Three Hours To Go....

It took heaven a little over six hours to finally secure man's eternal redemption through the death of Jesus Christ. The last three hours were the darkest of all as God Himself had to turn away from the awful scene of our sin laid upon His Son. In three hours all of hell shook with the cry "It is Finished," for in that cry - mankind was delivered from the powers of darkness forever and forever. All we must do to receive this deliverance is to believe and repent.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: - Mark 15:33 -39 -  And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [35] And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calls Elias. [36] And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. [38] And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.  [39] And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God 

The bedrock of the gospel message is the cross of Christ. The cross has lost a great deal of its importance in many circles in this modern time we live in but it is still the only true source of freedom for humanity. Man was created in the image of God. "Male and female, created He them," says the scripture in Genesis. When God created Adam and Eve the first human creatures, He placed them in a Garden of Eden where everything was perfect. They had no cares, no toils, no sorrow - just a command from God to till the ground and to stay away from one particular tree in the middle of the garden - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A simple request it would seem but one that would bring on eternal damnation to the first parents and a curse upon this earth that has not stopped to this time in history and will not stop until Jesus Christ comes back and sets up His earthly Kingdom.

        We read of the creation of man and the fall of man in the first three chapters of the Bible. Satan in the form of a serpent, which before lending itself to the devil was a beautiful creature, not the hissing, venomous specimen we see today, came first to Eve and questioned God's command to her and Adam concerning the tree. Lucifer speaking through the serpent asks Eve, "Has God REALLY told you not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?"  Eve responds yes when the serpent then toys with Eve's passions and plants a seed of doubt in Eve's mind about God's care and love for her and Adam as he tells her, "God knows that in the day you eat of this tree, you will be like HIM - a God." That appealed to Eve's pride, which was the source of the first sin and the source of all sin today. Then finally the serpent played his final card and lied again - "If you eat of this tree, you will NOT die, God has lied to you." 

Genesis 3:1-5  - Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

        Adam and Eve to this point had had unbroken fellowship with their Heavenly Father, their Creator. We're not sure how long a time they walked with God but common sense would tell us it was certainly a rather long period because when they sinned, they knew to hide. They knew the sound of God's voice. They knew the feeling of His presence. They knew the sound of His footsteps. Man and God had had a love affair, a love relationship to this point. Nothing was hidden between God and Man. God would come to the Garden and Adam and Eve would always respond without question. Unbroken fellowship and eternal life were at Adam and Eve's fingertips forever and forever if they had just obeyed and stayed away from that one tree. They didn't and because of their act of disobedience all of humanity was cursed because of our first parent's rebellion.

Genesis 3:6-9  - And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 

The Power Of Sin 

        We little understand the power of sin. Sin is more than act. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. ALL have missed the mark. No one is righteous, NO NOT ONE. Sin has a power to it that beggars description. When Adam and Eve fell the eternal heavens shook with the force of their rebellion against God and throughout the ages every single human being that has followed has come under the same curse - DEATH. That's the power sin has over humanity - DEATH.

        When you see a man sitting at a bar drinking his alcohol and getting so drunk he don't know what day it is or what his name is - you're looking at DEATH. You're looking at the death of a home, the death of man, the death of another person perhaps and if that individual is careless and gets behind the wheel of a car. When you see a heroin addict jamming their arms with needles to get a quick fix you're looking at DEATH. When a man or woman commits adultery on their spouse and spurs a marriage covenant you're looking at DEATH. Our actions carry consequences. Sin brings on eternal pain to the guilty. You just can't "sin" and get away with it. You just can't do your own thing and think "I can live foot-loose and fancy free" and nothing is going to happen to me. Friend that's the words of a fool. FOOLS MAKE A MOCK OF SIN.  

Prov 14:9 - Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. (NIV)

Proverbs 14:9  - Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor. 

