These are wonderful hymns that, if we were to have the faith to sing them, we need God to help us, because they're the greatest things that we can know. This evening, we're gonna look in the Bible for our message in the Gospel of Mark, in chapter 15, in verse 21. Mark 15, 21. And actually begin here in verse 16. Mark 15, 16. Then the soldiers led him away into the hall called the praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed him with purple, and they twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head and began to salute him. Hail, King of the Jews. Then they struck him on the head with a reed and spat on him. And bowing the knee, they worshiped him. And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him and put his own clothes on him and led him out to crucify him. Then they compelled a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by to bear his cross. And they brought him to the place Golgotha, which is translated Place of a Skull. And there they gave him drink, a wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but he did not take it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. Now it was about the third hour, and they crucified him, and the inscription of his accusation was written above. the King of the Jews. Let us again pray. Our Father, we can never grasp the greatest reality here that the Son of God would come and be manifest in the flesh, be crucified and then rise again to save sinners, to save us, help us to always just stand in awe of the Son of God and all of his love and mercy. May there be nothing greater in our life, nothing steal our hearts away from this. And we always just say, this is my savior, this is my salvation. It all rests on who he is and what he did. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. In the four gospels, you have very extended chapters dealing with the many details of the cross, the events that led up to it, the events during the time of Christ's crucifixion. And so it's Matthew 27, and Mark 15, and Luke 23, and then John 19. And if you add all of those, you have 211 verses. And there are many, many details that are spoken of in these six hours upon the cross and what led up to it. And it is quite a study to examine each detail and see the meaning and the message here that God has left for us. It is a wonderful and powerful truth. I remember coming across a set of books by a man named Schilder, and it was three volumes that dealt with the many details that we find at the cross. And so we're just gonna look at one of them tonight, and that is in Mark 15, 21, then they compelled a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by to bear his cross. And they brought him to the place called Gotha, which is translated place of a skull. Now, when we read this, we find that we combine it with the other gospel passages. And you find in John chapter 19 that it says that Jesus came forth bearing his cross. So it describes Jesus carrying his own cross in John 19, and there in, let's see, in verse 19, verse 17. and he bearing his cross went out to a place called the place of a skull. Now there are pictures, describes Jesus bearing his cross. Now, the Roman Catholics have a tradition that Jesus fell three different times under the cross, but it's nowhere found in scripture. So that's just something added. And so there's no basis for it. But here we find that somewhere along the way, they compelled a man named Simon to bear Jesus' cross. And Luke says in, sorry, in the Gospel of Luke, that he bore the cross walking behind Jesus. So in, sorry, Luke chapter 23, we find that Simon was the one who actually is described as bearing the cross behind him. Now, when you put that together, it sounds like that either Jesus bore the first part of the cross and Simon bore the back part of the cross or else Simon eventually bore the whole cross. And we know in the picture of the Old Testament, the figure was that Abraham went to offer Isaac and Isaac carried the wood up the mountain for the sacrifice. But the very clear verse in John chapter 19 is that Jesus went forth carrying the cross. Of course, there's much speculation here, which we have no idea about the details, that the Romans were given the task of executing Jesus. And it's without a doubt, in all probability, it was obvious that Jesus was very emaciated at this point. Because remember, he had spent The night before, a sweating grape drops of blood in the garden so that an angel came to minister to him. And you also find that in the gospel accounts that there were six different trials through the night and into the next morning. They first, they captured him in the garden. And we looked at that on Wednesday night that You find Judas came, and Jesus said, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And so he was taken first to Caiaphas, who was really the father-in-law of the high priest. But it seems like there was a lot of behind-the-scenes politics, if you will. Why would you take him to the father-in-law of the high priest? Because Caiaphas still had a lot of authority. And then he was taken to Caiaphas, and then he was taken to the Sanhedrin. Now, after that, he was taken to Pilate and Pilate said, I find no fault in him. And he heard