Complete The Cross

0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:04.080 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:06.560 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:09.920 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:11.960 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:14.800 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:19.120 We are in the middle of something and that's where 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:25.119 God is. That really blesses me to know that, because 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:30.440 waiting for the finished product until I can have joy, 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:36.680 have peace, trust God, be happy. That doesn't sound very 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:38.960 promising to me. But if God is at ever present 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:42.640 help in trouble, in times of trouble, That's one thing 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.479 the Bible says about God. If he'll walk up to 0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:47.760 me in the middle of a storm, if he'll be 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:50.280 with me in the middle of the fire, if he'll 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.960 split the sea so I can walk through it and 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.520 drown my enemies behind me, I can keep moving. 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:59.040 Forward with the faith that God has my back in 0:00:59.080 --> 0:00:59.880 every situation. 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:03.960 So I think the idea of process has really been 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:08.640 challenging us and celebrating our progress rather than awaiting our perfection. 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:12.400 Is revolutionizing. Like me and Autumn talk every week, She's 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.200 been in our church eleven years, and she's like, I 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:19.000 never have seen Jesus in the way that I've been 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:21.000 seeing him in this series. And she grew up. She's 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:24.319 such a church girl, y'all. I mean seriously, she's got 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:30.840 Leviticus memorized in Hebrew and she's like, it's just opening 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.080 my eyes. And that's the revelation factor revelation. Today, I 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.240 want to talk about revelation in the context of relationship. 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:38.600 Please write this down. The greatest pain and pleasure that 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:40.520 you will experience in your life will be in the 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:46.120 context of relationship. I did you kind of dirty. I 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:47.720 didn't give you a chance to get your pin out, 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:50.720 your thumbs warmed up. So I'm going to try to 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.360 say it again. The greatest pain and greatest pleasure in 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.280 your life will be experienced in the context of relationship. 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:00.520 So one of the words that Jesus spoke from the 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.640 cross is commonly called the word of relationship. We're going 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:07.160 to deal with that today. But I've been using a 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:09.680 flashback technique. I try to be creative in the way 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:11.320 I present the word. I don't know if it makes 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:13.800 sense to everybody else, but just ways that make it 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:17.640 exciting for me because I figure i'd like my own sermons. 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:23.840 If nobody else does, I'll subscribe to the podcast. But 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.880 I've been looking at Luke twenty four. These two people. 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:32.840 One is called we call him Cleo. His full name 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.160 is Cleopus. He has an unnamed traveling companion. They're going 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.960 the wrong way to a no name village called a Maus. 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:41.840 I mean it has a name, but you can't find 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:44.400 it if you go to the Holy Land today. They'll say, 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.359 we think this is where a Mais was, but they 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:48.160 don't even really know where it was. It wasn't some 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:54.079 metropolitan major area where commerce happened. It was where they lived. 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:56.480 And they were going back from the scene of the cross, 0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:00.320 where they had watched their hope extinguished, and they had 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:02.680 watched the one that they thought might be the one die, 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.880 and they were burying their dreams along the road when 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.000 the one whose death they were morning walked up right 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.280 beside them, and they didn't know it. And so they're 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.880 like walking back the wrong way. And there's this whole 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.200 thing about why would Jesus follow people who are headed 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:20.080 in the wrong direction, Why would he leave the ninety 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:22.120 nine righteous to find the one? Why would he come 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.680 for the sick and not stay with the well. And 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:28.480 I think that's one thing that we misconstrue about God's 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:30.800 presence in our lives, is that He's going to be 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:33.840 with us as long as we're doing what he told 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:35.960 us to do and going where he told us to go. 