THE BLESSING FROM THE TRAGEDY ON CALVARY
Luke 23:23-35, John 19:25-30
23 But with
loud shouts, they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts
prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man
who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked
for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
26 As they
led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the
country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A
large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for
him.
Luke
23:32-35
32 Two other
men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they
came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the
criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided
up his clothes by casting lots.
John
19:25-30
25 Near the
cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom
he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your
son," 27 and to the disciple,
"Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into
his home.
28 Later,
knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be
fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they
soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and
lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he
had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he
bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
FOR YOUR
INFORMATION
The weight
of the cross was 165 to 300 pounds
The crossbar
was 70 to 90 pounds. Some believe Jesus only carried the
Crossbar.
The average
height of a man was 5 feet 7 inches.
Jesus may have weighed 160 to
170
pounds. The length of the cross was over
7 feet
The
Tragedy
On the Road
to Calvary, you will find many bystanders.
There will
be nonbelievers, liars, thieves, deceitful people,
Greedy
people, proud people, lovers of selves, prostitutes,
And would be
churchgoers. As Believers, are to separate ourselves
From the
world. Every believer came from this lot.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
Jesus came
to save the world from sin. He was rejected by His
Own people.
The Israelites, God’s chosen nation rejected Him
And
delivered Him to be crucified.
The sick
were healed, the lame walked, the blind receive their
Sight, the
dead were brought to life, and demons were cast out.
On one
occasion, Jesus fed five thousand, and another time, He fed
4000 not
counting women and children.
These same
people stood in the crowd on Friday morning and yelled crucify Him.
All have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
To get out
of the crowd, you must get on the road to Calvary.
What is the biblical definition of Calvary?
Golgotha, (Aramaic: “Skull”) also called
Calvary, (from Latin calva: “bald head” or “skull”), the skull-shaped
hill in ancient Jerusalem, the site of Jesus' crucifixion. It is referred
to in all four Gospels
The road to
calvary is paved with 5 characteristics
Submission to the Will of the Father
Personal Sacrifice
Study of God’s Word
Redemption
VICTORY
SUBMISSION
Jesus, before
entering the judgment hall was in prayer
At the Mount
of Olives while His disciples slept.
Luke
22:42-43
"Father,
if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be
done."
The road to
Calvary cannot successfully be traveled without submission
To the
commands of God. We must submit ourselves to the guidance
And the direction
of the Holy Spirit.
God has
given us His divine Word in the 66 Books of the Bible.
The love of
God is evidenced in keeping His commandments.
Throughout
Jesus’s 3 ½ years on earth, it was the words of the
Father that
He spoke.
John
12:48-50
For I did
not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say
and how to say it. 50 I
know that his command leads to eternal life
When we are
disobedient to the Commands of God, we add trouble
To our lives
on the road to Calvary. Adam, the first man, did well until
He disobeyed
God’s command. From that point on the world became
in need of
salvation.
The trials
and tribulations and the rough spots in life are smooth out
By our
submission to the commands of the Father.
Submission
brings fruit to Jesus's promise that I will never leave you or
Forsake
you.
On the road
to Calvary, we will experience
Pain and sorrow, Deceit,
Scorn, Guilt,
Cruelty,
Grief
None of this is outside the will of the
Father.
The Word says that the Life of a man is but a
few days, but
Filled with sorrow. We should not be surprised
when trouble
Comes our way.
The road to
calvary is paved with submission
SACRIFICE
One Friday
evening, Jesus died on a hill called Calvary on an old rugged cross for
Our
salvation. He paid the price for our sins with the shedding of
His
blood. He paid the ransom to His Father
for us.
Our walk on
Calvary’s road is paved with sacrifice. Each step
We make,
must be a sacrifice.
Ephesians
5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly
loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Christ set
the example for us to follow,
Hebrews
13:15-16
Through
Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the
fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to
share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
You cannot
walk this road to Calvary without sacrifice. It cost you something
To be on
Calvary’s road.
Matthew
10:37-40
"Anyone
who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who
loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who
does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his
life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
The road to
calvary is paved with submission, sacrifice, and the Word
The road to
Calvary is paved with The Word Of God.
2 Timothy
2:15
15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
God gave us
an excellent example of putting His Word into practice.
It’s in the
text.
Luke
23:26-27
As they led
him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the
country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Simon was a
family man, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
God does not
tell us, but perhaps he came from Africa to celebrate the
Passover.
He was a
black man. I bet you never paid attention to his presence.
Simon of
Cyrene was forced to carry to the cross of Jesus.
