Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000015A
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00:30 This morning I want to invite you to first of all
00:33 go with me to the book of John, John 19 and we're going to 00:41 look at a short verse, verse 17... 01:05 Let us pray... 01:08 Lord, This morning I invite Your 01:13 Holy Spirit to take over. 01:18 As I was reading and studying for this message and reading 01:22 Your word and just filling my mind with what You have 01:27 given to me, Lord, it became overwhelming to think 01:32 that You would love us so much that You would be willing 01:39 to go to the place called, "Golgotha" to redeem 01:45 sinners like us, and so this morning, Lord, 01:49 it is with a humble heart that I ask for Your Spirit 01:52 to use me one more time to lift Jesus up, 01:57 that our hearts may be changed. 02:00 We pray, Lord, that we don't just hear this message, 02:05 but that we receive it and that Golgotha and the power 02:11 released there, that the resurrected Christ 02:15 may be invited into us to put self on the cross 02:22 to allow Jesus Christ to be seen in us. 02:27 We pray that as we follow Jesus to the grave, 02:31 that self will be buried and we will be able to come 02:36 forth today and walk in the newness of life... 02:41 And so, Lord, now take this message and take this servant 02:47 and do what Thou wilt for Your name's honor and glory... Amen 02:57 "The Most Expensive Journey" "The Most Expensive Journey" 03:02 If you were here last week, you had followed the life of a 03:08 man who made many attempts to free himself 03:15 from the responsibility of being guilty of the crucifixion 03:18 and the condemnation of Jesus. 03:22 But Pilate's attempt to recuse himself became the act 03:26 to accuse himself. 03:29 He had the authority to release Jesus, but he chose 03:33 to give that choice to the Jews. 03:36 Pilate condemned himself when he said, "I am innocent 03:39 of the blood of Jesus." 03:43 When you have the right to do right and choose not 03:47 to exercise the right to do right, 03:49 you are guilty of doing wrong. 03:51 All that is needed for evil to prevail is for those that 03:56 know to do good... to do nothing. 03:59 Pilate threw back into the minds of the Jews- the choice 04:04 "He is your God, you decide His fate." 04:09 Unfortunately, shamelessly, the nation that once 04:14 shined with the glory of God, now proclaimed their allegiance 04:19 with the kingdom of darkness. 04:22 And when you think about this very unfolding saga, 04:25 the people to whom God trusted, a truth for the world 04:33 became a coalition on the side of the enemy to proclaim 04:37 the death of Jesus. 04:39 In John 19:14-15, we read these sad words of eternal 04:45 condemnation. The Bible says... 05:16 These words condemned the nation of the Jews 05:21 to a life - although externally successful, 05:26 spiritually deprived. 05:30 A nation that sealed its fate with the proclamation 05:35 of these words, "We have no king but Caesar." 05:43 The people said, "His blood be on us and on our children." 05:48 And the servant of the Lord said in "Desire of Ages," p.739, 05:52 she said, "And as you look at the history of the 05:55 Jewish Nation, these words become so reminiscent of the 05:59 fulfillment of that decision to to put His blood on them 06:03 and on their children." 06:05 For the Bible says, "Terribly has it been manifested 06:09 in the condition of the Jewish Nation for 1,800 years." 06:18 In other words, when you look at what they could have been, 06:20 and what they became, God said they could have 06:22 become so much more. 06:24 Sometimes we connect financial success with spiritual success. 06:28 The Jews are very financially successful, 06:31 but spiritual success is altogether something different. 06:34 They call down on themselves the judgments of God 06:37 and God's servant said, "Terribly will that prayer 06:40 be fulfilled in the great judgment day." 06:44 Those who mocked and smote Him will be there. 06:47 The priests and rulers will behold again the scene 06:51 in the judgment hall. 06:52 Lord have mercy when they come forth 06:54 in the second resurrection; when they come forth 06:57 in a special resurrection... they're going to see Jesus, 07:01 but not the way they saw him before. Can you say Amen? 07:04 Not bound, not an arrested, not an incarcerated Lord, 07:08 they're going to see a RISEN Lord, a glorified Lord! 07:13 She goes on to say, "Every circumstance will appear before 07:18 them as if written in letters of fire - than those who 07:23 who prayed "His blood be on us and on our children," 07:26 will receive the answer to their prayers." 07:31 Revelation 1:7, we are told there's not only going to be a 07:35 resurrection, but there is a special resurrection. 07:37 You see, when they condemned Jesus, they forced Him to tell 07:42 them who He is - He said, "I am who You say I am, 07:45 and you will see Me again." 07:47 And the Revelator, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit 07:50 said, in Revelation 1:7... 08:01 His accusers will be there. 08:03 In the first resurrection, His condemners will be there. 08:06 Those who smote Him will be there. 08:07 The Jewish priests and leaders will be there. 08:10 The Roman soldiers that bound Him to the cross will be there. 08:14 Pilate will be there. 