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:39.560 And yet we're surprised by the grace of God just 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:44.200 like busting up in the middle of our conversations and 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:47.080 our hopeless situations and chasing us down to the wrong 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:50.120 destination so he can turn us around. And when they 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:52.080 got where they thought they were going, they saw who 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:54.200 Jesus really was. And I think they saw it in 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.200 his scars when he broke the bread, which is an 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:58.760 everyday event. You know, you eat every day, and God 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:00.640 is often found in the common marks of our lives. 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:03.200 I'm teaching already if you didn't know, this is not 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:07.640 a review. So seeing where he had been wounded and 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:11.880 now seeing his scars, which were the greatest demonstration of 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:17.240 his strength that proved his resurrection, they had their eyes 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:20.719 open and he was revealed and recognized by them in 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:24.320 that moment. One thing I didn't point out that I 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.320 think is very important. And I'm going to read the 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:28.920 text and I'm going to emphasize certain words and see 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.160 if you can find the theme. The Bible says in 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.120 verse thirty two that after they recognized Jesus, you know, 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:36.640 you have these moments where you're like, oh, yeah, that 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:41.320 was God. Oh yeah, that was God that had him 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:47.440 break up with me. He was broke. God was looking 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.920 out for me. But sometimes you don't see it on 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:52.640 the road. You only realize it in reverse. You like, 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:54.520 see their picture ten years later and you're like, oh, 0:04:54.520 --> 0:05:01.120 thank you, love Mary now. So they're like, oh, that 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:03.200 was him, that was the one we were crying over. 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:05.600 But he's not dead, he's risen. And look at this. 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.320 I'm going to emphasize certain works. Verse thirty two. They 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:17.160 asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us? 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:21.239 While he talked with us on the road and opened 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:27.720 the scriptures to us, are you noticing anything? Okay, one 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:31.240 more verse? Make sure you get it. They got a 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:36.480 and returned it. Once to Jerusalem, they found the eleven 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:45.200 and those with them assembled together. Their revelation of Jesus 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:49.919 was completed not in the context of their conversation with him, 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:52.800 but in the context of their conversation with each other. 0:05:56.880 --> 0:06:01.520 This message is called complete the cross and it is 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.560 meant to confront some of the things that we say 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:06.280 in church that sound spiritual but really make no sense 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:10.279 in real life, things like, you know, all I need 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:14.760 is Jesus. As long as I've got Jesus, I don't 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.560 need anybody else. And I understand the spirit of that 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:20.600 that he is the most important, and seek he first, 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:22.120 the King, to God his Righteous. All these things be 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:23.719 added under you and my mother and Father for save me, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:25.240 then the Lord will take me up. I know those 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:34.800 Bible verses too, But even Jesus needed a team, and 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.320 it is significant I think, maybe you don't think so, 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:40.799 that he revealed himself to two people and they talked 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:43.440 with each other, and it was in talking with each 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:47.760 other that they figured out who he was. Because for 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:49.760 all of us who think all we need is God 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.799 and all we need is Jesus. The last time I checked, 0:06:52.800 --> 0:07:01.720 the cross had two beams. This one that's the main one. 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.360 Got to get that right. But it's not a cross 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:10.920 until it does like this. And sometimes the reason we 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:14.400 like to say things like all I need is Jesus 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:19.000 and all I need is God is because as long 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:22.200 as we keep the context of our relationship limited to 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.400 an invisible God. We don't have to deal with people, 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.080 and we can kind of manipulate our image of God 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:32.560 into somebody who is comfortable for us to relate to. 