        It's not a laughing matter. To hear comedians on our television make fun of adultery, drugs, stealing, and immorality it gives people a sense that sin is OK. But sin is NOT OK.  The WAGES OF SIN is death. Death. Death. Death. What do we mean when we say death. Are we talking about the mere cessation of breath in our bodies? NO! We're talking about something more horrifying and horrible than ANY casket would hold for the corpse that lays inside. I'm talking about eternal death - separation from God. 

Rom 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

        
        Man is a spirit. And the nature of sin goes deep inside man's being to his spirit and soul. It's not a skin problem. You can't wash sin away with H20 and think its just going to go by the wayside. Sin has a stronger power than that. And that's why when Adam and Eve disobeyed God the entire earth was cursed. The entire creation fell with Adam's transgression.

Romans 5:17-19  - For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. [19] For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

        God would illustrate man's inability to save himself by killing an innocent animal in the garden and shedding BLOOD. It would forever speak of man's inability to save himself from his sin. Adam and Eve's children - Cain and Abel - fully illustrated this eternal conflict between man's works and God's grace. Cain would become a tiller of the ground and offered up to God the things made with his own hands. Abel, the Bible said, who was righteous, learned the lesson from his parents - the way to God is through sacrifice and blood. 

        We all are alike. There is no difference between any of us underneath our skin. We are all sinners. Adam and Eve were the world's first sinners, not the first dysfunctional family. Cain was the first murderer, not the first "abused victim," of Adam and Eve's failures. And it is in this arena that man wrestles with the question of his eternal soul with God. Millions are in hell right now because they NEVER admitted they were sinners and in need of a gracious God. Many good people who probably never killed a soul, never stole a dollar, never drank a drop of beer, never smoked a joint, are in hell today. Why? Because we must ALL come to the realization that we are SINNERS and the only remedy for this malady in our souls is the CROSS of JESUS and the blood that was shed on that cross some 2,000 years ago.

        There is no other way to God than blood. Without the SHEDDING of BLOOD there is no remission, no removal, no taking away, no purging, no remedy for SIN. Modern society laughs at the notion that our kids are killing each other because they are demonically tormented but folks the root of the problem in the recent school shootings is NOT SOCIETY, it's SIN! The psychologists chairs are FULL of people trying to find out why they do such deranged things with their life and hurt others and themselves. THE REASON IS SIN!  Couples go to marriage counselors seeking an answer why they are divorcing and committing fornication on one another - ITS SIN! The problem in our homes is SIN. The problem with our lack of ethics and morals is SIN. We may deal with symptoms and cure the symptom BUT ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CAN SET THE SINNER FREE FROM THE POWER THAT IS CONTROLLING HIM TO DO WHAT HE IS DOING! Glory to God.

        What can WASH away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can MAKE me whole again - NOTHING BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS! Oh, precious is the flow, that MAKES ME WHITE AS SNOW!! NO OTHER FOUNT I KNOW - Nothing but the blood of JESUS! Nothing but the blood can set the captive free. Nothing but the blood can set the homosexual free. Nothing but the blood can turn a drug addict around and put him in the ministry to preach the gospel. Nothing but the blood can set a thief free and keep him from stealing anymore. Nothing but the blood can calm a hurting heart and wounded spirit and give life again to a person who has lost all hope of living and has tried suicide to end their life. NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD! And it was at CALVARY where it was shed. And it took six hours to secure man's freedom forever. 

Redemption

        Man's freedom, or redemption, from sin hinges on CALVARY, the CROSS OF CHRIST. The only way the gates of heaven could be opened to give us this freedom was through the Cross and what Jesus did. That is the centerpiece of all our faith and confidence.  Sadly, even the best of us understand the power, scope and depth of God's redemption. 

        Let's go back to Genesis a minute. The first three chapters of Genesis contain the THREE Revelations of God which throughout the Bible figure in all God's relations to man:

        Chapter 1: The Creator Who brought all into existence

        Chapter 2: The Covenant-God Who enters into personal relations with man

        Chapter 3: The Redeemer Who makes provision for man's restoration from the fall.

