311: Anthony Oosthuizen – Exhortation: Crucifixion Cameos

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Welcome to good Chris Delphian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Jason.
And I’m Brian, thank you for

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joining us this week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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Each week we post a talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

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in by listeners from around the
world.

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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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This week’s talk is an
exhortation by Brother Anthony

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Ustaisen that was given just a
couple weeks ago on August 18th

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of this year at the Cumberland
Ecclesia in Australia.

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I really enjoyed this
exhortation.

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I hadn’t heard Brother Anthony
in a while and it was great to

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kind of hear his voice again and
hear his style very well thought

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out.
I think he does a great job kind

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of painting the picture of the
crucifixion and explaining kind

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of all some of the different
viewpoints there.

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And then routinely kind of each
lesson that’s you’ll you’ll hear

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it’s kind of like a multi part
excitation with some pretty

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clear chapters.
He kind of applies each lesson

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to our lives.
So I thought this was a really

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helpful excitation.
It would be perfect if you were

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to use this as an excitation.
I think it’s a very good kind of

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example of the form of the
format.

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Thank you to the person who sent
this suggestion in and all of

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you who continue to send us
suggestions.

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It is so very helpful for us and
we really appreciate the

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contribution.
So thank you for that.

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And here is Crucifixion Cameos
by Anthony Eustaisen.

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Well, good morning brethren,
sisters and young people.

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Thank you for the warm welcome
that Sister Pat and I received

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and the greetings that you gave
us.

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And we bring with us the
greetings from Castle Hill.

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Now I wonder whether you’ll
recognize the source of the

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following quotation.
Perhaps many of you will,

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because you’re well instructed
in this house.

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The kings of the earth stood up,
and the rulers were gathered

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together against the Lord and
against his Christ.

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For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast

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anointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate with the Gentiles and the

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people of Israel were gathered
together for to do whatsoever

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thy hand and thy counsel
determined before to be done.

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Yes, it was part of the
disciples prayer in Acts chapter

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4.
And in so saying, in framing

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their prayer in that particular
way, they’re careful to bring to

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our attention, brothers and
sisters, the fact that all

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mankind was represented at the
crucifixion.

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Nobody was left out.
Did you notice that both Herod

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and Pontius Pilate with the
Gentiles and the people of

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Israel were gathered together to
do whatsoever God’s hand had

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determined before to be done?
The whole world crucified Jesus

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of Nazareth.
That means, brothers and

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sisters, that in a sense we were
there because, as we’ve just

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read in Isaiah, he was wounded
for our transgressions.

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He was bruised for our
iniquities, and the chastisement

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of our peace was upon him.
We had our part in the

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crucifixion of the Lord Jesus
Christ with His stripes.

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We are healed.
He died for you and for me.

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And so in a way, you see, the
trauma of the crucifixion is not

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yet over.
It’s an ongoing event because it

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condemns each and every
generation.

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The things that happened then
are as relevant today as they

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were 2000 years ago, because
they constitute an exposition of

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human nature and human
behaviour.

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All the weakness and the
selfishness, the pettiness and

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the lovelessness, the darkness
and the treachery, the cruelty,

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the villainy, these things are
all held up for us to see and

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recognize.
And as has been said many times,

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when we read the gospel records,
we’re reading about ourselves.

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That’s why they were recorded.
They’re reading about ourselves.

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And we do well to take careful
notes from some of the lessons

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which emerge from the
crucifixion of the Son of God.

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Now we can’t look at them all,
but we certainly can look at

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some of them together.
This morning I invite you in

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your minds to consider, first of
all, the Jewish elders in solemn

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assembly taking counsel against
Jesus to put him to death.

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This wasn’t an enquiry or a
trial, was it?

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Brothers and sisters, this was a
conspiracy and a murder.

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They knew perfectly well what
they were going to do long

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before they went through the
charade of holding a debate

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about it.
They were going to preserve the

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establishment, the old boy
network.

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They were going to stand by the
rules of their club.

