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Embracing the Cross: Lessons from Jesus' Last Words
The Good Friday Service at Middletown Baptist Church, presided over by Pastor Josh Massaro, offers an in-depth theological examination of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, emphasizing its monumental implications for the Christian faith. Pastor Massaro begins by addressing the cross, an emblem often misconstrued in contemporary society as a mere decoration, yet fundamentally symbolizes suffering and death. He articulates that the cross was not merely an instrument of execution but a profound declaration of God's love and justice, wherein Jesus bore the sins of humanity. Drawing from the epistle to the Hebrews, the pastor elucidates the contrast between the repetitive sacrifices of the Old Testament and the singular, all-encompassing sacrifice of Christ, which provides believers with complete redemption and reconciliation with God.
The sermon intricately weaves the seven sayings of Jesus during his crucifixion, particularly focusing on his anguished cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This poignant moment encapsulates the depth of Jesus' suffering and his profound identification with human anguish. Pastor Massaro explores the theological significance of this cry, representing not only physical torment but also the spiritual desolation Jesus experienced as he bore the weight of humanity's sin. Furthermore, the pastor reflects on Jesus' expressions of compassion and forgiveness, notably in his prayer for his executioners and his promise of salvation to the repentant thief. This serves as a powerful reminder of the grace that is available to all, regardless of their past transgressions.
As the service progresses, Pastor Massaro concludes with a compelling invitation for attendees to recognize the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice in their lives. He emphasizes that Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished,” signifies the completion of his redemptive work, assuring believers that their sins are forgiven and their debt paid in full. This proclamation extends beyond the historical event of the crucifixion, calling individuals to trust in Jesus for every aspect of their lives, including their struggles and uncertainties. The Good Friday Service thus becomes a transformative experience, encouraging believers to embrace the hope of resurrection and the assurance of salvation found in Jesus Christ, culminating in a powerful affirmation of faith and reliance on God’s grace.
Takeaways:
- The cross, as emphasized in this episode, serves not merely as a symbol but signifies the profound sacrifice of Jesus Christ for humanity's sins, underscoring the need for a deep understanding of its implications.
- Pastor Josh articulates the significance of the sacrifice of Jesus in relation to the Old Testament sacrificial system, highlighting that unlike the repetitive sacrifices of animals, Christ's offering was once for all and fully sufficient for salvation.
- In reflecting upon the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross, we gain insight into His compassionate nature, particularly His prayer for forgiveness for those who crucified Him, illustrating the depth of His love even in suffering.
- The podcast elucidates that true salvation is rooted in faith alone, as exemplified by the thief on the cross, who, despite a life of sin, was assured of paradise through his belief in Jesus.
- Pastor Josh encourages believers to trust in the sufficiency of Christ for all aspects of life, reminding us that reliance on Jesus is essential for both spiritual and practical matters.
- The concluding message of the episode emphasizes the empty tomb and the resurrection, reinforcing that through faith in Jesus, believers can have confidence in eternal life and the fulfillment of God's promises.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Speaker A:My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to this podcast.
Speaker A:I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen you in the word of God.
Speaker A:Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today.
Speaker B:We've been emphasizing the cross and what that means for us.
Speaker B:And we're going to talk tonight about the suffering servant and his sufficiency.
Speaker B:And, and I think that so many times we see a cross in a church or you see someone wearing a cross around their necks or whatever, and, and we forget about the picture of what that really means.
Speaker B:And the cross was, was not a symbol of a beauty.
Speaker B:Back in the time of the Bible, the cross was a symbol of death.
Speaker B:Everyone would have likened it to that.
Speaker B:And so it's so important for us to understand why it's so impactful in our society.
Speaker B:Yes, but also why we are in desperate need of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:And so In Hebrews chapter 10, it speaks of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:And before we get to our main thoughts here tonight, I wanted just to go through this because as, as you well know, back in the Old Testament, there was a sacrificial system that was set up to allow people to atone for sin.
Speaker B:In the case of the Jewish people, they would offer sacrifices to a place of covering their sin.
Speaker B:But we know that that never saved them.
Speaker B:We know that ultimately it was Jesus Christ and the faith of him, the Messiah to come, that saved them.
Speaker B:But what we can see here in this is that it contrasts the sacrifice of animals to the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how those sacrifices had to keep happening.
Speaker B:But there's one sacrifice that was given for us by the perfect lamb of God, who once it was given, it's over, it's finished.
Speaker B:And so we're going to see here In Hebrews chapter 10, it says for the law having a shadow of good things to come, meaning the law was good because it was a shadowy picture of what was going to be fulfilled in Christ.
Speaker B:It was allowing the people to set their minds to a messiah that was to come.
Speaker B:And so it says it was a shadowy thing, a shadowy picture of good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year, continually make.
Speaker B:The comers therefore are there unto perfect meaning this they had to keep offering these sacrifices, but it never made them Complete it never gave them Perfect forgiveness.
Speaker B:Verse 2.
Speaker B:For then would they not have ceased to be offered.
Speaker B:Meaning the question would be this.
Speaker B:If it was a once for all sacrifice, why did they keep offering sacrifices?