        All of this is played out under three headings. First, the serpent attempted to draw Eve into an alliance with him against God, but God will break up this proposed alliance:

Genesis 3:15  - And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman (the One Who would come through woman, the Lord Jesus Christ), and between thy seed (the part of mankind who serves Satan, which is the far greater majority) and her seed (the Lord Jesus Christ); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

        In other words all of eternity has hinged on this great conflict started in the Garden over redemption. Man had to be redeemed when he sinned. Man had to be saved when he sinned. But now man's victory would no longer center on man himself - but on the representative God would send in the future - the seed of the woman - the LORD JESUS CHRIST! God told Satan - HE WILL BRUISE YOUR HEAD! Christ, the seed, came to bruise the power of Satan - to crush him. HE DID THIS AT CALVARY! But redemption for man would not come without suffering - "thou shalt bruise his heel." At Calvary the serpent bruised the heel of the seed of the woman, but that bruising has brought healing to mankind who puts their faith in what the Lord Jesus did at Calvary.

Isaiah 53:3-4  - He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

John 12:31-33  - Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. [32] And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33] This he said, signifying what death he should die. 

John 14:30-31  - Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. [31] But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. 

Hebrews 2:18  - For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. 

Hebrews 5:7  - Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

        In Genesis 3:21 God killed an innocent creature in order to clothe those who stood naked in His sight because of sin. In like manner, the Father gave up His Son, the innocent One, unto death in order to provide an atoning covering for the souls of men. This account in Genesis 3:21 presents the first picture of what it would take to redeem humanity. An innocent victim would have to die; however, it would have to be victim who would be perfect in every respect, which would make a suitable Sacrifice in order that the sin debt be paid and the Righteousness of God be satisfied. Man could not furnish that Sacrifice, such being impossible to him; therefore, God furnished the Sacrifice Himself, actually becoming man in order to pay this terrible price, which He did at the Cross.

        This of which we have just mentioned, was and is the greatest display of LOVE that humanity has ever known and ever shall know. Jesus did many things as it regards Redemption, which includes His Virgin Birth, which of course was an absolute necessity, and as well, His sinless, perfect life, never falling one time to sin in any shape, form or fashion. As well, He performed every type of miracle that one could begin to think; however, all of this, as important and necessary as it was, was ancillary to the main event, His DEATH ON THE CROSS. The Cross is NEVER to be looked upon as an incidental situation, in other words, just a part of all that Jesus did.

        Listen closely friend. Had Jesus came to earth born of a virgin, lived a sinless perfect life, did all the miracles He did - ALL OF THESE THINGS COULD NOT HAVE REDEEMED A SINGLE SOUL! It took the CROSS, or DEATH to do that. We must ever keep that before us this Passover season. The cross was necessary for man's initial salvation AND IT IS NECESSARY FOR OUR CONTINUED VICTORY as CHRISTIANS today. All "abundant life," and "rest," Jesus promised to those who believed Him could come about only as a result of the CROSS.

        Christian friend hear me good. It took the cross to SAVE YOU and it will take the CROSS to KEEP YOU! When we say the "Cross" we are also speaking of the "Resurrection," and "Exaltation" of Christ. We are seated in that exalted place Christ has obtained - but we are only there in reality if we have embraced the CROSS. ALL VICTORY IS IN THE CROSS. ALL OVERCOMING POWER IS IN THE CROSS. ALL ABUNDANT LIFE IS IN THE CROSS, meaning that every single thing we receive from the Lord from the time of conversion, comes through the FINISHED WORK OF JESUS! And the Holy Spirit works through the same FINISHED WORK. All that we receive from God comes through the Holy Spirit - who has come to earth to point us back to JESUS - AND HIS WORK AT CALVARY!

The Church And The Cross

        We have two extremes going on right now in the Body. The non-Pentecostal world has attempted for years to preach the cross without the Holy Spirit. That culminated with them preaching neither one, which is what is happening at present. Conversely, the Pentecostal Church world has attempted to preach the Holy Spirit without the Cross. As a result, they are preaching neither one. This leads us down a road that causes us to chase "spirits" instead of the HOLY SPIRIT because friends when we are listening to the HOLY SPIRIT HE IS ALWAYS LEADING US TO THE CROSS where the finished work of the SON was accomplished.

