Thank you very much, Pastor. I'll admit, I feel a little bit badly because of you having to cancel church services and he's not been able to preach and then I preach all day today. He's like a caged lion. I tell you, when you hear him on Wednesday or the next time, he'll probably preach for two hours because he's not had the opportunity to preach to you lately. But I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be with you. Go ahead and take your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew 27. We'll get there shortly. but I am thankful for the opportunity to be with you this morning and this evening as well. This is the second night this week that I have been able to sleep until a normal sleeping time. I just returned from Japan on Monday morning. Monday was the longest Monday of my life. It was 38 hours. I left at 2 a.m. their time in Tokyo and arrived in Greenville Spartanburg at 2.30 the same day on that Monday. But don't be fooled, there was 14 hours difference between the two. So it was the Monday that would not die. I liken it to Joshua's day when the sun stood still. But last night was the second night this week that I could sleep through the night. Earlier in the week I woke up at one o'clock in the morning and my body was telling me it was time to go. I felt like I was so refreshed and then I looked at the clock and I said, something is bad wrong. And so hopefully the Lord's given me a good frame of mind to be able to preach to you this morning. But it was a great time in Japan. I won't take very long to tell you about it, but I was reminded of several things. One, there is a lot of darkness in the country of Japan. many people given to ancestor worship, Buddhism, and a lot of people just... It wasn't just until recent years that Christmas has really boomed in Japan and now it's celebrated. And as a result, I was able to preach in a number of Japanese national churches where we would do a music concert for about 45 minutes to an hour and then preach a gospel message. It was a great evangelistic tool to see the churches excited about getting the lost in. And while the people don't commonly respond in a public fashion, it was wonderful knowing that the gospel was given and knowing that there's people in those churches mindful of those who've been visiting and they'll be able to follow up in giving them the gospel. And so it was a great time. I also learned that Japanese food in America is not like Japanese food in Japan. I will tell you, it is different, but it is good. It's great. And I was also reminded that there are some men that are serving in small congregations in Japan that you'll never know of, but the Lord knows of them. And they've been so faithful. And it's just amazing to hear story after story of how people were saved. I had two older men. Pastor, this will be of interest to you. Two older men that came to me, two different churches, totally unrelated to each other, and both of their testimonies at the beginning were very similar in that they said this. They both said, I thank God that General MacArthur pled with missionaries to come after the war. because that's how I got saved. And I thought to myself, wow, what an impactful piece of history that I've heard that we take for granted, but I'm telling you in living color, I saw the fruit of it. And so it was just wonderful, wonderful time in Japan, but it was great to get back home. And, you know, some people think that we evangelists, we have one Christmas message and that's it. But I want you to know I at least have two now, alright? When I was over in Japan, for the sake of my interpreter keeping his sanity, I started out preaching out of John chapter 3, but then I went to Matthew chapter 1 and Matthew chapter 2. and wore those passages out. So I just want you to know, we evangelists preach more than one Christmas message. I want to put that rumor to rest. But this morning, it may not be an exclusive Christmas message, but it certainly does point us to what the birth of Jesus Christ was all about. And I trust that the Lord will use it this morning. I don't know about you, but whenever you go to a family reunion and you've seen somebody that you've not seen for a long time, sometimes that can be embarrassing. especially when you don't recognize them, when you've seen them 30 years ago. I've had that happen on occasion. At Christmas time, you go to the reunion and you see a cousin that you've not seen in 30 years, and they come up to you and they say, do you remember me? And I've just learned to quit playing that game. I used to say, well, I think, I don't say that anymore, I just say, you're going to have to help me out. But usually, most of the time, the pieces begin to fall in place and I can recall. But this morning, I want to fast forward 30 years plus from the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, the scene that you see Him at in Matthew 27, He's not to be recognized as a babe in a manger. As a matter of fact, Isaiah puts it this way, that He was beaten beyond recognition as a human being. And we find Jesus hanging on the cross. And I want you