I want us today to hear our Lord
Jesus Christ himself as he speaks to us from the cursed tree, bearing
our sin in his own body on the tree. My subject is seven words
from the cross. We're going to look briefly at
those seven things our Lord Jesus Christ spoke as he hung upon
the cursed tree, suffering the horrid wrath of God for us. When he who knew no sin was made
sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Now there's no question at all There are many things that our
Redeemer spoke while he hung upon that tree in that day of
midnight when he suffered the wrath of God in our stead. Many of those things are written
plainly in Psalm 22, Psalm 40, Psalm 69. But God the Holy Ghost inspired
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to specifically record seven
statements spoken by the Lamb of God as he bear our sin and
bear the wrath of God as our sin atoning sacrifice, bearing
all the fury of divine justice and wrath as our substitute.
These last seven words that fell from the lips of our Lord Jesus
are recorded in the book of God by divine purpose. They're recorded
by divine inspiration for our learning, for our edification,
and for our comfort and hope. This is what God himself declares
to us in Romans chapter 15 and verse 4. Whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for our learning. that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. When I got word
Friday morning early, Brother Bill sent me a text early Friday
morning that the Lord had taken Bobby, I wasn't surprised. I
expected that he was soon to leave here. But I began to wonder
how shall I minister to you who are God's? What's the best way
to minister to you in times of difficulty, in times of heartache,
in times of sorrow? And there are many answers and
many things that I had passed through my mind and heart these
past few days, but I can't think of a better way to minister to
your soul's needs and mine under any circumstances than by thinking
much about Jesus Christ and him crucified. I can't think of any
better way. at any time of need to find comfort,
strength, and hope than musing much upon the doing and dying
of the Lord Jesus Christ. How I pray that God the Lord
will be pleased to grant me grace that I may live with the cross
of Christ ever before me. Just right there all the time. Oh, for grace, never to have
my mind taken from him who loved me and gave himself for me. Grace
to live with our minds constantly thinking about what he has done,
what he suffered, the price he paid for the salvation he wrought
for his people. I ask God the Holy Ghost to inscribe
the things we see and hear here upon your heart and mine for
Christ's sake and for our soul's sake. Let's go back to Calvary. What a scene of infamy. What
a scene of woe. What a scene of sorrow. What
a scene of pain and shame and sin and grief. What a scene of
justice. Justice drew forth his dreadful
sword. Yes, justice slaughtered the
Son of God. What a scene of grace. Oh, the
grace that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it
down to man. What a scene of grace Calvary
is. What a scene of the revelation
of the love of God we find at Mount Calvary. In this volume
of inspiration, God the Holy Ghost has taken very special
care to record these seven things spoken by our Savior as he was
dying in our stead. Let me give them to you and then
we'll look at them. I know that mountains of books
and thousands of words have been written and preached on these
seven sayings, and I'm not about to exhaust them, and I'll come
back to them again. But just listen to the Savior.
He said in Luke 23, Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do. He said again in that 23rd chapter
of Luke, to the penitent thief today, thou shall be with me
in paradise. In John 19, he looked at his
mother and he said, woman, behold thy son. And he looked at the
disciple whom he loved, John the apostle, and he said, son,
behold thy mother. In Matthew 27, Our Lord Jesus
reiterated those words that we read in Psalm 22. My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? Then in John 19, John tells us
he heard the Savior say, I thirst. And then he heard him say, it
is finished. And then in Luke 23, Luke tells
us that he said this last word. Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit. Now I only have one fear in preaching
this message. And that fear is the terrible
tendency to reduce these tremendous themes to nothing but homiletical
points of dry doctrine and lifeless theology. Oh, God forbid that. Will you speak now, blessed Savior,
to our hearts as you spoke to God and to your people when you
hung upon the cursed tree? First, let's look at Luke 23,
Luke 23. Here's the first word of our
Lord Jesus as he hung upon the cursed tree that's recorded for
us. Verse 34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them. Can you imagine the scene? I can't imagine any man in these
circumstances expressing those words. He looks out at the cheering,
jeering crowds, laughing and mocking, who cried, crucify him,
crucify him. His blood be on us and on our
children. And he looks at the soldiers
who berated him and beat him. Those who nailed him to the cursed
tree. Those who sentenced him to death. He looks at the high
priest and the harlots, all dancing around his cross. all those who
wished that he should suffer everything he now suffers. And
he says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Paul later expressed, he said,
if they had known that he's the Lord of glory, they crucified
him. They don't know what they're doing. Father, forgive them. Here is Christ our mediator. The Son of God is suffering by
the hands of men, suffering with men, suffering as a wicked man,
and yet praying for the men who made him to suffer. There is
one mediator. and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus. Thank God for that mediator. If you and I would find acceptance
with God, we must have a mediator. A mediator that is a man like
us and a mediator who is God. One who is able to lay hold of
God and one who is able to lay hold of us and bring God and
man together in perfect harmony. That mediator is Jesus Christ
the Lord. And the only way he could do
it The only way he could bring God and man together is by the
sacrifice of himself, by satisfying the justice of God in our stead. He who meets all our needs is
our mediator. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is
he. Can you imagine what it must
have done for Peter later on? Not when it happened, but later
on. So many things the Lord teaches us, we learn later on. Peter
had said, James and John, they may forsake you. These other
disciples, they may forsake you. That's pretty well loudly spoken
between the lines, isn't it? But not me, not me. I will die
with you. And the Lord Jesus said, Peter,
Satan's desired to have you. that he may sift you as wheat.
And he said, I'm going to have Satan run you through the sieve,
but it'll be my sieve. Satan's desired to have you.
Nevertheless, I have prayed for thee. I have prayed for thee. I dare say, If Peter is listening
in this morning, he'll forgive me if I'm wrong. I dare say that
those words meant nothing to Peter when he heard them. They meant nothing to him when
he heard them, but in just a few days they would. after the Lord's
risen from the dead. And he meets Peter by the lake,
just like he said he would in Galilee. And he called Peter
and restored Peter. Peter who thought all was now
lost because he had cursed and denied the Lord Jesus. Oh, this
is he who prayed for me, who now tells me that I am his and
he is mine. Children of God, Christ is our
mediator. He is our advocate. That means
that he has reconciled us to God. But that's not all. He constantly
intercedes on our behalf at the throne of God. Shelby and I talked
a good bit about this this week. One of the children, I think
it was Samuel, asked her, said, does the Lord still have the
nail prints in his hands? Will we really see them? And
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know the
answer. I just, I wouldn't attempt to guess, but we'll really see
them. I would attempt to guess, he spreads his nails, hands before
the throne of God and intercedes for us continually. Not necessarily
the physical sight, but all that they represent and speak of.
I has not seen nor ear heard the things that God's prepared
for us. Neither has it entered into these
hearts of ours that which God's prepared for us. He's revealed
the fact, but not the reality of it. For that we have to wait
another day or two until we're with him in his glory. But this
I know, even now, Our Savior stands at the right hand of the
throne of God as our advocate, as our mediator. Like a lamb
that had been slain, John said. What pictures we have. So many
pictures that seem redundant. He sat down on the right hand
of God. He's seated on the throne of God. He's rising up as a lamb
out of the throne. He stands at the right hand of
God. Well, those things contradict each other. No, no, no, no, no,
no. They're just giving us little pictures. Just little pictures
because we can't get the whole picture at one time. But right
now, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ the
righteous. And he is an advocate, a mediator,
who carries our souls and our care and our lives upon his broad
shoulders all the time, constantly interceding for us, constantly
standing in our stead, constantly bearing us up. All right, second,
look down just a few lines to verse 43. In verse 42, the dying thief,
who just a little while before had been cussing the Savior just
like the other one. Isn't that something? I mean,
it was just a matter of a few minutes. He'd been cussing him,
but all the while he's hearing things. He saved others, himself
he cannot save. This is Jesus of Nazareth, king
of the Jews. He said he's the son of God,
let's see. But all the while he's cussing
him. And then the word of God is brought powerfully to his
heart, granting him repentance. And he says, Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom. Remember me. Remember me graciously. Remember me favorably. Remember
me as only you can. Remember me when you come into
your kingdom, confessing Christ to be Lord, confessing Christ
to be King. And the Lord Jesus says in verse
43, verily, verily, I say unto thee today. I like that word. Today. Today. shalt thou be with me in paradise. This very day, this very day,
before midnight comes, you will be with me in paradise. The immediate prospect of heaven
is that in which we live as God's people. The immediate prospect
of heavenly glory. Eternity is but a breath away. Eternity is but a breath away. Christ is but a breath away. Hear me, you who believe not. Hell is but a breath away. But our Lord Jesus says, today
shalt thou be with me in paradise. Here is Christ our Lord, the
king, our sovereign king, the ruler in his kingdom, saving
whom he will. Here's the king opening the door
which no man can ever open. And here is the prince of peace
giving peace that no man can give. This die thief, he's dying
as a scoundrel, the death he deserves to die, a thief worthy
of death under Roman law. Dying a torturous death. And
the Lord Jesus says to him, here's something for you to rest in.
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise, giving him peace no
man can give and no man can take away. Here's the king of glory,
promising mercy and eternal life to a man who fully deserved wrath. Would you obtain mercy like this
thief? Would you have God's salvation? Speak now where you are without
moving your lips. Remember me. Come now where you
sit without moving your feet. Come to Christ. Believe without
doing anything on the Son of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ
promises you, you shall be with me in paradise. It is impossible
for a sinner to believe on the Son of God and perish in his
sins. Did you hear me? It is impossible
for a sinner to believe on the Son of God and perish in his
sins. So I call you, believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. You see, salvation is of the
Lord. Comes from the throne of grace
and the king who sits on that throne is Jesus Christ our Savior
and Lord Who's gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God
who? Gives life to whom he will because
he is himself God the Savior Look in John chapter 19 John
19 verse 26 and behold our Savior speak as
our example. When Jesus therefore saw his
mother and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto
his mother, woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple,
behold thy mother. And from that hour, that disciple
took her into his own house. What an example our Savior gives
us in all things. Even in the agonies of death,
under the penalty of sin, enduring the wrath of God, fulfilling
the everlasting covenant, accomplishing eternal redemption for us, satisfying
divine justice in our stead. Even in that, Our Lord Jesus
did not in any way neglect the responsibilities of manhood. Oh, my soul, preacher, listen
to yourself now. What weight was on him? What pain was in him? What sorrow
pressed him down? What grief? What agony? What darkness? What trial? What difficulty? None on earth
can imagine! And yet, amid all those things,
he remembers and behaves as a man responsible on this earth. Responsible. And he meets the responsibilities.
Our Lord Jesus says, woman, behold thy son. And he says to John's
son, behold your mother. Taking care of little matters when great matters
were at hand. Our Lord Jesus fulfilled all
righteousness as a man. He did everything that a man
ought to do. He was circumcised on the eighth
day. He was subject to his parents
as a boy. He was baptized in the name of God. He attended
the synagogue and learned the things of God. He was a maid
of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under
the law. And he fulfilled all righteousness as a man, as our
representative. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many are
made righteous. And our dear Savior fulfilled
all righteousness for us as our example. Peter tells us he suffered
for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his
steps. He himself washed his disciples
feet and said, now you go do what I've done to you. If we
would learn how to live for God, if we would learn how to serve
God, if we would learn how to worship God, if we would learn
how to honor God, let us spend much time at Calvary and follow
the example of our Savior. Here is devotion, utter devotion with no rival. Here is a willing, giving sacrifice,
a gift to God, willingly made, very costly. Here is love. How should a man love a woman?
Read about the Savior's love for his bride, the church. He
loved us and gave himself for us. And even in the last hour
of his life on this earth, he says, mama, you watch me and
John, you take care of my mama. You take care of her. And from
that hour, John took her to his own house and treated her like
she was his mother. What an example. What an example. Friday night, I preached to the
folks up in New Jersey, in Ewing, on the subject, The High Honor
God Puts Upon His People. I would encourage you to download
the message and listen to it. And I wrapped the message up
by referring to Brother Bobby. I baptized him, I think it was
32 years ago. I remember when I first came
here, Judy asked me if I'd marry her and Bobby, and I said, of
course I will. And we talked a little bit. And
she said, we talked a little more. I said to her, Judy, you
understand what you're getting. He has no interest in God, the
things of God, the gospel of God's grace. And she said, well,
he's a member of Hyattsville Church out in Lancaster. I said,
no, that's what I said. He has no interest in God, the
things of God, the gospel of God's grace. And you're not gonna
change that. So when you marry him, don't
badger him, don't beat him to death. Love him, be a good wife
to him, and don't let him keep you from worshiping God. And
she did. She did. And every now and then, some
of you will remember, every now and then, not often, but once
in a while, just every now and then, for some reason, Bobby
would come to church with her. And he'd sit there, and he was
always very nice, never had any difficulty, always very nice.
And then one Sunday morning, I announced from the pulpit I
was going to begin on Tuesday night a series of messages on
what men call the five points of Calvinism, the doctrines of
grace. And Bobby didn't say a word, but he was there Tuesday night.
And from then on, I'm talking from then on, he was right there
every service. And after a while, about a year
or so, met him at the door and he said, I want to confess Christ
in baptism. God saved me. He said, I thought
I knew God before, but I didn't know God at all. And he confessed
Christ in baptism. And shortly after that, he realized
that things needed to be done around there, and I didn't ask
him. I didn't say anything. I just preached and wait and
see what God's pleased to do with folks, and you do what you
wish to do. He started mowing the grass.
Every week, every week. Bought some special equipment
to mow it with. And then bought a dressmower every week, every
week. Never called me to ask about it. Never, not one thing,
every week. He couldn't preach. He didn't
want to preach. He knew that wasn't his calling. He could mow grass. Nobody knew
this except Bobby and me, and once in a while Shelby would
know. Usually when I go out down to preach he'd meet me at the
door shake hands stick a little folding money in my hand Go out
supper something on the way almost every time almost every time
never said a word about it And I'll tell you what it didn't
do. They submitted. Did you know Bobby was a very opinionated
man? Is that right? Hey, he didn't mind giving his
opinion about the sun shining or not shining. He was a very
opinionated man But I'll tell you a rare thing about him I
was his pastor for 32 years. He never one time offered an
opinion about how things ought to be done here. Never one time offered an opinion
about how the church ought to be doing stuff. Never one time
offered an opinion about what the preacher ought to do. Not
even once. Betty, that, I mean, I started
to call you, it is Betty. That took something for your
brother. He didn't offer an opinion one time. He bowed to the word
of God and rejoiced in the worship of God. What an example. Following the
Savior's example in faithfulness. to the end. One of the last things
I heard from him, I don't know whether it was Bill or Shante,
said, I sure do miss church. I want to get back to church.
Oh, you and I ought to make it our business to follow the Savior's
example in all things. All right, Matthew 27. Here's
the fourth word. About the ninth hour, verse 46. About the ninth hour. That's
the time of the evening sacrifice. The evening sacrifice every day
in Israel pointed to this hour. About the ninth hour, three o'clock
in the afternoon. After three hours of darkness, Jesus cried
with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? This is the only time in Holy
Scripture, the only time in Holy Scripture, the Lord Jesus spoke
to the Father as God. The only time. Elsewhere he calls him father.
Here he takes the lowest place of humanity and cries out to
his father and our father as a creature to be pitted by the
creator. In his great agony, this mighty
man who is God Reverts to his childhood speaking in his native
Syrian tongue not in the Hebrew of his father's Not in the Greek
he acquired as he matured but as a Syrian boy At the height
of his obedience to the father The Lord of Glory was forsaken
by his God and our God Because We deserve to be forsaken
forever. Because he who bear our sin in
his body, he who was made sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him, was made sin. made guilt, made iniquity, made
transgression, made all that we are and became deserving. He deserved, he deserved the
fury of God's just anger when he was made sin for us. And therefore he is forsaken
of God, who is a purer eyes than to behold iniquity. This is real substitution. This is a real transfer of real
sin. from sinners to the sinner's
substitute. This is real suffering, real
agony, real hell in his soul. He was forsaken of God so that
those for whom he suffered and died, you and me, may never be
forsaken of God. what an infinitely horribly evil
thing sin must be. How holy, how just, how righteous,
how good, how gracious, how loving our God must be. Oh my soul,
how great, how infinitely great is the love of Christ for us. herein is love. Not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and gave his son for us. This is
the means by which God commends his love toward us. And that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is the love
of God for us at its apex. Christ Jesus at the highest point
of obedience made sin for us. willingly drinking the cup of
our iniquity and the cup of God's wrath, and God pouring out on
his darling son all the fury of his wrath, and God the Holy
Spirit recording the words that we may know the love of Christ
that passes knowledge. Oh, what a Savior. Now look at John 19 verse 28. Here's the fifth word. After this, Jesus, knowing that
all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith, I thirst. I thirst. Our Lord Jesus Christ was and
is a real man. A real man. He was as much man
as Don Fortner, or Skip Gladstone. Just as much man. I have no hesitancy
in declaring he was not the kind of limp-wristed man you see portrayed
in the pictures that are supposed to represent him. I don't know
why every picture you see supposed to represent the Lord Jesus portrays
him as a sissy, somebody with a little light in the loafers
and limp wristed. He wasn't, he was a man. He was a man. What do you mean? Well, it was
a man who made a whip and drove everybody out of the temple one
time and didn't ask anybody for permission. He's a man. He's
a man. But this man was a real man.
tempted in all points like as we are. Without any evil passion,
sin, but a man. A man who knew what it was to
get tired, to grow weary, to be hungry, to be thirsty. I got in here last night and
I just exhausted. When I got up this morning, I
was just as exhausted. And I started thinking about
preaching this message. And I thank God for a savior
who was exhausted and never quit his work. Exhausted and never
stopped for a moment. Exhausted and kept plugging away
at what he came here to do. He was thirsty, thirsty. I thirst, I thirst. He who had been forsaken by his
father, how he thirsted and panted for the living God. How he thirsted
for our souls, he suffered all the hell of God's wrath to have
us. But in order that he should suffer
such thirst, he thirsted for water. Thirsted for water. Just a drink of some cool, refreshing
water. In recent years, I have found
out a little more about thirst than I ever knew before. I take
a lot of medications, and through the night, my mouth gets so dry. I mean so dry that I have to
pull my tongue off the roof of my mouth. It's just dry. And
I drink a ton of water, and the water is so good. When he was thirsty, they gave
him vinegar to drink. This man. Now, why are you telling
us this, pastor? This man is touched with the
feeling of your infirmities. More than your pastor can be.
More than your mother can be. More than your husband can be.
More than your wife can be. He's touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. Moved by what moves you. So that he, this man who is God,
is able to succor them that are tempted. He helps and he's able to help
with tender feelings of empathy. He's touched with the feeling
of your infirmities number six Look at John 19 again verse 28
through 30 After this Jesus knowing that
all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled
saith I thirst I Now there was set a vessel of vinegar and they
filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put
it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished. It is finished. Our blessed surety
spoke in triumph and he here declares that all he came here
to accomplish is now finished. The father's will he came to
perform is finished. The saving of his people he came
to accomplish is finished. The bringing in of everlasting
righteousness is finished. The putting away of sin is finished. All the types and prophecies
and promises of the Old Testament scriptures, finished. The law
he came to fulfill, finished. everything finished as God himself
would have it. And now he who came to fulfill
all has finished all and goes to the Father as Jehovah's righteous
servant, having accomplished everything Jehovah sent him here
to accomplish. Wrath was finished. Judgment
was finished. Sin was finished. Redemption
was finished. Righteousness finished. Justification
finished. Sanctification finished. Salvation
finished. Finished by the crucified Son
of God. Now one more text. Look back
at Luke. Luke chapter 23. One more statement. Verse 46, when Jesus had cried with a loud
voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave
up the ghost. Once our great Redeemer had finished
his work, He did what no mere man could
do. He exhaled his life. And when
he did, he entered into rest. He that has entered into his
rest, he also has ceased from his own works as God did from
his. Our Savior died with the word
of God on his heart and on his lips. These words spoken here
are direct quotation from Psalm 31. But be sure you don't miss
this. Our dear Savior, our great God,
who cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me now? calls his father by that endearing
name again, Father. Because the storm of God's wrath
that beat fiercely upon his holy soul is now over. Only one thing is to be done,
he must die. But here he seems to say to poor,
needy sinners like you and me, look here, look to me. Behold now, reconciliation is
made. Anger is turned away. Judgment
is gone. I now have finished my work. And watch me now. I'm about to enter into my rest. All my work is finished. And he took his seat on the right
hand of the majesty on high, resting from his works. And he
bids you come enter into his rest and rest with him forever. Amen.