Speaker B:Says because that the worshipers once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins.
Speaker B:But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Speaker B:So it was a repetitive thing that they had to do.
Speaker B:For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Speaker B:The Bible clearly says that these animal sacrifices did not take away the sins.
Speaker B:Verse 5.
Speaker B:Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he say, a sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared me and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Speaker B:Then said I, lo, I come in the volume of the book, it is written of me to do thy will, O God.
Speaker B:It was God's will that Jesus would come and offer that once for all sacrifice above.
Speaker B:When he said, sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither has pleasure therein or which are offered by the law.
Speaker B:Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God.
Speaker B:He taketh away the first that he may establish the second.
Speaker B:By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Once for all, Once for all.
Speaker B:A once for all sacrifice so that we may trust in him, so that we might know forgiveness.
Speaker B:And the Bible speaks of the importance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ being the atonement for our sins.
Speaker B:The Bible says that we are bought with a price.
Speaker B:What was that price?
Speaker B:That was the price of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:He gave his life for us so that we could have a free gift of salvation if we trust in him.
Speaker B:But one of the things I wanted to do tonight, and I thought it would be interesting for all of us to go through this would be as Jesus was on the cross, all of us know the story, right?
Speaker B:He was.
Speaker B:He was purged, he was beaten, he was mocked.
Speaker B:He had a crown of thorns placed upon his head.
Speaker B:We know that through that whole process, Jesus faced physical persecution.
Speaker B:He faced physical pain.
Speaker B:But we also know that Jesus took the sin of the world upon him.
Speaker B:And in that process, Jesus actually speaks.
Speaker B:We know of seven different sayings that Jesus offers on the cross.
Speaker B:And I thought it would be neat for us here this evening just to see what Jesus actually said and what was recorded in scripture here tonight.
Speaker B:There's seven sayings of our Savior on the cross.
Speaker B:And I think that that would be an appropriate study here for us tonight.
Speaker B:So we're going to be jumping between the Gospels because, as you know, between the four Gospels, there's different perspectives, different accounts, the same story, but different perspectives.
Speaker B:And the first thing that Jesus says on the cross is found in Matthew, chapter 27, verse 46.
Speaker B:If you have your Bibles, get your fingers ready, or if you have your phones, get your thumbs ready.
Speaker B:Because we're going to be going through seven different passages or maybe even more, depending on any cross references.
Speaker B:But what we can see here In Matthew, chapter 27, verse 46, it tells us that Jesus cries out to the Father, says in the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, eli, eli lama sabach.
Speaker B:That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Speaker B:Jesus calls out to the Father and he says, why have you forsaken me?
Speaker B:What does this mean?
Speaker B:What's the significance of this?
Speaker B:Well, here Jesus is expressing his feelings of abandonment.
Speaker B:And we know that as Jesus has all of that sin upon him, God turns.
Speaker B:And we know that Jesus in his humanity is dealing with this expression of abandonment as, as God placed the sin of the world upon him.
Speaker B:The Bible says in Isaiah 53 that it pleased God that he did that.
Speaker B:Now, that's a contradiction in our minds.
Speaker B:How could God the Father be pleased that Jesus is taking our sin, that he's being crushed, that he's being bruised, that he's being sacrificed?
Speaker B:Well, the answer is very simple.
Speaker B:Because God the Father loves you.
Speaker B:And he knew that this was the way for us to come to him in salvation.
Speaker B:Therefore, when Jesus cries out in that pain, it's because of our sin.
Speaker B:It's because of what we have done.
Speaker B:I heard one commentator say that it was my sin that nailed him to the cross.
Speaker B:And so this is also a fulfillment of prophecy.
Speaker B:2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 21 says that he who knew no sin became sin for us.
Speaker B:This speaks of Jesus's payment.
Speaker B:And I believe this speaks of Jesus's greatest struggle, though maybe you've seen a movie or maybe you've heard someone describe the physical pain that Jesus went through.
Speaker B:And I don't want to downplay that, because that was gruesome.
Speaker B:It was excruciating.
Speaker B:But what I do want you to understand is that I, I, I believe, scripturally speaking, that that's not the greatest pain that Jesus went through.
Speaker B:Then the, the greatest pain that Jesus went through was to feel the sack, the feel the sacrifice, and feel the judgment of God upon him.
Speaker B:And so what we can see here is that Jesus cries out, father, Father, why have you forsaken me?
Speaker B:Well, we know that it's a fulfillment of prophecy.
Speaker B:In Psalm chapter 22, verse 1, again, another passage of scripture, Scripture written centuries before Jesus.
Speaker B:It says to the chief musician, the chief musician, Elijah Shahara, the Psalm of David.
Speaker B:My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Speaker B:Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring?
Speaker B:And so we know that the Messiah says this.
Speaker B:We know that Psalm 22 says the Messiah would say these very same words.
Speaker B:Jesus fulfills that by.
Speaker B:By quoting that, by stating that.
Speaker B:And the truth is, is that many of us in our own lives feel abandoned.
Speaker B:Maybe we feel like God has forgotten about us.