        When we have major Pentecostal denominations supporting and advocating 12-step programs from the world of Psychology we are not listening to the HOLY SPIRIT! Believe me friend the HOLY SPIRIT will not lead you down a road with 12-steps in it - HE'LL SET YOU FREE!! Why? Because He will take you back to the CROSS OF CHRIST where the BLOOD WAS SHED 2,000 years ago that set man free and delivered him from darkness. The Cross represents a losing of our lives and wills to DO HIS WILL and DO HIS PURPOSE throughout the earth. And the same Holy Spirit who leads us to Calvary will not lend Himself to things that would make professional wrestlers blush! We must come back to Calvary. We must come back to the source of man's freedom. And it only took a total of six hours.

The Third Hour

        The Bible says Jesus was crucified at about the third hour of the day (which is 9:00 a.m.)

Mark 15:25  - And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 

        Tradition tells the Jews divided their night into four watches, of three hours each. They also divided the day into four general parts. The first began at sunrise. The second three hours after. The third at mid-day. The fourth three hours after, and continued until sunset. Christ having been nailed to the cross a little after mid-day, <John 19:14-17>, and having expired about three o'clock, <Mark 15:33>, the whole business of the crucifixion was finished within the space of this third division of the day, which Mark calls here the third hour. 

        At a crucifixion the victim usually was nailed or tied to a wooden stake and left to die. Crucifixion was used by many nations of the ancient world, including Assyria, Media, and Persia. Alexander the Great of Greece crucified 2,000 inhabitants of Tyre when he captured the city. The Romans later adopted this method and used it often throughout their empire. Crucifixion was the Romans' most severe form of execution; so it was reserved only for slaves and criminals. No Roman citizen could be crucified.

        Crucifixion involved attaching the victim with nails through the wrists or with leather thongs to a crossbeam attached to a vertical stake. Sometimes blocks or pins were put on the stake to give the victim some support as he hung suspended from the crossbeam. At times the feet were also nailed to the vertical stake. As the victim hung dangling by the arms, the blood could no longer circulate to his vital organs. Only by supporting himself on the seat or pin could the victim gain relief. But gradually exhaustion set in, and death followed, although usually not for several days. If the victim had been severely beaten, he would not live this long. To hasten death, the executioners sometimes broke the victim's legs with a club. Then he could no longer support his body to keep blood circulating, and death quickly followed. Usually bodies were left to rot or to be eaten by scavengers. There was no need for the soldiers to break the legs of Christ to hasten death. By the ninth hour <Mark 15:34, 37>, probably 3:00 P. M.-- in only six hours-- Jesus was already dead <John 19:31-33>. Scripture also tells us Jesus' body was not left to rot; the disciples were able to secure Pilate's permission to give Him a proper burial

        To the Jewish people, crucifixion represented the most disgusting form of death: "He who is hanged is accursed of God" <Deut. 21:23>. 

Deut. 21:23  - His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. 

        Yet the Jewish Sanhedrin which in the sight of God was acting on behalf of all Israel,  sought and obtained Roman authorization to have Jesus crucified <Mark 15:13-15>. As was the custom, the charge against Jesus was attached to the cross; 

Mark 15:13-15  - And they cried out again, Crucify him. [14] Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.  [15] And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 

        It was not just Israel that delivered Jesus to the Romans. It was the carnal nature of man that is within us all. Had God chosen to send Jesus to any other nation, there would have been the same results. Even Plato the heathen philosopher perceived that a truly righteous man would be despised by all men and eventually be impaled (the Greek equivalent of crucifixion). True Christianity is still on trial today. The TRUE CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS is still being crucified today.  The lesson here is when we slander, persecute, betray or harm a congregation, a minister, or a brother - even one who is the least, even one who is in doctrinal error or has other problems - we have injured the Lord himself. Passover is a celebration of the lamb Israel killed in Egypt the night of their deliverance. THE WHOLE CONGREGATION killed a lamb. WE ALL KILLED THE LORD JESUS with our sin.

