SHALL I CRUCIFY MY SAVIOR? Introduction: A. (Slide #2) We Know That The Crucifixion Of Jesus Was In The Predestined Plan That The Godhead Designed. 1. So you could correctly say, Jesus died because it was in God s plan. 2. ( ) Ac. 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 3. ( ) Lk. 23:22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! 4. (Slide #3) I Pet. 1:18-21 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 5. ( ) So when the timing was right, He came to the Earth! Gal. 4:4,5 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6. ( ) Imagine the stress and anguish knowing what He was facing!!! Lk. 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 7. (Slide #4) And yet, He was willing to take that role: a. Jn. 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. b. Jn. 10:15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. c. Jn. 10:18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. 1
d. Tit. 2:13,14 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. B. ( ) Today We Examine Those Who Crucified Jesus Christ. C. ( ) Then We Turn And Look At Ourselves In Comparison To Those People. D. Hymn Shall I Crucify My Savior? Verse 1: Shall I crucify my Savior, When for me He bore such loss? Shall I put to shame my Savior, Can I nail Him to the cross? Chorus: Shall I crucify my Savior? Crucify my Lord again. Verse 2: Are temptations so alluring, Do their pleasures so enthrall; That I cannot love my Savior, Well enough to meet them all? Chorus: Shall I crucify my Savior? Crucify my Lord again. Verse 3: Twas my sins that crucified Him, 2
Shall they crucify Him yet; Blackest day of nameless anguish, And my thankless soul forget. Chorus: Shall I crucify my Savior? Crucify my Lord again. Verse 4: O, the kindly hands of Jesus, Pouring blessings on all men; Bleeding, nail-scarred hands of Jesus, Can I nail them once again? Chorus: Shall I crucify my Savior? Crucify my Lord again. Verse 5: Shall I crucify my Savior? Crucify my Lord again. -- Lyrics by Carrie E. Breck; Music by Grant Colfax Tullar about 1896. I. (Slide #5) Why Did People Crucify Jesus? A. ( ) Religious Leaders Rejected Him! 1. Mt. 20:18,19 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again. 3
2. They did not want to lose their authority and power! 3. Thus they HATED Him and wanted Him out of the picture! B. ( ) The Multitudes That Allowed Themselves To Be Stirred Into A Frenzy By Envious Chief Priest. 1. Mk. 15:11-13 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. 12 Pilate answered and said to them again, What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews? 13 So they cried out again, Crucify Him! 2. Mt. 27:20-25 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release to you? They said, Barabbas! 22 Pilate said to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said to him, Let Him be crucified! 23 Then the governor said, Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out all the more, saying, Let Him be crucified! 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it. 25 And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children. 3. They were a frenzied, hate-filled, irrational mob! C. (Slide #6) A Covetous Apostle Betrayed Him! 1. He criticized those who showed love for the Lord. a. Jn. 12:4-6 When Mary anointed his feet with expensive oil, Judas criticized her; the money should have been given to the poor! But, he did not care for the poor; he was a thief; he was the treasurer and he embezzled money from the treasury! b. He was driven by greed! 2. Mt. 26:21-25 Now as they were eating, He said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me. 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, Lord, is it I? 23 He answered and said, He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, You have said it. 4
D. ( ) Political Pressure. 1. Jn. 19:12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. 2. Jn. 19:15 But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar! E. ( ) Avoidance! 1. Pilate just wanted to ignore the situation! 2. Mk. 15:13 Then Pilate said to them, Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out all the more, Crucify Him! 3. Lk. 23:21,22 But they shouted, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him! Then he said to them the third time, Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go. F. ( ) Ridicule! 1. He was ridiculed as an egotistical, self-glorifying maniac. 2. At His trials He was ridiculed as a king -- had a robe placed upon his and for a crown, a crown of thorns! Mt. 27:29; Mk. 15:17; Jn. 19:5 3. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 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. 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 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. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God. 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Mt. 27:39-44 II. (Slide #7) Shall I Crucify My Savior? A. (Slide #8) Heb. 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 5
