The Cross

Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church

Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our

podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast

you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll

change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring

message from our preaching team. Friends, grab

a seat if you'd like. My name is Tim, I'm one

of the pastors here. Tonight is a holy week.

This week is a holy week. Let's pray together.

Father, we worship you in the beauty of your

holiness. We worship you for you are good. We

worship you because you are the King of Kings

and Lord of Lords. So we pray, Holy Spirit come.

Come tonight come and speak come and speak your

word that divides heart and spirit That comes

and accomplishes your will I pray that you do

this in the name of Jesus Amen When my son was

born my life was forever changed I just turned

25 when he was born and people say to you a lot

of things when they know you're about to become

a parent But nothing they say ever prepares you

for the reality of that moment when he was born

His mom needed a little bit of help So he's handed

to me to clean and change and soothe and I really

didn't know what I was doing I looked at his

face and I knew that everything had to be different

He was screaming and if I'm honest inside I was

also screaming because becoming a parent is a

kind of crisis a moment that you are forced to

respond to. A moment that asks questions of you.

How will I keep this thing alive? What kind of

parent will I be? What kind of future can I give

this child? Crisis aren't always bad. At its

heart, a crisis is a moment of decision. What

now? How will I respond? We have these kinds

of crises in our lives where we're faced with

a moment we must respond to. We might lose our

job or lose a parent or a mentor or a friend.

We may become a parent or get married. These

kinds of crises happen in our lives and they

ask us questions. What now? How will I respond?

You know the cross of Jesus is a kind of crisis.

Every year on Easter, this night, when Jesus

is betrayed to this cross, tomorrow when Jesus

will be lifted up onto this cross, every year

at Easter we're confronted with the cross of

Christ again. And as it did to the people who

watched Jesus go to the cross 2000 years ago,

so it still does for us today. The cross of Christ,

it creates in us a moment of decision. It forces

us to decide how we will respond. It asks questions

of us. In fact, it asks one very specific question

of us. Who is this Jesus really? This is the

crisis of the cross. In the readings that Pastor

Tex read, there are three kinds of people who

look upon the crisis of the cross. And they have

three different answers to this question. Who

is Jesus really? Jesus has been so badly beaten

that he can't even carry his own cross on the

road to the place where he will die. And behind

him, following him, is a large crowd where many

women, women who look upon the cross that he

was to die on, weep for him. They weep for him.

But he turns to them and says, don't weep for

me. Weep for yourselves and for your children

that are to come. To them and as it is to many

of Jesus followers, as he is let out to die,

they look upon the cross and they see their hopes

being let out to die. Many look to Jesus as the

long awaited and prophesied Messiah, a warrior

king who would overthrow foreign oppression and

restore to their people peace and justice. They

look to Jesus as the one who would save them.

And when they look upon the cross, they look

upon Jesus, they weep. Because what use is a

dead warrior king? What can Jesus be in this

moment but a false hope? Many who watch him on

the walk to Golgotha, they see their hopes going

to die. Others look upon the cross of Christ

and they scoff with cynicism. They mock and they

sneer him. They put a crown of thorns upon his

head and hang him on the cross. And they say,

if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.

The crowds and the rulers they mock Jesus even

one of the criminals who is hanging there with

him mocks him. They look upon the cross of Christ

and they see an imposter, a tall poppy cut down,

a failure, a man who believed his own press,

a dangerous myth laid bare. How after all can

A man who claimed to be God's son die, just a

man after all. So they sneer and they jeer and

they glee as this imposter gets his just desserts.

But one person sees all of this differently.

These eyes are not the eyes of the rich, the

rulers or the religious elite. The one who sees

differently is a convicted criminal crucified

with Jesus. when he looks at the cross of Christ,

the crisis of the cross forces a response in

him because he doesn't see a criminal. He sees

a blameless man sentenced to die a death he does

not deserve. He doesn't see a cross, a wooden

instrument of death, instead he sees a throne.

He does not see thorns on Jesus' head, instead

he sees a crown. He does not see the walk to

Golgotha as a death march but as a royal procession.

He doesn't look upon someone who is busy trying

to save himself. He looks upon one who is laying

down his life in order to save them. To even

save him. This crucified criminal looks upon

the cross of Christ and he sees truly. He doesn't

see Jesus impending death. He sees his coronation.

the King of the universe. The irony is that everything

they're weeping over him for, everything they're

mocking him for is true. He is the one who will

free them from oppression. He is the hope of

salvation. He is the King of the Jews. He is

the Messiah. He is the chosen one of God. He

can save himself, but instead he is saving them.

at his own ultimate personal cost. This criminal,

he sees truly. He looks upon the cross of Jesus

and he knows who Jesus is, who he really is.

He's the King. He says to him, Jesus, remember

me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus

replies, I assure you today you will be with

me in paradise. This criminal's request is not

just granted. He gets something even better than

what he asked for. It won't just be remembered.

He will be with him, with this King in paradise

today, this day. I wonder what the crisis of

the cross creates for you. When you look upon

it, when it asks you, who is this Jesus really?

How do you answer? Do you see in the cross a

false hope that has died? Like those who weep,

do you see the unmet expectations you had of

God? Do you see your own disappointment with

God? Friends Easter comes to remind us to look

again. to look again at the cross of Christ and

to see the truth. Jesus will always surpass your

expectations. Maybe when you look upon the cross

of Christ, like the cynics, you just see a man,

an imposter, a good guy with good teachings,

whose followers took too far. Myth or man or

both, but not a king, not the son of God, just

a dead philosopher. Easter comes, friends. Look

again. Look again at the cross of Christ and

see the truth. Sunday is coming. Jesus will die,

but God will raise him from the dead. Or maybe

for you, you look at this cross and you're seeing

it afresh or for the first time with the eyes

of faith. You see Jesus for who he really is.

The King who sits at the right hand of the God

the Father. You know, crisis creates in us moments

of decision, forces us to answer questions. What

now? How will I respond? If Jesus is the King,

if he is everything that he and we hope and more,

if he is who he says he is, how will you respond?

A King rules his kingdom. He's in charge, he's

the boss. Does this king rule you? If he is who

he says he is, if he is better than what you

could ever hope for, I wonder, have you bowed

the knee to this king? Does his kingdom, his

rule and his reign flow into your life? Do you

let him lead as a king must lead one of his people?

Tonight, as we look upon the cross of Christ

together, as we contemplate it, we think about

it, as we sing about this cross, I wonder, how

do you need to respond? Tonight I want to challenge

you, I want to challenge you to look again, to

look again with the eyes of faith, to behold

the tree that held the King who created it, the

King of the universe, our King, the King who

has come into his kingdom. Look again. My friends,

let's pray. Calm Holy Spirit. Calm Lord Jesus.

Lord, I just pray that you would just make known

to each of us the glory of your good news for

us. That we would understand the cross not just

at a head level, but at a heart level. That we

would understand that what you did on that cross,

you did it for us. Not other people, but us personally.

That you love us, that you have given your life

for us. I pray, Lord, that you would help us

to know how to respond to this cross. To your

finished work on this cross. that saves us by

your grace, that covers over our sin, that leads

us into life everlasting. Holy Spirit come, come

in the name of Jesus. Thanks so much for tuning

into this week's message. If you felt challenged

or need prayer, we'd love to hear from you on

Instagram at encounterhemley. Or if you're interested

in how you can support this ministry, please

go to our website encounteradelaide .com .au.

Thanks again for listening. God bless you.