JESUS’ CROSS-Driven CONCERNS-VI
Lk. 23:33-49; Jn. 19:17-30; Mat. 27:33-54; Mk. 15:21-39
OR--CONCERNS From The CROSS
We can but should never be--oblivious to the obvious.
The Church & Christians can be oblivious to the obvious... that while we bicker about ‘this that or the other thing,’ that there are literally millions of people who do not know Jesus!
We can be so focused on extraneous ‘pressing’ matters that we totally miss the pressing matters!
Likewise, we can be so caught up in the sorrow, & gruesome brutality of the Crucifixion of Christ, that we miss the Cross-work of Christ!
Jesus’ 7 Words From the Cross:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”—Luke 23:34
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”—Luke 23:43
“Behold your son...”: “behold your mother.”—Jn. 19:26-27
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—Mat. 27:45; Mk. 15:33-34
“I thirst”—Jn. 19:28-29
“It is finished”—Jn. 19:30
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”— Lk. 23:44; Mat. 27:50; Mk. 15:36-38
Need:
To recognize those things which are of greatest significance to our lives & the lives of others.
We have found that A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...
1. Your FORGIVENESS(Lk. 23:34)
2. Your DESTINY/Future/Eternity(Lk. 23:43)
3. Your CARE & OBLIGATION(Jn. 19:26-27)
4. Your SEPARATION/Trust(Mat. 27:46; Mk. 15:34)
5. Your PREPARATION(Jn. 19:28)
6—A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...
Your COMPLETION (Jn. 19:30a)
Explanation:(Jn. 19:30a)Finish/End/Finality
Jn. 19:30a—“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
?What is “it”?:
Every aspect of the entire reason for Jesus’ coming to this earth...the reason for God’s visitation has been accomplished in the life of Christ!
Sin had & has been dealt with once, for all, for all time, decisively. Propitiation for sin—God has been completely satisfied—has been permanently met!
Jesus has Taken on human flesh, Humbled Himself, Remained sinless, Given God the glory, Revealed His Father’s will, Overcome the devil, Saved the elect, Secured the Christian’s future, Gifted the faithful, Empowered the called, Enabled the weak, Encouraged the faint of heart, etc.
“Finished”—telew—Perfect Passive Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To bring to a close, to finish, to end—1a) Passed, finished; 2) To perform, execute, complete, fulfill, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)—2a) With special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command, 2b) With reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, & generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfill; 3) To pay—3a) of tribute. Strong—To end, i.e. Complete, execute, conclude, discharge(a debt).
Argumentation:
Isa 53:10-12—“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, & be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”
Rom. 10:4—“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Col. 2:13-15—“And you, being dead in your trespasses & the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities & powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Notice the Aorist tenses—These actions have taken place once with their effects lasting for all time.
2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
1Tim. 6:6-11—“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, & it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food & clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation & a snare, & into many foolish & harmful lusts which drown men in destruction & perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, & pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things & pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
2Tim. 2:19-21—“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold & silver, but also of wood & clay, some for honor & some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
2Cor. 9:8—“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Eph. 2:10—“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Eph 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Are you complete in your service to God by faith in Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit?
Illustration:
Something I won’t ever have to do again...
GRADUATION(High school/College)/The diploma(‘sheepskin’) is an official tangible testimony to your completing the required task/COMPLETION
MARRIAGE/Being loved(for better or worse)--No more looking elsewhere for love/Being satisfied--No more need to focus on ‘attraction’/Being fulfilled--No vying for acceptance/COMPLETION
LIFE in general is to be lived in such a manner that it is entered into with a sense of deep satisfaction/COMPLETION
The old TV Army jingle—“Be....All that you can be....In the Aaaaarmy!”
The only way you can ‘be all that you can be in the army,’ is if you get saved & live for God in the army!/One’s COMPLETION
Completed tasks--Things you can leave behind that allow you to sleep well & move on to the next thing.
We go from one ‘completed’ task to the next allowing ourselves to be driven by circumstances, never even knowing when the end will come!
Lay the foundation of your house—until... a sinkhole opens.
Change the diaper—finished...until
Bake a cake—finished...until
Change the oil—finished...until
Paint the walls—finished...until
Wash the car—finished...until
Cook the meal—finished...until
Etcetera, etcetera & on & on it goes!
Application:
?How will Your COMPLETION answer Jesus’ Cross-driven Concern?
?How have You acted on those matters of great significance to Jesus?
7—A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...
Your EXIT (Lk. 23:46; Mat. 27:50; Mk. 15:37; Jn. 19:30b)
Explanation:(Lk. 23:46; Mat. 27:50; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:30b)Finish/End/Finality
Lk. 23:44-46—“Now it was about the sixth hour, & there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, & the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed his last.
This is a quote from Ps. 31:5—READ Ps. 31:1-24! It is another Psalm of trust in God(like Ps. 69) & the realization of both David’s & thus, Messiah’s imminent gladness & glory.
Ps. 31:4-5—“Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.”
“Cried out”—fwnew—Aorist Active Participle—1) To sound, emit a sound, to speak—1a) Of a cock: to crow, 1b) Of men: to cry, cry out, cry aloud, speak with a loud voice; 2) To call, to call one's self, either by one's own voice or though another; 3) To send for, summon. Strong—To emit a sound(animal, human or instrumental); by implication, To address in words or by name, also in imitation.
“Into”—eiv—Preposition—1) Into, unto, to, towards, for, among. Strong—a primary preposition; To or Into(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or figuratively--Purpose(result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases.
“Commit/Commend”—paratiyhmi—Future middle Deponent Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To place beside or near or set before; 2) To place down (from one's self or for one's self) with any one. Strong—To place alongside, i.e. Present(food, truth); by implication--To deposit(as a trust or for protection).
“Breathed His Last/He Expired”-(same as Mk. 15:37)-—ekpnew—Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To breathe out, breathe out one's life, breathe one's last, expire. Strong—To expire. Used 3X.
From—ek/ex—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).—&—pnew—a primary word; To breathe hard, i.e. Breeze.
Mat. 27:50—“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, & yielded up his spirit.”
“Cried out”(See :46—anaboaw)—krazw—Aorist Active Participle Nominative Sing. Masc.—1) To croak—1a) Of the cry of a raven, 1b) hence--To cry out, cry aloud, vociferate, 1c) To cry or pray for vengeance; 2) To cry—2a) Cry out aloud, speak with a loud voice. Krazw is to cry out harshly, often of inarticulate & brutish sound. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To “croak”(as a raven) or scream, i.e. (genitive case)--To call aloud(shriek, exclaim, intreat).
“Yielded Up”—afihmi—Verb—1) To send away—1a) To bid going away or depart—1a1) Of a husband divorcing his wife, 1b) To send forth, yield up, to expire, 1c) To let go, let alone, let be—1c1) To disregard, 1c2) To leave, not to discuss now, (a topic) 1c21) of teachers, writers & speakers, 1c3) To omit, neglect, 1d) To let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit, 1e) To give up, keep no longer; 2) To permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person; 3) To leave, go way from one—3a) In order to go to another place, 3b) To depart from any one, 3c) To depart from one & leave him to himself so that all mutual claims are abandoned, 3d) To desert wrongfully, 3e) To go away leaving something behind, 3f) To leave one by not taking him as a companion, 3g) To leave on dying, leave behind one, 3h) To leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining, 3i) Abandon, leave destitute. Strong—To send forth, in various applications(as follow).
From—apo—Preposition—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—ihmi—To send; an intensive form of eimi, to go.
Mk. 15:36-38—“Then someone ran & filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, & offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, & breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
“Cried out/Having Uttered”—afihmi—Verb—1) To send away—1a) To bid going away or depart—1a1) Of a husband divorcing his wife, 1b) To send forth, yield up, to expire, 1c) To let go, let alone, let be—1c1) To disregard, 1c2) To leave, not to discuss now, (a topic) 1c21) of teachers, writers & speakers, 1c3) To omit, neglect, 1d) To let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit, 1e) To give up, keep no longer; 2) To permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person; 3) To leave, go way from one—3a) In order to go to another place, 3b) To depart from any one, 3c) To depart from one & leave him to himself so that all mutual claims are abandoned, 3d) To desert wrongfully, 3e) To go away leaving something behind, 3f) To leave one by not taking him as a companion, 3g) To leave on dying, leave behind one, 3h) To leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining, 3i) Abandon, leave destitute. Strong—To send forth, in various applications(as follow).
From—apo—Preposition—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—ihmi—To send; an intensive form of eimi, to go.
“Breathed His Last/He Expired”-(same as Lk. 23:46)-—ekpnew—Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To breathe out, breathe out one's life, breathe one's last, expire. Strong—To expire. Used 3X.
From—ek/ex—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).—&—pnew—a primary word; To breathe hard, i.e. Breeze.
Jn. 19:30b—“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
Jn. 10:11, 17-18—“I-(Jesus)- am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”.....“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, & I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.””
“Gave up”—paradidwmi—Verb—1) To give into the hands(of another); 2) To give over into (one's)power or use—2a) To deliver to one something to keep, use, take care of, manage, 2b) To deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death, 2c) To deliver up treacherously—2c1) by betrayal--To cause one to be taken, 2c2) To deliver one to be taught, moulded; 3) To commit, to commend; 4) To deliver verbally—4a) Commands, rites, 4b) To deliver by narrating, to report; 5) To permit allow—5a) When the fruit will allow that is when its ripeness permits, 5b) Gives itself up, presents itself. Strong—To surrender, i.e. Yield up, intrust, transmit.
From—para—Preposition—1) From, of at, by, besides, near. Strong—a primary preposition; properly--Near; i.e. From beside, At(or in) the vicinity of, To the proximity with, Beyond or opposed to, On account of.—&—didwmi—To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
Argumentation:
Jn. 17:6-18—“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, & they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; & they have received them, & have known surely that I came forth from You; & they have believed that You sent Me. “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, & Yours are Mine, & I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, & I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; & none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, & these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
—We are missionary!
1Thess. 4:13-18—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, & with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
2Cor. 4:5-14—“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, & ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed & therefore I spoke,” we also believe & therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, & will present us with you.”
Php. 1:18-26—“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart & be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all for your progress & joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.”
Ps. 116:15-19—“Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints. O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”
Ps. 4:1-8—To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.—Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, & hear my prayer. How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, & do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, & be still. Selah Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain & wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, & sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Prov. 3:21-26—“My son, let them not depart from your eyes--Keep sound wisdom & discretion; So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down & your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.”
1Jn. 4:17-19—“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
Illustration:
Thurs. Dec. 22, 2016, Jared Kushner & his wife Ivanka Trump(Donald Trump’s daughter) with their three children( less than 5yrs old) were flying commercial with JetBlue on a flight from New York to San Francisco. Donald Trump had just won the US Presidential election to the chagrin of liberal Americans. As a VIP, Trump & her family had been escorted onto the plane before the other passengers by a contingent of Secret Service & Port Authority police. A lawyer by the name of Dan Goldstein boarded the same JetBlue flight. He was holding his own child in his arms. Goldstein had planned to “harass” the daughter-in-chief as soon as he had set eyes on Ivanka at the terminal. Once on the plane, he openly & relentlessly began verbally accosting Ivanka in front of her husband & children & was “jeering” at her 3 kids.. Goldstein accosted Ivanka because he detested her father's views. He yelled “Your father is ruining the country!”(& he hadn’t even officially taken office yet)
'Why is she on our flight. She should be flying private,' Goldstein said of the future first daughter.
Ivanka paid as little attention as possible & tried to occupy her children with some crayons to diffuse the situation until the crew came to the rescue. Her accoster yelled, “You’re kicking me off for expressing my opinion,” as the JetBlue crew led Goldstein off the plane.
Will you go/pass this life ‘Kicking & Screaming’?
OR...
Will you go/pass this life in ‘Willing submission to God with Thankfulness’?
Application:
?How will Your EXIT answer Jesus’ Cross-driven Concern?
?How have You acted on those matters of great significance to Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Cross-driven Concerns of Jesus are...
6. Your COMPLETION (Jn. 19:30a)
7. Your EXIT(Lk. 23:46; Mat. 27:50; Mk. 15:37; Jn. 19:30b)
1. Your FORGIVENESS(Lk. 23:34)
2. Your DESTINY/Future/Eternity(Lk. 23:43)
3. Your CARE & OBLIGATION(Jn. 19:26-27)
4. Your SEPARATION/Trust(Mat. 27:46; Mk. 15:34)
5. Your PREPARATION(Jn. 19:28)
Pts. 6-7 Presented 04/23/2017pm to:
FBC of Carrabelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. ‘A’)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 4-6 Presented 04/17/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
