EASTER-The Ultimate Finish Strong Story #119

What does Easter mean to you? Is it one of the few days of the year when you attend church? Do you think of a family get-together that culminates in a delicious meal complete with dessert? What about a giant Easter egg hunt with the kids and grandkids?  Or does it ultimately mean something so much more?

Easter represents the greatest day in history! Jesus Christ overcame death once and for all when he rose from the grave.  But before he arose from his grave, He paid a heavy price.  He was flogged with a whip that was designed to rip the skin to the bone.  He was mocked, beaten, and spit upon.  Seven-inch nails were driven through his hands and feet and into a wooden cross.  

On this podcast, you’ll learn about the incredible price that Jesus paid for our salvation.  But you’ll also be reminded that He endured it all so that we can enjoy eternal life with Him.  Don’t miss this podcast for it is truly the ultimate Finish Strong story!

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

Easter, what do you think of when you hear that word? Maybe you think of getting together with family and friends and maybe having the children go out on Easter egg hunt. Or maybe it's one of the few days each year that you actually attend church. But today we're going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. And all I'm Excuse me. Oh, that was good. Let's rewind. Now I know of Easter, I've got the right holiday. And we're going to talk about the pain and the suffering and the true price that Christ paid for all of us. And then all of the things that happened at the moment that he died and all of the things that he accomplished. And then of course, raising from the dead for our sins so that we know that he overcame death and we can live with Him forever. This is finished strong. I'm Dan Wheeler. And these two gentlemen, I think I've met before, could you introduce yourself, guys?

Terry Steen: 1:04

Thank you for calling us gentlemen. Number one. Yeah, I'm Terry. And

Brian Roland: 1:09

I am Brian Roland.

Dan Wheeler: 1:12

Okay. We don't know Terry's last name, but I can't secret. Yeah. Really, guys Easter, probably the most significant holiday as far as what Christ did for us. This was the whole reason He came to earth. This

Brian Roland: 1:30

the most significant one, you know, I just always as kidding, I've always Christmas was the big one. And then Eastern follow that that was great. But when you think of it, this this is this is the reason why Christ why he was brought to this earth. And he's the reason for our guaranteed salvation in to be with Him for eternity. This is like Halloween would be for the other side, I guess, because it really is has so much meaning to and it's so so it's so deep, but you people just skim right over because they think of Easter bunnies and little peeps, you know, and they don't they don't look at the real meaning of what Easter is about. I

Dan Wheeler: 2:04

don't think I really appreciate all that Christ endured until I saw that movie, the passion. I'm Mel Gibson, I could hardly stay in the theater and watch it and they say it was even worse than that. Exactly.

Brian Roland: 2:18

Exactly. You don't realize that because when I forget had lunch today, and I was we were talking about it and that scene. And I said, you know, that's just it, you don't realize it's it was worse than that. And if you start looking into it all what the put on those cat of nine tails, I mean, it really did just grab the skin and rip it. I mean, he suffered so greatly. That was he would never imagine people can going through that and still be beat alive, they would live through it just the pain, just the shock that a body alone should have, we should have killed them right there.

Terry Steen: 2:49

And the story, the exposure of that story. We hear it and know it because we're Christians who have been Christians a long time. But on the one hand, it's hard to believe that people do not understand or get the Easter story, or what Jesus did or what Christianity is about, and don't know the details of what took place. But I think it'd be great for us to just take a backdrop as to what was taking place this week, that led up to that crucifixion moment, and to his death and resurrection. But when you think about it, Jesus knew everything that was going to take place that week. That's the thing that boggles my mind. Sometimes he was aware of what Judas was going to do, how he was going to betray him. He's with all his disciples that last night, he's kind of saying his goodbyes, and they're not really realized. And that's what he's doing. But he knows Judas is going to betray Him. He knows Peters going to deny Him, He knows the disciples are going to scatter and desert him. And then he knows about all the pain that he's going to go through. So no wonder he's in the Garden of Gethsemane that night praying so intently and asking this cup be removed from me. Because the biggest thing is he didn't want to separate himself from God. He was allowing himself because he's taking on the sins of the world, right? God can be associated with sin. And for him to do this, the sorrow of separating from his father. really sobering. really sobering.

Dan Wheeler: 4:34

Let's delve into and if you're following along, we're taking this from Matthew 26 and 27. And a little bit from Luke, but Terry, take us through some of the stages of Christ's suffering.