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And because this man whom we
remember this morning threatened

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their position and their power
and their self importance, well,

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he’d have to be eliminated.
You know nothing at all, said

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the proud and the arrogant
Caiaphas.

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Nor consider that it’s expedient
for us that one man should die

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for the nation, that the whole
nation perish.

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Not if we let him.
Thus alone the Romans will come

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and take away both our place and
our nation.

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Notice that our place and our
nation we’ll lose our influence

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and our power and authority.
So it’s expedient for us that

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the Nazarene should die.
Oh, there’s such a warning here,

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brothers and sisters, for all
who hold office in the ecclesia,

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for all who work in Sunday
school and youth classes, or who

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have influence in the place
where they work.

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We can always be in danger of
putting our place and our

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nation, our self importance
before Christ.

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And every time that right is
sacrificed to expediency, every

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time we left, let self-interest
govern our motives, we join the

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members of the Jewish Sanhedrin,
crucifying the Son of God afresh

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and putting him to an open
shame.

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So be careful, brothers and
sisters, how you use your

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influence.
Make sure that all your urgings

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and promptings are in a godly
direction.

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The rest is disaster.
We think next of Peter in the

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courtyard of the high priest’s
palace.

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Apparently he’d got in there
through the influence of John,

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who seems to have known some of
the members of the high priest’s

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household.
And some commentators have

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suggested it was because John
supplied dried fish from Galilee

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to the high priest’s household,
and that’s how he was known.

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Well, that may be so.
We don’t know, but Peter wanted

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to follow his Lord and at a safe
distance to see what would

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become of him.
And now he’s warming himself in

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front of the fire in the
courtyard.

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As he does so, a servant girl
comes along and begins to

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question him and says, aren’t
you What are that man’s

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disciples?
It says, I don’t know what

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you’re talking about.
He has started the downward

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slide of disowning Jesus.
Perhaps it had been a Roman

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soldier who had caught him by
the garment, put a spear to his

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throat and said, rely you.
Aren’t you one of that man’s

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disciples?
He would have said, yes, I am.

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But coming from a servant girl
from a totally unexpected

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quarter, the question caught
Peter completely off guard, and

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he denied all association with
the master.

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And you know the tragic sequel
well enough, do you not?

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The accusation and the denial
are repeated, and eventually

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those standing around began to
say, But you must be one of

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those, that man’s disciples,
because you’re a Galilean.

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We can tell by the way you
speak.

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And Peter began to curse him, to
swear, saying, I know not the

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man of whom you speak.
Oh, once you started the

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downward slide of disowning
Jesus, brothers and sisters,

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it’s very difficult to call a
halt.

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And Jesus turned and looked upon
Peter, the record says, and the

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Greek expression implies that he
looked right into Peter, gave

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him such a look, such a
penetrating look.

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And Peter went out into the
darkness and wept bitterly,

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unable to restrain his sobbing
as the full realisation of what

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he had done came home to him.
Would we have fared any better,

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brothers and sisters, had we
been in Peter’s shoes?

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I very much doubted, very much
doubted.

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Every time we fail to
acknowledge our discipleship,

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whatever the circumstances,
every time we hideaway from any

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kind of taunt or the
unpleasantness sometimes

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associated with the confession
of our faith before men, we join

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Peter in that courtyard saying,
I know not the man of whom you

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speak.
And if you’ve never done it,

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brothers and sisters, if you’ve
never done it, can I say I envy

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you?
Whether we have the same broken

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heart and the same rebuilding of
our lives afterwards depends on

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the quality of our repentance
and the mercy of our God.

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The great thing about Peter was
that he knew what he had done.

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He repented, and the Master was
merciful.

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I’ve prayed for thee, Peter,
that thy faith fail not.

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And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren, the

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record says.
And we know that prayer was

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answered, don’t we?
Peter later became a pillar in

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the early ecclesia and helped
them considerably with the

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spread of the gospel.
It may be that, or may it be

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that our Master will deal gently
with us in the same way.

