John Chapter 19:31-37

Not a lamb of God, not one of the ways to heaven of you here this morning and you're not a follower of Jesus. I can understand that you might think that there's more than one way to heaven. I don't agree with it but I can understand that you might think that the looking at the character of God.

It would be the character of God to allow his son goes to such a painful death to provide yet another way to have would be out of the character of God to hear the prayers of his son in the garden site to head if there's any other way.

Let this pass for me but not what I want, but what you what I have a really hard time with is those that say that there Christians. Those that say that they're following Jesus say that there's more than one way to heaven. I'm sorry can't say that to cross the bridge with David McGee is the senior pastor of the bridge, Kernersville, North Carolina, Jesus rose from the grave showed the world that he is powerful and that he alone, the Lamb of God who is there to take away the sin of the world today pastor David explains the power of Jesus as he continues in the Gospel of John chapter 19 use data McGee with his teaching. We are taking a look at the crucifixion of Jesus, and we finished with verse 30 last week when Jesus says it is finished. We talked about what that means to us as Christians and believers and what that means. The sunlight has yet to make the decision because Jesus didn't say it was almost done. He didn't say it was almost finished. He said it is finished. The Greek word to tell a stock paid in full.

Net significant to us as believers because that means we can start in our relationship with Jesus from a place of rest of knowing that we have a clean slate. We've been forgiven because of that, then you want to begin to serve the Lord serving the Lord doesn't earn your righteousness or earn your forgiveness now is basic as it is a lot of churches today have it backwards, that you serve God and then you achieve forgiveness or God-given righteousness now because you've been given forgiveness that causes you to desire to serve the Lord.

So verse 31.

Therefore, because it was the preparation day that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath for that Sabbath was a holiday. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him again. I'm struck by the irony or use the word often perhaps even too often of the hypocrisy of the religious leadership. They were asking and get the picture got there asking that the legs of an innocent man be broken so that they can respect their religious holiday twisted his butt as usual when were tempted to throw stones at the Jewish leadership, we probably ought to take a good look at our lives in church in America today is written towards the same thing. We tend towards that same hypocrisy. I'm not talking about the Greek word is people treat these and explain what that means is wearing a mask. It came from the Greek plays.

It's not talking about the struggle that we all have between doing what's right and sometimes we fail we do what's wrong.

Something about that serve CP pain a wide brush like that. But let's face it, everybody, and here's an hypocrite wife because there's no perfect people in here there's no perfect People allowed in here. You know I mean if you're looking for the perfect church.

I'm sorry this is not it. And you not to find it down the street. This is a church of people who have send and will still occasionally stumble occasionally fall we have a passion to serve the Lord to learn about the Lord. That's not being a hypocrite here. These leaders were engaged in deep hypocrisy. I think the church in America can be in danger of that car is in danger, we often turn away those who need what we have to say in what we have to offer.

And even in your own life. How many people do you think well I really want to invite so-and-so to church and they will come. They're not ready they drink. They smoked dope. They do this they this is very people that you need to be inviting you know what I found. I found Pete more people open to the gospel in situations where actually drugs and alcohol involved in a church that denies the salvation experience through Jesus Christ.

Did you hear what I just said you can go to some churches that don't even say you need to be born again. They don't even present the gospel and you go to talk to somebody about needing Jesus in that situation, I'm good.

I'm okay on front but you go into a situation where people were encumbered and people are in chains and people are in bondage and are struggling with drugs and alcohol and all these things and you say Manny, you don't have to live that way.

They say man good because this is getting old.

I'm looking for another way to live. And yet those of the people that we hesitate to talk to. Why is that religious tradition, the church is a place to go if you don't need it that's kind of the mentality and and even churches themselves. What they this person seems to have their life together.

Let's invite them to church, is that when Jesus was there. No, that's not what Jesus did and that's not what Jesus would do a lot of things that we do here. We want to make sure that when you bring people when you invite people that they have a place here to to come that they can hear about Jesus. That's what we do that every Sunday morning something to go. The surgery goes again. Whoa whoa whoa understand what happens here on Sunday morning, almost if not every Sunday morning both services. People come in here that don't know Jesus people come in here that aren't going to happen in the here in this place and what used to be a warehouse. They come forward and receive forgiveness of their sentence and now they're going to heaven and sometimes were doing that to be honest with you if you're here for the first time. Don't don't look at your watch yet because sometimes we get in towards Emma service. It takes a few minutes to do this because I want to give people an opportunity to respond. Don't don't sit there and go come on now eternity is at stake. As these people come for what an awesome blessing. And so I want to keep to keep it real. I want I want to engage in hypocrisy and in all those things occasionally.