Speaker B:But the Bible says that if you are in Christ, he is not leaving you.
Speaker B:He's not leaving you.
Speaker B:He's not forsaking you.
Speaker B:And the truth is that there's going to be times in our life where we feel abandoned because of certain situations or certain struggles.
Speaker B:But the Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Speaker B:And so, number one, Jesus cries out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Speaker B:Number two, Luke, chapter 23.
Speaker B:We're going to see a few here.
Speaker B: In the book of Luke, Luke: Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He turns away from speaking to God in the concept of his own struggle, Right?
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:We know that Jesus says, why have you forsaken me?
Speaker B:But now he speaks to God on behalf of those around him.
Speaker B:And what we're going to see here is that Jesus still has a heart of compassion.
Speaker B:He still has a heart of forgiveness.
Speaker B: Luke: Speaker B:Then Jesus Then said, jesus, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Speaker B:And they parted his raiment and cast lots.
Speaker B:And so those who were crucifying Jesus were really not aware of the full picture of what was going on.
Speaker B:They did not recognize him as Messiah, at least at that point.
Speaker B:And so while their ignorance to the truth didn't mean they deserve forgiveness, Jesus didn't look to God and say, you know what?
Speaker B:These people are good people, so forgive them.
Speaker B:No, they were crucifying him.
Speaker B:They were his enemies.
Speaker B:But Jesus practiced what he preached, right?
Speaker B:Jesus said, love your enemies.
Speaker B:That's what Jesus is doing.
Speaker B:He's loving his enemies by seeking their conversion, their transformation, their forgiveness.
Speaker B:And so while.
Speaker B:While they were crucifying him, Christ's prayer, in the midst of their mocking, in the midst of their scourging, in the midst of their evil, he shows his unlimited Compassion for them, his unlimited grace.
Speaker B:And that's the heart that we should have as believers.
Speaker B:Though maybe someone has wronged us, though maybe there are some evil people in this world.
Speaker B:Our heart should not be to reject them or have bitterness.
Speaker B:Our heart should be that they come to God in forgiveness.
Speaker B:Now, we cannot offer ultimate forgiveness, but God can.
Speaker B:And so our prayer is that they come to him and that they receive forgiveness and they receive transformation like we have received.
Speaker B:And just because we have experienced forgiveness, sometimes in our life, we forget that other people need it.
Speaker B:And so what we need to do is seek after the same compassionate heart that Jesus had.
Speaker B:Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Speaker B:And so that's number two.
Speaker B:But I want you to see number three.
Speaker B:Very shortly after this, Jesus has an interaction with those thieves that are on each side of him.
Speaker B:And to the one who believes in Jesus, he says this verily.
Speaker B:Luke 23, verse 43.
Speaker B:So just jump down a few verses.
Speaker B:And verse 43 says, verily or truthfully, I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Speaker B:In this passage, Jesus gives the confidence or the assurance of salvation to one of the criminals that was being crucified next to him who deserved that punishment.
Speaker B:But he gives him the confidence to know that he will be with his Savior in heaven.
Speaker B:And this same promise is promised to all who come to Jesus in faith.
Speaker B:And so he was a criminal.
Speaker B:He didn't deserve God's forgiveness.
Speaker B:He didn't deserve eternal life.
Speaker B:But because of his faith, and if you remember, there was one thief who did not believe.
Speaker B:There was one thief who mocked God.
Speaker B:There was another thief who realized that he was a desperate sinner who needed the grace of God.
Speaker B:And it was because of his faith did he work his way there.
Speaker B:How many works did the thief on the cross who got saved do?
Speaker B:He didn't do any works.
Speaker B:All it was was believing in Jesus.
Speaker B:He didn't have time to go teach a Sunday school class.
Speaker B:He didn't have time to give to the church.
Speaker B:He didn't even have time to get baptized.
Speaker B:All it was was a profession of faith.
Speaker B:And in his faith, Jesus says, today you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker B:Absent with the body, present with the Lord.
Speaker B:That's the same kind of faith that we can have today.
Speaker B:Say, well, you know what?
Speaker B:I missed a lot of years.
Speaker B:I should have done this.
Speaker B:I should have done that.
Speaker B:The truth is, do what you can when you can.
Speaker B:And the concept of this, maybe you got saved and you're 80 years old.
Speaker B:Well, whatever time God has left for you.
Speaker B:Use it for the cause of the kingdom.
Speaker B:Our past doesn't define us.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's where we are now.
Speaker B:It's what we're doing now.
Speaker B:And so Jesus says, hey, because of your faith, you will be with me.
Speaker B:And that's the same promise extended to all of us here this evening.
Speaker B:If we believe that Jesus is Savior, if we believe that he died for our sins, if we believe he is the one who knew no sin and became sin for us, if we believe that he is God, then the Bible says that we too will be with him in paradise.
Speaker B:So number three, Jesus says to the thief, today, you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker B: Number four, Luke: Speaker B:And Jesus had cried with a loud voice.
Speaker B:He said, father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
Speaker B:And having said this, he gave up the ghost.
