Sermon Notes West Side Church of Christ, Searcy, Arkansas Have We Forgotten The Scars? Steve W. Reeves, November 2, 2014 AM INTRODUCTION A. John Gordon was a Confederate general during the Civil War. He was one of Robert E. Lee s most trusted advisors and later served the state of Georgia as Governor and U.S. Senator. During his bid to become a senator a man who had served under him in the war, angry over some incident, wanted to see him defeated. He was prepared to cast his vote against the General but he couldn t help but notice how this once handsome man was disfigured with the scars of battle. His anger subsided and he said, It s no use; I can t do it. I vote for John Gordon. Forgive me, General. I had forgotten the scars. 1. Perhaps you have scars this morning from an injury or some type of surgery. 2. I want to remind us of the scars Jesus bore as a result of the crucifixion. The scars on his hands and feet from the nails that joined flesh and wood. The scar on His side where a Roman spear was thrust bringing forth blood and water. The scars from his back where a Roman flagrum had torn and ripped the skin and the scars on his scalp where the crown of long thorns had been imbedded. B. What do those scars mean? What does the crucifixion of Jesus mean to us almost two thousand years after it occurred? C. What do you think of when you see a cross? 1. Some people wear crosses as pieces of jewelry. We see crosses prominently displayed in church buildings and even embossed on covers of Bibles. 2. If you had lived during first century Rome and seen a cross you would not have wanted to wear it or put it on a building. It meant condemnation. It was the most brutal and hideous form of execution known to man. a. It was reserved for only the most vile and treacherous criminals. b. In the years before the Roman empire Alexander the Great once crucified 2000 prisoners. c. Citizens of Rome were considered exempt from this form of punishment. The great Roman orator Cicero described it as, "a most cruel and disgusting punishment", and suggested that "the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears. D. You might wonder, how did something that was once so despised
become an object of adoration and love? Leonard Allen in The Cruciform Church writes, The cross so permeates the New Testament that it stands as the inescapable center and source of Christian life and identity. 1. There is something in the cross seen through the eyes of faith that the world can never understand. 2. What do YOU see in the cross? I. IN THE CROSS WE SEE THE SUFFERING AND SADNESS OF SIN A. The world has witnessed so many atrocities. 1. Through television and social media we see many of these before our eyes. 2. The beheading of journalists In Iraq and Syria. A gruesome beheading in Oklahoma a few weeks ago. 3. The imprisonment and abuse of children in central Africa. 54 and a half million abortions in the United States since 1973. 4. We have seen pictures of the Holocaust when 11 million people died. 1 million of them were children. 5. All of these things are part of recent history. Throughout time there have been many other atrocities. B. Never has man s cruelty be on display as vividly as it was at the cross. 1. Crucifixion was usually intended to provide a death that was particularly slow and painful. 2. The word excruciating, comes from a Latin word means "out of crucifying". C. Crucifixion was performed to terrorize and deter its witnesses from perpetrating crimes. Victims were left on display after death as warnings to others who might attempt dissent. 1. During the scourging the prisoner was stripped his hands tied to a post. A soldier stepped forward with the flagrum - a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather strands with small lead balls or bits of bone or glass embedded in the ends. The whip was brought down forcefully on Jesus arms, shoulders and back. The strands cut through the skin then deeper into the underlying tissue. There was bruising then bleeding. Finally, the skin of the back was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the Centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was stopped. 2. Crucifixion has been traced a far back as the Persians 300-400 B.C. It was used by Alexander the Great is said to have once crucified 2000 individuals. It was used by the Romans against criminals and slaves. It has been described as the most painful death ever invented by man. a. The condemned man would carry the cross bar or patibulum weighing 75 pounds or more to the site of the crucifixion. In Jesus case this was a place
