CROSS TO COMMISSION | The King Crucified | Matthew 27:32-44 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Summary

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Podcast Summary: CROSS TO COMMISSION | The King Crucified | Matthew 27:32-44 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Podcast: 2819 Church
Episode Date: February 23, 2026
Speaker: Lead Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell (with contributions from Assistant and Teaching Pastors)
Scripture Focus: Matthew 27:32-44

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a passionate, scripture-driven exploration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew 27:32–44. Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell concludes a three-year journey through Matthew, inviting both believers and seekers to a renewed understanding and personal response to the cross. The teaching underscores humanity’s universal problem of sin, the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and the only fitting responses for both Christians and non-believers.

Key Themes:

• The reality and consequences of original sin
• The necessity of Christ’s sacrifice
• The fulfillment of biblical prophecy
• The call to radical discipleship and forgiveness
• The universality of the cross's implications

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Deep Problem of Sin (07:31–11:40)

• Original Sin's Devastation:
  "My mind first weeps over the original sin of man and its implication for all humankind." – Lead Pastor (07:31)
  Every human, regardless of background, is infected by the same spiritual disease: sin.

• Scriptural Support:
  Romans 5:12 and 3:23 cited to show:
  "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." – Teaching Pastor (11:07)

• Universal Need for Grace:
  "No human being can earn righteousness from God in their own merit or strength." – Teaching Pastor (12:17)

Illustration: The Drowning Boy (13:07–14:41)

• Personal Story of Rescue:
  Pastor Philip shares his childhood experience almost drowning, illustrating humanity’s helplessness before sin and Christ’s saving intervention.
  "This is what we approach in our text. It is the apex of the redemption plan of God—the Lord reaching his hand down into humanity to pull lost people from the bottom of the pool." – Teaching Pastor (14:41)

The Sacrificial System Foreshadowing Christ (15:26–16:30)

• Necessity of Blood for Atonement:
  Old Testament animal sacrifices were only an imperfect preview of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

• The Incarnation's Purpose:
  "And the purpose of that body was for the Father to break it, that he could reach down into your life and mine and raise us from the bottom of that pool." – Lead Pastor (16:22)

The Suffering and Crucifixion of Jesus (17:31–22:39)

• The Events Leading to the Cross:
  Jesus undergoes unjust trials, savage beatings, public humiliation, and ultimate crucifixion, not as a victim, but as the willing savior.

• Simon of Cyrene:
  "He was forced to help Jesus...carry his cross." (22:14)
  Illustration of communal support and discipleship.

• Discipleship Application:
  "Nobody's going to carry their cross all the way to the end by themselves. This is a beautiful picture of what we do in biblical community." – Teaching Pastor (22:41)

Fulfillment of Prophecy (26:35–29:32)

• Casting Lots for Jesus’ Garments:
  Soldiers unknowingly fulfill Psalm 22:18.
  "Even unsaved barbarians are fulfilling biblical prophecy as they're fighting over the clothes of Jesus." – Teaching Pastor (27:40)
  Emphasis on the unique reliability of scripture.

• The Unchanging Word of God:
  "No prophecies like that in the Quran...only in the inerrant, infallible, immutable, alive, active and breathing word of the living God Almighty." – Teaching Pastor (29:06)

The Mocking and Irony at the Cross (31:50–34:24)

• Public Shame and Rejection:
  Onlookers, religious leaders, and even the thieves mock Jesus.
  "If you are the Son of God, come down from that cross..." – Lead Pastor (31:50)

• Christ's Restraint Was Love:
  "Nails did not keep Christ fixed to the cross. Love kept Christ fixed to the cross." – Assistant Pastor (33:26)

The Thief’s Repentance—A Picture of Grace (34:43–35:47)

• The Thief’s Salvation:
  As one thief mocks, the other recognizes Jesus’s innocence and kingship; he receives the promise of paradise through simple, sincere repentance.
  "'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' A simple prayer of honesty and humility." – Teaching Pastor (34:43)

• Substitutionary Atonement:
  Barabbas, a condemned criminal, goes free as Jesus takes his place—a vivid picture of what Christ does for all who believe.
  "The Lord dies in his place. A perfect picture of the substitutionary death." – Assistant Pastor (34:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Universal Sin:
  "We all can testify that humanity, despite our distinctions, we all have been infected by a common disease...Sin is the bane of all human experience." – Teaching Pastor (08:08)

