A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: When Jesus gave his life for our sins, that was no small gesture. Coming up today, Pastor Greg Laurie addresses Jesus' sacrifice. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. Why did he die? Simple answer: because he loved the people he was dying for and he loves you.

Guest (Male): There are very few events of the past that we can rightfully say changed the course of human history. The invention of sliced bread? People often say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. No. Some might say air travel or telecommunications or penicillin.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to the very moment our sins were paid in full. It's the singular event that had eternal consequences, and we'll consider what that event means for us.

Greg Laurie: Let me start with a question. What is the moment of your life where you experienced the most pain? The most pain. Maybe it was physical. Maybe you fell, maybe you broke an arm or a leg or something else. We've all had those moments of pain.

But then there's different kinds of pain. There's emotional pain that we can go through when we've been hurt. For instance, the pain of rejection or the pain of betrayal or the pain of abandonment. When the husband says to the wife, "I've been unfaithful to you." When the wife says to the husband, "I want a divorce." When the child says to the parent, "I don't want to live the Christian life." When the parent says to the child, "We don't love you or want you." Or when the pastor who has just preached for two hours says one more thing. That's a joke, right?

But we all know what it's like to feel pain. And maybe one of the worst kinds of pain you can experience is when you've been betrayed by someone you care about. Someone that you thought was a true friend. Someone you thought you could trust. It cuts like a knife, doesn't it?

We're going to look now at the story of Jesus Christ who was betrayed by his friend. Don't forget, Judas was his friend. In the Bible, the question is asked of Messiah in the Old Testament, "Where did you receive these wounds?" The wounds in his hands, he says, in the house of my friends. And you remember in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas was leading the temple guard to arrest Jesus, Christ says to Judas Iscariot, "Friend, why have you come?"

Jesus loved Judas. He was a friend of Judas. But of course, Judas was the great betrayer. So when do you think Jesus experienced the most pain? Do you think it's when they put the crown of thorns on his head? Do you think it's when he was beaten with a Roman whip, most likely a Roman cat of nine tails? Do you think it's when they drove those nails through his hands and his feet? As horrible and horrific as all of that was, I don't think that was his most painful moment. I'll tell you what I think his most painful moment was in just a moment.

But we are coming to the end of our series in the Gospel of Mark. We've called this series The Gospel for Busy People. We have one more message, and it will be on the resurrection. In this message, I'm going to talk about the crucifixion, the death of Jesus.

Someone came to me and said, "You can preach two more messages before you go to heaven." This is the theme I would choose because it's the heartbeat of the Gospel of Mark. It's the heartbeat of the whole Bible. The death and resurrection of Christ, and it should be the heartbeat of our lives as well.

Let's not forget that the book of Mark was written to bring encouragement to people. And Mark has this interesting style where everything's in movement in the Gospel of Mark. Almost like you're there. Sort of a breathlessness, if you will, about the way that he writes. He uses the word immediately, immediately over and over again.

He was writing to believers who were being persecuted. He was writing this to believers who were suffering, and he wanted to bring them some encouragement. Don't you think we all could use some encouragement right now? Our nation, the United States of America, is in a state of crisis right now. I can't remember a time, at least in my lifetime, and I was around in the 60s, when we have been more divided. And many are freaking out. Some are living in fear.

So what should we do? Should we just go into our homes and lock our doors and shutter our windows? No, we should open our windows like Daniel did, and we should pray. And we should go out that door, out into a needy and hurting world and preach the Gospel. Listen, this is not the time to isolate. This is the time to permeate. This is the time to infiltrate.

As a matter of fact, as Mark brings his Gospel to an end to these suffering Christians he's writing to, a church that was being persecuted, he closes by quoting Jesus who says, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone." And then we read, and the disciples went out and preached everywhere. That's what we need to do, folks. We need to go out and preach the Gospel everywhere. On social media platforms, in our neighborhoods, everywhere and in any way that we can.

Because the answer is Christ. The answer is the Gospel. The Gospel is America's only hope. We're not going to change our culture through politics. We're going to change our culture through prayer for our nation and the preaching and proclamation of the Gospel. That's how the early church turned their world upside down, and that is how we will turn our world upside down.

So, we're in Mark 15. And our story begins with Judas being identified by Christ as the betrayer in the upper room. Jesus says to Judas, "Whatever you do, go and do it quickly." Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying with his friends Peter, James, and John, who have fallen asleep. Now the temple guard approaches, and they take him to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas to be tried in what could best be described as a kangaroo court of injustice.

Jesus is then shuffled over to Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate is the Roman governor over the region. Pilate had never seen anyone like Jesus before. I think it unnerved him. Pilate was used to people cowering before him. Jesus stood not in defiance, but in confidence, knowing that this was all part of the plan of God.

I think it's possible that Pilate felt as though he was standing before Jesus more than Jesus was standing before him. And Pilate knew that this man Jesus was innocent. And Pilate's own wife had said to him, "Have nothing to do with this just man," speaking of Christ, "for I have suffered many things about him because of a dream that I had."

