Participants: Adam Ramdin
Series Code: 14GYC
Program Code: 14GYC000005A
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00:09 The old rugged cross
00:13 Till my trophies at last I lay down 00:20 I will cling to the old rugged cross 00:26 And exchange it some day for a crown 00:33 Oh, that old rugged cross, 00:37 So despised by the world 00:40 Has a wondrous attraction for me 00:47 For the dear Lamb of God 00:50 Left His glory above 00:54 To bear it to dark Calvary. 01:01 So I'll cherish the old rugged cross 01:07 Till my trophies at last I lay down 01:14 I will cling to the old rugged cross 01:21 And exchange it some day for a crown 01:28 To the old rugged cross 01:31 I will ever be true 01:35 Its shame and reproach gladly bear 01:41 Then He'll call me some day 01:44 To my home far away 01:48 Where His glory forever I'll share 01:55 So I'll cherish the old rugged cross 02:01 Till my trophies at last I lay down 02:08 I will cling to the old rugged cross 02:15 And exchange it some day for a crown 02:24 When we come to the point where 02:26 we have beheld our beautiful Savior at the cross, 02:30 then our response is to surrender our lives to Him. 02:34 We want to invite you to join us 02:35 and sing now "I'll go where you want me to go." 02:52 It may not be on the mountain's height 02:57 Nor over the stormy sea 03:03 It may not be at the battle's front 03:10 My Lord will have need of me 03:16 But if by a still, small voice 03:21 He calls to paths 03:25 I do not know 03:28 I'll answer, dear Lord 03:32 With my hand in Thine 03:36 I'll go where You want me to go 03:42 I'll go where You want me to go, 03:47 Dear Lord 03:48 O'er mountain, or plain, or sea 03:54 I'll say what You want me to say, 03:59 Dear Lord 04:02 I'll be 04:04 What You want me to be 04:09 There's surely somewhere a lowly place 04:16 In earth's harvest fields so wide 04:22 Where I may labor 04:25 Thro' life's short day 04:29 For Jesus, the Crucified 04:35 So, trusting my all unto Thy care 04:42 I know Thou lovest me! 04:48 I'll do 04:50 Thy will with a heart sincere 04:55 I'll be what You want me be 05:02 I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord 05:08 O'er mountain, or plain, or sea 05:15 I'll say what You want me to say, 05:20 Dear Lord 05:23 I'll be 05:24 What You want me to be 05:31 And now we would like to invite you to join us 05:34 and sing our theme song, "At the Cross." 05:47 Alas, 05:49 And did my Savior bleed? 05:52 And did my Sovereign die? 05:57 Would He devote that sacred heard 06:02 For someone such as I? 06:07 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 06:12 And the burden of my heart rolled away 06:17 It was there by faith I received my sight 06:23 And now I am happy all the day! 06:28 Was it for crimes that I have done 06:34 He suffered on the tree? 06:39 Amazing pity! 06:43 Grace unknown! 06:45 And love beyond degree! 06:50 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 06:56 And the burden of my heart rolled away 07:01 It was there by faith I received my sight 07:06 And now I am happy all the day! 07:12 But drops of grief can ne'er repay 07:18 The debt of love I owe 07:23 Here, Lord, 07:25 I give myself away 07:28 'Tis all that I can do! 07:34 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 07:39 And the burden of my heart rolled away 07:44 It was there by faith I received my sight 07:50 And now I am happy all the day! 07:55 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 08:01 And the burden of my heart rolled away 08:06 It was there by faith I received my sight 08:11 And now I am happy all the day! 08:22 Good morning GYC. 08:24 Morning. 08:25 Those watching at home 08:26 and young people here in Phoenix, Arizona, 08:29 welcome. 08:31 Have you been blessed so far? 08:32 Amen. Amen. 08:33 I've been blessed as well. 08:35 It is my privilege this morning 08:36 to introduce our speaker Adam Ramdin, 08:39 who'll be sharing with us 08:40 directly after we have a special music. 08:42 Adam, as you may know, 08:43 comes to us from the North England Conference, 08:45 where he serves as the Youth Director 08:47 and Director of PEACE, 08:49 which is an evangelism training school. 08:52 I have personally have been blessed by Adam's ministry 08:54 over the last several years. 08:56 And I've had the privilege of working with him 08:59 over the last couple of years in Europe doing work there. 09:01 And I'm always amazed by his passion 09:04 for young people to be engaged in our church, 09:07 and to an experience a vibrant life of Christianity. 09:11 Young people, I believe that God has laid a special message 09:13 on Adam's heart for us this morning. 09:15 And I would encourage us all 09:17 to really have a spirit of reverence 09:18 as we hear this morning. 09:19 This is truly our sanctuary for this week. 09:22 And so I'd encourage you, 09:23 as we're in this hall to remember that 09:26 and truly try to make this a place 09:27 where angels would love to dwell with us here this week. 09:31 We would also like to ask that if you feel the Lord, 09:33 the spirit moving up on your heart 09:35 that you'll respond with a hearty amen, 09:37 and refrain from clapping as we continue this morning. 09:40 So I ask that you bow your heads with me 09:42 and as we have a short word of prayer this morning. 09:48 Dear heavenly Father, good morning. 09:51 We are here to listen to You speak. 09:55 We are here to listen. 09:57 Father, I pray that You'll send Your spirit here 09:59 and that You'll banish all darkness from this room. 10:03 I'll pray that You'll banish all darkness 10:05 from the dark corners of all of our hearts. 10:09 And that You'll open our hearts to be able to hear 10:12 Your word this morning and to act upon that. 10:15 So that truly this can be a life transforming time 10:18 that we can truly come here and see You 10:22 from the foot of the cross. 10:25 We want to learn more of You. 10:26 Father, I ask You to be with us now, 10:28 as we go through this time together. 10:29 We ask You in Jesus' name. 10:31 Amen. 14:09 Amen. Amen. 14:12 Good morning, everybody. 