Speaker B:Here we see Jesus is willingly giving himself into the Father's hands, indicating that he was about to die, but accepting the will of God and the sacrifice.
Speaker B:As you know, prior to Jesus going to the cross, he was in the garden of Gethsemane.
Speaker B:And in his humanity, he cries out to the Father, and he says this, if there's any other way, if there's any other way for your will to be done, may it be done.
Speaker B:And he's in grief because in his humanity, but also in his deity, he understands what he's about to go through and the pain and the suffering.
Speaker B:But yet Jesus submits himself.
Speaker B:He says, nevertheless, thy will be done.
Speaker B:And no matter what we're going through in our life, no matter how hard it is, no matter what God has asked us to do or allowed to have happen in our lives, the prayer really should be this.
Speaker B:At the end of everything, nevertheless, thy will be done.
Speaker B:There's gonna be things in our life that we might not necessarily want to go through, but Jesus example for us is this as hard as it is, we still must desire God's will, no matter what that might be.
Speaker B:And for Jesus, the will of God was that he would go to the cross, that he would die.
Speaker B:And so the Bible says that he offered himself.
Speaker B:A lot of people have a misconception of what happened with Jesus on the cross.
Speaker B:They said those people killed Jesus.
Speaker B:No, Jesus gave himself.
Speaker B:There is no way that any army in the world could come against Jesus and defeat him.
Speaker B:If Jesus wanted to defeat them.
Speaker B:Jesus is all powerful.
Speaker B:Jesus willingly gave himself up for us.
Speaker B:The Bible says in Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God.
Speaker B:Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Speaker B:Meaning this.
Speaker B:Jesus gave himself willingly.
Speaker B:He wasn't forced.
Speaker B:He willingly, in obedience to God, followed the will of the Father and gave up his spirit.
Speaker B:Then we see number five, Jesus's care and concern for his mother.
Speaker B:John, chapter 19.
Speaker B:We're going to switch books of the Bible and we're going to go over to John 19.
Speaker B:We're going to see that as Jesus is dealing with the sin of the world, and as Jesus is dealing with folks that are persecuting him and nailing him to a cross and mocking him and asking for their forgiveness, Jesus still has the compassion for those who are the closest to him.
Speaker B:And we're going to see Jesus address two of the closest people to him in his personal life.
Speaker B:That would be his mother and John the Beloved, one of his disciples.
Speaker B:And we're going to see what he does here in his care and his concern for his mother.
Speaker B:He says that John has a responsibility in John, chapter 19, verse 26 and 27.
Speaker B:When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, which we know, that's John.
Speaker B:He saith unto his mother, woman, behold thy son.
Speaker B:Then saith he to the disciple, behold thy mother.
Speaker B:And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home.
Speaker B:Jesus sees his mother standing near the cross.
Speaker B:And he sees the apostle John as well.
Speaker B:And we know that he loved him dearly.
Speaker B:We know he loved his mother dearly.
Speaker B:He commits his mother's care into John's hands.
Speaker B:And we see that John obeys.
Speaker B:And in this verse, we see Jesus as a compassionate son.
Speaker B:And it speaks to his humanity.
Speaker B:But again speaks to his perfect love.
Speaker B:It's making sure that his earthly mother is cared for after his death.
Speaker B:This is a unique passage of Scripture.
Speaker B:We don't often see Jesus in his humanity.
Speaker B:Maybe sometimes we see him in different roles in different areas.
Speaker B:But Jesus here cares for his mother.
Speaker B:Then we see number six again, speaking to Jesus humanity.
Speaker B:John 19, verse 28.
Speaker B:Jesus says after this, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
Speaker B:Jesus speaks of his thirst.
Speaker B:It speaks of his humanity.
Speaker B:But Jesus also has fulfilling prophecy.
Speaker B:Psalm, chapter 69, verse 21.
Speaker B:They gave me also gall for my meat.
Speaker B:And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Speaker B:Again, a messianic prophecy.
Speaker B:So Jesus fulfills prophecy here, and he shows his humanity.
Speaker B:But he prompts the Roman guards to give him some vinegar here, which was customary at the crucifixion now, he didn't ask for that.
Speaker B:He asked for water.
Speaker B:Essentially, he was thirsty.
Speaker B:But what they would do is they would give him that gall.
Speaker B:And that would be really an instance where we see his humanity there.
Speaker B:And then last but not least, we see number seven, John, chapter 19, verse 30.
Speaker B:And this is where we're going to conclude here this evening when it comes to the sayings of Jesus on the cross.
Speaker B:John, chapter 19, verse 30 says, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished.
Speaker B:And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
Speaker B:Jesus's last words meant that his suffering was over and his work and the sacrifice was over.
Speaker B:And now the opportunity for us to understand that we have the debt paid.
Speaker B:Jesus paid our debt.
Speaker B:It is finished.
Speaker B:The Greek word here is tetelestai.
Speaker B:It's one word that basically means that my debt has been paid.
Speaker B:It is finished.
Speaker B:It is complete.
Speaker B:And the reason why I wanted to emphasize that here this evening is because we as believers, and my prayer is that all of us come to a saving understanding in faith to Jesus Christ here tonight.
