Near The Cross

if you would turn to the gospel of john the 19th chapter and verse 25 now there stood by the cross of jesus and at least his mother the mother's sister mary magdalene mary the wife of cleophas now there stood by the cross two other translations of that first phrase use this phrase near the cross where jesus's mother and the other ladies songwriter fanny crosby who wrote many beautiful songs with great messages picked up on that phrase in a song that she authored writing and singing about the experience of being near the cross and i borrow that phrase from scripture and from mrs crosby to preach today near the cross near the cross and because you are thankful for that cross this is an opportunity let's thank him for all that happened there i want to thank you lord for that i know not everything was beautiful or easy there but lord i want to thank you for the power of that day and it's still a power in this day and not just in history and in this day but more specifically we thank you for the power of the cross in our lives thank you for going there lord thank you for giving there thank you for providing all of the rewards and the results that came from that day and that cross we thank you in jesus name amen and you may be seated

near the cross that day there were several people there were there was a crowd and they were from many different walks of life it's interesting to be and i i believe very noteworthy that all four gospels carry the crucifixion account not all of them hold the birth account but every one of them talk about the crucifixion account and then of course it's referenced many many other times throughout the scripture it is probably the greatest uh are listed the greatest number of times of any other incident in the entirety of scripture and especially in the life of jesus there were many personal experiences that occurred in the lives of the people that were near the cross that day most if not all of those experiences on that day may not be literally occurring but they are still occurring sometimes literally and then many times off times spiritually or emotionally some of the experiences of that day like today are not good they are unpleasant they were cruel they were anti-jesus happenings but there were others other near the cross experiences both then and now that were and are wonderful and such a blessing and really without stretch you could say life-changing experiences and here's why because the cross the blood and the gospel are still the power of god unto salvation the power that leads people to salvation the church is important and crucial his word is important and crucial but the cross is our answer for the remission of our sins and the transformation of our life and to receive the glorious mercy and the long-suffering and the grace that we were just singing about the happenings and the dynamics of being near the cross were prophesied hundreds of years previous to the actual event the psalmist in the 22nd division of psalm in verse 16 he writes with literary analogy the dogs have come past me the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me it's wonderful to be surrounded by friends it's another thing for a mob to enclose you as they did that day they pierced my hands and my feet what we're reading here is a rejection by society a rejection by culture does that sound familiar in our day cruelty and attack and harm to holiness and righteousness verse 17 he said i may tell all my bones in other words i can see them and others can see them and count them the bones because of the condition of my body and then it goes back to talking about that reviling mob that was surrounding him he said they look and they stare at me there is a daring doubting glare of the world's mob that is being described here in other words just try to be holy jesus just try we despise morality we despise purity we despise honesty that you represent they look and they stare with that daring doubting glare at me and then prophetically it talks about they parted my garments among them and they cast lots upon my vesture and then there's the call but be not far from me o lord o my strength hasten to help me what an exact prophetic picture of what happened near the cross that day and i must add it is still happening in this day and i know it sounds odd to talk about a reviling mob and those kind of attitudes being near the cross but i would offer this today and it's important for us to keep in mind it's why we're praying for our fields like we are praying because even the revilers even those who are rejecting today really they are near the cross not in worship but because the lord loves them so much they are only one faith prayer away the person who seems the farthest away from serving god is really near the cross and this world today is near the cross now they may be reacting as the reactions were that day some of them at least

when you read in matthew 27 they put that sign above his head that said this is jesus the king of the jews it was sarcasm there was that crowd it's recorded mark and matthew said they reviled on him wagging their heads in other words they expressed their disrespect with their words and their body language i want to stop right here and just tell all of us those of us here and those of us online we must be careful how we treat the holy things and the holy places and his word in our lives they they willfully they called it out that day and there's a calling out in our day too of disrespect for christianity and what christ stands for and even by their body language they treated him as though he were a criminal and isaiah had already said that was going to happen they said he said he was numbered with the transgressors he was numbered or looked at this jesus that we love it's hard for us to picture him in that light and probably should be thankful about that but this one whose presence is so sweet and who has comforted us it's almost hard to wrap our minds around a mindset that looks at him and treats him like a vile criminal but that was the mindset of that day along with doubt and unbelief and they mocked with it in matthew 27 said you you're the one you're the one that said you destroyed the temp you could destroy the temple and build it in three days so if you can do all of that and if you are who you say you are come down from the cross there was doubt and unbelief maybe maybe you have been attacked at times with some doubt and mockery and unbelief here here's a point of encouragement for us that jesus has already endured that kind of mocking he knows what it feels like that's why he will give us that grace that it calls for to be able to respond in the right way it's not easy and i'm sure it wasn't easy for the lord to receive that kind of mockery of doubt if you're really who you say you are up on that cross why don't you come down from that cross them and they said we will believe