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When we fail him, we pray it
will.

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We pray he will.
Next we consider the

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disintegration of Judas
Iscariot.

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We know, of course, that he sold
Jesus down the river for 30

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pieces of silver, which is the
price of a slave in New

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Testament times where we are
told so just for the price of a

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slave, he sold his master down
the river, so to speak.

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Exactly what led him to do this
is difficult to say with any

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certainty.
Lots of ideas have been put

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forward, may have been sheer
greed or avarice, the love of

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money.
Perhaps, as the some have

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suggested, the 30 pieces of
silver was merely a down payment

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on what he would receive later
when Jesus was condemned.

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And I think this is very likely
because if you compare the

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records in Mark in Matthew’s
Gospel, it says they paid him 30

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pieces of silver, so they gave
it to him there.

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And then.
The other records, Mark and Luke

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say that they promised to give
him money at a time not yet

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specified when he’d done what
they wanted him to do in being a

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witness against Jesus at the
open trial before the Sanhedrin.

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I think all that’s very likely.
There may have been other

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motives at work in this man’s
breast.

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All we can be sure of is that
Judas sold Jesus to his enemies

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and then realising what he had
done, he rushed back to the

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temple court, threw the money
down at the feet of the high

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priest, saying I’ve betrayed
innocent blood.

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He said that’s your problem,
your business.

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We don’t want to know.
We’re finished with you.

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And so Judas went out and
ignominiously committed suicide.

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I think we need to realise from
this, brothers and sisters, that

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human character isn’t cut in
marble, never to be altered.

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We’re made of the dust of the
earth, we’re told, frail

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creatures, every one of us.
And character can become

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diseased and human personality
can disintegrate.

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We’ve got an example here before
us.

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I’m sure Judas had it in him to
be a good and faithful disciple

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if he had wanted to.
I don’t think for a moment that

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Jesus simply called him and
turned him into the betrayal,

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because somebody had to do that
job.

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No, didn’t work like that.
But Judas took a wrong turn

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somewhere, and it ended in a
shattered corpse in an open

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field.
Perhaps the disintegration had

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begun when he first put his hand
into the bag, and we would never

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have known about that if John
and his gospel hadn’t told us

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that.
Judas used to help himself to

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the finances of the little group
from time to time.

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He was probably the treasurer.
Brother looked after the money.

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Now and then he would look after
himself as well, until

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eventually it sunk so low that
he sold his master for 30 pieces

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of silver.
No doubt, brothers, sisters, no

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doubt he tried to rationalize
his behaviour.

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00:15:53,960 –> 00:15:56,760
I’m sure he would have done so,
because we all do this sort of

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00:15:56,760 –> 00:16:01,680
thing.
The most unworthy acts are

220
00:16:01,680 –> 00:16:05,880
committed after we’ve convinced
ourselves of the correctness or

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00:16:05,880 –> 00:16:09,480
the necessity of our proposed
course of action.

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00:16:11,040 –> 00:16:16,280
But every little betrayal of
Christ is a step towards the

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00:16:16,280 –> 00:16:20,800
ultimate disintegration of our
discipleship.

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00:16:22,040 –> 00:16:27,800
So let us pray, brothers and
sisters, and pray earnestly that

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00:16:27,800 –> 00:16:32,080
our Lord and Master will keep us
from blundering on with our

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00:16:32,080 –> 00:16:37,480
rationalizing of sin, lest we
find ourselves cast in the role

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00:16:37,480 –> 00:16:42,680
of Judas Iscariot, who also
betrayed him and went to

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00:16:42,760 –> 00:16:49,360
perdition.
You move away from the Jewish

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00:16:49,360 –> 00:16:55,600
scene and think for a moment of
Pontius Pilate, the Roman

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00:16:55,600 –> 00:17:03,040
governor, and his ineffectual
efforts to exculpate himself or

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00:17:03,040 –> 00:17:06,880
free himself from the blame and
responsibility for the

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00:17:06,880 –> 00:17:17,720
crucifixion.
It’s an interesting matter that,

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00:17:17,720 –> 00:17:27,160
as in the case of Judas, so too
with Pilate, that earlier events

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00:17:27,160 –> 00:17:30,120
had paved their way for his role
in this affair.

