MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Message One

MOUNT CALVARY- THE PROGRAM OF GOD

John 19:17

 

Introduction: I preached most of the summer on valleys in the Bible.  Valleys are a type or picture of the trials, problems and suffering of life.  But valleys are not the only part of life.  To have a valley, you need a mountain on both ends.  I want to preach on some mountain top experiences of the Christian life.  This will add balance to my preaching.

                                                Proverbs 11:1

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”

      I am going to preach on some mountains that must and can be in the life of Christian.  Today I will be preaching on Mount Calvary.  If a person says that he or she is a Christian without going to the Christ of Mount Calvary.  They have lied and really deceived themselves.  What did Jesus say in regards to this?  Let’s look at two passages. 

                                                John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

      I like things simple.  So I will be asking and answering some simple questions.  What bothers me is that children can see this and some adults stumble over it for their entire adult lives.

      Question number one is where does the Father live?  In heaven is the correct answer.  Question number two is how do you go to heaven?  By the way, the truth and the life, which is the Lord Jesus is the correct answer.  So why do people think that you need something else other than Jesus for heaven?  Why?  They want to have a part in their salvation.  This is called religion or the doing kind.  Salvation in the Bible is the done kind.

                                                Ephesians 2:8,9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

      If I had any part in my salvation, then I point my finger in the face of God and tell Him I am here by my merit.  But that is so far from the Bible that it is not funny.  It is grace, plus nothing and minus nothing.  If I try to go to heaven another way, I am a thief. 

                                                John 10:1

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

      Jesus is the door to heaven.  Jesus is the truth about heaven.  Jesus is the way to heaven.  Jesus is the life of heaven.  So heaven is only gotten by go through Him- Jesus!

      Today we want to climb Calvary’s mountain.  I want us to look around and see what and who is there.  When we go to Calvary’s mountain, we see the program of God.  All the elements are there on the mountain.  I am sure that the sun didn't want to come up that day.  In fact, it could not shine all day.  There was that three-hour period of darkness that the sun did not shine in the middle of the day.  This was the most eventful day in the history of man.  The attack on Pearl Harbor, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the fall of Rome, the collapse of communism, the inquisition in France, and all the other world shaking events were kindergarten level when compared to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  All events before this day pointed toward this day.  All events since that day have pointed back to it.

      Give me your mind and heart today as we are on Calvary’s mountain look at the sights.  What do we see on Calvary’s mountain? 

I.  WE SEE THE CROSS OF MOUNT CALVARY. 

                                                Luke 23:32-33; 39-43

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”  “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 

                   There are actually three crosses on this hill.  On two of the cross are two thieves.   But it is the middle cross that arrests your attention.  One of the crosses will be a man dying in sin.  The other cross is a man dying from sin.  But the middle cross is the man or should I say based on the Word of God, the God/man dying for sin.  The man dying in sin is the cross of rejection.  The man dying from sin is the cross of reception.  But the man dying for sin is the cross of redemption.  It will become the focal point of all history after this day.  All of time has measurements in B. C. and A. D. or should I say Before Christ and after the death of Christ after this day.  I want to give you thoughts in regards to the cross before moving on.

                  A. Quotes about the Cross

                              Some of the preachers of the past have this to say about the death of Christ.

• Hershel Ford "The Cross was the Place of Curse & the Place of Blessing."
• Jack Shuler "The Cross is History's Horror picture."
• One Person put it this way  "It is where the rivers of prophesy run together in a sea of fulfillment."  And another, "Where the bridge is built over the great gulf between God and man."
• Old Dr. Bob Shuler, said, "This is when God laid the price on the counter, and bought man out of the slave market of sin."  
• R. G. Lee declares "The cross is the only leverage big enough to pry the heavy load of sin from the sinner's back."

                  B. Qualities of the cross

             1. The nails were seven to nine inches long.  They are what held Jesus to the cross physically.  But it was more than those three nails that held Him.  It was His love us that held Him there.  The songwriter wrote that He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free.  He could have called ten thousand angels but He died alone for you and me.   

             2. The cross itself was a tall piece of wood so people could see it for a long distance.  It was not some smooth piece of wood.  It was a cruel instrument of death that used for over five hundred years before this day.  It was the ultimate form of punishment.  It would be banned in our country because we don’t allow cruel and unusual forms of punishment.  People dying on a cross could last for days. 

                               With his arms stretched out Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross. "The nails, which were generally about 7-9 inches long, were placed between the bones of the forearm and the small bones of the hands, permanently destroying the largest nerve in the hand.  In addition to severe burning pain the destruction of this nerve causes permanent paralysis of the hand.

                               The positioning of the feet is probably the most critical part of the mechanics of crucifixion. First the knees were flexed about 45 degrees and the feet were flexed (bent downward) an additional 45 degrees until they were parallel to the vertical pole. An iron nail about 7-9 inches long was driven through the feet. In this position the nail would sever an artery of the foot, but the resulting bleeding would be insufficient to cause death.

                               The resulting position on the cross sets up a horrific sequence of events, which result in a slow, painful death. Having been pinned to the cross, the victim now has an impossible position to maintain.  The result is that within a few minutes of being placed on the cross, the shoulders will become dislocated. Minutes later the elbows and wrists become dislocated.... As time goes on, the victim is less and less able to bear weight on the legs, causing further dislocation of the arms and further raising of the chest wall, making breathing more and more difficult. The result of this process is a series of terrible effects on the body.  Eventually the heart begins to fail, the lungs collapse, and the victim suffocates. He dies a slow, unbelievable excruciating painful death.

                               Some people even question whether Jesus really went through all of this resulting in His death. Here is a letter written to a local advice column along with the response:

                   Dear Eutychus:

                               Our preacher said, on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think?

