Witnessing the Majesty of Jesus Through Biblical Revelation | Matthew 27:27-44 | Elder Ron Hamm

Embark on a profound exploration of Jesus' unparalleled sacrifice and the revelation of His divine love, as we journey through the Gospel of Matthew and the Psalms. Reflect with us on the poignant crucifixion scene and the unwitting acknowledgment of Jesus as the King of Glory, capturing the heart of the gospel message. Discover the transformative promise of eternal life for believers, and delve into the essence of God's love as we disentangle the rich tapestry of biblical prophecies fulfilled against all odds.

In this heartfelt conversation, we consider the suffering Lamb and triumphant Lion of Judah, wrestling with the duality of Jesus' roles in the history of faith. Sharing personal testimonies, we illustrate the power of Christ's transformative love and the unwavering truth of His Messiahship. The episode contemplates the role of the repentant thief and the chief Pharisees' scorn, their testimonies underscoring the grand narrative of redemption woven throughout Scripture.

Our discussion culminates in a call to embrace the full breadth of biblical teachings, avoiding the pitfalls of cherry-picking verses. We emphasize the daily commitment to Christ and the gratitude we owe for our salvation. For those seeking a deeper connection, we extend an invitation to join our community at Real Life Community Church, where the journey of faith continues beyond the podcast. Join us for an episode that promises not just to inform, but to inspire a deeper walk with Jesus.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

The following resource is brought to you by Real Life Community Church in Richmond, Kentucky. We hope you're both challenged and encouraged by this message.

Speaker 2: 0:16

Well, it's an honor to give an opportunity to share from the Word of God today. Expository, preaching let's you. 27, and we'll begin with verse 27, and, as is the custom in our church to honor God's Word, we want to stand up. This is a lot of verses to stand for. Let's good verses. Verse 27,. I'm reading from the English standard version of the Bible.

Speaker 2: 0:44

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and they gathered the whole battalion before him. They stripped him, put a scarlet robe on him and, twisting together a crown of thorns, they put a reed that's like a staff in his right hand and, kneeling before him, they mocked him saying hell, king of the Jews. And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, simon, by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross and when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull, they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall. But when he tasted it he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there and over his head they put the charge against him which read this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. The two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left, and those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying you, who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. So also the chief priest and the scribes and the elders mocked him, saying he saved others. He cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross so we will believe in him, he trusting God. Let God deliver him now, for he desires him, for he said I am the son of God, and the robbers who were crucified with him also, without him, in the same way. Everybody maybe see it. Do you want me in a brief prayer? Lord, bless the reading and understanding of your word today, amen. So my key thought today simple, amazing love. Let the king of glory come in. Amazing love, let the king of glory come in. As I read this, I'm reminded of a quote by CS Lewis. As we look at this text, what CS Lewis said? He said it costs nothing, as far as we know, for God to create nice things, but to convert rebellious wills cost him crucifixion.

Speaker 2: 3:31

In the book of Matthew, pastor Chris has taught that the central purpose of the book of Matthew is to announce the coming of the king of heaven, and that king is Jesus of Christ. Can somebody say amen? Matthew 3.2 says repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 32 times we see in the book of Matthew the terminology the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it's here. This is the gospel. The disciples preach repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand and it and the king of the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Speaker 2: 4:12

The Bible never ceases to amaze me. As I looked at this text just this week, I saw where it had been calculated there are 63,779 cross references found in the 66 books of the Bible. So let's begin going through them today. How much time do you have? Okay, as you could see, that's why it takes three years to get through a book. It's magnificent as the book of Matthew. I got your back, brother, chris. Yeah, so that was from chris Harrison net website. If you want to look that up, he's got it all mapped out.

Speaker 2: 4:54

Yes, the Bible is amazing because it contains the greatest love story ever told. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Amen to think that the king of heaven, the king of glory, the king of heaven, would come to earth and die for such a witch as me. The Bible says in 1st John 4, 8b. I love the just three simple words. Says God is love. Don't ever forget that God is love, amen. Now, as I was studying this amazing passage, the scripture, my heart was touched with this one truth that what an amazing love. Let the king of glory come in. And we know John 3, 16 don't when. Let's say it together for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ever lasting life.

