Author: Art Davison

THE DEATH OF CHRIST AND IT’S PROPHECIES

JOHN 19:23-24, 28-42

Introduction:

There has been millions of sermons about the death of Jesus on the Cross. The Scripture has much to say about the subject. John looks at part of the story while the other Gospel writers complete the picture. This is a picture drawn by the Lord in eternity past and painted in brilliant colors in time.

The prophecies relating to the Lord’s death and their fulfillment helps us see what the God of Heaven has done for you and me.

I. THE DEATH OF CHRIST

A. They cast lots for his raiment according to the Scripture:

1. The prophecy, Psalm 22:18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

2. The fulfillment, John 19:23, 24, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”

a. That Jesus died naked was part of the shame which He bore for our sins, Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

b. At the same time He is the last Adam who provides clothes of righteousness for sinners, Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels”

B. Not one of His bones was broken according to Scripture:

1. The Prophecy, Psalm 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”

2. The fulfillment, John 19:36, “For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”

C. It is notable that Christ did suffer further punishment on the cross:

1. The prophecy:

a. His hands were pierced, Psalm 22:16, “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

b. His side was pierced, Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son , and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

2. The fulfillment, John 19:34, “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”

D. They reviled the Lord according to Scripture:

1. The Prophecy, Psalm 109:25, “I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.” Psalm 22:6-7, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

2. The fulfillment, Matthew 27:39, “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,” Mark 15:29-32, “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.”

CONCLUSION:

Thank the Lord that Jesus did not come down off of that cross, for had He done so, we would be lost and bound for Hell today. He endure the suffering in order to fulfilled the Word of God, His Father.

THE DAY ON WHICH CHRIST DIED

JOHN 19:16-30

Introduction:

Pilate said, Here is your King, v. 14; “This is another example of irony. (John is the only Gospel writer who mentioned this incident). Pilate did not believe Jesus was their King, but to spite the Jews he called Jesus the King of the Jews. John saw this as significant, for Jesus would die for His people as the King of His people, as the Messiah. Pilate could not resist goading the Jews: ‘Shall I crucify your King?’” The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

“We have no king but Caesar,” v. 15. The rebellious Jews claimed loyalty to Rome while disclaiming their Messiah, Psalm 2:1-3, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

I. THE DAY BEFORE JESUS DIED

A. The day the Lord had prayed before he was betrayed, Luke 22:1, 7, Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.”

B. The Lord had eaten the passover with his disciples the day before He was crucified, Luke 22:7-8, “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.”

II. THE NEXT JESUS, BEARING HIS CROSS, WENT TO GOLGOTHA

A. Pilate delivered Jesus NOT to his officers, but to His prosecutors, the Jews, attempting to transfer his guilt, v. 16; Matthew 27:24, “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”

B. How Jesus suffered for our sins.

1. By the Law of Moses the prosecutors were to be the executioners, Deuteronomy 17:7, “The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.”

2. His being led away NOT having made any opposition, shows the scripture being fulfilled, Acts 8:32, “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:”

a. They OBLIGED Him TO CARRY His cross according to the custom among the Romans, v. 17, “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:”

b. Pilate had “the last word,” for he wrote the title for the cross: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” vs. 19-20, “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.”

III. THERE JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS

A. Jesus was taken immediately to be crucified, v. 17.

1. John does not speak of the case of the thief, Barabbas, Matthew 27:26, “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”

2. Although Pilate hated the Jews he wanted to “CONTENT” the people, Mark 15:15, “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”

B. Jesus was NUMBERED with the transgressors, Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

1. He was crucified between two thieves thus fulfilling the Scriptures, v. 18, “Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”

2. They hung Him on a tree according to the Scriptures, John 12:32-33, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.”

C. Jesus died having fulfilled the Word of God, v. 30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

1. To finish the work God had given Him to do was always first in His mind, John 4:34, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

2. That work was the redemption of man, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

D. Jesus bowed His head and delivered His spirit into the Father’s hands, Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

CONCLUSION:

The Lord fulfilled the Word of God thus He glorified His Father by suffering for our sins on the cross of Calvary. He did what He said He would do in John 10:11, 14, 17-18, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

THE COMFORT GIVEN THE DISCIPLES

JOHN 14:1-3

Jesus had revealed many things to His disciples during their training. He encouraged them throughout His ministry here on earth. However, there were things that He said that caused them great concern and “troubled” them. The disciples did not know what was ahead of them, but the Lord did.

In His final hours with His disciples He encouraged them by His words. He said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

I. THE DISCOURAGEMENT OF THE DISCIPLES

A. Jesus had said He was going away, John 7:33, “Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.”

1. Jesus had prophesied His departure speaking to the lost Jews, Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

2. He said that the unbelieving Jews would look for Him, John 7:34, “Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.”