14:14 Good morning. 14:16 It's a pleasure to be here with you on this 14:18 Friday morning at GYC. 14:24 It's a pleasure to be able to open the word 14:27 of God with you this morning. 14:31 And as we do that, 14:33 I'll invite you to bow your heads for a word of prayer. 14:39 Father in heaven, Lord, 14:40 we thank You this morning for a new day of life, 14:45 for the health and strength that we have. 14:50 Lord, as we meditate for these moments 14:54 on this great and grand theme "At the Cross," 14:58 may you impress upon our hearts exactly 15:03 which aspect of this message we need to hear today. 15:08 I pray Lord that You would speak through me, 15:13 in Jesus' name, amen. 15:18 Exactly 100 years ago, this year, 15:22 you may have seen it on the news, 15:23 and you may be familiar with the story. 15:25 A 100 years ago, this year, on Christmas day, 15:29 a unique event took place 15:32 in the countries of Belgium, France, 15:37 and maybe Switzerland. 15:40 Amidst the horror of World War I, trench warfare, 15:43 where it was not a pretty sight, 15:45 and where it was not 15:46 glamorous to fight for your country so to speak. 15:50 On Christmas day, amidst the horror of the war, 15:53 something very unique took place 15:55 and from one trench to another. 15:57 Some of the soldiers in one trench 15:59 on Christmas Eve actually in the night, 16:00 they started to hear the other soldiers sing a song, 16:03 "Silent Night, Holy Night." 16:06 And it wasn't just an isolated part of the line 16:09 between the Germans, and the British, 16:11 and the French and so on. 16:12 It was all up the line, many times it's happened. 16:15 People started singing Christmas carols, 16:18 "Silent Night, Holy Night." 16:20 And then the other side, they started responding 16:22 and singing the same Christmas carol in their language back. 16:27 And when you read the account historically of the letters 16:29 that the soldiers sent home to their parents, 16:31 they say that the next day on Christmas Day, 16:34 as the mourning broke, 16:35 some of them came out of their trenchese 16:37 putting their hands up, 16:38 and then they didn't get shot, 16:40 another, they came out the other trench. 16:42 And as they came together, they spent a few hours together 16:45 exchanging gifts with each other, 16:47 showing each other the pictures of their wives 16:49 and their children they've left behind or their parents. 16:54 History accounts that they played football matches, 16:56 or as you Americans say soccer matches together. 17:00 They're in no man's land in the middle of the war, 17:02 when they're supposed to be fighting each other, 17:04 they were exchanging presents, 17:05 they were having a good time, laughing and joking, 17:08 and playing football together with each other 17:09 in no man's land. 17:11 And it's a very unique story. 17:13 If you've never read it before or seen anything, 17:15 just Google it, you'll find plenty of information about it, 17:18 it happened. 17:19 It's a historical event. 17:20 And it's unique, 17:22 because in the midst of the horror of the war, 17:26 you see this event taking place 17:28 that is so different to anything else like it. 17:31 And it just shines amidst the darkness 17:35 that human nature would have some space for compassion 17:40 and kindness in the midst of horror. 17:45 If you have your Bible, if you turn with me to John 7. 17:48 John 7, 17:49 we're gonna spend a few moments 17:51 and a few passages this morning. 17:52 John 7 and we'll be reading 17:57 John 7, the beginning of the chapter. 18:05 In John Chapter 7, the Bible says, 18:06 and I'll just paraphrase the first few verses. 18:08 Jesus was there and at John 7, 18:11 His ministry has now taken place for three years. 18:14 But at a time of John 7, 18:15 He has been ministering for three years. 18:17 Now we know according to the seventy week prophecy 18:19 that Jesus had to minister 18:21 or be crucified in the middle of the week 18:24 or after three and a half days or three and a half years. 18:27 His ministry was to be three and a half years long, 18:29 and in John 7 it's three years. 18:31 And the Bible says in verse 1, 18:32 "After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, 18:35 for He would not walk in jury, 18:37 because the Jew sought to kill Him." 18:39 Summary, He's up there in Galilee, northern Israel. 18:42 He does not go down to Jerusalem, Southern Israel. 18:45 Why? 18:46 Because the Jews want to kill Him, 18:48 so His brothers get together 18:49 and they say there in verse 3 and verse 4. 18:52 Basically they say, 18:53 "Listen Jesus, if you really are the Messiah, 18:56 why are you hiding in Galilee? 18:59 Go down and show the world what you can do." 19:03 And then verse 5 says the key verse, 19:06 it says, "For neither did His brothers believe in Him." 19:11 John 7, after three years of ministry, 19:13 His brothers, His own brothers come to Him and they say, 19:17 "We don't basically believe You're the Messiah. 19:18 If you really were the Messiah, You wouldn't hide up here." 19:21 But notice what Jesus response in verse 6. 19:23 Jesus says, "My time is not yet..." 19:27 What? "Come." 19:30 "My time is not yet come." 19:32 Jesus understood that there was a prophetic time on that 19:34 He was living on and He said, "My time has not yet come." 19:38 Turn to John 8. 19:40 John 8, just the page over. 19:42 John 8:58 and 59. 19:45 And the Bible says there in John 8 19:47 that Jesus was there in the temple, 19:51 and He just says that "Before Abraham was I am." 19:56 the Bible says, 19:59 "They took up stones to stone Jesus, 20:01 but He escaped and went His way. 20:04 They could've killed Him, but He escapes. 20:07 Now we're going to see in tomorrow's message, 20:08 not only was it the wrong time for Him to die, 20:10 it was the wrong place for Him to die. 20:14 John 10, turn to John Chapter 10. 20:17 And in John 10, the Bible says there in verse 39 and verse 40. 