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00:17:32,040 –> 00:17:36,600
Luke tells us in his 13th
chapter of the occasion when

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00:17:36,600 –> 00:17:39,880
Pilate had mingled the blood of
the Galileans with their

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00:17:39,880 –> 00:17:49,120
sacrifices, and Josephus, in his
historical records, gives us a

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00:17:49,120 –> 00:17:52,760
number of unsavoury incidents
which took place during the

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00:17:52,760 –> 00:17:58,440
course of his governorship.
His haughty contempt and his

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00:17:58,440 –> 00:18:02,520
insensitive cruelty towards the
Jews had now placed him in the

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00:18:02,520 –> 00:18:09,400
power of the Jewish elders.
Because they said to Pilate, if

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00:18:09,400 –> 00:18:14,920
you let this man go, we shall
report you to Caesar and see

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00:18:14,920 –> 00:18:18,880
what happens to you then.
We’ve got plenty.

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00:18:18,880 –> 00:18:21,400
We could tell Caesar about you,
Pilate.

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00:18:22,600 –> 00:18:25,480
And if we report that you let a
man go who claimed to be the

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00:18:25,480 –> 00:18:30,840
king of the Jews, see how long
your governorship will last, or

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00:18:30,840 –> 00:18:37,320
even your life.
If thou let this man go, thou

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00:18:37,320 –> 00:18:42,840
art not Caesar’s friend and
brothers and sisters, no

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00:18:42,840 –> 00:18:46,920
official holding high office in
the Roman Empire at that time in

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00:18:46,920 –> 00:18:50,480
history could afford to go
around with that label pinned to

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00:18:50,480 –> 00:18:53,000
his chest.
Not Caesar’s friend.

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00:18:55,680 –> 00:18:59,800
And so the Roman governor
capitulated and he said, well

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00:19:00,440 –> 00:19:03,200
then I’ll just wash my hands of
the whole affair.

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00:19:04,680 –> 00:19:09,120
As far as I can see, he is
innocent, but it’s not my

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00:19:09,120 –> 00:19:12,920
responsibility any longer.
Take him and do what you will

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00:19:12,920 –> 00:19:15,760
with him.
I’m innocent, it’s not my fault.

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00:19:16,000 –> 00:19:19,400
And the record tells us that he
took water and ceremoniously

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00:19:19,400 –> 00:19:22,520
washed his hands before the
whole multitude.

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00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:28,480
Why did he do that?
Well, back in Deuteronomy, the

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00:19:28,480 –> 00:19:32,960
record tells us about a
procedure to be observed in the

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00:19:32,960 –> 00:19:35,560
expiation of an uncertain
murder.

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00:19:38,120 –> 00:19:41,240
And we don’t want to go there
and follow through the details

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00:19:42,160 –> 00:19:49,200
in any way this morning.
But provision was made for the

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00:19:49,240 –> 00:19:54,480
elders of the village then to
wash their hands and say we are

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00:19:54,480 –> 00:19:57,440
innocent of this blood that has
been shed.

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00:19:59,840 –> 00:20:03,160
And of course, brothers and
sisters, we all try to do this

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00:20:03,160 –> 00:20:06,640
from time to time.
Don’t we wash our hands?

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00:20:07,240 –> 00:20:11,400
Of the whole thing and say it’s
not my fault, I’m innocent.

269
00:20:11,880 –> 00:20:14,040
It’s the other members of the
cliche that are actually the

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00:20:14,040 –> 00:20:18,680
problem.
A brother goes back into the

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00:20:18,680 –> 00:20:23,040
world and loses his faith, loses
his hold on Christ for whatever

272
00:20:23,040 –> 00:20:27,480
reason.
Not my fault, not my fault.