08:16 All those who said, "Crucify Him, crucify Him" will be there. 08:20 And for a brief moment, they will know that this is 08:24 the first resurrection ONLY to have the words of Christ 08:28 confirmed in the condemnation of their hearing... 08:32 This is He who you thought was dead, but behold, 08:36 He is alive forevermore. 08:38 And the Bible says, "And all the tribes of the earth 08:40 will mourn because of Him." 08:43 Those who made their decision not to stand with Jesus... 08:47 Brothers and sisters, this is the hour, this is the time 08:52 to make up our minds. 08:53 Complacent as we may be, as the message goes forth, 08:57 you know there's a battle going on here... 09:00 Every Sabbath when the message goes forth, 09:02 There's a battle, there are those in their own hearts 09:05 and in their own minds, determined to follow the path 09:09 of those who choose not to let Jesus be seen. 09:13 They too must realize that even though they don't proclaim 09:17 with their lips, "Crucify Him," they proclaim it 09:19 with their lives, "Crucify Him." 09:22 When we choose not to let the Lord's glory 09:25 and joy and strength and righteousness be seen, 09:29 when we choose to hold on those things that bring 09:34 no freedom to our hearts, we stand with those who say, 09:37 "Crucify Him, crucify Him." 09:40 Then they took Jesus... they took Jesus and they 09:44 whipped Him with a cat-o'- nine tails. 09:46 A number of years ago, about 15 years ago, 09:48 I began to study, from a medical point-of-view what happened 09:51 to Jesus and I was so glad that God took me back to that. 09:58 Even this morning when I was putting the final touches on my 10:02 sermon, I was sitting on the edge of my bed and tears 10:04 were coming down my face, my hand vibrated as I 10:08 was just typing on my iPad... the last few words, 10:11 I was so consumed and so held captive by the reality 10:15 that MY sin caused them to beat Jesus the way they did... 10:20 Not just the Jews, not just the Romans, our sin. 10:23 Come on... Our sin. 10:27 It's so easy to pass it off on the Jews - 10:29 that they crucified Him, but it was OUR sin. 10:32 It was our decision and as long as we hold on 10:35 to hearts that are refusing to receive the forgiveness 10:38 of Christ, we stand with them and we will be there 10:41 in that special resurrection. 10:42 Some of us in the second resurrection, 10:44 but this is the moment, this is the HOUR 10:47 that God gives to every one of us. 10:49 Then they whipped Jesus, they gave Him all the 10:52 energies of hell to perform the persecution 10:55 and the prosecution of Jesus. 10:57 They whipped Him with the cat-o'- nine tails. 10:58 This was a leather-braided whip with glass and nails 11:04 sewn into its leather, and as they whipped Jesus, 11:07 they pulled it so that they could tear His skin. 11:13 His skin was torn for my sin and for your sin, 11:16 not just for the Jews, not just for the Romans. 11:20 Then they crowned Jesus, they braided a crown of thorns, 11:24 and then plunged this crown into an innocent brow 11:28 on an innocent head and they took pleasure in seeing the 11:31 blood run freely from the brow of One who was innocent. 11:38 They did this because of My sin and because of Your sin. 11:44 And then sinful saliva stained the back of the spotless 11:47 Lamb of God - they spat on Him. 11:49 Lord have mercy - to see Him again after carrying out 11:53 such vicious acts. 11:55 They ripped His bloodstained garment from the back 11:57 that bore their sins. 11:59 They thought that they nailed Him to the cross, 12:01 but what they did not know, it was His love that 12:04 voluntarily went to the cross for you and for me! 12:12 In the moment of His greatest thirst, He cried, 12:15 "I thirst, I thirst," and they gave Him 12:18 sour vinegar and wine to drink and He refused it 12:22 because He knew that their end would be bitter 12:25 than His moment. 12:27 They gambled for His robe, but they rejected the 12:32 free gift of His grace. 12:34 They will be there in that special resurrection. 12:39 A Roman soldier tried to gain, by chance, he gambled 12:43 for the robe of Jesus. 12:45 He tried to gain, by chance, what Jesus came to give by gift, 12:49 and no amount of money could substitute 12:52 for the gift of eternal life. 12:53 HE will be THERE in that special resurrection, 12:57 but praise God, at the moment that Jesus hung on the cross, 13:01 there was a Roman Centurion whose eyes caught 13:04 the Son of God and he proclaimed above the 13:07 cheering crowd with all the energy that he had, 13:10 TRULY HE WAS THE SON OF GOD! 13:14 God found in that crowd a convert. 13:17 At the moment of His death, He was still saving individuals 13:19 while His blood dripped on the ground on the hill of Golgotha 13:22 people were still being saved. 13:25 Oh how wonderful to know that even when it looked like 13:28 Jesus has come to the end of His rope, 13:30 there's rope that never has any end to it. 13:33 So come with me to the scene of a vicious crime... 13:37 Stand with me at the intersection of what was 13:39 and what will be. 13:41 Pause for a moment and inhale the scene - like blackened soot 13:46 escaping the furnace - the mouth of an angry furnace 13:49 the finality of death paints the night air. 13:52 Listen carefully and you will hear a cacophony of demons 13:56 rejoicing - the restless clamor of satanic praise 14:00 collides with their discordant racket of hellborn dissonants. 