20:23 "Therefore, they saw again to take Him, 20:26 but he escaped out of their hand." 20:27 So in John 7 Jesus says, "My time has not yet come." 20:30 In John 8, He escapes when they try and kill Him. 20:33 In John 10, He escapes again. 20:35 And then we come to John 12. 20:37 John 12, when the Bible says, turn over the page to John 12, 20:41 the Bible says there in John 12:23. 20:44 We see a shift. 20:46 Jesus is no longer escaping 20:48 and Jesus is no longer saying my time has not yet come. 20:51 In John 12:23, the Bible says, "And Jesus answered them." 20:57 This is His disciples saying 20:59 "The hour is, what, 21:02 come that the Son of Man should be glorified." 21:07 "The hour has now come." 21:09 We see a shift, John 7, "My time hasn't come." 21:12 John 8, He escapes. 21:13 John 10, He escapes. 21:14 John 12, "The hour has come 21:17 that the Son of Man should be glorified." 21:20 And come down to verse 28, 21:22 at the end of this little passage that Jesus speaks. 21:25 He says, "Father, glorify Your name." 21:32 Something about the cross, 21:33 Jesus says, "The hour has come 21:36 that the Son of Man should be glorified." 21:39 Father, glorify Your name. 21:41 See, something about the cross was at that moment of history 21:46 in the darkness of the universe. 21:50 The light of Christ character shone the brightest. 21:54 You see, the total sacrifice, 21:56 the theme for today is the total sacrifice of Jesus. 21:58 The total sacrifice of Jesus 22:01 is a total and a complete revelation of Jesus. 22:06 And at the cross, 22:08 we see the Son of God glorified completely. 22:11 You see it at the cross that we see 22:13 the unfailing love of Jesus. 22:17 It's at the cross that we see the tenderness 22:20 and the courtesy to those who were abusing Him. 22:24 It's at the cross that we see the patience 22:29 tested the most and coming out victorious. 22:32 It's at the cross that we see the compassion of Jesus. 22:34 It's at the cross we see Jesus thinking of others 22:37 and not Himself. 22:39 It's at the cross that we see all of these characteristics 22:42 of Jesus' character shining the brightest. 22:47 It's at the cross where we see 22:48 the heart to save others right until the end 22:51 when He's on the cross. 22:53 It's at the cross that we see the serenity 22:56 surrounding Him in the most unlikely hour. 22:59 You see, when the darkness was the deepest, 23:03 the light shone the greatest. 23:06 Then if you have a candle or a light, 23:09 when you're shining it, 23:11 you see the power of it in the darkness. 23:13 I like to cycle my bike to work every now and then. 23:17 I should probably do it more often. 23:20 From my home to the office, it's about eight miles there 23:23 and eight miles back, sixteen miles in... 23:27 In the wintertime, sometimes I ride my bike to work. 23:30 Now, last winter I was riding my bike to work, 23:31 and the problem is this. 23:33 England lies at 54 degrees north of the equator, 23:36 which means in the wintertime, 23:39 it doesn't get light until about 8 o'clock, 23:41 and it gets dark at 4 o'clock. 23:42 I need to be in the office at 8:30, 23:44 and I need to leave the office at 5:00, 23:46 and it takes about 45 or 50 minutes to ride my bike there, 23:49 because I'm not very fast yet, 23:52 which means, I ride the bike there in the dark 23:54 and come back in the dark. 23:57 Now foolishly, I don't advise you to do this. 23:59 Last year, I rode my bike a few times 24:01 in the dark with no lights on my bike. 24:06 I see some mothers shaking their heads. 24:11 I stayed on the pavements though, 24:12 the sidewalks as you say. 24:17 My birthday was in July 24:18 and my wife was gracious enough 24:20 to buy me an excellent present. 24:22 She bought me a bike light. 24:29 Someone say amen. 24:31 And I said, I want a really good one. 24:33 I don't just want these little few LED lights flashing, 24:34 I want the bright one that can doom, 24:37 shine right in the distance. 24:38 And she bought me this really nice torch, a bike light 24:41 and it says that they had like a 100 meters visibility. 24:44 Now as soon as I got it, I wanted to open it, 24:46 put the lights on, and shine it in my office there at home. 24:49 But it was daylight and I can see the beam on the wall, 24:51 but it doesn't really stand out. 24:53 So that night, when it was dark, 24:57 when I had no reason to ride anywhere, 24:58 I put the lights on the bike and I go out riding 25:01 around the neighborhood that we live in. 25:02 And that light, I'm telling you, it was so bright. 25:04 As I was riding down the road, 25:05 if there was a house on the other side there, 25:07 the light was just shining, and it was like lighting up 25:10 the whole living room of the house where I was going. 25:14 I mean, you saw the strength of the light. 25:19 When it was dark, 25:22 when Jesus died on the cross, it was dark, 25:26 every single evil demonic angel ever was at the cross. 25:32 Satan had summoned of them all. 25:34 They all got their marching orders, come here, 25:36 leave everyone else, come here to the cross. 25:40 When the vileness was poured out on Jesus, 25:44 Ellen White tells us that demons in the form of men, 25:47 they're in the crowd, stirring up the people. 25:50 When all these wickedness is there, being poured on Jesus, 25:55 it's dark, it's extremely dark, it's extremely dark. 25:59 And in the midst of that, 26:00 the character of Jesus just shone the brightest. 26:04 Oh, He was patient six months previous, 26:06 but now He is patient on the cross. 26:09 Oh, He was loving a year previous, 26:11 but now He is loving on the cross. 26:13 Oh, He was kind a year previous, 26:16 but now He is kind on the cross to those 26:18 who are putting the nails in His hands. 26:20 And the character of God shone the brightest at the cross. 26:24 And so when Jesus said in John 12, 26:26 "Father, glorify Your Son, the hour has come." 26:31 The total sacrifice of Jesus 26:33 leads to a total revelation of His character. 26:37 This leads to a total acceptance 26:40 and a total conversion on those who see it. 26:44 Ellen White says in Desire of Ages, page 83. 