Speaker B:But the Bible says that when we come to Jesus in faith, it is finished.
Speaker B:Our sin, our debt, our pain, it's taken away now.
Speaker B:Now, there's going to be some things that we deal with in our life here now.
Speaker B:I mean, some of you might say, pastor, my pain's not gone.
Speaker B:I'm feeling it.
Speaker B:I wake up this morning, I felt some pain physically, emotionally, maybe even spiritually.
Speaker B:I've got some pain in my life.
Speaker B:The Bible says that we still will go through those aspects in this life.
Speaker B:But the Bible says that we're living for something more, that there will be a day when every tear is wiped away.
Speaker B:There will be a day when there's no more pain, there's no more suffering.
Speaker B:And we long for that day.
Speaker B:But until then, we keep our eyes fixed on the end.
Speaker B:We keep our eyes fixed on eternity.
Speaker B:And Jesus says, it's finished.
Speaker B:I've already paid the price.
Speaker B:I've already done the work.
Speaker B:And what happens sometimes with individuals is that we sometimes come to God in faith, but yet we feel like we have to do more.
Speaker B:We feel like we haven't done enough.
Speaker B:We feel like maybe we have to just earn a little bit more grace.
Speaker B:I'm going to tell you here tonight, there is nothing that you do that's going to have God love you more.
Speaker B:Say, what do you mean?
Speaker B:I got to just keep doing this.
Speaker B:If I just give to him, he'll love me more.
Speaker B:If I just show up to Church every single Sunday.
Speaker B:He'll love me more if I tell one more person about Jesus.
Speaker B:He'll just love me more.
Speaker B:Folks, I'm going to tell you, he loved you infinitely when he sent his only begotten son to die for you on the cross.
Speaker B:You don't have to earn any more of his love, okay?
Speaker B:He loves you in spite of who you are.
Speaker B:He loves you in your failure.
Speaker B:He loves you in your brokenness.
Speaker B:And you would say, well, does that mean I need to live in my sin forever?
Speaker B:No, he saves us to change us.
Speaker B:But a lot of times what we think is that after we're saved, we have to keep up appearances and, and that we have to go forward and we have to earn it.
Speaker B:Folks, Jesus has done the work.
Speaker B:And the reason why we serve, the reason why we give, the reason why we go to church, the reason why we tell others about Jesus is because of that love, because of that perfect sacrifice, because he has already done that.
Speaker B:And I'm going to tell you folks, I have been guilty of this in my own life.
Speaker B:I've said, you know what, if I can just write one more sermon, if I.
Speaker B:If I can just be this way, maybe I can be the person that I've always wanted to be.
Speaker B:And the truth is, is that the more we work, the more we realize how much more we have to work.
Speaker B:You know, there, there is a belief system out there from one of the cults that says it's, it's salvation is through grace.
Speaker B:After all that you can do.
Speaker B:It's literally, that's what they quote.
Speaker B:They say it's salvation is by God's grace.
Speaker B:But then you gotta do everything that you can, and then it's God's grace that overflows.
Speaker B:On top of that, how many of us tonight say that we could do all that we could do 24, seven, perfectly, perfectly follow Jesus in his will?
Speaker B:None of us can do that.
Speaker B:Some of you say, no, I, I do that.
Speaker B:I pray every day.
Speaker B:Okay, how long did you pray?
Speaker B:Well, I prayed for one hour this morning.
Speaker B:Why didn't you pray for two hours?
Speaker B:Well, I had to go to work.
Speaker B:Well, that's not all you can do for Christ.
Speaker B:So, so, so there's a never ending pit when we feel like we have to keep doing more and so we don't have to keep doing more.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:The truth is, though the Bible teaches us that we want to do more.
Speaker B:It's a heart of love.
Speaker B:It's not this idea that I must keep this, I must do this.
Speaker B:Jesus has already done that work.
Speaker B:The blood of bull and goats cannot save us.
Speaker B:Only thing that can save us is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:It is sufficient.
Speaker B:Jesus is sufficient.
Speaker B:Jesus is enough for every issue in our life.
Speaker B:I can't emphasize it enough.
Speaker B:List your issue, okay?
Speaker B:And I'm sure we all have long list.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:At the end of the service tonight, come by my table out there and just give me all of your issues, okay?
Speaker B:And I'll have a long list too.
Speaker B:But let me tell you, I have the answer to all of your issues.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker B:It's the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:It's the gospel message.
Speaker B:Well, you don't know what I'm dealing with right now.
Speaker B:You don't know my background.
Speaker B:You don't know my struggle.
Speaker B:You don't know my workplace.
Speaker B:You don't even know who I am.
Speaker B:No, I don't know who you are.
Speaker B:But Jesus knows every issue that you've ever gone through in your life.
Speaker B:Jesus knows every thought.
Speaker B:Jesus knows every struggle.
Speaker B:Jesus knows every sin.
Speaker B:But yet he still died for you on the cross.
Speaker B:And so the Bible says that it is that that is the answer.
Speaker B:The sufficiency of Christ.
Speaker B:Our church is only going to thrive when we connect ourselves to the head.
