Sunday Message: What the Death of Jesus Means to You

Everybody Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Grigori podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events. From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry's go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast. All right, grab your Bible and turned to Mark chapter 15 the title of my message is what the death of Jesus means to you.

Let me start with the question what is the moment of your life or you experience the most pain.

The most king. Maybe it was physical maybe you fell. Maybe a broken arm or a leg or something else.

We've all had those moments of pain with others.

Different kinds of pain right there's emotional pain that we can go through when we been hurt. For instance, pain of rejection or the pain of betrayal or the pain of abandonment when the husband says to the wife I've been unfaithful to you when the wife says to the husband. I want a divorce when the child says to the parent. I don't want to live the Christian life.

When the parent says to the child. We'll love you or want you are when the pastor who is just free for two hours, says one more think that's a joke right but we all know what it's like to feel pain and maybe one of the worst kinds of pain you can experiences when you've been betrayed by someone you care about someone that you thought was a true friend, someone you thought you could trust. Well, it cuts like a knife doesn't well working to look at now the story of Jesus Christ, who was betrayed by his friend. Don't forget June is was his friend in the Bible. The question is asked of Messiah in the Old Testament. Where did you receive these wounds.

The wounds in his hands. He says in the house of my friends and you remember the garden of Gethsemane when Judas was leaving the temple guard to arrest Jesus Christ says to Judas Iscariot, friend, why have you come so Jesus loved Judas he was a friend of Judas. He thought Judas was a friend of his with, of course Judas was the great betrayer. But I want to talk about the most painful moment that Jesus Christ experienced and I'm also going to talk about the most painful moment in my own life at the end of the message.

So when you think Jesus experienced the most pain.

You think it's when they put the crown of thorns on his head. Do you think it's when he was beaten with the Roman whip most likely a Roman cat of nine tails.

Do you think it's when they drove those nails through his hands and his feet is horrible and horrific as all of that was. I don't think that was his most painful moment. I'll tell you what I think is most painful moment was in just a moment, but we are coming to the end of our series of the gospel of Mark. We call this series the gospel for busy people. We have one more message and will be on the resurrection in this message I want to talk about the crucifixion the death of Jesus you know someone came to me and said you can preach two more messages before you go to heaven.

This is the theme I would choose because it's the heartbeat of the gospel of Mark.

It's the heartbeat of the whole Bible, the death and resurrection of Christ, and it should be the heartbeat of our lives as well.

Let's not forget that the book of Mark was written to bring encouragement to people and March.

Is this interesting style were where everything is and movement in the gospel of Mark.

Almost like you're there sort of a breathlessness if you will about the way that he writes.

He uses the word immediately immediately over and over again when he was writing to believers who are being persecuted. He was writing this to believers who were suffering and he wanted to bring them some encouragement, don't you think we all could use some encouragement right now, our nation, the United States and of America is in a state of crisis.

Right now I can't remember a time, at least in my lifetime and I was around of the 60s when we have been more divided and many are freaking out. Some are living in fear. So what should we do so we just go to our homes and lock our doors and shut our Windows know we should open our Windows like Daniel did and we should pray, and we should go out that door out into a needy and hurting world and preach the gospel lesson this is not the time to isolate. This is the time to permeate. This is the time to infiltrate. As a matter of fact, as Mark brings his gospel to an end to these suffering Christians is writing to a church that was being persecuted. He closes by quoting Jesus who says: to all the world and preach the gospel to everyone and then we read and the disciples went out and preached everywhere. That's all we need to do fault we need to go out and preach the gospel everywhere on social media platforms in our neighborhoods and everywhere, and in any way that we can because the answer is Christ, the answer is the gospel. The gospel is America's only hope were not going to change our culture through politics were going to change our culture through prayer for our nation and the preaching and proclamation of the gospel that saw the early church turned their world upside down and that is how we will turn our world upside down. So were Mark 15.

In our story begins with Judas being identified by Christ as the betrayer and the upper room. Jesus says to Judas, whatever you do, go into it quickly. Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane frame with his friends Peter, James and John who have fallen asleep. Now the temple guard approaches and they took him taken to the house of the high priest Caiaphas to be tried and we could best be described as a kangaroo court of injustice.

Jesus is then shuffled over to Pontius pilot.

