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welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our god for our call to worship you can turn to the prophet micah micah chapter 4. micah chapter 4 i'll read verses 1 to 5. now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow to it many nations shall come and say come and let us go up to the mountain of the lord to the house of the god of jacob he will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths for out of zion the law shall go forth and the word of the lord from jerusalem he shall judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations afar off they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nations shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more but everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree and no one shall make them afraid for the mouth of the lord of hosts has spoken for all people walk each in the name of his god but we will walk in the name of the lord our god forever and ever amen we'll turn in your hymn books to psalm 63 psalm 63 be as in bravo we'll stand as we sing together is is [Music] is [Music] us is [Music] so well let us pray our blessed god we come to you again and we thank you for this wonderful day we thank you for the sabbath this rest this down payment that looks forward to that eternal rest when we enter into the new jerusalem we give praise to you for the rest that we have in our lord jesus christ you have drawn us by your grace you've called us out of darkness and the marvelous light you've shown us the blessedness of the son of god and have granted us the grace to close with them and as we gather together tonight may we worship father son and holy spirit may we glorify honor and praise you for you are worthy you are most high and you are the god who made the world the god who governs the world and the god who has redeemed his elect out of it so we ask now that the holy spirit would be amongst us we pray that we would know and and see and appreciate the nearness of christ as our as our good in the midst of this lampstand and that as we remember in a special way tonight his death on the cross for us sinners help us to be drawn out in love and worship and adoration to our great god we confess our transgressions to you now we know father that you are a god of mercy a god of loving kindness a god of goodness and grace and we ask that you would forgive us and wash us in that precious blood we find so many scriptures in the bible this is not an isolated topic in in holy writ but the reality is is that you are abundant in your goodness to your people so god we pray now that you would indeed purify our hearts through faith and cause us to stand before you and to be able to sing your praises to pray to you to turn our attention to the holy word of god and in all things be exalted or enthroned upon the praises of your people here we ask god in heaven that you would be gracious and merciful to each and every family in this local church to all of the individuals we pray for your blessing upon our children and young people we know god this has been a strange last year and a half and we ask god in heaven that our our young ones would remember their creator and their youth we ask god in heaven that they would be looking unto jesus the author and finisher of faith and that father you would cause them to rise up and to be faithful adults seeking to glorify you and honor you as well father in our families help us to be faithful we read this morning in ephesians 5 of of your plan your design with reference to husbands and wives grant us grace in that reality god to maintain fidelity to holy scripture as well help us as parents to bring our children up in the training and admonition of the lord to always point them to that absolute authority that standard that word of truth and may we seek by grace to instill these things in them from their youth as well god we ask for your blessing upon the the those physically unwell in our congregation we ask that you would look with favor upon the new felts we ask god that you would look with favor upon those who've lost uh husbands even mrs van sheikh and mrs bolt we also pray our god and father that you would look with favor upon those ladies in our midst that are carrying little ones in the womb and we rejoice in your provision there we also pray god in heaven that you would help us to be faithful in this generation help us to shine as lights in in this crooked and perverse generation and we ask for boldness and courage to hold forth your word of truth be with the other churches that we hold near and dear to our hearts continue to build your church lord jesus christ we have the great promise and expectation that the gates of hades shall not prevail against it and god we do pray as well as we were reminded this morning the great suffering that the people of god face in other parts of the world we ask that you would look with favor upon them we think of the nation of china and we know there is great suffering there and we pray god for those those brethren that are faithful and seeking to maintain fidelity in the midst of a of a difficult situation we also pray for north korea we pray god in heaven for the very small fraction of people there that are believers in the lord jesus that you would just strengthen each and every one of them and cause them to persevere by your grace and for your glory and as well for those nations steeped in islam we know it is difficult to maintain fidelity or to maintain a profession in the midst of such such opposition to the gospel of our lord jesus christ we ask god that you would bless them that you would fill them with the spirit that you would cause them not to shrink back from confessing and owning christ jesus as lord and god please be merciful in afghanistan we know these are most tumultuous tumultuous times in that country we ask that you would be merciful that you would put in place some degree of order we ask god that you would vindicate your people that you would look with favor upon the saints there and cause them in the midst of suffering to nevertheless hold forth your word of truth and god we thank you for this time to meet together we ask that you would receive our worship as it comes through our lord jesus christ and the power of the holy spirit and we pray in jesus name amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 263 hymn number 263 will stand as we sing together [Music] see me [Music] oh yourself me our grace [Music] oh is is say well you could turn with me in your bibles to matthew 27 working our way through the passion narrative in matthew's gospel for our lord's supper services we find