26:46 You may well know this quote, it says, 26:48 "It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour 26:50 each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. 26:53 We should take it point-by-point, 26:55 let the imagination." 26:59 There's such a thing as writer's imagination. 27:02 Let the imagination grasp each scene, 27:07 especially the closing ones. 27:11 As we thus dwell on His great sacrifice for us, 27:15 our confidence will be constant. 27:17 Our love is quickened, 27:19 and we will be more deeply imbued with His spirit. 27:25 When we see the total sacrifice of Jesus, 27:27 it has a profound impact on us. 27:30 On the day that Jesus died, 27:33 there were some people who in the midst of all of this, 27:38 they saw Jesus die 27:39 and they testified that He was the Son of God. 27:43 When they saw the total revelation of the character 27:45 of Jesus as He died, 27:47 they testified as to who He was. 27:49 Turn in your Bibles to annex six, Mark 15, 27:52 in the Gospel of Mark, the second gospel of Mark 15. 27:55 We're going to read there and see 27:59 someone who testifies. 28:06 The first person we're going to look at, 28:08 we're going to look at three. 28:09 Tradition suggest his name was quote Longinus, Longinus. 28:16 He would have commanded upwards of 60 men. 28:19 He was a hot and he would have been a tough man. 28:23 You had to be in his profession. 28:24 You see, Palestine was a very war torn place. 28:27 We'll get to the verse in just a minute. 28:29 Palestine was a very war torn place. 28:32 You see, in Palestine or Israel in those days. 28:34 If you were a true patriot, 28:36 the highest form of patriotism was to kill a Roman officer. 28:41 And so as a Roman officer, you had to be on your guard, 28:43 you had to be watching yourself at all times. 28:46 You lived in a violent land, 28:48 and you operated according to violent laws in a sense. 28:52 There was a violent people. 28:54 You served under a violent man, Pilate was the commander, 28:56 he was cold and heartless. 28:59 And these men would have served under him, 29:00 and he would have rubbed off on them. 29:02 Now on this day, 29:04 Longinus was ordered to take these certain men, 29:07 and transport them from one location to another. 29:09 Now, it was nothing new for him, 29:11 it wasn't something that he hadn't done before. 29:13 No doubt, he had done this many, many times. 29:15 Take the men from here and take them over there. 29:17 And so we had his men, they would have been well drilled, 29:20 they would have known exactly what to do. 29:22 Certain ones would have taken one prisoner, 29:24 certain ones would have taken another prisoner, 29:26 and certain ones would have taken another prisoner as well. 29:28 Each prisoner would have a squad of men 29:30 assigned to them, and he as a superintendent officer, 29:34 would have just been watching 29:35 and keeping an eye on all of what was taking place. 29:38 Making sure that no one is coming to try 29:39 and release somebody. 29:44 'Cause when there's an execution, 29:46 I don't know what it is about human nature, 29:47 but crowds love to gather. 29:51 Crowds love to come, 29:52 and he knew there was going to be loads of crowds that day. 29:54 And some of the officers would have to keep men away. 29:59 And as they get the men, 30:00 and they start marching them the procession down, 30:02 the awkward narrow streets of Jerusalem. 30:05 They would pass by the city gate 30:08 and they would head out to the hill 30:09 where they needed to go. 30:11 His men were always alert and as they got to Gulgalta, 30:16 the men would all know exactly what to do. 30:18 I'm sure they have certain maneuvers 30:20 as to how to hold the arms 30:22 and legs of the prisoners to restrain them. 30:24 I used to work in a psychiatric hospital, 30:26 and there they would teach us certain maneuvers 30:28 that if one of the patients had an episode so to speak 30:30 and would kick off. 30:35 They would teach us a certain maneuver 30:36 that you could restrain them with no harm to them 30:40 and no injury to yourself. 30:42 No doubt, these soldiers knew these type of maneuvers, 30:45 and when they got there to Gulgalta. 30:46 And they had to restrain the prisoners, 30:48 one on one arm, one on another arm, 30:50 and they pin them down 30:51 and bang the nails go into the hand. 30:53 And as he's watching this, the superintendent officer, 30:55 he sees it all takes place, but something strikes him. 30:57 'Cause after they nailed two thieves to the cross, 30:59 there is one man 31:02 who does something he has never in all his life 31:05 and military history seen. 31:06 He sees one man just lay his hand out. 31:09 No need for the maneuver, 31:12 he sees him lay his other arm out, 31:14 no need for the maneuvers. 31:17 And they put the nails into his hands. 31:20 No crying, no curses, 31:24 no struggling, nothing, 31:28 he's never seen this before, 31:30 never ever seen such a thing before. 31:34 No curses, just prayers coming from his lips. 31:36 And as they put the crosses down, 31:37 and they put him up in the air. 31:39 No doubt, for the first time that day, he relaxed. 31:43 And as they're watching the three crosses, 31:45 he is not paying much attention 31:47 to the one on the left or the right. 31:48 He has seen their kind too many times. 31:53 He's seen those type of people all the time, 31:55 but it's the one in the middle, 31:57 it's the one in the middle that is standing out to him. 32:00 This Nazarene, there in the middle, 32:03 who just calmly there. 32:05 There's a serenity over him in the midst of this pain. 32:10 And he's watching this man, he's watching, 32:13 as the nails are bringing ever bigger holes in his hands, 32:18 as the crown on his head, every time he leans against it, 32:21 the thorns go deeper into his head, 32:24 and he doesn't hear any cry come from his lips, 32:29 just peace and calmness. 