Terry Steen: 4:46

Well, that's the first one. And then Brian, are you Yep.

Brian Roland: 4:51

That the second one would be that cycles that the how they abandoned him, which you mentioned, and it talks about it over in Matthew 2656. cuz this is but this is all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled that all the disciples deserved to him and fled. What I mean by that is that the site, if you look in the Old Testament, all the prophecies of this is going to happen. We're given back then. And everything that Jesus was doing when he was here was fulfilling prophecy from the Old Testament. And this was one of them to that he was going to be going to his death here. And but all the disciples had fled. Once they had arrested him once they crucified Him, they disliked him. I've been associated all of a sudden they took off until the resurrection of

Dan Wheeler: 5:31

ours. And of course, we read that he was blindfolded. He was ridiculed. He was spit on they put a roll up on him, they hit him in the face when they're like who hits you? You know, they were just mocking him. But I want to pay attention, Terry to something that happened early on in the Garden of Gethsemane. I remember reading about how Christ it said he, it was as if he was sweating drops of blood is a real thing. It's called Hema to Dros us that when you're under intense pressure, which he was knowing everything that was going to happen. He was actually sweating blood. And that's

Terry Steen: 6:08

amazing, isn't it? Yeah.

Brian Roland: 6:10

So that was when he had the the human and ban man, God, I should say, God, man, you have God. And you can see that that's where the human was coming out there and lower if you could take this cup from me, because he also needs human. Yeah.

Dan Wheeler: 6:22

Can you imagine being the Son of God, though, and people are hitting you your blindfold? They're spitting on you. It's just, it's an, it's unimaginable that he didn't just wipe them all out, because he could have so easily, exactly but the restraint that it took for him to say, this is not my will, I'm going through this because this is God's will. And I'm taking on the sin of the world.

Terry Steen: 6:48

In any in any let him he let them take him. He let them have this trial. He suffered the rejection and being despised the same people days before that were praising him. And throwing poems and coats in front of him are now asking that he be crucified they have the opportunity to choose Barabbas that may go no release Barabbas we want this guy murdered. This is a rejection. This isn't like being picked last on the playground. This is a serious rejection, this is death. And he had to face that rejection and despising

Brian Roland: 7:33

them then in Matthew 2726 says Then he released Barabbas that was pilot releases them. But he had Jesus flogged and handed them over to be crucified that we talked about it just a little bit ago being flogged and how it was really portrayed in the in the movie Passion of the Christ. And so well, but people have to realize that the the metal in the bone and that that was interlaced in that his cat of nine tails would rip away the skin and expose the arteries and veins and inner organs of the person to being flogged. It's what I mean. It's just the, the stress of it and the body. It's amazing that Jesus went through that, but he took that and the stripes that he took besides being flogged because he says, By his stripes were healed. That's what we're gonna heal that he took that to the cross. He took the by noon SLOG and he took it to the cross, where we can be healed in the name of Jesus.

Dan Wheeler: 8:23

And then Matthew 2728 through 30. We read, then the governor soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him, They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. And then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. I've read about this crown of thorns and they say that those thorns were like an inch and a half long, the weight of it on his head and they would push it down on him and it would just drive those thorns into the skull. They said it was intense pressure on the scalp and his brain even in they spit on him. They smother them with a reed. They made him carry His cross. It says in verse three, they spit on him. Have you ever been spit on by somebody? It's about the most D humanizing thing that you could do. They took the staff, they struck him on the head again and again. And Brian, this is after all the flogging, and what he took the 39 times right when they hit him. And I read the debt number they came up with just enough not to kill them. But to keep him alive on still have that suffering. And after they had mocked him, they took off the rope put his own clothes on him then they let him away to crucify him. This is the Lord this is the God of the universe. Like you said, a week before they're praising him, man he's got and how quickly they turn because the chief priests and the government officials they all got the crowd to turn on him. I don't know if they paid him or what But

Brian Roland: 10:02

there's many stories on that as people from the outside, they were coming in. And a lot of people did not know who Jesus was, but they had set them up there so that they would, you know, Crucify Him. And they started it in the crowd. And then they got the crowd to go along with him. But that's, that's a whole nother another, another podcast.