• On the Sufficiency of Christ:
  "But the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ." – Lead Pastor (11:40)

• On Community:
  "Life will create circumstances for you that demand you saying, brother, pray for me, sister, pray for me...Nobody in this room is going to carry their cross all the way to the finish line alone." – Lead Pastor (23:23)

• On God’s Faithfulness:
  "God cannot lie. If he said it, he will bring it to pass." – Teaching Pastor (29:14)

• On the Cross’s Demands:
  "How in God's name can we read about the sacrifice of what Christ did for you and I... and have no desire to live for him, no desire to be faithful to him?" – Lead Pastor (36:07)

• On True Response:
  "Our response to the cross should be a life of service, a life of surrender, a life of love, a life of humility, a life of generosity, a life of gratitude." – Teaching Pastor (36:56)

• On Forgiveness:
  "It is the cross that compels me to forgive. It's the cross that compels me to love even people who are unlovable. It's the cross that compels me to let people go who have been holding in my heart for years." – Lead Pastor (37:56)

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• Sin and Original Sin – (07:31–11:40)
• The Drowning Illustration – (13:07–14:41)
• Sacrifice and Foreshadowing in the Old Testament – (15:26–16:30)
• Events of the Crucifixion – (17:31–22:39)
• Fulfillment of Prophecy – (26:35–29:32)
• Mocking at the Cross – (31:50–34:24)
• Salvation of the Thief – (34:43–35:47)
• Response to the Cross (Application for Believers and Seekers) – (36:07–41:42)
• Closing Exhortations and Prayer – (41:42–44:21)

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Final Exhortation

• For Believers:
  Let the memory and message of the cross stir you to deeper love, service, forgiveness, and radical discipleship. No response but surrender is fitting.

• For Seekers:
  "If you would just be honest like that thief on the cross and cry out, 'Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom,' he might hear you today and...pull you out from the bottom of that pool..." – Teaching Pastor (39:34)

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Tone

Throughout, the tone is urgent, raw, passionate, and challenging—with a mixture of gravity, encouragement, and pastoral care typical of a high-energy expository sermon.

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In summary: This episode confronts listeners with both the reality of sin and the overwhelming grace of the cross, urging everyone—whether devoted or doubting—to respond honestly and wholeheartedly to Jesus’s sacrifice.

Transcript

[Lead Pastor]

You could be seated, You could praise him right from your chair if it's still inside you.

[Worship Leader]

Ra. Sam. Sa.

[Lead Pastor]

Glory

[Worship Leader]

we worship you. Are worthy to be praised. Say we give you all. We give you all. Glory, we worship you you worthy, you are worthy to be praise.

[Lead Pastor]

Come on. Can you lift your hands all over the room?

[Worship Leader]

Say we give you. Lord, rap your hands all you.

[Lead Pastor]

If you are guests, we welcome you to 2819 Church where we are serious

[Assistant Pastor]

about the spread of the Gospel and

[Lead Pastor]

the multiplying of disciples. In this last hour of the church age. To all of our digital disciples watching live across the country and around the world, you are family wherever you are, you are kingdom agents wherever you are. The extension of 2819 Church behind prison walls, continents all around the world, God is raising up a remnant in these last days for the spread of the gospel and the multiplying of disciples. And if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ and you crept into this gathering or you crept into this dream, we want you to know that we are thankful that you are here. We want you to know that you could belong before you believe and you could be amongst us before you believe and we pray and maybe even on

[Assistant Pastor]

this day you might feel the conviction

[Lead Pastor]

of the Holy Spirit wooing you into fellowship with Almighty God and that on this day with this short message,

[Assistant Pastor]

your eternal future might be changed.

[Lead Pastor]

We are in the end of a three year journey through the book of Matthew. In our final series called Cross to Commission where we are studying Matthew 26:28

[Assistant Pastor]

together,

[Lead Pastor]

the final days, the final hours of the Lord Jesus Christ and the greatest event in human history, the crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection of Christ, without which we have no faith and no pardon. Our text is coming From Matthew, chapter 27, verses 32 through 44. Spirit of the living God, have your way

[Assistant Pastor]

and help your servant. Asking the mighty and the majestic in the matchless name of our soon coming king, the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said Amen.

[Lead Pastor]

Family, what we approach today is a very serious text and it is not new to you.