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00:20:27,480 –> 00:20:33,640
We all try to say that a young
person drifts into an immoral

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00:20:33,640 –> 00:20:39,600
situation and we tut, tut over
him or her and possible kinds of

275
00:20:39,600 –> 00:20:43,360
value judgements and say how
awful the young people are

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00:20:43,360 –> 00:20:45,960
today.
It’s not my fault.

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00:20:47,200 –> 00:20:52,840
I’m not responsible.
An ecclesia is guilty of a gross

278
00:20:52,840 –> 00:20:58,280
injustice can happen, has
happened, will probably happen

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00:20:58,280 –> 00:21:02,080
again before the Lord comes.
A majority vote doesn’t

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00:21:02,080 –> 00:21:04,840
necessarily mean that justice is
done.

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00:21:07,480 –> 00:21:09,840
It’s not my fault, you see, It’s
theirs.

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00:21:11,360 –> 00:21:13,320
Because I didn’t vote for that
resolution.

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00:21:13,320 –> 00:21:17,920
They did.
And I bring my bowl of water to

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00:21:17,920 –> 00:21:22,200
the Ecclesia and metaphorically
disclaim all responsibility.

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00:21:24,720 –> 00:21:28,840
Am I my brother’s keeper?
Oh yes.

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00:21:29,240 –> 00:21:34,400
Ask Cain if you ever get the
opportunity.

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00:21:35,760 –> 00:21:39,400
Can I ever wash my hands of that
responsibility?

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00:21:40,720 –> 00:21:45,560
No, you can’t, ask Pilot on the
Day of Judgement.

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00:21:50,040 –> 00:21:54,360
There were, however, three
groups of people who seem to

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00:21:54,360 –> 00:21:57,320
emerge from the record of the
crucifixion with the character

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00:21:57,320 –> 00:22:00,640
record, which I would suggest to
you is above average.

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00:22:03,000 –> 00:22:08,280
The centurion on guard and the
soldiers who were with him when

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00:22:08,280 –> 00:22:15,080
they observed all that had taken
place, said certainly this was a

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00:22:15,080 –> 00:22:19,840
righteous man.
Truly this was the Son of God.

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00:22:19,840 –> 00:22:23,960
They said.
These Roman soldiers who were

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00:22:23,960 –> 00:22:27,640
just there to carry out orders
saw more on the crucified

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00:22:27,640 –> 00:22:31,760
Nazarene than all the learner
doctors of the law, the

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00:22:31,760 –> 00:22:36,640
professors of religion, the
Jewish elders, all standing

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00:22:36,640 –> 00:22:42,240
around mocking and reviling him.
And there’s surely a lesson in

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00:22:42,240 –> 00:22:44,480
that for all of us, brothers and
sisters.

301
00:22:46,280 –> 00:22:49,480
Those who seem to be furthest
from the Kingdom of God are

302
00:22:49,480 –> 00:22:55,120
often at its very doors.
And we’re not to be dismissive

303
00:22:55,120 –> 00:23:00,080
of people deciding in advance
who are and who are not worthy

304
00:23:00,080 –> 00:23:03,320
of our attentions.
Oh, we’re not going to waste our

305
00:23:03,320 –> 00:23:07,040
time preaching in that suburb
because they’re mostly Muslims

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00:23:07,040 –> 00:23:12,960
and not one of them will listen.
Sometimes those who might seem

307
00:23:12,960 –> 00:23:16,600
furthest from the Kingdom of God
are at its very doors, as the

308
00:23:16,600 –> 00:23:22,360
record shows us here not to be
dismissive of people.

309
00:23:24,960 –> 00:23:27,360
Then there were the women
grouped around the cross who

310
00:23:27,360 –> 00:23:30,560
stayed and suffered with our
Lord right to the end.

311
00:23:32,560 –> 00:23:35,760
Now I I think it’s true to say
that they weren’t exposed to the

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00:23:35,760 –> 00:23:40,800
same dangers as their men folk.
Perhaps their lives weren’t at

313
00:23:40,800 –> 00:23:46,360
risk to the same extent as the
apostles, but they were

314
00:23:46,360 –> 00:23:48,680
nevertheless loyal to Jesus,
weren’t they?

