JESUS’ CROSS-Driven CONCERNS-V
Lk. 23:33-49; Jn. 19:17-30; Mat. 27:33-54; Mk. 15:21-39
OR--CONCERNS From The CROSS
Attention:
PETA's Response to Obama's Fly "Execution"—June 18, 2009
U.S. President Barak Obama stopped during an interview with CNBC's John Harwood to swat & kill a fly that was buzzing around his head during the taping. "Get out of here," the president told the pesky insect. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked it dead.
"Now, where were we?” Obama asked Harwood. Then he added: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."
As a result, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is now calling the fly incident an "execution" & would like President Obama to show more compassion to even "the least sympathetic animals."
"We support compassion for even the smallest animals," says Bruce Friedrich, V.P. for Policy at PETA. "We support giving insects the benefit of the doubt." Friedrich says they support "brushing flies away rather than killing them" & was disappointed that the president had killed the fly.
The group sent the president a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, which traps bugs & allows their safe release back into nature. [OneNewsNow.com, Reuters, ABC News]
Bruce Friedrich, V.P. for Policy at PETA missed the fact, obvious to everyone else, that Flys are vectors of disease!
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—A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...
Your PREPARATION(Jn. 19:28-29)
Explanation:(Jn. 19:28)Impartation
Jn. 19:28—“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
Jesus went to & was on the Cross fully “knowing” that everything was accomplished for His existence on earth.
He also was fully “knowing” that “all those things” were done so that “the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Therefore, He needed to slake his thirst in order to accomplish this His final & grandest act of Divine intervention. He needed to make it known, so that His resulting words are significant!
This is further evidence that Jesus was not concerned with His own physical well-being but rather with His spiritual well-being & the spiritual well-being of mankind in general.
“Knowing”—eidw/oida—PerfectActive Participle Nominative sing. Masc.—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see—1d1) i.e. To turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, 1d2) To pay attention, observe, 1d3) To see about something 1d31) i.e. To ascertain what must be done about it, 1d4) To inspect, examine, 1d5) To look at, behold, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. Have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive—2b1) of any fact, 2b2) the force & meaning of something which has definite meaning, 2b3) To know how, to be skilled in, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to(1Th 5:12). Eidw/oida denotes to see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception. Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent optanomai & oraw; properly--To see(literally or figuratively); by implication (in the perfect only)--To know.
“Now/Already”—hdh—Adverb—1) Now, already. “Now(already)”, with a suggested reference to some other time or to some expectation, the subjective present. Strong—Even now.
“Accomplished/Completed”(See “Fulfilled” below)—telew—Verb—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).
“Scripture”—grafh—Noun Fem.—1) A writing, thing written; 2) The Scripture, used to denote either the book itself, or its contents; 3) A certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture. Strong—a document, i.e. Holy Writ(or its contents or a statement in it).
“Fulfilled”(See “Accomplished” above)—teleiow—Verb—1) To make perfect, complete—1a) To carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; 2) To complete (perfect)—2a) Add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full, 2b) To be found perfect; 3) To bring to the end (goal) proposed; 4) To accomplish—4a) Bring to a close or fulfilment by event—4a1) Of the prophecies of the scriptures. Strong—To complete, i.e. literally--Accomplish, or figuratively--Consummate(in character). Used 24X.
“Thirst”—diqaw—Verb—1) To suffer thirst, suffer from thirst—1a) figuratively--Those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, & eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened. Strong—To thirst for(literally or figuratively). Used 16X.
From a variation of diqov(Thirst).
Jn. 19:29—“Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; & they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, & put it to His mouth.
“Sour wine” was is not the ‘distilled vinegar’ with which we are most familiar.
‘Distilled white vinegar’ is pure(distilled) acetic acid diluted with water to 5-7% acitdity.
“Vinegar can be made from just about any food that contains natural sugars. Yeast ferments these sugars into alcohol, & certain types of bacteria convert that alcohol a second time into vinegar.” “...the acid has flavors reminiscent of the original fermented food, such as apples or grapes.” “The quality of the original wine determines how good the vinegar is,” i.e., it determines the fullness, complexity, & mellowness of the overall flavor.” “...additional ingredients, such as herbs, spices, or fruits, can be added for further flavor enhancement.”—HowStuffWorks.com
“Sour wine,”(in our passage) was a vinegar produced from red wine.
The record of their giving Jesus vinegar(“sour wine”) is the fulfillment of a prophecy declared in Ps. 69:21
Ps. 69:21—“They also gave me gall for my food[cf.--Mat. 27:34], And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Ps. 69 is a Psalm of David’s & Jesus’ trust in God under threat of death.
Did they give Him drink out of love, pity, or mockery?
