February 22, 2015
All about words…
Holy God, ruler of all, we come before you during this Lenten
season to not only learn more about Jesus last words from the Cross, but speak
them ourselves. For Jesus clearly spoke
out of love for You. And His task was to
fulfill Your plan for all of mankind.
Enable us to embrace Jesus Words and emulate them in our daily life as
we demonstrate for others our commitment to Your plan of salvation. AMEN.
“Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but words will never hurt
me.” In schools across our nation many
children have been taught this phrase when bullies and kids who are just plain
mean hurl insults, not only at the kids sitting in the same seats, but also at
the teachers and others in authority. As
we journey through Lent this year we will be hearing Words and phrases from
Jesus Christ. Unlike the bullies, Jesus
Words that we will be hearing are the “Words from the Cross”. Jesus words are a fulfillment of prophecy and
for our spiritual edification during Lent.
Jesus words are simply to teach us to what degree, Jesus was willing to
sacrifice Himself in order for us to be with Him in His Kingdom. The first phrase we will ponder today is from
Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Clearly this phrase in 11 simple words clearly articulates what
Jesus wanted for all of mankind, including the soldiers who had in the last 24
hours beaten Him, scourged Him, mocked Him and ultimately had nailed Him to the
Cross. Jesus was declaring what they in
fact didn’t deserve, but what He was willing to give them. Why would Jesus ask His Father to forgive
them? These men who had humiliated Him,
stripped Him of all human decency and clearly made His life a living Hell. Were those men acting on their own? Or were those men merely puppets and pawns?
Jesus own words reveal what Jesus was willing to do, ‘forgive
them’, even in the face of evil. These
men were instruments of evil. Their
actions were the most heinous, but in all actuality had a divine purpose not
only in mind, but fulfilled in Jesus being nailed to the Cross. The purpose was in order that Jesus would suffer
the worse fate of any man, ask God to forgive them and all of mankind and to
die for all of mankind, including you and me.
The fate Jesus endured was what we deserve. But Jesus Christ was willing to endure the
torture, pain and humiliation for you and for me because of His love for us. In these 11 words, “Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they do.”, we hear Jesus Christ plea, not just for the
men who inflicted the pain upon Jesus, but for the pain we inflict upon Jesus daily
when we sin. Jesus suffered and was
nailed to the cross not just by the men who drove the nails, beat Him and
mocked Him, but by each and every one of us who gather here today. What keeps Jesus on the Cross of Calvary is
not the mere mortal nails driven into the wood, but our sins that hold Jesus to
the Cross. Our daily transgressions, our
words that inflict the pain of broken relationships and show sin in our lives,
whether to our friends, family or even here in the church by our attitude or
feelings of superiority or self-indulgent righteousness.
But Jesus Christ through these words, “Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they do.”, that we hear from the Cross of Calvary offers each
and every one of us gathered here today true forgiveness. Jesus Christ in the most powerful way offers
us the forgiveness of sins, by His simple declaration. It is a declaration first proclaimed in the
hearing of and for the men who nailed Him to the Cross, and today it is
proclaimed for each of us gathered here who hear those simple 11 words.
Jesus Christ in true humility and service, declares all of
mankind, including each and every one of us gathered here today, “Not
Guilty”. We are forgiven for our sins. God through the life of Jesus Christ endured
the worst of mankind, in order to offer us the forgiveness that only Jesus
Christ could offer with His life. We who
gather here today who hear Jesus Words of forgiveness are offered the greatest
gift of life and salvation by Jesus simple declaration of forgiveness. Jesus Christ came and offers us today the
true forgiveness of sins and life and salvation for all of mankind, including
each and every one of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel on this first Sunday
in Lent who hear, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” AMEN.
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