[Assistant Pastor]

If you are a follower of Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

Nothing you're going to hear today is new. But I do pray what you hear today, just a reminder of what you already know would serve to just put a fresh fire up under you as

[Teaching Pastor]

a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ

[Lead Pastor]

and for the unbeliever that it might serve to bring you to the foot of the cross. Every time I approach this text this week, man, I just burst into tears

[Assistant Pastor]

when I think about the deep implications of this text that we are about to study together.

[Lead Pastor]

When I think about everything that is buried in this text, My mind first weeps over the original sin of man and its implication for all humankind. And the catastrophic damage that original sin has done to mankind and to creation. How God created a man perfect in all of his ways, named Adam. And how Adam, when he was deceived by his wife and the devil, he

[Teaching Pastor]

chose to rebel against God and plunged the whole human race into sin.

[Lead Pastor]

And as a result of that, original

[Teaching Pastor]

sin spread to all human beings.

[Worship Leader]

And.

[Teaching Pastor]

And it has infected the entire human race. And although we are different inside this room and in the overflows and across the camera, we are different in color, and we are different in ethnicity, and we are different in backgrounds and socioeconomic status. We have different place of origin and was born in different homes and have been raised with different parents. And although there is distinction among us as human beings, we all can testify that humanity, despite our distinctions, we all have been infected by a common disease that we see across the whole world. It is this disease called sin that has infected every part of the human being, has affected our mind, has affected our intellect, has affected our heart and our lives. It is sin that is the bane of all human existence. It is because of the fallen nature of the world. And humanity is the origin of all of your pain, all of your suffering, all of your trials, all of your tribulations, all of your shame, all of your insecurities, all of the abuse you suffered when you was young, all of your relational tension, for every divorce and every marriage that's in trouble, for every teenager that is astray, is the source of all of our unforgiveness. It's the source of all of our problems, all of our wars. Murder is the source of killing and

[Lead Pastor]

disease and famine and hurricanes and aging and back pain and death. Sin is the bane of all human experience. And as a result of the fact of what Adam did, what we all have inherited is not only a sinful nature, but we all have inherited the due penalty of that sin. The scripture makes it very clear theologically that because human beings were born in

[Teaching Pastor]

sin, we all have inherited eternal damnation from God. That according to these scriptures, every single person was born unrighteous in the sight of God. And as a result of that unrighteousness, we were all headed for damnation. The Apostle Paul, who wrote the most sound theological document Recorded anywhere in the history of the world, Preserved for us in the New Testament. He writes about this plight of man to the church in Rome when he begins in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Listen to what the apostle Paul wrote. He said in verse 12.

[Lead Pastor]

Therefore he's explaining the issue of sin.

[Teaching Pastor]

Just as sin came into the world through one man, who is Adam, death through sin and death spread to all men because all have sinned. So according to the doctrine of Paul,

[Lead Pastor]

because of Adam's sin, which is called

[Teaching Pastor]

original sin, sin nature spread to all human beings. So nobody was born righteous. He goes on to tell us In Romans chapter 3, for all have sinned,

[Lead Pastor]

verse 23, and fallen short of the glory of God.

[Teaching Pastor]

So if there's any person who thinks

[Lead Pastor]

they're right in the sight of God

[Teaching Pastor]

because of good behavior or because of morality or because of piety, the scripture will call you and I a liar. It says, because all human beings have sinned and because of that sins, we have broken God's laws. But Paul did not stop there. He said In Romans chapter 6 and

[Lead Pastor]

verse 23, for the wages of sin

[Teaching Pastor]

is death,

[Lead Pastor]

But the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ. I want to draw your attention to the word wages. You know that word, if you've had a job, it is what you have earned for what you have done. And according to this doctrine, Paul said, because we have sinned against God, because we have broken his laws, and because we have been born a sin, we have earned death from God. And not just death at a funeral, but spiritual death. That is, we have been separated from God because of our sin nature and because we have been separated from our God, from our sin nature. There is nothing that you and I

[Teaching Pastor]

can do to right that wrong in our own merit. No human being can earn righteousness from God in their own merit or strength, I. E. If we could, we will be able to boast on the Day of judgment. So every human being was already born separated from God, headed towards damnation with no hope apart from some pardon that comes from God. Let me explain it to you like this. I've told this story before. I'm going to tell it a hundred times. Because good leaders are good repeaters. When I was raised in New York, my mother sent me to a day camp. And consequently, almost nobody in New York knows how to swim. We don't have pools, we don't have parks with water. So people in New York don't know how to swim. But my mother sends me to a day camp. And on that day camp, they're trying

[Lead Pastor]

to teach kids how to swim on that first day.