Speaker 2: 5:55

So last week we learned that a bogus court, false witnesses, sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion that's. I got a medical report on this and I saw where Jennifer posted it too. But it's excruciating pain just look at up sometime. Just a horrible form of pain and execution to be crucified. We see that. You know there's some key people in today's story and I'm just going to give you, just for the second time, I'm going to give you a synopsis of each one. So you had some, some of the key people in today's reading the soldiers.

Speaker 2: 6:28

Okay, so the soldiers represent the darkness of tyranny and carrying out orders against injustice, against, against justice, against justice and for injustice. We see, that's happened all through history, hasn't it? They did as they were told and you have the person named known as Simon of siren, and Simon of siren, to me, is a picture of what Jesus said in Luke 9, 23. Jesus said, and he said to all if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. So it's a picture. It's a type that God is calling us to carry our own cross. Just, jesus went to the cross, but he's also calling us to carry the cross that he has for us to carry. Then you have the chief priest, the scribes and the elders and these.

Speaker 2: 7:27

This is kind of a picture of the power structure of that day. It's a power structure of the world and their rejection of Jesus Christ, and we see today that often the power structure, the movers and the shakers of the world, the rich and the famous, many times reject Christ. The Bible says has not God called the fullest things of this world to confound the wise and the foolishness of preaching right? So then you had the people. So you had the people, and they tended to follow the crowd and their leaders. And then you had the two thieves on the cross in this story, and that's a picture of the whole world, for one of them believed in Jesus Christ and one of them rejected Jesus Christ we see. So today I want to share it's going back to how amazing the Bible is, the amazing details of the Bible.

Speaker 2: 8:27

In this short passage of Scripture, 17 verses, we have seven witnesses to the glory of Jesus Christ as king of glory. And in case you're not familiar with Psalm 24, verse 7, it says this lift up your heads, oh gates, and be lifted up, oh do, oh, everlasting doors that the king of glory may come in. So Jesus is that king of glory. I'm gonna prove to you today that Jesus is the king of glory prophesied 1,000 years before he was even born. And there are seven witnesses that attest to this witness.

Speaker 2: 9:09

Number one the soldiers. The soldiers, the Bible tells us in verse 28. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They began to mock him. They bowed before him and said Jesus, king of the Jews, and they began to mock him. So the sir soldiers serve as what we call, in a court of law, a hostile witness or an adverse witness. It's someone that somebody puts on the stand and they think they're going to be working in their favor, but it works against them. So, even though the soldiers are hostile, witness to Christ, they prove by their words. Out of their mouth, they announced that he is the king of glory, he's the king of the Jews. So can you imagine being stripped naked before 600 men? Can you imagine that, naked and 600 men mocking you, making fun of you, bowing down, spitting up on you, taking a staff and beating you over the head with it? That's exactly what happened. These soldiers are what you call hostile witness to the fact that Jesus is indeed the King of Glory. They were laughing and mocking at his suffering.

Speaker 2: 10:32

Witness number two the robe. The robe is witness number two. They took his clothes off and they put a robe on him. This presents Jesus as the priest of heaven. Let's make three points about. Three of the witnesses have to do with three aspects of the King of Glory, and that's the robe, the crown of thorns and the staff. That's prophet, that's prophet priest.

Speaker 2: 10:58

King Jesus fulfilled all three rows as the King of Glory. He was the prophet to come, he was the priest to come and bear the sins of the people. And he was the King of Glory, amen. First they stripped him of his clothing and they put a purple robe on him. The robe was purple, which is both the color of royalty and the color of the curtain that covered the most holy place, the place that the priests entered once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. So I'm reading from the Old Testament here, 2 Chronicles 314. And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson and fine linen and rot cherubim's there on, and he says this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, save the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and into their minds. I will write them down. So this is what the King of Glory here, as in his priestly role, he's making it possible for us to enter into that most holy place because his blood has forgiven our sins.