Either way, Jesus is prepared to finalize His ministry on earth.
“Sour wine/Vinegar/Wine vinegar”2X—oxov—1) Vinegar—1a) The mixture of sour wine or vinegar & water which the Roman soldiers were accustomed to drink. Strong—Vinegar, i.e. Sour wine. BECNT—Oxov describes a sour or dry wine as opposed to sweet wine. Used 7X.
“Filled”—mestov—Adj.—1) Full—1a) in reference to persons, whose minds are as it were filled with thoughts & emotions, either good or bad. Strong—of uncertain derivation:--Replete(literally or figuratively). Used 8X.
“Sponge”—spoggov—Noun Masc.—1) Sponge. Strong—perhaps of foreign origin; A “sponge.” Used 3X. Here & Mat. 27:48 & Mk. 15:36 describing the same event.
“Put on/Put to”2X—peritiyhmi—Verb—1) To place around, set about; 2) To put on a garment; 3) To put or bind a thing around another; 4) To present, to bestow, confer, a thing upon one. Strong—To place around; by implication--To present. Used 8X.
From—peri—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong— properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time—&—tiyhmi—To place(in the widest application, literally & figuratively; properly--in a passive or horizontal posture, & thus different from isthmi, which properly denotes an upright & active position, while keimai is properly reflexive & utterly prostrate).
“Hyssop”—usswpov—Noun Fem.—1) Hyssop; 2) A plant used by the Hebrews in their ritual sprinklings. Strong—of foreign origin [bwza ay-zowb’—1) hyssop, a plant used for medicinal & religious purposes]; “Hyssop.” RWP—A reed (kalamwi) as Mark & Matthew have it. The reed of the hyssop bush was only three or four feet long. Used 2X.
Argumentation:
Mat. 10:5-8, 11:1—“These twelve-(disciples)- Jesus sent out & commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, & do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”.....“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach & to preach in their cities.”
Lk. 10:1-3—“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, & sent them two by two before His face into every city & place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”
Jesus’ disciples were focused on physical ‘eating,’ while He found His sustenance in doing God’s work of being a witness to ‘the woman at the well.’...Prepared to finish!
*Jn. 4:34—“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work.”
Jn. 17:1-4—“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, & said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, & Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.”
1Cor. 11:27-32—“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body & blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, & so let him eat of the bread & drink of the cup. For he who eats & drinks in an unworthy manner eats & drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak & sick among you, & many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged[by God]. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
2Cor. 5:1-9—“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”
Prov. 16:1-3—“The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”
2Tim. 2:19-22—“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. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
1Tim. 6:6—“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”
“Contentment” translates autarkeia(auw-tar’-keye-ah)—‘Self-Warding off’
Illustration:
April 2011/Ellinor was scheduled for work at a Salisbury(NC) Food Lion grocery store at 11:30am/It takes 15 minutes to arrive there in the nick of time/At 11:15 she did not even have her uniform on!/Rushing thru the house complaining that she couldn’t find her name tag/Then Mom couldn’t find her pocketbook/Mom always loses her broken key(won’t attach to a keychain) in the pocketbook/Found the pocketbook!/In the car but “I can’t find my key!”/“By”(me) get your keys quick!” she says/I run thru the house pick up my keys at the other side of the house & then run back thru the house to the garage & car/Mom & Ellinor were backing up having found the keys/All of this could have been avoided—The rushing, tension, stress, anger/One’s PREPARATION
Some of you come totally unprepared for Bible Study&/or Worship...
*God’s people should come prepared to get involved in the discussion in Sunday School(small group Bible study)--That’s why we have quarterlies...That’s how we learn from one another...AND how we learn to teachers ourselves!/
*Some of you come totally unprepared for Worship...With such unpreparedness you become more aware of the faults of those involved in the worship experience/In short--You come to be entertained!--Rather than to bring your offering before God/PREPARATION
Our Sunday School teaching is important.
As a Teacher, OR--STUDENT-- have you neglected or gotten lax in Preparation?
Don’t so much expect to ministered to, as you should expect to minister. If you approach church-life with your primary expectation upon being ‘ministered unto’, it will become a circus-like entertainment experience rather than a worship experience—so that whichever local church has the bigger, better, louder, more dramatic, more emotional, etc....in short more entertaining....on any particular week, becomes the local church for you.
*Preparation may require different things for different needs at different times, so preparation needs to be somewhat flexible. Flexibility requires resourcefulness.
Application:
?How does Your PREPARATION answer Jesus’ Cross-driven Concern?
?How have You acted on those matters of great significance to Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Barak Obama's PETA fly execution
Action:
A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...
5. Your PREPARATION(Jn. 19:28)
&:
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)
Pt. 5 only! Presented 04/23/2017am 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