Pilate doesn't want to make this decision. Pilate does not want to try Jesus and convict him, and he definitely doesn't want to execute and crucify him. But the very reason that he was sent to Pilate was because the religious leaders wanted that very thing. But the fact of the matter is, even God the Father wanted this to happen.

I know that sounds crazy. But as we'll see in a few moments, the Bible says that it pleased the Father to bruise Christ. God was the master of ceremonies at the cross. And the fact is that scripture was clear in the Old Testament in pointing out the Messiah would die, and he would die by crucifixion. Psalm 22 opens up with the words, "They pierced my hands and my feet." Crucifixion hadn't even been invented when those words were spoken in Psalm 22. Isaiah 53 vividly describes the suffering of Christ.

But yet Pilate, he is trying to find a way out. And we pick up the story in Mark chapter 15 starting in verse six. Now it was the custom at that time to release a prisoner when the people requested it. A man named Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.

The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. Pilate says, "Do you want me to release to you Jesus the King of the Jews?" knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. Pilate then says, "What shall I do with the one you call the King of the Jews?" They shouted in response, "Crucify him!" "Why?" Pilate asked. "What crime has he committed?" And they shouted the louder, "Crucify him!"

The custom of the time during Passover was to release a guilty person, and the people could choose. So Pilate thought, okay, this is a slam dunk. I'm going to put Jesus out there, the very model of virtue, the miracle worker, the healer, and then Barabbas, an insurrectionist, a murderer. The Romans would have called him a terrorist. Who do you want? Jesus of Nazareth, or do you want this terrorist murderer?

But the religious leaders are stirring up the crowd and, much to the shock of Pilate, they cry out, "We want you to release Barabbas, and we want you to crucify Jesus."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Emails, phone calls, and social media messages from listeners are so encouraging to us. And they let us know the effectiveness of these studies.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, I've been a born-again Christian for over 30 years. Every time I listen to you, I learn new verses and you teach me new things about the Lord and my own faith. I'm encouraged now to go spread the Gospel with others. God bless you and keep up the good work.

Guest (Male): When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is touching lives. Would you consider sharing your story? If so, call Pastor Greg at 866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144.

Well, Pastor Greg is guiding us through the tense moments when Jesus stood before Pilate. Pilate wanted to wash his hands of the whole confrontation, but the crowd was shouting, "Crucify him!"

Greg Laurie: So Pilate's trying to find a way to appease this bloodthirsty crowd. So he gives the order that Jesus should be scourged. Scourged. Now, we could read the word whipped and scourged, and we don't know what that means. But basically, the whip. This is what is called a Roman cat of nine tails.

It's a short wooden handle, strips of leather. And here at the end of this are pieces of sharpened metal. Sometimes it would also be bone and glass embedded in the leather strands of the whip. So when this whip comes down on the back of a person, as you can understand, it digs deeply into the body. This whip would have lacerated veins and arteries, and even the kidneys and vital organs could be exposed and slashed. A horrible, horrible process to be whipped by the Romans.

And Jesus was whipped 40 times minus one. They held back one out of mercy. So 39 times this whip came on the back of Jesus Christ. Listen, some people died from this scourging alone. It was described in that day as the halfway crucifixion. That's how bad it was.

We wonder, why did Jesus have to suffer like that? I understand maybe that Jesus had to be nailed to a cross because that was prophesied. But why did he have to suffer? Well, he did suffer. We follow a suffering Savior. Isaiah 53 gives this description of what Christ went through. He's despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

But listen, the answer is now given. Why did he suffer? He was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. You see, Jesus voluntarily suffered in our place. It's hard for us to think of a perfect Creator going through something as human as pain and suffering.

But I want you to know something. God has suffered more deeply than anyone could imagine. Jesus is called a man of sorrows. But why did he suffer? Why did he die? Simple answer: because he loved and he loves. He loved the people he was dying for and he loves you.

This also means that he can enter into your suffering as well. Am I speaking to someone right now who is suffering? Maybe you're in a hospital bed. Maybe you're in a wheelchair. Maybe you're in a state of personal anguish. Maybe you're mourning the death of a loved one. Maybe there's just something that's causing you so much pain. God can enter into your suffering with you, and he cares and he understands. You're not alone in your suffering today.

Jesus has been there. He's walked in your shoes, and he's here for you. Hebrews 2:17 tells us he himself has gone through suffering and because of that, he is able to help us when we're being tempted. So don't think that God's up in heaven disconnected from what you're facing. Jesus has faced it. He's experienced it. He suffered.

Now, after Christ has been whipped with the Roman cat of nine tails, Pilate brings Christ out before the bloodthirsty people, and he says, "Ecce Homo," which means behold the man. In other words, look at this guy. Has he suffered enough? Is there enough blood for you? Can I let him go now? Oh no, they're not satisfied. They still want more. They want his death by crucifixion. They say, "Crucify him! And let his blood be on us and on our children."

