternity.  One look from Calvary could remedy that situation.  Christ took the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.  Somehow he has held them on the cross that a sinful world could hear the message of God.

A place of wounding.  Isaiah the prophet some 700 years before said "his visage was marred more than any man." (Isaiah 52 verse 14)  The Lord was wounded for you and me.  Christ was stripped naked, humiliated in front of the soldiers, tied to a stake, spread eagled in the shape of a cross, scourged with a strap and on it at the end was a piece of bone.  The Roman soldier would come against the back of Jesus and strike him, wrapping that stick with the strap on it around him.  The soldier would rip off the little bones and they would go into the flesh of Christ.  He was given some 39 lashes.  His back was like a ploughed field.  The crown of thorns was placed on his head.  The thorns that were the length of a nail.  Those thorns were plaited into a crown and placed on the Lord`s head.  The soldiers smote that crown of thorns into his head.  It punctured his brow.  The cross was laid on the ground, spikes were driven into his hands and feet.  He was lifted up onto that cross.  This was a place of wounding.  Then as the day wore on death came  on.  The soldier took his sword and pierced his side.  That is what these soldiers were watching.  Isaiah said "he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities." (Isaiah 53 verse 5)  How often have we heard about the sufferings of Christ yet it goes over our head, turn our back on the cross and say "it is not for me, I am going to get to heaven my own way."  No church will ever take you to heaven nor any minister can talk you into heaven.  If you die in your sin, you have turned your back on Christ and will go to a place of hell.

A place of wickedness.  The soldiers would have heard the cries of the Jewish people "away with him, we don`t want him to reign over us."  They watched the cruelty of the priests as they came up and ridiculed him, calling him down and then they would believe.  What they were seeing was man`s really worse against heaven`s very best for you and I.  We need to be careful.  This was God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.  Rembrant, the famous painter painted the 3 crosses at Calvary.  Art critics tell us as they look at this painting somehow your mind is taken to the middle cross.  The eye is automatically attracted there.  Then they go on to tell us the attention is drawn to each and every person standing around.  Here`s the wonderful thing - a little shadow is standing at the edge of the painting.  That was Rembrant.  He represented himself in that picture.  He realised it was his sin that nailed Jesus there.  He wanted to be there that day to own his wickedness and sin.  It is where your sin and mine were poured out on Christ, that he died for you.

A place of witness.  Notice what happens when a man gets a right view of Calvary.  The soldiers were watching the Saviour right throughout the day.  They witnessed the thief ridiculing him all day then all of a sudden something happens.  The thief looked at the Lord and realised there was an eternity in front of him and he would soon be stepping into it.  He looked at the Lord and saw something different in him.  He asked to be remembered when he came into his kingdom.  Jesus replied "today thou shalt be with me in paradise".  That witnesses to me that you can be saved through the cross of Calvary.  He realised Jesus was the door of the kingdom.  "I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved." (John 10 verse 9)  Jesus said you may not have another day of opportunity.  This man found the door of heaven before it closed on his soul.

A place of worship.  As they came to this place these men were watching.  They did not realise what they would be watching all day long.  The centurion who was watching what was happening, when the darkness fell, when Christ uttered his last words and offered up his spirit in the hands of God.  The centurion said "surely this was the Son of God."  He weighs up everything he has witnessed and realises who Jesus really is.  This is your opportunity.  It doesn`t matter who you are, how deep in sin you are in, how old or how young you are.  This is the night to get saved.  Trust Christ tonight.