[Teaching Pastor]

And they lined all the kids up along the edge of the pool, from the shortest to the tallest. And I end up at the front of the line.

[Lead Pastor]

No accident there.

[Teaching Pastor]

And then the instructor is walking down the line, and he's telling everybody, today you're going to learn your very first lesson in how to swim. And I can hear him on my back talking right behind me. And then he shoves me into the deep end of the pool. And because I can't swim, I go straight to the bottom of that pool. Now I'm trapped at the bottom of the deep. And no matter what I'm doing, I cannot get out of that pool. I'm struggling. I'm trying to get out, but because I don't know how to swim, I can't get out from the bottom of the pool. I start to feel water rushing up my nose, and I start to feel my head start to swell. And out of nowhere, I feel this pole poking me in the side of my head.

[Lead Pastor]

Lord, help your people.

[Teaching Pastor]

This pole was nudging me, trying to help me while I was at the bottom of the pool. And although it was hitting me at first, I didn't have enough common sense to grab that pole.

[Lead Pastor]

Lord, help you people.

[Teaching Pastor]

The water continued to fill my head, and I felt that I was about to die. And after enough pokes in my. After enough pokes in my head, I finally had enough common sense to grab that pole, and they yanked me from the bottom of the pool.

[Lead Pastor]

Listen.

[Teaching Pastor]

And the news that went around the camp that day was a little black boy was saved from drowning that day. Ed finished work. This is what we approach in our text. It is the apex of the redemption plan of God the Lord reaching his hand down into humanity to pull lost people from the bottom of the pool. Because God demands payment for sin, and his payment for sin is blood. This is why in the Old Testament, when the people came out of Egypt,

[Lead Pastor]

he gave them a sacrificial system and

[Teaching Pastor]

that they would have to shed the blood of animals one after the other. Every time they committed a sin, they

[Lead Pastor]

had to shed the blood of animals.

[Teaching Pastor]

And that blood they were shedding for thousands of years was a foreshadow of a lamb that was coming in the. And that sacrificial system was meant to teach the people that because God is holy, he demands a blood payment for sin. And where blood is not shed, the scripture says there is no forgiveness of sins. Now, God does not have a body, so you have never seen him. And the Holy Spirit does not have a body, so you've never seen it. But there is a person in the Trinity, the Godhead, who had a physical body. And that body came for a purpose.

[Lead Pastor]

And the purpose of that body was

[Teaching Pastor]

for the Father to break it, that

[Lead Pastor]

he could reach down into your life and mine and raise us from the

[Teaching Pastor]

bottom of that pool.

[Lead Pastor]

This is what we approach in the text. God's ultimate plan of redemption. Look at me. What we're about to read in the text was God's plan to save you. So you recall how Christ was arrested in a garden on a Thursday night? And how he was dragged out of that garden into the house of Caiaphas, a high priest. And how he endured six illegal trials through the night and never got a chance to sleep. How by the time the sun raised, those religious rulers had condemned him for the charge of being the king of the Jews. You remember that they could not crucify him, so they brought him to a governor named Pontius Pilate. You remember how they asked Pontius Pilate to crucify this man who has been blasphemous? You recall how Pontius Pilate did everything he could to exonerate Jesus because in the Roman trial he found Jesus not guilty.

[Teaching Pastor]

You remember how he put up another

[Lead Pastor]

notorious criminal named Barabbas and said, choose

[Teaching Pastor]

which one you want. And the people being corrupted by the

[Lead Pastor]

religious leaders chose a murderer over the Lord Jesus.

[Teaching Pastor]

You remember how Pilate had Jesus scourged

[Lead Pastor]

or beaten within an inch of his

[Teaching Pastor]

life and then brought him back before the people.

[Lead Pastor]

But that was not enough for the bloodthirsty religious leaders.

