Luke 23 and verse 32, and there
were also two other malefactors led with him to be put to death.
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary,
there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right
hand and the other on the left, then, said Jesus, then when he
was crucified, when he was accomplishing the work that he came to accomplish,
when he was shedding his precious blood on Calvary, when he was
making his own soul an offering for my sin, then he said, Father,
forgive them. For they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and
cast lots showing that they had no idea what they were doing. And representing all of us in
that, we don't have any idea, do we? We still don't know what
we did. At the very beginning of our
Lord's earthly ministry, perhaps his first public address began
this way, in Matthew 5.1, seeing the multitudes, he went up into
a mountain, another mountain, a different mountain. And when
he was set, his disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth
and taught them, saying, blessed, blessed, blessed are the poor
in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. And here as sinful man treats
the Lord Jesus Christ as horribly as they can think of to treat
him, as they murder him in the most
painful and humiliating way in which man has ever devised to
murder someone. in the way that of all ways to
kill a person, the one that most expresses utter contempt and
disdain and hatred. And there he's crucified. And the first thing he says,
as the cross is raised up and the blood flows down from his
back, from his pierced head, from his beaten face, from his
hands and from his feet. He opens his mouth again and
says, Father, forgive them. But before we look at these three
words, let's look at the phrase that accompanies them, for they
know not what they do. You might assume that this is
a defense of them. that this mitigates their guilt. You might say, as often I wondered,
is that what it is? Before the Lord, I believe, gave
me some light on this. And here's the truth of the matter. Even with man's laws, ignorance
is not an excuse, is it? He's not making excuses for our
sin. Even with man's laws, that doesn't work, does it? Try getting
the IRS to let you off because you say, well, I wasn't familiar
with the tax laws. They'll say, oh, I'm sorry about
that. Here's how much you owe. You're better off being familiar
with them, because you don't want them to tell you how much you
owe, do you? There are sins right now, this
morning, that you don't even know that you're committing.
Do they not count then? You'll have to be given, forgiven
for each one of them, won't you? You'll have to be forgiven for
them. The ones you don't even know you're committing or you'll
have to pay for them. No, this is not a defense of
their sin. This is just the opposite. It's
an indictment. What they are doing, what all
of mankind is guilty of, the murder of God himself. The message
in the book of Acts was you killed the prince of life. That's the epitome of evil. It's
the definition of evil. This is the condemnation. And
so much so that the magnitude of the guilt and the iniquity
of it cannot be calculated. It can't be calculated. And think
about this, our Lord came to save. He came to save. Our guilt is infinite and yet
he came to save those who are infinitely guilty. He said in
John 3, 17, for God sent not his son into the world to condemn
the world, the world was already condemned. He said in another
place, you're condemned already because you haven't believed
on the son of God. But that the world through him might be saved
That's saved from what? Sin. Saved from sins. He came to save us from our sins.
Well, what is sin? You've got to look at Calvary.
Calvary is the definition of that, the cross. Look what the
world has done. Look at the will of man. You
want to trust the will of man? The cross is man's will. In condemning,
and putting to death God's only son. Look what we did. How can
we be saved? If he came to save, how's he
gonna do that? Look again to Calvary, because
that's salvation also. What we have done is unknowable.
Our guilt is unfathomable. We ought to all suffer a thousand
hells for a thousand eternities. And we could never even begin
to know what we've done. And so there's one hope, Father,
forgive them. Let me ask you this, and I don't
want to say this in the wrong way. I'm not saying it doesn't
matter what we've done, it does. But in this context, in this
sense, what difference does it make what you've done if it's
forgiven? You see what I'm saying? We shouldn't
think about it and understand what happened, our guilt and
our sin before God. But what difference does it make
how bad you are if it's forgiven? Everybody that's forgiven is
forgiven, no matter what they owed, no matter what they did,
no matter how bad they are. It's all gone now. Father forgive
forgive But God is holy This is God now, this is God speaking
in Ezekiel 18 for behold all souls are mine as The soul of
the father so also the soul of the son is mine the soul that
sinneth it shall die That's every one of us The soul that sinneth
it shall die Well, is Calvary a contradiction of that? I'm a soul that sinneth. Am I
going to die? The Lord said, he that liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. That's not a contradiction. And
the reason it's not is Calvary. It's Christ crucified. Remember that. That's why it's
not a contradiction. for God to say every sinner must
die. The reason it's not a contradiction
if he lets some of them live is Christ and what he did on
Calvary. Remember that, because we're
going to say that again in a minute. This is God who must punish sin
though. That's what we need to see. He
must put you in hell if you're a sinner. All sin must be punished. Listen to Proverbs 17, 15. He
that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just,
even both they are an abomination to the Lord. Even both. If you justify the
wicked, if you know somebody beyond a shadow of a doubt is
proven, that they're evil, that they deserve to die, and you
let them go free, you're an abomination to God. But wait a minute, isn't
that what God did for me? That's exactly what he did for
me. He justifies the ungodly, does
he not? Well, why is that not a contradiction? Because Christ gave himself for
me. It's that simple. It's not complicated. How can God forgive the wicked? And how can he condemn the just?
