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Series B – Fifth Wednesday in Lent – Wednesday, March 24, 2021 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	our text tonight is taken from the
0:30	Gospel of Matthew chapter
0:32	27. now from the out from that
0:35	the sixth hour there was darkness all
0:37	over the land until the ninth hour
0:39	and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out
0:41	with a loud voice saying
0:44	that is my god my god why have you
0:46	forsaken me
0:48	and some of the bystanders hearing it
0:50	said this man is calling elijah
0:52	and one of them at once ran and took a
0:54	sponge filled it with sour wine and put
0:55	it on a reed and gave it to him to drink
0:58	but the other said wait let us see
0:59	whether elijah will come to save him
1:01	and then Jesus cried out again with a
1:04	loud voice and he yielded up his spirit
1:06	and behold the curtain of the temple was
1:08	torn in two from top to bottom
1:10	and the earth shook and the rocks were
1:13	split
1:14	the tombs also were opened and many
1:16	bodies of the saints who had fallen
1:18	asleep were raised
1:19	and coming out of the tombs after his
1:21	resurrection they went into the holy
1:23	city and appeared to many
1:25	when the centurion and those who were
1:26	with him keeping watch over Jesus saw
1:29	the earthquake and what took place
1:31	they were filled with awe and said truly
1:34	this was the son of god in the name of
1:38	Jesus
1:40	what have we done you’ll note that there
1:43	at the cross as soon as Christ dies
1:47	then there’s an earthquake the rocks are
1:50	split
1:51	the temple of the curtain is torn in two
1:53	from top to bottom meaning only god
1:55	himself could have done the tearing
1:57	and there standing at the foot of the
1:59	cross
2:00	there’s a centurion as well as others
2:03	keeping watch over Jesus
2:05	and filled with awe they confess truly
2:08	this was the son of god and this is one
2:11	of those moments these words of theirs
2:13	their this confession
2:15	i think can only properly be understood
2:17	in the context of
2:19	what have we done have you ever worked
2:22	on a project
2:24	you know maybe you you had some
2:26	do-it-yourself project you went to
2:28	lowe’s or the home depot you got the
2:30	materials
2:32	you bought the kit you brought it home
2:35	and then you started to put the whole
2:36	thing together and realize that you put
2:38	the whole thing together backwards
2:40	and you sit there and go what have i
2:42	done and then at that point you’ve got
2:44	to
2:45	tear the whole thing apart and start
2:48	over
2:48	but here’s the thing when you have that
2:51	kind of a revelation what have i done
2:53	you recognize that you’ve made a mistake
2:56	but in saying that Jesus truly is the
2:59	son of god
3:00	there’s a lot more than well a mistake
3:03	an oopsy a slipsy-doopsy
3:05	it’s nothing like that in fact this is
3:07	the kind of what have we done
3:09	this is truly the son of god you can
3:12	almost
3:12	hear guilt
3:16	in the confession consider how that day
3:19	began
3:21	for the centurions um that morning
3:24	began like every other morning it was
3:26	just a routine
3:29	crucifixion if crucifixions could
3:31	actually be routine
3:32	you’ll note that luther in the large
3:34	catechism talks about the fact that in
3:36	the commandment as it relates to thou
3:38	shalt not murder
3:39	that when the state has found a criminal
3:42	guilty
3:43	and deserving of the death penalty that
3:45	the one
3:46	who does the hangman’s job
3:49	is committing no sin when acting on the
3:52	state’s command
3:53	they put a person to death and so the
3:56	roman
3:56	empire well crucifixion was a
4:00	standard way that they made examples
4:03	of those people who were being crucified
4:07	that’s what they did and that’s why they
4:10	did it
4:11	and centurions were the ones tasked with
4:13	the job
4:14	of actually performing the crucifixions
4:18	they were the hangmans
4:19	and so they were just following orders
4:22	and in their way of looking at things
4:24	that friday morning
4:26	Jesus was just the next person that they
4:29	were to make an example of
4:31	he claimed to be a king at least that
4:33	was what they heard
4:35	and well they were to make an example of
4:37	any would-be
4:38	upstart royals who would dare to assert