[Teaching Pastor]

They said, no, we don't want that man yo crucify him. And you know how Pilate took a blood beaten, lacerated skin, body bones hanging out the side, face deformed. The scripture says he was beaten to the point he was unrecognizable. And how Pilate took him and handed him over to some 200 soldiers who then mocked him, put a crown of thorns on him, beat him in his head, spit in his face, bowed a false knee, A knee they will bow in the future. They abused him and silent behind Pilate's back when he was supposed to be

[Lead Pastor]

in a safe place. And then they put his clothes on him. And then they finally obey. They carry him out of that plaetorium to be crucified. And then what we read right now is Matthew's account of what happened when they walked Jesus out of those doors in verse 32. As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon by name.

[Teaching Pastor]

And they compelled this man to carry his cross so Matthew tells us that as Jesus was coming out of that room, they saw a man who they forced to help Jesus carry that cross. John tells us in his writing that Jesus came out bearing his own cross. But Jesus was tired and Jesus was wary and Jesus was hurting. And so they found somebody to help him carry the cross on his way to crucifixion. Now, crucifixion, hear me, was the most barbaric and the most torturous form of capital punishment human beings have ever invented. It was created by the Assyrians or by the Persians. It was perfected by Rome. And what would happen during persecution or execution? They would take the prisoner, they would strip the prisoner naked. They would beat that prisoner so his blood would start to leak out. Then they would put a cross beam on the prisoner, make him walk to the place of execution, usually a public place, because Rome liked to string up people in public as a deterrence against Roman law. They would then either with a rope or with nails, affix that person to the cross beam. They would then affix the feet to the cross beam. Then they would string up that person. And all throughout the Roman Empire, you

[Lead Pastor]

would see people on crosses on the side of the road.

[Teaching Pastor]

Now, as a person hung on the cross, they would have to reach up to breathe and come back down. They would have to reach up to breathe and come back down. If they did not reach up, they would not be able to breathe. And so every time they came back

[Lead Pastor]

down, they can feel the wood on their lacerated back.

[Teaching Pastor]

Most people would hang there for days, watch until they died of suffocation in their own lungs.

[Lead Pastor]

They'd be foggy in their mind.

[Teaching Pastor]

And then animals would come and pick their body. They're left there to rot.

[Lead Pastor]

Now, Jesus, who was tired, he can't go all the way by himself. And so the Roman soldiers conscript or compel a man to follow him. There was a law that a Roman soldier, if they wanted somebody to carry their armor, they can go up to a Jew and conscript him, and then

[Teaching Pastor]

hand the armor to that Jew to

[Lead Pastor]

follow him for at least 1 mile.

[Teaching Pastor]

This is where Jesus taught his followers, if that ever happens to you, go a second mile. Is where we get second mile service from, is where Chick Fil a got that from. He says, don't just go one mile. Show them that you belong to me. Go the second mile. Do what's necessary to be excellent and. Not last in and first out to work. First in and last out to work. Cyrene was a Greek colony, a Roman city in northern Africa. And so they tell this man, help Christ carry this cross. Now later in the scriptures we'll learn

[Lead Pastor]

he had two sons, Alexander and Rufus,

[Teaching Pastor]

who were prominent men in the church.

[Lead Pastor]

Meaning it is very possible that because of this one encounter he had with Jesus carrying the cross, that whole time he was walking with him, maybe he was staring at him. Maybe he's feeling something on the inside. At some point in time, something must

[Teaching Pastor]

have happened to that man, Simon, because

[Lead Pastor]

he has two sons now who are watch.

[Teaching Pastor]

They are beasts.

[Lead Pastor]

In the first century church, they had to learn that from somewhere. They learned that from their father. It's why we should disciple our children. And then, last thing I want you to see in this verse, he was forced to help Jesus watch his Word carry his cross.

[Teaching Pastor]

And I only pause to point that

[Lead Pastor]

out to you because when I read

[Teaching Pastor]

his cross, it reminds me of language that Jesus used to teach you and I, that you too must carry your own cross. It is language speaking of discipleship in which Christ wants us to be growing in character and in faithfulness, growing in the knowledge of who he is crucifying in our flesh all the things that he says are not for us to be doing. And I just want to remind you and I who love isolation and hate community, nobody's going to carry their cross all the way to the end by themselves. This is a beautiful picture of what we do in biblical community. Every single one of you, you will go through hardships, trials and circumstance. Watch. That demands other people to get involved. Come on, I'm talking to you. That demand somebody else to pray for you. Nobody in this room is going to carry their cross all the way to the finish line alone. Life will create circumstances for you that demand you saying, brother, pray for me, Sister, pray for me. Would you help me with this? Life creates circumstance in which we have to help others. And life creates circumstance in which we have to be helped.

