Because Of Calvary

“Because Of Calvary”

Text: Luke 23:26-33

Introduction:

What bring us to Calvary? A quick look at the events that have just taken place days before tells us why we might be at Calvary today. Jesus, the Son of God, and of Mary, was to be crucified here today, but for what crime? The crime of Love! You see; John’s gospel tells us that “God loved us so much that He was willing to give even His only Son to die so He would be able to have a relationship with us.” Jesus had finished the upper room supper, washing of His disciple’s feet, He finished the Prayer in the Garden, and He went through a mock trail, and was condemned to die.” Innocent of all charges that was brought against Him, but nonetheless, condemned to die! So here we stand at Calvary!

What is Calvary?

You could say, it is nothing but a rocky hill along a busy highway that ran to and from Jerusalem. Calvary is a hill on the outside of the city of Jerusalem near the garden where Jesus was laid in the tomb. Matthew, Mark and John calls this place “Golgotha,” being interpreted from the Hebrew word meaning; “The Place of the Skull.” Luke alone calls it Calvary, However; The word “Calvary,” also means ‘The Place of the Skull.’ It is a barren place, no place in which to picnic, no place where one would like to take a friend. It is a lonely place, a place that’s not beautiful to look at, it doesn’t have a beautiful sky-line. But to the child of God, it is a beautiful place, one that we look upon with hope, a place that we look upon with longing. Knowing that it was here that a man did what no other man could do, and that my friend was die so we could have life.

1). Because of Calvary; I have a peace with God which passes all

Understanding:

In my encounters with people that do not know the Lord as their personal Saviour, I realize that before I can get them saved, I have to get some of them lost. A good question to ask is; “Are you an enemy of God?”

Most will answer; “No! of course not,” I just don’t have to go to church to believe in God. ( I want to say right here that, that is true, but belief in itself is not enough, you have to know Him, you have to love Him!) Than you answer them and let them know that those who are not in Love with Jesus are His enemies. Romans 5:8-10 says; “But God commendeth His loves towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “ Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Listen to me now, You cannot have peace from God, if you have never accepted His love for you! Peace is an off-springing of His love. The Bible says; that the wrath of God burns against all evil and sin. But it was the Love of God that took His wrath out on His Son, and it was because of what He did on Calvary that you and I can have peace.

Colossians 1:21 says; “……once you were alienated from God and were enemies because of your evil behavior, but now; He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death.”

Philippians goes on to say that, “Christians have a peace which surpasses all understanding.”

I want to tell you something church. Because of Calvary! As a child of God, I have a peace in knowing that where ever I am the Lord is right there with me, where ever I go, He is thee. When I lay my head down to sleep at night, I have the assurance in knowing that He is watching over me, protecting me from everything that Satan can muster up against me.

There is a peace in knowing that if I leave this world today and enter into eternity, I will awaken in the arms of Jesus there in that heavenly home that we are all looking for and longing for, and it is all because of Calvary!

2). Because of Calvary; We have Healing through Jesus Christ:

You might say, now hold it preacher, you still preach that stuff even though you are going through with what your going through with? Yes I am. Whether, the Lord heals my body or not, He is the Healer.

I’ve said this before, but here again. Mel Gibson depicted the scourging of Jesus in a very graphic way. However; I believe that he only scratched the surface of the kind of beating that Jesus actually went through so that you and I can be healed of any and all sickness that comes upon us.