32:33 And he hears the words, 32:34 "Father, forgive them, 32:37 for they know not what they do." 32:40 And he was probably pretty confident in himself 32:42 when he heard those words, 32:43 he probably thought to himself, yup, 32:46 that doesn't apply to me, I know exactly what I'm doing. 32:49 My job is done all, everything is fine. 32:53 I was asked to do this and I've done it. 32:55 Not quite sure what he's talking about, 32:57 but he can't be talking about me. 33:01 This centurion would have stood there 33:05 and as a lacerated body is on the cross, 33:08 it just grips his attention. 33:11 He was there in Pilate's place 33:13 when Pilate said behold the man. 33:15 And he's never seen anything like this before. 33:18 And at this moment, 33:20 as a life of Christ is ebbing out, 33:22 God drew the blinds and shut the curtains. 33:25 No human eye was to behold what would take place. 33:30 And at this moment maybe he told his men, be on guard. 33:33 Maybe someone's going to come and take them away. 33:37 Maybe someone's going to come and try and take them away. 33:39 But then they hear the triumphant cry, 33:41 it is finished. 33:44 And Father into your hands, I commend my spirit. 33:48 And in Mark 15:39, 33:50 there towards the end of the chapter, the Bible says, 33:53 "And when the centurion, 33:55 which stood over against him saw that he so cried out. 34:00 He gave up the ghost, he said, 34:02 'Truly this man was the Son of God.'" 34:07 On the day Jesus died, most unlikely of people, 34:11 the Roman centurion says, "This man is the Son of God. 34:16 This man is a righteous man. 34:19 This man has done nothing wrong. 34:21 I've never seen a man like this on the cross before." 34:26 Can any theologian say something as eloquent 34:29 as this Roman centurion said when Jesus died? 34:36 This least likely of men, superintendent of executionist, 34:41 professional killer of criminals. 34:45 On the day, Jesus died, at the moment that he dies, 34:49 this man has just nailed Jesus to the cross, 34:52 and now not more than a few hours later 34:55 he testifies and says, "This is the Son of God." 35:00 Sermon title today is "Three wise men." 35:05 The first one nailed Jesus to the cross, the second man, 35:10 we are much more used to looking at the second man. 35:14 We are used to scrutinizing his life, 35:17 for he was right next to Jesus when he died. 35:19 He was the youngest of the men. 35:20 He had grown up most likely in church circles. 35:22 He had grown around the synagogue. 35:25 He was familiar with Jewish life, 35:27 he was familiar with Jewish religious life, 35:29 but somewhere along life journey, 35:30 he had gotten sidetracked. 35:32 Somewhere along life's journey, he had made bad decisions, 35:35 and somewhere one thing led to another, 35:38 one thing led to another. 35:39 It wasn't so much, 35:41 maybe he went headlong into sin intentionally, 35:43 not many people do. 35:44 He drifted that way most likely. 35:46 He made one mistake after another. 35:49 We're told in the book Desire of Ages, page 749. 35:53 There's a paragraph there 35:54 that says, "He made two mistakes." 35:56 Number one 35:57 he made the mistake of choosing the wrong associations. 36:00 The people who he associated with, 36:02 maybe he was attracted to them, because they were daring. 36:04 Maybe he was attracted to them, because they were risky. 36:07 Maybe he does like being around them, 36:08 because they seem so much fun. 36:10 But one thing led to another. 36:12 And his association with these men 36:14 led him down a crimson pathway. 36:16 And one day the strong arm of the Roman law 36:19 grasped him on the shoulder, took him away. 36:23 But we're told there's another reason 36:25 as to why he was led that way. 36:28 On Desire of Ages, page 749, it says, 36:30 "He knew about Jesus, he wanted to give his life to Jesus, 36:34 but when he came towards him, 36:37 the priests and the rulers turned him away." 36:44 He was turned aside by professed religious people. 36:50 He was turned aside by professed religious people. 36:53 Don't miss that point. 36:55 Those who should have drawn him to Jesus turned him away. 37:00 Maybe your experience today is like the thief on the cross 37:04 and it could be that religious people 37:07 have turned you away from Jesus Christ. 37:14 Maybe your parents, who took you to church, 37:19 who should have been your Christian witness, 37:21 but their behavior at home was anything but such. 37:25 And they have turned you of God church 37:26 and anything that resembles religion. 37:30 And you're like the thief on the cross. 37:32 Maybe it is that you're abused, 37:35 God forbid by someone in religious authority, 37:37 be it a pastor, an elder, or someone in your church, 37:40 be it psychological abuse, be a physical abuse, 37:42 or be it God forbid sexual abuse. 37:45 And it has so clouded your picture of who God is, 37:48 you cannot reconcile your experience 37:50 with God's character. 37:52 Maybe your friends in academy, or college, or church, 37:56 an Adventist one that is. 37:59 It was your Christian Adventist friends, 38:01 who gave you your first drink, your first cigarette, 38:04 or your first nightclub experience. 38:09 Maybe it was your Christian Adventist friends, 38:13 who should have drawn you to Christ, 38:15 who have been the ones leading you away from him. 38:18 Maybe you've got a friend here at GYC 38:21 with a bad influence on you. 38:25 This thief on the cross, he sentenced to die, 38:29 and he goes down there to Calvary. 38:31 He carries the cross 38:32 and no doubt with him, there was a struggle. 38:34 When he got there to Calvary, and knee hits him in the chest, 38:37 someone grabbed his head, pulled his head down 38:39 one on one arm, one on the other, 38:41 and as the nails go into his hands. 38:42 I can imagine the thief was calling down curses 38:45 on the judgment of heaven 38:46 or whoever on these men who were crucifying him. 38:49 And as they lifted up the cross to put it in the ground, 38:51 I am sure that the Roman soldiers 38:52 recognized that this was the last opportunity 38:54 they had to inflict pain 38:56 on whoever it was they were crucifying. 