Pontius Pilate is the Roman governor over the region pilot is never seen anyone like Jesus before I think it unnerved him pilot was used to people cowering before him, Jesus stood not I would say, in defiance, but in confidence knowing that this is all part of the plan of God. I think it's possible that pilot felt as though he was standing before Jesus more than Jesus was standing before Kim and pilot new that this man Jesus was innocent and pilot's own wife and said to him, have nothing to do with this just meant speaking of Christ drive suffered many things about him because of a dream that I had so pilot doesn't want to make this decision.

Pilot does not want to try Jesus and convict him and he definitely doesn't want to execute and crucify him, but the very reason that he was sent to buy liberties because the religious leaders wanted that very thing. But the fact of the matter is even God the father wanted this to happen. I know that sounds crazy, but as we'll see in a few moments the Bible says that please the father to bruise Christ. God was the master of ceremonies that the cross and the fact is that Scripture was clear in the Old Testament and pointing out the Messiah would die and he would die by crucifixion some 22 opens up with the words they pierced my hands and my feet. Crucifixion hadn't even been invented when those words were spoken in Psalm 22 Isaiah 53 vividly describes the suffering of Christ. Yet pilot he is trying to find a way out. We picked the story up in Mark chapter 15 starting in verse six, none was the custom at that time to release a prisoner when the people requested it.

Amending Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionist would committed murder and the uprising the crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. Pilot says do you want me to release to you, Jesus, the King of the Jews, knowing it was out of self interest of the chief priests and handed Jesus over to him, but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have pilot released Barabbas instead pilot then says what shall I do with the one you call the King of the Jews, they shouted, in response crucify him why Pilate asked what crime is he committed and they shouted the louder crucify him. So the custom of the time during Passover was to release a guilty person and the people could choose a pilot that will give that this is a slamdunk oven to put Jesus out the delivery model of virtue.

The miracle worker, the healer and then Barabbas and insurrectionist a murderer that the Romans would've called him a terrorist who do you want Jesus of Nazareth or do you want this terrorist murder, but the religious leaders are stirring up the crowd and munch to much to the shock of pilot they cry out, we want you to released Barabbas and we want you to crucify Jesus so pilot trying to find a way to appease this blood thirsty crowd, so he gives the order that Jesus should be scourged, scourged, now we could read the word whipped and scourged and we don't know what that means but basically the whip that would've been used with well here I have a reproduction of it here in this table. This is what Tom is called a Roman count of nine tails you can see it's a short wooden handle strips of leather and here at the end of this are pieces of sharpened metal. Sometimes it would also be bone and glass embedded in the leather strands of the whip.

So when this whip comes down on the back of a person. As you can understand it. Dig deeply into the body. This whip for the lacerated veins and arteries and even the kidneys and vital organs could be exposed and slashed the horrible horrible process to be whipped by the Romans and Jesus was whipped 40 times minus one day the hell back one out of mercy so 39 times this whip came on the back of Jesus Christ. Listen, some people died from the scourging alone.

It was described and that they as a pathway, crucifixion. That's how bad it was. And we wonder why did Jesus have to suffer like that II understand maybe that Jesus had to be nailed to a cross because that was prophesied. But why did he have, to suffer while he did suffer, we follow with suffering Savior. Isaiah 53 gives this description of what Christ went through these, despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted ballistic. The answer is no different. Why did he suffer. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. Easy. Jesus voluntarily suffered in our place. It's hard for us to think of a perfect creator going through something this human's pain-and-suffering, but I want you to know something God has suffered more deeply than anyone could imagine Jesus is called a man of sorrows, but why did he suffer why did he die simple answer because he loved and he loves he loved the people he was dying for, and he loves you and this also means that he can enter into your suffering as well.

My speaking to someone right now who is suffering. Maybe you're in a hospital bed. Maybe you're in a wheelchair, maybe earn it stay there personal anguish. Maybe your mourning the death of a loved one.

Maybe there's just something that's causing you so much pain.

God can enter in to your suffering with you and he cares and he understands you're not alone in your suffering today. Jesus is been there.

He's walked in your shoes and he's here for you humans to 17 tells us he himself is gone through suffering because of that he is able to help us when were being tempted to don't think the gods up in heaven disconnected from what you're facing. Jesus's face to he's experienced it.

He suffer now after Christ is been whipped with a Roman cat of nine tails.