ourselves in verses 39 to 44 this evening but i'll begin reading in verse 27. so matthew chapter 27 at verse 27 then the soldiers of the governor took jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around him and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him when they had twisted a crown of thorns they put it on his head and a reed in his right hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying hail king of the jews then they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head and when they had mocked him they took the robe off him put his own clothes on him and led him away to be crucified now as they came out they found a man of cyrene simon by name him they compelled to bear his cross and when they had come to a place called golgotha that is to say place of a skull they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink but when he had tasted it he would not drink then they crucified him and divided his garments casting lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots sitting down they kept watch over him there and they put up over his head the accusation written against him this is jesus the king of the jews then two robbers were crucified with him one on the right and another on the left and those who passed by blasphemed him wagging their heads and saying you who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself if you are the son of god come down from the cross likewise the chief priests also mocking with the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save if he is the king of israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him he trusted in god let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said i am the son of god even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land and about the ninth hour jesus cried out with a loud voice saying eli eli lama sabachthani that is my god my god why have you forsaken me some of those who stood there when they heard that said this man is calling for elijah immediately one of them ran and took a sponge filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and offered it to him to drink the rest said let him alone let us see if elijah will come to save him and jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit and behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earthquake and the rocks were split and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the graves after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many so when the centurion and those with him who were guarding jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened they feared greatly saying truly this was the son of god and many women who followed jesus from galilee ministering to him were looking on from afar among whom were mary magdalene mary the mother of james and josie's and the mother of zebedee's sons amen well let us pray father in heaven we come to very very holy ground in terms of the passion of our lord jesus christ and we pray now for the spirit to guide us guide our thoughts our meditation cause us to reflect upon the great love of our lord jesus christ first to the father in terms of obedience with reference to the covenant of redemption and then with reference to us in the covenant of grace what blessed recipients we are of all of the redemptive benefit brought out by our blessed savior give us grace to freshly appreciate these things may we worship and glorify father son and spirit and again forgive us for all sin and everything that darkens our understanding and we ask through jesus christ our lord amen well as we look at this particular section in matthew 27 we have the crucifixion of jesus it's given in verses 32 to 54. we have the crucifixion proper which we looked at last time in verses 32 to 38 and then this afternoon we're going to look at the mockery of jesus while he is on the cross that's in verses 39 to 44 and then ultimately you have the death of jesus in verses 45 to 56 i think last time i reminded us of hebrews 12 2 where the apostle says looking unto jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame well as we survey the crucifixion of our lord there was no shortage of shame with reference to the savior he was mocked after the trial before the sanhedrin in chapter 26 67 and 68. he went or underwent a mock enthronement by the soldiers as we saw a couple of times ago in chapter 27 at verses 27 to 31 and then he is enthroned not on a throne but rather he's enthroned upon a cross now with reference to the background with uh to the mockery in verses 39 to 44. it is the trial before the sanhedrin essentially what we have is the sanhedrin accused him of blasphemy in chapter 26 at verse 65. well here he is blasphemed as well before the sanhedrin witnesses testified about his destruction of the temple and here the passers-by repeat that same thing also he is questioned concerning his identity as the son of god before the sanhedrin in chapter 26 at verse 63 and here he is taunted for that in verses 40 and 43. so essentially the sanhedrin that counsel that religious and political council of israel was engaged in not only a mock trial but here they're engaged in mockery of the one that they falsely condemned to death at the hands of pontius pilate so looking at the mockery of the crucified one in verses 39 to 44 there are three groups in the first place the blasphemy of the passers-by in verses 39 to 40. the basic rabble the hoi polloi the people that are standing around watching this situation secondly you have the mockery of the religious leaders in verses 41 and 40 43 and then the reproach of the robbers in verse 44. so with reference to these several parties they had an animus toward the son of god and while he's in deep distress not only in terms of the physical suffering but in terms of the judicial punishment inflicted by the father upon the son he is receiving the insult and the blasphemy and the mockery of man again may our hearts be drawn out in fresh appreciation to what the son of god went through on behalf of saving us from our sins it wasn't a walk in the park it wasn't a simple task as the apostle says who for the joy set the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame so let's look first at the blasphemy of the passers-by in verses 39 and 40. essentially as i said they were the part of the parties were people that were just in the in the vicinity remember back at verse uh 37 it says they put up over his head the accusation written against him this is jesus king of the jews in a parallel passage we learned that it was written in latin hebrew and great in other words they didn't do this in some esoteric place they didn't leave the beaten path to