there was religious mocking 27 and 41 of matthew said the chief priest mocking him imagine this imagine this imagine this pulpit today or anyone who is in leadership here today sounding a mocking sound about jesus christ saying he really isn't what he said he is i don't want to mock him i don't want to mock his beliefs that's why we still say there is only one god that's why we say there is a new birth water and spirit experience those who were supposed to be chief priests mocking him with the scribes and with the elders that almost blows my mind that these were supposed the jehovah believers but they couldn't believe that jesus was jehovah manifested in the flesh but near the cross even in the religious group that was there there was a mocking and a derision in their questioning the so-called spiritual got together and they belittled him he they said he saved others and himself he cannot save i want to just stop again and i feel prompted to just stop again be very careful about what you say about god what you say about his word what you say about his people the ones that he loved there was derision and mockery be careful not to allow what you call your religion to be a mockery of him and what he really intends religion to be hypocrisy when you and i claim to be a christian a christ follower the mockery sets in when our lifestyle our words our behavior our treatment of others our priorities in life say something different we're near the cross but we are mocking as they did on that day setting self standards of lifestyle and behavior a holier or more spiritual than thou attitude is what they used to call it that is a mocking of the lord jesus christ

and then there were the abuse of soldiers taunting and mocking him in luke 23 it says they mocked him and they came to him and they offered him vinegar saying if you're really the king of the jews save yourself they were taunting and mocking his suffering to a great extent they were enjoying the suffering but they mocked and they made it look like we're going to try to ease your pain jesus we're going to try to help you so to speak there was a abuse on that day and if you have ever suffered abuse of any kind verbal or physical the lord knows exactly what you have felt he knows exactly what you have encountered and endured and he has that grace that is enough to help us but he experienced it near the cross imagine this you know when we sing about the cross and we did today and we talked about we sang about the blood there's a wonderful presence of jesus that came in but not everybody feels the same way about the cross and about the christ of the cross

and so when they crucified him according to verse 35 of matthew 27 it said they parted his garments they cast lots and they were fulfilling what had been written many years ago that we read earlier from psalms in other words there was selfishness and greed that were near the cross that day and then when he called out they they thought he was calling for elijah elias they said and they said let's see whether elijah comes down to take him off of that cross near the cross they misunderstood the mission of jesus christ hear me now listeners hear me now church we must not misunderstand the mission of the lord he came to seek and to save that's why we're on the our fields initiative that's why we're trying to live holy and righteous and be faithful to the house of god because it's all part of his mission and his word but you can be near the cross and still misunderstand the mission they said he must be calling because he wants to live he's calling for elijah's help that mighty prophet that they revered they're calling he's calling for him and then if as if all the mob wasn't enough the people that were being crucified with him who were very near the cross they were on their own cross but they were very near to the cross that became our which produced our salvation verse 44 of 27 said the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same whatever the reviling mob was saying they were like parroting it and mocking and and saying it again and repeating it they cast the same in his teeth in other words they hid him right in the face like somebody punching you in the teeth they didn't spare anything they threw it right at jesus they didn't they didn't worry about whether or not it sounded right they didn't care they wanted him to hear them they cast the same these are the thieves that are hanging on the cross and later it talks about one of them was disrespectful and irreverent with his words and railing on them and him and defaming him all that i have just described was happening near the cross