He was
called out of a crowd of darkness
All of us
have been called out of darkness into the marvelous Light.
Jesus was beaten
and bruised with open wombs and was bleeding.
When the
cross of Jesus was put on Simon, this black man
Was covered with the blood of Jesus.
You and I
have been called out of the crowd of a sinful world
To be
covered with the blood of Jesus.
This
indicates that salvation is for everybody regardless of
Race creed
or color
The Lord
could have called 12 legions of angels to carry His cross.
He placed
Simon in the crowd to be called out.
Simon was
just coming into the city, so he was not part of the
The crowd who
yelled crucify Jesus.
It is the
divine will of God to place us where He gets the glory.
There were
12 gates into the city of Jerusalem. Outside the Sheep Gate
Was Golgotha,
about 150 feet. Simon was guided by God to enter this
Gate at the
time Jesus was being brought out of the judgment hall.
According to
the text, Simon was compelled to follow Jesus
Carrying the
cross behind Him. Simon was given the
opportunity to
Study the
Word by following Jesus.
I supposed
that the first thing Simon noticed was that there was power in
The blood.
The cross weighed between 160 to 300
pounds, and may
Have been 7
feet in length. It is one thing to carry weight downhill,
But another
to carry it uphill.
There is no
mention of Simon struggling to carry the cross uphill to
Calvary
mount.
I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.
The second
thing Simon learned from the Word was Jesus did not
Complain.
Sometimes
God places us in situations to teach us to trust Him.
Complaining
never solves a problem. Leaning on the
Lord is the
The solution
to all our problems.
Be anxious
for nothing, but everything by prayer and supplication with
Thanksgiving
let you request be known to the Lord
Third Simon
learned the comfort of the Lord.
As Jesus was
walking by women were crying for Him. Jesus said don’t
Weep for
me. Weeping may endure for a night, but
there will be joy
In the
morning.
As Simon
followed Jesus, He learned the mercy of the Lord.
Roman
soldiers were dividing up His garments. Jesus said, Father
Forgive them
for they do not know what they are doing.
There are
sins of omissions and sins of commissions.
Each of us is
still ignorant of the Word of God. We
Sin out of
habit and under the pressures of Life. Sometimes
We sin
unknowingly. It is the mercy of God that continues
Cover us
with the blood of Jesus.
Psalms 86:16
Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your
strength to your servant
and save the
son of your maidservant.
Walking
behind Jesus, Simon learned the compassion of the Lord.
On the way
to Calvary, Jesus saw His mother and John standing
Together.
John
19:25-27
When Jesus
saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said
to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your
mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Jesus
reminds us that we are our brother’s keeper. We are made responsible
For the
welfare of others.
I asked
myself why did Jesus choose John to take care of His Mother?
He had four brothers
and several sisters. (James, Joses, Simon, Judas (not Iscariot))
Where were
James and Jude, they became disciples after Jesus' death.
God’s ways
are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
On a hill
called Calvary, Simon of Cyrene a black man from Africa
learned the
job of discipleship.
Luke
23:40-43
But the other criminal rebuked him.
"Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same
sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.
But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he
said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Salvation
comes after confession of sins and faith in Jesus.
Discipleship
begins upon our confession of faith.
The road to
Calvary is paved with submission, sacrifice, the study of God’s word
REDEMPTION
43 Jesus
answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in
paradise."
Simon
learned the power of confession to bring people to Jesus.
Simon
witnessed Redemption.
Confession
of our sins and faith in Jesus is automatic redemption.
If you
haven’t accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, while you got
Breath in
your body do it now.
The criminal
on his bed of affection accepted Jesus as his last act.
Salvation is
not based on works but faith in Jesus by His mercy.
The road to
Calvary is paved with Submission, Sacrifice, the Study of God’s
Word and
Redemption and victory.
VICTORY
Finally,
Simon witnessed the completion of God’s plan of redemption
Luke
23:44-46
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness
came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining.
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud
voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said
this, he breathed his last.
Oh death, Oh
death where is your sting.
In Jesus, we
have victory over life’s problems
We are
victorious in Jesus.
Simon from
Africa was given the opportunity to serve God in the
Most
humbling way. He followed after Jesus with the cross.
Simon a
family man from Africa, witness the fulfillment of the Law
And the
beginning of the age of Grace.
Are you
willing to carry the cross of Jesus?
In Summary
on the Road to Calvary, we learn five
Christian Characteristics
SUBMISSION
TO THE WILL OF THE FATHER
PERSONAL
SACRIFICE
THE STUDY
OF GOD’S WORD
REDEMPTION
VICTORY
Rev. M.
Mitchell
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