do this under the cover of darkness it was open it was publicized it was a an open setting for maximum deterrent effect in other words they would crucify him publicly so that anybody who might contend for the kingship of israel would see what their fate would be and then when we look at the particular language in verse 39 those who pass passed by blasphemed him that's a good translation some of the other translations have derided him the esv the niv has hurled insults at him the nasb has hurling abuse at him as i said earlier he is accused of blasphemy before the sanhedrin but now he is actually the target of blasphemy this word means to speak in a disrespectful way that demeans denigrates or maligns but then as well in relation to transcendent or associate entities in other words gods or deities it means to slander revile defame or to speak irreverently and piously or disrespectfully of or about a particular deity so these passers-by armed with just a little bit of information misinformation have the gall to actually mock the lord of glory while he is suffering on the cross as well they wag the head as they pass by and this was a sign of scorn derision and insult and also fulfills the 22nd psalm psalm 22 7 all those who see me ridicule me they shoot out the lip they shake the head it's very important for us to understand that everything that we find in the passion narrative is scripted in other words it was in fact the predetermined plan of god this was not accidental this was not haphazard this was not a plan b the savior willingly undertakes knowing full well what he is getting into and thus again expresses his love for us and for the father in terms of his obedience to the father with reference to that covenant of redemption now notice what these parties engage in in terms of the mockery or the blasphemies in the first place they highlight the inability of the temple builder notice in verse 40 and saying you who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself go back to chapter 26 where jesus is before the sanhedrin chapter 26 at verse 59 now the chief priests the elders and all the councils sought false testimony against jesus to put him to death i think we probably considered that clause when we were there they sought false testimony is that the task of the highest political and religious council in israel to seek out false testimony to utterly disregard the rules of evidence to disregard due process to disregard an emphasis on the truth they sought out false testimony against jesus notice in verse 59 to put him to death but found none even though many false witnesses came forward they found none but at last two false witnesses came forward and said this fellow said i am able to destroy the temple of god and to build it in three days so these passers-by knew enough about the trial before the sanhedrin to understand that jesus claimed to be the temple builder now again you need to understand this in the larger and broader context of redemptive history zechariah 6 12 and 13 indicated that the messiah the king to come would build the temple and so for jesus to claim the power to build the temple he does that in john john chapter 2 we read that this morning destroy this temple and in three days i will raise it up they said it's taken 46 years to build this temple will you raise it up in three days and then john the theologian tells us he was talking about the temple of his body it was a reference to the resurrection but as well in terms of zechariah's prophecy he would be the temple builder so the people had heard of the sanhedrin trial or they understood that statement from john 2 19. and in their minds think about it the one who had divine prerogative the one who had the sanction from on eye to build the temple ought to be able to evade a few roman guards he ought to be able to get out of this pretty nasty predicament he finds himself in and yet he's nailed to the cross so they mock him or blaspheme him in light of what they perceive to be the inability of the temple builder but notice they don't stop there they then engage in blasphemy concerning the illegitimacy of his sonship look at verse 40 toward the end if you are the son of god come down from the cross now when they say this if you are the son of god it's the same formulation that the devil uses in matthew chapter 4. in matthew chapter 4 at verse 3 and at verse 6 the devil tempts jesus in the same way if you are the son of god gil says as satan before them they put an if upon the sonship of christ now this command this present command again it's mockery it's blasphemy but it is a command if you are the son of god come down from the cross that like what the devil did was an attempt to derail or to disengage christ from going forward with the plan to save his people from their sin that's what these fools don't understand in the blasphemy and in the mockery and in the reproach the very thing they level against jesus what appears to them to be his inability to save himself is actually his obedience to the father in order to save us from our sins if he capitulates and he comes down from the cross just like if he capitulates in the wilderness in matthew 4 and and follows what the devil suggests then he derails the messianic mission that the lord god most high had given to him and that's the irony of the situation his unwillingness to save himself in their minds proved that he was in fact a deceiver but his unwillingness to save himself to the faithful among us is great cause for rejoicing and great cause for celebration and great cause for praise because we know the prophet isaiah said it pleased yahweh to bruise him he put him to grief why does he do that because he punishes christ in our stead so that he can take the righteousness of christ and impute it to us which we receive by faith alone so christ's blessedness is seen in the fact that he doesn't capitulate that he doesn't kowtow that he doesn't listen to the rabble spurgeon says it was because he was the son of god that he did not come down from the cross but hung there until he had completed the sacrifice for his people's sin christ's cross is the jacob's ladder by which we mount up to heaven if he does this then he will abandon the mission that the father had given to him so in their blasphemy and then in the mockery of the religious leaders what they taunt him with what they challenge him unto is precisely the means by which he fulfills the will of the father and he grants redemption to the likes of you and i now notice secondly the mockery of the religious leaders in verses 41 to 43 the parties go back to 16 and verse 21. jesus prophesied this jesus predicted this jesus knew this and he told