[Lead Pastor]

This is why it's only the devil to make people say, I hate community, I hate the church, I could do God by myself until I get to the end. The devil is a lie. And when you, when you lie to yourself like that, the Lord would just hand you a circumstance to make you see that you need other people outside of yourself. Verse 33. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull, they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he would not drink it. So they come to a place called Golgotha, which was a small hill. It's called the place of the Skull in Aramaic. It's not a place with dead skulls, but a place that looked like a skull. It's a small hill that was just outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem. Now, consequently, I just want to say this to you. It was about 2,000 years earlier, another man of God named Abraham got an instruction from God to take his son, his only son, and carry him to

[Teaching Pastor]

the top of the hill.

[Lead Pastor]

He made his son carry the wood

[Teaching Pastor]

to the top of the hill. He was told to sacrifice his son at the top of the hill. When he raised his hand to kill that son, he found a ram in the bush as a substitutionary death in place of his son. And it is believed that Christ was crucified on the exact same hill.

[Lead Pastor]

So they mix this cocktail, right? This ain't. This ain't Henny and Coke. This ain't an old Fashioned, this.

[Assistant Pastor]

No.

[Lead Pastor]

They mix up stale wine with gall, a bitter, bitter substance that they put in the wine, give it to Jesus to drink. Now, they would give this substance to men to drink, to sedate them, not for compassion that they would be so drunk they would not fight back when it's time to nail them to the cross. But the Lord chooses not to be sedated in this moment because he wants

[Teaching Pastor]

to absorb the full pain of what

[Lead Pastor]

he's about to suffer

[Teaching Pastor]

for you and for me. So when we read things in Isaiah 53, like, he was bruised for our iniquities and he was wounded for our transgressions. When we read stuff like that, this is Jesus taking on him the full force of the punishment that was coming, choosing not to be sedated for the fact that he was thinking about you when he was headed to that cross. Verse 35.

[Lead Pastor]

And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them, casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head, they put this charge against him, which read, this is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. I just want to draw your attention to three things right here. It says, when they had divided his garments. This is a very important detail that Matthew put in the text. He didn't have to put that in there. When they stripped Jesus naked and they crucified him, four soldiers took his garments and they ripped it up. And then they cast lots, meaning they're gambling for his clothing. Like, if you're from New York, it's like playing Ceelo, right? So they're gambling for his clothes. Now, you think that's an inconsequential detail, but Matthew put that there for a reason. Matthew put that there for a reason. Because he knows. A thousand years earlier, a man named David wrote Psalm 22, which is a

[Teaching Pastor]

psalm that prophesied about the crucifixion of the coming Messiah. So if we go back to Psalm 22 and verse 18, listen to what was prophesied about the Messiah. They divide my garments among them, oh my God. And for my clothing they cast lots. Meaning even these unsaved barbarians are fulfilling biblical prophecy as they're fighting over the clothes of Jesus. I only point that out to you because the Scriptures is the only book in the world that have prophecies that have come to pass accurately. And I only point that out to you. That you can learn to trust the word of God. That you can trust every promise that has been made to you and everything God has said about you. His words will not fall to the floor. Because men lie. God does not. So if he said it, it will come to pass. If he promised it, it's available for you.

[Lead Pastor]

No prophecies like that in the Quran.

[Teaching Pastor]

No prophecies like that in the pearl of great price. No prophecies like that in any other book in the world except the inerrant,

[Lead Pastor]

infallible, immutable, alive, active and breathing word

[Teaching Pastor]

of the living God Almighty. Is anybody thankful for the word of God? God cannot lie. If he said it, he will bring it to pass.

[Lead Pastor]

And if I was you, I'd be

[Teaching Pastor]

searching for what he said about me.

[Lead Pastor]

See? Come on, man.

[Teaching Pastor]

You'll be reading stuff like it's a little devotional, trying to make it cute. These are the words of God, the Almighty. So when he says stuff like, you're the head and not the tail,

[Lead Pastor]

When he calls himself a provider, when he calls himself a healer, when he calls

[Teaching Pastor]

himself a deliverer, when he calls himself a way maker, when he talks about where you will be when Christ comes back to get you, when he talks about the place that Jesus went to prepare for you. Ain't no devil in hell gonna rob me of what the truth of God's word has already said. And the scripture says they kept watch over his body.