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:36.160 And then you'll start saying things like, well, nobody else 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:41.520 gets me, but God does. And so you're all this, 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:48.840 all this, and that's awesome and I love it. But 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:55.200 I want to talk a little bit about this, the relationship. 0:07:56.160 --> 0:08:03.040 The relationship that is a little bit harder. So to 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:08.240 do it. I want to remember what happened on the cross. 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.120 And I wonder when Cleophus and his unnamed companion are 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:15.200 walking back, because the Bible says they got up, they 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:18.520 turned around, they thought it was the end. It was 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:22.320 really the beginning. They had watched Jesus die on the cross, 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:25.920 watching him die, they thought this is it. But Heaven 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:29.520 is watching and saying no when he said it is finished, 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:34.959 that was just the beginning. Come on, I need somebody 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:38.080 who travels six hours or more to know that where 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.600 you are right now is not the end of what 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:45.280 shall be in your life. I feel like preaching to 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.839 somebody who's got your head hung down. You've been in 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:52.680 a mayis long enough. Come on, you got a round 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:56.640 prim ticket and they turned around and they went back, 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.960 And the Bible says that the road they walked was seven. 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.680 So we've been using each of the seven miles to 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:06.680 represent a different word that Jesus spoke from the cross, 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:10.080 and there were seven of them, the word of forgiveness, Father, 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:12.400 forgive them they know not what they do, or the 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.160 word of salvation. Today you will be with me in paradise. 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:18.760 And I wonder where they have a flashback of what 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:20.840 happened on the cross. And that's not a bad thing 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:24.360 to do, by the way, to have a flashback every 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:29.440 now and then, to strengthen your faith, to remember what 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:34.080 really happened on that cross. I mean, what really happened 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:38.440 beyond the crown of thorns that marked his brow, beyond 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:41.280 the sign that Pilot put above him in three different 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:45.000 languages that said king of the Jews, the title that 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:48.199 he used to mock him, which was actually announcing him. 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:52.000 Because sometimes the insults that people will say about you 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:55.280 are the greatest compliment they can give you. I mean, 0:09:55.400 --> 0:10:00.360 beyond that, what really happened on the cross. I've been 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:04.320 telling my soul, when my shackles fell off, when my 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:10.480 same was nailed to those beams, when the chastisement that 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:14.000 brought my peace was upon him. On the cross, somebody say, 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:17.600 on the cross, On the cross, that's where my sin is. 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.240 On the cross, That's where my mistakes are. On the cross. 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:25.200 That's where my second guessings and second givings. That's where 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:28.840 all of my regrets are redeemed. On the cross. That's 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:32.000 where I hung all my fears and all my talents 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:38.480 and all my failures that happened on the cross. And 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:41.320 I wonder did they reflect on the road on what 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.280 happened on the cross? And I wonder, now, in the 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:45.960 light of his resurrection, did they reflect on his death 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:50.040 differently to know that what had caused them to hang 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.720 their heads and walk away was actually the greatest proof 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.360 of his love. When I need to know that God 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.560 loves me, I don't look at what's happening in my life. 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:04.160 I flash back to what happened on the cross. That's 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:09.800 where it was settled. That's where it was nailed down forever. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:18.280 He's always good and he does good, and he showed 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:23.560 it to me on the cross. On the cross, that's 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:25.880 where that thing that the devil is tormenting you with, 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:30.240 that's down deeper than anybody else can see, that's where 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.680 it should be hanging. It shouldn't be hanging around in 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:34.880 your heart and in your soul, it should be on 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:39.280 that cross. I feel kind of old timey today. I 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:43.240 don't feel very modern today. I feel like going and 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.120 putting my eyes on the middle man, the one who 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.840 hung there because he loved me, the one who could 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.559 have dissed that's twelve legions of angels, but homed there 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:57.199 on that cross for me. Well, it was his love 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:02.679 that held him there on the cross. So that's the 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:05.439 first picture I wondered, did they remember what happened on 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:09.439 the cross? Because they were actually at the cross. Maybe 0:12:09.440 --> 0:12:13.600 not actually in the general vicinity, but they were at 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:16.600 the cross. And you know, I've heard sermons, seen movies 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:20.439 about what happened on the cross, and sometimes it makes 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:23.640 you feel kind of sentimental. Sometimes it makes you feel 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:26.960 kind of sick. What happened on the cross went far 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.680 beyond what a film camera can present. In twenty four 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:35.080 what happened on the cross is the release of the 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:38.040 freedom that God wants to produce in my life. But 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:43.240 I think there's something to be seen not just what 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:47.840 happened on the cross, but who was at the cross. 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:50.720 I mean, we know who was on the cross between 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.520 two thieves, but at the cross. Now, to get a 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:56.760 clear picture of this, you kind of have to do 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:58.559 a little bit of study. And don't worry, I already 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:01.200 did it for you, so I'm gonna tell you don't 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:02.720 have to look anything up. I looked at all up 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:08.920 this week while you were doing your real job. It 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:13.200 was interesting because I was putting together what Matthew said 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:15.560 and what Mark said, and what Luke said and what 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.320 John said, and so Matthew, who is one of the disciples, 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.720 they're all telling the same story but from a different perspective, 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:23.840 and they're describing the cross. And when it came to 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:27.320 exactly what happened at the cross, Matthew didn't have a 0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:31.280 lot to say because he wasn't there. Okay, he was 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.120 there for the fish and the loaves, so he can 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:37.040 tell you about that. He was there for that water 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.200 walking thing where Peter got out of the boat because 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.280 he's kind of crazy and didn't content to just sit 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.240 in the boat. He has to do something special and spectacular. 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:46.960 He was there when Peter almost drowned himself and Jesus 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:51.559 gave him CPR and but when it came to the 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:55.000 isn't it funny how the cross will thin out a crowd, 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.800 Because it was really loud on Sunday when Jesus came 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:10.280 into Jerusalem, I mean deafening. They were crying out something. 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:13.600 They were saying, Hosanna, it means save now, and that's 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.720 what they wanted him to do, to save now. But 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.000 when he died, it deferred their hope. And so as 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.680 he hung there at the cross, the crowds that were 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.440 there to be fed and taught by his hand were 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:34.920 kind of quiet at the cross, kind of quiet where 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:41.040 he died, kind of quiet where he suffered. It was 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:45.160 real loud when he was teaching, preach Jesus. Can you 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:49.480 imagine Jesus's front row, blessed of the poor and spirit 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:54.360 preach Jesus. I mean, if the word was preaching the word, 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.800 that would be kind of cool to witness. It'll probably 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.920 be exciting. I'm just saying you probably shall you probably 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:06.760 jump up. But when he came to his cross, crowd 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:11.440 wasn't so loud. Oh. By the way, something that Peter 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:16.520 proofs to us is that those who are the loudest 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:26.120 are not always the most loyal. Because when it comes 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:29.240 to the cross, Matthew tells us something so disturbing. I 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.080 imagine it must have hurt him to write this, you know, 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.040 because Jesus had done so much for them and they 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:36.880 really believed in him, and I think they really wanted 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:38.640 to follow him, but they can only go so far. 