                   Sincerely, Bewildered

     Dear Bewildered:

                               Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with at least thirty-nine heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for six hours; run a spear through his side; embalm him; put him in a tomb for seventy-two hours and see what happens. Sincerely, Eutychus

                               So when we go to Mount Calvary, we see the cross.  What else do we see? 

II.  WE SEE THE CHRIST OF MOUNT CALVARY

      If all you see the cross at Mount Calvary, you have missed the boat.  Without the cross, Jesus could not have been our sacrifice for sin.  But without Christ, the cross would have been just another cross.  But this cross is the cross of redemption because of Christ was on it.

A. We see the sinless Son of God.  He lived for thirty-three years.  Never once did He sin.  He could not have sinned or He would not qualify to be our Saviour. 

B. We see the hands nailed to the cross.  These hands had been the some ones that healed the sick, touched blinded eyes, and held the children.  His hands had broken the bread and fed the multitude.  It was the hands that turned the water into wine. 

C. We see the suffering Saviour.  Each breath is hard to get than the last one.  It is interesting to not in the book of Luke, our Saviour’s earthly ministry started with prayer.  Luke 3:21

  “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened”

        His earthly ministry ends with prayer.

                          Luke 23:34

  “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

        To say those words at the time of His dying on the cross was to almost literally spit each word out.  He not only preached forgiveness; He is practicing the same.  It is all during the most painful time of His life. 

      I could spend hours on Christ and His agony on the cross.  I could talk of His separation from the Father because He became sin for us.  I could talk about how He became accursed for us.  But I must move on.  What else do we see when we are at Mount Calvary? 

III. WE SEE THE CAUSE FOR MOUNT CALVARY.

      To see the cause, we have to go back in time to the beginning of His earth ministry at the time of His baptism. John 1:29

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

      We are the cause.  One day David steps out on the battlefield and asks the question- “Is there not a cause?”  This day we see the cause that Jesus came to take away.  It is the measure of our sin. 

      Heaven had nothing and no one better to offer so Jesus came to die on the Roman Cross for you and I.  Think of all the gruesome murders.  Think the spiritual wickedness in the pornography industry.  Think of the lives ruined by drugs, alcohol, rebellion and just plain meanness.  It is hard to imagine the depths of the measure of man’s sin.

                              Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

      R. G. Lee sums it like this: "This is no light discord but a thunderbolt.  This is no penknife but a guillotine. No slight jerk of hiccups - but an awful spasm.  No quiet pool but a Tidal wave. No firecracker but an atomic bomb.  No small brush fire but a rush of flowing lava. No lame Mephibosheth but a diabolical Jezebel.  Here we see the ultimate result of Adam & Eve's sin.  Here we see the effect of Cain's murder of Abel. Here we see the payment of the rebellion at Babel. This is because of Noah's drunkenness and Incest.  This is because of Achan's covetousness and theft. This is the result of Saul's jealousy. This is to cover David's Adultery & murder.  This is because of Ammon’s rape of Tamar.  This was caused by Jonah's rebellion. Here is the payment for Judas' betrayal.  Here is the result of the prodigal son's rebellion. This is the culmination of all the adultery, the incest, the abortions, homosexuality, rape, pornographic literature, thievery, the robbery, the greed, the hatred, the pride, jealousy, witchcraft, murder, & all the other malicious, depraved, wicked, unclean, ungodly acts of mankind."

      H. G. Spafford writes these immoral words in the song It is well with My Soul:  MY sin-oh, the bliss of this glorious thought:  My sin not in part but the whole Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.  As we hear and read those words, tears should flow down our cheeks to get another full reality of what happened on that Hill so far away.  It was for the measure of man’s sin.  It does not matter the depth of man’s sin.  It does not matter of the depravity of man’s sin.  It mattered that man sinned.   Romans 5:12

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”

      No only is it the measure of our sin but also the manifestation of God’s love.  The most quote of scripture sums this up. John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

                              1^st John 3:16

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

      Not only is it the measure of man’s sin and the manifestation of God’s love, it is the only means of salvation.  Salvation is not found in a creed or a church but in the Christ of the cross of Calvary.  John 3:14-15

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

      If you have never taken Christ as your Saviour, you are ensuring that you will go to hell and miss heaven.  It is our sin is the cause for Mount Calvary. 

      What else can we see when we view Mount Calvary? 

IV. WE SEE THE CURE AT MOUNT CALVARY.

                                                1^st John 1:7

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

                              1^st Peter 1:18-21

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

      The last eighteen hours of our Lord’s life is full with blood.  He is in the garden praying and the stress of becoming sin for us has caused sweating of blood.  Then His beard is plucked out.  He is beaten with the scourging of the Roman soldiers with the cat of nine tails.  He has a crown of thorns beaten upon His head.  He nailed to the cross.  All this blood is shed.  Why?  It is the cure for our sin.  In fact, if we were able to take a photograph of Christ as He was on the cross, you would have not recognized Him even if you had been His life long friend.  Why?  It is all the blood.  The prophets of the Old Testament prophesied this.  Let’s look at just one of these passages.

                              Isaiah 52:14

“As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men”

                              Hebrews 9:12-14

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

      What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!  What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!   His blood was shed for the sins of all mankind.  But the only ones who receive Him, as Saviour will be cleanse by this blood.

                              John 1:12

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” 

Conclusion: Mount Calvary is first mountain top experience of the Christian life.  It was the program of God to purchase your salvation from the foundation of the world.

                                                Hebrews 9:26

“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

      I want to ask two questions at the end of this message.

1. Have you asked the Lord to saved you from your sin?  The cure is right there for your asking.

2. If you say that Christ has saved you, has there been a change in your life?  If there was no change in your life as result of you saying that you got saved, then you have deceived yourself.  No change in a life means no salvation. 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”