14:04 They're rejoicing now. 14:06 They believe that they have accomplished their design, 14:08 but the orchestrators say, themselves, of this symphony 14:11 of death - He stands erect, proudly leading 14:15 his rebellious minions in the chorus, and hear me carefully, 14:18 of a temporary victory, but Jesus will come forth 14:22 for you see it is true... 14:24 You CANNOT keep a good Man down! 14:27 And from the cross, Jesus proclaimed those 14:30 seven last words... "Father forgive them 14:33 for they know not what they do." 14:36 Then He looked at Mary... "Woman, behold thy Son." 14:40 He looked at John... "Behold thy mother." 14:42 He provided for His mother even at the moment of His death. 14:49 He said, "I thirst." 14:50 Then He said, "My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?" 14:54 "Into Thy hand, I commend My Spirit," 14:57 and He bowed His head and He said, "It is finished." 15:04 "It is finished." 15:07 You see, when He said, "It is finished," 15:08 Satan heard "I am finished," for Satan had known 15:12 that this is the moment he was trying to prevent Jesus from... 15:16 He did everything he could to PREVENT Jesus from 15:19 accomplishing what he knew would be the plan of salvation. 15:23 This is no normal death. 15:24 This is not another death. 15:26 This is not just ANY death. 15:28 This was the DEATH that would buy our LIVES. 15:32 This was the Head that went down so that one day 15:35 our head can come up. 15:37 This was the tomb that was closed so that one day 15:40 Jesus can open it and give us freedom. 15:43 This was no ordinary death. 15:44 He was not an accused that was found guilty... 15:47 This was the INNOCENT LAMB that bought our freedom. 15:51 Thank you Lord, this morning we can stand 15:54 here in the midst of a contemporary world, 15:57 and know that we can find freedom today in Jesus. Amen! 16:00 Ellen White said, "Christ did not yield up His life 16:03 until He had accomplished the work which He had come to do, 16:08 and with His parting breath, He exclaimed, "It is finished." 16:12 The battle had been won. 16:14 His right hand and His holy arm had gotten Him the victory. 16:18 And as a conqueror, He planted His banner 16:21 on that eternal height on the hill of Golgotha, 16:24 on a cross that looked as though it was an end, 16:26 to heaven, it was the flag of victory! 16:30 This was the banner proclaiming that Jesus had accomplished 16:34 His purpose. 16:35 Was there no joy among the angels? Yes there was joy 16:39 among the angels, for you see, 16:41 the angels, not understanding the plan of salvation, 16:44 they tried to PREVENT Jesus at His trying moments... 16:47 They said, "Lord, we can free You," but He said, "Stand back, 16:52 this is the moment I was born for, this is MY hour, 16:55 I've come to free My children. STAND BACK." 16:59 At the command of the Most High God, 17:02 they could have decimated the Roman Army, 17:04 but it was not for the decimation of the 17:06 Roman Army, but to even extend salvation to them! 17:10 And He found one convert on the hill called Golgotha, 17:14 a Roman Centurion will come forth in the first resurrection 17:18 to see the Lord that he participated in crucifying. 17:21 That is baffling to me! 17:24 He participated in the crucifixion, 17:26 but he found redemption! 17:27 That's the kind of God we serve. What do ya say? 17:31 Ellen White says, "All heaven triumphed 17:33 in the Savior's victory. 17:35 Satan was defeated and he knew that his kingdom was lost! 17:41 That's what this morning is all about. 17:42 He knew his kingdom was lost. 17:44 The chief priest and Pharisees accomplished their 17:47 evil desires and yet in the recesses of their minds, 17:51 there was something about the name "Jesus" 17:53 that refused to release them from their fears. 17:57 What is it about this Man, unable to dismiss the 18:00 possibility of His divinity, they devised a plan... 18:03 Look what is stated in Matthew 27:62-64... 18:06 They devised the plan in the event that He is divine, 18:10 let's try to find another way to keep Him in that tomb. 18:14 The Bible says... in verse 62 of Matthew 27... 18:31 Lord have mercy! 18:52 But I want to say today, the divinity of His life led 18:54 them to question the permanence of His death. 18:57 The divinity of His life, the spotlessness of the Lamb 19:00 led them to question whether or not 19:03 He is going to stay in there. 19:04 You see, when you're pure, you will come out! 19:06 And I can almost hear the Jewish contingencies 19:09 say to Pilate, "In the event that He is the Christ, 19:12 we need to make sure He's not going to come out. 19:15 If He is the Christ, we need to do all in our power 19:19 with the cooperation of hell to keep him behind that stone." 19:23 You see, Satan said, "Shut Him up, 19:25 but what they did not know that in less than 72 hours, 19:27 the Father would say, "Get Him up." 19:31 There's a difference between "shut him up" and "get him up." 19:33 Pilate's hands were washed, but his heart was troubled. 19:36 He says in verse 65, "Pilate said to them," 19:39 "Pilate said to them, "You have a guard, go your way. 19:44 Make it as secure as you know how." 19:46 "So they went and made the tomb secure, 19:49 sealing the stone and setting the guard." 