Truly, this was the son of God.
Amen gonna ask you to stand if you would and reading from the screens together you guys tonight on this remarkable, always remarkable passion Friday where we pause and consider that without today, the Christmas message would have no significance whatsoever without today, uh Life would have no meaning.
Without this day, there would be no price paid for a redemption, you know, with the setting as it should be, it’s darkened and we’re gonna be obviously reading some heavy scripture here together.
But the fact of the matter is if you think about it, I found myself thinking about this today is um is the fact that the brilliance of Sunday is so bright that we have to get into the mood tonight as we were to come, somber, right?
We’re to come. But we, we know down deep inside how this ends.
So I would say that tonight, we become thankful and uh yeah, rejoicing in what God has done for us.
And so uh with that, um we’ll stand together but for speeds sake for, for um for reading purposes tonight, I’ll read if you’ll follow along with me.
Now, Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people said to them, you have brought this man to me as one who misleads the people.
I indeed have having examined him in your presence.
I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.
No, neither did he for I sent you back to him and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.
I will therefore chastise him and release him for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast.
And they all cried out at once saying away with this man and released to us Barabas who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city and for murder Pilate therefore wishing to release Jesus again, called out to them.
But they shouted, saying crucify him, crucify him.
Then he said to them the third time, why, what evil has he done?
I have found no reason for death in him. I will therefore chastise him and let him go.
But they were insistent, demanding with a loud or with loud voices that he be crucified and the listen and the voices of these men and of the chief priest prevail.
That’s one of the saddest statements in humanity.
So pilot gave sentence that it should be as they requested and he released to them.
One they requested who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison. But he delivered Jesus to their will.
Now, as they led him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon, a re who was coming from the country and on him, they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
And a great multitude of the people followed him and women who also mourned and lamented him.
But Jesus turned to them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not wait for me but weep for yourselves and for your Children for indeed, the days are coming in which they will say blessed are the barren wombs that never bore and breast which never nursed.
Then they will begin to say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us for if they do these things in the greenwood or in a time of peace, what will be done in the dry?
There were also two other criminals led with him to be put to death.
And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there, they crucified him and the criminals one on the right hand and the other on the left, then Jesus said, father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.
And they divided his garments and cast lots and the people stood looking on but even the rulers with them sneered saying he saved others, let him save himself.
If he is the Christ, the chosen of God, the soldiers also mocked Him coming and offering him sour wine and saying if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.
And an inscription also was written over him in the letters of Greek, Latin and Hebrew.
This is the king of the Jews.
Then one of the criminals who were crucified, blasphemed Him saying if you are the Christ, save yourself and us.
But the other answered, rebuked him saying, do you not even fear God seeing you are under the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
But this man has done nothing wrong.
And then he said to Jesus Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom?
And Jesus said to him assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.
Now, it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
And then the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, father into your hands, I commit my spirit and having said this, he breathed his last.
So when the Centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God saying certainly this was a righteous man and the whole crowd who came together to that site, seen what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.
But all his acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.
He had not consented to their decision.
Indeed, he was from Amoia, a city of the Jews who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Listen. Then he took it down.
I love that. He didn’t take Jesus down.
He took it down, wrapped it in linen and laid it in the tomb that it was hewn out of the rock where no one had ever lain before that day was the preparation and the Sabbath Drew near Father, we pray tonight that as we pause to give thanks and to praise and to honor and to remember this great moment in history.
We marvel Father God that it is historic.
But the fact of the matter is, it’s also profoundly prophetic that the lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world.
And so father speak to us now, as we seek to worship you this evening and give you our affection, our attention, and God, we pray that you’d protect us from becoming a religious people.
But lord that you might prompt us to be a people who know you in the relationship that you intended.
We pray in Jesus name and all God’s people said amen. You may be seated.
So, yeah, I mentioned somber, but we know what’s coming many years ago in Los Angeles.
There was a great pastor that preached E V Hill.
Anybody remember E V Hill used to be on TV.
And um you just can’t, I can’t mention the name E V Hill without uh hearing him say on their Good Friday service.
It’s Friday and he, and he went through great detail.
It’s Friday and it’s dark outside, the ground is shaken, it’s Friday and he would do that and he’s got his handkerchief.
Remember him sweating and preaching. And then when he painted this incredibly bleak picture.
He said those words. I’m already starting to hear some of it.
He said it’s Friday but Sundays are coming.
I never, that’s the best I can do as a white man.
And I regret that I may be white on the outside.
But, um, but we know something the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 17 verse 22 that now while they were staying in Galilee, that was jesus’ Ministry headquarters.