his disciples as much matthew 16 21 from that time jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day that's the messianic agenda that's what he taught to his disciples but it's not just that he taught that to his disciples the emphasis say for instance in isaiah and as well in zechariah showed the nature of the king that would come in fulfillment of god's particular plan so going back to this mockery it is those parties the same men who made up the sanhedrin the leaders who had plotted his destruction now gather before the cross to continue their mockery of it again brethren let it sink in this isn't just something that happens you know in the space of a few minutes this was a long and prolonged instance of shame and while indeed christ despised the shame he nevertheless went through it we see a little shame in our lives and we want to fix it immediately we think that somebody's unhappy with us and we get all upset christ is hung on that cross bearing the wrath and fury of god almighty and he hears the passers-by and now he hears the sanhedrin and they mock him and again remember that this is the highest religious and political council in all of israel matthew poole makes this observation he says nothing is more inhuman than to mock such as are in the most extreme and utmost misery that's just part of human nature isn't it we reveal it or we say it this way don't add insult to injury don't heap up things on a person that is suffering and a person may be suffering for good cause a person perhaps that's executed in a proper sense or perhaps somebody that is going through something that they have brought upon them through justice but it's still wrong to heap upon them abuse it's still wrong to come to one of our fellows in the degradation of suffering and to heap upon them even more so poole says nothing is more inhuman than amok such as are in the most extreme and utmost misery and it is what we seldom hear from the worst of men but for the chief priests and elders not the hot-headed young men amongst them the magistrates and rulers of the jews to be guilty of such a barbarous behavior is amazing that these dignified leaders in israel first of all seek out false testimony in order to put him to death ultimately find false testimony upon which to put him to death and then go and frame the charges in such a way that pilate is pushed into a corner and he must respond with the death penalty they orchestrated all this this was a cunning plot on behalf of these wretches and now at the foot of the cross they continue to hurl abuse upon the son of god i think paul is absolutely right nothing is more inhuman we ought to respect the confines of humanity when it comes to such things i think i've shared before in deuteronomy 25 the giving out of corporal punishment to a criminal offender in israel was to be carried out with dignity with respect for the man as an image bearer of the living and true god all that's gone out the door they see christ as their enemy they see christ as their their target of abuse they see christ as that one who is not altogether lovely in their mindset but he's all together uh detestable and they are acting consistently with that now in terms of the specifics of their mockery it's threefold notice first the inability of christ as a savior look look at verse 41. likewise the chief priests also mocking what the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save now in matthew chapter 8 and chapter 9 we have several accounts where jesus went out and saved people not necessarily spiritually though that was included but he saved people in terms of miracle remember in matthew 5 to 7 he taught as one having authority not like the scribes well in matthew chapter 8 9 he acted as one who had authority and he went out and he healed people he saved people he engaged in mighty miracles and wondrous signs and deeds and yet here they're mocking him they say oh he saved others but he can't save himself now notice they up the ante if you go back to the passersby they say you who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself if you are the son of god come down from the cross that's a challenge they present a challenge to the son of god that's not what the chief priests and the scribes and the religious leaders do they make the declaration that he can't save himself notice he saved others himself he cannot save davies and allison say the leader's words go even further than those of the passers-by the latter challenged jesus to save himself the authorities are sure that he cannot again brethren the irony of the situation is that if he saves himself from that cross he doesn't save us from our sins it was a failure to appreciate on their part not just the declarations and profession of our predictions of jesus but it was the prophetic testimony psalm 22 isaiah 53 the suffering servant how would the king of israel enter into jerusalem he wouldn't come in a tank he wouldn't come strapped with armament he would come on the on on the back of a donkey and so they missed reading the prophets very clearly but as well in terms of the mission of the son of god turn back to matthew chapter one they had no consciousness whatsoever of the purpose for which jesus came matthew chapter 1 verse 18. now the birth of jesus christ was as follows after his mother mary was betrothed to joseph before they came together she was found with child of the holy spirit then joseph her husband being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example was minded to put her away secretly but while he thought about these things behold an angel of the lord appeared to him in a dream saying joseph son of david do not be afraid to take to you mary your wife for that which is conceived in her is of the holy spirit now notice and she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name jesus for he will save his people from their sins so they mock jesus and say oh he saved others but he can't save himself the mission was not for him to save himself the mission was declared it was to save us from our sins look over in matthew 20 at verse 28 all of these purpose clauses or purpose statements concerning the coming of the son of man in that first coming matthew chapter 20 verse 28 just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many again you might say well these religious leaders didn't hear him the disciples heard him they understood but even they really didn't understand they were kind of fumbling along uh in in in fog much of the time of the ministry of our lord jesus christ but again the prophetic testimony the prophetic witness the sacrificial system the reality as we've seen that israel must come to god a sinful