Terry Steen: 10:18

And then as he's carrying the cross, everybody's piling on, they're all sitting there, making fun of him and mocking Him. And of course, he's exhausted, and he's beat. And so Joseph comes in, carry, I think his name was Joseph comes in, carries the cross, up to Golgotha, to be crucified. And my understanding is that most of these people who were crucified were tied up with ropes. But for Jesus, they use these big long nails, and they drove them through his hands drove him through his feet. A, I hate it when I get a sliver in my finger. Yeah, you think about his weight. Nails are holding his weight on him in on his feet. And we have Karen and I have a Christmas ornament that we hang at the bottom of the tree every year. And it's a nail, about eight inches long, made like one of the nails that was driven into Jesus hands and feet. And we put that at the bottom of the tree just as a reminder of what Christmas is about, and how Jesus was born, and where he was going and what he was going to go through. And the pain and the suffering of having those hands and feet nailed to that cross.

Brian Roland: 11:49

Can I help. And while he was on that cross, it was just utter humiliation. Even then, you said to you that the spikes in his hands, and suffocation, basically, that's what you do when under cross, and that that's why they will break their legs later on. If they didn't die fast enough, you know, so they couldn't stand and push themselves up. But it talks about, especially Matthew, it's a little long, but 2730 9044. But it says those who pass by hurled insults at him shaking their heads and saying, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself come down from the cross if you're the Son of God, in the same way, the chief priest, these are the ones who are the teachers of the law and the elders mock them. He saved others they said, but he can save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down from the now from the cross. And we will believe in him. Isn't it interesting? Do something show us a miracle. And women will believe in you after all the things that would have taken place? Given you know, give us one more, you know, no, this isn't. This isn't show Intel, you know, yeah, but it says he, he trusted God let him rescue him. Now, if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God. In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also, he insults on him. And it's interesting, because there was a three crosses there, which we know about there was the other thieves in that one on the right one on the left. But people will realize that there were crosses going all the way up to the skull there. You know, there people were being crucified. So these guys are throwing insults at them too. And I like the one that says yeah, we take yourself off and take us with you. Well, what was he thinking about? You know, the insults that he got, and after being beaten to a pulp, it's just it's, it's hard. It's hard to fathom that anybody would anybody could actually go through all of that.

Dan Wheeler: 13:35

And it really is. And then he was actually separated from God the Father. He had never been separated from him, but he had to, because that was the ultimate consequence of taking on our sin. Then God the father couldn't even look at our sin. And he actually had to turn his face away from his son. And we read about it in Matthew 2746. It says about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloy Eloy, Lama Subak Tawny Sabac to me, which means, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? And even though he knew what he was going to go through, I don't know if he knew what that separation from God would feel like would be like, it's like, A ha I described as being in hell, right? Because I felt that way. At one point in my life where I couldn't break through to God, I couldn't find him as a god, where are you? At my lowest point in my life? And I remember thinking, I'm in hell, because God's not with me. And, you know, we read in Revelation that we won't even need the light of the sun because God's light will be there. But when you don't have this light in your life,

Brian Roland: 14:56

right? When you were just saying that it just popped in my mind right For you mentioned what we went through to, was that, that he was, he was feeling what many are going to feel in eternity. And he's feeling it firsthand, the separator from God, and he was to make your region and he wasn't there. And these are people that have made their decision to ignore God ignore Jesus, and who's gonna have gone on and that's what they're gonna, that's what we're here to give him is going to be a separation from God, you will never be able to communicate with him.

Terry Steen: 15:27

It boggles my mind to think of those last minutes and Christ. And, you know, he, his love was so powerful and came through even was when he was at this lowest point of giving his life. He still turned and accepted one of these criminals and said he'd be with him in paradise. Yeah, he helped him get saved to be in heaven. He turned to John and made sure that his mother was taken care of, even on the cross in his last breaths. Yeah, he was caring about other people, and showing love. And then that final act of love is when he made the conscious decision, and said, it's finished, if you'll remember, they were shocked that he had died so soon. They didn't have to break his legs. Well, that was because he made a conscious decision. He made a choice to give his life freely. It wasn't taken from it.

Brian Roland: 16:30

Right. And that was also a prophecy that no bone to be broken.