38:57 And I'm sure they had a point 38:59 where instead of gently putting the cross in, 39:00 and I just in my imagination 39:02 can imagine that lifting that cross 39:04 and slamming it into the ground. 39:07 And as they do so, the wounds widen 39:09 and the thief I'm just saying for argument's sake. 39:11 It's not in the Bible. 39:13 I'm just saying for my illustration sake, 39:15 he was crucified before Jesus. 39:18 And as he's up there on the cross and he looks down, 39:20 he sees Jesus doing what I just explained. 39:22 He's never seen it before, he sees Jesus put out one arm, 39:25 he see Jesus put out another arm, 39:27 and he sees that cross lifted. 39:30 And as he's put in the ground, 39:31 he sees a whole crowd around making fun. 39:34 And as he's put in the ground, 39:37 no curses come from the lips of Jesus, none of them. 39:43 And as he watches all of this, 39:45 as he watches the dignified bearing, 39:47 he thinks this is more than self-control. 39:50 As he watches the dignified bearing, 39:52 I just imagine 39:54 his mind goes back to his mother's knee. 39:58 And he remembers a story that she told him. 40:00 As all little boys in Israel heard about Messiah, 40:03 who was to come. 40:04 The memories come flooding back. 40:05 He has broken his mother's heart. 40:07 There is nothing like a mother's heart broken 40:09 for their children. 40:11 He's broken his mother's heart, 40:12 when his dad came to visit him in prison, 40:14 he aged about ten years 40:15 just seeing him there in prison. 40:18 As he's up there on the cross, he knows it, 40:20 his family is going to have to go through the shame 40:22 of hearing his name 40:23 been struck off the synagogue membership list, 40:25 at the next board meeting. 40:28 As he's up there on the cross, maybe in the crowd, 40:31 his parents were there with tear-stained faces 40:33 and broken hearts. 40:34 And he hears a thief on the one cross cursing Jesus, 40:37 he hears the crowd all about cursing Jesus. 40:39 And in the midst of all this, he can take it no longer 40:42 and he says to the thief, stop. 40:46 We deserve this, but not this man. 40:49 Not this man. 40:51 And he turns to Jesus and he says, 40:54 "Lord, remember me, 40:56 when you come into your kingdom." 41:02 And Jesus replies in words 41:04 that are forever movingly memorable. 41:06 And he says, "Truly, I say to you today." 41:12 When I'm nearly dead, he might have added. 41:16 When it appears my kingdom has crumbled into ruin. 41:21 When I came to my own nation and my own nation rejected me. 41:24 Today, when one disciple has betrayed me, 41:29 when one disciple has denied me, 41:31 when the others have left me, today, I say to you, 41:36 on my divine authority, 41:38 when it looks like the end, but it's really the beginning. 41:40 Today, I say to me, because of your faith, 41:43 you will be with me in paradise. 41:46 Here, the second man dies with Jesus 41:49 and the experience of seeing Jesus die. 41:51 The experience of watching him close as can get, 41:55 causes him to give his life to Jesus. 41:58 You see a total revelation of the character of Christ, 42:00 when we see His sacrifice can do only one thing, 42:04 but change our hearts when we behold it. 42:07 Three wise men, 42:11 the first one nailed Jesus to the cross. 42:15 The second one was crucified with Christ. 42:21 The third person is less obvious, 42:22 but nonetheless he played an important part 42:24 in the crucifixion of Jesus. 42:28 He was not from Palestine. 42:31 He was from further a field, 42:33 and at this point in his life, he's not a believer. 42:36 You see, as Jesus left the mockery of the trial 42:38 that he had, had, as he had been whipped 42:41 with a leather strands 78 times, 42:45 as his body was lacerated. 42:49 As blood was pouring down him, as the crown of thorns is on, 42:52 he said, as he's been hit in the face, 42:54 hit in the face over and over, 42:56 as he's beaten, 42:57 as he hasn't eaten or slept for several days. 43:00 They put the cross on Jesus' shoulder, 43:02 and he slumps to the ground. 43:05 I imagine maybe he fainted. 43:06 They bring a bucket of water, 43:08 they throw on him the bucket of water. 43:09 He wakes up. 43:11 They put a cross on him again, he slumps down again. 43:13 In the crowd, men are laughing. 43:15 In the crowd, men are jeering. 43:16 In the crowd, men are saying, you know, pick up the cross. 43:22 In the crowd, one man comes forward. 43:26 And Desire of Ages, page 742 says, 43:29 "He expressed compassion." 43:34 He expressed compassion, and as he expresses compassion, 43:38 he's grabbed by the soldiers, they put the cross on him, 43:41 and say you carry it. 43:43 Maybe as he was walking to Calvary, 43:44 his muttering under his breath, 43:45 why didn't I keep my thoughts to myself, I don't know. 43:48 Maybe he's saying, "I should have kept my mouth shut." 43:52 And his men are jeering, as men are bantering, 43:54 as men are cursing Jesus. 43:56 He's feeling the brunt of it as well, 43:58 'cause He's carrying the cross. 44:00 That rugged wood is pressing against his back. 44:06 Ellen White says, 44:07 "His sympathies were deeply stirred in favor of Jesus. 44:13 And the events of Calvary in the words 44:14 uttered by the Savior 44:16 caused him to acknowledge he was the Son of God. 44:19 It is recorded that forever after that moment, 44:21 he was thankful 44:23 that he had the opportunity to carry the cross. 44:25 See, Simon no doubt stood by, 44:27 and on the top of the hill watched as Jesus was crucified. 44:30 He saw the men jeering, he saw the people mocking him, 44:33 he saw all of this taking place, 44:35 and all he sees come from Jesus that it's just a prayer. 44:38 And no doubt in that moment, his heart is broken 44:41 and he surrenders it to Jesus. 44:43 He had felt the cross press on his back, 44:46 and as time passed on, 44:50 he said "This man is Messiah." 44:56 But the point is this. 44:58 This man did not choose to serve Christ. 45:02 He was forced or conscripted into service. 