Pilate brings Christ out before the bloodthirsty people and he says K Homo, which means behold the man and other was look at the sky as he suffered enough is enough blood for you.

Can I let him go.

No, oh no, they're not satisfied, they still want more. They want his death by crucifixion, they say, crucify Kim let his blood be on us and on our children. We read that pilot then washes his hands in a basin, sort of in a symbolic way saying I'm done.

I've done everything I could to free this man.

I wash my hands of the matter ballistic. You can wash your hands of Jesus Christ, one historical account tells us that within seven years of this event, Pontius Pilate was removed from office. He was a broken destitute unwanted by Caesar and all alone and we also hear from history that he went out in the darkness of night and like to this Iscariot hung himself to hear was Pilate's problem. He knew Jesus was innocent he may have even known Jesus was God, but he cared more about what people thought that would Jesus thought in his craving for popularity and power caused him everything. Listen, don't let a fickle crowd show you how to think it could cost you everything is well now Jesus was led off to be crucified. Matthew's gospel tells us that he was surrounded by old garrison of Roman soldiers.

This was a lot upwards of 600 of them.

By the way they were the elite legionnaires. The legionnaires were sort of the cream of the crop of the Roman army modern equivalent would be the Green Berets or Delta force or Navy SEALs, and as they saw how much Jesus had suffered. I was back to been ripped open and the tremendous loss of blood. You would've thought that they would have had sympathy. Sadly, it's the very opposite Mark 15 verse 17 says they put a purple robe on him. By the way purple was the color of royalty. So there mocking the fact that she is supposed to be a king. They put a purple robe on him and twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him and began to call out hail the King of the Jews and again and again they struck him on the head with a stop and they spit on him and falling on their knees they paid homage to him was all done in mockery.

These people literally spit in the face of God and then they take this crown of thorns and they place it on his head.

Here's a reproduction of what the crown would've looked like a imagine having this placed on your heads, instead of a crown of gold. The put this crown of thorns and Jesus and the would've cut deeply into his scalp, causing more pain, lacerations, and bleeding but it's interesting because the thorn is actually a symbol of the curse that came upon humanity. But Jesus was about to take the curse upon himself. He was cursed.

In effect, so you don't have to be of the Bible tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us because the Bible says curse.

It is everyone that hangs on a tree. Maybe you thought all men. My life is curse no-no doesn't have to be. Jesus was cursed. So you have to be curse. There is no curse on you, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ. We read in verse 19. They struck Jesus on the head.

And we wonder they cry out where's your army to deliver you. Where was his army. I can tell you right now.

His army was nearby. This is a Roman sword, a reproduction of one and I can tell you right now that the Army of Jesus were on standby and ready to strike at a moments notice.

Remember in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter pulled out the sword and sliced off the ear of the high priest servant whose name happened to be Malka said, I think it was probably a need for his head, but Peter was a fisherman not a swordsman writing.

Jesus said to Peter, put that thing away. Peter put that sort away. Don't you know that I can call in 12 legions of angels would come and deliver me right now to show you the power Jesus said he didn't even need the Angels to deliver because we read that when they came to arrest him. He says who do you seek their reply, Jesus of Nazareth, and then he says I am and they all fell backwards. Why because he was making a claim of deity. Remember what God said to Moses at the burning bush, Moses says who shall I say is semi-God says I am that I am Jesus was effectively saying the same thing. I am I Wonder Bread reverberated. I am MMM only fell over all the soldiers with their swords and their spears and their shields in their gleaming armor like dominoes falling on each other to get his head. I am, and you were by proof came over, but he went through all of this for us because he had to sacrifice his life for us in our place, now Jesus takes up the cross and begins his journey to Golgotha and the word Golgotha means the place of the skull Jesus was carrying his own cross. Here we have across a basic reproduction of the general size of what the cross would look like this would weigh approximately 300 pounds. Now imagine a heart it would be to carry this understand Jesus was a strong guy W. Pilot said of him, behold, the man you know you knew how to put us back to a task he was after all a carpenter he would chop trees down and build tables and frame home so he could pick up heavy things so much for the anemic Jesus of so much religious art. Jesus was strong.

Jesus was a man's man, but also don't forget Jesus at his back ripped open and he had been punched in the face and his beard was ripped out of his face and a crown of thorns was placed on his head and he has to carry a 300 pound cross and so is he is carrying this very heavy cross. He collapses beneath the weight of it is he is making his way to Golgotha. Mark 15 says in verse 22.

