REMEMBER ME
LUKE 22:14-20 (19)
I. REMEMBER ME
A. Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s supper or communion is a special occasion
B. The point I want to bring out for this message it that Jesus is basically saying “Remember Me”
C. God knows the heart of man and how prone we are to forget Him. It’s not that we forget He exists but that we leave Him out of our life, we leave Him behind as we pursue other things. In that sense, we forget Him
-Deut 6:12 ...Then beware lest thou forget the LORD,...
D. This warning is repeated time and again throughout the O.T. and Jesus echoed it
E. As we think about Easter, there are some things Jesus would want us to remember
II. REMEMBER ME - I WAS AN INNOCENT MAN
A. Not just the fact that Jesus was sinless in His birth and nature but that He was sinless in His life and death
B. Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death on false charges made by false witnesses
C. Both in the Bible and secular history we find that Jesus never did anything worthy of death
-Luke 23:4, 13-15
-Judas - “I have betrayed the innocent blood” - Matt 27:4
-Pilate - “I am innocent of the blood of this just man” - Matt 27:24
-thief on the cross - “This man has done nothing wrong” - Luke 23:39-41
D. As Jesus was being led away to be executed, top officials of the Roman government declared Him innocent
-the Roman government would not have done this if it were not true
III. REMEMBER ME - I TOOK YOUR PLACE
A. One of the clearest illustrations of this is found in the release of Barabbas - Luke 23:16-25
B. Barabbas was a rebel, a murderer and a thief. He would have been the man to die on the middle cross that day if it had not been for Jesus
C. Jesus took Barabbas’ place on the cross - the innocent dying for the guilty
D. Just as Barabbas stood guilty before the Roman government, each of us stand guilty before God. We all are guilty of sin and have the death sentence hanging over our head
-Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
-Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:...
E. God placed the judgment for every man’s sin upon Jesus - Isa 53:4-5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
-Heb 2:9 (that Jesus) ...by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
G. Jesus took our place at Calvary - Why? -Because we had no choice in the matter
-you had no choice in your birth, you had no choice in being a sinner, you have no choice in dieing
H. Jesus came to take your place and give you a choice - we can remain “In Adam” or “In Christ”
-1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
F. The miracle of all this is - when Jesus took the place of Barabbas, Jesus also took his guilt. Barabbas walked away a free man, all charges against him were dropped - he received a full pardon
-when we personally accept the fact that Jesus took our place - every charge of sin against us is dropped, we walk away innocent - Rom 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
IV. REMEMBER ME - I CONQUERED DEATH
A. Every person’s greatest dream would be to some how conquer death
B. Jesus did exactly that - by being fully man He succumbed to deaths power, by being fully God he over powered death and came out alive on the third day
-the swoon theory - Jesus didn’t really die - one lady wrote in to a question and answer forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? Sincerely, Bewildered. Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for 6 hours; run a spear thru his side...put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens."
C. No other religious leader in the history of the world can make that claim - they all lived and they all died.
-follow who you will...As for me and my house we will serve the Lord
D. The entire Christian faith depends on the resurrection of Christ
-Cor 15:17 ...if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
E. Jesus conquered death so we could have eternal life and through Him we could conquer death
-1 Cor 15:26,51-55 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.... 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
V. REMEMBER ME - SOME DAY YOU’LL WANT ME TO REMEMBER YOU
A. The entire scope of our human existence is summed up in one short verse
-Heb 9:27 ...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
B. Eventually we all will stand before His judgment seat
-Rev 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
C. The thief on the cross had one final request of Jesus before he died - “Remember me” - Luke 23:42
D. “Remember me” will be your final request, your final desire on that day
-Matt 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
E. If you remember Him in this life, He will remember you in the next. If you do not remember Him in this life, then His final words to you will be “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I know you not”