Speaker B:And the head is Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Our.
Speaker B:Our.
Speaker B:Our lives, our marriages, our children, Our.
Speaker B:Our.
Speaker B:Our workplaces can only be impacted when we connect ourselves to Christ.
Speaker B:How do we connect ourselves to Christ?
Speaker B:By faith and faith alone.
Speaker B:So some people might say right now that, hey, Pastor, you're just preaching this idea of easy grace.
Speaker B:You're preaching this idea that we don't have to serve.
Speaker B:No, we serve.
Speaker B:But we serve for a purpose.
Speaker B:We serve with a different motivation.
Speaker B:And that is already what Christ has done for us.
Speaker B:And so I want to challenge you here this evening.
Speaker B:Is Jesus enough?
Speaker B:Is Jesus enough?
Speaker B:Well, I just got to get a little bit more.
Speaker B:I just got to have a little bit more.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I just gotta have one more sign.
Speaker B:God, give me one more sign.
Speaker B:Folks.
Speaker B:Jesus has given us.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He actually condemns those in scripture that are asking for more signs.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Jesus has given us every sign that we ever need.
Speaker B:And it's right here.
Speaker B:He is the sign.
Speaker B:Jesus actually says that.
Speaker B:It's the resurrection.
Speaker B:That's the sign to follow him.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:We don't need to ask for more signs.
Speaker B:Some of you might say, I don't know.
Speaker B:Is it.
Speaker B:Is it the will of God for me to.
Speaker B:To get involved with the church?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Forsake not the assembly of themselves together.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Is it the will of God, for me to share my faith with other people, I just need to have a sign.
Speaker B:God, you don't need a sign.
Speaker B:He's already given you the sign.
Speaker B:It's called the Great Commission.
Speaker B:Matthew, chapter 28.
Speaker B:Go and make disciples.
Speaker B:We have our marching orders.
Speaker B:Well, I don't know.
Speaker B:May.
Speaker B:Maybe.
Speaker B:Maybe, you know, there's a husband that says, you know, it is I.
Speaker B:I just really need to have a sign whether or not I need to love my wife.
Speaker B:The Bible says husbands love your wife.
Speaker B:As Christ loved the church and gave himself for it over and over again.
Speaker B:Some of his children in the room.
Speaker B:Hey, I need to have a sign whether or not I need to obey my parents or not.
Speaker B:I need to make it make sense.
Speaker B:The Bible gives us a sign.
Speaker B:It says, children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Speaker B:Here it is.
Speaker B:The Bible says that Jesus is enough for everything.
Speaker B:I just don't know if I can keep up appearances.
Speaker B:None of us can.
Speaker B:But all we do is we come back to Christ and our brokenness in our grief and our need for grace, and we sing that song, amazing Grace.
Speaker B:And truly, do we believe that it's amazing.
Speaker B:Do we believe that we need God's grace in every element of our life?
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:There's times in my life where I've said, God, you can have this.
Speaker B:God, you can have this.
Speaker B:God, you can have this, but don't touch this.
Speaker B:That's my special thing that I am in control of.
Speaker B:How many of us would say that Jesus is enough for everything.
Speaker B:Look into my life.
Speaker B:Take every element.
Speaker B:I'm willing to do this for you.
Speaker B:I'm willing to be a missionary in Middletown.
Speaker B:I'm willing to serve in these capacities.
Speaker B:I'm willing to get up every morning and read my Bible.
Speaker B:I'm willing to tell my children about Jesus.
Speaker B:I'm willing to be a witness in my workplace.
Speaker B:I'm willing to be the one who does the job that no one else wants to do.
Speaker B:Hey, that.
Speaker B:That is impossible to do outside of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Speaker B:And so when we look to the cross, it's so much more than a symbol.
Speaker B:It's so much more than a fashion statement.
Speaker B:It's so much more than just a religious thing that we press upon something or.
Speaker B:Or that we put upon something.
Speaker B:The cross is the picture of Jesus's sacrifice for us and the fact that we no longer are bound by sin.
Speaker B:We no longer are defined by our sin.
Speaker B:There's therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.
Speaker B:Jesus did that for us because he loves us.
Speaker B:And therefore, what happens is this.
Speaker B:We must rely on the sufficiency of the sacrifice so that we can be the servants that God has called us to be.
Speaker B:Micah and I are going through the book of Jude, and we are trying to memorize the whole book of Jude.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Now, we have a bunch.
Speaker B:Micah, we have a bunch of accountability partners here tonight.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Now we got to really get on that.
Speaker B:But the book of Jude, when you start out the book of Jude, does anyone know.
Speaker B:Okay, I know that you're at a Good Friday service and you weren't ready to respond, but most commentators believe Jude had a relationship with Christ.
Speaker B:What was Jude's personal human relationship with Christ?
Speaker B:Does anyone know?
Speaker B:His brother is half brother, right?
Speaker B:That's what we would call him, his half brother.
Speaker B:But you know what?
Speaker B:You know what Jude says at the very beginning of his book?
Speaker B:He doesn't say, Jude, the brother of Jesus says, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ could have claimed anything, but he said servant.