but i am so glad to get to this part of the message and tell you the rest of the story that is not all that was happening near the cross finally many of those people that were there luke 23 and 48 many of those people began to realize it says they all came together to that sight beholding the things which were done in here he's talking about more than the cross and the nails and jesus hanging there along with the others but he's talking about them considering the eclipse that had taken place the earthquake that had taken place yes the cruelty of the death that they had watched happen the uncomfortable example of supposed religious people at the foot of that cross all of that beheld those things which were done and the bible says they smote their breasts which was a sign in that day of humility when somebody did this it was almost like us lifting our hands in a surrender or bowing our knees or putting our face to the floor when they saw the judgments of god when they saw and realized the guilt of the rulers and they feared the further displeasure of the almighty god as that earthquake shook those hills that day being conscious of their own guilt fearing some other kind of dreadful judgment that might come on them or the whole nation one other version of this account says the people went back and they kneeled down some may have begun to go away but they came back to near the cross they knelt down they literally prostrated themselves to the ground and they reacted this version says with astonishment with confusion with all with thread in other words they did not know what to do you know what was happening repentance was happening near the cross they were beginning to realize it took judgment don't let it take judgment don't let it take an earthquake to bring you to repentance if it does thank the lord for that don't let an eclipse of life have to bring you to repentance but let it come to your mind there is repentance near the cross we are near the cross in this service and i am talking about those of us in this room but i'm talking about those of you who are not in this room right now but are viewing by way of that video and that camera you are near the cross if you need to repent start doing it right now if you need to ask for his forgiveness you can start right now because he is a merciful forgiving god

there was there was revelation that happened near the cross there was understanding of who he was matthew 27 and 36 this is after pilates hall and the walk to calvary and jesus not making a response to the jeering mob and then hearing his words of forgiveness verse 36 said and setting down they watched him they just watched him they couldn't do anything at that point they were mesmerized by watching his non-response in pilots hall these were the soldiers it's talking about they just they just watched him they couldn't open their mouths at that point and then luke records that one of those soldiers when he saw all of this that had happened the bible says he glorified god from the foot of the cross and he said there's not a doubt certainly this was a righteous man aren't you glad for the day when you received the revelation of who jesus was when you hurt maybe as a kid you heard the bible story or maybe as a young adult somebody witnessed to you about how jesus loved you and he died upon that cross and he resurrected again for you there was a revelation to that soldier and it's because he was near the cross and all of that other that he had observed and i want to say right now everything in your past life it can be washed away all the scoffering all the mocking all the reviling all of the error all of the sin anything that's been done if you will get a revelation of who he is you will say certainly this is a righteous man a revelation a realization like that can start the process of repentance realizing who he is

the thief began to repent you know i was interested and i had passed this over i know i probably read it before but in matthew 27 and 44 it says the thieves the thieves i i like and i repeat the part of the story that said one was cursing him and the other corrected the one but at the beginning somewhere early on on that cross it says both the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth they punched him in the mouth verbally but somewhere along the line there was a change a change a change a change there is eternity in those two words a change there's eternity for somebody there can be a change in your life we don't know exactly what changed the thief's mind perhaps it was the lord's patience perhaps it was his mercy perhaps it was his holiness perhaps he was watching how he didn't respond people are watching our lives folks i don't know what it was that caused the thief but then that one feet began to defend jesus and ultimately ask his forgiveness it was there and it's near the cross forgiveness came luke 23 and 34 forgiveness is near the cross forgiveness is here today this service is underneath the shadow of a cross i just you know sometimes you got to go out of your way to get close to the cross it's not convenient i knew some of you wouldn't be able to see this from here and i went back and asked thomas and he said i'm not right completely sure but you know it's it's not absolutely necessary for everybody to see us when we're near the cross what what i need to be concerned about today and if you can guys don't even show it because i need to