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:42.800 And then he came to the cross, and the cross 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:45.960 is confusing because it's not supposed to end like this. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:52.240 And the cross is confusing because if he really is 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:59.160 who he says he is, how can he be hung 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:04.760 up there to die in this kind of humiliation? And 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:10.680 so Matthew says that at the cross, everybody deserted him 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:15.280 all twelve because remember he had a team, a really 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:18.920 big team, a really big team, touch somebody say, a 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:24.560 really big team until it came to the cross. And 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.760 then sometimes circumstances in your life will show you who 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:33.200 was really with you because they loved you, and who 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:35.080 was really with you because there was something that they 0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:36.880 got from you in the moment. They don't get from 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:46.520 you what they wanted from you. Now, that's really painful. 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:53.040 That's a hard thing. Some people will be with you, 0:16:53.560 --> 0:16:55.480 what's the saying. They'll ride with you in the limo, 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:58.480 but they won't take the bus when the limo breaks down. 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.000 I don't know who said that. I think that's from 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:04.200 the Book of Oprah. But but Matthew says it is 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.760 a good one. But Matthew says, they all left him. 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:12.080 Now here's what's interesting. There's one disciple. His name is John, 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:15.840 and I love John because he gave himself a nickname. 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.720 There's a lot to love about John. Because at the 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:23.200 Last Supper, when Jesus is telling the disciples, you're all 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:35.560 gonna leave, Peter's like, not me, a gotzi bro. And 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:40.399 John isn't saying much. But John, he saw himself a 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:42.679 little differently. Here's what he called himself. Okay, how many 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:44.280 of you have a nickname that your friends call you 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:48.160 and stuff? How many of you gave yourself a nickname? Okay? 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:51.920 John is so confident he gave himself a nickname. And 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:53.439 let me tell you what he calls himself when he 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:56.359 writes about himself in the Gospel. According to John, he 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.480 calls himself, how's this for a nickname? The one Jesus 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:08.200 love so not Hey, I'm John, Hey, I'm his favorite. 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:13.000 I love John. It's a certain kind of confidence that 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.560 he has that he doesn't need to say much with 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:21.399 his lips to prove his loyalty. He's just there. And 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:25.640 so when John writes his Gospel, he's like, hey, wait 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:30.080 a minute, Matthew, we didn't all run. And he describes 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:32.360 for a moment who was at the cross, and it's 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:36.920 not who you would expect, because you're looking for Peter 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:40.119 at the cross, but Peter isn't at the cross. He 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:44.120 couldn't get past the courtyard the moment it became scandalous 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:47.600 to stand with Jesus, and Jesus didn't do it like 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:49.440 he thought it ought to be done. 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:51.520 Peter started cutting people out. 0:18:56.640 --> 0:18:59.359 And maybe you're looking for Andrew at the cross, because 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:02.040 Andrew was Peter's brother. He's the one who came and 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:04.680 got Peter and said, hey, you gotta meet this man. 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.040 He's amazing, and he was amazing until it came to 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:12.320 the cross, and then Andrew was absent. And so on 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:14.399 the day that Jesus did what he came to do 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:16.680 to begin with, he's calling the roll and no one 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.680 is present. That's a bad day for the teacher when 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:26.439 the whole class is gone, and the loneliness of hanging 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:34.199 there all alone no Bartholomew, No Nathaniel. 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:36.399 Because when I read it, John tells us who was 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:40.080 at the cross, everybody say, at the cross, there's soldiers 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:42.639 gambling for his garments at the foot of the cross, 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:44.719 everybody grabbing what they can from him, just like they 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:47.400 did while he was living, Just grabbing what they wanted. 