to see it from a very unique perspective this morning. I don't want you to see His perspective of the disciples. I don't want you to see the perspective of His mother Mary. But I want you to see what the soldiers saw that day. And with that, Matthew chapter 27 verse number 36 is our text. Matthew chapter 27, and we'll read verse 35 and then verse 36. It says, And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And then verse 36, And sitting down, They watched him there. I want to ask you this morning, what did those soldiers see? I remember when I was in high school, I was working at McDonald's. I worked two years of high school, four years of college at McDonald's and never so glad to get away from the Golden Arches upon graduation. But I remember I was driving to work after a day of high school. I was on an early release program where after the lunch hour, I was able to go ahead and go to work. And I'll never forget, I was driving down Highway 601 and I was taking the usual stretch. It would take me about 20 minutes to arrive at my workplace from the high school. Now, I was driving down a long stretch, and I looked off in the distance, and I saw a couple of pickup trucks. They had flashing red lights mounted on the dashboards, and it appeared that there was some commotion in the left-hand lane. And so I slowed down, and as I slowly approached, I discerned very quickly that I had just come upon a wreck that was very fresh, so fresh that there were no EMS or paramedics there, no fire trucks there. However, there were a couple of volunteer firemen that had gotten there on the scene. I still remember slowing up as I was approaching the trucks and the cars that were in the left-hand lane, and I will never forget as a 16 or 17-year-old boy, as I was driving by, as they were waving me on, I looked to the two vehicles that I saw on my left. And I'll never forget what I saw, as in one particular car there were four senior citizens. They were all slumped over, the steering wheel seemingly embedded in the one man's chest, and all of them in that car slumped over, and then seeing the next one and seeing the same. I'll have to admit to you, as I drove the last ten minutes to work, I was bothered by what I saw. I had no idea of the severity of it, but because of the steam rising from the fronts of the vehicles, I knew that it had been a harsh impact. And the next day I remember looking in the local paper or somehow finding in local news that that day there were five people killed in that accident. The four people that were in the one vehicle and the driver of the other car. That's probably the closest I've ever come to seeing death on that kind of a scale. and it made a very marked impression upon me. But, you know, as I think about that day when I was a high schooler and I saw death in a very real way, ladies and gentlemen, that pales in comparison to what we see in Matthew 27. It is a scene that is gruesome, It is a scene yet that the world needs to see, and it is a scene that every Christian needs to be reminded of. And we come to this part of the year where there are many people that reflect upon a babe in a manger, but yet they reject the Christ of the cross. And so this morning I want you to pause for a few moments, and I want you to see what happened that day through the eyes of those Roman soldiers. I think I can say safely this morning that there's no speculation involved. It's very clear, it's very plain what these disciples saw. I don't think I'm reading into their minds, their eyeballs, seeing these very things. And the very things that they saw, I want you to see them this morning. And we begin in verse number 37. And set up over His head His accusation written, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. The very men that have brought Him to this point and have hung Him on the cross, now they see an accusation. And that accusation being this, is the King of the Jews. Now it's interesting, this accusation, as far as the Roman government was concerned, I can't help but think it was a little mockery, because here Jesus is the so-called King of the Jews, and they're wanting to crucify Him, and the Romans put that up there. And here, while they put it up in mockery and derision, that accusation stands as a testimony to the world of who Jesus really is. It's amazing to me how God can take the mockery of the world and somehow use it for His glory. To the Jews, they see that accusation and they're wanting it removed. They're wanting it taken down. The Bible tells us that Jesus came unto His own and His own received Him not. And it seems like as Jesus hanging on the cross that day, nobody wanted to claim it. His own reviling Him time and time again. The Roman government hoping that this nightmare will be over with. And He's like a man without a country. But of the greatest importance this morning is not who the Romans set Him to be. of the greatest importance this morning is not even who the Jews believed Him to be at that moment. I'll tell you, at this very hour, the greatest importance is this, who do you believe Him to be? There are many people