19:52 An act of futility is what you just read about. 19:56 You cannot glue Jesus in! 19:58 You can't cement Him in. 20:00 Come on you sleeping saints, listen to the message. 20:02 Some of you are under Satan's spell even right now. 20:05 Can't even stay awake to hear about your redemption. 20:09 Keep your eyes open. 20:10 Keep your ears open. 20:12 Listen to the story of your redemption and my redemption. 20:14 The tomb had been sealed, the Roman centurions 20:18 manned their post. 20:20 Deceived by the darkness of understanding 20:22 the betrayers of Christ, were willingly ignorant of 20:24 the fact that by the death of Jesus, the plan of 20:27 salvation was accomplished. 20:29 Satan thought that Jesus was assassinated but heaven knew 20:33 that Jesus would be vindicated. Amen! 20:36 This was the moment He came for. 20:38 The redemptive promise, though 4,000 years delayed 20:42 could not be denied... for you see, 20:43 outside of the gates of man's perfection, 20:46 Jesus declared, in Genesis 3:15... 20:58 Satan only bruised the heel of our Savior,? 21:02 but thank God, He bruised the head of the serpent. 21:05 If you want to kill somebody, you step on their head. 21:08 You want to wound somebody, you step on their heels. 21:11 He only wounded our Lord, but Jesus made sure 21:15 that this was the battle that would remind the devil again 21:20 that there could only be one victor in battle. 21:22 He beat him in heaven... thank the Lord for that! 21:25 He beat him at the cross and there's going to be one 21:27 more hurrah - that's why the devil has come down with 21:29 great wrath - knowing he has but a short time. Amen! 21:33 A short time! 21:37 I want you to know today that His death was not 21:39 orchestrated by hell. 21:41 His death was ordained by heaven. 21:43 The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world... 21:48 Jesus, himself, said, "No one takes My life from Me, 21:51 but I lay it down of myself. 21:53 I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. 21:57 This command, He said, I have received 22:00 from my Father. John 10:18 22:03 How could you take the life of One who is Life? 22:07 "I Am, I Am" 22:10 "In Him was life, the Bible says and the life 22:14 was the light of men." 22:15 Ellen White says, "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, 22:20 and underived." 22:21 A few months ago, I had to cut somebody off of Facebook. 22:25 Some twisted person down in Australia. 22:29 Every Friday evening, he got on the internet 22:31 denying the divinity of Jesus, and I hit him back with 22:36 Scriptures - I wanted to be a zealot of Jesus. 22:38 I'd do anything to defend the righteousness of Jesus. 22:40 So he kept saying to me... 22:42 "He cannot be... He had to be created somewhere in eternity." 22:46 I said, "Well, if He was created, He could not be 22:48 the Creator." 22:50 Nothing was made that was not made by Him." 22:53 He kept arguing back and forth. 22:57 He got so upset that he tried to mar my character. 23:02 Began to put on Facebook... "You know some is wrong 23:05 at 3ABN when even Pastor John denies the divinity of Jesus." 23:10 And people began to send me emails and call me from 23:13 different places of the world. 23:15 And they said, "Pastor, we know that's not true because 23:17 when we hear your messages, you uplift Jesus. 23:19 You know He is the divine One." 23:21 But that's how the devil is, that's what he does. 23:26 When Jesus came, He came to be what He was not, 23:30 so that one day, we can be what we could not be. 23:34 The Bible says, "He made Him who knew no sin 23:36 to be sin for us, that we might become 23:39 the righteousness of God in Him." 23:41 Satan thought that Jesus had been brought down, 23:44 but heaven knew that Jesus had to be lifted up. 23:48 "If I am lifted up from the earth, 23:49 I draw all men unto me." 23:52 You see, the secret of bringing people to Christ 23:55 is not the ability to preach, but the responsibility of 24:00 lifting Jesus up. 24:02 Too often we preach things that don't lift Jesus up. 24:06 The science of salvation is lifting Jesus up. 24:09 When He is lifted up, He said, 24:11 "I will draw all men unto myself." 24:13 You don't need craft, you don't need skill, 24:16 you don't need art, you don't need education... 24:18 You just need a tongue to lift Jesus up. Amen! 24:22 "If I am lifted up," He said, "I will draw..." 24:24 not your education, not your degrees, 24:27 not your skill, not your eloquence, 24:30 not your ability to speak, but to lift Him up. 24:34 From the lowest to the highest, if we lift Him up, 24:37 "He will draw all men unto Himself." Can you say, Amen? 24:41 It's easy to blame the Jews, 24:43 but Isaiah 53:5 says, listen carefully... 24:57 And by His stripes... TOGETHER.. WE are healed. WE are healed! 25:05 I tell you brethren... 25:06 His betrayer should have known better. 25:08 The Lord says, "It's better that they had 25:12 not been born." Mark 14:21... 