I think people are fed up with that from the church by people posing and acting like there following Jesus and nothing's wrong with them must be honest there's something wrong with everyone of us that you you know you might be full, and a lot of people you're not fooling God. God sees everything and there's something wrong with each and every and yet God still loves us and God still draws us and moves us to come to. That's the remarkable thing of it all. But the moment we begin to act like we've arrived and we've got it all together were missing the point because then people look and say why can't do that I can attain that as people what they think the gospel is if you don't think hypocrisy is a problem in the church in America today asked them what you think it takes to be forgiven of your sins.

Try that. You know what you hear a lot of twisted legalism. Well, you know you got be a good person. You gotta go church at least twice a week ago do this, you got it… I think you should be in church twice a week, but that's not the way you receive forgiveness in the moment we engage in that we engage in an hypocrisy. I'm hoping that was speaking to people because that was like a spiritual rabbit trail. The reason they talked about the legs being broken and I'm I'm I'm to speak honestly and this is one of those times when I'm I'm kinda grateful that the young ones are in children's ministries because what was going on here understand and we have these cute little nails that we see sometimes and even I've got railroad spikes in my office which is three of them sit there and what I do honestly is when I think I'm having a bad day you pick one of those up, got a precedent among Paul and think you know today is not that bad. But even those railroad spikes fall far short of what was actually probably used and they didn't necessarily put it through the palm because what would happen is the hand could be torn in person fall off the cross so is usually put to the wrist.

The reason it would tear out of the hand you see crucifixion. It became very hard to breeze as you hung like this and what you have to do is push yourself up to catch her breath and then you would fall back down. So as you pull yourself up if it up into the palms or to been a danger of ripping through so they put it to the wrist at St. nails going to the feet.

Some crosses had little platforms. Most of them didn't so what you were pushing up on was the nail that was going to your feet, pulling on the hands that had nails through so you can catch her breath and then you'd sink back down. Don't forget Jesus had been scorched, not just whip.

We talked about this before. It was a whip with pieces of bone and pieces of metal that they would sink into his back. That would grab and find a place and then they would jerk it ripping the skin, exposing vital organ. Sometimes the spine itself.

It was this back that pushed itself up on a wooden cross to catch her breath in this graphic. It is because you know what, I don't think it registers with us a lot of times I don't think it registers with me personally. Sometimes one because I get in the midst of a little trivial, tribulation or trial, and I think I'm going through a hard time and then I think about what he went through and it doesn't compare to what would happen is they would break the legs of the person being crucified and they could no longer push themselves up and they would stand they would hang their they would not be able to brief and they would die quickly. Other than that the death on the cross took hours, sometimes days Jesus because of his scourging, loss of blood.

Those things that are passed away. This is amazing and actually there is a 1968 or 69, they found the remains of somebody that had been crucified in Jerusalem, just north of Jerusalem and the nail was still embedded into the heel and they found that the shins had been broken once again archaeological finds proving that what the Bible says is accurate will be right back with more from David McGee on cross the bridge right now there's a word from associate pastor DA Brown. Hey, we thank you for listening. Today we want to pray specifically for a few cities in our listening audience. Oco firmly Las Vegas Lovelock Reno Eli in round Mountain, Nevada God, we thank you for the cities and the people listening.

We thank you for the people who live in the cities. We pray that you would convince and convict them of their need for you and how much you love and everything that you've done for them to have a relationship with you got. I pray that you would fill people with face to say yes that they would put their hope in you, Jesus. We pray for the town governments.

The town Council. The mayor, the police chief.

Those in the fire department all those working to lead in the cities. We pray that you give them wisdom and discernment that they will be people of your word you would look to your Bible for answers and God.

We pray that you would pour out your Holy Spirit on the cities for your glory in Jesus name, amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse, verse 33 when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break to select one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out. This is amazing for a lot of reasons the blood in the water is significant it for a couple reasons. Now cardiologist will tell you today that the pericardium of the heart is to learn it will cause immediate death. What happens after that is that water can gather around the heart, but it only happens at death.

So here again we have modern medical knowledge showing that Jesus indeed was dead. At this point wasn't passed out as the Passover plot and other nonsensical things. Say Jesus is God.

Jesus is God and that's important in to remember the humanity of Jesus to because we talked about the heresies floating around that say Jesus wasn't God damaged and another form of heresy said that Jesus wasn't man that he was the Christ spirit and you have guys like Salvador Dali another artist to have kinda perpetuated that met use hundred percent man hundred percent God and humanity in the die if you will of a broken heart of the heart. Didn't pierced by world without hope world without forgiveness world.

It was cold and hard, bitter and cynical. Jesus looked at us struggling under the weight of our sin and it killed the broken heart. He knew there was no other way that we could find entrance into heaven except he lay down his life for us. His heart is been broken for you friend so that you might have access to forgiveness here in this life and have access to heaven when you die. This is what he did for you. It's interesting that out of this blood and water if you will. The church was born. The pride of Christ is what the church is called all the church is not perfect and yet God instituted instituted.