B. The Jewish Christians Were Being Encouraged To Deny That Jesus Was The Christ, To Give Up Christianity, And To Return To The Law Of Moses. What Is The Condition Of One Who Denies That Jesus Is The Messiah? 1. They were being encouraged to reject Christ for that which was inferior -- the Law of Moses! That is spiritually deadly! 2. Impossible 4-6 a. See the use of impossible in 6:18, 10:4; and 11:6 b. It does not mean: 1. Difficult. 2. Not easy. c. It means completely impossible! d. WHAT is impossible? 1. It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 2. Who is being discussed? a. Those once for all enlightened about the Messiah. b. Those who had tasted or experienced the heavenly gift, salvation. c. Those who were made partakers of the Holy Spirit; they had received the miraculous gifts. d. Those who tasted the good word and the powerful deeds of the coming age. They experienced the Word of God and the miracles that had been promised by the prophets. 3. It is impossible to renew those who have come to Christ and Christianity and then turned away from Him and openly rejected Him as the Messiah. a. If they rejected Jesus as the Christ and returned to a system that looked for a COMING MESSIAH, they were spiritually doomed! b. They returned to an inferior system that had been replaced. It was also a system that could not remove sin. c. To reject Jesus, the Savior, and to return to the Law of Moses was to reject Him and everything He did! 4. This is NOT suggesting one cannot return to Him and be forgiven! 5. Too, it is NOT suggesting that a Christian cannot have forgiveness of sin. 6. We must acknowledge that to reject the Truth and to return to ANY ERROR can make repentance very difficult. a. Pride kicks in. b. Backed into a corner. 7. However, to reject Christ and Christianity is to reject salvation completely! 6
C. I Pray That NONE OF US WOULD EVER Say, JESUS IS NOT THE MESSIAH AND SAVIOR! D. Would You Crucify Him (Totally Denounce Him) Because: 1. Religious Leaders Hated And Denounced Him? 2. You Got Caught Up In A Popular Frenzied Mob? 3. You Were Offered Money To Reject Him? 4. Of Political Pressure? 5. You Wanted To Avoid Pressure From Others? 6. People Ridicules Him And You? E. Remember -- To TOTALLY Denounce And Reject Him As The Messiah And Savior Is To Put Yourself In A Situation Where It Is IMPOSSIBLE To Be Forgiven! 1. If you denounce Him as the Messiah and Savior, pray tell who is going to save you? 2. If you live there until you die, you are doomed eternally! III. (Slide #9) Oh, But There IS Hope For Those Who Embarrass Themselves Terribly! Who Can Be Forgiven? A. (Slide #10) Those Who Shouted CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM! 1. Lk. 23:21; Jn. 19:6 Crucify Him, crucify Him! 2. They were among the first to whom the Gospel was proclaimed and the invitation for forgiveness was extended! 3. Ac. 2:36,37 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 4. The remedy for their sin: Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; Ac. 2:38 7
B. ( ) The Most Rabid Opponent -- Saul Of Tarsus! 1. He was a vicious opponent of Christ, the Church, and Christians. a. He consented to Saul s stoning. Ac. 8:1 b. Ac. 8:3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. c. He was nearing Damascus with the determination to arrest, imprison, and have Christians murdered! Ac. 9:1,2 d. This is the man who later described himself as the chief of sinners! I Tim. 1:15 2. Yet, the Lord blinded him, humbled him, and offered him salvation through His messenger Ananias, Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Ac. 22:16 C. ( ) Those Who Deny Him! 1. Who fits this more than the Apostle Peter? 2. He denied His Lord 3 times on the night of His arrest. Mt. 26:69-75 3. Denying Jesus is NOT crucifying Him! a. Peter denied Him 3 times. b. Mt. 26:69-75 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying. 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 But again he denied with an oath, I do not know the Man! 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you. 74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the Man! Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. So he went out and wept bitterly. c. Lk. 22:61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. 4. Yet, the Lord offered agonizing Peter hope and forgiveness 5 weeks later, Jn. 21:15-18. 5. 2 weeks later Peter is leading the Apostles in proclaiming Jesus in Ac. 2; Eight years later he is inviting the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius into the Kingdom, Ac. 10! 8
D. (Slide #11) Fornicators. 1. The woman caught in the act of adultery was encouraged to repent; she would be forgiven! Jn. 8:1-11 2. The fornicating member of the church at Corinth! I Cor. 5; II Cor. 2:1-8 E. ( ) One Who Sins Very Soon After Becoming A Christian. 1. Simon the Sorcerer was in awe of Philip s miracles and of the Apostles laying hands on new Christian and giving them miraculous gifts. Ac. 8:5-17 2. He coveted the power to pass miraculous gifts on to others. Ac. 8:18,19 3. He was strongly condemned for desiring something that was not his privilege. Ac. 8:20-23 4. He repented and pled for forgiveness. Ac. 8:24 F. ( ) A Prodigal! 1. That was the purpose of the Parable Of The Prodigal Son! Lk. 15:11-24 2. And he will forgive an alien sinner (one who has never come to Him) or a prodigal Christian even if is just before death! That is the point of the Parable Of The Laborers In The Vineyard! Mt. 20:1-16 G. (Slide #12) Who Will He Forgive? 1. ( ) I Jn. 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 2. (Slide #13) I Jn. 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 3. Yes, even a betrayer like Judas, if he had not in shame and guilt committed suicide! Ac. 1:18-20 4. Yes, even one who crucifies Him afresh by renouncing His confession and denouncing Jesus as the Messiah! If he repented, acknowledged that Jesus truly IS the Messiah, and confessed Him as the Son of God, He could be forgiven! 9
(Slide #14) Conclusion: A. How IMPERATIVE It Is For People To Know Who Jesus Is! 1. Jn. 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 2. Men must come to faith and confess as the eunuch did, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God! Ac. 8:37 B. We Like Paul Must Believe And Profess: For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I Cor. 2:2 C. He SO DESERVES Our Respect, Love, Admiration, And Adoration! 1. I Jn. 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 2. I Jn. 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. D. May We Adore Him! May We Never Crucify Him! Rev. 5:11,12 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! E. This Crucified, Resurrected Savior Calls You To Faith, Repentance, And Submission In Baptism As We Stand And Sing! 10