     The Mocking

Mark 15:17-20 -  They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. (NIV)

        
       Mark records the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus, set a crown of thorns on his head and began to mock the Son of God. The world still mocks the Son of God today. Everything that is sacred, holy, just and pure has come under attack in this last hour. Comedians make fun of Christians and sad to say many Christians laugh at the failures and acts of others. Folks, God isn't laughing. Eternity is a very serious matter. Your soul is a very serious matter before God. We don't have to act like a bunch of prudes but righteousness will one day be rewarded and SIN WILL BE PUNISHED!

        It amazes me how many talk-show hosts today make fun of Jesus Christ. When President Bush was running for office his belief in Jesus came under scrutiny by many in the liberal media. When John Ashcroft was being nominated for U.S. Attorney General, things got even worse. Hear me. One day the mocking will stop and the one the world crucified and mocked 2000 years ago will come back in glory. Mockers will have their part in the lake of fire.

        The Vinegar and Gall

 
        During the first three hours, Jesus was also offered a brew of vinegar to deaden His senses, but He refused. 

Mark 15:23  - And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 

        Why did he refuse? Because when Jesus died He took ALL the BITTERNESS OF SIN upon Himself so we would not have to. Many of you reading this right now have allowed the things of this life to make you bitter, cynical and angry. People have wronged you and hurt you and you hold a grudge a mile long. Many times when things happen to us instead of us releasing those things to God we allow them to build up and fester in our hearts and spirits instead of repenting and finding a place of reconciliation before God. JESUS TOOK THE BITTERNESS OF LIFE UPON HIMSELF so those who come to Him in faith can receive peace in their hearts instead of anger.

        The society we live in has so many so-called victims but the greatest victim of them all - JESUS - overcame what was done to Him and offered prayers of forgiveness for His tormentors. I have to believe that Jesus didn't want to deaden His senses because He wanted all of HELL to know that even though Hell had done it's worst to kill Him and cause Him pain - He was doing this for the hurt and bitter of all humanity. He was saying, "Satan, you're best efforts to keep me from the will of God didn't work and I want to do this with ALL MY SENSES knowing exactly what I am doing." Jesus made in clear in John 15 it was HE, not the world, satan or anyone else, who made the decision for him to die on the cross.

John 10:15-18 - Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-- and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Numbered With The Transgressors

Mark 15:24-32  - And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. [27] And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. [29] And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,  Save thyself, and come down from the cross. [31] Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. [32] Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. 

        Jesus was "numbered with the transgressors" during the first three hours of His death. The Romans hung Him between two thieves, one on his right hand, the "other on his left." This was more than just an idle act. It speaks to us today of the identity of Christ among sinners. I wished I could say this in a nicer way. I wished I could whitewash this and not say it in a way that sounds condemnatory or critical. BUT THE WAY I KNOW THE CHURCH HAS LOST TOUCH WITH THE CROSS OF CHRIST IS WE HAVE LOST TOUCH WITH THE SINNERS AROUND US!

        We don't know how to minister to sinners anymore. Jesus didn't come for the righteous, He came for those who are lost. They that are WHOLE, don't need a physician, but they who are sick NEED ONE WHO CAN HEAL THEM!. And if Jesus, the Healer and Saviour is not found among the churches who carry His name, where will the sinner find HIM? Where will the sick find Him? Where will the drug addict find Him? Where will the suicidal find Him? Where will the hurting, dying and demonically bound find Him? Where will those who are in darkness and deceived find HIM? Listen friend, you're a Christian and there is a part of you that cares deeply for others and the things that happen in your congregation - BUT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO PASS BY YOUR STAIN GLASS WINDOWS DON'T CARE! They are just not interested.

