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Welcome to the Bridge Church Greenbrier podcast where we connect all people to the person,
power, and purpose of Jesus.
Wherever you are listening from, we're so glad that you are joining us.
Now let's listen to this week's message.
So you'll never understand the depth of your salvation until you understand the depth of
Jesus' crucifixion.
I know we all love Resurrection Sunday, but there is no resurrection without a crucifixion.
And tonight's a memorial service for the Jesus that died for you and for me.
It's personal.
This is a very personal thing He did.
You know, He was crucified on His creation, for His creation, by His creation.
It's hard for me to wrap my mind around this.
You know, the cross, the cross was known as the worst tortured death ever.
But you know Jesus even redeemed the cross.
That after Jesus' death, the cross, they would start to use in palaces.
They would start to put it on armor.
You and I wear the cross around our neck.
We wear the cross as ever.
We have it tattooed on us.
It's in our houses.
But the cross before Jesus' death was known as the most horrible thing that you could
ever go through.
There's three different things that I want to show you tonight that happen on the cross.
And first, the cross is a fulfillment of prophecy.
That over 300 times in the Old Testament, it was prophesied, it was foretold by God.
God foreknew what His Son would go through for me and you.
Over 300 times in the Old Testament, it was talked about where Jesus would be born, how
Jesus would live, what Jesus would do, how He would die.
But yet, I just, I don't understand if He foreknew all this, how could He go through
all this?
And I think that's part of the journey, guys.
We're so destiny-minded that we're no journey good.
But it's the journey that God wants to develop us.
It's a journey that He talks to us and walks with us and tells me I'm His own.
It's the journey that I want us to embrace and when He fulfilled this prophecy, I mean,
could you imagine if you're Jesus and you're reading the scrolls and you're reading and
you come to Psalms 22, the whole chapter is predestined, is telling it.
In Psalms 22, 16, it says, dogs will surround me, a pack of villains will encircle me.
They will pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display.
People snare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes amongst them and cast lots for my garments.
All this was prophecy, all this was fulfilled when Jesus went to the cross for you and
me.
And He gave a moment, He could have said, no, God, I ain't doing that.
And He didn't give a moment, but He said, no, He looked through the corridor of time
and He looked at you and said, no, I'm going to die for that one.
I'm going to endure for that one.
And it brought me to Hebrews 12, 2.
When you feel discouraged, we got to refocus.
He says, fixing your eyes upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, that
He started our faith, He's faithful to finish it into completion.
What my God starts, He backs.
He says, for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross.
I said, God, what's the joy of you being nailed to the cross and dying and suffering?
What kind of joy is that?
He said, it's the joy, you're my joy.
You're the reason for the joy that's set before me.
I knew in centuries from now that I would be able to reach and choose you.
For the joy that was set before me, we're the joy.
It wasn't Him hanging on the cross that was so joyous, that was horrible.
But He said, no, I know people, I know people 2,000 years later that are going to
need to be set free.
I know people 2,000 years later that the only thing that's going to set them free
from the lie they're believing is the truth.
I know, and so I have to die so you can live.
It's personable.
I died, I took all this on me so you would be healed, that you would be freed.
Isaiah 53.5, but He was pierced for our rebellion.
Can you remember a time when you were rebellious?
I mean, He was crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
You're feeling broken right now?
What He did on the cross is so you could be whole again.
God loves broken things.
Oh, but the only thing, the only way He could put broken things back together is
if you give them all the pieces.
There's some people wondering right now, you're saying, listen, I've given my life
to Christ but I'm still broken.
I can see God just waiting.
I want that peace, that peace you're ashamed of, that peace that hurts the most.
Trust me, baby, I work together all things for the good.
I work it together, but I need it in my hand to work it together.
Man, and I just, He was whipped so that you and I could be healed.
Physical healing, mental healing, He went through this so we could be healed.
So it's the prophecy that was fulfilled, but it's the, it's also the demonstration
of Jesus' love, that God's love through Jesus.
The demonstration, and the demonstration is simply amazing.
The demonstration is what led me to my knees.
For God, so loved, Jed.
Oh, you see how I just made it real personable?
I want us all to read this first line, and I want you to say world
because sometimes we can think, oh the world, oh yes, no, no, no.
Let's all read this first line, and let's put your name there.
Ready?
For God, so loved.
Say that again like you mean it.
For God, so loved.
Oh, one more time until you believe it.
For God, so loved that He gave.
His only son, He emptied heaven out on your account.
That whosoever, my God, where my whosoever is at?
Come on somebody.
I remember reading this the first time, and I never seen it before.