that Herod was in the city. And so he sent Jesus over to Herod because Jesus had ministered in Galilee and Herod was the ruling person in that region. And so he went to Herod. Herod wanted to see some miracle and Jesus would not even speak to him. And Herod sent him back to Pilate. And Pilate then turned him over to the high priest and to the Roman soldier. So there were six different trials. And then of course, one of those include the crown of thorns. the smiting of him, spitting upon him, and then the scourging, which from ancient history, it seems like many people died just from the scourgings. And so the Romans perhaps saw that Jesus was already suffered so much that they wanted to make sure they get him to the the place of execution and execute him. It was their job to do that, and this is just some speculation. Some have thought they didn't want him to die on the way, but we don't have any record of him falling under the cross. So you find that however long Jesus walked, you find that he did have the Romans decide to take a man from the crowd, a man named Simon, and compel him to carry either the cross or part of the cross behind Jesus. Now, so in Luke, you find that he describes him carrying the cross behind Jesus. So, in Luke chapter 23, You read here in verse 26, now, as they led him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. So he was coming behind Jesus, and a great multitude of people followed him. Now, it's believed that Jesus was tried by Pilate, in what is called Antonia's Fortress. The Romans had built a fortress with a very high wall at the edge of the temple courtyard so they could look down and see if the Jews were causing any trouble. So leaving there, he would go outside the city. And so there is, In all likelihood, there was very small space, and the Romans took advantage of that to have people who had carried their cross, which was a Roman rule, that the one to be condemned and crucified was to carry their cross. It was a way of intimidating the population, not to oppose the Romans. And so this passageway, which Seems it's definitely narrow now, and it was supposed to be built upon the same format as the original time, and it was called the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering. And as Jesus came bearing the cross through that, it would be designed to humiliate him. And you find that there were these women who were, as it says in John 19, 27, a great multitude of the people followed him, and women also mourned and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed, the days are coming in which they will say, blessed are the barren, which have never bore, and breast, which have never nourished. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, follow us, and to the hills, cover us. For if they do these things in a green wood, what will they do in the dry?" And the point is that Jesus was innocent, so it's like lighting a fire to green wood. They had to stoke the fire hot to burn green wood, but for dry, it's just easily combustible. And when the Romans brought judgment upon the Jews in 70 AD, it was without any holding back in any way. So it was a time of great judgment and it was a time of Jesus here warning them. They will have no presence of God to protect them, no help for them because the nation has rejected their Messiah. But it's a very powerful statement. If they do these things in the greenwood, what will they do in the dry? But here you see that the great multitude of people followed him, and Simon was following after Jesus, either carrying part of the cross or the cross, as you read there in verse 26, that he might bear it after Jesus. Well, these are just some of the details around this. Another one is that in Mark it says that they compelled a man named Simon, a Cyrenian. And Cyrene was in the northern part of Africa. And it seems there were synagogues of Jews there. In fact, in Acts chapter six, it says that in Jerusalem, there was a synagogue of the Cyrenians. And I think it's Acts chapter six in verse eight. And they were part of the group that opposed Stephen when he was preaching the gospel. So many believe that he was actually a Jew from Northern Africa. It's called a Jew of the Diaspora. They'd been spread throughout the world by the different exportations and judgments and One of the ways that nations would humiliate people is scatter them to the winds. But you can see there from Acts chapter six and from Mark that this was a man from Cyrene. His name was Simon. And then Mark adds this amazing statement, the father of Alexander and Rufus. And when you read in Acts or Romans chapter 16, you find that Rufus is a man who was Jewish in background, and Paul said that to greet his mother and mine. Now, for Mark to insert that into his gospel, it was as though his readers would know who these people are. It's very unusual in a gospel passage of narrative to go ahead and jump forward to the future where the believers in the first century would know of this man, Alexander and Rufus were the sons of Simon. And so, seems to say that the effect that this had upon Simon, it bore fruit in his sons who later became disciples as well. So that's Mark 15, 21. Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus. But for Paul to say, Rufus, I greet his mother and mine, that would be Simon's wife. And so it's though Simon's wife became like a mother to the apostle Paul. in the way that she took interest in Paul. Of course, he was constantly traveling, and wherever he would find hospitality, when the believers would show him love and kindness, he had a great appreciation for it. And so he calls Rufus's mother my mother also, meaning, I think, figuratively, that she was like a mother to him. So it's obvious that this event was had a lasting effect upon Simon and upon his family. But it's obvious from this passage that Simon was passing by and the Romans just grabbed him from the crowd and told him to carry this cross. So that says something about God's sovereignty, that God had Simon here at this moment and he brought him into this surprising and close connection with Jesus. Now, this was something probably Simon did unwillingly. He probably did it because he was forced to, but it's a way of showing how God sovereignly just invades our life without asking our permission. God is sovereign. And when God wants to work in someone's life, he can just do it. And afterwards, you look back and say, that was all of God. Remember Proverbs 16, I think verse nine, that man makes his own plans, but the Lord directs his steps. So he was, God used this in his life, obviously, And yet it was not something of Simon's doing, it was something that God sovereignly did. Now, this shows us that, now Spurgeon makes an interesting comment here, that Simon Peter was, this gospel writer say, following Jesus afar off. John actually went into the court of the high priest stayed with close proximity to Jesus, but Simon was following Jesus so far off. And so Spurgeon's comment was, if you're not following Jesus closely, Simon, he may find another Simon to take your place. I'm sure if Simon Peter would have been walking close to Jesus, they would have had him do it. But just a comment from Spurgeon that This man was just, he's brought into this by God's sovereignty, and it obviously had a lasting effect. Now, when you think about the scene of the cross and the details, Jesus took interest in those around him. He said to Mary, behold your son, and to John, behold your mother, that he entrusted his mother into John's hands. He says to these women, he stops and looks back at them and says, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves. He obviously took interest in the thief and the cross. He said, today you'll be with me in paradise. So the question is raised. Jesus took interest in those around him. What interest did he take in Simon? And here again, the Spurgeon's coming is He certainly looked at him. And what kind of countenance did Jesus have as he looked upon Simon? Well, Spurgeon suggested there's a countenance of majesty and mercy at the same time. He was compassionate and with pity, and yet Jesus was always, he had a, You might say a composure and a sense of his own purpose. In John chapter 12, when it speaks of the coming sufferings, Jesus says, I have a baptism to be baptized with, a baptism of suffering. And oh, how I'm constrained until it's brought about. And he said, what shall I say? Father, deliver me from this hour. He says, no, for this purpose, I came forth. So he came with a mission and a purpose. And the Bible says he set his face like flint. He could not be turned from it. And he was determined to do the father's will. But here when Simon is brought in, again, in all likelihood, at least there was enough. Remember what it says that Jesus looked upon Peter when he was out in the courtyard and he caught Peter's gaze and gazed upon him. And then Peter went out and wept bitterly. So you just see the many details of Jesus taking interest in those around him. So he obviously took enough interest in Simon that it sowed seed in his heart that produced the fruit of conversion And really, Simon could look back on this as just a surprising, unexpected event where God just entered into his life. God came and stepped into his life, and what a powerful way to do it, by having him there at the moment when he'd be conscripted to bear the cross and walk behind Jesus. Now, you remember in, First Peter, it says, we were called to suffer and that we should walk in his footsteps. And again, Spurgeon comment was that who walked in Jesus' direct footprints any more than Simon did? There was Jesus walking before him and Simon was exactly behind him and walking in the footprints of Jesus. So it's often, taken by students of the scriptures as really a description not only of how God sovereignly enters our life, but how he calls us to be those who bear a cross and follow Jesus. Now, remember what Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark and Matthew. He said, if anyone wants to come after me, it's an interesting expression. He wants to come after me. He wants to follow me. Then let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever will be ashamed of me, of him I'll be ashamed when I come in my glory. For if you save your life, you'll lose it. If you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. So here you find that it might, first of all, been embarrassing for Simon to be brought in