What the Cross Teaches Us
Part 3: Our Biggest Challenge
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34 (KJV)
The 3 Biggest Challenges of Every Christian
1. To have compassion on those who don’t know God.
Illustration: I had been praying regularly with the deacons for one of our members. His wife, Pat, attended our small congregation faithfully, but John hadn’t been to church in years. So every Sunday afternoon before the evening service, we prayed for ways to communicate our commitment to John and his family.
It wasn’t long before we received an answer. During the morning service one week, Pat told us through tears that John had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. A surgery was planned for the following week, and doctors were confident John would make a full recovery.
The bad news was John would be out of work for months. He drove a log truck and was paid by the mile. There was no way he could recover while spending ten hours a day in a bumpy eighteen-wheeler, but if he didn’t drive, John and Pat didn’t get a paycheck.
The congregation sprang immediately to action. There was no question whether the congregation would pitch in to support the family in their time of need. That afternoon in an emergency business meeting, we sat around a long folding table and our head deacon, a trucker himself, asked with his characteristic boldness, "How much can everyone give?" Some pledged $50 or $100 a month; one family committed to pay for utilities and another for groceries, whatever the cost. Beginning immediately, Anchor Baptist Church took responsibility for the wellbeing of one of its families. All bills were paid on time; there was a new supply of groceries on the front steps every weekend; some of the men made sure the lawn was mowed and other maintenance issues around the house were addressed.
John has since rejoined the congregation. Months after his surgery John testified on a Sunday morning that the church’s tireless care of his family had convinced him that the congregation did not simply want another warm body in the seats or an extra dollar in the offering plate; they were committed to sharing their lives and resources with him unconditionally.
Brandon O’Brien, assistant editor, PreachingToday.com
Questions: Why would a church support someone like that who had had little to do with their congregation for years?
Statement: You know, it’s always easier to judge than it is to have compassion. If fact, that’s one of the biggest challenges that a follower of Christ will face: Having compassion on those who don’t know God.
-Nevertheless, if we really want to honor the God we believe in, He says to show the compassion that Jesus did when He looked at the women mourning for Him and told them not to weep for Him, but for themselves because of what mankind was doing to the Son of God. He had compassion for them.
-Let me ask you: Do you have anyone in your life who doesn’t know God?
-Jesus had compassion on the lost people of Jerusalem in his day. Listen to this song that reflects the heart he had for those people.
Song: Jerusalem Called
2. To love those who hate you.
Illustration: After a tough and discouraging day at work, Melvin plopped himself on the couch and began wallowing in self-pity. His moaned to his wife, "Nobody cares about me. In fact, the whole world hates me." Without even looking up from her work, Melvin’s wife replied, "That’s not true, honey. The whole world couldn’t possibly hate you because most of them don’t even know you." Houston Chronicle, 11/29/6, p.E2
Questions: Did you ever sing that old song, “Nobody like me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms” when you were little? Have you ever run into somebody you just really didn’t get along with? Have you ever had someone tell you they hated you?
Statement: You know, Jesus told his disciples that they should expect to be hated. He said, “If the world has hated me, it will hate you…” There’s a pep talk for you, huh? But you know, there were lots of people who hated Jesus standing around that cross. And what did he say? “I’m gonna nail you guys?” “You’re all going to Hell?” No. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
-And you know what? There are still people who look at Jesus and despise Him. And there are still people who will look at you when they find out you’re a Christian and despise you. So what do you do? Hate them back. Not if you want to be like your savior. The 2nd biggest challenge is to love those who hate you.
-Let me ask you…do you have anyone in your life who you think hates you?
-Even as he hung on the cross, Jesus loved those people who were mocking him, who were cursing him, who hated him. We look at what Jesus did on the cross and we are joyful because he loved us so much, but at the same time, the joy is bittersweet. Reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for you as the choir sings.
Song: Bittersweet
3. To forgive those who hurt you.
Illustration: In November 1989, Sergeant Zeev Traum was patrolling the beachfront toad south of Gaza City. He and another Israeli soldier were ambushed in their jeep by Palestinian gunmen. The 40-year-old’s death brought a unique dilemma for his widow. She could simply bury her husband, or donate his heart to an ailing Palestinian. Bittersweet revenge could be found if she denied the request and let one of “them” die, since “they” had killed her husband. Instead, she chose to forgive. 54 year old Hanna Khader, who had waited 4 months for a heart, received new life from his political enemy.
Houston Chronicle, Nov. 17, 1992 Pg. 24a
Questions: Can you imagine being faced with a situation like that? How would you react if the life of your enemy was in your hands?
Statement: Let’s imagine what it’s like at the foot of the cross. Jesus, who broke no laws, has been unjustly sentenced, beaten, mocked, spat upon, tortured, and now is being prepared to be nailed to a cross. After the Roman soldiers have put stakes through His hands, then prepare to drive them through his feet. They were used to this. They were hardened men who had crucified dozens of criminals. They were used the prisoners’ cursing, swearing, and cries for mercy.
-But what do these soldiers hear on this day? “Father, forgive them…for they know not what they do.” What? It caught their attention. In fact, one of them later confessed that Jesus had to have been the son of God because of what he had witnessed Jesus say and do from that cross.
-Have you ever been hurt by someone? Sure, we all have. Our natural inclinations are to try to hurt them back or to hold a grudge against them. One of the hardest choices you can make it to forgive someone who has hurt you. Yet that is exactly the model Jesus has given us from the cross. And you know what else? Jesus didn’t expect anything in return. He simply forgave those who were hurting them.
-Let me ask you: Who in your life do you need to forgive?
-Even as he hung on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them…” What love. A love unlike any the world had ever known. The love of Jesus changed history. Think about his awesome love for the world as we sing.
Song: Crucifixion Medley
Illustration: In the brief span of just 30 seconds, 53 people die worldwide and 36 of them enter eternity without Christ. With more than one person per second going to Hell, Charles Spurgeon’s words of urgency and concern need to resonate in our hearts: "If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for." Outreach, January/February 2008, p.14; Leadership, Winter 2008, p.102
So here’s one of the toughest questions a Christian must answer: “Do I really care about the lost?”
-Don’t we have the best news in the world to share with them? Wouldn’t you love to share with your lost friends and loved ones the awesome work that God has done for them through Jesus?
-Let’s think about that as we sing this final song.
Illustration: Unchurched Americans think Christians are weird, but it’s not for the reason you might think. Fifty-seven percent of the unchurched wonder why Christian friends and neighbors never talk with them about spiritual matters. To the majority of those outside the church, believers are weird because they DON’T share their faith. Only 21% of active church-going Christians invited someone to church last year so apparently most of them still believe the myth that unchurched people will think you’re weird if you DO talk with them about spiritual issues.
On Mission, Pastor’s Edition, Winter 2008, p.ii
-So let me ask you: Do you really care about the lost people in your life? Do you want to reach them with God’s love?
-So here’s my question to you today: What are you going to do about it?
-In closing today, I want to give you 5 things you must do to reach people with God’s love:
5 Things You Must Do to Reach People with God’s Love
1. I must seek the lost.
2. I must care for the lost. (James 4:17)
3. I must fellowship with the lost. (Matt. 9:9-13)
4. I must share the truth with them.
5. I must model to them how to live.
Conclusion/Invitation
-So to close, I want us all to stand. And snap out of any fogginess that may have crept into your mind for just a moment. I want you to think of those people in your life who need Jesus in theirs. Get their faces in your mind. I’m going to lead us in prayer, and I want you to pray for them as I pray. Commit them to the Lord this morning. Ask God to soften their hearts towards coming with you next Sunday to our Easter service.
-Next Sunday, we’re kicking off our 3:16 – The Numbers of Hope series and I promise you this: Next Sunday, I’m going to do my very best to present the Gospel to everyone here. And I’m going to give everyone the chance to accept Jesus into their lives. So those people you just prayed for…their lives could be changed forever next Sunday.
-And I’m going to send you out today prepared and equipped to invite those people. The ushers are going to be standing at the back doors today to send you with something I believe will help you this week as you invite the people you love and care about to our Easter service next week. These little invitation cards will be a great way for you to invite those people and a great reminder to them to come.
