CALVARY‟S HILL WHAT IS THE WORLD‟S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN?
CALVARY‟S HILL
Matthew 27:31-43
I believe it maybe Calvary.
In Latin it is called
Calvary.
In Hebrew, Golgotha,
or “place of the skull.”
CALVARY‟S HILL
If you look carefully you
can see it,
a supernatural image,
a symbol of death, where
God came among men.
CALVARY‟S HILL
It is not a very high hill
physically, but
spiritually speaking, I
believe it to be the
highest hill in the world.
CALVARY‟S HILL
For it was on this hill that
God‟s justice was affected by
God‟s grace.
Man‟s sin interacted with
God‟s sovereignty.
History meets eternity on the
highest hill in the world!
CALVARY‟S HILL
No event in history
is as important as
the death, burial,
and resurrection of
Christ.
1. SIMON OF CALVARY, VERSES 31-32.
“And when they had mocked
Him, they took the robe off Him,
put His own clothes on Him, and
led Him away to be crucified.
Now as they came out, they found
a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.
Him they compelled to bear His
cross” Matthew 27:31-32.
It was required that a prisoner carry
his own cross to the place of
execution.
Not only has Jesus already been
scourged, His body lacerated and
hanging in ribbons, but He is already
wearing the crown of thorns, driven
deep into His scalp.
He has been repeatedly beaten for
hours now, and it was simply more
than His physical human nature
could bear.
Though He was all God, He was all
man, and He collapsed under the
load.
But there would be no delay. They
wanted Him dead, and now!
So the Roman soldiers quickly
drafted the first able bodied man
they could find.
Simon by name, from the country
of Cyrene, which was a country in
northern Africa, what we would
today call Libya.
They “compelled” him to
carry the cross. They made
him do it against his will.
The cross was the ultimate
form of degradation.
Crucifixion was the supreme
method of killing the worst of the
worst criminals; you did not even
talk about it in polite company.
You can imagine his humiliation
and resentment at having to do
this, and being associated with the
„criminal.‟
He is an example of those who come
to church because they are made to,
and end up meeting the Saviour face
to face.
Every week some go to church who
do not really want to be there.
In some cases they are a child or
teen, and they have been „compelled‟
to come
. Maybe it is a spouse, who has been
begged repeatedly, or a friend or
relative.
And if you are one of those who have
been „compelled‟ to come,
you ought to thank God that
somebody cared enough about you to
bring you.
So bring them in from the fields of
sin, and after they get here, the music
melts their heart, the friendliness of
this family warms their heart, the
Bible convicts their heart, and
chances are, God will come into their
heart and they will live to see the day
that they thank God they were ever
compelled to come!
2. THE SOLDIERS OF CALVARY, VERSES 35-36.
“Then they crucified Him, and
divided His garments, casting lots,
that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet: “They divided
My garments among them, And for
My clothing they cast lots.”
Sitting down, they kept watch over
Him there” Matthew 27:35-36.
When you see the soldiers you see
calloused, hardened, cursing men
who were apparently unmoved by
what they were witnessing.
They came to actually enjoy the
sport of their trade, and they even
gambled for his clothing at the
foot of the cross.
I maybe now be preaching
on the cross, and some in
the room have trouble just
staying awake!
Or they are thinking about
supper, or the week ahead.
Well we have a
problem!
Our eyes are dry, our
faith is old, our hearts
are hard, and our
prayers are cold.
Do we not realize that we
should have been crucified?
That it was our sins laid on
Him there?
That we are the soldiers in
this situation? That we are the
ones who drove the nails!
We need a fresh look at and a
fresh love for the cross of
Calvary.
The cross reveals what is in
the heart of a person. What
does the cross reveal about
YOUR heart?
CALVARY‟S HILL
CONCLUSION:
We sing a song “Were you
there when they crucified my
Lord?”
Yes, we were all there!
Do not allow the death of
Jesus to be in vain.
CALVARY‟S HILL
If you have never been
saved, get saved today.
Do not be one spitting in
the loving face of the One
who hung there for you.
CALVARY‟S HILL
Do not be one of the soldiers,
taking it lightly.
Be a Simon.
Allow yourself to be compelled to
carry the cross and follow Him,
to give Him all, to have a passion
for the Passion of Christ!