4:41	themselves
4:42	above caesar and so what did the
4:44	centurions do
4:46	they gave Jesus the royal treatment
4:50	and boy the details on that are brutal
4:53	all the while they were assuming that
4:56	they were dealing with
4:58	just another jewish
5:02	zealot i mean jewish zealots apparently
5:05	were quite
5:06	you know a frequent thing they were a
5:08	dime a dozen at the time of Christ and
5:10	if you look at
5:11	Jesus’s list of disciples there’s a
5:14	fellow
5:15	not simon peter simon the zealot there
5:17	was a zealot
5:19	among Jesus’s disciples so
5:22	at the time Jesus was handed over to the
5:24	centurions there wasn’t even the
5:26	faintest of thoughts
5:28	that Jesus was actually a king
5:31	or even worse that he was the son of god
5:36	that thought wasn’t even in their mind
5:38	in john chapter 19
5:40	we learned that pilate when he took
5:42	Jesus he had him flogged
5:44	and at that point the soldiers had
5:46	twisted together a crown of thorns put
5:47	it on his head and rayed him in a purple
5:49	robe
5:50	this is the royal treatment and so they
5:53	came up to him saying hail
5:54	king of the jews and then they struck
5:58	him with their hands
5:59	pilate went out again and said to them
6:01	see i’m bringing him out to you so that
6:03	me you may know that i find
6:04	no guilt in him even pilate knew
6:09	that Jesus really hadn’t done anything
6:11	wrong but they can’t
6:12	so they brought Jesus out wearing the
6:14	crown of thorns and the purple robe
6:17	and pilate said to them behold the man
6:20	all part of the royal treatment you know
6:23	so when the chief priest and the officer
6:25	saw this they cried out crucify him
6:28	crucify him and pilate said to them will
6:31	you take him yourself and you crucify
6:33	him for i find no guilt in him
6:35	but we know that they prevailed upon
6:38	pilate
6:39	matthew’s version then says that the
6:41	soldiers of the governor then took Jesus
6:43	into the governor’s headquarters and
6:45	they gathered the whole medallion before
6:47	him
6:48	they stripped him put the scarlet robe
6:51	on him twisting together a crown of
6:52	thorns put it on his head
6:54	put a reed in his right hand kneeling
6:55	before him they mocked him
6:57	and then he spit on him took the reed
7:00	struck him
7:00	on the head and when they had mocked him
7:02	they stripped him of the robe put
7:05	his own clothes on him and then led him
7:07	away
7:08	to crucify him
7:11	it’s just a standard everyday
7:15	crucifixion you know it’s all in a day’s
7:18	work
7:20	well it says this that when Christ got
7:22	to the cross
7:23	the soldiers took Jesus’s garments and
7:26	divided them into four parts one part
7:28	for each soldier there were four
7:30	soldiers there responsible to do the
7:32	work
7:33	of taking Christ to the cross nailing
7:36	him to the cross
7:37	taking him and suspending him between
7:39	heaven and earth
7:40	and once they did that they took his
7:42	garments his tunic
7:44	and the tunic though was seamless woven
7:46	into one piece from top to bottom
7:49	so they said to one another let’s not
7:51	tear it but cast lots to see
7:53	whose it shall be and this was to
7:55	fulfill the scripture that says they
7:56	divided my garments among them
7:58	and for my clothing they cast lots so
8:02	the soldiers did these things well once
8:05	you have your victims
8:07	happily impaled to a cross
8:10	now comes the waiting game
8:14	there is no cell service there’s no
8:17	wi-fi there’s no instagram or facebook
8:20	to check
8:21	so they decided to just do what they
8:23	always do
8:24	wait it out and of course you needed
8:26	soldiers at the foot of the cross
8:28	because
8:29	if the people could overpower the
8:31	soldiers then
8:32	they might be able to tear somebody down
8:34	from the cross and to free them
8:36	and so it was imperative that they
8:37	stayed there but it was basically a
8:39	waiting game
8:40	and if the waiting game went too long
8:42	they could always hasten things by
8:45	breaking the legs of the victims because
8:48	in order to breathe while impaled to a
8:50	cross you have to pull yourself
8:52	up to take a breath and let yourself
8:55	down that’s going to take your leg
8:56	muscles
8:57	and what’s what’s left of what you can
8:59	use your arms for
9:01	but then things got