25:31 It would have been better for Pilate not to be born. 25:33 It would have been better for Judas NOT to be born. 25:36 For those that called Him and chose Barabbas in His place, 25:41 it would have been better for them NOT to have been born. 25:44 But somebody had to betray Him... 25:47 The reality of it is, if we don't live the righteous 25:50 life that He calls us to live, we betray Him day-by-day. 25:56 Yes, we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 26:01 but when God extends to us the opportunity to ask for 26:04 forgiveness and to be forgiven, then we are CALLED to go 26:11 forth and proclaim, not only by our lips, 26:15 but through our lives, the wonderful grace of God, 26:18 the transforming power of God, the freedom we find in Jesus. 26:25 There ought to be a difference between the joy of 26:30 the world and the joy of the kingdom. 26:32 The joy of the kingdom should never end! 26:35 They get excited in the world about things that are temporal, 26:37 things that money can buy, but we will get 26:40 excited about things that only Jesus can buy. Amen! 26:43 Our salvation... Amen somebody? Amen! 26:45 The news of the death of Jesus was echoed through the 26:48 limitless regions of unfallen worlds. 26:50 You see, when Jesus bowed His head in death... 26:53 Go to Revelation 12:10... When Jesus bowed His 26:56 head in death, these were the words that were proclaimed 26:59 and all the unfallen worlds heard the proclamation 27:04 of this innocent tongue. 27:06 Listen to the words of John the revelator - Revelation 12:10. 27:10 The Bible says... 27:18 Come on, let's read this together... 27:33 Day and night has been - what? 27:35 Has been cast down. Can you say, Amen? 27:38 See, what you don't understand... 27:39 It was not until Jesus died and rose again - that the plan of 27:45 salvation was secure. 27:46 If the devil could have kept Him from dying, 27:49 and giving His life as an innocent lamb, 27:52 the plan of salvation would have been defeated. 27:55 He couldn't defeat Him there. 27:56 The next plan was to keep Him in the tomb. 27:58 If he could have kept Him in the tomb, the plan of 28:00 salvation would still have been defeated... 28:02 But every step of the way, when Divinity plans, 28:06 Divinity's plan will always come to fruition 28:10 for God is always greater than 28:12 the enemy that stands against Him. 28:14 All the worlds heard echoing throughout the 28:17 kingdom of heaven, throughout all the limitless 28:19 worlds - "Now has come salvation and strength," 28:22 and they must have been rejoicing because... 28:25 You see, Satan got kicked out because of sin, 28:28 and I could imagine they said, 28:29 "Are you letting THOSE sinners into heaven?" 28:32 Come on now... You gonna let them into heaven, 28:34 those liars, those murderers, those adulterers, 28:38 those thieves, those conniving... 28:40 You gonna let them in heaven? 28:42 The Lord Jesus said, "No, I'm not done yet." 28:45 You see, the plan of salvation takes us from where we were 28:48 to where we are going to be. 28:50 It takes a sinner, makes him a saint! 28:52 It takes a lie and makes him honest. 28:54 It takes a man who is lost to make him saved. 28:57 It takes somebody you could not trust 29:02 and know that you can trust him in Jesus. 29:05 It takes a person who knew no light... 29:08 to again know no darkness. 29:11 It takes a person from hopelessness to joy. 29:14 Jesus came not to save good folk, 29:17 he came to save folk like us. Amen! 29:21 You see, the plan of salvation can DO something for you 29:25 if you know you need to be saved, but if you are 29:27 already righteous, this sermon ain't for you. 29:29 If you are already locked in and sealed, 29:31 and you don't have no sin, this sermon ain't for you. 29:34 You can go ahead and sleep. 29:35 But if you know you're a sinner, like I know I'm a sinner, 29:38 this sermon is for you. 29:39 The Bread of Life was broken for me. 29:42 The blood of the covenant was poured out for me! 29:45 The Passover Lamb was slain; 29:47 the price of redemption was paid for ME! Amen! 29:51 You could join me if you're a sinner... 29:53 it was paid for ME! Amen! 29:56 And now Jesus laid in His tomb; 29:58 at last Jesus is at rest. 30:03 A long day of shame and torture is finally come to an end. 30:10 The son of God lay in the tranquility of Joseph's tomb, 30:14 His work completed; His hands - as the servant 30:19 of the Lord says, "Folded on His chest in peace." 30:24 The last rays of the setting sun fade on the quiet horizon 30:29 which not too long before that 30:30 was a hill of jarring and mocking... 30:34 And the dust of Golgotha is now settled 30:37 with the dried blood of the Savior still on the ground. 30:41 The darkness of the night cast its shadow of doubt 30:47 over all creation. 30:49 But I need to say, in the lyrics of a song writer 30:54 many years ago, "what a difference a day makes..." 30:57 Twenty-four short hours, it is amazing how 31:01 the rising sun can chase away the darkness. 31:03 ALL of a sudden, the Jewish leaders begin to remember 31:07 the declaration of Divinity, John 2:18-19... 31:11 Listen to what happens... 31:13 Attempting to trap Jesus, the Jews asked this question... 31:16 And they remembered as the sun began to rise, 31:20 on the third day, they remembered the words of Jesus... 31:35 They thought He meant a stone wall - no He meant a flesh wall. 31:40 They thought He meant a building put together by clay, 31:42 no - a building put together by the Father. 31:45 "A body Thou hast prepared for Me." 31:47 When Jesus came into the frailty of a young woman, 31:50 Mary became all of a sudden a temporary reactor for the 31:54 nuclear device of heaven. 