He spent the bulk of his 3.5 years ministering almost exclusively in Galilee.
He said to them, that’s the disciples.
The son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him.
And on the third day, he will be raised up friends if you do your homework, Jesus said that six months before they went down to Jerusalem for the Passover for the final time, he had warned the disciples, he had instructed them.
I am going to die. I’m going to be betrayed, but quite frankly, they didn’t want to hear it.
It’s not that they were in denial, but I bear witness to their optimism.
They were watching the dead raised, hanging out with Jesus.
Can you imagine that you as a disciple, you were even sent out with a great power to preach the gospel and do miracles.
Jesus sent them out first by the 12 and then as the ministry was growing, 70 others went later doing great miracles.
They expected the kingdom of God to come the way that they thought it would come first.
But Jesus had some business to take care of first. You would have to go to the cross.
And that was designed by God in the Old Testament, by the way, keep this in mind, friends.
This is not a day that we celebrate that things got out of hand.
Jesus, listen, Jesus was not a martyr. Jesus was not a victim. Jesus was not a pawn.
Jesus was God Almighty in human skin, living out scripture and going to the cross to die there for your sins and mine.
He would culminate all of the Etonian sacrifices that went before him for thousands of years and all of the sacrificial animals and all of their blood was just a little image of he who would come and it’s Jesus.
But from that moment on Christ would offer some offer himself up on this day that we celebrate on Mark chapter 10, verse 32.
The Bible tells us now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was going before them and they were amazed by the way the word implies in the Greek language that as they were heading down to Jerusalem, coming down from Galilee that they were amazed because Jesus was listen in such a uh stride.
What’s the word? The, the clip in which he was walking?
I mean, he walked uh in in a way with the disciples that they, they knew how to walk with him for three years.
Oh, but this little hint right here tells you that he’s walking differently.
Now, Jesus is, listen, he’s not tiptoeing toward Jerusalem.
His stride has picked up its gate and he’s moving with determination.
And the Bible tells us that the Messiah would head to Jerusalem and he would set his face to the mission like Flint.
He knew exactly what he was doing and Jesus was going before them and they were amazed and as they followed, they were afraid, then he took the 12 aside and began to tell them the things that would happen to him.
And he says, in verse 33 behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.
Now, the reason why you go down to Jerusalem from Galilee, it’s very amazing.
You can go, you can go down south from any direction.
But when you get to Jerusalem, guess what you have to do. It’s remarkable from 360 degrees.
No matter where you come from in the world, you’ve got to go up to Jerusalem if you’ve been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
We’ve done this. We’ve come from Galilee following his footsteps, but you’ve got to go down into the valleys before you go up to Mount Moriah.
And Jerusalem sits and the temples there.
And he said, the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priest and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the gentiles and they will mock him and scourge him and spit on him and kill him.
And the third day he will rise again. See Jesus knew something.
They didn’t know they weren’t listening, they weren’t fathoming you.
And I 2000 years later, here we are today, we know something. It’s Friday.
Mhm We know something.
One of the great reasons why there are many reasons why.
But one of the great reasons why we’re Christians is found in this truth in revelation chapter one, verse 11, starting there.
And Jesus said, I am the alpha and the Omega the first and the last my friends.
If you don’t believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, then you don’t believe in the Old Testament whatsoever.
Because that declaration by Jesus is an Old Testament description of the Old Testament, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob found in the book of Isaiah.
What do you say to that? That’s pretty awesome.
You see this is the lamb of God verse 17, revelation one tells us.
And when I saw him, John said, I felt that his feet is dead, but he laid his right hand upon me.
So John sees a vision of Jesus and John says, he lays his right hand upon me and listen to what he says, Jesus speaks, do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last I am.
He who lives and was dead and behold, I’m alive forevermore, amen.
And I have the keys of Haiti and of death. I’ve got the keys to hell.
And the grave revelation chapter two verse eight says, this thing says Jesus is speaking, who is the first and the last, who was dead and came to life.
That is awesome. Do you mean to say that your God took upon himself, human skin and died on the cross?
Yes. Well, then if your God died on the cross, then why didn’t the universe cease to exist?
Why didn’t the universe fly apart?
But you need to read your Bible more carefully in the beginning, God created and that word is Elohim.
And in Hebrew, it’s a singular unity. We don’t get that in English.
But um it’s God is one, but he manifests himself in a plurality, God, the Father God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit.
Besides all that, by the way, when Jesus died on the cross, his body died, which is a profound testimony to all of us that the day that you die, you live on, you think your body is so important, not according to God, your body will not live forever in the condition that it’s in.