45:08 And maybe there's an application 45:09 for some people here in this auditorium today. 45:11 Maybe you have been forced in your religious journey. 45:17 Maybe your parents forced you to come to GYC. 45:22 Maybe your parents forced you 45:24 every Sabbath morning to go to church. 45:26 And they say as long as you live under my roof, 45:28 you will go to church. 45:32 Maybe you are forced to go to Adventist academy or college. 45:36 Maybe you wish 45:38 you were not born into an Adventist home. 45:41 Maybe you want to rebel, 45:44 just because you didn't decide to do it, 45:46 and the only choice you have left is to do wrong. 45:51 Sometimes we fight the right, 45:52 just because someone else told us it was right. 45:59 Either way though, 46:01 when you behold the crucified savior, 46:02 sooner or later what will happen to you? 46:05 And the Simon was there, 46:07 even though he was forced into service. 46:09 Simon made a contribution to the plan of salvation 46:11 that no one has made since. 46:13 You see, we never read of Simon preaching at Pentecost. 46:16 We never read of Simon going to the ends of the earth 46:18 and preaching gospel, we don't read about that. 46:20 In fact we don't read about Simon after this story. 46:26 We don't read of him doing great things so to speak 46:29 that we would consider great today. 46:32 He had the menial job 46:33 of carrying a cold hard rugged cross. 46:40 Not doing something great, as we may say, 46:43 but seeing the sacrifice of Jesus moved on his heart. 46:50 He did the one thing that was very important. 46:53 He carried the cross of Jesus prior to His crucifixion. 46:58 Three wise men, one nailed Jesus, stood across. 47:01 One died with him next to him, and one carried the cross. 47:08 One nailed him to it. 47:10 One died next to him on it, and one carried the cross. 47:15 You see, 47:16 each one of these three men 47:18 may illustrate us in different ways. 47:20 Maybe today, you maybe like the Roman centurion, 47:22 you maybe successful, you maybe a leader, 47:24 but you have never surrendered your heart to Jesus. 47:29 Maybe you are like a thief on the cross, 47:31 and because of bad association, or because religious people 47:33 have driven you away from Jesus. 47:35 You have not given your life to Jesus as well, 47:38 or maybe you are like Simon of Cyrene. 47:40 You have been forced, you feel to serve Christ 47:46 or to go along with your parents religion. 47:51 Each one of these men though, listen carefully. 47:53 They illustrate a step in conversion. 47:55 One nailed Jesus to the cross, one was crucified next to Him, 48:00 and one carried the cross. 48:02 One nailed, one was crucified, one carried. 48:05 You see, all of us need to come to the point 48:07 where we realize that we have crucified the Son of God 48:10 and put Him to open shame, just like the Roman centurion. 48:14 All of us have to the come to the point, 48:16 where we realize that we need to be crucified 48:18 on the cross every day. 48:22 And all of us have to come to the point, 48:24 where we accept the master's work 48:26 that he has for us like Simon did, 48:28 and take up a cross and live for Jesus. 48:31 When we see the sacrifice of Christ, 48:33 it should lead us to recognize, he is the Son of God. 48:37 It should lead us to be willing to die to self 48:39 on a daily basis being crucified on the cross 48:42 as Galatians 2:20 says. 48:45 And it should lead us to be willing 48:46 to accept the Master's work. 48:49 How many of you here today have realized 48:50 it's your sins that have nailed Jesus to the cross. 48:55 How many of you this morning recognize and realize 48:59 that you need to die to self every single day. 49:05 And how many of you accepted the work 49:08 that Jesus has for you. 49:09 You see, the thing about accepting the work 49:11 Jesus has for you. 49:14 You can't choose it. Amen. You just have to accept it. 49:20 At the cross, there was another man, 49:21 who was given a job by Jesus. 49:24 John, Jesus on the cross, 49:26 the last one of the last things he did, 49:27 he said, "Woman behold your son, 49:29 son behold your mother." 49:33 It's interesting, why is it interesting? 49:34 Because John had a deep desire to do something great for God. 49:38 He wanted to sit at the right hand of God. 49:41 John had a deep desire to do something marvelous for Jesus, 49:46 something seen, something known. 49:49 His mother also drove that desire, 49:51 and she said to Jesus, 49:53 "When they get to heaven, can he sit on one side 49:54 and one on the other side. 49:56 John wanted to do something marvelous and fantastic 49:58 and amazing for Jesus. 50:01 But what was he given to do to, to care take his mom. 50:07 Look after my mom when she's dying, 50:10 look after my mom when she's old, 50:12 take her to church, take her to see a friend. 50:13 Look after my mother 50:15 when she's sick and she's frail. 50:17 And she can't walk properly. 50:19 She can't shower herself, 50:20 she can't take herself to the toilet. 50:22 She can't do any of that, look after my mom. 50:25 I know in the first few chapters of Acts, 50:27 the Bible says that Peter and James, 50:28 you know, they went around. 50:30 But after the first few chapters of Acts, 50:31 we don't read about John. 50:33 He was looking after Jesus' mom. 50:34 Why? 50:36 'Cause Jesus knew what John needed. 50:39 When you commit to serve Jesus, 50:41 Jesus knows what you need and you may say to Jesus. 50:43 "I want to serve you there." 50:45 Ah, ah, not there, you're gonna serve me there. 50:49 See, Jesus knew that what John needed, and I believe, 50:52 Jesus understanding the character of John. 50:54 He knew that his mother was best place 50:57 to mould the character of John. 50:59 Still as a young man, 51:01 to be someone that would be ready 51:02 to be put in prison for him in his old years. 51:09 If you say, "I want to serve you Jesus like Simon." 