31:56 She had more power in her than all the bombs in China, 32:01 and Korea and the United States put together. 32:05 Jesus could have annihilated humanity had He come 32:08 to this earth without clothing Himself in humanity. 32:13 But now the day is coming, the sun is rising and slowly 32:17 but surely, slowly but surely, the doubt in the minds of the 32:21 Jewish leaders are still there and Ellen White says 32:23 in "Desire of Ages," p.780, listen to the words 32:26 of inspiration - she says, "The night of the first day 32:29 of the week had worn slowly away. 32:32 The darkest hour just before daybreak had come. 32:36 Christ was still a prisoner in His narrow tomb. 32:40 The great stone was in its place. 32:42 The Roman seal was unbroken. 32:44 The Roman guards were keeping their watch, 32:47 and there were unseen watches, 32:51 angels that never left the scene. 32:54 The angels that were with Jesus at His birth were still there. 32:57 The angels that were assigned to Jesus to walk with Him 33:01 through His life, they never left His side. 33:04 You see, a King always has His guards with Him. 33:07 They were unseen watchers. 33:10 Hosts of evil angels were also gathered about the place." 33:14 And she goes on to say... "Had it been possible, 33:17 the prince of darkness, with his apostate army, 33:20 would have kept forever sealed the tomb of the Son of God." 33:25 But I want to say this today, even in death Jesus had 33:28 secret serve protection. Come on, say "Amen." 33:32 She says in "Desire of Ages," p.779... 33:34 "A heavenly host surrounded the sepulcher, 33:38 angels that excel in strength were guarding the tomb, 33:40 and waiting to welcome the Prince of Life." 33:44 You see, Operation Countdown was about to become 33:48 Operation Recovery. Amen! 33:51 They counted down the hours of His death, 33:54 but they were standing guard, waiting for the Father 33:57 to give them the word to go get His Son... 34:00 And like a polished Stealth Bomber, 34:03 the Angel Gabriel positioned his majestic frame 34:08 on the launch pad of the Holy City... 34:10 And the Father said to Gabriel, "Go get My Son!" 34:14 This fully armored warrior tucks his wings as he leans his 34:18 frame over the portals of heaven, 34:19 and the constellations of earth move aside as Gabriel, 34:24 and now in full flight, comes to deliver the message... 34:28 "It's time to get UP! 34:30 The Bible says in Matthew 28... 34:41 AMEN! 34:42 "Brave soldiers," Ellen White says that had never been 34:45 afraid of human power are now captive, 34:48 taken without sword or spear. 34:50 The face they look upon is not the face of a mortal warrior, 34:54 it is the face of the mightiest of the Lord's host. 34:56 This messenger is he who fills the position 35:00 from which Satan fell. 35:02 It is he, who on the hills of Bethlehem, proclaimed 35:05 Christ's birth - the earth trembled at His approach. 35:09 The host of darkness flee and as he rolls away the stone, 35:13 heaven seems to come down to earth 35:16 His countenance, the Bible says, was like lightning. 35:20 His clothes as white as snow and the guards shook 35:23 for fear of Him and became like dead men! 35:26 Ellen White said, "The guards stayed alive long enough 35:29 to see the stone rolled away, long enough to see the angel, 35:32 and they began to flee, but they lost strength 35:34 in their running and just fell to the ground 35:36 in utter exasperation - we could not get away from the power 35:40 of divinity. 35:42 Clothe with the splendor of God, this angel left 35:45 the heavenly courts - the bright beams of God's glory 35:48 went before Him and illuminated His pathway." 35:51 Somebody saw a shooting star, did not know it was Gabriel. 35:56 Somebody said, "Those planets are moving tonight," 35:58 did not know it was Gabriel. 35:59 The planets move, let us make 36:01 way so that he can go get our Redeemer. 36:04 Ellen White said, "The soldiers see him removing the stone 36:08 as he would a pebble and they hear him cry, 36:12 "Son of God, come forth, thy Father calleth Thee." 36:17 Jesus comes forth and victoriously proclaims... 36:20 ... through time and eternity He stands erect and He says, 36:24 "I am the resurrection and the life." 36:28 The trembling Roman soldiers wipe their eyes 36:30 in astonishment; the demonic forces are pushed 36:33 pushed back by heaven's finest warrior." 36:35 I must go back to "The Desire of Ages," come with me, p.780. 36:40 "Christ came forth from the tomb." 36:44 "Christ came forth from the TOMB!" 36:47 I wanna say it again, "Christ came forth from the tomb 36:50 glorified and the Roman guard beheld Him. 36:54 Their eyes were riveted upon the face of Him whom they 36:57 had so recently mocked and derided. 37:01 In His glorious being, they beheld the prisoner whom they 37:04 had seen in the judgment hall, the One for whom they had 37:07 plaited a crown of thorns. 37:10 This was the One who had stood unresisting before Pilate 37:14 and Herod, His form lacerated by the cruel scourge. 37:18 This was He who had been nailed to the cross," 37:21 but the servant of God says, ... oh hear me church, 37:24 "Mountains piled upon mountains over the sepulcher could not 37:28 have prevented Him from coming forth." AMEN! 37:33 Put Mt. Everest over there and try to stop Him. 37:35 Put Mt. Vesuvius, put Mt. Kilimanjaro... 