[Lead Pastor]

Watch because people had a habit and they saw their loved ones hanging on crosses. Soldiers would go away.

[Teaching Pastor]

They go then take their bodies down

[Lead Pastor]

and try to resuscitate them. But they want to make sure this man does not come down. So they hung out to watch him, to make sure none of his followers

[Teaching Pastor]

could come sneak him off the cross.

[Lead Pastor]

But one more thing I want to point out to you in this. It says when they had crucified him, Matthew just. He just breezes right past that like there's nothing. One word crucify. You've never seen that before? Because we don't use that form of capital punishment. Too brutal. It's outlawed. But Matthew doesn't tell us the details because he's concerned with only highlighting the wickedness of the men. But before we leave this room today, I want you to pay attention to this word crucify, and I want to show you the best example we have of what a crucifixion in Rome looked like. Turn your attention to the screen.

[Assistant Pastor]

Verse 39. And those who passed by, they derided him, wagging their heads and saying, you who would destroy the temple, rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, Come down from that cross and question his identity. Like the devil did when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness. The enemy will always try to make you question your identity. So the people mocked Christ as he hangs, verse 41. So also the chief priests and the scribes and the elders mocked him, saying, he saved others, but he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel. Let him come down from the cross and we will believe him. And he trusts in God. Let God deliver him now if it desires him. He said, I am the Son of God. They speak with authority what they do not know. It's the same way people crucify you and speak with authority what they do not know. And I just want to tell you that nails did not keep Christ fixed to the cross. Love kept Christ fixed to the cross,

[Lead Pastor]

for he could have come down if he wanted to. But he knows without this sacrifice, you remain at the bottom of the pool. You remain with no hope for heaven, no hope for eternity. And so the Father must bruise the Son like this to provide a way of escape for you, to provide a pathway for you to have a right relationship with God.

[Assistant Pastor]

In the last verse. And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Save yourself. Jesus is in the center. They put him there as to say, he is the most guilty. On one side is a thief, and on the other side is a thief. But who was supposed to be there in the middle? Barabbas.

[Lead Pastor]

The Lord dies in his place. A perfect picture of the substitutionary death.

[Assistant Pastor]

He dies in our place.

[Lead Pastor]

For you and for me. But as they hung there for hours, one of those robbers had A revelation, as he's staring at this man, saying, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. One of those robbers gets a revelation, and he makes a simple prayer that

[Teaching Pastor]

changes the whole course of his life. Luke tells us what that robber said. In Luke chapter 23 and verse 39, one of the criminals who hanged railed against him, saying, are you not the Christ save yourself and us? But the other man rebuked him, saying, do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? Well, we, indeed, justly, we are receiving the due reward for our deeds. But this man, he says, has done nothing wrong. And he turns to Jesus on the cross and he says, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. A simple prayer of honesty and humility. And the Lord turns back to that man who did not deserve to get out of that situation, who did not deserve grace, who did not deserve anything that you and I have. And yet, while he's dying, Jesus says to him, truly, I say to you,

[Lead Pastor]

today you will be with me in paradise. And this man dies, and he wakes up in glory. And so I close with two words

[Teaching Pastor]

for two groups of people.

[Lead Pastor]

First, for the believer. Under the sound of my voice, I ask you, how in God's name can

[Teaching Pastor]

we read about the sacrifice of what Christ did for you and I? How could you see images of what Christ did for you and I and have no desire to love him, no desire to serve him? People gotta beg you to be in gatherings, beg you to lift a hand, beg you to be faithful, beg you to be generous. How in God's name do we read what Christ did for you? And I rescued you from damnation, saved you, recorded your name in the Lamb's Book of Life and have no desire to live for him, no desire to be faithful to him, no desire to walk after. But what our response should be, my brothers and sisters, to the cross? Our response to the cross should be a life of service, a life of surrender, a life of love, a life of humility, a life of generosity, a life of gratitude. That the only right response to the cross of Christ is a life laid out on the altar for the Lord Jesus, saying, lord, my life belongs to you. Your will be done and not my own. It is the cross that compels me to be a better husband to that woman over there. It is the cross that compels me to be a better father to my children. It is the cross that compels me to be a better pastor, a better shepherd, a better leader. It is the cross that Compels me to forgive people who have hurt me.