B. He said one of them would betray Him, John 13:21, “When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”

1. Being human, Jesus was troubled over Judas’ soon betrayal of His love and friendship.

2. Being divine, Jesus knew in advance that it would happen, John 2:24-25, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

3. This greatly troubled the disciples.

C. He said Peter would deny Him three times, John 13:38, “Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.”

1. Peter and the other disciples were shocked by this declaration.

2. Peter had always been outspoken, John 13:37, “Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.”

3. It was an easy thing to leave his boats and nets to follow the Lord, but not so easy to lay down his life.

4. His Master himself struggled physically when it came to his time to die, Luke 22:42-43, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

D. Jesus said that Satan was at work against all of them, Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

E. He said that all the disciples would fall away, Matthew 26:31, “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”

II. THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE DISCIPLES

A. Believe in Me, v. 1, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

1. Let not your heart be troubled [stirred, agitated], John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

2. I am going to My Father, John 14:28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”

3. You trust in God, Psalm 42:5, 8, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”

4. Now trust Me, Ephesians 3:14-17, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”

B. I will come back, vs. 2-3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

1. This is the promise of the rapture of the Believer, John 17:24, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

a) We will be with Him, 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

b) We desire to be with Him, Philippians 1:23, “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”

2. This is the promise of His return to the earth, v. 28; John 16:20-21, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”

a) To establish His reign on the earth, Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

b) And He will come quickly, Revelation 22:7, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

THE BIBLE

JOHN 5:39
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Introduction:

To know more about the Lord is our greatest need. The Bible is the revelation of God. It is give to us in order that we might know the God of Heaven. Some parts are difficult and require diligent study to understand. Matthew Henry said about parables, “A parable is a shell that keeps good fruit for the diligent, but keeps it from the slothful.”

While studying I came across this quotation: “The Bible—know it in your head; stow it in your heart; show it in your life; sow it in the world.”

I.    KNOW IT IN YOUR HEAD

A. Begin with Prayer, Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

B. It is the Spirit of God who opens our eyes, 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1. The Bible differs from other books in that the Holy Spirit alone can open our minds to understand it, John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

2. When God opens your eyes don’t forget what you read, Psalm 119:15-16, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

II. STOW IT IN YOUR HEART

A. The Word of God is to be part of us, Jeremiah 15:16, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”

B. The Word is to be in the heart, Deuteronomy 6:6, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:”

C. That I might not sin against the Lord, Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

III. SHOW IT IN YOUR LIFE

A. Man is to live by the Word of God, Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

B. The Word of God works itself out, James 2:18, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

IV. SOW IT IN THE WORLD

A. The blessing of sowing, Psalm 126:5-6, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

1. Lord open my lips, Psalm 51:15, “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.”

2. That we might speak boldly, Ephesians 6:19, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

3. Pray for those who preach the Word, Colossians 4:3-4, “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”

B. The success of sowing, Mark 4:8, “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.”

C. Then the joy of serving the Lord comes…

1. In Heaven, Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

2. In our lives, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and joy.”

THE THREE RESURRECTIONS

JOHN 5:21-30

The Bible speaks of three (3) resurrections. Each one is different from the others. Two of those resurrections will be for rejoicing of those that participate in them. However, the third or last resurrection is the resurrection of lost sinners, those that have rejected the Savior. That will be a time of great sadness.

I. THE RESURRECTION OF DEAD SINNERS

A. Sinners dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1-5, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

1. Sin entered by one man, Adam, Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

2. Sin brought death, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

3. The soul that sins, Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

B. But sinners that will hear His voice shall live, John 5:25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”

1. “He that heareth my words,” John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

2. “And believe,” John 11:26, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

3. “Shall not come into condemnation,” John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

II. THE RESURRECTION UNTO LIFE

A. This is the FIRST resurrection, Revelation 20:4-5, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

1. This is for those that have served the Lord, 2 Samuel 7:4, “Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.”

2. These are those who have become a living sacrifice for the Lord, Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

B. Those that participate in the First Resurrection will reign with the Lord, 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

C. We will reign with Him as kings, Revelation 5:10, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

D. Blessed are those who have part in the First Resurrection, Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

III. THE RESURRECTION UNTO DEATH

A. This is the Second Resurrection, Revelation 20:11-12, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

B. This resurrection is for those who reject Jesus Christ as their Savior.

1. These are those that stand before God to be judged out of the books, Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

2. These are those whose names are NOT written in the Lamb’s book of life, Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

3. These shall be tormented for their sins, Revelation 14:9, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:”

CONCLUSION:

Three resurrections are taught in the Word of God. The resurrection from death because of our sins is by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior. John 5:24 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

The key words are “heareth,” and “believeth.” If you will hear the Word of God and Believe on Jesus Christ, God promises that you are “passed from death unto life.”