i need to preach a little bit about being near the cross for yourself and how it doesn't really matter what others can see or what others are doing but there's such a passion there's such a desire there is such a longing that said i got to get as near to the cross i've got to get as close to that cross because there's forgiveness there there's repentance there there is blessing there and while there's all of those other things that are occurring near the cross we are a blessed people today to hear and know the message of the cross i don't i wonder there's no telling how many times that we've sung that song that fanny crosby wrote near the cross we don't sing it that much anymore but in years past we would sing that song near the cross and we sing other songs that are about the cross and something settles into a room something settles into a sanctuary and better than that something settles into our life when we start thinking about everything that he endured on that cross and i'm not preaching that today that's an entire sermon in itself what jesus himself felt in his physical being and in his emotional being but but he didn't ask us to climb on his cross but he did say i want you to stay near my cross i don't know what happened at that cross then said jesus luke 23 and 34 father forgive them for they know not what they do i looked at that statement in preparation it hadn't been jesus saying it and it being in the word of god i would have argued with it for they know not what they do they planned that they knew what they were doing literally and physically they knew but they did not know what they were doing spiritually or eternally that's why he said he wasn't excusing their actions he was penetrating to their motives into their heart and to their spirit oh god help us to always be reverent to you help us to always be faithful sometimes when we do things out of the way we don't know what we're doing spiritually

parents when you keep and guide your children in the ways of truth i'll say about that you don't know what you're doing yes you know i'm administering disciplines or i'm guiding them and i'm helping them to be faithful and i'm teaching them to be faithful but yet again you don't know the far-reaching impact that it's going to have on their life i want to thank you today dad you didn't know i'm sure there were some days i didn't want to go to sunday school i'm sure there was some days but i didn't want to attend i'm sure there were some things i wanted to do but as a parent you said no and you you knew you needed to do those disciplines and needed to say and do those things but you didn't fully know all that you were doing it works for the positive and it works for the negative that we do jesus said forgive them forgive them that's that's the key phrase father forgive them forgive them forgiveness is near the cross that's why it's here right now there is forgive all you'd have to do is say jesus i'm sorry i'm talking about right now all you'd have to do if you made a mistake this week if you're a child of god and something your attitude or your spirit or your words got out of kilter or if you've committed a sin or whatever if you've been immoral or whatever all you have to do is say jesus i am truly sorry i am truly sorry those today they may know they are sinning we can argue they do know what they're doing but they really don't know what they're doing the far-reaching ramifications and forgiveness is always extended god we don't read about where anybody asks for forgiveness right then and there those soldiers they weren't asking as they were cast in the dice they didn't ask here it is jesus was offering forgiveness to people who had not yet asked of him he's offering rep it doesn't matter if they've asked or not the lord's got repentance for a loved one you're praying for for those neighbors that you pray for all those people we've been praying for as we've been driving through and thank you for that by the way you say well they haven't asked for forgiveness this proves right here it's offered whether they ask for it or not he'll not force it upon them he'll not force forgiveness into their life that has to be their own choice and their own decision forgiveness hear me is always extended and somebody needs to hear this when you need it and if you need it today there is not one reason to wonder if it's available it's available it is available a thief that thief hey listen i don't feel this spirit around here at all and that frees me to preach on it but i should preach on it whether it was or not we don't ever want to get the elder brother spirit it's sorry when the prodigal comes back home or jealous and

here's this thief talking in luke 23 and 42 i'm not sure if i gave it to you jason but if you would would you mind putting that up there luke 23 and 42. okay hear me close something something in our religious self wants to argue about this on the cross in his dying moments lord remember me when you come to your kingdom and jesus answered today thou shalt be with me in paradise paradise from the cross to paradise historians and archaeologists tell us that that little section of land named golgotha where he was crucified was actually a landfill you may have been near a landfill flies buzzing around the stench of whatever has been dumped there and historians say that many people that were crucified even their families didn't want to identify with them after they would die and so there was nobody to take their body and so after a certain time they would literally peel those bodies off of that cross and they would just leave it laying there because it was a landfill anyway so you can imagine the stench of rotting flesh that set out in the sun it was probably the worst sort of primitive and barbaric landfill that there could be the fact that jesus told the thief on the cross you'll be with me in paradise is so significant you can go from a garbage dump to paradise because of what jesus offers hanging on a cross with a background of thievery and everything else that was in that thief's life you may have some shame pretty easy for me to stand up here and say don't be ashamed of your past that would be easy because there may be some things i don't care how much the life may have looked like just a garbage dump there's nothing that feels good or smells good about our past but jesus says i've come to the garbage dump my mercy does it isn't limited by what man would limit it there is always hope if the life of somebody that you know looks completely messed up