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:49.320 From him, just like sometimes we come to church, just 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:52.280 grab what we want from God. Just grab a goosebump, 0:19:52.520 --> 0:19:54.879 just grab a word. Oh I came to get a word, 0:19:56.000 --> 0:20:02.880 but when it came time to it was kind of quiet. 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:25.200 Nathaniel Andrew Simon, the Zealot, James, son of Thunder. John here, 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:33.040 don't you appreciate the people who are just there likewashes. 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:35.639 It's not who you expect. It's not even the loud ones. 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:39.040 Look us at the cross. Look, John tells us. Because 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:43.800 he was there, Matthew can't quite tell us because he wasn't. Again, 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:46.760 he can tell you how delicious the bread was, He 0:20:46.800 --> 0:20:51.280 can tell you how delicious the fish tasted. But John 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:53.840 tells us who was at the cross. I'm gonna give 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:55.560 you something right now. God gave me something to give 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:58.959 to you. You're about to be set free from some 0:20:59.040 --> 0:21:01.399 things that you didn't even though had locked you inside 0:21:01.440 --> 0:21:05.560 of yourself. You are about to get something from God 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:07.560 that is going to release you to love like you 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:10.119 haven't been able to love and enjoy the life he 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:16.600 died to give you. So John says that near the 0:21:16.640 --> 0:21:21.239 cross of Jesus, remember he's on the cross, and now 0:21:21.320 --> 0:21:23.560 let's see who's at the cross. First of all, his mother, 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:28.560 the one who carried him now had to watch him 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:32.960 carry her cross that she deserved that he did not. 0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:36.359 And I think there's a whole message. Maybe I'll preach 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:38.280 Mother's Day on this verse one time, because it'd be 0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:41.800 a great Mother's Day scripture. What kind of strength does 0:21:41.840 --> 0:21:46.200 it take for a mom to stand there and watch 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:51.399 her son die, completely unable to do anything about it, 0:21:51.480 --> 0:21:54.879 just standing there. It says that near the cross of 0:21:55.000 --> 0:22:00.320 Jesus stood his mother. It does not record one word. 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.280 That she spoke, but she stood with him. 0:22:03.640 --> 0:22:06.960 She stood with him. Sometimes the greatest testimony of your 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:10.720 loyalty is not what you will say to someone, but 0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:16.560 how you will stand with them. Because we've all got 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:21.919 a cross, we've all got seasons that we will go 0:22:22.000 --> 0:22:25.280 into that will divide those who are loud from those 0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:28.600 who are really loyal and who I see at the 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:30.639 crosses and who I expect to see at the cross 0:22:30.880 --> 0:22:37.000 Here's Mary, the mother of Jesus. There's her sister, there's 0:22:37.400 --> 0:22:43.840 Mary the wife of Clopus. And there's Mary Magdalene. She 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:47.119 had a rough life. Jesus really helped her. He cast 0:22:47.960 --> 0:22:50.159 some demons out of her that nobody else had been 0:22:50.200 --> 0:22:53.080 able to deal with, and that created a kind of 0:22:53.119 --> 0:22:56.040 loyalty within her that she was like, even if all 0:22:56.040 --> 0:22:58.040 I can do is stand here and cry, I'm not leaving, 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:02.560 could you get there with God? That, even if all 0:23:02.600 --> 0:23:07.480 I can do is stand here and wait to see 0:23:07.680 --> 0:23:12.480 what will becolm, you can't run me off. You've been 0:23:12.600 --> 0:23:17.280 too good to me and done too much for me. 0:23:17.960 --> 0:23:22.919 I'm not going anywhere. You have the words of eternal life, 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:30.440 I'll say it near the cross. And when Jesus saw 0:23:30.480 --> 0:23:33.200 his mother there, John tells us and the disciple whom 0:23:33.280 --> 0:23:39.280 he loved, John says, as me standing nearby, He said 0:23:39.320 --> 0:23:42.320 to her, woman, here is your son, and then watch this. 0:23:43.400 --> 0:23:48.000 He looked at the disciple whom he loved, the self 0:23:48.000 --> 0:23:53.680 proclaimed favorite, and gave him a job. Here is your mother. 0:23:55.160 --> 0:23:57.159 Let's skip the fact that none of us in the 0:23:57.240 --> 0:23:59.800 room would be able to put us on our own 0:23:59.800 --> 0:24:02.000 self elfishness enough if we were suffering like that to 0:24:02.000 --> 0:24:05.360 think about anyone else, because you know, when you're going 0:24:05.400 --> 0:24:07.720 through something, you don't ask anybody how their day is, 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:10.199 and if you do, you really don't want to know, 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:12.959 and you hope they don't answer you. All you can 0:24:13.000 --> 0:24:14.840 really handle is fun. I'm telling you when you're going 0:24:14.840 --> 0:24:16.439 through something, and you really need to watch for this 0:24:16.480 --> 0:24:18.040 because I went through something a couple of years ago 0:24:18.080 --> 0:24:20.200 with my dad, and somebody gave me good advice. They said, 0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:21.640 don't tell a lot of people what you're going through. 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:24.480 Find a few people you can tell what you're going through. 