close contact with someone who was headed for execution, someone who was obviously being ridiculed by the Romans, and yet, somehow, somewhere along the way, either during or after, Simon was made to realize that there's nothing greater in his life than Jesus, than God the Father, putting him at that point, at that time, so that he would walk behind Jesus bearing this cross. And so you find that Peter said, or it said of Peter and the disciples when they were beaten by the Jews for being preaching Jesus, it says they left counting themselves, they were praising God that they would be counted worthy to suffer for his namesake. So they went forth from that beating, saying, how blessed are we that we would be beaten for the name of Jesus. Now the apostle describes his own life as similar to this after his conversion. It's an amazing verse in Colossians chapter one. And here we find the the apostle saying that his life can be described in this manner, an unusual expression. He says, verse 24 of Colossians 1, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. Now, there was nothing lacking in Jesus' atonement. It was full and it was perfect, but it's as though the world is not finished assaulting and ridiculing and opposing, and if they could, beating Jesus in his humanity. And Paul says, I stand in the gap here and I receive these beatings and afflictions for Christ and for his church, an amazing statement. So it's the same principle of, if you want to come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. It is a description of the Christian life of taking up your cross and following Jesus. Now the gospel of Luke adds a word, it says daily, take up your cross daily. One of the reformers from the Netherlands, a man named Abraham Kuyper, he wrote a book called The Practice of Godliness, and he says, your cross is whatever opposes your faith, and it weakens and undermines your faith, and hinders its activity. So it could be assaults and humiliation from the world, or it could be inner trials, temptations to sin, that you really just feel like weeping and saying, Lord, I don't want this, take it from me. And so the devil uses any kind of thing to stir up, could be bodily weakness, because if it is opposing your faith and making you doubt God's love, It is a cross that you must take it up and count yourself living under God's blessing. He's appointed this for you. And he calls you to actually bear it for his glory. So taking up your cross and following Jesus is one of the ways that the Bible describes the Christian life. It's interesting that when, You have that account in the Gospels, very strong words, that the next thing you have, the next event, both in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is the transfiguration. The next thing that happens is Jesus takes them upon a mountain, and there his glory shines out of his human flesh, his divine glory, and they're just overwhelmed, and they fall down in worship, So who is this one that we are bearing a cross, not being ashamed to identify with Him? It's the one who is God manifested in the flesh. We see His glory and we say, I'm willing to do anything for my Savior. I give my life for Him. And so here you find there are many lessons from this passage First of all, it shows us how God sovereignly just intervenes into our life. You may just find yourself maybe seemingly won some great tragedy in your life, and God may use it to bring you to saving faith. That's God just stepping in and directing your life the way he pleases for his good, for his glory, for your good, like he did Simon. This was a total interruption, God sovereignly intervening, taking a man who was doing something else. The furthest from his mind is that he would be attached to Jesus in this very special way. And what an honor it was. In time, Alexander and Rufus, I'm sure could say that You ask, how did God invade your family? Well, God worked in our father's life. He put him at the very time when Jesus was walking in this narrow streets of Jerusalem, bearing this cross. And my father was compelled by the Romans to carry this cross and follow behind Jesus. And that's how God started in our family. What an amazing thing. God just sovereignly intervenes. So it's a picture of that, and then it's also a picture of the honor it is to take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus. No matter what the world says, we count it a privilege to suffer whatever he wants to bring upon us and to be mocked and ridiculed by the world Paul says even that the world considers us fools for Christ. 