My mother maybe memorized this verse as a very young kid.
I remembered it for the wrong reasons, for some double stuffed Oreos.
But how many people know you can remember things for the wrong reason
and God can make you recall them for the right?
And I recall this as I read this verse, and I read this verse,
and I was in the most broken stage of my life.
In a prison cell.
For God, so loved the world.
For God, so loved me that He gave.
His only begotten son, that whosoever.
I said, man, I want to be a whosoever.
That whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I don't know about you guys, but I was tired of perishing.
I wanted to receive this everlasting life.
And so when I said this prayer, I said, God, I give you all that I am.
It's not much.
I give you all that I will be.
Do something with it.
I said, I want to be a whosoever.
He called me just like that that day in the cell.
Yes, He did, and I answered the call.
I answered the call that day, and from that day forward, I've never been the same.
I've never been the same.
I didn't change overnight, but God works from the inside out.
He demonstrated His love towards me, Romans 5-8.
He demonstrated His love towards me.
Here we go, let's do it again.
God demonstrated His love towards Jed.
Put your name in there.
God demonstrated His...
One more time, y'all are confused.
Say it again, and be boisterous about you.
What's your name? Caleb, I know your name, I want to hear your name.
Okay, go ahead, read it.
Yeah, that while I was yet a sinner, He died for me.
In my mess, He died for me.
When I didn't know who I was, He died for me.
When I was out there playing for the wrong team, He died for me.
He looked through the corridors of time and said, I don't care.
Do you see how broken and messed up you see?
They're at the rock bottom.
You see that one? That guy Jed?
He's going to be at his rock bottom 2,000 years from now.
And I'm going to be the rock at the bottom.
That Psalms 40 verse 2 says,
and Jed's going to build his foundation on me,
and he's going to open his loud mouth to sing my praises.
That's what it says, but it doesn't say my...
I'm making it personable.
It's personable.
He demonstrated His love.
His demonstration now leaves us with an obligation.
You and I have an obligation,
but an obligation without an application is no good.
We have to apply.
We have to demonstrate His love.
We have to demonstrate.
We have to be a mirror of a reflection of Christ.
Otherwise, He died for nothing.
Whew.
I mean, what... Did you... Did you see...
Did you guys see that?
Did you see... I mean, that's not even...
That's nothing compared to how He died.
Jesus paid the price of your redemption.
Redemption's not free.
Redemption... The definition of redemption, it says,
it's an act of buying back or recovering something
that has been lost or stolen.
4,000 years before Jesus died on the cross.
Notice, there was 2,000 years from Adam and Eve
since God created the world.
From the beginning, then 2,000 years to Abraham.
From Abraham, there's 2,000 years to Jesus dying on the cross,
and now you and I are coming up on 2,000 years since.
You notice how God likes to do something every 2,000 years?
I'm just saying, I'm not the writer, I'm the reciter.
Prophecy's not meant to scare us, but to prepare us.
And I don't know, I want to be ready when my Jesus comes back.
The one who did all that and paid the bill, paid my debt.
And you don't have to get ready if you're already ready.
How about your amen somebody?
And so, it's costing us something, it costs Jesus' life.
That's how valuable you are.
In 1 Peter 1.18, it says,
For you know that it was not with perishable things,
such as silver and gold, that you were redeemed from your empty way of life,
handed down from your ancestors.
He's saying, there is no price.
You can't put a material price on your life.
That's why I had to send my son.
Because you're so valuable,
someone needs to rip the price tag off their life.
In here, you don't know your worth.
Let me tell you how much you're worth.
God thought you were worth dying for.
Who in here would die for a billion dollars?
Nobody? You'd be real rich.
Okay.
Who in here would die to live in the White House?
We think about these things and we put price tags.
We're like, if I could just get...
Jesus said, you're so valuable, I had to die for you.
He didn't just die for you.
He died instead of you.
I know what I deserve.
And there's some of you guys like, yeah, pastor, you were pretty bad.
Like, yeah, you probably do deserve death.
But the Bible says the wages of sin is death.
That God doesn't say, oh, there's this sin and there's this sin.
But if you do this sin, you deserve death.
If you do this sin, you're okay.
And a lot of us, we think that way.
That's why we make a pet out of our sin.
Because it's not that bad.
But James 1 15 says sin fully developed, sin fully grown leads to death.
For my Jesus, your Jesus,
He died as if He sinned so you and I could live as if we didn't.
Man.
I bought at a price.
I want to touch these last seven statements Jesus made on the cross.
And then we're going to take communion and someone's going to give their life to Christ in here tonight.