Thank God for that. I took to Advil before I got here today just because it’s not cooperating with this evening.
But the gospel on a night like this is all wrapped around the cross and the cross brings us to our theme this week.
Out of the darkness, out of the darkness, Jesus brings us because it’s Jesus Christ who took upon himself, the darkness of all of humanity’s since sick diseases.
I’m not talking about physical diseases. Those are bad enough.
I’m talking about the diseases that Jesus took upon himself at the cross for us.
On this day in history, the syn sic disease of Lyme, for example, Lyme, the sensing diseases of anger, that’s unrighteous anger.
There’s a holy anger, but he didn’t die for that type of holy anger, a wicked anger.
He died for the sins, disease of hate. Right now. Our globe is wrapped.
It seems as though in a poison of hate, like it’s a gas that’s just above the surface of the earth, maybe about three ft high, you know, like some movie and this mist seems to be engulfing the world of hate and lawlessness.
He died for the Synsi disease of lust and the Synsi diseases of gossip, the sys diseases of sexual perversion.
He died for all of that on the cross. He came, all of them.
The Bible says he died for all manner of sin.
And you think about that upon Jesus was all the sin of the world put on him.
And as it were in a black box, God put all of that upon the shoulders of Jesus and wrapped it in a black bow and that probably that black bow would be the sys disease of pride.
That’s, that’s the number one slayer of men right there is pride.
Everything else that I mentioned a moment ago is all topped by pride.
Pride is the driving force behind all those things. It’s been an interesting week.
It’s been non stop this week with all that’s going on in the world, in our nation.
It’s just been a crazy media week interviews, multiple interviews almost every day. This week.
I think, I think almost every day, this week and dub with, with whatever was going on.
I was asked by various news outlets about certain things and about certain issues and all this kind of stuff.
But um I, I wrote something down that in every one of those interviews and you can Google them or see them on youtube somewhere.
Every one of those interviewers either on TV or radio or in a podcast interview said this, is there any message of hope in these days last night on Newsmax, Chris Salcido?
Uh in that interview, he said, didn’t Jesus say there would be days like this and I had to laugh because yes, Jesus said there’d be days like this, there’ll be days like this.
My Jesus said, sounds like a song or something that could go by that.
But the answer is this, yeah, there is a message of hope these days, but not without the cross.
You got to have a cross if you’re going to have a message of hope.
Everybody that’s ranting and raving around our world right now and in our country right now, they need to just calm down and shut up and take a listen to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for them.
They need to lay down their angst and go to the cross and be humbled by that.
We should be humbled the cross in second Corinthians five verse 14, the bible says, for the love of Christ compels us.
Why do we tell people that Jesus loves them and that he wants them in heaven?
Why do we tell them the gospel?
It’s the love of Christ that drives us to the lost because we judge thus that if one died for all, then all died.
That is if Jesus died, the Bible says, then all of mankind died in him.
But when he rose from the dead, then all can live through him.
In first Corinthians chapter two verse one, the Bible says, and I brethren is the apostle.
When I came to you did not come to you with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God Paul.
When he went to the Corinthians, they were Greeks, they, they were show offs. The church at Corinth.
The church at KTH is the kind of church that you would leave today if you attended it.
The church at Corinth was nuts. Read the book, read 1st and 2nd Corinthians.
It was one wacky church and, and Paul calls them saints think of that for a moment.
Can God forgive sin? Is God patient? Does God wait for us? Yes.
His letter to the Corinthians is very encouraging.
But Paul said, I didn’t come to you with super oratory skills.
I decided not to use those when I came to you. Look what he says here.
He says in verse 24, I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified the cross.
What are we talking about in this day and age when we go to a church?
I assume this is your church but maybe it’s not your church. When you go to a church.
Do you hear the cross in a day and age like now what America needs is the preaching of the cross.
America. Listen, God knows His timetable.
We don’t, we don’t know but we know this that we are to keep living for Him until we get called home.
By whatever means He chooses. We are to be living for God right now.
There should be no doubt in the lives of people who know us that we’re living for God.
Why? Because the cross has got a power to it.
And you think about the cross in Roman days today, it’s a beautiful ornament.
If you think about it, we have it on jewelry and T shirts and bumper stickers artwork.
But if you were to do it today, it’d be an electric chair.
That’s what it was in the first century. Equal to that. The cross was disgusting.
The cross was horrific. It’s a place where bad people went.
It’s a place where people went, who deserved it because they had wreaked havoc in the world.
And like you read a moment ago, those two thieves on the cross were murderers and they were crucified on either side of Jesus.
In revelation chapter five, verse six, the Bible tells us John speaking and I looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elder stood a lamb.
It’s Jesus, if you don’t know as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God into all the earth.
Then he came and he took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
So he takes the scroll from his father. It’s awesome.
Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb.
Each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. Isn’t it amazing?
Every time you pray? Apparently your prayer goes up before God and it’s stored in a little bottle or hopefully, it’s a big bottle.
Uh Mine’s probably a thimble but um I hope not.
But listen to this verse nine and they sang a new song. Listen to what they sing.
And by the way, if you’re a Christ follower, there’s going to be a day when you actually literally, this is, this is freaky weird.
Right now. Your Bible, we’re gonna read it.
There’s gonna be a day coming that you and I will be in God’s eternal time zone, not pacific time zone, eternal time zone where you and I will sing this song as the redeemed listen, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you or slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe tongue, people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth.
Then I looked says John and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the four and the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was 10,000 times, 10 thousands, thousands of thousands.
That’s a cute way. The word in the Greek simply means ain’t no way to count them all saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who is slain.
That’s what was happening on this crucifixion day in history to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
Verse 13 and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as they are in the sea and all that are in them.
I heard saying, isn’t that weird? Somehow John heard crickets expressing praise to God and Wales.
And it’s amazing.
I had a squirrel at our back door this afternoon trying to get in the house.
It’s funny. I was studying for today and I was thinking, I wanted to go outside and I heard a little pecking at the door and I looked, and there was a squirrel that wanted to come in the house, he wanted it in.
And I wanted out Book of Romans tells us that when Christ comes, the creation itself is gonna praise God.
Uh The Bible says in the book of Isaiah that when Christ returns, he’s gonna reestablish nature.
How about that? Any listen, any tree huggers in here, you need to become a Christ follower.
You, you think trees are amazing, my God made them and he’s going to make him better.
He’s going to refresh him when he comes back.
And the Bible says that when he returns, he’s going to cause the desert to bloom way more than it’s blooming.
Now, Jesus is going to fix it all.
And um and so the Bible there tells us that John heard them saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever.
And how long ever? So listen as we prepare our hearts for communion tonight and for meditation on this amazing evening on this amazing day.
Out of the darkness. There’s three things I simply want to point out to you tonight.
Out of the darkness. Yes.
But first into the suffering, Jesus went, we don’t think about this enough.
Everybody a week ago when we started this theme. Yes. Out of the darkness. Hooray. Absolutely.
But wait a minute, Jesus first had to go and suffered.
We don’t like suffering who likes suffering. Nobody likes suffering.
A friend of mine told me a long time ago.
By the way, I had a couple friends tell me this and both of them, by the way were survivors in hostile situations.
One friend told me that he grew up in a sense of suffering and you learn how to um you learn how to use it.
You don’t see it as an opponent. You learn how to live with it.
Some of you and many of you from foreign countries who attend this church and many of you are watching right now screaming are in foreign lands and you’ve learned how to persevere.
You’ve learned how to endure suffering.
And uh it’s, it’s been my little experience that whatever suffering I’ve had, it’s an awesome thing to come through it and you look back and you say those famous words that we hear people tell us, but we don’t believe it until months or years later.
And it’s this someday you’re going to thank God for what you’re going through someday.
You’re gonna look back and you’re gonna say it was worth it.
And you always think somebody’s lying to you at that moment.
But if you suffered at all, you know this, when you come through it, you look back and you’re a stronger person for it.
Listen, you’re a more humble person for it. Why?
Because this God is so much bigger when you suffer and you learn how to embrace that.
And then another friend told me who was born so to speak with the proverbial American gold or silver spoon in his mouth was in the US special forces.
And part of the great training is to embrace and to learn how to suffer.
You don’t run from it.
You look at square in the eye, so to speak and they’re taught to deal with it.
Well, thank God to get into heaven tonight. Friends.
You don’t have to become a navy seal or you don’t have to be born in a war zone.
But I will tell you this Jesus suffered for you and I, and for the entire world that still hates them tonight, he died for them and that world hates you.
And I, and it’s hating us more.
They don’t understand us when we tell them the truth, they get angry, we love them.
The Bible says all of sin and come short of the glory of God, we need them.
But out of the darkness can only happen after Jesus suffered and on this day in history, Jesus suffered secondly, out of the darkness.
Yes. But first into the darkness, Jesus went, you read uh there in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus, listen, Jesus was crucified in a total time of six hours started at nine AM.
