What the Death of Jesus Means to You: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Everybody you're listening to a new beginning, which is a podcast made possible by harvest partners. If this program is impacted you, I love to hear from you. So just send an email to me at greg@harvest.org again it's greg@harvest.org you can learn more about becoming harvest partner by going to harvest.org when Jesus gave his life for our sin that was no small gesture coming up today. Pastor Greg Laurie addresses Jesus sacrifice. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment for art was upon him by his wife. We are why did he die simple answer because he love the people he was dying and he loves you and we can rightfully say change the course of history mention of sliced bread often say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

So my Savior travel or telecommunications penicillin today on a new beginning. Laurie takes us to the very moment our sins were paid in full.

The singular event that had eternal consequences. Consider what that means for me to start with. What is the moment of your life or you experience the most pain the most.

P. 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 other different kinds of pain right there's emotional pain that we can go through what 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 to 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 don't love your once you are when the pastor who is just free for two hours, says one more thing. 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 experience is 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 Judith 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, but of course Judas was the great betrayer.

So when you think Jesus experienced the most pain. You think it's when they put the crown of thorns on his head. You think it's when he was beaten with the Roman web most likely a Roman job of nine tails you think it's when they drove those nails through his hands and his feet is horrible and horrific is all about 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 that 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 I 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 Marques, 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 shutter 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. He is writing to a church that was being persecuted. He closes by quoting Jesus who says go to all the world and preach the gospel to everyone and then we read and the disciples went out and preached everywhere that so we need to do phot we need to guard and preach the gospel everywhere on social media platforms in our neighborhoods 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 preaching and proclamation of the gospel that saw the early church turned their world upside down. 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 take him 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 see 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 him 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 man 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 will see in a few moments the Bible says it 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. Not was a 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 that the chief priests and handed Jesus over to him, but the chief priests stirred up the crowd. They have pilot release 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 okay that this is a slamdunk. I want to put Jesus out the delivery model of virtue. The miracle worker, the healer and then Barabbas and insurrectionist 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 much to the shock of pilot they cry out, we want you to release Barabbas and we want you to crucify Jesus as your great glory will have the second half of his message just a moment.

Pastor Greg Laurie talks about his new book, Billy Graham and the man I knew. Billy said to me I'm just a country preacher. He was just a country preacher but God elevated him and he had an offense thousands of young people, and when he spoke those kids listen, you could've heard a pin drop. Certain God has forgiven you. That's why Christ died on the cross and that's why he rose again so you might be forgiven. You said you were leaving instant salvation certainly do now is your right as instant every link would go on to be the greatest evangelist in history so I write about them a lot more in this book I've written called Billy Graham the man I knew, get to know the country preacher son millions come to Christ, Pastor Greg introduce you to Billy Graham, the man I knew a brand-new biography available for your gift of any size and harvest.or will Pastor Greg is guiding us through the tense moments when Jesus stood before Pilate pilot wanted to wash his hands of the whole confrontation, but the crowd was shouting, crucify him. So pilots 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. This is what Tom is called a Roman count of 92 inches 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 would've lacerated veins and arteries and even the kidneys and vital organs could be exposed and slaps a horrible horrible process to be whipped by the Romans and Jesus was whipped 40 times minus one day they held 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 what 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 just suffer while he did suffer.

We follow was 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.

Listen, 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 her and it stayed of 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 were being tempted. So don't think that God's up in heaven disconnected from what you're facing. Jesus's face that he's experienced that he suffer now after Christ is been whip with a Roman cat of nine tails. Pilate brings Christ out before the bloodthirsty people and he says that K Homo, which means behold the man.

In other words, look at this guy 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 him hello this blood be on us and on our children. We read that pilot then washes his hands in a basement sort of in a symbolic way thing I'm done.

I've done everything I could to free this man. I wash my hands of the matter. But listen, 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, unlike Judas Iscariot hung himself to hear was pilots 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 is 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 short 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 at been ripped open any 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 he is supposed to be a king to 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, the put this crown of thorns and Jesus and it 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 Kurt 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. We wonder they cried out, where's your army to deliver you. Where was a sorry. I can tell you right now the Army of Jesus, which were angels 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 this show you the power Jesus said he didn't even need the Angels to deliver them 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 SME God says I am that I am Jesus was effectively saying the same thing. I am I Wonder Bread reverberated. I am MMM they 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 if it I am you were by two game over. But he went through all of this for us because he had to sacrifice his life for us in our way to Greg Lord moving look at where Jesus sacrifice was really like and what it really meant you and me an important addition of a new beginning today and there's more to come in this message is a study titled what the death of Jesus means to you and if you were able to hear every word of today's presentation. You can catch up on line@harvest.org you can stream the program while you're there or download MP3 for later.

Pastor Gregor making available your new book, Billy Graham, the man I knew yeah it's a fascinating read and there's so many things I found surprising. One of the surprises was that early on a Billy had dreams of becoming a major league baseball player.

That's right okay so I'm in the 17 out 10 things that will surprise you about the world famous evangelist, but I want to announce it again. I need some echo in this and then little fanfare. Okay here we go 10 things that will surprise you about the world famous evangelist Billy Graham, RI, now that we have that taken care of. Here's number one. Billy Graham had dreams of playing major league baseball okay so Billy was a dairyman son living in North Carolina and he wanted to play major league baseball especially after meeting the baby himself. Babe Ruth came to his town and Billy was able to shake his hand and watch the babe in action then that's what he dreamt of of that was not meant to be. He was not going to be playing in the stadium he was going to be preaching in stadiums all around the world. But a lot of people don't know that the dairyman son known by most is simply Billy Frank wanted to be a pro baseball player matches one of the many things that I bring out in this book called Billy Graham the man I knew I wanted tell you about his life. It's a flyover of who he was, where he came from what he did. There's been many great books written on Billy Graham so I didn't feel like I needed to rewrite one of those books but it's really a book written by an evangelist, that's me about the greatest evangelist that's billing and so I bring insights that maybe other books have not really touched on. I also weave in a lot of my personal experiences one-on-one with Billy things he said to me personally and things I gleaned by watching him, so if you want to learn more about this man that change the world. Get your copy of Billy Graham, the man I knew that his life is certainly worth a closer look. It was such a great example for all of us and Pastor Greg and his co-author Marshall Terrill have done exhaustive research into Billy's life research that took them all the way back to the Civil War, so don't miss this opportunity to read about this modern-day hero of the face and will send you a copy to thank you for your investment in making these daily studies possible. It's only through listener support that we can feature Pastor Greg's teachings each day. So send your gift today to a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and look for Billy Graham, the man I knew Jesus was beaten and tortured and forced to carry his heavy cross and then hung up on that very cross Pastor Greg has a question what was Jesus most painful moment answer might surprise you that tomorrow you beginning and ending to a new beginning. Greg Laurie podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a harvest partner harvest.org