If he just said, anybody that does either one of those things
is an abomination to God. Because his son, listen to me
carefully now. You wanna know the reason? You
wanna know how he can do that? Because his son asked him to. Because he asked him to. Father,
forgive them. Now, you be careful before you
ever answer that question any other way than that. It's because
he asked him to. It's because he, the crucified,
spotless Lamb of God, asked him to. Father, forgive them. The Lord Jesus Christ took my
sin upon himself. And I don't understand that.
I don't know how he can do that. I don't know how that works exactly.
But I know what the scripture says. He bore our sins in his
own body on the tree. He washed us from our sins in
his own blood. Who did God say he justified
now? Let me be clear about this. Mark it down if you'd like to.
Proverbs 17, 15. He that justifieth the wicked
is an abomination unto God. Romans 4, 4. Now to him that
worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. If you
work your way to heaven, if you by your own good works presume
to be acceptable before God, then there's no grace. You're
not on footing of grace anymore. you're gonna get what God owes
you, and you don't want that. It's a matter of death then. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. Who does he justify? Not those that used to be ungodly.
He justifies the ungodly. That's the way God says it now.
So I'd be careful before I said it any other way. God commended
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Father, forgive them. And we have no idea What it is we need to be forgiven
of we don't know he said we don't know and sure enough we don't
know And we don't really know what it took For him to wash
it away But we can rejoice that he did We can rejoice that he
did And who was it that suffered
the condemnation and wrath of god that day on calvary Who was
it? Remember our verse there, Proverbs
17, 15. Here's the second part. He that
condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the
Lord. You justify the wicked or condemn the just, abomination. Can't happen. Just like what we read well ago,
the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Well, we're all goners then,
except Christ. And what he did for me Who was
it that suffered the condemnation and wrath of God that day on
Calvary? First Peter 3 18 for Christ also hath once suffered
for sins the just He that condemneth the just is
an abomination if you do it is But when God did, and is that
what he said he did? He suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust. Not him that used to be just
and then wasn't just and then was just again. He's the eternal
son of God. He's the immutable son of God.
He suffered for sins, the just In the place of the unjust and
he did it to bring us to God. So I'm kind of glad he did it. I suspect you are too if you
know him. Being put to death in the flesh. Our text is him suffering from
my sins. The just. for the unjust. So why did God, in the language
of scripture now, this is not me saying, well, you know, trying
to reason this out. I don't recommend trying to reason
any of it out. I think we should just believe
what God said. By God's grace, that's what I think. So why did
God, in the language of scripture, justify the ungodly and condemn
the spotless lamb? That's what he did. Why did the
just one, And that word there where we just read means innocent,
righteous, guiltless. Why did he suffer the wrath of
God in my place? Listen to Psalm 27. I will declare the decree. This
is God speaking. The Lord hath said unto me, this
is now Christ speaking, the Lord said to me, you're my son, thou
art my son, capital S, this day have I begotten thee, ask of
me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.
Just ask and they're yours, he did. In John 17, Just before our text, in chronological
order, as he was going to the cross and praying his high priestly
prayer, he said, Father, I will, that those that you've given
me be with me where I am. He did ask for us, didn't he? You know
who the heathen is? That's you. That's me. He said, Father, forgive them.
Done. Ask of me the heathen for thine
inheritance. I'll give them to you. I'll give
them to you. At what cost? The precious blood of God's Son.
Remember what the Lord Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane? Jesus, therefore, knowing all
things that should come upon him, knowing, knowing all things
that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them, Whom
seek ye? And they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith
unto them, I am. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, stood with them. And as soon as he had said unto
them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground. Then
asked he them again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus answered, I have told
you that I am. And remember these words, knowing
all that should come upon him. He said, if therefore you seek
me, let these go their way. let them go you can have me but
you're not taking them that the saying might be fulfilled which
he spake of them which thou gavest me i have lost none the same reason he said father
forgive them take me and let them go now the saying of them
which thou gavest me, I have lost none. This, letting them
go physically and not killing them there in the garden of Gethsemane,
that company of soldiers with swords, not killing the disciples
right there, not arresting them also and crucifying them with
him, that cannot be a fulfillment of Christ not losing any of those
the father gave him, if it only refers to their physical welfare
in this world. All of these, except for John,
died martyrs' deaths not very long after this. Did Christ lose
them then? No, this is the substitute giving
himself in the place of those that he loved from eternity and
purposed to save, not just from physical harm, sometimes specifically
not from physical harm, but from spiritual death. And in doing
that, he said, take me and let these go. It is right for him
to be condemned, the just for the unjust, because he willingly
gave himself. He purposed it from eternity.
He became our surety, knowing what would come upon him, as
we just read. As Brother Bob just read a while
ago, him physically healing people's diseases is not the fulfillment
of Isaiah 53. It's a picture of it though.
It was done that it might be fulfilled. It shows forth how
he took our soul's disease. He took our sins upon himself
and put them away on Calvary. And when he said from the cross,
Father, forgive them, is he speaking of all those who were present
that day? Was he speaking of just everybody that heard his
voice physically? Was he speaking of the whole
world? Well, again, in John 17, I mean, he's about to be arrested.
He's praying in Gethsemane, John 17, and they're about to take
him. And him knowing what should come
upon him and what he was about to accomplish said this, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world. When
I say, Father, forgive them, I'm not talking about the whole
world and everybody that ever lived. If he was talking about
it, then they would have all been forgiven. but for them which thou hast
given me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I'm glorified in them. Is he only praying for
his disciples then that were at the cross that day? Just the
ones that were his, his disciples, his apostles, and his other followers
that truly believed on him? John 17 20, same high priestly
prayer. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word. Do you believe on the Son of
God? You see why that's the question? Because if you do, then this
prayer, he prayed it for you. Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do, unless we're forgiven we will suffer forever we will
die forever for what we've done those that shall believe on me
through their word that they all may be one as thou father
art in me and i in thee that they also may be one in And those are the key words.
Now, if you read a little bit further down in verse 24, he
says this, Father, I will that they also whom thou has given
me be with me where I am. How does that happen? Father,
forgive them. Father, I will that they be with
me. Forgive them. How are we gonna be with him?
Why are we gonna be with him? Because he wants us to be and
because he asked for it. First Peter 3.18, Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that
he might bring us to God. Why does God forgive sinners?
Because the Son of God asked him to, that's why. Now you think
about that before you answer it another way, you think about
that. The Son of God, because the one who bore their sins said,
forgive them. because the righteous, spotless,
holy lamb asked him to. That's why. Because of who it
is that asked him and what he did to make it the right thing
to do. God only does what's right. This
is not a contradiction of Proverbs 17, whatever that was we read
a while ago. It's not a contradiction. It's a fulfillment of it. Now think about this again with
me. According to God's own law, according to his own word, the
only right thing to do with the wicked is to condemn them. Proverbs 17, 15. If you justify
the wicked, you're an abomination to God. And yet God did that
very thing. He justified the wicked. How?
Romans 8, 33. Listen to this carefully now.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is
God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? Here
is Paul who said, I'm the biggest sinner that ever lived. Isn't
that what he said? And yet he was able to say, nobody can charge
me with anything wrong. Why? How? It is Christ that died. Yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. That's what he did in our text.
Father, forgive them. According to Paul, he's still
doing that. According to God, he's still doing that. Because
he asked him to. Because of who died and who rose
and who intercedes. That's the answer. That's the
full answer. And if you condemn the righteous,
you're an abomination to God. In fact, that's what we did at
Calvary, isn't it? We said by our law, he ought
to die. We condemned the righteous one. Abomination. And because we did, we all are
by nature the children of wrath, even as others. even we believers,
by nature, as we're born into this world. If God left us to
ourselves. But God condemneth his son in
the place of sinners. And Christ Jesus willingly laid
down his life. He willingly bore our sin in
his own body on the tree. He suffered for the unjust. He never was anything but the
just one, but he bore my sin in such a way that it was right
for God to pour out his wrath on him as my substitute. You say, how is that right? Because
God did it. Be careful answering that any
other way. God's law is not a standard that
God has to measure up to. God's law is who he is and what
he does. God does not do things because
they're right. They're right because he does
them. We need to understand that now. You can say that it was
right because Christ bore our sin. So it was right for God
to do what he did. But why was it right for him
to bear our sin? You haven't answered the question. Here's
the answer, because God, it pleased God. That's the answer. You can say it was right because
God made Christ something that he was not before. I've had one
person say that to me in my whole life. I suspect there are others
that believe that. But God made him something that
he wasn't before so that it would be right to pour out his wrath
upon him. First of all, Christ is the immutable, eternal, holy,
spotless son of God. And secondly, you still haven't
answered the question. Why was it right for God to do
that? Why was it right for God to turn
him into sin who knew no sin? How was that right? You still
haven't answered it. That doesn't answer it. Here's
the answer. He is the answer. How can God, listen, this question
has been asked and answered in the scriptures. Why would we
look for another answer? Why would you try to reason this
out? Listen, turn with me to Romans 3.24. Here's the question
asked and answered. Right here. Romans 3.24. Romans 3.24, being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. How can God justify the ungodly? By his grace, because he wanted
to. Because it pleased him. Through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And listen now. The very
question is going to be asked. Whom God has set forth to be
a sin offering, a propitiation, a sin offering through faith
in his blood. So clearly these are sinners.
They needed a sin offering. Only sinners bring sin offerings
to God. through faith to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare,
I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him." Who? The sinner. How can God justify? How can he be just? He declared,
he that justifies the ungodly is an abomination to me. How
can God still be God and do that very thing? Through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. Whom God has set forth to be
a sin offering through faith in his blood. You see why our text is the answer. Father, forgive them. Why did
God condemn the holy one and justify the ungodly? Because
the Lord Jesus Christ asked him to. That's why he did it. He
said, you hear me always. Here's what I want. Here's my
will. Let they be with me forever.
Let they be with me. Father, forgive them. The ungodly
were not just justified arbitrarily, that is, just based upon whim,
without reason. It was because the Son of God,
by his precious sin-atoning blood, by offering his very soul, an
offering for our sin, a sacrifice for our sin, because he cried,
Father, forgive them, he was crucified, and then, when the just, as the just died
for the unjust, he said, Father, forgive, forgive. And listen, you want to see it
defined again, turn with me please to Ephesians chapter one. And
I'm about through. Christ crucified is the definition
of forgiveness. It's what it is. Ephesians 1 3 I want you to see
that and we'll pretty much close Let me say it again, and then
we'll read it from the Word of God Christ crucified is the definition
of forgiveness Father forgive them. He was crucified and then
he said father forgive Ephesians 1 3 blessed be the God and father
of our Lord Jesus Christ and who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
hence him saying, those you've given me, that's who I'm interceding
for, that's who I'm praying for, that's who I'm dying for, those
that you've given me. That we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through
his blood. That's our text. There they crucified
him. We have redemption through his
blood, comma, the forgiveness of sins. Not redemption through
his blood and the forgiveness of sins. We have redemption through his
blood, which is the forgiveness of sins. According to the riches
of his grace. forgiveness and justification. Think about this. He's just and
the justifier. And he said, Father, forgive
them. And his redemption is forgiveness. Have you ever thought about those
two things, forgiveness and justification? Forgiveness says we're sinners. And our only hope is for God
to forgive us of our sins. Justification says, what sins? How can they both be right? Does
one preclude the other? If you don't have any sins before
God, then how can you be forgiven? This is not complicated either. People are able to complicate
anything, aren't they? Let's write a bunch of books
about it so nobody has any idea what it even means anymore. No,
let's just see what God said. If we never sinned in Christ,
it's true. That's justification. Then why
is forgiveness important? Why is it vital? Well, we must
understand and rejoice in the forgiveness of sins as defined
there in Ephesians 1, as Christ crucified saying, Father, forgive.
That's what it is. We must understand that and rejoice
in that redemption through his blood because we must see what
it took We're not ever gonna understand it But we still gonna
look aren't we? We're gonna keep looking unto
Jesus The author and finisher of our faith We've got to see
what it took. We must see what we were to appreciate
what we are in him we need to see the pit that he pulled us
out of and We need to see that, don't we? Our eternal song is
gonna be, you washed us from our sins, isn't it? We're not gonna say what sin,
we're gonna say, you redeemed us unto God by your blood. It cost your precious blood to
wash our sins away. Unto him that loved us John cried
and washed us from our sins. And We must understand and rejoice
in justification, because justification tells us just how saved we are
by Him and His precious blood. We're saved this much in the
sight of God Almighty. We have no sin, no sin. We are guiltless, justified.
We're redeemed in such a way that we are the very righteousness
of God Keywords in him In Christ Jesus we've sinned
just as much as he has And in him is no sin Thank God let's pray