Sunday Sermon
HE SUFFERED, CRIED AND DIED FOR YOU
Date: March 16, 2008
Speaker: Pastor Gerry Gregoire
Scriptural Reference: Luke 4:18-19
Listen to Audio Sermon

18The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.

WHAT A GREAT STATEMENT BY JESUS, ONE WOULD WONDER; COULD SOMEONE BE EXECUTED FOR SUCH A DESIRE? OBVIOUSLY THE ANSWER IS YES IF YOU KNOW THE STORY ABOUT THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

WE ARE ENTERING THE BEGINNING OF OBSERVING THE WEEK THE CHURCH CALLS PASSION WEEK. WHAT DOES THE WORD PASSION MEAN TO YOU?

I DO BELIVE JESUS WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT HE CAME TO DO AND I BELIEVE THAT THE PEOPLE WERE PASSIONATE WHEN JESUS ENTERED JERUSALEM ON A DONKEY.

LOOK AT MATTHEW 21:8-11 ----
8And most of the crowd kept spreading their garments on the road, and others kept cutting branches from the trees and scattering them on the road.
9And the crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed Him kept shouting, Hosanna O be propitious, graciously inclined) to the Son of David, [the Messiah]! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (O be favorably disposed) in the highest [heaven]!
10And when He entered Jerusalem, all the city became agitated and [trembling with excitement] said, Who is This?
11And the crowds replied, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

THERE APPARENTLY WAS PLENTY OF PASSION IN THAT CROWD. THEY HAD HEARD OF ALL HIS DEEDS AND OF MIRACLES AND WERE NOW EXPECTING HIM TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM. BUT, HIS GOAL WAS TO REALLY ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM IN THEIR HEARTS.

WHEN THIS KINGDOM DID NOT MATERIALIZE AS THEY HAD EXPECTED, WITHIN A WEEK, MANY OF THESE SAME PEOPLE WERE CRYING OUT,”CRUCIFY HIM.”

LOOK AT MT 27:22-23. -----
22Pilate said to them, Then what shall I do with Jesus Who is called Christ?
23They all replied, Let Him be crucified! And he said, Why? What has He done that is evil? But they shouted all the louder, Let Him be crucified!

THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT HAD CONVINCED THIS CROWD THAT THEY DIDN’T NEED HIM.

MT 27:20 ---
20But the chief priests and the elders prevailed on the people to ask for Barabbas, and put Jesus to death.

THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHEMENT WILL ALWAYS LEAD YOU ASTRAY WITH MANY FALSE BELIEFS AND CONCLUSIONS. I.E. SOME CHURCHES RULE OUT THE MAJOR ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN TODAY’S CHURCH.

CONSEQUENTLY, NO POWER TO DO WHAT JESUS PROCLAIMED IS OUR RIGHT AND PREVILEDGE. HEALING THE SICK, DELIVERING THE OPPRESSED, SETTING PEOPLE FREE AND SHOWING THEM THE TRUE KINGDOM.

WHAT JESUS SPOKE IN THE EARS OF THE PEOPLE HAD ALREDY STARTED BUT EVEN JOHN THE BAPTIST BEGIN TO DOUBT THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRIST. HE SENDS HIS DISCIPLES TO JESUS AND LOOK AT...

MT 11:3-6 –
3And asked Him, Are You the One Who was to come, or should we keep on expecting a different one?
4And Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see:
5The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them.
6And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.

JESUS GOES ON TO SAY SOMETHING PHENOMINAL

IN MT 11:7-11 ---
7Then as these men went their way, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: What did you go out in the wilderness (desert) to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8What did you go out to see then? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings.
9But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one [out of the common, more eminent, more remarkable, and] superior to a prophet.
10This is the one of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who shall make ready Your way before You.
11Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

IN VERSE 11 HE IS TALKING ABOUT YOU. NO MATTER HOW GREAT JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS YOU ARE GREATER. WHY DOES HE SAY THIS?

I BELIEVE IT’S BECAUSE WE ARE TO BE DOING WHAT HE SPOKE OF IN LUKE 4; 18-19 ----
18The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],
19To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.

FOR SAYING AND DOING WHAT HE SAID IN THIS SCRIPTURE HE EXPERIENCED PASSION WEEK. YET, YOU AND I NEED TO BE DOING THE SAME THING AND YES YOU WILL BE PERSECUTED, BUT NOTHING LIKE HIS HORRENDOUS WEEK.
BETRAYED BY ONE OF HIS OWN 12, THAT SOFT YET SCRATCHY KISS FROM THE LIPS OF ONE THE DINED WITH HIM. JESUS SAYS FRIEND, DO YOU BETRAY ME WITH A KISS? HOW HAVE WE SOMETIMES BETRAYED HIM?
PEOPLE WHO WORSHIPPED HIM ONE DAY WANTED HIM CRUCIFIED A WEEK LATER .

PETER THE LEAD APOSTLE DENIED HIM THREE TIMES TO THE POINT OF CURSING. HE TRIED TO DEFEND JESUS WITH HIS SWORD BUT JESUS TELLS HIM TO PUT UP HIS SWORD.

THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT CONDEMNING HIM, PILOT FINDING NO FAULT STILL LET HIM DIE AT THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE EVEN THOUGH HIS WIFE WAS WISE ENOUGH TO TELL HIM TO LET THIS INNOCENT MAN GO, HER COUNSEL GOES UNHEEDED.