315
00:23:52,000 –> 00:23:55,720
And their love for him kept them
their right to the end.

316
00:23:57,160 –> 00:24:01,680
And we can thank God that there
are still women like that in our

317
00:24:01,680 –> 00:24:05,600
ecclesias today.
Sisters who are the salt of the

318
00:24:05,640 –> 00:24:08,600
earth.
Sisters who remain loyal to

319
00:24:08,600 –> 00:24:14,440
Christ come what may.
Sisters who minister in love and

320
00:24:14,440 –> 00:24:18,960
compassion and faithfulness
throughout all circumstances.

321
00:24:20,480 –> 00:24:22,920
And it’s a sobering thought,
brethren.

322
00:24:23,520 –> 00:24:28,480
And I emphasize, brethren, it’s
a sobering thought that the

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00:24:28,520 –> 00:24:34,120
menfolk, the apostles, all said
to a man, we will go to prison

324
00:24:34,120 –> 00:24:36,160
and to death with you, Lord, if
need be.

325
00:24:36,160 –> 00:24:42,120
We will never forsake you.
They did to a man.

326
00:24:44,120 –> 00:24:46,720
And it was the women who were
there right to the end.

327
00:24:48,800 –> 00:24:52,680
And actions always speak louder
than words, don’t they?

328
00:24:54,760 –> 00:24:57,760
You’ve probably all heard that
poem about I’d rather see a

329
00:24:57,760 –> 00:25:02,480
sermon than hear one any day.
And there’s a great truth in

330
00:25:02,480 –> 00:25:09,440
that.
And yet there were two men, 2

331
00:25:09,440 –> 00:25:13,600
timid disciples, who perhaps
unexpectedly came clean in the

332
00:25:13,600 –> 00:25:17,560
crisis.
And this sometimes happens,

333
00:25:17,560 –> 00:25:21,480
brothers and sisters.
And if a time of persecution and

334
00:25:21,480 –> 00:25:24,520
suffering were to come to the
ecclesias of Christ in the days

335
00:25:24,520 –> 00:25:29,960
before his coming, and we really
have to go through it as they

336
00:25:29,960 –> 00:25:35,560
did in the 1st century, we may
be very surprised to see who

337
00:25:35,560 –> 00:25:38,080
will be there in the last ditch
stand.

338
00:25:38,680 –> 00:25:42,360
It may not be the people we
would expect to be there at all.

339
00:25:44,600 –> 00:25:47,400
The crucifixion certainly
produced some surprises.

340
00:25:48,480 –> 00:25:53,760
It was Joseph of Arimathea who
went in boldly to Pilate and

341
00:25:53,760 –> 00:26:00,120
begged the body of Jesus, and it
was Nicodemus who assisted him

342
00:26:00,120 –> 00:26:04,880
with the burial.
Now Joseph of Arimathea, we’re

343
00:26:04,880 –> 00:26:10,240
told, was a secret disciple, but
for fear of the Jews, he also

344
00:26:10,240 –> 00:26:14,480
waited for the Kingdom of God.
Honourable man who had not

345
00:26:14,480 –> 00:26:20,920
consented to the council and
deed of the Sanhedrin, but by

346
00:26:20,920 –> 00:26:23,600
the same token he doesn’t seem
to have made much protest

347
00:26:23,600 –> 00:26:27,560
against it either.
But to give him his due, he may

348
00:26:27,560 –> 00:26:33,640
not have been there at the time
when the decision was made and

349
00:26:33,640 –> 00:26:37,760
he probably wasn’t because they
only needed a third of the

350
00:26:37,760 –> 00:26:40,720
Sanhedrin for a quorum and you
can be sure there have been a

351
00:26:40,720 –> 00:26:44,480
hand picked 3rd that met in the
middle of the night to decide

352
00:26:44,480 –> 00:26:49,760
Jesus fate.
But at all events Joseph of

353
00:26:49,760 –> 00:26:53,280
Arimathea had not yet openly
avowed his discipleship.