outside the city known as the Place of the Skull. The coarse wood would rub against the lacerated skin. Jesus fell under the weight of the cross. The centurion selected a man from north Africa named Simon to carry the beam. b. At the crucifixion site Jesus hands were nailed to the cross. The beam was raised and attached to the stipes (vertical part) where it was nailed in place and the feet would be nailed. All of this done as the crowd shouted their insults. Jesus had been offered wine mixed with gall to help deaden the pain but he refused. D. As terrible as the physical pain must have been we can hardly imagine the mental, emotional and spiritual anguish Jesus have felt. Whet had He done to deserve this? 1. Nothing. He was guiltless. Heb. 7:26 refers to Him as Holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, 2. The cross was not something Jesus looked forward to. As He prayed the night before, Father, let this cup pass from me. The human nature of Jesus dreaded the pain and suffering just as you and I would. 3. The sacrifice of God s pure lamb on the cross was necessary because of the sin of humanity. Your sin. My sin. Every murder, every lie, every deceit, every immoral action, every act of unbelief and rebellion against God. 4. If there had been any other way to forgive men don t you think that God the Father, out of His love for His son, would have done it. E. Have you ever noticed the contrasts between the world s view of Jesus birth and death? We sing all types of beautiful songs about the baby born in the stable. The manger, the little Lord Jesus no crying He makes. There is nothing threatening about any of that. 1. Jesus death is different. We see the horrible results and effects of sin and realize it is our sin. 2. Only by His sacrifice can we be made righteous and whole before God. II. IN THE CROSS WE SEE THAT GOD S WRATH AND JUDGMENT IS REAL A. Many people today do not like to hear sermons about judgment. 1. It s much more pleasant to come to church and har sermons about loving everybody and being good to everybody and I m okay. You re okay, We re okay and They re okay and everybody s okay and that s okay. 2. The message of the cross is that we re not okay. Apart from Christ we are subject to the judgment and wrath of God. 3. Newly released survey by Lifeway and R.C, Sproul of 3000 Americans only 41% said they thought Hell was real. Only 27% believed that God would demonstrate His wrath. B. Do you realize that no one talked more about judgment and wrath than Jesus Himself?
1. Jesus talked about a rich man who ignored the poor man living at his front door and how the rich man died and went to torment (Lk. 16:24). 2. Luke 13:24 - Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, Sir, open the door for us. But he will answer, I don t know you or where you come from. 26 Then you will say, We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets. 27 But he will reply, I don t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers! 28 There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 3. Jesus used vivid language. He spoke of a place of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, He called it a place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48). C. If you ever wonder if God s wrath is real. If you ever wonder if Hell is real go to the cross. If these things are not real then the cross was a sham. III. IN THE CROSS WE SEE FORGIVENESS OFFERED BY GRACE A. If I stopped here this message would not be good news. It would be very depressing. The Cross is about so much more than sin, suffering, wrath and judgment. The cross is about forgiveness. 1. As Jesus hung on the cross the crowd of onlookers and curiosity seekers began to taunt him. Lk. 23:34 Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do 2. Peter said, 1 Pt. 2:21-24 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. B. What do we do to deserve God s forgiveness? Nothing.. Absolutely nothing.. It is a free gift. Grace. 1. Jesus did not die on the cross because you and I are such good people or because He owed us something. 2. Many years ago I heard a sermon by brother A.T. Oliver entitled, What Held Jesus To The Cross? Was it the nails? No. Was it the Roman soldiers forcing him to stay there? No. Was He in such a weakened physical condition that He couldn t come down? No. It was L O V E. 4. Rom. 5:8-10 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more
then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 5. Salvation is God given God driven and God empowered. It flows from God down to us through the cross. We cannot buy it, earn it, deserve it or attain it by ourselves. CONCLUSION: A. Let me go back to the story I told in the introduction. What was it that made John Gordon s enemy drop his opposition to Gordon s candidacy? The scars reminded him of the sacrifices Gordon had made. 1. Could it be said of us that we have forgotten the Scars? 2. Have we forgotten all that Jesus has done for us? B. How many are present today who have never become a Christian. You ve heard what Christ has done for you. You ve heard of His love for you. His sacrifice the torturous suffering and yet you ve never confessed faith in Him, repented of your sins and been baptized. What is holding you back? C. We invite you to come to Christ right now as we stand and sing.