If we talk in our time frame, the Romans had a time frame. Are you guys with me?
The Romans had a time frame.
They, there was Roman time in the kingdom and then there was Israel time and those two times did not agree, neither did their calendar.
So when the Bible says that it’s the third hour, you’ll read that in the gospels.
Jesus was crucified on the third hour and then on the sixth hour, the sky turned black until the ninth hour.
You’re saying what’s going on here, what different time frame?
Nine AM noon, three pm.
By the way, if you know your old Testament, this is a study for some other day.
I text a good friend of mine today at 2 55 wishing him Shabbat Shalom and Happy Passover.
And I looked at the clock and while I was giving him that text, it struck three o’clock.
He said, well, who cares? Uh three o’clock. Listen.
According to the Old Testament, the fellowship sacrifice for the people had to be offered up, not at two o’clock, not at four o’clock, three o’clock.
And I said something to that effect.
And that, and that comment and you think about that for a moment at 12 noon, Roman time, the sky turned completely black and it terrified me.
You say, well, Jack, that’s what the Bible says. But I don’t believe that.
Well, do you believe historians, you know, history is supposed to be a science, modern history, I think is a story book, fairy tale.
But isn’t it interesting that historians who didn’t even uh recognize Jesus Christ recorded the fact that the sky turned black.
Well, that just happened to be a eclipse. We’re talking.
The word actually means a, a black that a darkness that can be felt.
It’s like an Egyptian the night the past. Remember the darkness that came upon the land of Egypt?
The Bible says in the Old Testament, it was a darkness that could be felt that that’s an eerie thing.
But you know what I mean? Right?
You ever know when, when you’re in the, when something’s going on and you, and, and you know somebody’s standing behind you.
It’s kind of gives you the, what’s the technical word?
He darkness?
Jesus went into the darkness and here’s the amazing thing. The father brought the darkness to him.
The father of the Bible says, laid on him the sins of us all. Is that amazing?
And he took those sins.
And then finally, it’s this out of the darkness. Yes.
But first into hell, Jesus went for you.
Now, Jesus, the Bible tells us descended after his death on the cross descended into the lower parts of the earth.
The Bible tells us that he descended into what was affectionately known as Abraham’s bosom.
You can read about that in Luke chapter 15 and 16.
It’s remarkable because all those who died believing in God providing the sacrifice, think about Noah and David and all the rest when they died, they went to Abraham’s bosom.
It’s not heaven but it’s called paradise and it’s, it’s a pleasant place.
But the Bible tells us that there is a divide like a great grand canyon.
And on the other side, there were those that were being tormented and yet others that were in Abraham’s bosom called Paradise.
Luke’s gospel tells us are comforted.
And the Bible says when Jesus died on the cross, that is his body died, that he went and he announced the fulfillment of all of the prophets concerning himself.
He announced himself. And the Bible says he led captivity captive. Isn’t that a weird statement?
It is a weird statement. But it, but when you know that Roman generals, when they conquered an enemy, they not only defeated the enemy, but what they did was they took all of the loot, they, they took all of the good stuff and brought it back to Rome and that was called leading captivity captive.
This is the reward of your military campaign.
Jesus went there and scooped up Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Noah and Adam and Eve and imagine that and escorted them in a grand ascension as it were into heaven itself.
But I tell you what we end with this, the thief on the cross.
He’s the most fascinating guy to me, his trip to hell with Jesus was like a ride at Disneyland.
I mean, he stood in line all his life.
But in a moment, the whole thing was over today, Jesus said you’ll be with me in paradise.
But when you read the fine print, he was only on tour for a moment.
He was looking around. Can you imagine Jesus shows up? And Abraham says, I recognize you.
I remember meeting you thousands of years ago.
And can you imagine the thief on the cross?
I wonder if Jesus said to him?
Look, you’re not gonna get any of this. You spent your time robbing and murdering people and stuff.
So I get it. You’re not, you know, you’re not too up on your, your synagogue punch card, visit trips, but just, just be quiet and take it in.
It’s pretty amazing because Jesus said today you’ll be with me in paradise.
So that means he went with Jesus to paradise. Was he baptized?
Can you imagine Jesus says, I’d love to take you to paradise.
But you’re not baptized today. You’ll be with me in paradise.
Have you donated to the church? No, today you’ll be with me in paradise.
Have you met a good boy? No, none of that stuff today.
You’ll be with me in paradise on the words of Jesus himself.
He didn’t know that, that, that guy didn’t know nothing.
How many Bible verses had he memorized? Probably zero.
Isn’t that a beautiful, isn’t that a wonderful thing?