Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene                                       6-16-19

Bottom Line:  Whatever the reason, meeting Jesus should change our lives.

Introduction:

 A. Jeopardy has been on TV for over 35 years!

   1. Love it, record it, & never miss it unless it’s preempted

   2. Latest star – James Holzhauer – $2,464,216 – 33 shows

          *32 game winning streak, new all-time record one day win $131,127 – multiple singe game records – Ken Jennings $2,522,700 in 75 games – 10 record amounts – over 100k in 6 episodes – averaged $74,677 – Alex T makes $43k per show – ratings went up 11%

 B. From unknown to celebrity as Jeopardy champion!

 C. Story of Bob on a game show = can’t answer w/o info!

 D. Simon of Cyrene is a Bible character I’d like to know more about.  We are given very little information.

   1. Matt.27:32, Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26

   2. Cyrene; Passing by, Coming in from country, 2 sons

 E. Interview with Simon and his brother Benjamin:

   1. Simon:  We are told that you were forced to help carry the cross. What was that like?

   2. Benjamin:  You clearly saw that Simon bad been affected by the experience, right? What did you think?

   3. Simon:  Since today is Father’s Day, how important was it for you to share w/ your family how much it affected you?

   4.  Benjamin:  How tough was it for you to guide your family through the scary pronouncement from Simon that Jesus was the Messiah?

   5. Chris:  What did you learn from playing this role?

   6.  Alex:  What did you learn from playing this role?

 F. With so little information about Simon, can we learn something from him?

  * Video and song about Simon and his sons

  * Three short questions we can’t completely answer…

1. Did God put Simon there?

 A. God doesn’t explain His work! Prov.3:5-6; Isa.55:6-9

 B. God always has a plan – Romans 8:28

 C. God and His helpers are active in our life!

   * Why is his name mentioned?

2.  Is it a bad thing to be forced to help Jesus?

 A. Some of the most important lessons in life are lessons we didn’t want to learn.

   1. Divorce is tough on kids!

   2. Relationships must be built!

   3. Some Christians don’t care about love, church, & eternity!

 B. Forcing Jesus on anyone rarely has a good result but living for Jesus is always a powerful lesson!

   1. Family and friends

   2. Everyone God puts into our life

 C. Sometimes God has to get our attention before we see Jesus!

   1. Miss seeing God while looking at our cell phone! Proverbs 3:33-35

   2. “Forced to help” or “Forced to wake up”?

    * Why is his name mentioned?

3.  Was Simon affected by seeing Jesus?

 A. What did he know? What was everyone saying?

 B. Did he witness the rest of the crucifixion?

 C. Why mention him & his sons if he wasn’t known later by the disciples?

Conclusion:

A. Imagine Simon going home with the blood stains from Jesus all over him!

B. Blood stains are difficult to remove.

C. The blood of Jesus is always covering us as we walk in the light.