He looks down and he's forgiven those who are in the real body of Christ a matter not just the people plan was birthed out of a side-by-side significant because humor how Adam Sprott came to be out of the side born out of his side while he was at rest. What's rest the picture of death member they got confused over Lazarus and he said he was asleep but it was really dead. The bride of Christ birth from the side of Christ. If you will. Verse 35 and he who has seen has testified in his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe we have the sink and understand how many people try to disprove the Bible. I may people hammer the Bible how many people have tried to show inaccuracies or geographical or archaeological or linguistic problems with it and all of them have failed granite there's books out there that say this that the other but nobody has ever come with an argument sound enough to rattle the faith of those who follow Jesus Christ.

In general, remarkable, and meeting minutes spent their whole lifetime trying to do that in a failed John says in chapter 20 verse 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name, that you may have life may ask you questions you have. Life do you have life. The life lesson. The first follower of Jesus should be live in an extra ordinary life extra ordinary different.

I say that Jesus said he came that we might have life and that more abundantly. So one walk around beat up and in defeat. Why are we not live in that life, things get in the way things get in the way that you need to let go of and the weird thing is those very things are getting the way of you live in an extraordinary life. You cling to you hold onto and as the Lord chose to pull it out of your grasp. You grab all the more God wants you to live an extraordinary life. Do you have life you got life or you live in that, life use, existing in maintaining love doing. You have a blood bowl. God given right to live an extraordinary life. And if you live in anything less than that you're being ripped off verse 36 for these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. Not one of his bones shall be broken now this is incredible. This is incredible. Consider this pilot sent an order that these soldiers would go and break the legs of all three people who are being crucified. The soldiers under penalty of death.

A painful death not only disregarded that order and didn't break the legs of Jesus, but then one of them did something he wasn't supposed to do and put in a spirit inside of Jesus. So what they were supposed to do.

They didn't do what he once was to do. He didn't do that all Scripture might be fulfilled in God. When I talk about about your ragtag wannabe soldiers were talking about Roman soldiers were talking about some of those highly skilled, highly trained soldiers in the history of mankind and under the penalty of death. They disregarded what Pollock told him to do to fulfill Scripture that they were not aware of the amazing Jesus was a picture of the Passover lamb. And speaking of the Passover lamb in exes 1246 it says in one house, it shall be eaten. You shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones speaking about the Passover lamb.

Jesus was and is the picture of the Passover lamb. John chapter 1 verse 29 John the Baptist speaks of him as is. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you were Jewish versions then let you know exactly what John was saying. John 136. He says again and looking at Jesus as he walked he said, behold the Lamb of God, you realize, a 27 times in the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God picture there guys employment picture is that none of the bones would be broken.

He is the Lamb. He's not just a lamb.

He's VLAN life lesson. Here Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, not a lamb of God, not one of the ways to heaven nephew here this morning and you're not a follower of Jesus. I can understand that you might think that there's more than one way to heaven. I don't agree with it but I can understand that you might think that, but looking at the character of God. It would be out of the character of God to allow his son goes to such a painful death to provide yet another way to have it would be out of the character of God to hear the prayers of his son in the Garden City to head if there's any other way. Let this pass for me but not what I want, but what you want what I have a really hard time with is those that say that there Christians.

Those that say that the following Jesus say that there's more than one way to heaven.

I'm sorry can't say that if you're following Jesus. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus. She said there's one way to either your following Jesus. And there's only one way or you're not following Jesus and that's open to you to say that there's many ways yesterday. This is pretty basic Christianity happy you realize there's churches here in this town that are teaching people there's more than one way to heaven. I think it's pretty basic but evidently there's some confusion. He is the only Lamb.

Verse 37 and again another Scripture says they shall look on him whom they pierced. It's interesting referring back to the Passover in Exodus chapter 12 being read the whole chapter lays out Passover chapter 12 verse three to speak to all the congregation of Israel thing on the 10th of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household firstborn of the household is too small for the Lamb.

Let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number the person according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb you are lamb shall be without blemish and mail the first year you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Notice the progression, a lamb, the Lamb your lamb that that's the progression we all make in the coming we recognize in in the beginning when you became curious about Christianity or that may describe some here is a lamb happily Jesus died on about the sins of the world. I believe he died. And then you get to the point where he could know he died for the sins of the world and he's the only one, but still that's had knowledge. You can know about God in your head not be going to heaven. Many people in many churches don't know Jesus only know about. They don't know he's a lamb. Maybe the Lamb but is not there lamb is your lamb friend. You know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now own Legion.

A short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now.

Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. So congratulations Springer just made the greatest decision that you will ever make.

God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life you're the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the Internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use so if you like to support this ministry. Please go to cross the bridge.com. Click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners day you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading and the thought to meditate on. Throughout today from the heart. David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today@crossthebridge.com.

Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the gospel of God