A WORD OF WILLINGNESS (Fifth Word from the Cross)
#247 A WORD OF WILLINGNESS (Fifth Word from the Cross)
This entry includes an attached illustration from Light, Journal of The Christian Life Commission–March/April 1988
Scripture Luke 23:40-43 NIV Orig. Date 4-3-1966 (4-1976)
Rewr. Dates 3-24-1988
Passage: 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Purpose: Continuing a series on Words from the Cross, here given evidence of the example of faith in the life of the thief who believes.
Keywords: Christ as Saviour Commitment Faith Conviction
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
It’s been several years, but when the best foreign film of the year was chosen, it was a spiritual film. It was a Greek community, featuring the Greek Orthodox Church during the reign of the Turks. The title, “He Who Must Die,” told the story of the citizens of this community in their efforts to enact the passion of Christ during the Easter celebration.
A few weeks before the Lenten season, the people would elect the actors who would play the lead roles. A young man was chosen for the very first time to portray Christ. He seemed especially suited to the role. There was even some resemblance to Jesus, and he was a man completely without guile. He, and the other chosen speaking roles were given six weeks to prepare themselves for these roles.
During this time, however, a crisis arose in a neighboring community where people were starving. The young man, playing the part of Christ, came to feel a burdensome responsibility to do something for these people. He was convinced that it is what Jesus would have done. He became so resolved and so adamant in his intent that in an angry confrontation with his townspeople, he was killed, “He Who Must Die.”
The message of the film seemed to have to do with actions and attitudes found everywhere in every age. Goodness, the kind that Christ brought to the earth, is subject to confrontation, anger, even death.
What Jesus brought with him to the earth, to humanity was the concept of willing self-sacrifice. His was a willingness to die, and to die for others. This fifth word shows us another man who has been inspired to follow his example, to die with him. At the very heart of the gospel is a willingness to die.
I. A Man in the Consternation of Willingness. V40 “Dost thou not fear God seeing we are in the same condemnation?” Many times others had come to Jesus expecting a sign. They had watched with curiosity in the performance of miracle. The cripple made to walk, the blind to see, the deaf were no longer, even the dead were raised, and His lessons on forgiveness were legion, that too a miracle, preaching deliverance to the captives.
They had had the sign of prophecy, but that seems not to have been enough. Isaiah 61:1f “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the humble, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, . . . to comfort all who mourn, . . . to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.”
They wanted something akin to Moses dividing the Sea of Reeds.
It makes us want to ask what the sign is that we are looking for. Is the text of Easter not enough? Do we question the legitimacy of Jesus? Why are we slow to respond?
As it is now, it was then, even at His cross they demand a sign. In life they had asked that very question, “show us a sign?” And He had responded in the only possible way. “The only sign you will receive is of Jonas." The sign of death and burial. The sign of submergence, not in water but in God. So now in death, they wanted a sign. Give us something that will make the world remember “Golgotha.” Give us anything but accountability. Had the woman at the well know what awaited her, she would have stayed home. We too are guilty of avoiding what is in our spiritual best interest.
II. He Was a Man Caught Up in the Conviction of Willingness. Can, should, must. V41 “We received the due rewards for our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
It does us well to remember that others have also been crucified, and for lesser reasons. I don’t know if there were other crucifixions at Golgotha. I know there have been other Golgothas. Men and women have died for causes just and unjust. But the crucifixion of Jesus is unique in all the earth. The place where it happened remains contested, but the fact of crucifixion and its meaning is undeniable.
The source of all wisdom chose to die, and such an ignoble death. If Hollywood, or Wall Street, or the Louisiana transition team or our church committees had planned Easter, none of us would have planned a lynching for our super star.
But Easter is precisely what has turned everything around. It has altered history. Its impact has been universal in scope. Other religions have been cultural and/or military. Christianity has manifested itself as a faith of and for all people.
We have, regrettably, become so entertainment conscious. Phineus Barnum was a great showman. He knew what people would pay to see. But he isn’t remembered long after the show leaves town.
And I remind you that Easter was not some kind of divine appeasement. Parents sometimes find it easier to try to buy their children’s respect, than to earn it through genuine caring. Others mandate it with threats. But, what really happened at Calvary is that personal sin had to face up to God’s parental concern. The parents whose children know they care, will be the ones who don’t lose them in adolescence. Those who learn this kind of caring on the part of God will stay with their profession. It is to see sin from God’s point of view. It is to realize the nature of sin that separates. But as well, it initiates the step of faith leading back to God.
I Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God.”
III. Finally, He Is Brought to the Commitment/Willingness. V43 “This day thou shalt be with me in paradise.”
He concluded, as so must we all, that the one way to God is through Christ. It is what the world does not wish to do. The world wishes to find its way intellectually. Paul Harvey reported (4/4/76) a major Ivy League school (Harvard) had eight punishable crimes per day on the campus. Security had become a major expense.
John 6:40 “This is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.”
This is that essential difference between these two men. Both were similarly guilty. They were judged fairly, and sentenced justly. Forgiveness is assessed to the one because he looks to the son in faith.
Believers are to come to renewal and revival in the self-same way. Sin is still the distress of the spirit. We must continually look to the Son.
J.S. Whale in his book, “What Is a Living Church,” reminds us “Christendom’s deadliest enemy is not a doctrinaire godlessness but a practical atheism.” I think what he means by that is that too many run around with a name-tag of Christian, and a lifestyle of worldliness.
Conclusion
Leonard Griffith (E14p164) writes that the pearls of the former House of Austria periodically lost their luster through exposure. They would then be taken back to the ocean and left in their natural state. Their beauty would always be restored. The church also, through exposure to the world, loses its luster, and if it does not immerse itself continually in the ocean of God’s redeeming love, it will lose its way. Holiness can be recovered only in the sanctuary, in the place of prayer.
Illustration from Light, Journal of The Christian Life Commission – March/April 1988
When teaching phonics to my pre-schooler, we started at the beginning of the alphabet. “This is the letter A,” I said, “Do you know a word that begins with A?” The poignant reply came, “A is for AIDS.”
So it is in our lives—A is for AIDS. It is the beginning and ending of every facet of our existence. Those of us who have contracted AIDS are the new untouchables.
I was infected with the AIDS virus by a blood transfusion while still pregnant with my first child. As a result, our baby also contracted the virus. Although I frequently was ill and fatigued, I passed it off as being “the new mother syndrome.”
Our baby was quite ill as well, requiring weekly trips to the doctor, and I blamed much of my exhaustion on stress.
Having no idea that I was carrying the AIDS virus, two years after the birth of my first child, I became pregnant again. Our second child was premature and also had multiple medical problems.
When the baby was five months old, I received a call from the blood bank that had supplied the blood for my transfusion. They said that the donor who had given the blood for my transfusion had AIDS.
My world started reeling. As soon as I heard the words, all of the events of the past three years came into focus with a searing clarity—the children’s inability to stay well; the doctor’s frequent head-shaking and statements: “This is rare”; “The medicine should have worked.”
Within two months, I had lost most of what had constituted my world. Our baby was in critical condition with only days or weeks to live. My husband had lost his job and career when his employer found out that his family had been touched by AIDS. Our older child had to be removed from day care. We were asked not to return to our church. Our confidentiality had been breached, and as word spread throughout our community, we quickly fled and relocated in another town. We were too terrified to risk harassment and persecution.
Several months after our move, our baby died, and the second phase of my isolation began. This isolation was self-imposed by fear.
The few relationships I have had are superficial and almost totally based on fabrication. How could I truthfully answer simple questions: “Why did you move here?” “What was wrong with your baby?” I couldn’t talk about the fact that my heart was breaking every time I looked at my little girl. I couldn’t share the fact that my marriage was fragmenting from the incredible stress in our lives. I couldn’t “act sick” lest someone get suspicious, so I hid my symptoms and pain.
I didn’t reveal anything about the severity of our daughter’s illness lest my child be totally ostracized from all socialization. I couldn’t even contact former coworkers to explain why I had suddenly disappeared. I was in a new city with no friends, no church, no “home,” no job, a struggling marriage, a very sick child and the grief of our baby who had died. I had never been so alone in my life.
We reached out to a local church. The pastor was supportive, but when he asked parents about the possibility of our child attending Sunday School, the parents said “no.” We do not attend church now. The rejection runs too deep.
To Christians, I would say that AIDS cripples not only the body, but the heart. At a time when the AIDS victim is dealing with death and dying, heavy financial burdens and physical debilitation, they need support, care, and concern—not rejection! If there was ever a time to reach out and touch the “lepers” of our day, it is now.
I wear the Scarlet A. I keep it well hidden. You may never see me cry or realize from my appearance that I have been infected by the virus. Nevertheless, I have been shattered. I need love, compassion, and community to help me make it from day to day. I have done nothing immoral or illegal to contract this disease, but those who have, hurt just as deeply as I. Their needs are as great or greater than mine for a compassionate and loving response to AIDS.
(Reprinted from the Baptist Standard-Texas)
THE WORD OF PROCLAMATION (Seventh Word from the Cross)
#109 THE WORD OF PROCLAMATION (Seventh Word from the Cross)
Scripture Luke 23:44-46 NIV Orig. Date 4/22/1962 (4/1980)
Rewr. Dates 4/13/1987
Passage: 44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] When he had said this, he breathed his last.
Purpose: To conclude the seven-part series of Words from the Cross, here signifying Jesus’ willing commitment unto death.
Keywords: Christ the Redeemer Will of God Redemption Commitment Crucifixion
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
We have come to Luke for the final chapter in these Words from the Cross. It is he also who records two phenomena that accompany the death of Jesus. These two marvels of divine condescension.
The first was from the natural world. Note Luke 23:44 “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.” Nature was in full accord with the events of Calvary. Authorities on solar activity tell us that an eclipse of the sun may last as much as 7 minutes/40 seconds. If this was an eclipse at all, it lasted for three hours. Nature adds its own mute testimony of the blackness of the present stage of man’s evolution to greatness. In man’s pursuit of excellence, the best of men has come to a wooden cross to die the shameful death of a criminal.
“He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21
Then, in v45, as if in sequence, Luke tells of the second phenomenon: this time from the spiritual world. The Jewish temple was on temple mount, no more than a few hundred yards from Golgotha. The priests were performing their sacramental duties, oblivious to Calvary: not caring that Mary’s son was dying. Suddenly, there came the sound of fabric being torn. They looked up to see the veil, separating the sacramental area from the Holy of Holies, being torn as if by some unseen hand. This alone, the “rending” of a huge curtain, 30x60 feet in size, perhaps 4 inches thick, would have precipitated unmeasured fear. But more than that, they suddenly found themselves looking straight upon the sacred enclosure of the Holy-of-Holies. The veil, you remember, was under the severest of scrutinies, and was to be lifted on only one day of the year, that being the day of atonement. With the death of Christ, that which has before separated man from free access to God’s grace is forever removed. Two things more compel our attention.
I. Jesus Unhesitatingly Commits Himself into the Loving Providence of God’s Care. “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”
There was total confidence in His mission. It would mean to suffer pain. To die. Potentially to be separated from the Father. It meant believing in the Father’s will in the whole, and in all its parts.
There is reason to believe only that Jesus is in total control. Some of you will remember Grady Lee (Ruston, FBC) some years ago. He once shared an illustration from a black preacher friend. The death angel had robed himself in his blackest garment, had mounted his blackest steed, and was on his way to Golgotha. Thundering hooves were plummeting toward three men affixed to crosses. One looked toward Jesus, “Lord, remember me!” Jesus interrupted the angel with his death saber drawn, “Hold on death. I’m still in charge here.”
Remember that this final phrase form the cross is a quotation from scripture. Initially, it was a word from the Psalmist. It became, long before Jesus’ day, the first prayer, taught by every Jewish mother to her child against the threatening darkness of night.
“Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
When one is looking death in the face, there is no hope that does not find succor in God.
A learned man had a terminal illness. His days became few. His former colleagues came from time to time and brought new insight, or some new philosophy. They gave little comfort. A Christian friend came and took him for a drive in the country. The dying man told his friend about the conversations with others, and that this did not any longer satisfy his interests, or his present need. He then quoted I Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.” He added, “There is nothing else of any use to me now.”
Jesus altered the quotation only slightly. He adds the single word, “Father.” “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” A prayer the psalmist could not pray. God’s grace distant, and detached. Could not personalize so intimate a relationship, like [an] orphan’s concept of father.
Jesus also omits an irrelevant word. “For thou hast redeemed me.” These present are deeply moved. Jesus’ death has done what His life could not. So noble a spirit as He has died to call others to God. John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up, . . . will draw all men unto me.”
II. Thus Is the Spirit of Jesus Commended into the Hands of the Father. First, He prioritizes the human spirit. Even on the cross is fleshly concern. Third word assigns John care of Mary. Fifth word (thirst) expresses pain. Here at the last, He acknowledges the worth of the soul. “The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.” [Myra Brooks Welch, 1921]
Consider carefully this Easter day this spirit here commended to the Father’s keeping. It is the spirit of truth. John 6:53f teaches they would eat his flesh, drink his blood. Repulsive to Jew. V61 “Doth this offend you?” V63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.” It is this spirit of Jesus that draws us to the Father.
Romans 8:9 “. . .now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” V11 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ . . . shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
It is this Spirit of Jesus that confirms our oneness with the Father. Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”
The Spirit of Jesus is the true spirit of liberty. II Corinthians 3:17 “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
The Spirit of Jesus is the seal of our adoption by the Father as His children. Galatian 4:4f “God sent forth His son, made of woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons . . . And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts.”
And, finally, it is the spirit of Jesus giving permanence to our faith. Ephesians 3:16 “That he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
Conclusion
The fight of faith is still a living, viable reality. It must be pursued unconditionally. But the spirit of Jesus is the spirit of victory.
In East Germany is a place called Wartburg. It is the place where Martin Luther lived during his years of strongest struggle. It is where he poured out his soul in obedience to God. The house where he lived is treated as a shrine by the city fathers. It is also, to all who believe in freedom of conscience. Keepers of the shrine will show visitors a black stain on the old wall in Luther’s study. It marks an occasion when, it is said, that the reformer threw his ink bottle at the devil. The confrontations with temptation, even sin, will come, but for the believer, the spirit of Jesus is our means of deliverance.
A WORD OF PERFECTION (Sixth Word from the Cross)
#106 A WORD OF PERFECTION (Sixth Word from the Cross)
Scripture John 19:29-35, NIV Orig. Date 4/15/1962
Rewr. Dates 4/1979; 4/8/1987
Passage: 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.
Purpose: Continuing the series of last words, here using the sixth word to show the perfection of Christ’s work in our behalf.
Keywords: Christ as Mediator Easter Salvation
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
All of us are interested in life and the way we are able to live it. We want to be able to conclude that some good did come out of it.
The annals of history record for us the signal achievements of many people and of the great things that they accomplished. Some lived brief lives, and yet they are noted for their success.
Alexander was a world conqueror by the age of 23.
Hannibal had become a Carthaginian commander by the time he was 26.
Christopher Columbus had finalized all of his plans made and was ready to sail to the new world by the time he was 28.
Captain John Smith had a colonial empire in this new world carved out and staked by the time he was 27.
Martin Luther, of Reformation fame, was only 30 when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg.
John Calvin was molding the thought that would be the basis for Presbyterian theology by the time he was 21.
Joan of Arc had finished her work and had been burned at the stake by the time she was 19.
At 26 Patrick Henry had already determined, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of Treasury at 32.
John Newton discovered law of gravity at 26.
Roger Williams was banished as an heretic at 29—because Jesus meant more than man-made laws.
Of Jesus only, however, who died on this cross at 33, could it ever be claimed that His work was unconditionally finished. Only He could say, and be unchallenged, “It is finished!” Toward a greater understanding of this sixth word we move this morning.
I. It was a Word Spoken to the Battlements of Heaven. To the eternal praise of the Father, Jesus said, “It is finished!”
All of the pronouncements of the WORD have been fulfilled.
· That the Saviour would be of David’s line. Isaiah 11:1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall flow out of his roots.”
· That He would be rejected by those to whom He had come. Psalm 118:22 “The stone which the builders refuse is become the corner stone.”
· That all nations and cultures would be drawn to Him. Daniel 7:14 “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away.”
· That God’s ultimate purpose in Him had to do with sin, our sin. Zechariah 13:1 “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”
· That this sixth word from the cross means that the power of sin has been disengaged. Isaiah 53:10f “. . . Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, . . . by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; . . . and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
This is not all that the Father had to say of the “anointed one.” Isaiah confirms His mortal birth (Isaiah 7:14). Micah affirms His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Hosea declares the flight to Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Isaiah again, in the most beautiful passage of all, describes Calvary (Isaiah 53:4f).
Make no mistake of it, to the eternal praise of the Father, Jesus proclaims “It is finished!” The promises of the Godhead stand complete. The promises and the performance await man’s profession and progression. Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” I Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
II. It was a Word Spoken to the Engagements of Earth. To a people more concerned with the sensual, and the sordid, and the sensational, Jesus declares, “It is finished.”
Amidst these earthly engagements, all have experienced words every bit as grand as nature’s spectacles: Words of peace after season of conflict; words of joy penetrating even grief’s sad hour; words of forgiveness after the languishing dread of broken relationship; words of hope, when it seemed that there was none.
This word is unequal in all the earth. “It is finished!” In the Greek, only one word “tetelestai.” Archaeologists have repeatedly found its Latin counterpart, “consummatum est” written across the tax-vouchers of those days. The meaning is clear: “PAID,” the debt is paid. Many scholars believe that this is what many at the cross heard Jesus say.
Only the Lord Christ could declare such completeness in the face of such human limitations surrounding Him. Pressed into this package of human flesh and blood was a faith without limits. He had caused the blind to see. He had caused the lame to walk. His was a faith with such intensity that it spills over into believing hearts even now. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Hebrews 5:9 “. . . he became the author of eternal salvation unto all that obey him.” II Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are ‘yes’.”
To all earthly engagements, His and ours, He declares it: “It is finished!” In His life and His work and His death. And in every simple act of faith, “consummatum est: the debt is paid.”
III. And Finally, It was a Word Spoken to the Deep Trenches of Hell. Satan must now know absolutely, that the redemptive work of Christ forever stands. “It is finished.”
Make no mistake, Satan heard this once spoken word. Everyone, and anyone, can be saved. John 7:37 “In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.” Luke 2:10f “And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” I don’t know all that we learn from Acts, but this I know, that the early church had to change their attitude to include Samaritans and gentiles. There are still a lot of attitudes of Christians needing changes. It is a salvation contingent upon [a] believing and obedient faith.
Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
Thus, this word ultimately means that Satan has no power in our lives that we do not yield to Him. There are many whom Satan has aspired to entrap in meaningless living. There are a few who will be able to say “I have done all that I could do.” The notables mentioned in introduction. Only Jesus could say “It is finished!”
Conclusion
Someone tells the story of an elderly lady who had reached her 100th year. The local newspaper knew of the happening and sent a reporter out to do a story. “Ma’am, you must have seen a lot in your lifetime?”
The old lady was said to have rocked for a spell as she contemplated the question, and then replied, “Well, if you really want to know, seemed to me everything was always over by the time I could find my glasses.”
Because of Jesus, the spiritual quest is over. But there are still a lot of people stymied about what to do with Him because they’re having trouble finding their “faith” glasses.
A WORD OF PAIN (Fifth Word from the Cross)
#104 A WORD OF PAIN (Fifth Word from the Cross)
Scripture John 19:28 NIV Orig. Date 3/30/1980
Rewr. Dates 3/30/1987
Passage: 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
Purpose: In this message from the fifth word from the cross, to show the agony of intent for Jesus to live in commitment to the will of God
Keywords: Christ Redeemer Dedication Commitment Will of God Suffering
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
It is easy enough to entitle the message “A Word of Pain,” and use it to point directly to the physical suffering of Jesus. Any person who has experienced thirst knows its intense discomfort.
Some of you have had to leave a sickroom to announce to others the nearness of death. It is that feeling now, here at the cross, that capitalizes on the raw edge of our emotions. Death is imminent, but there is still no doubt as to who is in charge.
It is normative, here at Calvary, to sustain this sense of death’s inevitability. But, then, neither can we remain long in this place without having our sense of dread replaced by a sense of hope. Those there then felt hope: hope that these religious leaders would become more tolerant; hope that some military authority would declare this to be illegal; hope even, that Jesus would tire of the petulance of these vengeful people, and with a wave of His hand be suddenly transformed from this place; perhaps, hope for the direct intervention of God.
The people gathered at Golgotha are spectators. And death is what many of them came to see. All, but a few, are awaiting this inevitable end. It is not unlike a suicide scene. A quietness pervades the atmosphere. So quiet in fact, that they hear Jesus’ low moan of pain. It is the normative word to express “yearning” for whatever will quench His thirst. No doubt, however, the thirst is symbolic of a stronger yearning on the part of Christ. He “thirsts” for the will of God, for men to be at peace with God. He “thirsted” that those who were His followers would likewise thirst for God, and for humanity.
I. So, Consider that Jesus Thirsted to do the Will of God. Luke 9:51 “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” John 18:11 “The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
Does it raise an eyelid of surprise anywhere that Jesus could feel thirst? He had spoken about it: “He who believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35.) He had declared it to be inviolate; “. . . but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into . . . life.” John 4:14. But there were title rights to that stream, and Jesus was yet to lay claim to it. Remember the Psalmist’s appeal: “O God, thou art my God; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is.” Psalm 63:1. Remember the picture forming in Revelation 5: “. . . I saw a book written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. . . . Who is worthy? No man in heaven, or in earth, or under the earth.” No doubt that thirst is present here, but not thirst for water, rather, thirst of God-forsakenness.” The confrontation with Satan had to come. It had to come where man is the most accessible, in the flesh.
To long for the will of God as Jesus did, disallows questioning His will. Some conclude that Jesus knew His will perfectly. Scripture teaches Jesus’ life was one of change. Luke 2:52 “And Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” Mark 13:32 “But of that day . . . knoweth no man . . . neither the Son, but the Father.” Concluding Jesus KNEW allows us to excuse ourselves when we know we know not. But learning from Jesus, is learning to choose what brings God glory. Psalm 137:6 “Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
There is no evidence Jesus had prior understanding of the events being lived out. No doubt He had spiritual intuition which we cannot match, cannot even approach. But He lived by faith just as we are called to do. So the disciples were taught. Phillip: “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Jesus: “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus teaches that those who long to know to the point of agony will know, and will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteous, or they shall be filled.” Luke 12:32 “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
II. Consider Also, that Jesus Thirsted to Accomplish Salvation. Matthew 20:28 “The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom.”
We have already observed Christ’s concern. Those who put Him on the cross were forgiven. A soldier acknowledged He was God’s son, another reached out to quench His thirst. He insisted this to be God’s will so that guilt would not overwhelm His followers. To a convicted felon, He gave the promise of eternal life. To His mother and close friend, John, He gave words of meaningful concession.
His challenge, however, is for the lost souls. The human condition, then as now, was sin. That problem is a raging torrent that must somehow be bridged. His death was not to make access to God easy, but rather, to make the way plain. Matthew 7:13 “. . . wide is the gate . . . broad the way leading to destruction, and many . . . go in . . . . Strait is the gate and narrow is the way leading to life, and few there be that find it.”
It is a lostness that must be faced. Contemporary events compromise hungry hearts. Present disparity of televangelists. Man in Colorado Springs picked up little girl by her ankles, dashed her head against pavement saying “Jesus saves.” (Returned to asylum.) It is a lostness that destroys: disrupting families, breaking up marriages, enslaving people to drugs, alcohol, sex. It is the lostness (Psalm 63:1) . . . “of a dry and thirst land where no water is.” To die in our sins, without Christ, is to die with this eternal thirst upon our souls. Luke 16:23f “. . . being in torments . . . he cried send Lazarus that he may dip . . . [his finger] in water and cool my tongue.” Christ has suffered this thirst for us, but to reject Him is to reclaim that awful thirst.
III. Lastly, He Thirsted as an Example of Compassion to His Friends and Followers. John 17:25f “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me . . . that the love wherewith thou has loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Yes, there were those at the cross who would quench His thirst. One attempted to do so: soldier, temple guard, bystander. Surely, those who loved Him would have done so. There were also those there who could have helped, but who would not. Some waited curiously to see if Elijah would come. Jesus had not addressed Elijah, however, but the Father. And this is the Father’s “beloved son. Hear Him.”
One thing, brethren, can quench to thirst of Jesus on the cross. It is the quenching waters of faith when believers reach out to the lost. There are some who would and cannot. Regrettably, too many, could, and will not.
Who are those who can, and will, and must? And more importantly, are you one of them? Matthew 25:31f “When the son of man shall come in his glory, . . . then shall he sit upon the throne . . . before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them . . . on his right hand, . . . on (his) left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom . . . For I was hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink . . . Then shall the righteous answer . . . When . . . ? And the King shall answer and say unto them, . . . Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The call of Jesus is still the call to quench the thirst of a weary world.
Conclusion
This Christ still thirsts. He thirsts for your love, for your service, for your holiness, for your prayer. Let me quote James Stalker in closing (t20p148) “Whenever the heart of a human being turns to Him with a genuine impulse of penitence, affection or consecration, the Saviour sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied.”
A WORD OF PERCEPTION (Fourth Word from the Cross)
#075 A WORD OF PERCEPTION (Fourth Word from the Cross)
Scripture Matthew 27:45-46 NIV Orig. Date 4/1/62 (3/80)
Rewr. Dates 3/25/87
Passage: 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lama sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b]
Purpose: Continuing the Words from the Cross series with a special emphasis placed upon the sovereignty of God in behalf of His Son and His people.
Keywords: Christ, Death Sovereignty, God Commitment
Judgment Suffering
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introductions
Somewhere, Thornton Wilder has a significant line that declares “In love’s service, only wounded soldiers will do.” In that context, then, it should not seem unusual to us, or unreasonable, that Jesus became a “wounded soldier.” It was to that end that Old Testament prophecies foresaw Him as “man of sorrows.” But we must interpret that correctly.
Here we discover the degree to which Christ would go as a “wounded soldier.” More, it testifies that there is no degree to which He would not go “in love’s service.”
Eli, Eli; lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God; Why hast Thou forsaken me?
What pain hurts more than aloneness? What hurt weighs more heavily on us than that of feeling forsaken, especially unjustly forsaken? Off-beat theologians have emerged, and in their effort to explain, have explained away this text. Jesus, they say, had lapsed into delirium. Others, that though conscious, the pain rendered Him verbally out-of-control. Yet others suggest that He was not forsaken but simply felt so.
Jesus did not ever give in to the flesh. Why should we think it is happening here? There was neither unconsciousness, uncontrolled delirium, nor mistaken anguish. Jesus felt forsaken because he was forsaken. For sin to be effectively dealt with, it was necessary for God’s complete disposition of it to take place. Christ was the instrument through which that disposition took place.
After having seen the great dancer, Pavlova, perform, someone asked her to explain the artistic meaning of her dance. She stood there drained of the last bit of her energy and replied, “Do you think I would have danced it if I could have said it?” For Jesus, words are an inarticulate description of God’s intent to save. The cross must be endured if we are to have perception of God’s love.
I. It is Perception, First, of Supernatural Covenant. Luke 24:44 “. . . all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, . . . , concerning me.”
Surely, this is not the only time that Jesus questioned the strange events of His life. Perhaps, as a small boy, He wondered of the unique events of His birth. Luke 2:19, “She pondered these things.” Perhaps, as an adolescent, He questioned why things of interest to others His age, did not interest Him. Luke 2:49, “. . . Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Even as an adult, it shouldn’t surprise us if He wondered, despaired of unbelief all around. Matthew 22:5, “They made light of it and went . . . away.” Mark 3:5, “Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.”
And whenever such times had enveloped Him, He always before had felt the deeper wealth of assurance. Boyish questions were answered with meaning of His name—Jesus: “He would save His people.” Adolescent wonderings were assuaged by His own love for the Father, and the Father’s house.
As an adult, little could have been more obvious than the signs of God’s presence. At His baptism, there had been the voice boldly declaring “Thou art my beloved son.” During the temptation in the wilderness “angels came and ministered unto Him.”
Starting at Cana one day at a wedding: John 2:11, “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
On a mountain side one day: Matthew 17:1f, “. . . There appeared . . . Moses and Elijah talking with Him.”
Toward the end of His ministry, at Bethany: John 11:41f, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me. And I knew that Thou hearest me always: but because of the people . . . that they may believe . . . Lazarus, come forth.”
Even with all of this, His plea is the plea of a man alone. Not over-wrought psyche playing tricks; not low pain-threshold binding reason. It is divine covenant being completed with all of its wretched consequences.
There had likewise been 3 words to the cross. “If Thou be the Christ, come down,” was the one thing He could not do. “He saved others, Himself He cannot save,” was a true saying. “Remember me, when. . .” was a reminder that we, too, have our crosses in following.
II. It is Perception of Superhuman Commitment. John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world.” There are, of course, those who argue that Jesus was not forsaken. They claim some physical distress, that Jesus simply quoted Psalm 22 in its present context. Psalm 22:23: “Praise Him ye who fear the Lord; . . . do Him honor; stand in awe of Him. . . For He has not scorned the downtrodden, . . . but gave heed to him when he cried out.”
But the point is, here at Calvary, was commitment in the flesh. Luke 22:44 “Being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat were as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” It was the kind of commitment forever an example to us. John 11:42, “. . . because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou has sent me.” Luther and Calvin (233T20p139) say that these were hours spent in the torments of the damned.
Rambach said in Meditations On the Sufferings of Christ, “God was now dealing with Him not as a loving and merciful Father with His child, but as an offended and righteous judge of an evildoer. The heavenly Father now regards His Son to be the greatest sinner to be found beneath the sun, and discharges on Him the whole weight of His wrath.”
It is time, then, to pursue the measure of our own commitment. Isaiah 53:9f “He made His grave with the wicked . . . He was numbered with the transgressors. Galatians 3:13 “. . . redeemed us from the curse . . . being made a curse for us.” Philippians 2:8 “He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
What kind of commitment do we offer to compare with that? We expect to be painless Christians. An hour or two on Sunday morning is as near to Calvary as we intend to go. I forgot my checkbook so I’ll rattle some change God’s way. We plan our commitment around mediocrity.
III. That Brings Us to Consider Superficial Circumstance (Uncircumstantial) “Why hast Thou forsaken me?” Jesus surrenders to the high cost of God’s will. So are such times when we likewise must.
As Gideon (Judges 6:13) “If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? As Elijah (I Kings 19:2) under Jezebel’s threat he “arose and went for his life,” As Job (Job 30:20) “I cry unto Thee, and Thou dost not hear me.” The psalmist (Psalm 73:13) “. . . Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.” All would stand before us to declare faithlessness on their part, faithfulness on God’s part.
So often, that that is real in our experience is to become the circumstance of God’s blessing. Yes, Jesus was separated from the Father, forsaken even. But to remain as companions of sin is to remain separated from the Father. Our hope of restoration was fulfilled by Christ on the Cross.
Conclusion
Back in the early part of this decade the USS Hope made the newspapers for the last time. That ship, having brought medical aid to tens of thousands in third world nations, was trapped on a sand-bar on its way to the scrap yard.
There are too many people who have given up on hope. But we Christians must be the first to proclaim it. Because of God’s covenant, and Christ’s commitment to it, I can find reason to trust even in the most circumspect of circumstances. Ships of the sea, even ships of state, may flounder, but Christ gives me reason to believe through every consequence of my life.
A WORD OF PROVISION (Third Word from the Cross)
#074 A WORD OF PROVISION (Third Word from the Cross)
Scripture John 19:25-27 NIV Orig. Date 3/21/1965 (3/1980)
Rewr. Dates 3/19/1987
Passage: 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Purpose: Continuing a series of Words from the Cross, directing our thoughts to the salvation accomplished on the cross by the means of Christ’s gift of Himself
Keywords: Biography, Mary Crucifixion Salvation Blood Christ, Death
Easter
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
How often, when attempting to console a friend who has lost a loved one are we moved to say, “I know how you feel!”? But we know that unless we have ourselves walked through that “lonesome valley,” we cannot know how they feel.
Even so is any word that reflects on Mary’s feelings here. How do we contemplate the feelings of Mary as she watched Jesus die? Recalling Simeon’s prophecy (Luke 2:35), “a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also,” can we comprehend her feeling? Do you suppose she recalled those words as she looked on?
Hebrew women depended on sibling caretakers just as elderly mothers do today. Perhaps more so. Joseph was surely dead. There were other children, four sons, at least two daughters. But there was only one like her first born. Now she can only stand by and watch.
Jesus is dying; and he is dying the shameful death of a criminal. She had to watch. She felt the same pain that He felt. His blood coursing down the cross was as it were her own. She could see the gaping wound, the trickling blood, the wounded hands and feet, the parched lips and tongue, yet she could do nothing. She remembered, perhaps, a child’s feet, ever-present near her own. She saw in her mind’s eye, the boyhood hands, skillfully learning from Joseph, the trade of carpenter. And every taunt, from the indifferent crowd, tore through her heart like a dagger.
Perhaps she remembered the angel (Luke 2:10), “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” She recalled the shepherds (Luke 2:20), “return[ing], glorifying and praising God.” Were the shepherds deceived, the angel a deceiver? How else to explain this now? The word here spoken was an intimately personal one spoken to His mother, but with deep meaning for all of us.
I. Consider, First, a Provision Centered in Human Need. John 19:26, “He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.” We hear Jesus address an apparent need, the care of his mother in her senescence. She is left in the care of a son of the cross. She was 45, perhaps 50. There were 6-7 siblings (Matthew 13:55-56). Galatians 1:19 speaks of James “the Lord’s brother.” John 7:5: ”5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” At this time, none of the others are followers, and Jesus wants her under redemptive care.
Not only is this a testament to God’s providence, but His foreknowledge as well. John probably outlived all others. Mary will know comparative ease in the distant confines of Ephesus.
It must also be noted that there is spiritual need here as well. It is not as son, but as Saviour, that Jesus reaches out in her behalf. There were those deep forebodings.
Shepherds were already mentioned, as were the angels. The wise men (Matthew 2:11f) were learned astrologers from the distant east, worshiping, gifting. Luke 1:42 is Elisabeth’s Magnificat—“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”
There were spectacular displays in His life: The Passover pilgrimage when He was twelve; manifestations of healing, teaching. There are stranger forebodings to beset her now. We must see her humanity, so unique, yet still one of us. It is disparaging and dishonest to see her as other than sinner. Jesus must gently remove Himself as son, that she might see Him as Saviour. Ephesians 2:16, “That He might reconcile both [Jew and Greek] unto God in one body on the cross.”
Fine, deeply religious, God-honoring woman that she was, needed not a son, but a Saviour.
II. A Provision Consummated in Manly Compliance. John 19:27, “Then saith He to the disciple, Behold
Thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto His . . . home.” Thus, we concluded Jesus’s intent to see her under the care of a believer.
John had given evidence of the change in his own life. He had been “Boanerges”--son of thunder. He would become “the disciple Jesus loved.” From fisherman to fisher of men. From net mender to knee bender. I John 1:1-2, “1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you . . . .)”
John would be the one, the only one (?), able to help her keep the perspective of Saviour. Not even His own mother must cloud the issue of who He really is: Son of God, Saviour. Multiple references show John’s insight. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Where John could make such a difference for Mary was in the good news of salvation through the cross. John undauntedly proclaimed Christ as Lord. John only records the interview with Nicodemus. John 3:17, “God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Again, only John tells of the woman at the well. John 4:13f, “Whoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but who drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”
He tells of the lame man in Jerusalem. John 5:39f, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life . . . . And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life.”
As the family of Christ in the world today, how vital that we proclaim Him Lord, nothing else. John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is yet day, for the night cometh.” The time comes when the mind is closed against the Lord. Satan works his doom-saying work through sin that clouds the heart to faith. Those who show themselves as Christ’s, show of their Lord.
Throughout history, those times when our Churches have been strongest was when Christ was most clearly enthroned. Mary must not be a detriment by beholding Him as son. How much clearer is our compulsion to proclaim Him Lord?
Church/Lives/Work/Pleasure
Around the world people seek to maintain their status quo, even with guns and tanks.
We are taught to pursue truth. Too many are pathetically like the blind men in the children’s story describing an elephant. One at side, trunk, leg, ear. God’s purpose remains to reveal truth through Christ.
We are facing the corruption of power on a world scale. A historian wrote of the corruption in NYC a hundred years ago. “The good people got tired of being good before the bad people got tired of being bad.”
The Real in our world today is Jesus. The Truth is Jesus. The Power capable of confronting corruption is Jesus. What are we doing about it? He is God’s Son, Saviour, who made provision for the sin of Mary and the Jews, but not for the Jew only and, as well, not only for us WASPS.
Conclusion
A businessman made an appointment to meet with his banker friend. His purpose was to share with his friend of the great estate of Christ to save. As he shared Christ’s love in that He died on the cross to save us, the banker became quite annoyed. “His destiny was in His own hands,” said the banker. “How could Christ’s death redeem me? If I am to be saved, it will be through my efforts.”
The businessman called attention to another man, known to them both waiting to see the banker. “He is coming to tell you of some need. He will press for a loan to meet that need. Will you grant him the right to set the conditions of the loan?” “Absolutely not! I will determine the conditions!” said the banker. “You stand in the same relationship to God. He is the great BANKER. We the poor, helpless sinner. We come to Him for mercy, pardon. Do we presume to set conditions, or do we accept His own?” (251T43p188)
A WORD OF PROMISE (Second Word from the Cross)
#069 A WORD OF PROMISE (Second Word from the Cross)
Scripture Luke 23:39-43, NIV Orig. Date 3/18/62 (3/80)
Rewr. Dates 3/12/87
Passage: 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Purpose: The second of a seven part series with an emphasis on the meaning of the crucifixion.
Keywords: Christ, Redeemer Easter Cross God, Word of
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
It is interesting that the antagonism faced by Jesus was the antagonism of the religious. Oh, there was some of the other kind, but Jesus had been friend to sinners. He was on the cross now to die for sinners. He has taken His place between two thieves.
The religious leaders had been careful to create an atmosphere of suspicion relative to Jesus, and many of the people were afraid to look with openness at what He was doing.
Mark 15:31 “the chief priests . . .said . . . with the scribes ‘he saved others; himself he cannot save.’”
Luke 23:35 “. . .the rulers also scoffed at him.”
Matthew 27:41 “. . . the chief priests mocking him.”
Of these two men with whom Jesus is dying, one “railed” v39 blasphémeó —"to speak evil of.” The other “rebuked” v40 epitimaó—charged.
It was not by accident that Jesus came to die between these two. Two nameless souls, they, who were suddenly thrust into the gaze of eternity. All of Jesus life He had been the friend of sinners. He would not be separated from them in death.
Who they were, no one knows. Bandits perhaps, like those in Jesus’ story of the Samaritan. It has been put forth that they were associates of Barabbas. Insurrectionists, like him. He was the one released by Pilate (Matthew 27:15). The insurrectionist movement was begun to oppose Roman domination but it had degenerated into a habitat for thieves and criminals.
In this context, one suddenly faced up to himself, and then his accomplice. This man between them was also dying. But He was doing so courageously. There was even something regal about His bearing. He prayed for the soldiers “Father, forgive them.” For His antagonists among the leaders and on-lookers, “Father, forgive them.” He suddenly perceived Jesus to be, not an enemy, but a friend. It is that awakening that has brought untold millions to the awakening of faith over the centuries. He no longer saw a cross, but a throne; not thorns about His brow, but a crown; the blood he saw no longer meant death, but life.
I. In This Context, We Must Note First a Promise Defied. V39 “And one of these criminals blasphemed him saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself, and us.”
This man seems almost to believe. We know that Jesus could have done so. Could relieve them of this dying sting. But this man! Can he believe this of Jesus? Like so many, his first thought is of his fleshly body, not his eternal soul.
His anger at being here confuses the promise.
Anger is not of itself a bad thing.
James 1:19 “be slow to anger.”
Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and sin not.”
Matthew 5:22 “Whoever is angry without cause.”
Anger, and the anguish it espouses, can be a good thing for the believer. Emily Brontë wrote in Remembrance—“Once drinking of that divinest anguish, how could I seek the empty world again?” Anguish, you see, can be an ally leading to honesty, and faith, and Christ. And not that only, it is the truest friend of repentance.
But this man’s anger and anguish turn to arrogance. He stands ready to sacrifice everything to his own self-interest. Proverbs 26:12, “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.”
Anguish, born of arrogance, will find no relief. Not unlike Oscar Wilde in his poem Ballad of Reading Gaol,
“The vilest deeds like poison weeds bloom well in prison air;
It is only what is good in man that wastes and withers there:
Pale anguish—anguish—keeps the heavy gate, the warder of despair.”
I Peter 5:5 “. . . All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.”
II. Notice Now a Promise Subscribed. V40 “But the other answered . . . 42 Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.”
Some who had approached Jesus, and some at the cross now, insisted on some sign of power. Just a sign, Jesus, and we will believe: Many in the world today, some in this room today.
But Jesus had spoken all that there is to say. “The only sign that you will be given is that of Jonas”: a sign of death, a sign of submergence and submission, a sign of dependence and selflessness. And too many of us, like too many of them, will have none of it.
“Give us something to help us remember Golgotha.” Give us proof or forget it. Write out a check for the bottom line.
Here was one man who needed no further sign. I remind you, it was not death that converted him. It was life, Jesus’ life. He saw through new eyes. In fact, he saw through no eyes at all, but through his heart. John 6:40, “This is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life.” John 4:42 (Samaritans) “We have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
He, here and forever, makes himself accountable to Christ. Have we done so? You and I? “Well, no,” you say, “But I am not a thief.” When you keep for yourself, what belongs to another, you are a thief. This has nothing to do with possessions. It has to do with us. We belong to another. But we selfishly, greedily withhold what He desires the most: ourselves, our friendship, or time and presence and growth.
III. There Is a Final Element to the Promise. It Is a Promise Supplied. V43 “And He said unto him, Truly I say to you that today you will be with me in paradise.” It was a promise of compassion. Without hesitation the promise is made for Jesus recognizes faith. He opens Himself to the hurting offender. The one who sincerely seeks will always find. He will find all that he wants and more.
But it is essential to see Himself as He is. If we would know Jesus, we would, as well, know our sin, our need. In that comprehension of self, Jesus stands the more revealed. Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour, and I will give you rest.”
As it was a promise of compassion, it was also a promise of comprehension. Jesus meant every word that He spoke. It was a promise of God’s blessing. He didn’t have much of that left. For us, it is a promise of life purpose.
It was a promise of forgiveness. Story of adoptive parents who used an old, tattered, dirty pair of shoes to remind the child from what he came as discipline. Our heavenly Father does not bring out the tattered memories of the past, but promises that through Jesus “our iniquities He will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34).
It was a promise of death-watch. Jesus has already told them to weep not for Him. He will next “commend” His spirit. He has spoken to the thief urging upon him this new life.
It was finally, then, a promise of salvation. Heaven is a place. It is immediately accessible. It is presided over by Christ. It is a place for sinners.
Conclusion
Thus, Jesus herein sets His final seal of satisfaction on what He had given His life to fulfill and declare: “This day thou shalt be with me.” It is not fantasy, but reality.
As declared by James S. Stewart, “The Life and Teaching of Jesus” (p. 170), “. . . that in a single moment from the dust heaps and cinder heaps of life any ruined, hopeless soul, bound in affliction and iron, may pass straight to the perfect release of forgiveness, and wear the white robes of a saint.”
A WORD OF PRAYER (First Word from the Cross)
#068 A WORD OF PRAYER (First Word from the Cross)
Scripture Luke 23:33-34 NIV Orig. 3/11/62 (2/80)
Rewr. March 4, 1987
Passage: 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Purpose: Beginning a series on the words of Christ from the cross, and therein to speak to my people about the prayer of Jesus, and his role as intercessor.
Keywords: Christ Mediator Easter Prayer
Timeline/Series: Words from the Cross
Introduction
There is no better place to begin a study of Jesus’ intercessory prayer on the cross than to examine other places where we find Jesus engaging in prayer. Clearly, his prayer-life and his spiritual purpose are tied strongly together.
Go, in your mind’s eye, and take a position where you can view Jesus at prayer. Go first to the Jordan and watch His baptism. Luke 3:21f “As Jesus was baptized and prayed, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit came in the bodily form of a dove.” God crowns Christ’s surrender in death with the dove which is the symbol of peace.
Then in the wilderness view him praying and fasting. In Matthew 4:1f the devil sought to tempt Jesus to find a less painful way, and less effective, to work at the objective of God. It was through prayer and fasting that Jesus achieved.
Observe occasions when Jesus was beset by weariness. He sought a place of prayer. Mark 1:32f “And at even . . . they brought unto him all that were diseased, . . . and all the city was gathered at the door. . . . And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” We have different ideas today about “resorting,” but for Jesus it meant “to pray.” When Jesus ministered to the needs around Him, He gave of his spiritual vitality and strength. It could only be reclaimed in communion with God the Father.
On the occasion when the apostles were called, Luke 6:12f, “ . . . he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day . . . he chose twelve.” How much of this dependence and helplessness on the part of Jesus must we see revealed before we reckon with our own dependence?”
So, now at Calvary, the crowning achievement of Jesus’ life, and again, we find Him at prayer.
I. The Word of Prayer Speaks First of Priority. V34 “Father, forgive them.” This crisis hour requires strong intervention. Pain seems to bring out the best in people who are the more oriented to it. We who seldom experience it are more taken with self-pity. Too easily accepting sin likewise creates a fantasy of rationalization.
There is a correlation between suffering and sin. It is not always the sinner who suffers. The sufferer is not necessarily the one who has sinned. Behind it all is grace, pointing us through the crisis to forgiveness and peace. Here is Jesus, suffering unto death. His suffering is sin-related, but it is not His crime being exorcised on the cross. He chooses to submit to the will of God that we, you and I, might know His strong intervention in our behalf.
Such suffering, related to the will of God, has eternal consequence. Philippians 3:10 “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death.”
The priority of the moment is that this historical event must express the ultimate will of God. We betray ourselves doctrinally by over-zealous denominationalism. Christ died for our sin is priority. Satan tricks us morally with issues: equality; sexuality; drugs. Being morally right delivers not from sin.
Thus, in prayer on the cross, Jesus teaches us this tremendously important lesson of priority: His determination to do the will of God. Luke 22:42 “Not my will, but Thine.” John 1:13 “Born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, nor . . . man, but of God.” Jesus sought for all to know that the Father was to be trusted.
Paul admonished Ephesians (6:4) fathers, and Christians in general, that they were to be related to their children in trust.
The means of forgiveness is set forth. We must know of “the more excellent way.” We must know that it is attainable: by whom, through whom. We must know the cross is the means.
II. The Word of Prayer Speaks Next of Persistence. V34 “Father, forgive them.” Here is a beautiful illustration of the expressiveness of the Greek language. The English translates, “Then said Jesus.” The Greek, however, contains intense repetition. “He kept on saying, over and over, ‘Father, forgive them.’” As He completes this death-dealing passage through Jerusalem: “Father, forgive them.” His hands and feet are nailed: “Father, forgive them.” The Cross is roughly seated, “Father, forgive them.” Of the jeering crowd, “Father, forgive them.” Of the gambling soldiers, “Father, forgive them.” And the disciples would never be able to forget this scene at Calvary.
Such persistence is typified by His fellowship with the Father. Jesus was content to do the will of God. In Deuteronomy 3:25f, Moses sought to go over the Jordan—God said to Moses, “Speak no more unto me of this matter” (wroth). In Jeremiah 20:7, Jeremiah’s dreams of awakening were quashed. “I have been made a laughing stock all day long.”
Jesus encourages us to this same fellowship with the Father. Samson is an Old Testament example. Judges 16:28 “Give me strength only this once, O God, and let me at one stroke be avenged on the Philistines for my eyes.” A New Testament example is Stephen: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Acts 7:60.
We must also note here for whom Jesus prayed: those believers with breaking heart who accompanied Him here; but as well, the soldiers, the temple police, gloating Sadducee, and grimacing Pharisee; Roman and Jew alike; and for us today, South African of Cape Town or Soweto, Lebanese, of whatever extraction. God seeks our forgiveness and Christ arranged it. The them is us, and we must pursue it.
III. The Word of Prayer Speaks Lastly of Performance. “Father, forgive them. We are guilty beyond measure.” Our guilt is multiplied. We are guilty of sin as charged. Matthew 15:18 “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
We are made twice guilty when we pay only lip service to the Christ of the cross. I Peter 4:13 “Rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
The real performance of our lives revolves around the cross of Jesus. Do you understand why He went to the cross? Do you understand it was with your sin (not sins) in mind? Can you grasp that unless you allow His death to cover your sin, nothing else ever will?
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb is spilt.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide, What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide; Whiter than snow you may be today.
Grace Greater than Our Sin, #164
The prayer of Jesus performed one thing more. It eased the agony through which He was going. It was not the agony of raw nerves, untended wounds, or insult, or indifferent masses, then and now. It was the agony of separation from the Father.
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne, Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Lest we forget, nothing shows His consciousness of His Sonship like this prayer: God’s will first, and dealing with man’s sin effectively.
What remains is obedience on our part.
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***