Terry Steen: 16:34

That's right. Right. And he gave it freely said it's finished. Well,

Dan Wheeler: 16:40

then after that, a lot of significant things happened. Yeah. And I think we overlooked sometimes

Brian Roland: 16:47

I liked this as soon as soon as you know Christ gave when he gave up the ghost when he said he just finished, darkness was over the land. In Matthew 2745, from noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came all over the land. Can you imagine that? I mean, we're gonna get into Eclipse here, you know, in the next couple of weeks. And it's going to be a total eclipse, but it's not gonna last for three hours. And I look at that I go, wow, that completely darkened for three hours after he died.

Dan Wheeler: 17:13

I imagine the people that crucified for a little bit worried about that might had to, they may have needed to change your pants. I don't know. It's

Brian Roland: 17:26

things that have happened.

Terry Steen: 17:28

What did we just do? What did we do? Yeah. And

Dan Wheeler: 17:32

then, of course, after that darkness, I believe there was, you know, a soldier standing by that said, Surely this was the Son of God. And then the tearing this is very important, the tearing of the curtain of the temple. So that was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Now that curtain was in the Holy of Holies, where only the priest could go the high priest once a year, and God would come down his presence would be there. And because that veil, the significance that being torn was that Christ opened the way for us to go directly to God. And because of that event, we have full access to God the Father, through Jesus. And that's what God's plan was all along, to provide the ultimate sacrifice. You know, I used to wonder, why did the people in the Old Testament Why did the Jewish people for so long, have to do all of those sacrifices? And yet, it was all pointing to the need for an ultimate savior. The perfect Lamb, the sacrificial lamb? And as you said, Terry, he gave his life willingly. It wasn't taken. Yeah.

Terry Steen: 18:47

And don't you ever think about so what happened to that veil? Did those guys go? Did the priests go in there? And we need to get this thing fixed? And not accept that? Or did they quietly take it down? And then the temple had? No, it'd be very interesting to know what happened. And the reality of a mindset there

Dan Wheeler: 19:10

was just because they were some of the priests, did they have the change of heart? Did they say wow, what did we just do and ask him for forgiveness? We don't know. Hope

Terry Steen: 19:18

so. Yeah. You would hope so. Because right after that, then the earthquake came. And that confirmed and that's when the centurions you mentioned it a little earlier, Dan, but the centurions and those who are with him regarding Jesus, they saw the earthquake and the things that had happened and they feared greatly and said, Truly, this was the Son of God. So there were some people that got it. There were some people that realized that this truly was the Son of God.

Brian Roland: 19:50

And then, just on top of that, there's one more thing, people that have died before we're seeing

Dan Wheeler: 19:59

anyone Yeah, that's that's as ours

Brian Roland: 20:02

isn't that though. But that was just showing what this is what Christ was doing. He was your, your, your spirit separated from your body, he's gonna be bringing it back together. And I just thought that was that just that's the spooky one is that you know that people saw Christ over 500 people saw Christ as a witness to that. But he used to say that my brother in law

Terry Steen: 20:24

role was a prelude to the ultimate defeating of death. Right. But that was symbolic to death being defeated when he died on that cross, he defeated death. Yep. And that was just a small example of how each of us are going to defeat death, in our own way spiritually, aren't we? Right?

Dan Wheeler: 20:48

Absolutely. And then they took him away, they laid him in a tomb. And for the next three days, it seems like the disciples forgot everything that Jesus told them. Because they're like, man, we were counting on this guy.

Unknown: 21:02

We thought he was the guy, dead. But

Dan Wheeler: 21:06

this is my favorite part, the ultimate finish strong story. We're calling it guys, because we believe in finishing strong and boy, that Jesus finish the job. He rises from the dead, giving us hope and security that will be with Him forever. And you can read about in Matthew 28, the first seven verses, you know, the women run to the tomb, and he's not in there. And then then Mary, I believe is walking in Jesus says greetings. And well I think first he said, woman, and she recognized him. And then she ran and told the disciples, he's alive. And he said, Don't be afraid, go and tell him to meet me in Galilee. But wow, sorry, guys, I just got ahead of it. But, you know, the hope that he gave us that we don't have to that death is not the ultimate separator. We will be reunited with Christ, and our loved ones that know him. Wow, what a what a comeback. You know, and you don't know, there's a movie that I've seen. And there was a scene after Jesus died in one of the soldiers, they were looking for his body, one of the soldiers sees him. And he's looks healthier than ever, and just smiling and laughing. And and he's just stunned. Can you imagine?