354
00:26:55,840 –> 00:27:00,040
Nicodemus also seems to have
been a secret disciple in a

355
00:27:00,040 –> 00:27:05,400
sense because he that came to
Jesus by night is a description

356
00:27:05,400 –> 00:27:07,560
in three places in John’s
gospel.

357
00:27:09,200 –> 00:27:13,800
On one occasion, however, he did
put up a little defence when

358
00:27:13,880 –> 00:27:18,040
Jesus faith was being discussed
by the council, mildly saying,

359
00:27:18,440 –> 00:27:22,200
Doth our Lord judge any man
before it, hear him and know

360
00:27:22,200 –> 00:27:26,760
what he doeth?
And that’s a good question,

361
00:27:26,760 –> 00:27:30,800
isn’t it, brothers and sisters?
And we might well ask ourselves

362
00:27:30,800 –> 00:27:37,920
the same thing, that our law
judge any man before it, hear

363
00:27:37,920 –> 00:27:42,280
him and know what he doeth,
because we so often jump to

364
00:27:42,280 –> 00:27:47,720
hasty conclusions on inadequate
information.

365
00:27:50,320 –> 00:27:55,320
Anyway.
In this case, the inquiry earned

366
00:27:55,320 –> 00:27:59,280
Nicodemus such a crushing
rebuke, but he doesn’t seem to

367
00:27:59,280 –> 00:28:03,640
have ever tried it again.
Art thou also of Galilee?

368
00:28:03,640 –> 00:28:07,200
They said to him, Search and
look for out of Galilee ariseth

369
00:28:07,200 –> 00:28:09,920
no prophet.
You don’t know your Scriptures,

370
00:28:09,920 –> 00:28:12,440
brother.
And the meeting broke up, and

371
00:28:12,880 –> 00:28:15,240
every man went to his own home.
And of course they were wrong

372
00:28:15,240 –> 00:28:21,480
about that too, because they did
have a prophet in Galilee, Jonah

373
00:28:22,560 –> 00:28:27,440
from Ghat Heifa.
So both of them were wrong.

374
00:28:30,600 –> 00:28:35,720
But now the crisis had arrived
and the dark deed had been done,

375
00:28:37,800 –> 00:28:40,920
and these two timid disciples
decided that the time had come

376
00:28:40,920 –> 00:28:44,920
to stand up and be counted.
So they took courage to go

377
00:28:44,920 –> 00:28:48,760
boldly to pilots, beg the body
of Jesus, and arrange for a

378
00:28:48,760 –> 00:28:52,000
decent burial, as the records
show.

379
00:28:54,680 –> 00:28:58,200
And we may often feel weak and
timid in our discipleship,

380
00:28:58,200 –> 00:29:02,160
brothers and sisters, but let us
pray that our God will give us

381
00:29:02,160 –> 00:29:06,760
the strength and the courage
when any crisis of decision

382
00:29:06,760 –> 00:29:11,840
comes upon us, that we shall
stand for Christ and not be

383
00:29:12,000 –> 00:29:21,880
ashamed.
And now, finally, we consider

384
00:29:21,880 –> 00:29:26,640
the man himself whom we’ve come
to remember this morning.

385
00:29:28,760 –> 00:29:36,080
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews, apparently an abject

386
00:29:36,080 –> 00:29:44,960
figure, standing alone, deserted
by his followers, spat upon and

387
00:29:44,960 –> 00:29:54,120
reviled on three separate
occasions by the Sanhedrin, by

388
00:29:54,120 –> 00:29:58,720
Herod’s courtiers, by the Roman
soldiers.