Speaker B:Paul could have said, ah, hey, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm the apostle to the Gentiles.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I am the best preacher there ever was.
Speaker B:I wrote Romans, I wrote Philippians, I wrote all these books of the Bible.
Speaker B:But how does.
Speaker B:How does he introduce himself, servant of Jesus Christ?
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:I'm going to do my best not to.
Speaker B:Not to sound too judgmental here this evening, but I think that how many of us need to introduce ourselves is.
Speaker B:Hey, I'm not Josh, the pastor of Middletown Baptist Church.
Speaker B:Even though I have to say that.
Speaker B:I have to say that sometimes to make sure we understand who everyone is.
Speaker B:But the truth is, my first.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:My first credential is not where I went to school.
Speaker B:It's not how.
Speaker B:How long I've been preaching.
Speaker B:It's not how often I do this or how I give in this area.
Speaker B:My first credential is servant of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:That's the number one thing.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's above all.
Speaker B:And we.
Speaker B:We as believers must believe that.
Speaker B:And if he was willing, the Bible says in Philippians chapter two, that he humbled himself and took the form of a servant.
Speaker B:If the suffering servant who did not deserve that pain and suffering did that for us, shouldn't we be willing to say, you know what?
Speaker B:I want to do that for him, not because I have to, but because I want to, because there's joy in this.
Speaker B:Think about here this evening.
Speaker B:Think about.
Speaker B:Think about if I said to you guys, hey, tonight, just because you're here, you all have a Gift waiting for you at the door.
Speaker B:And you go, okay, what's it going to be?
Speaker B:A pen or something and I love you go to the door and it's $20,000 for everyone who was here tonight.
Speaker B:You would be thankful.
Speaker B:Some of you would.
Speaker B:Some of you are, like, acting.
Speaker B:Acting like $20,000 isn't a lot.
Speaker B:I'll take your 20,000, okay?
Speaker B:No problem.
Speaker B:But the truth is, is that you would be thankful, right?
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So most likely most of us would say, wow, what do I need to do to earn that?
Speaker B:And I said, no, it's just a gift.
Speaker B:It's just a gift.
Speaker B:You take it now.
Speaker B:Now, most of us would say this.
Speaker B:What's the catch?
Speaker B:You know, what's the church wanting from us?
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, if it's a gift, don't have to work for it.
Speaker B:But some of you might say, well, I'm thankful, so I want to show my thanks.
Speaker B:So therefore, what can I do to thank you?
Speaker B:It's the same thing with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Jesus doesn't say, okay, you're going to get saved, but you, now you have to do something.
Speaker B:No, what does he say?
Speaker B:You're saved by the grace of God.
Speaker B:It's a free gift, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Speaker B:But a lot of times we forget about what verse 10 says in Ephesians, chapter 2 says, for we are his workmanship, created so that we would be those who did good works for him.
Speaker B:And so it's a heart of thanksgiving.
Speaker B:So when we come into this Easter season, we think of the crucifixion.
Speaker B:But what we do know is this, too.
Speaker B:We're celebrating the resurrection all weekend here in Middletown Baptist.
Speaker B:And I know that many other churches around the world are, but I can tell you here that that tomb, that after Jesus died and they put him in that tomb, tomb of Joseph, it's.
Speaker B:He's not there.
Speaker B:It's empty.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I've been there.
Speaker B:I've seen it.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:There's no Jesus there anymore.
Speaker B:And that's a good thing, because every other world leader, every other religious figure has a place where they died and they couldn't fulfill the promise of living forever.
Speaker B:But Jesus conquered death through the resurrection.
Speaker B:And there, There.
Speaker B:There is an empty tomb.
Speaker B:Sunday's coming.
Speaker B:You know, sometimes we see Good Friday as a time in which we can mourn, but there's no reason to mourn, because we can celebrate the cross because we know the end of the story.
Speaker B:We know that Sunday's Coming.
Speaker B:We know the tomb is empty.
Speaker B:We know that Jesus has extended everlasting life to us.
Speaker B:And all we have to do is trust in him and to know him and to.
Speaker B:And to believe in Him.
Speaker B:And that is enough for us.
Speaker B:That is enough for us.
Speaker B:And there is that song that says, turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Speaker B:Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Speaker B:Think about that.
Speaker B:The more you look to Jesus, the less this world looks attractive.
Speaker B:The more you trust in him and his sufficiency, the less you need to be relying on this world.
Speaker B:Folks, I'm going to tell you, I think we all need to understand that we need this world less and we need Jesus more.
Speaker B:This world brings nothing to the table.
Speaker B:This.
Speaker B:This world only gives us emptiness, brokenness, despair, curses, death.
Speaker B:But the Bible says that Jesus brings life and life everlasting.
Speaker B:He is the resurrection and the life.
Speaker B:And so here this evening, may we celebrate the cross, may we celebrate the resurrection, because we have hope.
Speaker B:We have confidence in knowing that Jesus loves us.
Speaker B:And through faith, we can have everlasting life.
Speaker B:I'm gonna have a time of invitation now.