0:24:24.720 --> 0:24:28.520 Most people are going to ask you. They really don't care. 0:24:29.560 --> 0:24:31.879 That would have been worth your trip to church today, 0:24:32.240 --> 0:24:34.800 just to know that they really don't mean tell me 0:24:34.840 --> 0:24:38.359 all about it. They really don't. They see you coming, 0:24:38.400 --> 0:24:40.880 they dodge you. Because your niece have been hurting six 0:24:40.960 --> 0:24:43.800 months and it's all you talk about your sore back, 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:46.119 it's all you talk about how hard it's been with 0:24:46.200 --> 0:24:50.320 your kids. Most people don't want to know all that 0:24:54.000 --> 0:24:57.280 because they've got their own stuff. They've got their own 0:24:57.280 --> 0:25:00.520 things they're dealing with, and to me the the presence 0:25:00.560 --> 0:25:02.200 of mind of Jesus. And I want to be more 0:25:02.280 --> 0:25:05.080 like this because I'm really not here yet, nor am 0:25:05.119 --> 0:25:07.520 I in the vicinity of this kind of christ likeness. 0:25:08.200 --> 0:25:10.280 But that he was able to look to the needs 0:25:10.320 --> 0:25:16.280 of others while he died for them, not after he 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:16.880 got up. 0:25:17.400 --> 0:25:19.879 While he's bleeding for their sins. 0:25:19.920 --> 0:25:22.320 He says, hey, look out for her, and you look 0:25:22.320 --> 0:25:25.000 out for him. And he's doing in his death what 0:25:25.080 --> 0:25:34.000 he did in his life, bringing them together as he dies. Hey, John, 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:38.280 I need you to do something for me. Look out 0:25:38.320 --> 0:25:45.040 for her, and and he's he's your son. Now that's crazy, 0:25:45.280 --> 0:25:47.880 isn't that crazy? Because I would have been up there, 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:50.960 I would not have even seen John standing at the 0:25:51.000 --> 0:25:53.280 cross because I would have been so mad at Peter. 0:25:57.200 --> 0:26:01.800 I would have been so mad at Anne. And don't 0:26:01.800 --> 0:26:05.200 even get me started on Judas. Oh my God, I 0:26:05.240 --> 0:26:07.800 would not have seen John because I would have been 0:26:07.840 --> 0:26:09.840 making up my plan for how I was gonna get 0:26:09.840 --> 0:26:18.120 back at Judas. Sometimes we don't see those who are 0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:21.200 with us because we can only think of those who 0:26:21.280 --> 0:26:26.480 left us. But I want to declare over your life today, 0:26:26.960 --> 0:26:31.280 God will always leave a John at your cross. 0:26:31.680 --> 0:26:34.760 You got who you need. You got what you need. 0:26:35.040 --> 0:26:48.240 If they left you, who was that for it? Be 0:26:48.320 --> 0:26:49.119 honest about it. 0:26:50.320 --> 0:26:53.160 You have been so upset about the encouragement that you're 0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:56.600 not getting from somebody. You are tripping over the encouragement 0:26:56.640 --> 0:27:00.640 of sixteen other people because you're mad at Bob. Well 0:27:00.680 --> 0:27:01.600 what about Bob? 0:27:01.960 --> 0:27:04.720 If Bob left the cross, reach out to John. 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:11.520 There's a John, it's a cross. Feel something happening in 0:27:11.560 --> 0:27:14.400 your heart right now? That just sets you free. 0:27:14.480 --> 0:27:16.439 You don't have to worry about who left. 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:22.720 If they left their God, if John is at the cross. Besides, 0:27:24.840 --> 0:27:29.320 why would Jesus be mad at Judas? He needed John 0:27:29.359 --> 0:27:32.920 to be there at the cross, but he needed Judas 0:27:32.960 --> 0:27:40.320 to get him to the cross. This is a hard one. 0:27:41.440 --> 0:27:45.480 This is a hard one. You might have to realize 0:27:45.520 --> 0:27:47.919 that some of the people that you hate the most 0:27:48.119 --> 0:27:51.440 actually helped you get to the place where you need 0:27:51.480 --> 0:27:55.280 it to be to do what God called you to do. 0:27:55.280 --> 0:27:56.080 Do you believe that? 0:27:56.119 --> 0:28:00.119 Can you receive this? This is a hard say that's 0:28:00.160 --> 0:28:02.600 the kind of stuff Jesus would say and people would 0:28:02.760 --> 0:28:03.520 just walk away. 0:28:03.920 --> 0:28:08.200 But Jesus wasn't cursing Judas. It took Judas, It took 0:28:08.240 --> 0:28:10.600 a broken heart. It took a betrayal. 0:28:11.000 --> 0:28:13.239 Some of the people that left you were teaching you 0:28:13.280 --> 0:28:13.880 to love. 0:28:13.760 --> 0:28:24.919 The people who are still there. It took that. It 0:28:24.960 --> 0:28:30.520 doesn't justify what they did. But maybe I'm gonna get 0:28:30.520 --> 0:28:32.560 mature enough one day where I can be like Jesus 0:28:34.960 --> 0:28:43.080 and I won't miss John cursing Judas. Yes it is. 0:28:48.800 --> 0:28:51.000 I'm gonna say this about six different ways before I 0:28:51.040 --> 0:28:52.720 close to make sure you get it, because that's my 0:28:52.800 --> 0:29:01.320 message is that it takes two. It takes two. It 0:29:01.360 --> 0:29:10.160 takes two. I want to rock right now. Touch somebody 0:29:10.200 --> 0:29:18.400 say I'm not internationally known, and see when you got 0:29:18.400 --> 0:29:21.320 it like this? Come on, somebody say I got it 0:29:21.360 --> 0:29:21.600 like that. 0:29:24.680 --> 0:29:28.680 Jesus so knew who he was, and he had so 0:29:28.920 --> 0:29:33.480 received the affirmation that could only be given in the 0:29:33.520 --> 0:29:35.520 baptism at the Jordan. 0:29:35.640 --> 0:29:40.280 This is my son, and I am pleased with him that, 0:29:40.400 --> 0:29:44.720 no matter who wasn't there, he was so convinced about 0:29:44.760 --> 0:29:48.080 who was that he could look at John and look 0:29:48.080 --> 0:29:56.360 at Mary and give like that. And when you really 0:29:56.400 --> 0:29:59.239 get it like this, I mean, when you wake up 0:29:59.280 --> 0:30:01.360 in the morning and know that God has blessed you 0:30:01.360 --> 0:30:16.760 to see another day, you will not be needy anymore. Okay, 0:30:16.960 --> 0:30:25.360 I'll say it just like that. You're too needy and 0:30:25.400 --> 0:30:32.200 you're too blessed to be this needy. I'm just telling 0:30:32.240 --> 0:30:35.960 you what God told me. You think it's hard for 0:30:36.000 --> 0:30:37.960 you to hear. I had to hear it all week. 0:30:38.240 --> 0:30:41.000 God kept me out all week getting this message ready 0:30:41.000 --> 0:30:45.560 for you, and he said, I need for your validation 0:30:45.760 --> 0:30:47.600 not to be in somebody else's mouth. I need your 0:30:47.640 --> 0:30:55.520 validation to be in that cross. I need you to 0:30:55.560 --> 0:30:58.920 be complete in that cross, so that if you don't 0:30:58.960 --> 0:31:02.040 get it from your mom, if you don't get it 0:31:02.080 --> 0:31:05.480 from your daughter, Listen, sometimes people are giving you all 0:31:05.560 --> 0:31:08.760 they can give you. They can't give you anymore. And 0:31:08.800 --> 0:31:11.680 if you don't get it like this, you will never 0:31:11.720 --> 0:31:17.640 get it like that. You need to set some people 0:31:17.680 --> 0:31:22.960 free today from not giving you keys to your freedom 0:31:23.040 --> 0:31:32.320 that they don't hold. You. Have got to release some 0:31:32.360 --> 0:31:36.040 people from the expectation of perfection. They can't be everything 0:31:36.080 --> 0:31:40.600 to you. Even John couldn't get him down. All he 0:31:40.640 --> 0:31:44.800 could do was stand there. So I don't want to 0:31:44.800 --> 0:31:48.960 look to people to do for me, but only God can. 0:31:49.320 --> 0:31:52.240 I don't want to be grabbing for garments at the 0:31:52.240 --> 0:31:55.840 foot of the cross. If I got it like this. 0:31:57.400 --> 0:32:07.400 I can give it like that. Whoever this is for, 0:32:07.560 --> 0:32:10.960 you've been trying to get affection from the wrong direction. 