9:05	different they began to take a turn
9:08	for the unexpected at noon
9:12	rather than high noon being that time
9:14	when everybody tries to shield
9:16	themselves
9:17	from the highest power of the sun at
9:20	noon
9:21	almost like clockwork at noon the sun
9:24	stopped giving its light and darkness
9:28	overtook the land and this wasn’t
9:31	you know one of those eclipses you can
9:33	predict those that there was no eclipse
9:35	predicted for that day
9:37	and it stayed dark the sun couldn’t even
9:40	look
9:40	at its creator being crucified there in
9:44	jerusalem
9:45	and so the sun stopped giving its light
9:47	that
9:48	afternoon and you’ll note they had to
9:50	have taken
9:51	notice of that it also tells us in the
9:54	gospel of
9:55	matthew that when there was darkness
9:58	over the land
10:00	that that there were people at the foot
10:02	of the cross
10:03	and here the soldiers were are able to
10:05	kind of take in
10:07	all of what’s going on a little bit of a
10:08	circus atmosphere
10:10	if you would you know you got the two
10:12	robbers
10:13	you know one of them hurling insults and
10:16	at
10:17	Jesus if you’re the son of god save
10:19	yourself
10:20	save us and then you have the bystander
10:23	saying if you who would destroy the
10:26	temple and rebuild it in three days
10:27	save yourself if you are the son of god
10:30	come down from the cross
10:33	and and here’s the part where you have
10:35	to put yourself
10:36	into the sandals of the roman centurions
10:39	and ask the question did they have any
10:43	idea
10:44	that one of the things that was being
10:47	said
10:48	the scuttlebutt about Jesus was that he
10:51	was the son
10:52	of god and so
10:55	with them claiming he is the son of god
10:58	and with the sun
10:59	no longer shining things
11:03	are well not turning out to be
11:06	a normal day as far as routine
11:09	crucifixions
11:10	go and then we hear in our gospel
11:14	text from tonight that Jesus
11:17	that he cried out with a loud voice
11:20	and Jesus yielded up his spirit
11:23	six hours into his crucifixion on the
11:26	nose
11:27	at exactly three in the afternoon the
11:29	time of the evening sacrifice
11:31	the time when the passover lambs are
11:34	slaughtered
11:35	Jesus yielded up his own
11:38	spirit
11:41	now there are a lot of powerful people
11:43	on planet earth that can do all kinds of
11:45	things
11:46	but none of us has the ability to
11:50	actively take our own life like this
11:53	especially without the aid of some kind
11:56	of a device
11:57	in which to end our own life Jesus
12:00	merely
12:01	yielded up his own spirit and when he
12:04	did this
12:05	the temple in the temple the curtain was
12:07	torn from top to bottom
12:10	showing that the dividing wall between
12:12	jew and gentile was now torn down
12:15	god himself tore that thing in half the
12:18	earth
12:19	shook big earthquake rocks
12:22	were split everybody’s going to take
12:24	notice of that
12:26	tombs are opened many bodies of the
12:29	saints who had fallen asleep were raised
12:31	and coming out of the tombs after his
12:32	resurrection they went into the holy
12:34	city and appeared
12:35	to many and there you have those four
12:38	roman soldiers
12:40	and what’s left of the crowd at the foot
12:43	of the cross
12:46	and what do you do in this situation
12:49	well i think it’s interesting that when
12:52	Jesus yielded up his
12:53	spirit you know we remember his words
12:57	that he had the power to lay down his
12:59	own life and he had the power to take it
13:01	up again
13:02	and he said of himself that i lay it
13:05	down of my own
13:06	accord and it this is a fulfillment of
13:10	kind of an obscure passage in the psalms
13:13	but in psalm chapter 64 verses 7 to 9 it
13:16	says this
13:18	god shoots his arrows at them
13:21	and they are wounded suddenly they are
13:23	brought to ruin with their own
13:25	tongues turned against them all who see
13:27	them will wag their heads
13:29	and then all mankind fears and they will
13:32	tell what god has brought about
13:34	and ponder what he has done and so with
13:37	Christ
13:38	laying down his own life him
13:41	bringing his life to an end of his own
13:43	accord
13:44	well this truly got the attention of
13:48	the soldiers in fact the church father
13:50	jerome
13:51	writes about it in this way it says