        You say, well it's not the church's fault they are not interested in our programs. The world sits in darkness and the CHURCH OFFERS IT softball teams and poodle shows on Wednesday night. The sinner man sits in darkness and he sees us in the church divided, fighting, bickering and acting worse than Satan himself. The sinner man looks at what we say and it doesn't match up to how we live, how we talk and how we conduct ourselves to our fellow man outside the walls of our cathedrals. The sinner man sits at home on Sunday needing to see JESUS in us and all he gets is a Baptist spin on why Pentecostals are wrong about tongues. All he gets is a Pentecostal spin on why Charismatics are wrong about the gifts of the Spirit. All he gets is a Protestant spin on why the Catholics are wrong. AND WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR FROM US IN THE CHURCH IS JESUS JESUS JESUS, JESUS! And the source of all humanity's ills - Jesus Christ - WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS. 

John 12: 32-33 -  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33] This he said, signifying what death he should die. 

        Preacher, your church doesn't need a book report on Sunday morning or a 30-minute essay on the latest fads going on in the Body of Christ.  People could care less to hear how big your Sunday school attendance is running or how much offering you have in the building fund. God help us. The thing they want and need to hear when they come to your church is CHRIST CRUCIFIED! Christ crucified means that JESUS SAVES, JESUS HEALS, JESUS BAPTIZES IN THE HOLY GHOST AND JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!  Christ crucified means He also rose from the dead and He's not a historical Jesus that used to do it in the past, may do it in the future, but sure don't do it now.  LET GOD BE TRUE AND EVERY MAN BE A LIAR! HOGWASH! Shame on you preacher for preaching your unbelief into the people of God each Sunday. Shame on you preacher for desecrating the cross of Christ by preaching a gospel that lifts up a doctrine or a denomination instead of what the LORD JESUS DID AT CALVARY. Shame on you man of God for standing up without blushing and preaching a gospel that doesn't embrace the Holy Ghost - the very POWER that Jesus sent back after His crucifixion to bring the reality of the cross to the life of every believer.

        Mister, the masses of humanity who are bound don't want to hear how great your church is because of the great number of people you had last week at the weekly bingo game or the women's bazaar. When the bound come to your church, they so want and need to feel the power of the Holy Ghost as they feel the anointed word of how 2000 years ago Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life for 33 1/2 years and went to Calvary and BROKE THE POWERS OF DARKNESS and SET THE CAPTIVE FREE. NO BONDAGE hell had to throw at humanity from drugs to illicit sex to pornography to lying to stealing to anger to murder to rape can stand in the face of the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost!

         JESUS CHRIST CAN set man free from the bondage and power of HELL! JESUS SAVES, JESUS HEALS, JESUS BAPTIZES IN THE HOLY GHOST and JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! If you're church is not preaching JESUS and HIM CRUCIFIED then get out of that church - because it has apostatized. Get out of that place because the judgment of God is on it. You say "oh no, the judgment of God is not on OUR CHURCH because we had over 1,000 people in church Sunday."  What does it matter if your church has 1,000 coming every Sunday if 999 of them are probably lost and on their way to hell without a true born-again, sin-killing, devil chasing, Holy Ghost birthed NEW BORN EXPERIENCE! It's not in the number of people you have coming Preacher - it's in the PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL where souls are saved, sick bodies are healed, sinners are delivered, the demonically possessed and oppressed are set free. And there is only ONE POWER ON EARTH that can do that - the power of the blood of JESUS through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. ALL THE FATHER LOVES IS WRAPPED UP IN THE SON! And it was the SON OF GOD who did all this and the one with the power to set all of mankind free WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS.

        We are so smug in the church. We piously parade around our circles while we look down our noses at the drunks, the drug addicts, the homosexuals, the immoral. We whisper under our breath and say "God, we sure are glad we're not like them.!" We smugly promote our righteousness to the world and it STINKS in the sight of a HOLY GOD. We're just like Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7 who silently whispered under his breath his disgust for a sinner woman who came to anoint the feet of Jesus. He smugly thought if Jesus was really a prophet and man of God He would KNOW "what type and manner this woman was." Brother, Jesus knew what type woman she was - she was a SINNER. He wasn't there to condone the woman's sin but HE LOVED THE WOMAN! He didn't need Simon to tell Him about the woman. The truth is the same sin the woman had in her - SIMON HAD IN HIM! Simon just had it in another form - we call it SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS and PRIDE.

