Subject Thirty-eight

THE SUFFERING UPON THE CROSS

Scripture: Psa. 22:1, 14-18

1. The cause of the suffering upon the cross
   1. Man sinned.
   2. God is righteous.
   3. God is also love.
      These three things produced the suffering on the cross. If you put these three things together, there must be the cross. The principle of the gospel is very consistent with logic and legal principles. If a gospel preacher understands logic and legal principles, he can preach the gospel in a thorough way.
2. The meaning of the suffering upon the cross
   1. During the time of the Roman Empire, crucifixion was the most cruel capital punishment in existence. In world history there has never been, in any democratic country, any capital punishment to compare with crucifixion. Only the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago, had adopted such a cruel capital punishment.
   2. In Old Testament times, God had prophesied that the Savior would be punished with a kind of punishment similar to crucifixion. Give some examples from the Old Testament: (1) He that is hanged is accursed. (2) The serpent of brass which was put upon a pole is the same as the Son of Man being lifted up on the cross. (3) A passover lamb was slaughtered by nailing its two front feet on a horizontal piece of wood, and binding its two rear feet on a vertical piece of wood. This picture clearly signifies the crucifixion.
   3. The suffering of crucifixion is beyond description. The two hands are nailed to a horizontal piece of wood, and the two feet are laid upon each other and nailed to a vertical piece of wood. The weight of the whole body hangs down, so that the muscles are stretched and the bones are out of joint, until the breathing out of the last breath.
3. The crucified One
   Explain that the crucified One to whom we refer is Christ.
   1. Every one being crucified is being executed.
   2. Christ’s crucifixion was His being put to death for us sinners.
   3. Because we had sinned, and because God is both righteousness and love, Christ had to be crucified for us.
   4. Christ bore our sins on the cross; therefore He said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” God forsook Christ because Christ was bearing our sins. Christ is the beloved of God, and He obeys God’s will; therefore God should be with Him all the time. When Christ was on the earth, He said that God was with Him. But when He was on the cross, God forsook Him. This is the evidence that He was bearing our sins.
4. The suffering upon the cross
   1. He was poured out like water. According to Psalm 22, while His body was hanging down, He was like water poured out.
   2. All His bones were out of joint. While the body was hanging down, each and every bone was out of joint.
   3. His heart was like melted wax. Because the fierce fire of God was burning upon Him, inside of Him it was like melted wax.
   4. “My strength is dried up like a potsherd.” This is the losing of strength, or the exhaustion of strength. The suffering of exhaustion is very difficult to describe. On the cross, Christ was totally and completely exhausted, even to the extent that there was no moisture left in His body. Yet He was still alive and suffering. Up to this day no one has been able to imagine what a suffering the Lord experienced on the cross.
   5. “My tongue cleaveth to my jaws.”
   6. “Thou hast brought me into the dust of death.” He endured the taste of death, and death had buried Him.
   7. “Dogs have compassed me: a company of evil-doers have enclosed me.”
   8. “They pierced my hands and my feet.” The Lord’s hands and feet were nailed to the cross.
   9. “I may count all my bones; they look and stare upon me.”
   10. “They part my garments among them, and upon my vesture do they cast lots.”
5. The reaction to the cross
   1. For generations many people have repented and turned to the Lord by hearing about the suffering of Christ upon the cross.
   2. We hope the message of the cross will also touch our hearts today.
   3. Everyone who has been touched by the suffering of the cross should confess his sins and receive the crucified Christ as his Savior.