They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha that is the place of the skull. They offered him wine drug with murder but he refused it and the soldiers crucified him. It was 9 o'clock in the morning when they crucified him in the sign announced the charge. It was against him. The King of the Jews and the revolutionaries were crucified with them one on his right and one on his left leg back of the cross. For a moment imagine the sign at the top.

Pontius Pilate wrote it down the king of the Jews eroded in three different languages. It was sort of like pilots gospel track that he put up on the cross for everyone to read the religious leaders push back and say don't don't write down he's the king of the Jews right. He said he was the king of the Jews. Pilot responded, what I have written. I have written a better translation of that would be what I have written has been written will always be written. Pilot set eyes. I said what I meant and I meant what I said so there's Jesus now hanging on the cross the center cross.

Of the three was reserved for Barabbas who had been set free so Jesus was effectively dying on someone else's cross. He had committed no crimes.

The men hanging on the cross as they committed many crimes he was dying for Barabbas and all sinners everywhere.

He was dying for you, and he was dying for me. As Paul said he loved me and he gave himself for me.

Now imagine for a moment, here is Christ hanging on the cross, the crown of thorns is on his head, his back is torn open by the Roman with understand this death by crucifixion was not dying by having the nails with your hands and feet, as horrible as it was in effect death by crucifixion was death by suffocation. The Carthaginians invented crucifixion. Let's just say the Romans perfected it in a horrific way it was designed to humiliate a prisoner. Prisoners would often be nailed to the cross naked. It was designed as a warning to anyone that would rise up against Ron.

These were serious criminals that were hung there on the crosses and the reason you died was because you could not breathe. So you see that little step. At the foot of the cross, the crucified person would have to pushed himself up to get a gulp of air and of their lung. Obviously that would cause great pain on your hands, which were nailed to the cross. I have a nail. Here is a reproduction of a nail of that time. So imagine this be nailed to the hand or perhaps through the wrist. Whatever was horrific and through the feet one crossed over the other. The nail pounded through the feet as well and so there is Jesus hanging so it's hard to breathe. Now you want to talk about the same things from the cross extremely difficult, yet Christ gave seven significant statements from the cross. We have become a piece them together from all the gospel to get them in their proper order.

So is Jesus is hanging on the cross between two thieves or two other criminals. This first words were father forgive them for they know not what they do. One of the criminals crucified next to them turns to him and says, Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom and Jesus gives us eight second statement from the cross, when he says to this man truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Standing at the foot of the cross there stands Mary the mother of Jesus.

Imagine her anguish to look up there and see her beloved son. She wants guided those little tiny hands that are now nailed to a cross Isaiah tells us he was so bloodied and beaten and traumatized. You could not even tell he was a man, and Jesus looks down from the cross and he says his third statement from the cross which is woman, behold, your son John the apostle was standing nearby and then he says to John son.

Behold your mother in effect saying to John, take care of my mother for me. Then presumably he takes on the sin of the world and gives the four statement from Calvary which is Eli Eli Lammas above the knee which is my God, my God, why have you forsaken me statement number five is I thirst.

Statement number six.

It is finished. In the final statement statement number 70, says of the father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Let's contemplate for a moment that riveting first statement of Jesus when he says father forgive them for they know not what they do.

That's in Luke 2334 Jesus is basically same father forgive them. They need forgiveness so desperately. They committed a sin that is wicked beyond all comprehension. Father forgive them.

They don't know what they've done about the way it's implied in the original language. He said that more than what so wasn't just one statement. Father forgive them for they know not what they do, but rather father forgive them.

They know not what they do. Father forgive them.

They don't know what they've done. Father forgive them. He was saying it over and over again now. Initially we know the bull thieves joined in the chorus of mockery with the people standing at the foot of the cross were safe. If he is the Christ, if he is the son of God, let them come down from the cross, he should save himself, so at the beginning first crisis crucified.