1 Corinthians 3, you're a fool to believe these things. Well, we count it a privilege to be called a fool for Christ because when he comes again, he says very plainly when he sent out the disciples in Matthew 10 that If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. But if you're ashamed of me, then he gives a warning. And to be ashamed of Christ, what an awful self-centered, just a blind perspective. And we know that there's a purpose for life and God creating us for his glory. But now that mankind has fallen and are sinners, that purpose is specified in a more redemptive way. Yes, all the created gifts are from God and we're there to receive with thanks and so that we can live our life using our particular gifts and abilities. But for a fallen world, Here is the purpose that we are to take up our cross and follow behind Jesus. So in fact, when he says, take up your cross and follow me, it's as though he's giving them a more clear expression of what he just told them, that I will be betrayed into the hands of men, I'll suffer and die and rise the third day. So, Point is that he's going to be crucified. And you might say figuratively, it's come and be crucified with me. Now only Jesus is crucified to bear the sins of others. Psalm 49 says that no man can bear another man's sins, but Jesus can bear the sins of others. And this said that By his stripes we're healed. The chastisement of our peace is upon him. So here, Jesus alone has the cross of atonement, and we are given the privilege of carrying the cross of service. John gives a similar expression to this in the words of Jesus in John chapter 12. He says that our life is like a grain of wheat, and it has to fall into the ground and die. But, he says, that then it will bear much fruit. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my father will honor. You bear the cross and follow behind Jesus and God will honor you. God, this gives the father special delight that you are honoring his son among men. And so this passage just opens up many different aspects. Primarily, I think of these two points that God just sovereignly breaks into your life. and you really have nothing to do with it. You just realized that God has just come and invaded my life. But then you see who Jesus is and who can imagine what countenance Jesus looked upon Simon with and sowed the seeds of eternal life. And so what a privilege it is to then take up our cross and follow him. regardless of the cost, and how many missionaries have gone forth and it's been willing to suffer to bear the name of Jesus before the world. Well, as we close, there's a hymn that was written many years ago, and it's most commonly known as, Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? Well, actually, He does bear the cross alone because it's the cross of bearing the sins of others. But I was very interested to find that Spurgeon quotes it as Simon bear the cross alone. And I think that's the way it was originally written. It was originally written as taking this narrative and showing us that it's a great honor to take up a cross and be Christ's witness and be identified with him. to be identified with Jesus. I remember back in the 60s and 70s is people would say, if someone was very interested in the Bible, they would say, are you a Jesus freak? And you're just, those terms are so odd. They're just so dishonoring. And well, Paul said, I'm a fool for Christ. Call me what you will. but it's an honor to follow behind Jesus. So I provided you with a copy, maybe you have it. And so we're going to sing this song and it describes bearing a cross, realizing that this one God will honor. And one day upon the crystal pavement that is in heaven, at Jesus' pierced feet, I'll cast my crown In his dear name repeat, O precious cross, O glorious crown, O resurrection day. The angels from the stars come down and bear my soul away. It's just a way, a simple song of highlighting the events of this passage as a lesson for our life. Do you count it a privilege to bear the cross and follow behind Jesus? So, Sherry, if you'll help us with the, The music, and we'll stand together and sing, and we'll sing this slowly, because you may have to read it, not being familiar with it, but these are powerful truths. We're going to sing it, must Simon bear the cross alone. That's theologically correct, and I believe in all likelihood the original way it was written. The Simon bear the cross alone, and all the world go free. No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me. The consecrated cross I'll bear, till death shall set me free. And then go home my crown to wear For there's a crown for me Upon the crystal pavement, down at Jesus' pierced feet. I'll cast my golden crown and His dear name repeat. O precious cross, O glorious crown, O resurrection day! Ye angels from the stars come down and bear my soul away. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, we're thankful for this word we've heard, and we desire to take up our cross, follow our Savior, regardless of what the world and ungodly society thinks. Let us encourage our brothers and sisters to follow Jesus and be fools for Christ, be those who count it a great privilege to just speak His name to a mocking world Lord, that you would show us a friend. We say to our of ourselves that you just intervened in our life. You just broke into our life and turned us to yourself. And the Savior pitied us, loved us. We ask that you'll work in each one's heart here. Maybe one that are not yet saved. Lord, just show them that this is their great need to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. for your children may we renew this great privilege to take up our cross and follow you, Lord Jesus. We pray in your blessed name, amen. Let this be our benediction. Now to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and made us to be kings and priests and to live for his glory, amen.