israel must come to a holy god through a bloody knife and a smoking altar all of those were typological with reference to the lamb of god who would take away the sin of the world and he would do that by the sacrifice of himself same emphasis in chapter 26 chapter 26 specifically at verse 28. we'll read this in a few minutes later for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sin of sin so when it comes to this mockery he saved others himself he cannot save in order for him to save us he must stay on the cross calvin says it is too customary with all wicked men to estimate the power of god by present appearances so that whatever he does not accomplish they think that he cannot accomplish and so they accuse him of weakness whenever he does not comply with their wicked desire now that could definitely be extrapolated in a whole host of ways think about it it's too customary with all wicked men to estimate the power of god by present appearances we might suggest that that happens with the people of god as well judging god's power based on present circumstances judging god's power based on the certain situation that we find ourselves at but you see faith we walk by faith and not by sight so these men in their mockery say he saved others himself he cannot save the second aspect of their mockery is to child or as to highlight the illegitimacy of his kingship notice in verse 42 he is or if he is the king of israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him he again this is a mocking declaration he is the king of israel some of the translations have if others do not have if it doesn't fundamentally change the message but there are three statements that they make they say he saved others he is the king of israel and he trusted in god and again they do it in a mocking sense they are taking what christ claimed in his earthly ministry and what the disciples predicated of him and they use it as fodder at the base of the cross to mock the son of god and to present these challenges to him so they mock him in terms of the declaration and then notice this demand for a sign if he is the king of israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe in him we will look to him if he does what we say this is not the way of faith this is not the way to proceed this is not the way that grace demands or grace rather calls us to follow we don't demand of christ that he perform and then we will believe it is a challenge to him based on their own faulty understanding of the mission of the messiah and it underscores once again the wretchedness of unbelief because when jesus goes into the grave he will arise again after three days do these men then believe do these men then bow down do these men then say oh we were wrong during the course of his earthly ministry we were wrong at the base of the cross we should have never uttered those mock those mockeries no they never say that they are simply engaged in mockery of the son of god in his greatest time of distress and if you go back jesus spoke to this as well in matthew 12. matthew chapter 12 he's he indicts the nation he indicts the religious leadership in matthew 12 at verse 38 then some of the scribes and pharisees answered saying teacher we want to see a sign from you remember paul deals with this in 1st corinthians chapter 1. the jews seek after a sign the greeks seek after wisdom but we preach christ and him crucified same sort of thing here he answered and said to them an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet jonah which interestingly on the cross begins to find fulfillment it is this typology of jonah going into the whale which many believe he was dead in the belly of the whale and that he was resurrected by god most high and so that was a great and glorious type of what would happen to the lord jesus he would be crucified he'd go into the belly of the earth and he'd be raised again from the dead verse 40 for as jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth the men of nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of jonah and indeed a greater than jonah is here jesus knew what kind of people he was dealing with jesus understood that all too well before the sanhedrin and now on the cross he is the object the target of their continued mockery in terms of who he was and this lie and we will believe in him it is absolute deception on their part and fits the bill in terms of their inhumanity relative to the suffering of the son of god and then the third thing they mock him with is the impossibility of his sonship the same sort of thing that the pastors by dealt with notice what they say verse 43 he trusted in god let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said i am the son of god. so they're saying it's impossible that he's the son of god again brethren they're so foolish they don't understand that in this moment they are fulfilling the 22nd psalm listen to psalm 22 at verse 8 he trusted in the lord let him rescue him let him deliver him since he delights in him these men are in the process of fulfilling david's psalm many hundreds of years prior to the actual crucifixion of our lord they were fools that had read psalm 22 on many occasions but never for a moment had they reflected upon the reality that they were fulfilling it in being the ones that were antagonizing the object in psalm 22. that's the deal with foolish men they don't see things clearly they don't say things rightly the mockery is probably designed to shake his confidence in the father again like the devil in matthew chapter four david experienced this too from his contemporaries psalm 3 psalm 71 you may experience this in your life too i don't want to moralize the passage and bring us into where it doesn't belong but this idea of trying to shake our confidence in the living and true god if they're able to do this and jesus capitulates again he doesn't fulfill the mission to save his people from their sins he doesn't give himself up as a ransom for many he doesn't give his blood of the new covenant for the remission of sins so they are trying to bring a wedge between him and his father in terms of his faith with reference to the father and in fact this mockery is a challenge of god himself he trusted in god let him deliver him they're not only challenging christ seeking to introduce a breach there but they're challenging the father let him deliver him if this relationship obtains the way that christ says if he is in fact the embodiment of the prophetic testimony then let the father reach down right now and vindicate his son they do not understand the mess of the messianic mission they don't understand isaiah 53. brethren we take it for granted we read