Someone's going to become a whosoever.
You say, pastor, that's pretty bold.
I serve a Jesus that said I could be bold.
You say, pastor, I never see you in a suit.
The reason why I'm in a suit is because I mean business.
And I mean my father's business.
And what is my father's business?
That none should perish but all have everlasting life.
That's the reason why he died.
That's his business.
And ever since I got set free, I said the devil should have took me out while he had me.
Because now I'm about my father's business.
And the first statement on the cross is in Luke 23, 34.
Jesus said, father, forgive them.
Who's them?
It must have just been the Roman soldiers.
No?
Maybe it was Pilate because Pilate couldn't make the decision to not find him guilty
but he didn't find him.
Maybe it was the ones that yelled Hosanna on Palm Sunday
but then yelled crucify him and they wanted Brabus.
You know them is everybody.
Father, forgive them.
It's not about how much forgiveness you and I deserve.
It's how much freedom he desires for you and I.
He wants us to be set free.
You know that's why he died?
So we can live a more abundant life.
The reason why he died is because he doesn't want us to die in our sins.
He died so we'd have a purpose.
Forgiveness is not a feeling, it's a decision.
And he did this on the cross to be an example to you and I.
Forgive him.
How could you forgive somebody beating you like that?
I'm going to be honest and say no.
I'd be pretty mad.
Turn the other cheek and go what?
They say no this is how you should live.
This is how I died so you could live.
It's okay.
It's going to take a lot.
God's like I got a lot.
I got grace for you.
The same grace that saved you is the same grace that's going to sustain you.
Thank God for the grace that I did not deserve.
The second statement was Luke 23 43.
It says Jesus said to him as surely I say to you today.
Jesus is sitting up there on the three crosses and as he's hanging on the crosses he's sitting between two thieves.
The one on his right mocked him and the one on his left said hey I know we deserve to be here but you don't.
Today when you come into your kingdom, Lord remember me.
He didn't say teacher remember me.
He was a great teacher.
He didn't say rabbi.
Remember me.
He didn't say king of the Jews even though that was written above his cross.
He didn't say he said Lord.
The Bible says in Acts 2 21 all that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And he says today you'll be with me in paradise.
Today.
Not when you get your act cleaned up.
Not when you get baptized.
Not when you start speaking in tongues.
See we love to learn all these Christianese words and think it makes us better than other people.
No, no, no, no.
You're not better than nobody.
He died for everybody the same way.
He loved everybody the same way.
How dare you think you're better than somebody.
Phew.
This is the day.
God's not judging your sins because he sent Jesus to die for your sins.
Oh, I deserve what I deserve and what he desires are so far.
I can't believe it, man.
Third is in John 19 26.
This is so powerful.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved.
John.
You know John always referred to himself in the third person.
He said the disciple that Jesus loved.
Jed.
The nobody that Jesus loved.
The nobody that God turned into a somebody right in front of everybody.
Because he loved me.
He said his mother and his disciple whom he loved were standing by.
You know some of the greatest loyalty you can show somebody is not what you say to them.
But when you stand by them.
Jesus needed John at the cross.
And some of you like, I don't know if I could have been like Jesus.
I think I would have been too busy looking at all the people who weren't there.
Peter just denied me three times and said he loved me.
Judas sold me off.
All the twelve that I spent my time with.
They abandoned me.
They deserted me.
I told them what was going to happen.
And sometimes you and I can have that different view.
We see all the people that aren't there instead of the people who are.
And once you start realizing the people who are there.
They're there on purpose.
In your hardest times.
Don't take those people for granted.
Because what's consistently taken for granted will ultimately be taken away.
He says to his mother, woman behold your son.
Man, where my mother's at in here?
Could you imagine the baby that you carried is now on the cross you deserve?
He said, behold your son.
Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother.
And from that hour the disciple took her in as his own.
That's crazy.
In the middle of him dying he's still caring about other people.
In the middle of his death he's still bringing people together just like he did in his life.
God loves unity.
God will take care of you.
I mean, he's sitting there hanging on the cross and he's dying.
And he's like yo, yo John, John.
Yup, yup, the one I love right there, yup.
Take care of my mother.
You know Jesus had two other brothers?
Yikes.
No, no, no, I need her to be taken care of by someone who believes.
Someone I know will show up.
And it's all to me. It's not what we have in our lives.
It's who we have in our lives that matter.
Fourth, Matthew 27, 46, in about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice.
Eli, Eli, Elama.
Sir, Baka Theta.
My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me?
What?
What are you talking about?
Joshua 119.
God will never leave you nor forsake you.