Everyone's mocking him, including the criminals on each side. Jesus gives statement number one from Calvary. Father forgive them for they know not what they do and one of those thieves comes to his senses and he believes, and he rebukes the other guy. If I get. She says that the other guy don't you fear God, knowing were under the same condemnation what woke this man up. Why did he believes so quickly, and by the way, to become a Christian. It doesn't take years. It doesn't take months. It doesn't even take hours can happen just like that could happen for you at this moment why you're listening to me speak with you suddenly realized all of this is true. Jesus is the son of God. I can come into a relationship with him. I can know God in the personal way. That's what happened to that guy. What one him over what's softened his hardened heart. It's when he saw Jesus, forgive the men would done this horrific thing to him by the way, we don't know that those thieves had been scourged. We don't believe those thieves had crowns of thorns on their heads. But Jesus had all that in addition to the horrors of the crucifixion, and that men believed because he saw this forgiveness in action.

Immediate, amazing, and then he says to Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom and Jesus says truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. This is what we call a deathbed conversion my talking to someone on the deathbed right now my talking to someone whose life is coming to an end. Let me save you no matter how you've lived no matter what sins you've committed God could and will forgive you if you will call out to him. I told you before my mother was married and divorced seven times side a full-time ministry sharing the gospel to my mom's former husband's and I tried to reach as many of them as I could. Once he was married to when her life finally came to an end. He was a man who was not open to God throughout his life and actually kinda made fun of me and what I believed, but then he got very ill. My mother died and then some time past and someone called me up and told me that she was very sick and at that store. I was on my way to a speaking engagement.

On the other side of the country either flight to catch and Donna and I said you know it all go visit him tomorrow when I get back to lizard will do whatever you want to do but he's really ill. I don't think you'll make it through the night so I'm driving to the airport. I'm telling you the Lord spoke to me and said go go to him right now so I did a U-turn drove over Ruiz house walked in and there he was in hospital bed in his den. Clearly not long for this world and I shared with him the gospel and I told him.

Jesus died on the cross for him, and rose again from the dead he could believe in Jesus said would you like to do this right now and he said yes and we pray was a deathbed conversion and then I did him. God bless and set out to see him when I got back and I can't my flight and when I landed I got a text on my phone that said, he just died while got on the end of the wire got in under the wire and I'll tell you what you can call on the Lord no matter what you've done in the hope forgive you, Jesus, or gave this hardened criminal. Today, you'll be with me in paradise now and almond this moment takes place. This is been described as the crucifixion in the crucifixion. It's 9 o'clock in the morning suddenly the sun goes dark like an eclipse and that some extra biblical sources suggest there was a universal darkness. This darkness falls on the land in the dark. This is peers for the voice of Jesus giving this board statement from the cross. In Mark 1533, as darkness fell across the whole land until 3 o'clock at 3 o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, Eli, Eli Lama suboptimally which means my God, my God, why have you were sickening. If you're a fiction writer and some people suggest the Bible is fiction, you would never have your hero make a statement like this.

But the Bible is not fiction know this is a true story and this is showing what Christ was experiencing. Now we know at some moment Jesus bore the sin of the world.

The Bible clearly tells us this when it happened. We can't be exactly sure what it would seem to me this is the moment when all of the sin of humanity, past, present and future is poured upon Christ that sees as my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Look, Jesus had been forsaken by his disciples by a large, then fled, but he always had the father. The father was always there with him. Jesus said in John 829 the one who sent me is with me and the father has not left me alone then in John 1632 Jesus says.

Indeed, the hour is coming and now is come in you'll be scattered each to his own and you will leave me alone, but I'm not alone because the father is with me, with no at the cross is the sin of the world is poured upon Jesus God the father turns his face away from the sun.

Why, because God in his holiness cannot look at sin. The Scripture says of God is a purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity zone affect the father turns his face away is eased towards his wrath on his son the wrath and anger of God that should have been poured on you. It should have been poured on me was poured instead on Jesus and this was his most painful moment I raise a question earlier what was the most painful moment was it when they put the crown of thorns on his head.

I don't think so, was it when the use of Roman whip on his back is horrible as I was. I don't think that was it was it when they pounded the spike through his hands and his feet again though it was when all the sin of the world was placed upon him. Why, because Jesus had never sent ever, not even one thought out of harmony with the father.

Jesus said I always do the things that please him who could say that Jesus and it was true. But here is Jesus now separated in effect from the father but listen to this, Jesus was forsaken, so I don't have to be me say that again Jesus was forsaken, so I don't have to be Jesus was forsaken of God, so I could be forgiven. Jesus entered the darkness that I might walk in the light. Jesus was forsaken of God for a time that I might enjoy his presence for ever. Jesus and gives his fifth statement from Calvary.