isaiah 53 a lot at the introduction of worship when we come for the lord's supper we read psalm 22 a lot praise god almighty we have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive that that's speaking of our lord jesus christ there's a whole lot of people that miss that these people that were fulfilling it missed that and they challenged the father in this particular escapade and the mockery demonstrates their utter failure to understand not only the prophets but the psalms and the words of christ davies and allison again say sonship does not mean leaving the cross but staying on it so everything that jesus is doing highlights that he is in fact the divine son of god highlights that he is in fact the king of israel highlights that he is in fact the the temple builder everything they've said that he's not by way of mockery and blasphemy his conduct on the cross confirms and affirms that he is most certainly those things all in accordance with the written word of the living and true god and then notice thirdly we'll pick up on this in a few moments but just to read even the robbers who were crucified with them reviled him with the same thing so the further indignity is seen in that the ones suffering the same fate mock him think about that you're on the cross you've taken the place of barabbas barabbas was the ringleader of these two men when we read that they were robbers or that they were criminals we should also understand that the word in the great not only means robber or criminal or highway man but it means revolutionary it means insurrectionist it means terrorists barabbas was the ringleader these two guys were his cronies his stooges his toadies and so now jesus comes at the behest of pilot rather at the behest of the nation of israel when pilate says who do you want barabbas or jesus give us barabbas and then pilate says what do i do with your king or what do i do with jesus the king they cry out away with him away with him crucify him so jesus takes the place of barabbas again not suggesting that barabbas is going to be at the marriage supper of the lamb we don't know maybe he did repent maybe he did believe but there is an emblem there is a symbol there is a a token of what substitutionary atonement looks like barabbas was scheduled to die and jesus takes his place now again adding insult to injury you have two men that are on the cross and that justly and their hurl reproaches at jesus they hurl insults at jesus and again the fulfillment of scripture psalm 22 but i am a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised by the people i think that you've probably heard that there are some in the church today that don't like singing that song that speaks of us as being worms and so they change the word to sinner as if sinner is somehow better than worm brethren worm is much better than sinner because worms do what worms do they don't rebel against god they don't transgress the law of god they certainly don't lack conformity unto it they wiggle around in the dirt they copulate they make more worms and they do great things for the soil so i mean the whole idea that well we can't refer to ourselves as worms is an affront to how the lord jesus refers to himself in the prophetic testimony in psalm 22. i am a worm and no man he is speaking to how he is being treated and then in psalms 69 20 reproach has broken my heart and i am full of heaviness i looked for someone to take pity but there was none and for comforters but i found none remember his disciples we've already seen that in chapter 26 they all forsake him they all flee from him again the symbolism there is that he must go it alone he's not helped along by anyone in the messianic agenda he's not lifted up and supported by mary he's not lifted up and supported by james or john or peter he goes it alone in terms of the the task that is set before him but nevertheless remember christ is true humanity he has all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof and yet without sin i mean if it's the case with us as being real men and women when we're being condemned or we're being insulted or when we're being mocked or reproached that doesn't feel good and brethren typically we deserve at least a little bit of it we deserve at least a little bit of it because we are sinners and if everybody actually knew what we were the reproach would be a whole lot more but he was wholly harmless and undefiled and none of this was legit and yet on the cross he bears it he endures or despises the shame he endures the cross for the joy that was set before him so the robbers blaspheme and mock him as i said we'll revisit the robbers in just a few minutes in light of luke 23 39-43 remember a change comes over one of the robbers remember that he begins the day by blaspheming the lord jesus and he ends the day by being in the presence of the lord jesus in paradise spurgeon refers to this particular man the confer a conversion of the penitent thief was all the more remarkable because he had but a little while before been amongst the mockers of the savior what a trophy of divine grace he became isn't that beautiful think about that and again the contemplate the great love of the savior i gotta tell you man if people were mocking me or reproaching me i certainly wouldn't conduct myself like that i doubt any of us would we would want to vet we would want to lash out think about it brothers and sisters when your husband or your wife comes to you with a bit of constructive criticism do you openly receive it do you openly say oh yeah faithful to the wounds of a friend give me five more no we're not like that we don't like to be talked to any way that is negative because it damages our delicate psyche we get defensive we say well what about you we'd like to throw it right back at that christ went through this like a lamb before it shearers and he was silent he bore the wrath and fury of god almighty and all the while here's the passersby the religious leaders and these robbers continue to blaspheme and to mock him well in conclusion a couple of lessons and then we'll move to the supper in the first place the unparalleled wickedness of the mockers brethren total depravity is a reality every single one of us is affected by sin as or in adam all die romans chapter 5 but with reference to the sons of adam i'm not trying to suggest that there are sort of levels or gradations of how bad people are but some people take that total depravity and they really run with it look back in the history of the world now saitan look back at joseph stalin look back at adolf hitler look at paul pott look at the various specimens of human history that have really really ran with this whole