0:32:13.880 --> 0:32:16.360 You've been reaching for validation and all the wrong places. 0:32:16.400 --> 0:32:18.240 You're not going to get it like this. That's where 0:32:18.280 --> 0:32:21.880 you give. That's where Paul said, if there's any comfort 0:32:21.880 --> 0:32:24.760 from being united with Christ, what she's drawn across. He's saying, 0:32:24.760 --> 0:32:26.640 this Philippian Church. You can look at U Philippians one 0:32:26.680 --> 0:32:28.680 in chapter two, verse one and two. Something like that 0:32:28.960 --> 0:32:33.880 is in Philippians. Somewhere google it says you got it. Oh, 0:32:34.240 --> 0:32:37.120 if there's any encouragement from being united with Christ, somebody say, 0:32:37.160 --> 0:32:40.720 I got it like that. Okay, that's the part we're 0:32:40.760 --> 0:32:43.760 good at in church. He forgave me, he saved me, 0:32:44.400 --> 0:32:47.440 he loves me, he accepts me. But Paul says, if 0:32:47.440 --> 0:32:50.560 you got it like that, any comfort from His love? 0:32:50.600 --> 0:32:52.440 How many are comforted by the love of Christ in 0:32:52.480 --> 0:32:59.000 your heart today? If you got it like that, having 0:32:59.080 --> 0:33:01.720 the same love, being one inspirit and of one mind, 0:33:02.200 --> 0:33:08.600 I love this next instruction, then make my joy complete. 0:33:09.320 --> 0:33:14.640 If you got it like that, give it like this. 0:33:17.160 --> 0:33:20.520 So I want to wake up this week and I 0:33:20.560 --> 0:33:24.080 want to see all of my shame my need on 0:33:24.160 --> 0:33:28.160 that cross. I want to receive all of my validation 0:33:28.320 --> 0:33:32.760 at that cross. I want to carry whatever cross God 0:33:32.760 --> 0:33:37.200 has given me and not resent the people who didn't 0:33:37.200 --> 0:33:43.480 give me what I thought I needed. Because I am 0:33:43.560 --> 0:33:46.720 complete in that cross. I don't need you to tell 0:33:46.760 --> 0:33:51.040 me that I'm loved. Maybe it's time for me to 0:33:51.080 --> 0:33:58.640 tell you that you're loved. Maybe I've lived my life 0:34:00.240 --> 0:34:04.720 doing this long enough. Maybe it's time to live like 0:34:04.760 --> 0:34:23.800 he died at the cross. There's job on the cross. 0:34:23.840 --> 0:34:31.000 There's Jesus in the cross. Here's us. That's where our 0:34:31.000 --> 0:34:34.360 strength is. You know, not in what people say or 0:34:34.360 --> 0:34:39.759 don't say. You feel the release in that. When I 0:34:39.840 --> 0:34:45.200 receive it, I can release it. God show me who 0:34:45.280 --> 0:34:49.480 to encourage today. I don't need anything from you today. 0:34:49.760 --> 0:34:55.920 Here I got mine at the Cross. I got mine 0:34:56.640 --> 0:34:59.319 in the presence of God. In His presence is the 0:34:59.320 --> 0:35:03.080 fullness of I am complete in Him. I am the 0:35:03.200 --> 0:35:07.760 righteousness of God. I am comple. Somebody shout, I am complete. 0:35:08.600 --> 0:35:12.040 I am complete. I don't need you to complete me. 0:35:12.640 --> 0:35:16.880 I am complete in the Cross of Jesus Christ, where 0:35:16.920 --> 0:35:20.680 he led is still flowing today, and it is flowing 0:35:20.760 --> 0:35:21.120 through me. 0:35:23.880 --> 0:35:28.759 Come on, give him sixty seconds of praise for the crown, for. 0:35:28.880 --> 0:35:34.719 The cross at the cross. I got it in the cross. 0:35:35.680 --> 0:35:39.000 I got it at the cross. I got it in 0:35:39.080 --> 0:35:39.760 the cross. 0:35:40.160 --> 0:35:43.160 Last I know I love I got it in the cross. 0:35:43.520 --> 0:35:46.799 The world didn't give it, and the world can take 0:35:46.880 --> 0:35:59.879 it away. Received this ministry. God is trying to get 0:35:59.880 --> 0:36:05.399 you to release what you have received. You've been doing 0:36:05.400 --> 0:36:11.000 it the wrong way. You've been trying to receive it. 0:36:12.080 --> 0:36:18.400 Release it, receive it, release it, receive it, release it, 0:36:18.719 --> 0:36:21.200 receive it, release it. 0:36:21.480 --> 0:36:26.360 Receive it from him. Don't try to receive it from them. 0:36:26.400 --> 0:36:30.759 They are unpredictable and they got their own stuff and 0:36:30.800 --> 0:36:38.160 their own reasons. Receive it. Release it. If you receive 0:36:38.239 --> 0:36:44.279 this word, lift your hands. Lift him high, like you 0:36:44.360 --> 0:36:46.440 have a father who loves you and made up his 0:36:46.520 --> 0:36:49.440 mind about you, and isn't trying to decide whether or 0:36:49.440 --> 0:36:51.680 not to accept you on the basis of your performance. 0:36:55.120 --> 0:37:02.480 Somebody say, my righteousness is in the cross. Keep your 0:37:02.480 --> 0:37:04.480 hands stretched. This is how you live. This is how 0:37:04.480 --> 0:37:06.600 you get it. This is how you get it. This 0:37:06.680 --> 0:37:09.120 is how you get it. This is how you get it, 0:37:11.080 --> 0:37:13.920 not when a group accepts you, not when a promotion comes. 0:37:14.760 --> 0:37:17.600 This is how you get it. You're going to go 0:37:17.640 --> 0:37:20.719 into this week with something to give. You're gonna go 0:37:20.760 --> 0:37:23.000 into this week knowing who you are. Lift your hands, 0:37:28.040 --> 0:37:30.600 thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:37:30.640 --> 0:37:33.640 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:37:33.680 --> 0:37:36.600 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:37:36.600 --> 0:37:40.360 link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch 0:37:40.520 --> 0:37:43.759 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:37:43.840 --> 0:37:47.080 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:37:47.120 --> 0:37:49.400 with your friends. You can click the share button, take 0:37:49.440 --> 0:37:51.799 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:37:51.840 --> 0:37:54.719 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:37:54.719 --> 0:38:00.080 bless you.