51:11 You can't pick your job. You can't pick the work. 51:14 You can't tell God what you want Him, 51:17 what you want to do for Him. 51:18 And then ask for His will to be done, 51:20 no, you can't do that. 51:21 You have to just accept the work 51:23 that Jesus has for you. 51:26 As we come to a close in our message today, 51:28 I want to make an appeal, and my appeal is specific, 51:30 and my appeal has three parts to it. 51:34 As you observe the cross of Christ, 51:37 and you see Jesus dying for your sins, 51:39 you realize it's your sins that nailed Him to the cross. 51:42 And you want to say like the Roman centurion, 51:45 "Lord, I recognize, I have crucified you afresh." 51:51 As you see Jesus on the cross, and you recognize, 51:53 and you want to say, like the thief on the cross. 51:55 I need to die daily, today, 51:57 I need to die with Jesus Christ. 52:02 How many of you this morning want to say, 52:03 "Lord, I realize my sins killed you." 52:07 "Lord, I want to die daily," 52:09 if that is your desire this morning, 52:11 I would like to invite you to stand, to stand. 52:22 The second part of the appeal is very specific. 52:25 I am not asking if you feel a certain way, 52:28 I am asking if you know a certain way. 52:33 I was at a GYC ten years ago in 2004, in Sacramento. 52:36 When an appeal was made, 52:37 for people to be willing to give their hearts 52:39 to mission service, and 200 people went forward. 52:42 I was at GYC eight years ago, two years after that, 52:45 and I sat there in a room with the president of A.F.M. 52:48 and asked him, "Of those 200 people that came forward, 52:51 how many of them follow through on their appeal?" 52:54 He put his head down, looked up again, 52:58 one, one. 53:01 But I felt people at GYC were honest, 53:05 I thought if they commit something, they do it. 53:07 Two hundred, one, one. 53:13 Lord, have mercy on us. 53:18 You stand this morning, could you say like a centurion, 53:20 I've nailed Jesus to the cross. 53:22 You stand this morning, could you say like the thief, 53:24 I want to be crucified on the cross with Christ." 53:27 Third part of the appeal is very specific. 53:30 This morning, you know, 53:33 you know that Jesus is calling you to work for Him. 53:38 Now there's many different types of ways 53:40 you can work with Jesus, 53:41 but the appeal I'm going to mention this morning, 53:43 you'd feel God is calling you. 53:45 You know, God is calling you 53:46 to work for Him in some mission field, 53:51 far away or at home. 53:53 And you want to say to God, 53:55 Lord, like Simon I will take up the cross 53:58 and I'll do my master's work. 54:01 There may be other ones of you though. 54:03 And you feel this morning, you know, in your heart 54:08 that you need to sacrifice wherever you're going, 54:11 and whatever you're doing to get some training 54:14 to share the gospel, maybe as a short-term training. 54:17 I know in the booth, all there's a plethora of booths 54:19 that will teach you how to share the gospel. 54:22 Maybe you've had short term training, 54:24 and the Lord is calling you 54:25 to go for long term training four, five, six years. 54:31 This morning, 54:34 you want to dedicate your life to full time service 54:39 in the mission field whatever that be, 54:41 I would like to invite you to come forward. 54:46 You want to say like Simon, 54:47 I will take up my cross and work for you. 54:49 Come forward to my left side please. 54:52 Left side of stage. 54:55 If you want to commit to God, 54:59 not just to say, you'll think about it, 55:00 but you want to commit to God to say, 55:03 "I know, God is calling me to change my life 55:05 and get some training to be a missionary at home 55:07 or further a field." 55:09 I want to invite you to come forward 55:10 to the right side of the stage. 55:14 One mission service, 55:18 one training, 55:22 left side, right side. 55:27 And if it's both, praise the Lord. 55:35 Shortly after this, the ushers will come around, 55:39 but just come forward, keep coming. 55:40 We just have a few moments left. 55:45 You want to say like Simon, 55:47 "I'll carry the cross, 55:49 and I will do the work that Jesus has for me. 55:53 I wouldn't pick the work, 55:54 but I'll just commit to do the work." 55:59 Do the work right side. 56:01 To go and get mission training, 56:03 sorry left side, mission training, right side. 56:05 I get my lefts and rights confused, forgive me. 56:12 Keep coming forward, even if you're in the back, 56:14 and you're pretending to ignore the message, 56:17 but the Holy Spirit still spoke to your heart, come forward. 56:23 If you're watching at home later on, 56:25 if you're watching it on a repeat, 56:28 if you're watching at home now, 56:29 and you want to make that same commitment, 56:30 to make that same commitment as well. 56:32 Wherever you may be... 56:37 Let's bow our heads, guys, 56:39 then I close with a word of prayer. 56:41 Father in heaven Lord, 56:43 You have seen Your children respond to You this morning. 56:47 Lord, bless them 56:50 and whatever they may have to sacrifice, 56:53 they may seem great and in their path, 56:56 give them the strength to be able to do so. 57:00 Lord, those who have committed to mission service, 57:02 I pray that You would take their hearts, take their lives, 57:06 change and mould them for You. 57:08 Guide them where they need to go, 57:11 not where they want to go. 57:14 And deepen the burden, 57:16 and desire on their heart from this day forward 57:19 that the conviction may not fade with time, 57:21 but get stronger and stronger. 57:23 For those Lord, that have committed to get some training, 57:26 Lord, I pray that You would guide them. 57:28 You'll provide them, show them where to go, 57:30 provide them with the means 57:32 that You may bless them abundantly. 57:36 Even if it's a short-term thing 57:38 or if it's the beginning of the change 57:40 of their life trajectory, bless them Lord, I pray. 57:45 Use this army of workers, 57:48 we pray for Your kingdom in Jesus' name we pray. 57:53 Amen. Amen. 57:56 Those of you have come forward, there are some ushers around. |
Revised 2016-07-18