13:53	another gospel this the gospel of
13:55	matthew demonstrates more clearly
13:56	that the cause of the centurion’s
13:58	astonishment after the shaking of the
14:00	earth
14:01	it wasn’t until after he had seen Christ
14:03	give up the spirit that he said truly
14:05	this was the son of god
14:07	for no one has the power to give up the
14:09	spirit except that he who is the creator
14:11	of souls himself and so
14:15	uh here we can understand soul for
14:17	spirit because the soul animates the
14:19	body
14:19	and makes it spiritual and because the
14:21	spirit is the substance of the soul
14:23	itself
14:23	as it is written you take away their
14:25	spirits and they cease to be
14:28	and with this then this revelation
14:31	that not only was the written charge
14:34	against Christ
14:35	true that he was the king of the jews
14:38	but further that the scuttled but being
14:40	circulated at the foot of the cross that
14:42	Jesus was the son of god
14:44	also was true and here comes that aha
14:48	almost terrible aha moment truly this
14:52	was the son of god
14:55	and now they are left as the psalmist
14:57	prophesied to ponder what god has done
15:01	but not only that to ponder
15:05	what they have done but here’s the thing
15:10	if we carefully exegete the scriptures
15:14	we cannot merely say what have they done
15:18	we have to ask ourselves what have we
15:21	done
15:23	because scripture makes us all guilty of
15:25	the crucifixion of Christ
15:27	i again always like to make reference to
15:29	that movie
15:30	the passion of the Christ put together
15:32	by mel gibson
15:34	brutal movie one that i’ve watched a
15:36	couple of times in the first one i had a
15:38	very difficult time getting through it
15:41	and in that movie mel gibson decided to
15:44	portray the brutality of crucifixion
15:47	that was really what it was all about
15:49	and to show us what it is that our god
15:51	and savior suffered
15:53	as a result of your sin and mine and in
15:56	that movie
15:56	very few people really know this anymore
15:59	because it’s been so long since it came
16:00	out
16:01	mel gibson made a cameo appearance he
16:03	appeared
16:04	in the movie once his face
16:08	wasn’t seen though and in the movie
16:12	he plays the role of the soldier who
16:14	nails the spikes into the hands and feet
16:17	of Jesus
16:18	those are mel gibson’s hands wielding
16:22	the hammer when asked about this
16:26	at the time that the movie came out mel
16:28	gibson rightly confessed
16:30	it was me who put him on the cross
16:33	not talking about in the theatrical
16:35	sense
16:36	but in the truest sense and you cannot
16:39	rightly understand
16:40	our lenten responsibility our daily
16:43	responsibility as Christians to repent
16:46	unless you understand your own
16:49	culpability
16:50	you put Christ on the cross so did i
16:54	and so in this regard then we must not
16:57	despair
16:59	although this word from the
17:02	roman centurion truly this was the son
17:05	of god
17:06	rings across time comes to us and asks
17:08	us the question what have we done
17:11	scripture gives us some comforting words
17:13	and i think of one of the earliest
17:15	sermons that peter preaches not the one
17:18	at pentecost but the one
17:20	right after in chapter three after
17:23	peter had the well the privilege
17:27	by the power of Christ to give healing
17:30	to a man who was
17:32	incapable of walking a paralytic in fact
17:34	in that account we all know
17:36	how that story goes where peter says to
17:39	the man
17:40	silver and gold we do not have but what
17:41	i do have i give you in the name of
17:43	Jesus Christ of nazareth
17:45	walk and of course everybody
17:48	there that saw the miracle knew and
17:51	recognized the fellow
17:52	as the one who was always begging at the
17:54	beautiful gate
17:55	they were astonished and peter stands up
17:59	and he addresses the crowd at this time
18:02	and it’s important to note that when he
18:04	addressed them it wasn’t as if peter had
18:07	taken a computer tablet and was there
18:10	when Jesus was on trial and said okay it
18:13	was fred
18:14	and solomon and morial and
18:17	these other guys they were all saying
18:19	that crucified Jesus and took down their
18:21	names
18:22	it’s not what he did in fact what’s
18:24	fascinating here