        And that's how we treat the sinner man who comes to our church. We smugly sit by and say "Oh I know ALL about them, they need to get saved." They probably do - BUT FRIEND you're not in any condition to elevate yourself above the one who is lost.  The only line of difference between the Christian and sinner is the BLOOD! It's the blood of Jesus. It's the blood that poured like water that day 2,000 years ago on Calvary that set man free from all his bondage.  We can whisper "if you only knew what type person they were," but friend, He KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE TOO!   He knows what we all are. He knows that underneath all this smug, arrogant religiosity of the modern church lies nothing but a veil full of darkness, racism, hate, anger and bitterness and the inability to even judge ourselves. He knows that underneath all our smugness and arrogance we are "naked, poor, miserable, and BLIND."   

        We're so busy defending our doctrines and our viewpoints we have forgotten to love the sinner like Jesus loves them. We're so busy uplifting our churches, we have forgotten to take the time to get the heart of the one who was numbered with the transgressors and feel His compassion for those who are hurting and dying. I'm afraid that the lost has become just a number to put on our tally sheets at denominational headquarters instead of taking the view that Jesus takes - UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

        What ever happened to helping the common man who is hurting on our trips to Jericho? We judge others for their failures and use our religiosity as a cloke to hide our own failures which are probably a hundred times worse. FRIEND, you are a TRANSGRESSOR and the only reason you do not remain under the judgment of God at this very moment is the cross of Christ. The fact you have placed your trust in Jesus does not grant you the status of a judge. It grants you the greatest opportunity to be a light to others who are in darkness and need salvation from the Lord Jesus.  The trust you placed in the Cross at salvation is not a one-time deal. I don't care if you've been saved 50 years - you better keep clinging to the cross! The cross of Jesus is the place where NO FLESH glories over its own accomplishments but we humble ourselves in the presence of a Holy God and admit we are sinners and deserve death but thank Him for mercy and granting us pardon because of HIS SACRIFICE - the Lord Jesus CHRIST! 

        By admitting we are sinners, we place ourselves under the MERCY of God which is so wonderful and so powerful and so liberating that even a THIEF hanging on a cross with NO BIBLE education could recognize the one hanging beside Him was his only hope for redemption. AND HE IS OUR ONLY HOPE TODAY. Thank God He was numbered with the transgressors because that means He was numbered with ME. He was numbered with YOU. He was numbered with ALL OF HUMANITY for ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. ALL HAVE FAILED God and have come under His judgment bar without hope of remedy outside the CROSS of JESUS.

        How could the greatest apostle of all time at the end of his life sit down and pen the words "CHRIST JESUS CAME TO SAVE SINNERS - of whom I am CHIEF?" Because Paul despite all he accomplished through Christ recognized that the only goodness he had in himself was the part of him that now belonged totally to Jesus through the death of Paul's own life and the living of the life of the Son of God.

    Let Him Come Down From The Cross

        Many who watched the first three hours of the crucifixion wagged their heads and said, "If this man is really the Son of God, he'll come down and show us His power." In saying this they missed the fundamental principle of Christianity. Death is not defeat, it is victory. He who seeks to save his life only loses it later. But when we lose our life NOW and give it to Jesus and walk in the power of the crucifixion, the resurrection and the exaltation, we gain our life again and inherit eternal life. The cross has been a major stumbling block in the way of the Jews (and many Gentiles), preventing the majority of them from accepting Jesus as the MESSIAH. The apostle Paul summed up the importance of the crucifixion best: 

"We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" <1 Cor. 1:23-24>.

        And in the first three hours the groundwork was laid for the earth's darkest hour, yet the precursor to earth's greatest hour. AND THERE WERE THREE HOURS TO GO...