Speaker 2: 12:05

Apostle Paul speaks of this priestly role of Christ in Hebrews 1017. He says and their sins and their iniquities, where I remember no more. Can somebody say amen to that Now, where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having, therefore, brethren, boldness he's talking about us boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having and high priest over the house of God. Jesus is the promised high priest of God who would make atonement in the tabernacle of heaven, on the altar of heaven, for the sins of God's people. Praise the Lord.

Speaker 2: 13:02

And this number three is the crown of thorns. This presents Jesus as the King of Glory prophesied in Psalm 24. Let the King of Glory come in. The crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus. Bear witness that Jesus is the King of Heaven. He's the King of Glory. The soldiers cried out hell, the King of the Jews. These soldiers are actually, like I said earlier, they're a hostile witness, but by their very words are confessing and proving to the court of heaven that Jesus is indeed who he says he is.

Speaker 2: 13:44

In his first coming, jesus comes as the King of Glory, as the King of Heaven and as the Lamb of God, to give his life as a ransom for our sin In the second coming. We know that he won't come as the Lamb of God. He will come Y'all know this. I never get tired of hearing it as a lion of the tribe of Judah. Amen to execute justice, peace and righteousness in all the world. Amen, that's the King of Glory, so the crown of thorns.

Speaker 2: 14:15

Even though they were hostile witnesses, they were validating all the prophecies, all the scriptures, and I love this scripture about Christ. It says and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords, revelation 1916. Amen, jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's why, you know, many times people get a little burdened by politics and things like that. Look, jesus is my King, amen. We're supposed to pray for authorities and do everything we can to bring about a righteous government, but we really shouldn't worry too much about it. Amen, jesus is my King. Amen. And he's got everything under control.

Speaker 2: 14:59

And even as we read the book of Revelation, we see all hell's breaking loose, all these troubles in the world, as prophesied. But do you ever see God, not on the throne. In the book of Revelation, he's always sitting on a throne. He's high and lifted up. This is the King of Glory. Let the King of Glory come in. Amen.

Speaker 2: 15:18

And Jesus. As we read through this, as we see through this that the cross is the cross of Christ, is the pivotal moment in the history of the world. The King of Glory purchased liberty for the whole world in a moment of time and defeated the kingdom of darkness. First, john 3.8 says this. He says for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Amen. So through that old rug across that we sung about earlier, jesus Christ, the King of Glory, the Lamb of God, he destroyed the works of the devil. I'm so thankful for that today. Amen.

Speaker 2: 16:03

I'm reminded of this beautiful poem Every year around Easter time. I read this poem. It's a little bit long, but if you've never heard it, you enjoyed it. I think, even if you have heard it, you enjoyed it. But just think about the significance of this one life, jesus Christ. It's called One Solitary Life and it's written by a guy named Dr James Francis in 1926.

Speaker 2: 16:25

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman, he grew up in another village where he worked until he was 30. Then, for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never traveled more than 200 miles from the place that he was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to the cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property that he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a barred grave through the pity of a friend. 19th century, 20th centuries, now 20th centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man on earth as much as this one solitary life.

Speaker 2: 17:55

The fourth witness is the, the reed or the staff. This points to Jesus as the prophet that was to come. Not a prophet. The prophet, amen. Not a prophet. The prophet, the prophet who spoke the words of God through all the prophets, amen. He breathed the words of God through Moses, through Isaac, through Jeremiah, through Isaiah. It was Jesus, god, who breathed the words through his people, his servants, and the staff represents that Jesus is the prophet. The staff represents God's authority. As a true prophet of God, moses prophesied that God would send the people the prophet, not just another prophet, but the prophet. Here's what Moses said the Lord, your God, will raise up for you a prophet like me, from among you, from your brothers. He said listen to him, listen to him, listen to Jesus. Deuteronomy 1815. You might remember the conversation Moses had with God as the children of Israel were blocked by the Red Sea in Pharaoh's army, breathing down their necks. God said what do you have in your hand? And what was it? It was a staff, wasn't it? So that staff represents God's authority. And when he fought against the principalities and against Pharaoh and his army, what did he use? He used a staff. And so they mockingly gave Jesus the staff. But that staff represents God's authority. It represents Jesus as the prophet of God, witness number five, the witness of prophecy. So Jesus says Jesus is.