moniker of total depravity well these men are wretched this was the religious leadership in israel in the first century it was decadent just to give you a bit of a heads up when we returned to john's gospel next sunday morning jesus cleanses the temple he does that at the end in matthew mark and luke in the synoptics it has caused some frustration or consternation among bible commentators well how do we navigate how do we fit it in terms of the chronology simple he cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry and he cleansed the temple at the end of his ministry it was symbolic again the wine the celebr celebratory wine of new covenant blessing had arrived and why because of the decadence and the vileness and the wretchedness of first century israel these men were wicked their lack of anything remotely appropriate to humanity again brethren we need to even respect image bearers in their suffering and death secondly their solidarity with the devil in challenging the lord both in matthew four uh four verse three and six attempting to break christ's confidence in the father and attempting to derail him from the mission as well they're folly of demanding a sign and and look at the way they frame it it's almost as if he's to blame well if he comes down from the cross then we will believe we had no business putting him there we're not sure how he got there but if he happens to calm down well then we'll believe in him they are perverse in their mindset matthew henry said to promise ourselves that we would believe if we had such and such means and motives of faith as we prescribe when we do not improve what god has appointed is not only a gross instance of the deceitfulness of our hearts but the sorry refuge or subterfuge rather of an obstinate destroying infidelity in other words they had an abundance of data that they should have believed in in terms of the prophets in terms of the psalter and in terms of the ministry of the lord jesus for them to say well if he comes down from the cross well then then we'll believe remember another context where jesus upgrades a man not like he's an apostate but certainly like a man who should have known better thomas says unless i see unless i touch i will certainly not believe what does jesus do he pronounces a beatitude upon those who believe even though they have not seen and then as well their contrast with the faithful very intriguing who's the faithful in terms of the foot of the cross look down at verse 54. so when the centurion and those with him who were guarding jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened they feared greatly saying truly this was the son of god so the centurion and his fellow soldiers confessed what john says in the prologue in the beginning was the word the word was with god and the word was god as well notice the contrast with the women verse 55 and many women who followed jesus from galilee ministering to him were there looking on from afar among whom were mary magdalene mary the mother of james and jose's and the mother of zebedee's sons and then joseph of arimathea in verses 57 to 61. so there is this contrast between the passers-by the religious leaders and at least one of the robbers with reference to the centurion and soldiers the women and joseph of arimathea secondly let us observe the unsurpassed glory of the savior the unsurpassed glory of the savior he is everything they mocked him about he is in fact the one spoken of in the old testament he is the temple builder he is the king of israel he is in fact the son of god as well the mockery that he saved others but he cannot save himself while he's engaged in the as the recipient of that bit of mockery he is actually saving sinners he's saving the man next to him he's saving you and i he's engaged in the work that the father had given him and then with reference to the robber the robber sees the glory of christ when others see the object of blasphemy and mockery remember the parallel account in luke's gospel the robber sees the glory in fact you can turn there luke 23 end on a positive note here luke chapter 23 at verse 39 then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying if you are the christ save yourself and us but the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god seeing you are under the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the reward of our deeds or the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong then he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom that is a great expression of faith the robber sees the glory of christ when everybody else around him sees the target of mockery and blasphemy this led calvin to say i know not that since the creation of the world there ever was a more remarkable and striking example of faith and so much the greater admiration is due to the grace of the holy spirit of which it affords so magnificent to display now brethren just sort of transport yourself back don't envision jesus that's a second commandment violation but envision the reality that jesus on the cross is not walking on the water jesus on the cross is not stealing the storm jesus on the cross is not multiplying the loaves jesus on the cross isn't raising lazarus from the dead that's what his disciples all witnessed jesus on the cross is bloodied jesus on the cross is beaten jesus on the cross is battered and bruised this led rile to make this observation he only saw our lord in agony and in weakness in suffering and in pain he saw him undergoing dishonorable punishment deserted mocked despised blasphemed he saw no scepter no royal crown no outward dominion no glory no power no signs of might and yet the dying thief believed and looked forward to christ's kingdom isn't that blessed isn't that wonderful as well the robber sees jesus as lord who possesses a kingdom and is able to save sinners we saw that with the pharisee and the publican remember the publican couldn't even look up into heaven he beats his breast and he says god be merciful to me the sinner he not only sees god as merciful but he sees god as one he can cast himself upon for the the the benefit of mercy this man sees christ likewise lord remember me have mercy on me when you come into your kingdom he's justified by grace alone through faith alone in christ alone the robber is in fact a trophy of divine grace and a blessed argument to each and every one here that perhaps haven't believed on him to believe on him if in the midst of mockery blasphemy suffering and and conte receiving in himself the due penalty for our sin from the wrath of a holy god he nevertheless is saving a sinner next to him there is mercy to be had for us so let us by grace look to him