Jesus the Fallen King

 Matthew 27:32-66
 

Last week Carl went over the many times the Jewish leaders broke their own laws in order to have Jesus put to death by the Romans. Today we will continue in our series in Matthew titled Jesus, King of Kings. Picking up where Carl left off in Matthew chapter 27 verse 32, we read:
 
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). – Matthew 27:32-33
 
This event is recorded in the Gospel of John as:
 
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. – John 19:17-18
 
The event is recorded in Luke as follows:
 
As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. – Luke 23:26
 
And finally, the event is Mark is recorded as:
 
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. – Mark 15:21

Are You the King

Matthew 27:1-31

Welcome! It feels great to be able to stand up here and deliver a message here in our building. But at the same time, I am even more thankful for all of you, whether you are on Zoom or in person, that you have remained faithful to God and have continued to fellowship as a part of this body despite all of the challenges, inconveniences, and trials that this past year has brought. It has been roughly a full year since the pandemic affected us here in South Carolina to the point that we began to meet online. Many things have changed in our lives and in our society, but God never changes. Politicians, employers, and even those close to us personally may disappoint, fail, and even betray us, but God remains faithful, and His promises are sure.

 
We are rapidly approaching the end of the Book of Matthew, and we will finish on Easter Sunday, two weeks from now. Because Easter is almost upon us, I want to recommend a video/podcast that I feel did an exceptionally good job discussing the evidence for the resurrection of Christ. I will include a link in the message transcript (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8nksgZerZE) but you can also easily find it by searching in YouTube or your favorite podcast app for “Mike Winger” and clicking on the recent title, dated March 17, “Teen Atheist Becomes Christian Because of this Evidence.” The format is a discussion between Pastor Mike Winger and what I think is a high-school student in Belgium named Mario who became a Christian after studying the Bible along with apologetic materials from Mike and others. He wrote a paper for school in which he defended the resurrection, and the discussion deals with how to help you answer common objections to the historicity of the resurrection and gives many categories of evidence for it. Beyond this, the faith of Mario and the gentle spirit and practical advice of Mike Winger are just super encouraging. I do not make recommendations like this often, but in this case, I feel confident that if you listen to it you will come away strengthened in your faith.

Doubters and Deniers

 Matthew 26:31-75
 

On July 19, 64AD, the city of Rome caught fire, and the fires burned for 3 days and nights. As soon as they’d get the fire put out in one place, it would spread to another only to reignite where they has just been fighting the fire. Rumors swirled about how the fire started. Many blamed the deranged Emperor Nero. He liked to build things to bring more honor to himself; many thought he started the fires to get rid of buildings he didn’t like so that he could rebuild them. In an effort to save his own life, Nero blamed the Christians. They were already distrusted within the city of Rome and therefore became an easy scapegoat. The citizens of Rome did not understand Christianity and many of their practices. For example, they thought the Lord’s Supper was cannibalistic. Even the holy kiss was misunderstood as a public sign of other gross practices they assumed were part of Christianity. As a result, persecution came easily. This time however, they got very “creative,” shall we say, with their physical persecution. Nero himself helped with the persecution. Along with having Paul beheaded, Nero would roll Christians in pitch and use them as torches around his garden. He would sew them into animal skins and turn hunting dogs loose on them. Crucifixion, racking, hanging all became more and more common forms of persecution. Shortly after this started, Peter wrote his first epistle, encouraging the believers to stand firm in their faith in the face of the trials. Where did he learn this bold confidence? Wasn’t he the one that swore to a measly servant girl that he wasn’t a follower of Jesus?
 
Let’s pray and find out.

Anointed and Betrayed

Matthew 26:1-30
 

Last time in our study of Matthew we wrapped up the Olivet Discourse with the last parable that Jesus told during his life on earth, the story about the separation of the sheep and the goats, a description of the last judgment. The sheep are welcomed into the kingdom, and the goats are sent away to eternal punishment. People have had questions about the meaning of this story probably ever since it was told, since on its surface it appears to indicate that each person’s eternal destiny is solely dependent on what good deeds they do during their lifetime. However, we have so much other New Testament teaching that confirms that salvation is not through good works, but only by grace, through faith, a gift from God that we receive without deserving it. So we can understand that the good deeds mentioned in the parable – feeding the hungry and being kind to strangers, prisoners, and the poor – are practical actions that spring from true faith and gratefulness to God. In the story they are described as being done unconsciously, a reflection of a sheep’s real identity, not in an effort to earn the favor of the King.
 
You may recall back in chapter 10 where Jesus was talking about salvation and rewards in a similar way, at the end of his second discourse:
 
 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward. – Matthew 10:39-42
 
Finding one’s life in this context implies determining one’s own destiny, being in control and striving for personal benefit. That approach, which rejects God, will end in eternal death. In contrast, losing one’s life – probably not literally, but in submission to God – will result in eternal life with him. Welcoming a disciple of Jesus is the same as welcoming him and his Father, who sent him. Good deeds, even something as simple as giving a cup of refreshing water, will be rewarded, but notice the element of faith here. Welcoming a prophet as a prophet and a righteous person as a righteous person requires acknowledging the source of their truth and righteousness, namely God himself. The reward then is fellowship with the true God, through a revelation of who he is and what he has done for each of us.