A Curse, A King, and A Crown

Thank you so much for being with us this morning to worship and to celebrate Jesus Christ and all He has done for us through his death and through his resurrection! In all the songs we sing and in the scriptures we study together today, I want to ask you to do one thing. I want us to think seriously about what Jesus did for us through the cross and through the resurrection.

The first action I want you to think about is that…

1. Jesus carried the curse of sin to the cross.

• Jhn 19:1-5 (ESV) Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. [2] And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. [3] They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. [4] Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” [5] So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
• The pain of this life is a result of the curse brought as a result of our sin. Sin. Curse. Pain.
• Gen 3:17-18 (ESV) And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; [18] thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
• So, behold the man, Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. What do we see taking place here? But here is the beauty that we discover in the horror that is the cross.
• Do we ever struggle with the pain of this life? This life is difficult to say the least. Very often it is agonizingly painful, excruciating. And yes, I used that word on purpose because it means “out of the cross” or “as painful as a crucifixion.” Back in 2019 the Blackwell Journal Tribune wrote these words: “The pain derived from crucifixion was so intense that the Romans had to create a new word for it, and that word is the root of excruciating.”
• (Reference the crown of thorns) When the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and beat it down upon his brow, Jesus carried the curse of sin to the cross. Jesus went to the cross to deal with our sin. He went to the cross to deal with all the fallout from our sin. All the pain, struggle, sorrow. All the bitterness, hatred, malice. All the destruction, disease, death. Jesus carried all of it to the cross and through his death he destroys the death grip of sin on the lives of all who will trust him. Why would Jesus endure the excruciating agony of the cross? Why would he willingly deal with our sin and the fallout of our sin on the cross. Because of his incredible, infinite love for us.

The second action I want you to think about is that…

2. Jesus conquered the curse of sin through His resurrection.

• Mrk 16:1-8 (ESV) When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. [2] And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. [3] And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” [4] And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. [5] And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. [6] And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. [7] But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” [8] And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
• Rom 4:25 (ESV) who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
• Do you realize this morning that the greatest need in your life, the one and only answer to every serious question in your life is Jesus Christ? The women came to the tomb that morning seeking Jesus of Nazareth. They were looking for the man, Jesus. What we need in our life is Jesus Christ the Lord.
• (Reference the majestic crown) Through his resurrection he has proven once and for all that He is the Lord. He is the one who conquered the curse of sin through his resurrection. He is the only one capable of conquering the curse of sin. Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth. The brokenness of your life and my life that is the fallout from sin and the curse of sin, through his victory over the grave, Jesus stands victoriously over all the brokenness of life. As the one who broke the bonds of sin and death, Jesus is able to free everyone who turns to Him in repentance and belief.
• The stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. The stone was rolled away so we can step in and see with our own eyes. Jesus died for our sins, but now praise the Lord, He is alive! He is the author and the Lord of life. He is the one who conquers sin, death, and hell and by his life we can truly live.
• Jesus conquered the curse of sin through his resurrection. He was raised to life so we could be finally and forever declared “NOT GUILTY!!!!”

The third action I want you to think about is that…

3. Jesus offers the gifts of life, righteousness, and glory to those who trust Him.

• Rom 4:2-3 (ESV) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [3] For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
• Rom 4:23-25 (ESV) But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, [24] but for ours also. It (righteousness, his righteousness) will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, [25] who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
• Jesus carried the curse of sin to the cross. He was delivered up for our trespasses.
• Jesus conquered the curse of sin through his resurrection. He was raised for our justification.
• Because of who Jesus is (the Lord) and because of what Jesus has done (death and resurrection), he is able to offer the gifts of life, righteousness, and glory to all who believe in him.
• Just as we’ve seen these two very different crowns this morning, Scripture describes three crowns that Jesus will give to those who trust in him.
• He gives the crown of life to all those who love him.
• He gives the crown of righteousness to those who have loved his appearing (they are longing for Jesus because they love him and they can’t wait, they are longing for him to return and to be with them).
• He gives the crown of glory when he returns to all those who love him and are longing for his return. All those who love Jesus will be crowned with the joy of his glorious presence forever.
• Jesus offers you his life instead of your death.
• Jesus offers you his righteousness instead of your sin.
• Jesus offers you his glory instead of your brokenness.
• How do you receive these three incredible gifts? You simply respond to who Jesus is and what he has done.
• Turn to Jesus. Seeking him and forgiveness of the sin you have committed against him.
• Believe. Trust in Jesus to forgive you and to declare you not guilty. Righteous.
• “Lord Jesus, I turn to you asking you to forgive me of my sin. I believe in you and what you did for me through your cross and through your resurrection. Be the Lord over my life and help me to follow you for the rest of my life.”
• We want to give you an opportunity this morning to think about what you’ve heard and to respond to the Lord. We are going to stand together and sing and worship and if you have questions about your relationship with Jesus, we will be up at the front, and we would love to talk with you. Maybe you want to just sit where you are and pray or gather with those around you and pray. Church family let me encourage you as we always do to pray for others and to make yourself available for those who need to pray or to talk to someone. I’m going to lead us in prayer to start and then let’s respond to what the Lord has shown us today.