Speaker 2: 19:41

The amazing thing is there's very precise details in here, a prophecy, that were written 400 years to 1500 years before he was even born. So we see several of these scriptures mentioned in this passage says and when they had plated a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand. They bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying Hail, king of the Jews. So that was from Psalm 22, verse seven it says it talks about how they would. They would mock God. He trusted in the Lord, let him deliver him, let him rescue him, free delights in him. And then it talks about how they let him away to crucify him. Now Psalm 22, think about this. In 16th B it says they pierced my hands and my feet. So it's described as. It's describing crucifixion, 1000 years before Jesus was crucified and before the Persians had thought of the idea of crucifixion. So they were describing how Jesus would be crucified. The somnus was 1000 years before. And it says in this passage, verse 35, they crucified him, parted his garments, casting lots, said it might be fulfilled what was spoken of by the prophet. So Psalm 22 says I can count all my bones. They stare and they glowed over me. They divide my garments among them and they cast lots for my clothing. How much more specific can you? It's amazing prophecy, isn't it? Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of God. He is the King of glory.

Speaker 2: 21:30

There was a man named Peter Stoner that in a book called Science Speaks in 1950, 80, wrote that book he said for Jesus to fulfill. He said not Jesus, but he said any person to fulfill, which Jesus did fulfill it, but any person to fulfill eight prophecies. It would be 10 to the 17th power for one person to fulfill eight prophecies. And the way he said we could picture this. He said you take a quarter, you know how small a quarter is, and you put a red mark on that and you fill the whole state of Texas up two feet high. That's about knee high, the whole state of Texas, which is the biggest state in the lower states. Fill the whole state up and then place someone in Dallas, texas. They don't know where the quarter is, send them off randomly in any direction when they stop down and they pick up one quarter. That would be the odds of that person finding that one quarter with the X on it, on the first attempt. That's odds of one man fulfilling mathematically one man fulfilling eight prophecies. Now let's go to 48 prophecies. For one person to fulfill 48 prophecies, quarter's way too big. Taking electron which is invisible to the eye, mark one electron, mark one electron. Send it out six billion light years in all directions. It would be the odds of one person reaching in there, which you can't even see the electron, and finding that it's six billion light years in all directions and finding that one marked electron on the first attempt. That's 48 prophecies.

Speaker 2: 23:09

Now I want to tell you today that Jesus is the King of Glory. According to prophecy, jesus fulfilled 109 prophecies. Amen. When he came, 109 prophecies. When he came, let the King of Glory come in. Praise the Lord.

Speaker 2: 23:24

Sometimes I'll be talking to atheists and I'll tell them I can prove to you mathematically that Jesus is the Son of God, because Kay and I met in statistics class. Boy, I'm glad I took that class and I joke around sometime and I say you know, we met in statistics class. What's the probability of that? Right, so I'm really glad. She definitely changed my life for the better, but what was the probability that we'd meet there. And if you studied or looked at statistical probability, there is zero chance. From a statistical probability, there's zero chance that Jesus is not the promised King of Glory, that he is not the promised Messiah. The Bible proves it through prophecy and by deduction through statistical probability Jesus is the King of Glory. That's some good news, isn't it? So then we see the sixth witness.

Speaker 2: 24:24

The sixth witness is the thief on the cross in this passage. Now, in this passage it just mentions that there were two robbers crucified with Christ here in this passage. But I'm going to borrow, I'm going to go to, I'm going to go and you could, yeah, the baptismal. If you're going to be baptized today, go ahead and leave with Pastor Chris there. Perfect timing for that, praise the Lord, as we're talking about this thief that repented.

Speaker 2: 24:55

So the thief on the cross. I'm gonna read from a passage in Luke. It doesn't give us all the details here. What's really interesting is that these two thieves on the right and left of Jesus, they both started out, the Bible says, reviling Christ. So they were mocking Jesus too, both of them. But somewhere one of the thieves looked at Jesus and said, uh, oh, I'm in big trouble here. He realized his sin. Think about that. He was that close to eternity, in hell and at the last minute and he had lived wickedly all his life and at the last minute he saw Jesus Christ, the promised King of glory, on the cross and he repents of his sin, amen. So here's the. We won't need to take time to turn there, but Luke 23,.

