Christ Wesleyan Church
Join us for our primary worship service each week on Sunday.
John 19:30 NLT
Matthew 27:35-50
Mark 15:24-16:11
Luke 23:33-44,46
John 19:18-30
A. The setting...
1. A dramatic reading will set the scene for the message. The reading was taken from “Answers in Genesis” and is entitled, “Our Suffering Savior”, A Physician’s Perspective, written by Dr. Tommy Mitchell.
John 19:18 NLT
B. Not just any other day...
1. For the Roman guards, it was all in a day’s work! The Romans had experienced tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of crucifixions. At one time, there were even 6,000 in one day.
Matthew 27:35-36 NLT
“Crucifixion was not a punishment that originated with the Jews or their judicial laws. Crucifixion was a brutal form of punishment that was common among the Romans. The Romans chose this mode of capital punishment to put fear in everyone who would stand against Rome and Roman laws. Crucifixion was common in first century Israel and this fact is well documented in the writings of Josephus. The Romans would choose a popular place in clear view, lest anyone else violate Roman law.”
*Ancient Manners and Customs
2. Jesus’ offense… He was crucified as “King of the Jews.” Herod was the appointed, King of the Jews, and Jesus’ claim was a capital offense. It was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek so all could see and read.
Matthew 27:37 NLT
3. Upon His cry for thirst, Jesus was offered a drink.
John 19:28 NLT
"According to an old tradition, respected women of Jerusalem provided a narcotic drink to those condemned to death in order to decrease their sensitivity to the excruciating pain . . . . When Jesus arrived at Golgotha he was offered . . . wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it, choosing to endure with full consciousness the sufferings appointed for him (The Gospel of Mark, p. 564)"
“So the first wine (mixed with myrrh) was designed to dull Jesus’ pain, to keep him from having to endure the cross with full consciousness. This wine he refused.”
“A sour wine vinegar is mentioned in the OT as a refreshing drink (Numbers 6:13; Ruth 2:14), and in Greek and Roman literature as well it is a common beverage appreciated by laborers and soldiers because it relieved thirst more effectively than water and was inexpensive . . . . There are no examples of its use as a hostile gesture. The thought, then, is not of a corrosive vinegar offered as a cruel jest, but of a sour wine of the people. While the words “let us see if Elijah will come” express a doubtful expectation, the offer of the sip of wine was intended to keep Jesus conscious for as long as possible” (Ibid., 573–574).”
“And the second (sour) wine was given to keep him “conscious for as long as possible,” and thus have the effect of prolonging his pain. This is the wine Jesus drank.”
*John Piper
4. Jesus’ crucifixion took place on Friday from 9:00am until 3:00pm. Darkness covered the earth for three hours, 12:00-3:00pm.
Mark 15:25 NLT
Mark 15:34, 37 NLT
5. When Jesus died, His life was not taken…He gave it!
Luke 23:46 NLT
John 19:30 NLT
John 10:17-18 NLT
6. The first one into Paradise was a thief who confessed his need for a Savior.
Luke 23:43 NLT
7. The Temple curtain, about 1100 feet away, was torn in two from top to bottom, opening the pathway for all!
Mark 15:38 NLT
Hebrews 9:3 NLT
Hebrews 10:20 NLT
Hebrews 6:19 NLT
8. An earthquake struck, which was customarily thought of as ‘Divine judgment,’ tombs opened and dead were brought back to life.
Matthew 27:51-53 NLT
9. It was not just any day…it was “The Day” that changed eternity for all of us, as witnessed by the Roman guard!
Mark 15:39 NLT
C. So who do you say He was?
1. It was not just any other day when Jesus gave His life that we might be free!
2. It was not just any other day when the curtain was torn, opening the pathway for every one of us to come to Jesus without having to go through anyone else!
3. It was not just any other day when Jesus opened Paradise for all of us to begin to experience His eternal treasures stored for us!
4. It was not just any other day that is now remembered by 2.2 billion people around the world…but certainly 3-4 billion since He gave His life!
5. It was not just any other day that gave you the opportunity to live this day for Jesus! He gave His life, what will you give today to celebrate your new life in Him?
His part: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.’ John 3:16
My part: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16
Text: IChooseJesus
To: 88202