[Lead Pastor]

Repeat. It is the cross that compels me to forgive. It's the cross that compels me to love even people who are unlovable. It's the cross that compels me to let people go who have been holding in my heart for years.

[Teaching Pastor]

How could you receive, receive that level

[Lead Pastor]

of forgiveness and not restore that to other people?

[Teaching Pastor]

It is the cross that compels me to be a better follower of Jesus

[Lead Pastor]

is the thing that wakes me up

[Teaching Pastor]

in the morning and says, lord, for you I live.

[Lead Pastor]

And if they come and get me for you, I die for you and I, who call ourselves Christians, that's easy to post and that's easy to text. It's another thing to live like the Lord Jesus Christ. And our only response to the cross should be, lord, my life for your sacrifice. Like how long we're going to keep

[Teaching Pastor]

playing games, doing this before something in your heart says, for what he has

[Lead Pastor]

done for me, I surrender all for him. And I am moved to be a better believer in every sphere of influence for the unbeliever. Under the sound of my voice, God help you. You are headed for a punishment and a wrath you are not prepared for. But the Lord, in his love for you, nailed his son to the cross. That if you would just be honest and repent and say, I have committed sins and I am sorry for what I have done.

[Teaching Pastor]

If you would just be honest like that thief on the cross and cry

[Lead Pastor]

out, lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

[Teaching Pastor]

He might hear you today and he might respond to you today. He might reach down his hand and pull you out from the bottom of that pool like he did for me over a toilet seat when I was suicidal. So with every head bowed and every eye closed, Father, I pray first for the believer, God, that you would do a work in our hearts right now, more than just songs, more than just sermons. We will have a ferocious desire to live for you, to surrender all to you, that we will be radically loving, radically generous, radically giving, radically forgiving of others. God, I pray right now you give us grace to let people go who has hurt us, people who have abused us and mistreated us. I pray you give us the grace to let them go. It is a. An affront to the cross to hold

[Lead Pastor]

them in our hearts.

[Teaching Pastor]

I pray right now somebody would get delivered from the people they've been carrying in their hearts for years and decades. I pray there will be an outpouring of forgiveness in our hearts. I pray you would increase the desire in us to be better men and better women. Better disciples and better followers.

[Lead Pastor]

To be radically sold out for you.

[Teaching Pastor]

No more playing church. We want to live for you in every sphere of influence and be an agent. And, Father, I pray God for the unbeliever. Listen to me right now.

[Lead Pastor]

God, I pray.

[Teaching Pastor]

They're praying right now. They would pray in their own chair. They need nobody to touch them. That they will surrender right now. For tomorrow is not promised to them. Lord Jesus, please. I pray you would zip them up and fill them with the Holy Spirit. And that you would record their name in the Lamb's Book of Life. That they would know the pardons of their sins and live in purpose the rest of their days until they meet you in eternity. I thank you.

[Lead Pastor]

You're saving some man right now. Some woman right now is leaving here with a different future. Like that thief on the cross.

[Assistant Pastor]

Father, I pray this right now.

[Teaching Pastor]

When the mighty

[Lead Pastor]

and the majestic and the matchless name of the one who was crucified, that we may be saved in his mighty name. I pray. And all God's people, they just whisper amen and amen

[Assistant Pastor]

and amen. Would everybody stand to your feet and don't move. Gosh, man.

[Teaching Pastor]

Gosh, man. Lord,

[Lead Pastor]

If the cross can't compel you to live for him, what is the

[Assistant Pastor]

sermon going to do? I'm just a man.

[Lead Pastor]

I didn't die for you. Ain't nobody here shed blood for you,

[Assistant Pastor]

Man.

[Lead Pastor]

We rise tomorrow morning striving to say, Lord, I want to love you and serve you. I want to help others and be generous. I want to be kind.

[Teaching Pastor]

I want to forgive.

[Lead Pastor]

I want to love the way that you love. I want people to see me in

[Teaching Pastor]

you and you in me. I want to smell the fragrance of Christ coming off of me everywhere that I go.

[Lead Pastor]

Come on, man.

[Teaching Pastor]

Ain't that what the world needs to see

[Worship Leader]

that.