that take such a commercialized season as Christmas and they acknowledge Him as a babe in a manger. That's harmless, that's innocent. But it's interesting, even in the early stages of the Christmas message, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, and He shall save His people from their sins. Let me ask you a question. How does a baby save a nation? You know that phrase goes far beyond the manger. It's looking ahead, seeing that He shall save His people from their sin. But I ask you, who is Jesus to you? Every young person in this room, Jesus can be your mom and dad's Savior, but is He yours? You say, well, He's a babe in a manger. Listen to me, He is also the Savior. There are many names that are attributed to Jesus, but as those Roman soldiers looked up that day, they saw an accusation, this is the King of the Jews. I say to you, who is Jesus to you? But as they continue to gaze upon Calvary, not only do they see an accusation, but they also see an association. For in verse number 38, it says, Then there were two thieves with him, one on the right hand and another on the left. When you gaze at that scene, you see three emaciated, beaten, tortured people. But let me make it very plain, one of them didn't belong there. You have two thieves and then you have the innocent, spotless, holy, harmless Son of God. But that day you find the holy, harmless Son of God associating with the likes of sinful people like you and me. On Thursday I preached in chapel to our students at Ambassador, and I preached to them about this accusation that Jesus received. Now Jesus, you have to understand, He was accused of things that were false. He was accused of being a winebibber. He was accused of being a glutton. And in some of the harshest moments by the religious crowd, he was accused of being a son of fornication. Do you understand the implications there? Calling Jesus an illegitimate child. And while there are many false accusations that were made, ladies and gentlemen, there's one that was true, and I'm glad it was made when they said, this man eateth with sinners. When in Luke chapter 15 the Bible says that Jesus was a friend of sinners, And when the Roman soldiers saw Jesus Christ dying on the cross between those two thieves as they're trying to figure it out, and by the way, at the end of the story, there's a centurion that comes up with a pretty good conclusion. But it was a reminder to them that Jesus Christ... Have you ever thought about what all Jesus, before He came down to the earth to die for us, do you realize what He had in heaven? Can you imagine the beauty and the splendor of being with God the Father? Seeing the realm of spirituality and eternality in a way that we could never fathom. And He left all of it. Oh, I know this world has a lot of beauties. They talk about the seven wonders of the world. I know that you can go to the Grand Canyon. I know that you can go and see the Northern Lights. I realize that there's a lot of spectacles on this earth that humans say, boy, those are the nicest things to see. But there's a lot of ugliness, there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of sin, and there's a lot of sorrow on this earth. And Jesus left all of that to be associated with the likes of you and me so that He could die for us and redeem us. I want to ask you, dear Christian, Jesus was a friend of sinners. I ask, how about you? He was willing to die on a cross, but a long time before that, in John chapter 4, in an everyday event, by some anyway, He finds Himself at a well and He's talking to a woman there. And you remember that conversation? They begin talking and Jesus says, where's your husband? She said, I don't have a husband. And Jesus said, boy, you've said well. As a matter of fact, you've had a few. And the man you're with right now, he's not your husband. Boy, imagine how uncomfortable that'd make you feel. Sometimes we just read those stories, but I'm telling you, had I been that woman, I'd have about passed out. But she did what I probably would have done. She changed the subject to religion. Oh, my dad's a preacher. Oh, my mom's a preacher. Nowadays they say that. Oh boy, she starts talking about worship. But before it's over with, you know what happens? She's going into the city and she's saying, let me tell you about this man. She tasted of water that she'd never thirst again. You know why? Because Jesus was a friend of sinners. Let me tell you, as I told our students, it's impossible to be like Jesus unless you're willing to be a friend of sinners. But they saw the association. They see, He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God. The soldiers see it. They may not understand it, but they saw it. You see, they saw an accusation, they saw an association, but then they saw a humiliation. Nobody likes to be humiliated. But I want you to see how it's described for Jesus in verse 39. And they that pass by reviled Him. wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests, mocking him, and with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others, himself he cannot save, if he be the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him, he trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him, for he has said, I am the Son of God, You see, Jesus not only experienced the physical pain of the cross, but can you imagine the mocking jeers of all those people? Wagging their heads. You say, what is that the idea of? I'll tell you what, I mean their heads are jutted out and they're saying things with such a boast because they're humiliating the Son of God, they're mocking. You know, sometimes we as Christians, We experience a little bit of that, not nearly on the scale that Jesus did. There's young people in here, listen, you're being raised in a society that is far beyond some things of the society that I knew when I was your age. Maybe you'll find a greater hostility about the things of God. Oh, well, you're one of those Bible believers. We know those are all kooks. And you're going to be exposed to that. And there are times there is a pain, there's a humiliation that takes place. But just remember, He was humiliated for you. He was humiliated for every last person in this room. If you're here this morning and you say, Preacher, I've done an awful lot of bad things in my life. I've been far from being a choir boy. Listen to me. He was humiliated. He died for you. And Christians, I just plead to say that if He was humiliated for us, why can't we be willing to be humiliated for Him? You see, that day they looked up and they saw an accusation, this is the King of the Jews. They looked up and they saw an association, Jesus, hanging on the cross between two thieves. They see a humiliation. It's almost like they're just daring Jesus to strike them dead, so to speak. If thou be the Son of God, save thyself! And my dear Christian friend, you know that Jesus could have emptied heaven and destroyed this whole world. And yet in His mercy and His love and His long-suffering, He hung on the cross for us. But then you also see rejection. Verse 44, it says, "...the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth." An interesting snippet, just two lines in my Bible. But two lines that are often overlooked. And at this point of the story, we find not one thief rejecting him, but both at this point. Both of them reviling him. Rejection. You know, people reject Jesus in different ways. The people in the crowd, they rejected Jesus by mocking and jeering. The thieves that were on the cross, they cast the same in His teeth. Can you imagine? They're like, listen, are you crazy? If you can save yourself, you ought to and save us too. What's wrong with you? But both of those thieves initially rejected Him. Now, you know the end of the story, and you know that before Jesus gives up the ghost, that something changes in the heart of one of those thieves. You know, I'm glad that in just a matter of minutes and hours, God can do a work. I'm talking about people that sometimes come in a church service with their hearts set against God, but through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God, they leave with a different disposition. We sometimes say, there's no way that God could get a hold of that man's heart. I'd be careful about saying God and no in the same sentence. But in a matter of hours, something changes in the hearts, in the heart of one of those thieves. And before it's over with, instead of reviling Jesus, He's defending Him. And he looks to the Son of God and he says, Remember me when thou enterest into thy kingdom. And oh, how his ears must have longed and loved to have heard when Jesus said today, Thou shalt be with me in paradise. That's what happens when you stop rejecting Him. I've talked with people who fought against God for years, and they say something like this before it's over with. They say, man, I'll tell you what, if I knew getting saved was like this, I'd have done it a long time ago. That's what happens when you stop rejecting. But people reject Him differently. Some people reject Him like the crowd there at Calvary. Other people reject Him like initially both of those thieves. Some people reject Him like Baptists sitting quietly in a chair with a determination to not let God work in your heart. Do you know that if that is you this morning, and in times past, the Holy Spirit has worked in your heart about being saved, and you continue to reject, listen to me, while it may be different than the atheist that raises his fist to heaven, listen to me, that same determination will yield the same result. And those Roman soldiers that saw that rejection that day were perhaps blinded to the fact that they were doing the same exact thing. They were rejecting the Messiah. They look to the cross and they see rejection. But now I want you to see that they look to the cross and they see yet another thing. They see isolation. In verse 45, Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? When you ask Christians, what does that mean? Many times we as Christians, it's not that we're clueless, but we're speechless. How is it that we can articulate the hollowness and the emptiness of that isolation, the Son of God hanging between heaven and earth? and being rejected from this direction and forsaken from this one. Have you ever felt alone before? It's amazing, you can be in a crowd of people and sometimes just feel alone. I mean, you feel like, boy, nobody else knows what's going on, they can't understand this. You can be around other people and it just seems like, I just, listen to me, Jesus knew what it was like to be alone more than any of us. To be rejected by man and forsaken by God. A lost world truly doesn't understand that. I'm sure those Roman soldiers, they hear that and they think, well, they're already confused. They're already not understanding. But now they hear Him say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Being in Japan for two weeks, I had the opportunity to spend time with American missionaries. that were over there. And boy, I'll tell you, the Lord Jesus is the one that we emulate, but if I can say this in the right sense of the word, missionaries are my heroes. I'm just going to tell you that. I was with a couple that had been in Japan for 30 plus years, just working in a small work and evangelizing and trying to establish this church here. The man that I traveled with, Ron White, 77 years old, had planted five churches in Japan, ministered in a number of others. Brother White told me this. He said, you know, it used to be that Christmas was the most lonely, God-forsaken time in Japan for us. He said compared to now, he said now it's Christmas because they're making money and so they popularize Christmas. But he said in that day, he said back in the 60s, we could be in Japan and people be celebrating Christmas back home and there wasn't so much as a tree or an ornament or even the thought of a manger scene in Japan. He said it was the loneliest time of the year. But you know, when you think about the fact that Jesus was alone, so to speak, on the cross, I think we ought to be willing to be the same for His sake if we need to. But very quickly, as the soldiers looked up, they not only saw rejection, they not only saw isolation, but another thing that's very interesting is that they saw confusion. Verse 47. And some of them that stood there, when they heard that, they said, this man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink. The rest said, let me, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Now there's confusion. I don't know if there's a language barrier. I don't know if it's the fact that they hear this and something sounds like Eli. I'll be honest, when I was, Elijah, when I was in Japan, I was listening to a lot of conversations that I had no clue what they were saying. Sometimes my interpreter would look at me and he'd say, I'm sorry to leave you out, but he said, we're just talking so quickly. I just, I said, that's okay. I'm just, I dreamed in Japanese for two days and had no idea. I'm sure it was just gibberish, but it sounded like Japanese to me in my sleep for two days. You say, how does that happen? I have no clue. But they're hearing this and there's confusion. At this point, maybe the prophet Elias is going to come and say, and he's calling on Elijah. They don't understand what is going on. But ladies and gentlemen, I'm telling you, the bewilderment that took place that day at Calvary, I believe continues on today. There's much confusion about the cross. I was talking to a brother here before the service, and he was talking about leading somebody to Christ. Here in the belt buckle of the Bible belt. Don't you believe it for a moment. There needs to be more clarity about the cross in North Carolina and South Carolina just like any other place. There's a lot of confusion. People look at what's happening on the cross and they ask why. I remember I was working years ago at McDonald's and my manager came to me and she said, I just don't get it, Alton. I said, what's that? She said, why is there so much blood in the Old Testament? I said, well, I'm glad you asked. And after walking through the Old Testament, we got to Calvary. And she was able to understand, you know, okay, I see a blood sacrifice didn't happen while I was working there. But years later, I found out that she got saved and got plugged into church. And I said, praise God. But there was a lot of confusion to get to that point, we had to wade through it. And it's high time for all of us, we need to look around and see the confusion. People look to the cross, they may not understand everything that is taking place, but when the cross has a hold of your heart, listen to me, you'll be glad to explain. But the last thing that those soldiers saw was they saw completion. I want you to notice with me in verse 50, Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. You say, what would those soldiers have heard? They would have heard something like this, It is finished. They would have heard something like this, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. And after hearing the words of those likes, notice in verse 51, And behold, the veil of the temple was rent and twain, from the top to bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were open, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. You see miraculous things taking place at this point. You know why? Because the work has been done. I talk with people, they say, there's no way God could save anybody like me. Listen, if God could rent a veil in the temple from top to bottom and raise the dead, I know He can help you. When Jesus said those words, as we heard Chris teach in Sunday School, boy, my heart was blessed. Not just for what he said, but how he said it. It's okay for your voice to quiver at times. It's alright for you to be passionate about what you say. And you know, the fact is, is listen, that payment was made, and there's not a thing that I could add to it. This very moment, it's done. Aren't you glad that Calvary is not like the stock market? Listen, Calvary is a constant. It covers it all. The stock market goes ups and downs. There's good days, bad days. Some days you're rich, some days you're broke. But listen, the bank of heaven never fluctuates. Why? Because it is finished. Completion. God intends for every believer to walk in security, not walking from day to day doubting. Provides a constant in your life. God did the miraculous. But those Roman soldiers sitting down there in the dirt and the dust of the day, they look up and they see the Son of God hanging. Listen to me, they're not the only ones that need to see the Son of God hanging on the cross. You and I need to see Him as well. But you know what? You have to do more than see Him. there comes a point you have to believe in Him. In verse 54, now in the Centurion, And they that were with Him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things which were done, and feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. You see, it's not just good enough to see Him. It's not just good enough to say that He's your mom's God or your dad's God. You've got to believe Him yourself. The Roman soldiers saw Him. The crowd and the religious leaders saw Him. And the question is, have you seen Him? Afresh and anew this morning. Let's bow our heads together in prayer. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. I'd like to ask you just a few questions here. The greatest question is, who do you believe Jesus to be? I'm not asking you this morning, do you believe Him to be a historical figure? I'm not asking you, do you believe Him just simply to be a good man? I'm asking you, do you believe that He's your Lord and Savior because you've trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior? It's one thing to see Him. It's another thing to believe in Him. And I wonder how many here today, you'd say, Alton, as I've heard the message, as I've seen Him afresh and anew on the cross this morning, you'd say, Alton, I know. I know that not only is He the King of the Jews, I know that He is my Lord and Savior. There was a time in my life where I trusted Christ as my Savior, and there's a deep abiding assurance in my heart. I know that I'm a child of God. My sins have been forgiven. Christ is my Savior this morning. I know that. If you can say that, would you slip your hand up and keep it up just a moment? Thank you. You may put them down. You know, one of the worst mistakes you can make over the Christmas holiday, it's not even the forgetting the purchasing of a gift, I'll tell you what it is. It's when you make the choice to reject Him again. I wonder if there are souls in this room, you'd say, Alton, I've heard preaching and I know, I know there's a need in my life to be saved. I've rejected, I've just pushed Him away. And this morning you've seen what Jesus Christ did for you. This morning you've seen that He died on the cross for your sin. You've also seen how that one man rejected Him and in a matter of hours He changes his mind. You know what? You can do the same. And I wonder if there'd be souls in this room, you'd say, Alton, the truth is I've rejected Jesus. God's dealing very definitely in my heart. I know that I've rejected Jesus, and today is the day in which I need to change my mind, in which God wants to change my heart. And you'd say, Alton, this morning I'm not going to reject Jesus as my Savior today. I know that I need to accept Him as my Savior. And like that thief on the cross, I know that I must have the same change of mind and heart And you'd say, Alton, God is working in my heart. I don't want to reject Christ as my Savior. I won't accept Him this morning. You'd say, Alton, would you pray for me this morning? If that's you, would you slip your hand up high enough, long enough for me to see it? You can put it right back down. I'll not draw any attention to you. I'll just simply acknowledge it. All right? And the last thing that I say is to every Christian in this room, listen to me. There are many lessons to be learned at the cross. Humiliation. rejection, isolation, confusion. And so in this day in which we celebrate Christ's birth, may the cross be constantly before you as well. And during this Christmas season, share the good news and be willing to be like the Lord Jesus and be a friend of sinners. If you're able, would you join me in standing?