Speaker B:I'm gonna ask if you're able to just stand with me, every head bowed, every eye closed, as the music plays here for the next few moments.
Speaker B:I want to just have.
Speaker B:Have a time in which you can respond to Jesus.
Speaker B:I know that you're not used to this.
Speaker B:In a Good Friday service, we usually do this on Sunday mornings.
Speaker B:But what I want to challenge you with here this evening is number one.
Speaker B:Do you know him as your personal Savior?
Speaker B:Have you trusted in the gift of grace?
Speaker B:Have you come to him and said, there's nothing that I can do?
Speaker B:I've tried to do the sacrifices.
Speaker B:I've tried all of this.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I've tried to be a good person.
Speaker B:I just know that I fall short.
Speaker B:And the Bible says that of course we will fall short.
Speaker B:There is none good, no, not one, outside of knowing Jesus and His righteousness.
Speaker B:And so, therefore, here this evening, the first question that I have to ask is, is do you know Jesus as your Savior?
Speaker B:Have you experienced his forgiveness?
Speaker B:Have you trusted in the cross?
Speaker B:Have you trusted in the resurrection?
Speaker B:Have you trusted in all of his work for you, in the person and work of Jesus Christ?
Speaker B:If you have not, hey, there is no better time than now.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Speaker B:And so I encourage you, I challenge you tonight to come to him in faith.
Speaker B:It'll be the best decision that you ever made.
Speaker B:Everyone in this room that is trusted in Jesus will admit that it was the greatest decision that we have ever made.
Speaker B:Don't put it off.
Speaker B:But number two, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and you've trusted in him for the sufficiency of salvation, trust in him tonight for the sufficiency in every area of your life.
Speaker B:Trust in him for the sufficiency of your family.
Speaker B:Trust in him for the sufficiency of your finances.
Speaker B:Trust in him for the sufficiency of your workplace.
Speaker B:Trust in him for the sufficiency of all of the things that you might be facing.
Speaker B:Your physical body, your emotional struggles, your spiritual doubts and your spiritual needs.
Speaker B:He can provide for you.
Speaker B:He will provide for you.
Speaker B:Not in our wants, but in our needs.
Speaker B:The greatest need that we ever have is Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:We need Him.
Speaker B:We are desperate need of his grace.
Speaker B:I need his grace every moment.
Speaker B:There's a song.
Speaker B:I need the every hour.
Speaker B:Let's amend that song and say, I need you every second of my day.
Speaker B:Because he is enough.
Speaker B:He alone can save, he alone can satisfy the suffering.
Speaker B:Servant's sacrifice is sufficient.
Speaker B:And so here for the next few moments, I call you.
Speaker B:I challenge you to come forward here, kneel at the altar.
Speaker B:Come to a place in your life where you can submit to him and say, lord, I want you.
Speaker B:I want you and you alone in every area of my life.
Speaker B:Inspect me, know me, try me.
Speaker B:Allow me to walk in faith with you.
Speaker B:Lord, I pray that you'd be in this time of invitation, working hearts and lives.
Speaker B:I thank you for the opportunity to hear this evening, to know you and to love you and to grow in your word.
Speaker B:So Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation working hearts and lives in Jesus name.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:As the music plays some have already come follow him tonight.
Speaker B:Trust in his sufficiency for your every need.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Before you're seated, we're going to do something special here now.
Speaker B:We're going to sing another song.
Speaker B:And the name of the song, if you know it, sing with me.
Speaker B:I'm going to try to do my best to lead you.
Speaker B:I am not a song leader, but I'm gonna do my best to lead you now.
Speaker B:And it's called Jesus.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:And in this, may this be our testimony.
Speaker B:May this be the truth in our life.
Speaker B:And I want you to really comprehend these words.
Speaker B:I want you to really think about this.
Speaker B:And truthfully, truthfully, I hope that this is your heart.
Speaker B:I hope that you can say this tonight.
Speaker B:Jesus, thank you for what you have done in my life.
Speaker B:And so we're gonna sing Jesus, thank you Mystery of the Cross the mystery.
Speaker C:Of the cross I cannot comprehend the agonies of Calvary.
Speaker C:You, the perfect holy one, crushed your son who drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Speaker C:Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
Speaker C:The father's wrath completely satisfied Jesus, thank you once your enemy now seated at your table Jesus, thank you perfect sacrifice I've been brought near your enemy you've made your friend pouring out the riches of your glorious grace your mercy and your kindness know no end your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
Speaker C:The father's wrath completely satisfied Jesus, thank you once your enemy now seated at your table Jesus, thank.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker C:Has washed away my sin Jesus, thank you.
Speaker C:The Father's wrath completely satisfied Jesus, thank you once your enemy now seated at your table Jesus.
Speaker B:Thank you thank you.
Speaker A:Jesus thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast.
Speaker A:I hope that this sermon has been.
Speaker B:A blessing for you.
Speaker A:If you would like to find out more information about our church or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org.
Speaker B:Or find us on Facebook or YouTube.
Speaker A:You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates.
Speaker A:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:God Bless.
Speaker A:Have a wonderful day.