in faith and let us know the joy of being found in him not having a righteousness of our own which is from the law but that righteousness which is from god that is received through faith in jesus well let us pray our god and our father we thank you so very much for our savior what a wonderful savior the temple builder the king of israel the son of god the one who saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto god through him may you increase our faith in him may you increase our love and our devotion and our appreciation for such a great and glorious savior as we consider what he went through on our behalf may it melt our hard hearts and may it cause us may be an argument for us to worship and to praise in a manner that is consistent with what we find in holy scripture help us to imbibe that that guilt and grace and gratitude mindset and to respond with worship to our great god who has saved us from our sins and for any and all here who have not believed may they look at this trophy of divine grace may they look at this robber and may they see that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and may they see that jesus is a willing savior for needy sinners and we ask in his most blessed name amen we can turn back in your bibles to matthew chapter 26 well we'll read the section concerning the supper that we find beginning in verse 26 but i want to make a few reminders or give a few reminders in terms of our time at the lord's supper first of all it's an ordinance for believers only for believers only not unbelievers it's not a converting ordinance we don't think that if you eat this bread and drink this cup you will become christians so if you're not a believer here tonight please do not participate in terms of eating the bread and drinking the wine as well the ordinance of the supper is for believers who are seeking by grace to deal with their sin in a manner consistent with the word of god this was the issue in first corinthians chapter 11 they had a common meal in conjunction with the supper and that that common meal the haves were excluding the have-nots and so the apostle upgrades them he's pretty severe with them he says whatever it is you're doing it's not celebrating the lord's table because the lord's table is to be an expression not only of our love to christ but of our love for one another and in that context they were not showing or evidencing love for one another and so he counsels he exhorts or encourages us to examine ourselves to to to to to look inward not stay there but to look inward to make sure we are by grace dealing with our sins godward and man word as well the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine they don't become something other there is no change that takes place the doctrine of transubstantiation that the roman catholics maintain and consubstantiation that the lutherans maintain is not what the bible teaches jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically when he says this is my body this is my blood he doesn't mean actually he doesn't mean literally he doesn't mean we're actually ingesting him into our own selves now these these elements are moved from a common use sanctified to a to a sacred use if you will but they don't become something other they remain bread and they remain wine and as i always like to encourage us the focus of the supper is on christ make sure that you are dealing with your sin but don't stay there you are to be preoccupied with the savior you're to be preoccupied with christ he doesn't say do this in remembrance of you now i know we all like that and we'd love to do everything in remembrance of us but that's not the focus of the supper do this in remembrance of me and then practically the juice is in the outer ring so when the elements are passed around if you are inclined to take the juice it's on the outside of the circle and the wine is on the inside of the circle so if the brothers would come now and we'll sing while they pass out the bread number 276 we'll read the section appropriate to the bread pray and then take the bread but for now we'll sing 276 you may remain seated [Music] so [Music] is oh is [Music] me is me is is [Music] in matthew 26 at verse 26 we read and as they were eating jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body let us pray our blessed god we thank you for what we've read in holy scripture tonight what we read throughout the entirety of the bible concerning the suffering servant of the lord we give praise to you most high god that he gave himself as a ransom for the sins of others we give praise to you that you've included us in this blessed plan and we give praise to you lord god most high that you have given the church this ordinance so that we can publicly proclaim his death until he comes again and god bless us now strengthen us now and may you be glorified in this and we ask through jesus christ our lord amen we'll take together well you can turn to 340 and again remain seated 340. oh is oh is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] three is my size [Music] um first for this is blood of new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but i say to you i will not grant you this fruit lion from now on until that day when i drank it new with you in my father's kingdom when they had sung to him they went out god we look forward to that day when we are in the presence of the lamb of god we look forward to that day when all will be made new when all will be glorious and wondrous when this old world passes away and only the new jerusalem stands firm we ask god until that time we would seek by grace to be faithful that we would make much of christ in our lives that we would love him that we would honor him that we would adore him and we thank you for the blood of the new covenant which is shed for the remission of sins for many thank you for your blessing us thank you for granting us the graces of faith and repentance giving us a saving interest in our lord jesus christ and may you encourage our hearts now we pray in his most blessed name amen we'll take together we can turn to 352 352 we'll stand as we sing together so [Music] oh is [Music] is [Music] the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace god in heaven thank you for a full sabbath day thank you for your many blessings to us thank you for the fellowship of the saints for the church of the lord jesus christ and the privilege that is ours to gather in the house of the living and true god to sing your praises to hear your word and to see christ in the sacrament god go with us now we pray and we pray in his most blessed name amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation you