24 Hours to Live | Born to Die | Nathan Lewis

Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. Good morning, Compass, let's stand, let's worship. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. There's nothing better than You. Well, good morning and welcome to Compass. Our mission here is navigating people to God, and we are one church in multiple locations. So glad you're here with us. Hey, before we continue in worship, would you just turn around and greet somebody around you? We'll continue in just a second. We're going to sing a new song together today, and this song comes out of Romans 5. Romans 5, 8 says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And I don't know where you're coming from today, I don't know what your story is, but

that is good news for all of us. So let's sing this out together, let's put our hands together. And I felt certain that nothing could stop what the Lord had planned. And now I want this truth for forever to stand. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. Innocence, salvation, bought with His precious blood. Now while we were sinners, Jesus poured out all His love. Hallelujah. This is good news. And I can't contain it, so I will proclaim it. This is the truth I'll forever sing. Jesus is risen and I believe it. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. Innocence, salvation, bought with His precious blood. Now while we were sinners, Jesus poured out all His love. Hallelujah. This is good news. Yeah, this is good news. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. And now I want you to sing this together. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. Now while we were sinners, Jesus poured out all His love. Hallelujah. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. Now while we were sinners, Jesus poured out all His love. Jesus Christ is Lord. And I believe in my heart and confess within my mouth. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. And all He wrote on that grave, there is power in His name.

Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. This is the gospel, Christ died for everyone. Oh, this is salvation. We're bought with His precious blood. We're sinners. Jesus poured out all His love. Hallelujah. This is good news. Oh. Yeah, this is good news. Oh. Yeah, this is good news. ♪ It was my cross you bore So I could live In the freedom you died for And now my life is yours And I will sing of your goodness forevermore Sing worthy, worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve praise Worthy is your name Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve praise Worthy is your name ♪ ♪ And now my shame is gone I stand amazed in your love undeniable

Your grace goes on and on And I will sing of your goodness forevermore Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve praise Worthy is your name Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve praise Worthy is your name ♪ We exalt him together today Let's lift this up So be exalted now in the heavens As your glory fills this place You alone deserve our praise You're the name above all names Be exalted now in the heavens As your glory fills this place You alone deserve our praise You're the name above all names Be exalted now in the heavens As your glory fills this place You alone deserve our praise You're the name above all names Be exalted now in the heavens As your glory fills this place You alone deserve our praise You're the name above all names Be exalted now in the heavens Be exalted now in the heavens Worthy is your name

Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is your name Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is your name Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is your name Worthy is your name Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is your name I exalt Thee I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, O Lord I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee O Lord I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, O Lord I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee Man, so that like disclaimer, that events occur in real time statement

and that countdown clock created this like intense, visceral pressure that we felt each and every episode because that lets you know that the hero, Jack Bauer, only had 24 hours to save the world, to finish the mission. And man, so over the next several weeks, leading up to Easter, we're gonna do the same thing. We're gonna slow things down and we're gonna look at the last 24 hours of Jesus's life. And we kind of stole that because that's exactly what the gospels do. Like if you read through the scriptures in the New Testament, history tells us that Jesus lived for 33 years. That's about 12,000 days. And while we know a good amount of details surrounding Jesus's birth, the gospels move pretty quickly through his childhood. Like we don't have a whole lot of stories of his awkward teen years. We don't really know his life as a young adult. The gospels actually skim over his decades of quiet and ordinary life. And then suddenly the story slows down. The camera zooms in and they focus on the final three years of Jesus's life. That's roughly 1,100 days. That's less than 10% of his entire life here on this earth. But then even that's not enough. Like even then they slowed down even more. And so as you begin to read Matthew 26,

Matthew 14, Luke 22, and John 13, the clock starts ticking. Like when you read those sections in your Bible, there really should probably be a disclaimer up there by the title that says events occur in real time. Because every single sentence, every single detail so far has been moving toward this one single day, the day the hero would finish the mission. It's the day that Jesus was crucified. See, if you wrote an autobiography of like a CEO or a world leader, and you spent a third of your book on just one day, people would be like, why? Why would you do that? And then when they finished your book though, they'd realize that the day that you honed in on wasn't just another day. It was the mission. It was the purpose. It was the reason for that person's entire existence. And so in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they covered 30 years and about 20-ish chapters or so. But when they hit Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22, like I said, they just kind of stop. And they spend the next two or three chapters, thousands of words on just one day. And then John, the gospel writer of John, he hits chapter 13, and then he doesn't turn away

for like another nine chapters. It's like all the gospel writers agreed that nothing else matters compared to what happens next. Why? I mean, why focus so intently on one day out of 12,000? Because it wasn't just another day in history. I mean, this was the day that history turned. This is the day that eternity shifted. Because as Jesus's followers looked back on that day in the light of what happened soon afterward, they came up with a shocking, scandalous, nonsensical claim that his death had launched a revolution, that something had happened that afternoon that had changed the world, that by six o'clock on that dark Friday evening, the world was a different place. Like the assassination of Julius Caesar around 70 years earlier, it marks the end of one era. And the start of another. See, this wasn't just another Friday in history. And it truthfully wasn't even a series of unfortunate events. Jesus wasn't a victim caught in a bad Friday. He was a King born for the line of fire, trading 24 hours to buy your forever. I mean, that was the entire reason that he was born. Jesus's entire reason for coming down from heaven and arriving here on earth as an eight pound, six ounce, new infant Jesus in golden diapers that doesn't even know a word yet,

just a little infant, so cuddly, so omniscient. Impotent. Have you ever noticed that about babies though? Like babies don't arrive with a mission statement. They don't come with an instruction manual that tells you their five, 10, 15 year goals, right? Babies don't show up and they're like, all right, I am here, I have passion, I have purpose, and I am ready to crush this kindergarten thing. Like, that's not what happens. And I don't know about you, but like, I have spent decades trying to figure out why it is I'm here on this earth. I was born in 1984, grew up in the nineties, and I can remember when I was a little kid watching the golden age of the NBA in the early nineties. And there was this guy that had made a name for himself and was continuing to rise. Michael Jordan, you heard of him before? The original GOAT, the only GOAT. Just put that out there on a Sunday morning. But I remember watching him and I'm like, that's it. That's why I'm here. I'm gonna be an NBA player. And then y'all, get this. Then I found out that I had the same birthday as Michael Jordan, February 17th. This is ordained by God. Then I found out about shin splints and that dream died very quickly.

But then my focus shifted. I grew up in Houston. So my focus shifted from basketball to baseball. And I was like that, okay, cool. I'm gonna be a Houston Astro. I'm gonna be the next Jeff Bagwell, the next King Caminiti, the next Craig Biggio. Yeah, that didn't happen either. And so over the course of my life, I have wanted to be so many different things. I've wanted to be an athlete. I wanted to be He-Man. Like I thought I had the power. I wanted to be an FBI agent, a golf caddy, a retail manager, Batman, a Ninja Turtle, and a pastor. Man, some days I feel like I'm closer to figuring it out than others. But if I was really transparent with you this morning, there are some days that, man, it still sounds pretty awesome to be a Ninja Turtle. I'm not gonna lie. But I don't think this is the case with Jesus. He entered the world with a calling and a purpose He already knew. He entered this world with a mission He had already accepted. He was born to die so that we could live. See, that purpose was set before Jesus even took His first breath. Just look at the book of Matthew 20, verse 28.

This is Jesus Himself speaking. And He says, for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many. But I love the way the message paraphrase puts this. It says, He came to serve, not be served, and then to give away His life in exchange for the many who are held hostage. Man, see, Jesus didn't come demanding attention or followers or applause. I think Jesus would be a terrible social media influencer in today's world. Jesus tells us that He came to serve, to give, to lay down His life. And the best thing about all of the words that He says is that His actions actually back everything up. And when you really look at it, that's pretty shocking because if anyone ever deserved to be doted on, it was Jesus. Like if there was anyone in history who deserved to be treated like they were on a never-ending, all-inclusive vacation at a five-star luxury resort, it would have been Jesus. But Jesus didn't live His life like that. Jesus didn't live His life like David or Moira Rose, unable to function when their finances crumbled and they had to live with the common folk, David. Fold in the cheese, David. Now, Jesus didn't live like that.

Instead, Jesus walked into humanity. And even though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. And when He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. And this wasn't something that He just stumbled into. It wasn't even something that He was forced into. See, Jesus wasn't the victim of a bad legal system. or betrayal, even though those things played their parts in the last 24 hours of Jesus's life, the truth is Jesus wasn't pushed into this at all. He chose it. None of what takes place in the last week or even the last 24 hours of Jesus's life was a surprise that he just had to roll with. He knew what he was gonna face. In fact, he told his disciples again and again and again that he was gonna go to the cross. Just look at a couple of passages with me in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Matthew 16, 21, it says, "'From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly "'that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, "'that he would suffer many terrible things "'at the hands of the elders, leading priests,

"'and the teachers of religious law. "'He'd be killed, but don't worry. "'On the third day, he would be raised from the dead.'" And then if you skip over to Mark 8, verse 31, it says, "'Then Jesus began to tell them,' the disciples, "'that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things "'and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, "'the teachers of religious law. "'He'd be killed, but again, don't worry. "'Three days later, he would rise from the dead.'" And then skip over to Luke 9, verse 22, "'The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things, "'he, Jesus said. "'He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, "'the teachers of religious law. "'He'll be killed, but don't worry. "'On the third day, he will be raised from the dead.'" Are you starting to catch Jesus's drift here? Are you picking up what he's putting down? "'Jesus told them, plain as day, again and again, "'what it was that he was gonna have to face. "'But somehow, they continued to miss it. "'They are shocked each and every time he said it.'" And so I wonder this morning, if you have experienced the same thing, have you ever told somebody repeatedly something only to have them completely miss it and act like it's brand new information? Make eye contact with me, do not look to the left or the right

and keep your elbows to yourself. Have you ever experienced that before? It's like with my boys. I have a 10-year-old and a seven-year-old, Bennett and Brooks, and here's actually some pictures of them, these are their school pictures this year. So the kid on the right-hand side here that looks like he's an adult, that's my 10-year-old, Bennett, and then the one on the left is my seven-year-old who looks super sweet and innocent and cute. Nuh-uh. But they are both just beautiful, well-behaved, perfectly, no, that's not them, right? They're boys. And so there are so many moments in life where they'll start to do something, and I'm like, hey, Bennett, hey, Brooks, or hey, boys, let's not do that, okay? Let's not do that. And then they stop immediately, and they're the most well-behaved children in the entire world. No, that's not what happens. They keep doing it, and I'm like, okay. Maybe they just didn't hear me. Maybe I'll raise my voice just a little bit so that they can hear me over whatever it is that they're doing. They're having fun, it's fine.

Hey, boys, let's not do that, okay? Thanks. And then they keep going, uh-huh. And it finally gets to a point where I'm like, what are we doing? Hey, hey, what are we doing? I just told you to stop doing the thing that you're doing. Why are you doing the thing that I just told you to stop doing just a little bit ago? What are you doing? And they both look at me with this look. And the response is always the same. I'm sorry, daddy, I didn't hear you. Oh, you didn't hear me? How did you not hear me? I spoke loudly, I enunciated, how do you not? You're so much like your mother. Just kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But sometimes I do wonder where they get it from. Wives, how many times have you told your husbands about an event or an appointment only for them to act as though they've never heard of it? And you know the series of events that happens with this. You make eye contact with them and you say, hey, we have this thing. You're here, we have this thing. And they look you square back in the eyes and they go, uh-huh, but then it's 30 minutes out. They're still sitting on the couch in their pajamas watching Scottie Scheffler make another comeback

on a Sunday afternoon, oblivious to the fact that you're about to have to leave. And yes, that's a completely random example that I have never experienced. experienced before in my own life. But Jesus gets ready to go back to Jerusalem and he tells the disciples it's time and they look at him like this is brand new information. Like, did you know about this? I never heard about this. Who told, you never said anything about this. And so here's the thing, y'all. Jesus didn't just hint about the cross. He didn't whisper it or say it in some offhanded comment. He didn't even bury it in a bunch of text messages about a bunch of random things that you could potentially miss this cross thing. He told the disciples over and over, clearly, plainly, that he would suffer, be rejected, be killed, and then rise again. And here's why that's important to remember. Because the truth is the cross was not an accident. It was his destination. See, the vicarious death of Jesus is thus firmed placely before us, not as an historical accident, but as his deliberate goal. I think so often we think Jesus got caught in this trap. Man, and he didn't. He intentionally stepped into the line of fire. He knew the cost and he walked into it anyway.