18:26	is that the crowd that he addresses
18:29	there may have been a few people
18:31	there who were there when pilate brought
18:33	Christ out and said behold the man
18:36	and there may have been a few of them
18:37	from that crowd who shouted out
18:39	crucify him but note here we’re talking
18:43	we’re what two three months out
18:46	from the crucifixion of Christ now how
18:49	many of those people
18:51	have long since left who cried out
18:53	crucify him
18:55	they were in town for the passover but
18:57	there was no
18:58	feast day in jerusalem that day so
19:00	listen to these words
19:02	and see if we can find some comfort
19:04	considering
19:05	the magnitude of this discovery of what
19:08	it is that we have done
19:10	so peter says the god of abraham
19:13	the god of isaac the god of jacob the
19:16	god of our fathers
19:18	he has glorified his servant Jesus
19:21	whom you delivered over you
19:24	denied in the presence of pilate when he
19:26	had decided to release him
19:28	but you denied the holy and the
19:30	righteous one
19:32	and you asked for a murderer to be
19:34	granted to you
19:35	and you you killed the author of life
19:39	whom god raised from the dead to this we
19:42	are witnesses
19:45	those are strong words
19:48	the thing is is that they strike true
19:51	for me
19:52	and they strike true for you as well
19:54	it’s true
19:57	when we read the gospel accounts of
19:58	Christ’s
20:00	trial it’s each and every one of us
20:02	who’s there
20:04	vicariously if you would shouting
20:07	crucify him
20:08	we want barabbas we
20:12	because of our sin your sin mine
20:15	we’ve killed the author of life
20:18	what have we done
20:21	peter goes on and his name
20:25	Jesus name by faith in his name
20:30	has made this man strong whom you see
20:33	and you know
20:34	and the faith that is through Jesus has
20:37	given the man this perfect health in the
20:39	presence of you all
20:41	and now brothers i know that you acted
20:44	in ignorance as did also your
20:48	rulers and is that not true for us
20:52	we have and that’s the deceit of sin the
20:56	darkness of sin
20:58	the blackness of it
21:02	it blinds us to the truth
21:05	and each and every one of us has learned
21:07	to love the darkness instead
21:09	but note this that when you that friday
21:13	morning in jerusalem cried out crucify
21:16	him
21:17	peter is speaking the truth that we
21:19	acted in ignorance you acted in
21:20	ignorance i acted in ignorance
21:23	and so did their rulers but what god
21:26	foretold by the mouth of all the
21:28	prophets
21:29	that his messiah would suffer he thus
21:31	has fulfilled
21:33	so repent turn back so that your sins
21:37	might be blotted out
21:39	so that times of refreshing may come
21:41	from the presence of the lord
21:43	and that he may send the Christ who has
21:46	appointed for you
21:47	Jesus so brothers and sisters that’s our
21:51	comfort that although we acted in
21:55	ignorance although we are
21:56	responsible for putting Christ on the
21:58	cross we again hear these lenten words
22:01	these baptismal
22:02	words to repent daily
22:06	return back to the waters of your
22:08	baptism
22:10	return back so that your sins may be
22:13	washed away and may be blotted out
22:15	and so that the times of refreshing may
22:18	come from the presence of the lord
22:20	the times of refreshing that are not
22:21	promised for this earth
22:23	but for the world to come and he will
22:27	send the Christ who is appointed for you
22:29	on that glorious day when he returns in
22:31	glory to judge the living and the dead
22:33	and having been then forgiven of all of
22:35	your sins because of what Christ has
22:36	done for you on the cross
22:38	you need not shrink back and fear and
22:41	say oh no what have i
22:43	done but instead can stand before him
22:46	confident of his grace
22:48	his mercy and his pardon because he
22:51	truly is the king of the jews
22:53	and he truly is the son of god and he
22:55	truly was sent because of god’s great
22:58	love for you
22:58	and he was truly the one who bled and
23:01	died and suffered your
23:02	penalty on the cross so that you might
23:05	live so repent
23:07	and Christ offers you the refreshing
23:10	words
23:11	of forgiveness pardon and peace
23:14	in the name of Jesus amen

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