37:38 You can put them all together and Jesus would have 37:40 burst through forth victoriously over every one of them. 37:44 But I want to say to you today, the life of Jesus was not just 37:48 substitutionary, but provisionary. 37:51 Provisionary means - water flowed from His side 37:54 to wash away OUR guilt. 37:55 Blood flowed from HIS side to cleanse us from OUR sin. 37:59 He died of a broken heart that He might mend OUR broken hearts. 38:03 He was pierced so that we might be made whole, 38:06 that's provisionary. 38:08 But it was also substitutionary, He came down so that 38:11 one day, we can go up! 38:13 He walked our road so that one day, we can walk His road. 38:16 He was arrested so that we could be set free - come on church! 38:20 He was declared guilty so that we could be declared INNOCENT! 38:24 He was condemned so that we could be pardoned. 38:27 He was treated as a criminal that we might be 38:30 treated as royalty. Amen! 38:32 He was stripped so that we can be covered. 38:35 The blood of His robe was upon HIM so that His 38:40 spotless robe could be upon us. Amen! 38:43 Jesus wore our thorns so that one day we could wear His crown. 38:47 He suffered the shame of OUR death 38:49 so that we can share the glory of HIS life. 38:53 You see, let me make it clear today as I close... 38:55 The Rose of Sharon would bud again. 38:59 The Oil of Gladness would flow again. 39:02 The line of the tribe of Judah would roar again. 39:07 The power of sin would forever be broken. 39:12 The voice that cried from the cross... 39:17 The voice that cried from the cross - "It is finished," 39:20 was heard among the dead. 39:23 It pierced the walls of the sepulcher and summoned 39:27 the sleepers to arise. 39:29 Oh, I want to hear you today... 39:30 "Thus it will be when the voice of Christ shall be heard 39:34 from heaven when He comes again. 39:36 You see, for the Bible says, "The Lord Himself shall descend 39:40 from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel 39:43 with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ 39:45 will rise first!" 39:47 Today, I know for sure my mother is going to rise. 39:52 The mother that gave me life is going to rise. 39:55 The mother that raised me to know Jesus is going to rise. 39:58 My friends are going to rise. 40:01 You got somebody laying in the tomb, they're going to rise. 40:03 The Lord Himself, He's not sending anybody... 40:06 He's coming for us Himself. 40:09 He's getting my mansion and your mansion together today. 40:12 The servant of the Lord says, "The voice that cried 40:17 "It is finished," was heard among the dead." 40:19 It pierced the walls of the sepulcher 40:21 and some of the sleepers to arise. 40:24 Thus it will be when the voice of Christ shall be heard 40:28 from heaven again. 40:30 That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs... 40:35 can you say Amen? 40:38 God is going to roll away tombstones in New York, 40:41 and in Alabama, and in Mississippi, and in Florida, 40:45 and in Washington D.C. 40:47 God is going to roll away tombstones in Thompsonville, 40:49 and in Chicago. 40:51 God is going to look for His saints wherever they are, 40:54 and call them forth from their sleeping graves. 40:58 To God be the glory! 41:00 That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, 41:04 and the dead in Christ shall rise. 41:07 God's servant said, "At the Savior's resurrection 41:10 a few graves were open, but at His second coming, 41:14 "All the precious dead shall hear his voice, 41:17 and shall come forth to glorious immortal life." 41:22 The same power that raised Christ from the dead 41:25 will raise His church and glorify it with Him 41:28 above all principalities, above all powers, 41:32 above every name that is named not only in this world, 41:36 but also in the world to come, and then we will begin 41:42 the most expensive journey to our heavenly home 41:48 then the King will say to those on His right hand... 41:51 "Come ye blessed of my Father." 41:54 You want to be there? Amen! 41:55 "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 42:00 prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 42:05 Now I envision one day... heaven will take out 42:09 the final checklists to make sure that the plan of 42:14 salvation has been completely exonerated and ratified, 42:20 and the questions will echo throughout the 42:22 portals of eternity as Jesus is approaching the New Jerusalem 42:26 with His saints clothed in immortal glory. 42:31 Somebody is going to ask the question, 42:33 "What about the plan of salvation?" 42:34 and Jesus is going to say, "It is finished." 42:37 What about the battle against Satan and his angels? 42:39 Jesus is going to say, "It is finished." 42:42 What about the redemption of humanity? 42:43 "It is finished." 42:45 What about the resurrection of the righteous? 42:47 "It is finished." 42:48 What about the end of pain and suffering?" 42:50 "It is finished." 42:52 What about victory over sin? "It is finished." 42:56 What about victory over death? "It is finished." 43:00 Oh brothers and sisters, one day it will be said, 43:03 "It is finished, the battle is over." 43:06 "It is finished, there will be no more war." 43:09 "It is finished, the end of the conflict - it is finished." 