This wasn't a tragedy. It was a tactical operation. This is a king who is in total control, even when it looks like he's losing. And it really did look like a complete and total loss because this is just a normal death for any startup revolutionist. Like there's nothing extraordinary about the crucifixion in this time of Roman control. It was the preferred method of dealing with any revolutionary leader, as well as some common criminals. Like just look at Luke 23 verses 32 and 33. It says, two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. That's Jesus. And when they came to a place called the skull, they nailed him, Jesus, to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified, one on his right and one on his left. But here's the thing. Creator God is in the business of taking that which is common and using it to change the world. He is in the business of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. And he does that very thing with the cross. And so as we'll see in a few weeks, the resurrection proves Jesus's divinity. I mean, without it, he's just another thwarted revolutionary leader

that the Roman empire has stamped out. If that's the case, then his words can just be reduced to niceties and maybe some good ideas to live by every now and then. If he's really just a revolutionary leader that's just been stamped out by the Roman empire, then all of his miracles can potentially be like explained away in like some super scientific way or maybe it can just be chalked up to magic. But see, the resurrection puts it all in perspective, but with the cross, that's when he becomes the savior because the cross was not an accident, it was his destination. And so like the box top of a puzzle, the cross and the resurrection show us the big picture, the purpose of Jesus's time here on earth, especially those last 24 hours. Because Jesus wasn't a victim caught in a bad Friday. He was a king born for the line of fire, trading 24 hours to buy your forever. But here's the thing, the revolution that Jesus launched didn't start at the empty tomb on Sunday, nor do I believe that it started at the wooden cross on Friday, though that's where the power of darkness was served its eviction notice. That Friday is where the hero completed the mission. I don't even think it started in the garden. I think it starts at the gate. And while over the next several weeks,

we're gonna look at how Jesus's mission was completed, while we're gonna slow things down and focus in on the last 24 hours of Jesus's life, 24 always ended in a cliffhanger. So I want you to imagine the scene with me. The screen cuts to an ancient city gate. People line the streets, cheering and adoration. You begin to see a figure come into focus as they enter the gate. It's a ranking Roman officer in a gilded chariot being pulled by four strong white war horses. The chariot is elevated, standing six feet above the crowd. It's like a moving throne. The officer's armor is polished to a high sheen, reflecting the sunlight so brightly it's hard to look directly at. His crimson cape is spotless, flowing from his shoulders. A large portion of the army he commands marches in perfect unison behind him. Another portion of his army brings up the rear, but in the middle, in the middle stumble the shackled prisoners he's just conquered. This is an unmistakable display of untouchable power. But then the scene fades. The general, the chariot, the warhorses, the marching soldiers, the conquered prisoners, they all fade away. The crowds remain, continuing to cheer and shower praise, but there's another figure entering the gate. It's not a shining general pulled by four white horses, no, this is, this is a common man riding on a donkey? The contrast is startling, but the comparison can't be missed. The crowd shout, Hosanna, which means save now, Hosanna, they shout, Hosanna son of David. The sound is all-consuming.

The contrast between the general and the man cannot be missed, yet neither can the similarities. This is an unmistakable display of untouchable power. Like the conquering general, it seems this common man is just as authoritative, just as powerful as the general, maybe just in a different way. Is this common man proclaiming to be a conquering figure? Is this the one who will overthrow the powers that be and rescue God's people? This entry is triumphant. The king has entered the gate. The mission that was set before his first breath is about to be completed. And the screen goes black, and the timer begins. Events occur in real time. I cast my mind to Calvary, where Jesus fled and died for me. I see his wounds, his hands, his feet, my Savior on that cursed tree. His body bound and drenched in tears, they laid him down in Joseph's tomb. The entrance sealed by heavy stone, Messiah still and all alone. Oh, praise the name of the Lord our God. Oh, praise his name forevermore. For endless days we will sing your praise. Oh, Lord, oh, Lord our God. And on the third, at break of dawn, the Son of Heaven rose again. Oh, trampled death, where is your sting? The angels roar for Christ the King. ♪ Yeah, oh praise the name of the Lord our God ♪ ♪ Oh praise His name forevermore ♪ ♪ For endless days we will sing Your praise ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, oh Lord our God, oh Lord our God ♪ ♪ Oh praise the name of the Lord our God ♪ ♪ Oh praise His name forevermore ♪ ♪ For endless days we will sing Your praise ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, oh Lord our God, oh Lord our God ♪

♪ Oh praise His name forevermore ♪ ♪ Oh praise His name forevermore ♪