I thirst, I thirst. This wasn't any normal thirst that he was just dying there dehydrated and he cries out. I thirst bringing us and by the way, that shows the humanity of Christ. Yes, he was God walking among us but he was also a man. He felt that pain when they struck him in the face. He felt the pain of the crown of thorns. He felt that pain as a Taurus bag open and when they mail them to the cross and he felt the pain of separation from the father now statement number six. It is finished.

Jesus was 33 when he died at the age of 33. Most people are saying it is beginning but Jesus was saying it is finished, but he did not think I am finished. This is not the shout of the victim. This is a shout of a victor overcoming his enemies in the Greek it's one word. It is finished one word in the Greek to tell a sty to tell a sty. It was a war that was commonly used in the language of that day in and many situations. If you go to the table is finally completed, you would say to tell a sty it's done, or even for a great meal was prepared you'd say to tell a sty the meal is completed. So he says to tell a sty they knew what that word meant. It's a word that meant it's finished.

It stands finished and I will always be finished by the way, he cried out with a loud voice he didn't just say to tell a sty he said to tell aside, it is finished since completed it's done. The war is over.

A new covenant now is been established with God and man, and I think what I call the battle cry of the cross reverberant reverberated through the hallways of heaven as well as the hallways of hell. The mission had been accomplished. The job had been completed, the death of Jesus satisfied the righteous demands of the father.

Now the final statement of Christ from the cross. He says to the father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Roman soldier was shocked to see that he had died and normally they would take the mall at the hammer and smashed the legs and sold the crucified person would collapse and could no longer breathe in that so they would kill him. But Jesus did not need that done. The Bible says ever broken a bone in his body that's prophesied of Christ he gave his life up.

See, no one took the life of Jesus. He gave his life he laid his life down. Jesus said, greater love is no men in the city lay down his life for his friends notice three times on the cross Jesus address the father is first words father forgive them for they know not what they do is fourth word, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me in his last words father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Jesus addressed the father the beginning in the middle and the end and we should do the same alive suddenly address God in the beginning when you're young man with a young woman, commit your life to the Lord, don't throw your life away dude in the middle of your life and obviously you want to do it at the end of your life so the question is raised earlier. Why did Jesus die for us on the cross.

What does the death of Jesus mean to you answer it means everything he did this for you because he loves you and he wants you to come into a relationship with the father the beginning of the message I said I was going to tell you what I believe God's mostly painful moment was now some mention, I wanted to tell you what my most painful moment was if you know me Yorty know what all say but if you don't the most painful moment of my life happened in 2008 when my son Christopher died in a tragic automobile accident at the age of 33. It was the darkest moment of my life and I called out to God and you know, God knows what it's like to lose a son destiny but II don't usually accurate to say have lost my son because I know worry is I know is in heaven. I know that I will see him again and why will I see him again because of what Jesus did for me on the cross and Jesus did for me rising again from the dead. This is the hope that I have now some might think the cross was an aberration. It was a mistake. It was a tragic turn of events, but actually was all part of the plan of God is already said God was the master of ceremonies at the cross. Isaiah 5310 says it was the will of the Lord to crush him in the put them to grieve and Romans 832 God did not spare his own son, but keep him up for us all, then Isaiah 53 says it please the father to bruise him. How could it possibly please the father to bruise his son.

How could it possibly be something that had any merit are good and it is a simple answer because of what it accomplished God the father was not pleased by the suffering of his son in the English of his son. He was pleased that his son was able to purchase eternal life for all of humanity.

This is the most evil act ever perpetrated by sinful hearts, the sinless son of God, tortured, slaughtered and heartlessly murdered in cold blood get from this horrible event came the greatest good of all time.

The salvation of countless souls. Your salvation and mine. Jesus died for you. Jesus died for me and because of his death we can live Jesus was born to die there. We might what an amazing event.

It was and now this seemed Jesus who hung them across and died for your sins, rose from the dead and now he stands at the door of your life, and he knocks. Let's pray father I pray for everybody watching this right now. If they don't have a relationship with you. If they don't know you in a personal way. Let this be the moment that they believe we commit them to you now bring them to yourself.

We pray in Jesus name we ask this and met everybody Greg Laurie here.

Thanks for listening to our podcast and the learn more about harvest ministries. Please subscribe and consider supporting this show. Just go to harvest.org and by the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GLD.org