43:13 And Jesus Christ is Lord! 43:16 Today, I want to give God the glory as I sing 43:18 this closing song - if you want to be in that redeemed number, 43:22 if you want to be in that redeemed host today, 43:24 and God is saying to your heart today, 43:26 "I wanna be in that host when Jesus comes..." 43:30 As I sing this song, I just want you to stand in 43:33 testimony to the glory of God in your life... 43:36 to the glory of God as He reveals Himself through you. 43:40 One day the most expensive journey bought and 43:45 purchased by the blood of Jesus will be ours to enjoy today 43:50 as I sing this song - make your decision to be in that 43:54 redeemed host. 44:19 On that line stands an old rugged cross. 44:28 On that cross a battle is raging 44:35 for the gain of man's soul or it's loss. 44:45 On one side march the forces of evil, 44:53 all the demons and devils, 45:01 On the other, the angels of glory 45:10 As they meet on Golgotha's Hill, 45:18 And the earth shakes with the force of the conflict, 45:27 As the sun refuses to shine, 45:36 For there hangs God's Son in the balance, 45:44 And then through the darkness He cried... 45:53 It is finished, the battle is over. 46:01 It is finished, they'll be no more war. 46:10 It is finished, it's the end of the conflict. 46:17 It is finished, and my Jesus is Lord. 46:29 Yet in my heart, a battle still rages, 46:41 Not all the prisoners of war have come home. 46:50 There are battles of my own making, 46:59 For I didn't know that the war had been won. 47:07 Then I heard that that the King of the Ages 47:16 Had fought for my battles for me, 47:24 And now the victory was mine for the claiming, 47:33 And now praise His name I am free. 47:42 It is finished, the battle is over. 47:49 It is finished, there will be no more war. 47:59 It is finished, it's the end of the conflict. 48:06 It is finished, and my Jesus is Lord. 48:21 It is finished, and my Jesus is Lord. 48:37 Father in Heaven, Lord, we stand this morning 48:42 we stand this morning because Christ, the Lord, 48:48 is risen today. 48:53 There's no tomb that holds His marred frame. 48:59 He is risen never to die again. 49:04 Never to face the cruel scourging and mocking 49:10 and derision for our sin, He is risen today. 49:14 And because He is risen, we can be risen. 49:18 Oh Lord Jesus, help us rise above our selfish hearts. 49:23 Help us to know it's not about us, it's about You. 49:29 Bring to us the freedom of our minds and of our lives. 49:34 Some of us hold on to sin as though it's a trophy. 49:39 It's about us - it's not about You. 49:42 Today the message of freedom 49:45 echoes from the portals of eternity. 49:46 Today the blood of Jesus is still efficacious to change us, 49:50 to deliver us, to make us whole, to make us free... 49:54 But when it's about us, we stay bound in darkness 50:02 in the shroud of our own self-justification. 50:07 But Lord, today, break us that it may no longer be about us, 50:12 but about Jesus - for one day, there will only be two camps, 50:20 the redeemed and the lost. 50:22 And Father, You've made every provision 50:24 for the most expensive purchase and the most extensive journey. 50:30 And so Lord, come today through Your Holy Spirit and break 50:34 those who are bound. 50:35 Break those who refuse to be set free. 50:41 Break the chains of those who, although forgiveness 50:46 is extended, create their own chains as a testament 50:51 to their selfish altars. 50:53 Break we pray, in this congregation, those who for 50:57 whatever reason have found no reason to say, 50:59 "He is my King, He is my Lord, He is my soon coming Savior." 51:09 For one day, Lord, this moment will be replaced with the 51:11 most glorious - the proclamation of the voice 51:14 of our Lord. 51:16 And so Father, save us all for we cannot save ourselves. 51:20 Change us because we cannot change ourselves. 51:23 Break through our recalcitrant wall of constant 51:27 me-ness and I-ness. 51:34 Break down our own altars we have built to ourselves. 51:40 Lord, I pray that today You'll break the altars of those 51:43 who are sinless among us who feel that they are righteous, 51:47 that they have nothing to be free from. 51:53 Break those today who feel guiltless. 51:56 Break those today who feel that the cross is for sinners, 52:00 but not for me. 52:08 And where there's no liberty, Lord, extend that today 52:14 so that when the final voice calls the sleeping saints 52:20 to rise with the living saints, none of us will look at that 52:24 moment with regret in our hearts 52:26 for we too will have found freedom. 52:30 And so, Lord, we are going to sing today for Your glory. 52:33 We're going to sing today for Your honor, 52:36 but even more than singing, we're going to live 52:38 for Your glory and live for Your honor. 52:42 We're going to proclaim as the tomb could not hold You 52:45 down - Lord, bring us out of our tombs today. 52:49 Bring us out of our place where we have become 52:51 comfortable with our own death. 52:55 Roll away our stones, send an angel to deliver us 53:00 that we may know the power of Your resurrection. 53:04 And many others come to know about You through us, 53:07 that the kingdom may be furnished with souls 53:12 redeemed by Your precious blood. 53:16 So hear this prayer, Father, and accomplish Your work 53:20 in every one of our lives. 53:23 In Jesus name I pray... Amen |
Revised 2017-12-19