i'm going to call for a time of intercession in just a few moments and then a time for commitment but i want you to know there's nobody too dirty there's nobody too unclean there's nobody too sinful that thief and i believe it happened just like jesus said it was going to happen he said today today today my grace is reaching you today my mercy is reaching you today you can be with me in paradise oh thank god for the mercy and the compassion and the love of god

would you stand together with us please would you bow your heads please this is in reverence to jesus and his cross the same songwriter last minute this morning i thought of that old song so i wanted to look it up draw me nearer lord one line says to your precious bleeding side well to get close to the precious bleeding side you've got to be near the cross it was the same author mrs crosby who wrote near the cross jesus keep me near the cross and then draw me nearer i am thine oh lord i sense that spirit and attitude i'm yours i'm going to open this altar right now for commitments or if you want to pray for somebody and maybe maybe they're in a similar condition as that thief that was on the cross maybe they haven't stolen anything but they've gotten similar in fact i know there's not room for everybody to gather if we social distance but if you want to make some kind of a commitment to the lord i would ask you just to move out somewhere maybe maybe you can kneel or you can step to an aisle that says lord draw me near i want to get close to the cross you may not be close to a physical cross but i'm going to tell you the spirit of the cross is in this sanctuary today and it's with you that are viewing this service online the spirit of the cross the shadow of the cross yes yes it's casting itself across us right now draw me nearer lord draw me nearer to you draw me nearer and when you push past other stuff maybe there's something you need to set aside maybe something that's taken some time that that god could have maybe it's some priority some priorities that needs to be either removed or moved down the list so that the priorities of jesus come on there's a commitment that needs to be made here we don't have very much time we don't have very much time i'm not talking about in this service i'm talking about in life oh yes yes draw us lord oh draw us lord draw us lord jesus oh that's it that's beautiful is give yourself yes keep us close help me to stay close god help me to stay near yes so the repentance and forgiveness we commit ourselves to you today lord shall fly he's receiving it go ahead he's receiving what you're praying and what you're committing today yes yes that's it we commit to you stand in the gap go ahead whoever's standing the gap or somebody you go ahead huh i affirm you right now the holy ghost affirms you go ahead oh yes god can bring paradise the garbage dump you can bring perfection to a life that seems so messed up in disarray you can do it you can do it you are hallelujah oh yes that's it go ahead and receive them go ahead call their name if you want to go ahead that's right something stirring and it's god you prompted a standard session here today yes yes oh yes oh yes for yourself my glory the crosstalk beyond the rings oh the race the way we feel about it lord it's precious yes it is it's a healing it's a healing it goes yes it does hallelujah's flowing today it's flowing today yes sing it together church let's hear the same singing oh yes glory one more time beyond the rings would you just

my servant prophesied that there would be no beauty about me or nor my death that would draw people but i am reserving the beauty for a future and another time and so while on the surface you may have to endure the ugliness of being disdained and the the horror and the darkness of the pressures of this world and this life be faithful for there is a beauty not only in coming life but in this life that i has never seen a beauty that an ear has never heard about part of that beauty will be the transformation that i have made in your life and the lives of others so endure the darkness and endure the ugliness of identifying with me as others may disdain you or rebuke you but know that there is a reserved beauty that i have for you now and i have it for you in your future saith the lord god almighty

thank you lord thank you in the midst of it all there's a reason for us to celebrate today the fact that there is a better day coming the apostle paul said that the preaching of the cross is to those that believe the power of god unto salvation thank god for a glorious salvation that we have here today and whatever step or steps you may have taken today know that this is a journey and you can stay near the cross in your heart day by day by day and in light of what we've just heard through the gifts of the spirit proverbs says the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more under the perfect day so do be faithful and do stay near the cross knowing it's going to be worth it all one day would you lift your hands toward heaven and just offer thanksgiving for him the power of the cross we want to remain near it lord we thank you for the effect upon it we don't take any joy or pleasure out of your suffering and all the mockery but we do rejoice over the result today the results in our lives now and the result that we will experience when we see you face to face one day we thank you from our hearts amen amen amen