1. Luke 22,23 The Crucifixion

2. God’s Perspective: z1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

3. Before The Cross… Luke 22:41-44 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

4. Christ’s Sacrifice: Continued Throughout His Life zRejected by the Religious Establishment. zRejected by the Masses (Jn. 6) zRejected by his Family (Jn. 7:5) zRejected by his Friends (Mk. 14:27f)

5. Christ’s Sacrifice: #1 The Cross z “Punished with limbs stretched, they see the stake as their fate, they’re fastened and nailed to it in the most bitter torment, food for birds of prey and grim pickings for dogs.” -Pseudo Menetho z “The most wretched of deaths” - Hispasian z “That evil instrument” – Lucian z “Far be if from the lips of any cultured man even to mention the cross in polite conversation.” -Cicero Salvador Dali, “Crucifixion”, 1954

6. Christ’s Sacrifice: #1 The Cross z “I see crosses there, not just of one kind but made in different ways: some have their victims with head down to the ground; some impale their private parts; others stretch out their arms on a gibbet.” -Seneca, Dialogue 6 Salvador Dali, “Crucifixion”, 1954 Luke 22:42 "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

7. Christ’s Sacrifice: #2 Moral Guilt zHe “Became Sin” for us yGod made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. --2 Cor. 5:21 zBarabbas: a picture of us.

8. Rembrandt’s “Raising of the Cross”

9. Mt.27:51 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. Christ’s Sacrifice: #3 Rejection by the Father zMark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Col. 2:14 He canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

10. The Cross: “The Foolishness of God” 1 Cor. 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

11. The Cross: “The Foolishness of God” “An alleged son of god who could not help himself at the time of his deepest need and who rather required his followers to take up the cross, was hardly an attraction to the lower classes of Roman and Greek society. People were all too aware of what it meant to bear the cross through the city and then be nailed to it. They feared it, and wanted to get away from it.” - Martin Hengel

12. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men... 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. The Cross: “The Foolishness of God” 1 Cor. 1:22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles... Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4

13. A Good Question: z“Can anyone be found willing to be fastened to the accursed tree, long sickly, already deformed, swelling with ugly wheals on shoulders and chest and drawing the breath of life amid long drawn-out agony? Can any man be found who would prefer wasting away in pain, dying limb by limb, or letting out his life drop by drop, rather than expiring once-for-all ?” - Seneca

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17. 4 “I’m ~So Bad!” Rom 2:4 ~Thnk.Lightly “I’m Too Busy!”