You will open your Bibles to
Luke, the gospel of Luke chapter 23, and just hold your places
for a few minutes. God, the Holy Spirit inspired
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to record seven specific statements,
seven sayings, if you will, given by our Lord Jesus as he hung
upon the cursed tree. As he suffered all the fury of
God's holy wrath, bearing our sins in his body on the tree,
the Savior said some things, seven specific things. I'm not
really sure what the order of these statements, these sayings
are. I'm not really sure the Spirit
of God did not see fit to give us the distinct order, but as
best I can put them together, they run like this. Our Savior
said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. In a little while, he spoke to
one of the thieves, who cried, Lord, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom. And he said to that dying thief
today. Thou shalt be with me in paradise. He looked down at his mother. And looked at John, that disciple
whom he loved, and he said, woman. Behold, I saw it. And he said to his disciple,
behold thy mother. And then, after three hours of
darkness covering the earth, he cries, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? And he hangs. upon the cursed
tree longer, still suffering in his body, in his heart, and
in his soul, the fury of God's wrath. In burning fever, he cries,
I thirst. And at last, he cried with a
loud voice, it is finished. And then When all was done, the
Lord Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven, and he said, Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Now, without
question, there are many other things that our Lord Jesus spoke
as he hung upon the cursed tree. They may have been spoken silently
from his heart to his father, but they're clearly recorded
for us in the Psalms, particularly in Psalm 22, Psalm 40, Psalm
69, Psalm 49. But these seven statements are
statements inspired by God, the Holy Spirit, which he ordained
and calls Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. to record for us for
our learning. They're written not merely to
inform us of facts, not merely to inform us of those things
that transpired on that horrible day of infamy, on that great
day of glory, on that horrible day of sin, on that great day
of grace. But they are rather recorded
by God, the Holy Spirit, by inspiration of God, by the pens of Matthew,
Mark, and Luke, to teach us, to instruct us, to reprove us,
to comfort us, and to encourage us. I hope God the Holy Spirit will
enable me to give you some glimpse of what I see in these statements. My only fear when I approach
a subject like this, is the tendency to reduce these profound, tremendous,
amazing, glorious things into mere points of homiletical, dry
doctrine, lifeless theology, meaningless words. God forbid
that. God, let me not speak a word
if that's all that shall be accomplished. Let me not speak a word. These are the very words my Redeemer
spoke as my Redeemer when he was redeeming my soul with the
sacrifice of himself. The horrid load of all my guilt
was on my Savior laid. When he who knew and did no sin
for sinners, sin was made. Enduring all God's wrath in death,
my Savior prayed for me. In love, he took my place and
died upon the cursed tree. Oh, love, amazing love beyond
the reach of mortal tongue. This love shall be the subject
of my everlasting song. All right, Luke, Chapter 23,
verse 34. Here's the first word of our savior as he hung upon
the tree. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. Imagine that. There stands in the crowd some
soldiers with his blood splattered in their faces who nailed him
to the tree. There stands in the crowd mockers
deriding him, men whose throats are now dry because they've wasted
their spit spitting upon him. There stands in the crowd men
who are guilty of his blood. And he prays, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. There's hanging beside
him on his right hand on his left two thieves. One, the object
of his grace, but both thieves who had joined in mocking and
deriding him. Both of them deserve to be hanging
where they're hanging. They were men guilty of insurrection.
Here's the innocent one hanging there in the place of another
like them, one by the name of Barabbas. And he prays, Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do. Now, this is what
I see. in our Lord's statement here.
I see Christ, our mediator. Here the Son of God is suffering
by the hands of wicked men and suffering with wicked men, suffering
as a wicked man, and yet praying for men who made him suffer. This is our mediator. There is
one God and one Mediator, one Desmond, one Mediator between
God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. One God and one person
who is able to lay hold of God and lay hold of man and bring
the two together in perfect reconciliation. One Mediator between God and
man. We have no other mediator. We
need no other mediator. We want no other mediator. We
pray for one another, but not as mediators. We pray for one
another, but not as those who would stand as a priest who go
between the center and God. Not at all. There is but one
daysman we must have before God. And truly, we must have one.
My friend, brother Charlie Payne was flying somewhere. I've forgotten
where. Brother Charlie's with the Lord now. He was an elder
at Ashland for many years. And he happened to be seated
beside a Jewish fellow. And that Jewish fellow had one
of those little caps on his head. And Charlie, always being the
zealous witness he was, he said to him, after he talked a little
bit, he said, what's that cap for? Of course, he knew what
it was for. And the fellow said, oh, he said, we Jews We have
such high reverence for God that we feel we must have something
between us and God. And Charlie said, you know, you're
exactly right. We must have someone between
us and God. But not any mediator will do.
Not any choice of mediator will do. The mediator must be one
of God's own choosing. one of God's own appointment.
Read Hebrews chapter 5. It tells us so plainly. The mediator
must be one that God has chosen, one who is from among men, one
who prays and is heard by God. And such a mediator is Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Because he is such a mediator,
it gives us great joy, great peace, great satisfaction. in the midst, in the teeth of
our own corruption, in the teeth of our own weakness, in the teeth
of our own sin, to hear him say, as he did to Peter, I have prayed
for thee. I have prayed for thee. children of God. The mediator
says to you who believe, I have prayed for thee. Prone to wonder,
Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love,
here's my heart. Take and seal it. Seal it for
thy courts above. And the master says, I have prayed
for thee. I have prayed for thee. Oh, thank
God for this mediator. Skip down to verse 43. Here's
the second word. The dying thief prayed in verse
42. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
in verse 43, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee,
today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Here I see Christ our King. Even
as he hung upon the cross, suffering untold agony, he hangs there
like a lamb led to the slaughter. He hangs there as the Lamb of
God. He hangs there as one who appears
to all natural understanding, who appears to the eyes of all
who beheld him, utterly helpless. What man would be put through
such if he could avoid it? No man would. No man would. Except this man. This man. While he hangs there upon the
cursed tree, he is that one into whose hands God, the triune God
from eternity, committed the rule of the universe. He is that
one to whom the Lord God gave power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as were given to him. He
is that one who, like the father, quickeneth whom he will. This
one who hangs upon the cursed tree is himself the king of the
universe. The king of the universe. Here
is the king saving whom he will. Sovereign king. As you read through
the gospel narratives, I urge you to take a pencil or pen in
hand, and as you read, sit down sometime and read all four accounts
of the crucifixion, and read them together at one time, and
mark the number of times the scriptures use these terms, that
it might be fulfilled, that the scriptures might be fulfilled,
as it was written, that it might be fulfilled. Our Lord Jesus
is the one who orders all the affairs that transpired when
he hung upon the tree. Nothing happened except by his
sovereign will and his sovereign design. Whenever you think about
the death of the Son of God, always have in the forefront
of your mind this concept, sovereignty. sovereignty. It's stamped everywhere. He died according to his own
sovereign will, by his own hand, according to his own purpose,
at his own appointed time. Wicked men did exactly what they
wanted to do, but they did exactly what he had from eternity ordained
that they must do. and what he in time brought to
pass by the accomplishment of his own wise decree. And the
first thing that displays his sovereignty here is this king
has mercy on whom he will. He saves whom he will. There
are two thieves hanging there. Both of these thieves have cursed
him. Both of these thieves have blasphemed
him. Both of these thieves have mocked
him. But one of them is the object of eternal love. And this thief
is awakened by his grace. One of these days, I'll bring
a message if God will let me on this thief. We know that faith
come by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But what did
this thief hear? Oh, did you ever consider the
things he heard as he suffered on that day? He heard those chief
priests cry, he saved others, himself he cannot save. He heard
men declare, he said he's the son of God. He said he would
build this temple again in three days. We know that the Malachi
said Elijah would come before him and here he is calling for
Elijah. Let's see if Elijah will have
him. Let's see if God will have him. knew full well that he's hanging
there in the place of one by the name of Barabbas. Matter
of fact, that very day, the evening before, Pilate said to the Jews,
Barabbas or Jesus? He's dying as a substitute for
another. He dies as one whom the governor
who issues the order of execution declared to be a just man. That dying thief heard the Lord
Jesus speak. He said, father, forgive them
for they know not what they do. And here that thief asked for
mercy and the Lord Jesus gives him mercy. Here's the king of
grace opening the door. No mere man could ever open.
He said today, thou shalt be with me in paradise. The prince
of peace gives peace to a man that none can give, but him who
is the prince of peace. And he promises mercy. The king
of glory promises mercy, grace, and eternal life to a man who
has absolutely no merit. The thief says, Lord, remember
me. He acknowledged the Lord Jesus
as his Lord. He acknowledged him as his king. He acknowledged him as one coming
into his kingdom. That thief understood that when
the day's over and the Son of God has cried, it's finished
and given up his spirit. He's coming into his kingdom. He understood what few understood
and the Lord Jesus had mercy on him. Oh, you say, how, how
can I come to God? We spend far too much time wondering
how to come instead of coming. And preachers spend far too much
time trying to explain to folks how you've got to come rather
than calling on sinners to come. I'll tell you a good way to come
to the Lord God. You who believe not, right where
you sit right now, lift your heart to heaven and cry, Lord,
remember me. Remember me. You who are God's,
who have walked with him for many years in your time of need,
needing mercy and grace, lift your heart to the throne of grace
and cry to him, Lord, remember me. Remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom. Salvation is God's word. Grace comes from the throne of
grace, and the king who sits on that throne is Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer. All right. Turn back to John,
chapter 19. John, chapter 19. Verse 26, here's the third word spoken
by our Lord as he bear our sin in his body on the tree. 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,
that is to John, behold thy mother. And from that hour, that disciple
took her, took Mary unto his own home. Here I see the Lord Jesus showing
himself both as our representative and our example. Even in the
agonies of death, in the agonies of death, under the penalty of
sin, Enduring the wrath of God, fulfilling all his covenant engagements
as our surety, accomplishing eternal redemption for us by
the sacrifice of himself. Now, those are weighty responsibilities. More weighty than any responsibility
known to any man. Yet in the midst of those responsibilities,
I see the Lord Jesus fulfilling his responsibilities
as a man to his mother, the woman who's under his care. He's fulfilling
his responsibilities as a man. You see, our savior is both our
representative and our example in this. Deliberately, attention
is called to his work here his responsibility, his care as a
man, even in his dying agony. He fulfilled all righteousness.
That is, as our representative, he did everything that is right
for a man to do. The law required that he be circumcised.
Eight days after his birth, he was circumcised. The law required
that he be subject to his parents. He walked on this earth as a
boy in obedience, giving reverence to his parents because the law
requires it. The Lord Jesus came and was baptized
because the will of God demanded that he fulfill all righteousness.
And by this means, he symbolizes it. He went to the synagogue,
attending the worship of God regularly. Our Lord Jesus was
made of a woman made under the law. to redeem them that were
under the law. As such, he fulfilled all righteousness
as our legal representative. And by his obedience, we are
made righteous. Our Savior not only fulfilled
all righteousness as our representative, he fulfilled all righteousness
as our example. You remember in John 13, he takes
a bowl of water, puts towel around his waist, and he kneels down
at the feet of men. How many times do you think something
that you could do for someone is beneath you? He kneels down
at the feet of men and washed their feet. I have often gone to visit men,
particularly men who were People I was just asked to go see, been
in the hospital a while, and it used to be they'd lay there
for a while, their beard would be grown, they'd look so scrubby,
and I'd say to them, I thought I'd talk a little bit, would
you like a shave? I can't tell you the number of times they
looked at me and said, you don't want to shave me. Well, that's nothing. God the Son stooped down at the
feet of sinful men. and washed their feet. Why? Because that was what was needed
for their comfort and refreshment at the time. That's all. That's
all. He washed their feet. And he
said when he got done, he said, I've given you an example. You
go do what I've done. You go and do to others as I've
done to you. That is, do what you can for
the benefit of those around you and count nothing beneath you. Nothing. If we would learn to
worship our God, let us go to Calvary and behold the Lamb of
God. Now, here is our example. He suffered for us, Peter said,
leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps. You
want to know what it is to submit to the will of God? Behold the crucified Christ.
You want to know what it is to be patient in suffering? Hear him as he speaks to his
father, even in his deepest agony. without a complaint. Do you want to know what it is to love your brethren? It is
to lay down your life for them. It's to spend your life in their
service. You want to know what it is to
love your wife? You don't need to read the latest
manual on Family and parenting and fatherhood and husbandry Go to Calvary and behold how
the Son of God loved you And gave himself for you go love
your wife just like that You don't know what it is to give
I've given my share. Have you now? I've given my time. Have you really? What more can
be expected of me go to Calvary and then ask that question? What
is it to give? He gave himself All right, look
at Matthew 27. Here's the fourth word Matthew 27 and verse 46 About the ninth hour, at three
o'clock in the afternoon, after three hours of darkness covering
the earth, an eclipse that no scientist
can explain, three hours of darkness covering the earth. At the end of that three hours,
Jesus cried, with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, laima sabachthani. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? And here I see Christ our substitute. You might want to make a note
of this if you haven't somewhere already. And other times when
I preach to you from this passage in Matthew, this is the only
time recorded in scripture when the Lord Jesus spoke to his father
and called him God. The only time. Everywhere else,
he refers to him as father. Here, he calls him God. Not only
that, but he reverts to his Syrian tongue as a boy. He speaks to
him in the language of his boyhood, not his native Hebrew tongue,
not even in the Greek that he learned as he grew up, but in
his native Syrian tongue, that language of his childhood. He
speaks, taking the lowest place of humanity. and cries to his
God and our God, to his father and our father. But he cries
not as God's son, but rather he cries to him as a creature
to be pitied by him. His great agony. In the midst of it, this mighty
man who is God reverts to almost infancy as he speaks. At the
height of his obedience to his father, the Lord of glory was
forsaken by his God and our God. I won't even attempt. To make
any explanation of what that means. Because I don't know. I don't. Nor will I attempt to make it
mean less than I know it to mean. Frank Hall, he was forsaken by
God because he represented you who spent your life forsaking
God. He is a real substitute. We're
not talking about types and pictures here. We're not talking about
symbols here. We're talking about reality here.
Reality. The substitution was real. He
died in the room instead of his people. The sacrifice was real. God's darling son in human flesh
laid down his life for us, body, soul and spirit. The sin was
real. It was real. He who knew no sin was made to
be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him. The transfer was real. The guilt heaped upon him when
the transfer was made. He became sin for us was real. And the abandonment was real. The Lord Jesus was forsaken by God as our substitute. And this is what that means.
Those for whom He suffered and died can never be forsaken by
God. Payment God cannot twice demand,
first at my bleeding surety's hand and then again at mine. Oh, what an infinitely horribly
evil thing sin must be. Oh, how holy, just, righteous
and good our God must be. Oh, my soul, how he loved me. All right, look at John chapter
19 again. John chapter 19. Verse 28, here's our Lord's fifth
word. This is the shortest of the seven
cries. After this, Jesus beholding, or knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, saith, I
thirst. And in the midst of his agony,
he reminds us here that he is a man. Jesus Christ, our God
and Savior, is a real man, a real man. The word was made flesh. There are at least three things
I think need our attention here. First, our Lord speaks here of
bodily thirst. He was in anguish of body, bearing our sicknesses as well
as our sins, our diseases, as well as our corruption, our weakness,
as well as our wickedness. And his body burns with fever. His tongue is parched and swollen. And he cries, I thirst. Because he thirsted for water,
just as that rich man in Luke 16 thirsted for water. in the heat of God's wrath in
hell. When he bore the hell of God's
wrath for us, he thirsted. Second, this is a soul thirst. Being forsaken of God, he thirsted
in his soul for God. Earl, he was made sin, but he
never committed any. Even when he was made sin, even
when he was made sin, he's thirst. As the heart panteth after the
water broke, so panteth my soul for God. And third. This is a thirst of
heart. The Lord of Glory was made sin. made to endure all the horror
of his father's unmitigated wrath and justice. And all of that
because he thirsted for the souls of men. He thirsted for me. He thirsted to have my soul. Thirsted for my everlasting salvation. He thirsted to be thirsted after. And so he endures all this. That he might gather us to himself
by his grace. When I hear the master cry, I
thirst. I can almost hear his heart cried.
Father, I will that they also whom thou has given me be with
me where I am, that they may behold my glory. Look down at
verse 30 stay here in John 19 verse 30 He said I thirst in verse 29
now there was set a vessel full of vinegar and They filled a
sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his
mouth And here's his sixth cry When
Jesus therefore had received the vinegar He said it is finished
And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. When Emmanuel cried, it is finished. This is Christ our surety declaring
to his father and his people that everything he came here
to perform is finished. Everything. Oh, what a blessing. Triumphant word our Savior is
not crying out in relief say well, it's over now Oh, no, he
speaks in Victoria and Victoria's triumph. He says it is finished
What's finished? Did he say lo I come to do thy
will? Oh my god, all the will of God
is finished Did he come to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself sin is put away. I Did it come to bring in everlasting
righteousness? Righteousness is brought in.
Did it come to make an end of the law? Christ is the end, the
finishing of the law. Did he come here to save his
people? Yes, and his people are saved. Did he come here to glorify
God? Yes, and God is glorified. Did he come here to fulfill all
the prophets? The prophets are fulfilled. Did
it come here to fulfill all the types and pictures? All the types
and pictures are finished. Christ finished eternal redemption. Christ delivered us from the
curse of the law. Christ made an end of the law
by fulfilling the law on our behalf. Wrath is finished. Judgment's finished. Sin is finished. Righteousness is finished. Redemption
is finished. Justification is finished. Sanctification
is finished. Salvation is finished. It is
finished, the Savior said, and finished it is. Now, look at
Luke 23. Luke 23, verse 46. Here's the
seventh word. When Jesus had cried with a loud
voice, he said, Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit. And having said that, he gave
up the ghost. Into thy hands, I commend my
spirit. He bowed his head as the servant
who's finished his task. I get this picture in my mind. I see the son of God, that servant
described in the law back in the book of Exodus, who had his
ear bored through with an all who said, uh, I love my master
and I love my wife and I love my children. I will not go back. I will be your servant. And this one who is Jehovah's
righteous servant. has now taken on himself all
the responsibility of our souls from everlasting. And it comes
now at the end of his work on this earth. And it says, Father,
every sheep you trusted to my hands, I bring back to you. Father, I've gathered in all
the lost ones, Father. Lo, I and the children whom thou
hast given me, none of them is lost. Father, I came here that
through my death and my resurrection, by my obedience unto death, you
might be just in the justifier of all who believe. Father, I
came here to fulfill all the covenants as the surety of my
people. And he bows his head and says,
Here it is. And he gave up the ghost. He
did what only he who gives life and takes life could do. He breathed
out his spirit. He breathed out his spirit with
complete command of life. He just gave up the ghost. Now,
forgive me if I seem a bit severe. I don't mean to. Don't ever use
those blessed words again to refer to anything or anyone on
this earth. When your dog dies, he didn't
give up the ghost. And when your daddy dies, he
didn't give up the ghost. And when your car dies, it didn't
give up the ghost. Oh, no. Only God in human flesh
gave up the ghost. He dismissed his spirits because
everything he came to do as our Redeemer, as Jehovah's servant,
as our righteous surety, he has done. Now, You know what he did? He entered in once with his own
blood into the holy place and he sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. Sat down. Sat down. You go into the Holy of Holies,
look at it in the scriptures, you'll find there was no chair
there. But he sat down. because everything portrayed
in the law and the sacrifices, everything revealed in the prophets,
everything he had agreed to as Jehovah's servant, everything
necessary for the glory of God and the saving of our souls.
He finished and he sat down, missed it. He entered into His
rest, and thus is Christ our Sabbath in whom we rest. Oh, God give you grace to rest
in Him. Amen.