THE WHIPPING POST, THE CAT O NINE TAILS RIPPING HIS SKIN OFF, THE INSULTS AND SPITTLE IN HIS FACE BY THE SOLDIERS AS THE MOCKED HIM AND DROVE A CROWN OF THORNS INTO HIS SCALP.
THE HEAVY WOODEN CROSS ON HIS SHOULDER AS HE WALKED ALONG THE VIA DELAROSA. AND WHEN HE GOT TO CALVARY HE VOLUNTARILY CRAWLED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU. NAILS IN HIS HANDS AND FEET, A SPEAR IN HIS SIDE AND DESPITE ALL THIS PERSECUTION WAS ABLE TO CRY OUT FOR MERCY ON HIS PERSECUTERS, “FATHER, FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.”

AT THAT POINT HIS CROSS BECAME A THRONE AS HE DISPERSED MERCY AND LOVE. WHEN ONE OF THE MEN HANGING BESIDES HIM RECOGNIZED HIS DIEITY AND ASKED HIM TO REMEMBER HIM IN HIS PARADISE, HE TELLS HIM, “ THIS DAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.” AT THAT VERY MOMENT HIS CROSS BECAME AN ALTAR AND HAS BEEN AN ALTAR FROM THAT DAY UP TO THIS DAY.

HAVE YOU COME TO THAT ALTAR YET? THE MAJORITY OF THE WORLD’S SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE HAVE NOT COME TO HIS CROSS TO DATE. I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO ASK HIM TO RE-MEMBER US, THAT IS, PUT OUR BROKEN LIVES BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. SOME HAVE LIVES SO MUCH SHATTERED TO PIECES THAT ONLY JESUS CAN PUT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.

THEY DON’T KNOW OR UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS AND IS AND WHY HE CAME. OUR TASK IS TO REMIND THEM AS TO THE TRUE MEANING OF THIS WEEK WE CALL PASSION WEEK. YES, IT’S GOOD TO REMEMBER AND TO KNOW THAT WE WILL SOON CELEBRATE THAT GREAT RESURRECTION DAY.

HIS EYES CLOSED AND HIS HEAD HUNG FOR WHAT MANY THOUGHT WAS THE END OF THIS VERY COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING MAN. BUT THEY WERE ABOUT TO BE SURPRISED ON THE THRID DAY. BECAUSE FRIEND THAT GRAVE WAS NOT BE ABLE TO HOLD HIM JUST LIKE IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HOLD YOU ON THAT DAY WHEN WE WILL JOIN HIM AND RULE AND REIGN WITH HIM .

SEE REVELATION 20:6
6Blessed (happy, to be envied) and holy (spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue) is the person who takes part (shares) in the first resurrection! Over them the second death exerts no power or authority, but they shall be ministers of God and of Christ (the Messiah), and they shall rule along with Him a thousand years.

WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GOD THEY PICTURE HIM IN HEAVEN, SAFE AND SOUND, NO WICKEDNESS, NO HATE, NO INSTRUMENTS OF DEATH, NOT EVEN ONE OUNCE OF SORROW. THEY SEE JUST PURE HAPPINESS LOVE AND JOY. BUT MY FRIEND IT’S GOOD TO REMEMBER THE PASSION WEEK OF THE LORD. IT WAS FULL OF PAIN AND SORROW AND WHAT IS SO AMAZING IS THAT HE ENDURED ALL OF THIS FOR YOU! CAN YOU SAY AMEN? IT WAS THE WEEK HE SUFFERED, CRIED AND DIED FOR US.

ARE YOU EXCITED TODAY? ARE YOU PASSIONATE FOR THE GOD THAT YOU LOVE AND DESIRE? ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR YOUR FAITH? AT LEAST A DEATH TO YOUR FLESH, IF YOU ARE STAND UP, RAISE YOUR HANDS AND SHOUT TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE.

WHEN THEY CAME ATER HIM ALL THESE THINGS HAD BEEN IN OPERATION AND PEOPLE WERE BEING SET FREE. THIS WEEK WE NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED DURING THIS VERY CRUCIAL WEEK IN THE LIFE OF JESUS. IT IS GOOD FOR US TO REMEMBER IN SOME DETAIL WHAT HE EXPERIENCED FOR YOU
DO YOU KNOW WHY WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS WEEK? BECAUSE THE BODY OF CHRIST IS THE FORERUNNER OF THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD.

AND YES, YOU CAN EXPECT PERSECUTION AND SHOULD BE READY FOR IT.

REMEMBER THAT JESUS SAID IN LUKE 18:7-8 --7And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He [a]defer them and delay help on their behalf?
8I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?

PERSECUTION WILL EXCEED WHAT HAPPENED DURING PASSION WEEK AT HIS FIRST COMING AND FOR THAT REASON MANY WILL LOSE THEIR FAITH. YES, MY FRIEND, WHY ELSE WOULD JESUS SAY SUCH A THING. HE SUFFERED, CRIED AND DIED FOR YOU AND WILL YOU BE WILLING TO DO THE SAME FOR HIM? WE NEED TO BE PERSISTENT DURING THESE TIMES IF WE ARE TO REMAIN HOT FOR THE LORD. IT’S TIME TO BE RADICAL FOR THE KINGDOM.
ALTAR CALL AND INVITATION TO THE CHURCH.