Speaker 2: 25:50

Here's the account. It says one of the criminals who were hanged reeled at him, saying are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we, indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. This thief defended Christ and he said to Jesus then he looks at Jesus. He said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom, and I love the words of Jesus. Can you imagine the joy that this brought to Jesus? He came to die to save us from our sins and this man on the cross? It would just save me. Remember me, lord. Can you imagine the joy? This was the first convert, was this man hanging on the cross next to him? Jesus came to die for sinners and I'm the worst of the lot. Amen, that's what Paul said.

Speaker 2: 26:56

I'm going to read a quote from DL Moody. The thief had nails through both hands so that he could not work, and a nail through each foot so he could not run errands for the Lord, he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation. And yet Christ offered him the gift of God and he took him. He threw him a passport and he took him to paradise. Dl Moody, the man was never baptized, he never went to church, he never gave to the poor, but he repented of his sins. And we see that we are saved by Christ alone, through faith in Christ alone. So the two thieves on either side of Jesus represent everybody in this room and everybody in the world. We see that both were guilty of their sin and deserve to die. One rejected Christ and died in his sin. The other one repented and received Christ.

Speaker 2: 27:48

That's the six witnesses, the thief on the cross. The seventh witness is the chief Pharisees. At the end of this passage of Scripture, even at the very end when Christ was dying, they were mocking Christ and they said why don't you come down and save yourself? So again we see a hostile witness. They were mocking Christ and they said he saved others. And yes, we know that Jesus saves others and that's why he went to the cross was for our sins. So we see the testimony of seven witnesses that Jesus is the King of glory, as prophesied in Psalm 24.

Speaker 2: 28:31

I came to know Jesus when I was 18 years old and he filled my heart with love. Before then it was filled with hatred and bitterness and just a desire to live for myself and live for worldly pleasures. But when I came to know Jesus at the age of 18, he filled my heart. He gave me the love that I was looking for. The Bible says when we were yet without strength, in due time, christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his love for toward us in that while we were yet sinners, christ died for us. So one of the things we need to remember today we don't need to wait till we get our act cleaned up. We don't need to wait until we're a good person. We need to come today. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. If you don't know Christ, hopefully these seven witnesses have proven to you that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Jesus Christ is the King of glory and invite you to come today and receive Christ, just like the thief on the cross.

Speaker 2: 29:47

And also, if you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, like that old song, have you heard that song? I've been looking for love in all the wrong places. If you're looking for love in any other place other than in Jesus Christ, you're looking for love in all the wrong places. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy our hearts. Jesus Christ gives us true love that will never disappoint us, amen.

Speaker 2: 30:13

And also I want to say don't cherry pick the scriptures. The chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees. What did they do wrong? They wanted to believe the positive scriptures that were about a King coming to deliver the nation of Israel from Rome right. But they did not want to believe the scriptures that were about a suffering King that would come and suffer for the sins of the world. They ignored those scriptures. People do the same thing today. They'll cherry pick the Bible. Okay, I like that verse, I'll take that. It's positive. But the one that says take up your cross every day and follow me, I'm not going to follow that verse. We've got our own cross to carry, amen. And we've got our own sacrifices to make. So we don't want to cherry pick the scripture. The Bible tells us to take up our cross every day, die to ourself and follow Christ, and then we also, as Christians, we need to give praise to the Lord for what he did for us at Calvary. What a wonderful Savior that we serve. Praise the Lord.

Speaker 1: 31:20

Thank you for listening. If you'd like to know more about how you can have a relationship with Jesus Christ, or if you have questions about our church, you can email us at info at myrealchurchorg. Real Life Community Church is located at 335 Glendon Avenue in Richmond, Kentucky. We invite you to join us for worship Sunday at 10.45 am or Wednesday at 7 pm. Visit us online at myrealchurchorg.