What, what, what, what, what, what, what?
That's the promise of God. He won't do that.
How is Jesus saying that?
You know a lot of people have a problem with this saying.
But can I tell you why?
Habakkuk 1.4.
Habakkuk 1.4 says,
God's eyes are too pure to approve evil.
Thou cannot look on wickedness with favor.
He bore our sins who knew no sin so we may become the righteousness of God.
So in that moment, Jesus bore our sins.
And God, looking down at his sons, he had to turn his eyes.
He says he turned his favor away from him.
Jesus felt the favor of God lift off of him in that moment.
The favor of God represents the plan of God, the protection, the power.
In that moment, he felt the favor come off of him.
Has anybody ever felt the favor of God lift off of him?
You know why the favor of God would lift off you?
Because of sin.
It's sin that separates us from Jesus.
It's the sin that separates us from God.
I'm never more, I'm never as close to Jesus to when I first repent my sins.
I don't know about you guys, I sin a lot.
Pastor, what are you talking about?
You're a pastor. The Bible says even if you fought it, it's as if you've done it.
Man, and he loves me that much that he knew I would have some stinking thinking,
but he would still love me.
So it wasn't, he was forsaken so you and I could be forgiven.
The fifth one, John 19, 28.
After this, Jesus knowing that all things now were accomplished
and fulfilled by scripture, that means we're full told,
he said, I thirst.
It shows his humanity.
Like could you imagine hanging there for nine hours?
Beaten, bleeding, I mean I'm talking like, he's saying I'm thirsty.
He's showing, he came here, he showed us all.
Like he showed us, Jesus wept over people and cities two times in the Bible.
Jesus was thirsty. Jesus was in the wilderness and he was starving to death.
Forty days and forty nights. He demonstrated his humanity.
He's saying, hey listen, I know what you're going through guys.
Don't act like I haven't been there before.
He was thirsty so you and I could drink from rivers of living water.
Man, the woman at the well.
This water I'll give you, you will never thirst again.
He died so we could have, never be thirsty again, spiritually.
And it's number six, John 19, 30.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine,
he said, it is finished.
Bowing his head, he gave up on the Spirit.
The Greek word is tedelestai.
It is, and what that means,
it means paid in full.
I'm so thankful that my salvation is not on layaway.
But it's bought at a price, but it's paid in full.
So all my sin, paid in full.
All my shame, paid in full.
All my lies, all of them God, paid in full.
Hate, sickness, greed, envy, pride, you confess it, paid in full.
Jesus is the buyer.
You and I are the product.
The crucifixion is the payment,
and his resurrection is the receipt.
The last thing Jesus said on the cross,
he said,
and Jesus in Luke 23, 46,
Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
and said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
Man,
he belonged to the Father and he was going back to the Father.
Where are you going back when you bow your head and close your eyes for the last time?
We're born looking like our mama and daddy,
one day we're going to die looking like our decisions and our choices.
And Jesus' greatest agony, he was running towards the Father, not away from him.
He wasn't running to his phone like you and I do.
He was running to the throne.
That's so powerful.
Amen.
He gave up so much.
He gave up.
He gave his forgiveness to the ones around him on the cross for you and I.
He gave a spot in paradise to the thief that didn't deserve it.
He gave his mother to the disciple John,
he gave his silence while he was on trial and people were calling him guilty.
He gave his body
to the crowd that was shouting Hosanna
and then we're saying Free Barnabas willingly gave up his body.
And he gave up his spirit to Jesus, to God.
That means he gave up everything.
He gave up everything but one thing I'm not going to give up is my spirit.
My spirit belongs to the Lord.
My spirit belongs to God.
And so he says,
In his death,
there's a call for you and I.
He says, if you want to be my disciples,
if you want to follow me,
first you must decide,
then you got to deny,
then you got to die to self.
If you want to follow me, deny yourself.
Pick up your cross.
Oh, we all got a cross.
But in order for us to pick up our own cross, we're going to drop some things.
I don't know what you've been holding on.
We've been holding on to so many things in our lives.
But in order to follow Jesus, we have to pick up our cross, deny ourselves, pick up our cross
and follow him.
Some of you are going to have to drop an addiction.
Some of you are going to have to drop some bad habits in order to pick up this cross.
The good thing is you can nail it to the cross.
That's what the cross is there for, to nail my sins, to nail them.
What is God asking you to nail to the cross you're carrying?
What is he asking you to drop
so you can pick up your cross and follow him?
Thank you so much for joining us today.
If you would like to connect with us, just text BRIDGEGB to 55498
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Thanks so much for listening. Now go out and be the Bridge.