389
00:29:59,320 –> 00:30:08,160
He had to endure being spat upon
and reviled 3 times, yet amidst

390
00:30:08,160 –> 00:30:13,400
the panorama of human weakness
and wickedness and guilt,

391
00:30:14,640 –> 00:30:20,880
supremely sane, completely
selfless master of the

392
00:30:20,880 –> 00:30:28,040
situation, a giant in his
spiritual stature, Jesus of

393
00:30:28,040 –> 00:30:36,200
Nazareth and him crucified.
And most of us, I’m sure, feel

394
00:30:36,200 –> 00:30:39,720
that our tiny little lives can
never reproduce, not even in

395
00:30:39,720 –> 00:30:44,000
miniature, the stature of the
Lord Jesus Christ.

396
00:30:44,920 –> 00:30:48,480
And yet, brothers and sisters,
and yet in these emblems which

397
00:30:48,520 –> 00:30:53,000
we’re going to share together
shortly, we claim identification

398
00:30:53,000 –> 00:30:56,120
with Him, don’t we?
The bread which we break, is it

399
00:30:56,120 –> 00:31:01,320
not the communion of the body of
Christ that means having a share

400
00:31:01,320 –> 00:31:08,160
in a joint participation in the
very body of Christ to be part

401
00:31:08,160 –> 00:31:11,640
of it?
And the cup which we pass from

402
00:31:11,640 –> 00:31:15,760
hand to hand, is it not the
communion of the blood of Christ

403
00:31:17,000 –> 00:31:22,720
that means having a share in the
very sacrifice and death of our

404
00:31:22,720 –> 00:31:27,880
Lord and Saviour?
This is our hold on Christ,

405
00:31:27,880 –> 00:31:31,000
brothers and sisters.
It’s our fellowship in His

406
00:31:31,000 –> 00:31:36,560
sufferings and His cross.
And leaving aside all those

407
00:31:36,560 –> 00:31:39,880
characters who denied him and
put Him to death, we say with

408
00:31:39,880 –> 00:31:45,880
one united voice, I want to
participate in his sacrifice and

409
00:31:45,880 –> 00:31:51,600
I want to be crucified with Him.
In the words of one of our

410
00:31:51,600 –> 00:31:56,320
hymns, we too would bring our
offering obedience full and

411
00:31:56,320 –> 00:32:02,160
free, would share the shame and
sorrow to share the victory.

412
00:32:04,760 –> 00:32:08,560
And so, as we said at the
beginning, in a sense we were

413
00:32:08,560 –> 00:32:11,440
there when they crucified the
Lord of life and were partly

414
00:32:11,440 –> 00:32:16,040
responsible for his sufferings.
We’ve moved over now, brothers

415
00:32:16,040 –> 00:32:21,120
and sisters, and we say with
Paul I am crucified, With

416
00:32:21,120 –> 00:32:27,400
Christ, nevertheless I live yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me

417
00:32:27,400 –> 00:32:29,960
and the life which I now live in
the flesh.

418
00:32:30,440 –> 00:32:35,480
I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave

419
00:32:35,480 –> 00:32:39,280
himself for me.
That’s what we say with all our

420
00:32:39,280 –> 00:32:43,840
hearts this morning.
We stand with Christ who loved

421
00:32:43,840 –> 00:32:50,480
us and gave himself for us.
Amen and Amen.

422
00:33:05,400 –> 00:33:07,480
Thank you for listening to the
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423
00:33:07,480 –> 00:33:10,080
podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

424
00:33:10,080 –> 00:33:11,600
your walk and brightened your
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425
00:33:12,760 –> 00:33:14,800
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426
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00:33:26,680 –> 00:33:30,760
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00:33:31,040 –> 00:33:33,560
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Christadelphian talks or leave a
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where these talks are posted as
well.

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00:33:45,240 –> 00:33:47,880
If you enjoy listening to the
talks that we post and hear one

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that you think we should share,
please tell us about it.

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00:33:50,680 –> 00:33:53,680
You can send us a suggestion
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website or message us on any of
our social media accounts.

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00:33:57,320 –> 00:34:00,200
Thank you for listening.
God bless and talk to you next

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00:34:00,200 –> 00:34:00,440
week.