Terry Steen: 22:33

Why? Well, and you know, they, they tried to hide that they tried to disguise it, they tried to pay off the soldiers who saw that the tomb was empty. And so that's those are the stories floating around. But I went back and looked, what Scripture tells us and beyond marry, he met those two travelers on the road, Dewey mass. Then he met the disciples that one time when, when Thomas wasn't there, if you remember, Thomas didn't want to believe it, because he wasn't there. So Jesus came back another time that with the disciples again, then he met with the seven disciples on the Sea of Galilee, if you remember, they decided they're going back fishing, Jesus is on the shore, making some fish for him to eat. And then they realized it was him. And then he met with his disciples that grant again, when he shared the Great Commission. And then there were all those who saw him for his ascension. There were 500 people in Galilee that saw him so there is plenty of proof and witnesses that he truly did rise from the dead and ascend to heaven. Incredible story, like you say, no better finish strong story than that one.

Brian Roland: 23:55

But what he did to besides all you just said, he set it up so that it was going to continue on, he started it but he set the disciples up here to put them in motion. I mean, he just took everyday plain people basically fishermen and a tax collector and other other ones just everyday people and the see that all died as martyrs really because they were not going to deny that they saw him yeah and but he Commission's the disciples to go into all the world and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He said, teach them to observe all things he commanded them. And so they learned firsthand from him. And then by the he said, they were just going to go back out fishing again. But he goes on our goal is all the world and they couldn't resist that they couldn't stop they couldn't deny it. Because he'd seen it and they knew him personally. And it's just like we can now we can know Him personally ourselves, just by us communal our lives, but they had a personal touch with him. And they couldn't they couldn't stop they had to go out especially after the Holy Spirit came down and put gave them a power and that, unlike any other and I was just reading on that where the, what it means the power that came down upon him was called the AMO I think it is from from the Greek word, which means dynamite. And so the power that they got was like dynamite, and they weren't going to be stopped. And I just as the ultimate story, I

Dan Wheeler: 25:19

always think that's the ultimate proof that Jesus was resurrected was what happened to the disciples. They went from being a bunch of cowards, who denied Him and who hid from a little girl who accused Peter bold guys that went about preaching boldly, knowing they were gonna get thrown in prison or stoned or killed. They didn't care. They were truly on a mission. And because of that commission, that's the reason we are doing what we're doing guys. Finish strong. We want to finish strong, we want to take this gospel and share it. This is the gospel, the power of it, that Jesus Christ came to die for all of our sins, so that through him, we can have access to the Father, we can be saved, we can spend eternity with Him. We don't have to fear death, we can finish strong, a Terry, I think you might have come up with the title, the ultimate finished strong comeback story.

Terry Steen: 26:21

It really is. It really is. And it's so neat that we can be a part of the story, the story continues, you know, what we're doing through fearless faith and what all Christians should be doing is perpetuating that story. And I think we really have no choice but to spend just a second right now and pray for anybody who this story is fresh to him, or this story finally became real. And they realize the importance of accepting the story, accepting Jesus, believing in His resurrection and the power. So I'd like to just pray real quick before we get done, if you don't care, Father, we love you so much. We thank you for all that you did during this week, God and your your suffering and your crucifixion in your resurrection. And there may be somebody listening right now, that has never heard the story, or has never really taken it to heart and realize the importance of and and we ask that you would penetrate their hearts and their minds, through Your Holy Spirit today and help them realize their need for You. Their need to accept the fact that you died for their sins, that you came back to life again, and you want to reign in their life, you're their Savior, and you want to be their Lord. All they have to do is accept it and say, I want that, and I believe it and it can be done. And we pray that there are people right now that are believing that and saying those words. And we thank you for all that you did for us in your precious Name. Amen.

Dan Wheeler: 28:02

Amen. Amen. How we know that Christianity is the way Jesus said I am the Way the Truth and the Life. Confucius, Buddha, all these other founders religions, they're in the tomb. Jesus, there's an empty tomb, and he's alive. And because he is alive, we want to finish strong, spreading the Good News of the Gospel. Hey, that was a powerful episode of finish strong guys. Thanks for all your research and your time. And thanks to producer John Matarazzo. And thank you for listening. Maybe this is your first time we hope you'll look up some of our other episodes. I believe this is episode like 180 or 91 919. So there's 119 episodes out there. You can check it out. Thanks for being with us. And hopefully you'll join us again next time on Finish strong.

John Matarazzo: 29:02

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith. Check out their website F faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong