LORD, REMEMBER ME

38-3700

TEXT – LUKE 23:32-46

INTRODUCTION:

I.  There are many great events in history that I like to imagine being there and seeing from a close and personal vantage point. But the central event of all of history is one that I would not have wanted to be there at all.

II.  After Jesus was led from the mock trial before the High Priest he was delivered to Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor so that he might be able to condemn Jesus to death on a cross.

III.  The cross was one of the cruelest forms of execution ever devised by humanity. Rather than a slow or easy death, it was long, painful and struggling.

IV.  Even though Pilate saw that Jesus was innocent and that he had been delivered because of envy on the part of the religious leaders, Pilate didn’t have the courage to stand up against them when the mob seemed to grow and they challenged him by saying you aren’t Caesar’s friend if you don’t stand against this one who calls himself a king.

DISCUSSION:

I.  ON THE MIDDLE CROSS.

  1. Two other men were crucified with Jesus, one on either side and they were criminals.
  2. It seems somehow natural that Jesus would die between the criminals, since they thought of Jesus as a criminal assuming a place that wasn’t he.
  3. He was seen as a blasphemer who assumed a place with God as one with him when he was obviously a man like they were.
  4. It was also appropriate because he was dying to bring salvation to those who had broken the will and word of God.
  5. He was led to the place called the Skull and they crucified him there.
  6. Luke doesn’t tell us the details of crucifixion.
  7. The one crucified went through a scourging first, in which they were beaten to the point they were nearly dead already. The Jews had a law that one could only be beaten forty stripes so they normally stopped at 39 for fear of miscounting and going over. The Romans had no such law.
  8. As they went out to be crucified they normally had the cross beam strapped across their back for them to carry their cross.
  9. When there they would nail their hands to the cross, normally through the wrist just above the hand and they feet were often nailed together, one on top of the other. To take a breath while on the cross-required lifting themselves up on the nails in their feet, so the whole process was excruciating. Usually they were smothering to death when they could no longer lift themselves up to breath.
  10. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
  11. Notice His first words from the cross were a prayer.
  12. It started with the personal word, “Father.” There were no powerful words of description or praise. It was simply talking to God as Father.
  13. “Forgive them.”
  14. It is first amazing that he would ask God to forgive the very ones who were murdering him with no redeeming motives.
  15. But he bases His request of the Father on the fact they don’t know what they are doing.
  16. They knew Jesus wasn’t guilty of any crime.
  17. But since they didn’t know that he was God in the flesh Jesus used the one thing they refused to believe in spite of all the evidence he gave them to make his request.
  18. If Jesus could forgive them and plead with the Father to forgive in such times, then we certainly ought to be ready to forgive others when we are wronged.

II.  TODAY IN PARADISE.

  1. The crowds sneered at him, “He saved others, let him save himself.”
  2. The soldiers mocked him and offered him vinegar saying, “If you are the king of the Jews save yourself.”
  3. One of the criminals joined in the whole insulting process. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
  4. The other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
  5. Then he turned to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
  6. Obviously he understood more about Jesus than many of the disciples did. He knew there was a kingdom coming and Jesus would be the one bringing it.
  7. He knew Jesus had power to do something for him even in this time on the cross.
  8. Whether he understood exactly what that would be or not, we can’t be sure.
  9. What is clear is that Jesus was moved by his request and declared, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
  10. It tells us for certain where Jesus was going between death and resurrection and he would take the thief with him.
  11. Many have tried to get lessons from this instance that aren’t valid such as, since the thief wasn’t baptized, to be saved I don’t need to be either.
  12. Can’t be certain John or Jesus disciples didn’t baptize him.
  13. It was under a different covenant, The New Covenant wasn’t bound until the after Christ death and the will wasn’t read until the day of Pentecost.

III.  INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.

  1. Darkness had fallen on the earth for three hours.
  2. The curtain in the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. It was one of the most powerful symbols of the day. That curtain had always separated the people from God’s presence. The priest could enter the holy place each day to serve but only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and that one time a year to offer the blood of atonement.
  3. When the curtain was torn in two it shouted the message that the way to God was now open for all people.
  4. Since every Christian is now a priest of the Lord we all have complete access to the presence of God in Christ.
  5. Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And he breathed his last.
  6. William Barclay says that this was part of a prayer that Jewish mothers taught their children from the beginning of their life. They were to say it each night before going to bed just as we learned “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 keep.”
  7. If that is right Jesus returned to the childhood prayer as his life was ending on this earth.

IV.  CONCLUSION:

  1. Because of what Jesus did that day at Calvary:
  2. All of our sins can be totally forgiven even though at times we have known for certain what we were doing wrong.
  3. We can go to the very paradise of God and be with Jesus for all eternity. He is the way to the Father. John 14:6
  4. We can commit our spirit to the Father when our hour to leave this world comes since death isn’t the end but the transition into a new and better life.
  5. It is the greatest shame of the entire universe when we turn away from the greatest sacrifice of all time and refuse forgiveness, paradise and a secure place for our spirit.