We read that Pilate then washes his hands in a basin. Sort of in a symbolic way saying, "I'm done. I've done everything I could to free this man. I wash my hands of the matter." But listen, you can't wash your hands of Jesus Christ.

One historical account tells us that within seven years of this event, Pontius Pilate was removed from office. He was left broke, destitute, unwanted by Caesar, and all alone. And we also hear from history that he went out in the darkness of night and, like Judas Iscariot, hung himself.

See, here was Pilate's problem. He knew Jesus was innocent. He may have even known Jesus was God. But he cared more about what people thought than what Jesus thought. And his craving for popularity and power cost him everything. Listen, don't let a fickle crowd show you how to think. It could cost you everything as well.

Now Jesus is led off to be crucified. Matthew's Gospel tells us that he was surrounded by a whole garrison of Roman soldiers. This was a lot. Upwards of 600 of them. And by the way, they were the elite legionnaires. The legionnaires were sort of the cream of the crop of the Roman army. A modern equivalent would be the Green Berets or Delta Force or Navy SEALs.

As they saw how much Jesus had suffered, how his back had been ripped open and a tremendous loss of blood, you would have thought that they would have had sympathy. Sadly, it's the very opposite. Mark 15:17 says they put a purple robe on him. By the way, purple was the color of royalty. So they're mocking the fact that he is supposed to be a king.

They put a purple robe on him and twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him and began to call out, "Hail, the King of the Jews!" And again and again they struck him on the head with a staff, and they spit on him. And falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. It was all done in mockery.

These people literally spit in the face of God. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus, and it would have cut deeply into his scalp causing more pain, lacerations, and bleeding. But it's interesting because the thorn is actually a symbol of the curse that came upon humanity. But Jesus was about to take the curse upon himself.

He was cursed, in effect, so you don't have to be. The Bible tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Because the Bible says, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. Maybe you've thought, "Oh man, my life is cursed." No, no, it doesn't have to be. Jesus was cursed so you don't have to be cursed. There's no curse on you if you've put your faith in Jesus Christ.

We read in verse 19, they struck Jesus on the head. And we wonder, they cry out, "Where's your army to deliver you?" Where was his army? I can tell you right now. The army of Jesus, which were angels, were on standby and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter pulled out the sword and sliced off the ear of the High Priest's servant whose name happened to be Malchus. I think he was probably aiming for his head, but Peter was a fisherman, not a swordsman. Right? And Jesus said to Peter, "Put that thing away, Peter. Put that sword away. Don't you know that I could call and 12 legions of angels would come and deliver me right now?"

To show you the power Jesus had, he didn't even need the angels to deliver him. Because we read that when they came to arrest him, he says, "Who do you seek?" They replied, "Jesus of Nazareth." And then he says, "I am." And they all fell backwards.

Why? Because he was making a claim of deity. Remember what God said to Moses at the burning bush? Moses says, "Who shall I say has sent me?" God says, "I am that I am." Jesus was effectively saying the same thing: "I am." I wonder if it reverberated. "I am, am, am, am." Boom! They fell over.

All these soldiers with their swords and their spears and their shields and their gleaming armor like dominoes falling on each other. He could have said, "I am, and you were. Bye, poof! Game over." But he went through all of this for us because he had to sacrifice his life for us in our place.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with a moving look at what Jesus' sacrifice was really like and what it really meant for you and me. An important edition of A New Beginning today, and there's more to come in this message.

But knowing what it took for Jesus to pay the price for our sins, it requires a response on our part. We have to accept the free gift the Lord offers. We have to come to the Lord to receive his forgiveness. Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person listening who wants to do that right now?

Greg Laurie: What I would say is he's only a prayer away. Which means if you will call upon the name of the Lord right now through prayer, he will hear your prayer and answer your prayer. Listen, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer right now after me.

Just pray: Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord, as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer and meant those words sincerely, we want to welcome you into the family of God. And let us help you get started walking each day with the Lord.

Pastor Greg wants to send you his New Believer's Bible absolutely free along with some other helpful resources. They'll help answer your questions and get you started off right as you live for God each day. Just let us know you prayed with Pastor Greg and that you want the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words Know God.

You know, Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives. So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching. And we hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue.

Greg Laurie: It's really true, Dave. Even a little bit helps. People need to hear the Gospel so badly. They need to hear the teaching of the Word of God. It changes everything because it changes us. And I'm so passionate about it, and I'm called to do it, and I'm thankful for it. But I can't do it alone.

So I'm going to ask folks that are listening if you think more people need to hear the Gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the Word of God, then prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries and maybe even become a Harvest Partner, which means you're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving. And that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. So thanks for that.

Guest (Male): That's right, and we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org.

Jesus was beaten and tortured, then forced to carry a heavy wooden cross, then hung upon that very cross. Pastor Greg has a question: what was Jesus' most painful moment? The answer will surprise you. He'll have that next time. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.