THE CRUCIFIXION: THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
LUKE 23: 32-43
MARCH 21, 2004
INTRODUCTION: Someone once said, to err is human; to forgive divine!
Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me." John Stott in The Contemporary Christian.
TRANSITION THOUGHT: Today I want to talk to us about the power of forgiveness. Until we are forgiven, we are still under bondage to our sin. When we are forgiven, we are free from guilt and shame and now have the power to forgive others. As we continue our Journey to understand the crucifixion, let us hear again the first words Jesus would speak from the Cross. Let us here again of the Power of Forgiveness!
THESIS SENTENCE: THE CRUCIFIXION BROUGHT OUR FORGIVENESS
The question I have for us this morning is “How do we get there?”
I. THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS IS THE PRAYER PRAYED LUKE 11:1-4
A. THE PRAYER PRAYED IS A REQUEST MADE
1. The disciples had watched and heard Jesus pray.
2. They knew that John taught his disciple how to pray.
3. I am sure, feeling a little intimidated by it all, they wondered just how they were to pray.
4. SO, they formed a committee and the out come was that someone had to ask Jesus to teach them to pray. One of the disciples did just that: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples (vv. 1).”
B. THE PRAYER PRAYED IS THE PRAYER
1. Jesus didn’t say no and He did rebuke them for asking. He didn’t teach a lesson on why we should pray or what the theological ramifications of prayer are, he just said, “Say!”
2. What is important is the words he taught the disciples to pray. We really need to dig a little here.
3. Luke gives us a smaller version than Matthew, but the core is here and the core is the matter:
“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”
4. Now we could spend a lot of time on this and we have in the past, but did you notice the issue of sin and forgiveness.
5. Jesus taught us to ask for forgiveness when we pray. One of the key elements of this prayer is the issue of forgiveness and it can’t come unless we ask, so HE teaches us to ask!
6. Verses 5-11 promise us that if we ask, HE WILL ANSWER!!
7. But did you notice what Jesus taught us to pray after we asked for forgiveness? This is not a request; this is a statement of fact. He did teach them to pray, “Forgive us our sins, when and if we forgive others who sin against us.”
He taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, BECAUSE (FOR) WE (DO) ALSO FORGIVE EVERYONE WHO SINS AGAINST US.”
ILLUTRATION: In Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, "Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster." Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God."
Our Daily Bread, December 29, 1993
TRUTH: THE PRAYER WE WERE TAUGHT TO PRAY IS ONE OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS.
QUESTIONS: DO WE PRAY AS JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY? DO WE FORGIVE? ARE WE FORGIVEN?
II. THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS IS THE LESSON TAUGHT MATTHEW 18:21-22
A. THE LESSON TAUGHT IS THE QUESTION ASKED
1. Jesus has just been teaching the disciples how to deal with someone who sins against them.
2. “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times (verse 21)?’”
3. Peter had just heard the Lord Jesus speak on this issue of going to a brother who sins against you and he says, okay, I hear you. BUT, how many times do we have to do this? Now we need to admire Peter, he was willing to go seven times to a brother who had sinned against him. Most folks won’t go once. BUT, Peter was willing to go the extra mile: 7 times!
4. Just remember, this was not a statement Peter made, but a question!
B. THE LESSON TAUGHT IS THE ANSWER GIVEN
1. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times (verse 22).’”
2. Now I know some people that might just try to keep score and will know when we have reached the 77th time. I also know this is not the point. Jesus is saying, “Don’t keep score, FORGIVE!”
3. The message within the message is that we get a glimpse of God here! Jesus said if we had seen Him we had seen the Father as well. Jesus is teaching the disciples to be like Him. He is modeling for them what it looks like to be a follower of the Son of God!
4. Jesus continues to teach that to belong to Him is to be a person of forgiveness.
ILLUSTRATION:
Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A & M University. One night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped -- but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college.
A short time after the tragedy, Bruce’s father wrote this letter to the administration, faculty, student body, and the corps of cadets: "I would like to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy from Texas A & M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce. We were deeply touched by the tribute paid to him in the battalion. We were particularly pleased to note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on campus."
Mr. Goodrich went on: "I hope it will be some comfort to know that we harbor no ill will in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes. Bruce had an appointment with his Lord and is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, ’Why did this happen?’ perhaps one answer will be, ’So that many will consider where they will spend eternity.’"
Our Daily Bread, March 22, 1994.
TRUTH: JESUS TAUGHT WE ARE TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US!
QUESTIONS: DO WE KEEP SCORE? ARE WE FORGIVING OTHERS WHO SIN AGAISNT US?
III. THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS IS THE ACTION TAKEN LUKE 23: 32-43
A. THE ACTION TAKEN IS THE WORDS SPOKEN
1. I have taken us on a long journey just to get here.
2. I could have focused on the abuse Jesus received, but I did that two weeks ago. I thought it important just to think about what Jesus taught.
3. Now we see Jesus on the Cross. He has been betrayed, denied, falsely accused, beaten and now he is being put to death in the cruelest of all ways: He is nailed to the Cross and the blood flows!
4. He could have called down all of heaven! He could have removed himself from all the pain. He chose to die for our sins.
5. And what would His final words be? What would he say? The first words out of HIS mouth from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (vv. 34).”
B. THE ACTION TAKEN IS THE STATEMENT MADE
1. In Matthew’s account of the Crucifixion, he has the robbers heaping insults on Jesus.
2. Luke gives us more information and tells the story of repentance.
3. In verses 39-40 we read, “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’”
4. Wow, someone is getting it!! How often do we miss out because we are so focused on our selves and our self-perseverance that we don’t see the big picture?
5. This criminal knew Jesus was not to blame for the punishment He was receiving, although he knew he did deserve what he was getting.
6. SO, he makes the statement: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (vv. 42).”
7. So much is going on in these few words. This criminal believes Jesus to be who He said He was. He believes Jesus can forgive and that He is the King and has a kingdom! This is Faith in action!!
C. THE ACTION TAKEN IS THE PROMISE MADE
1. Jesus has already spoken the most powerful words that could be spoken: Father forgive. Forgive them for betraying me. Forgive them for denying me. Forgive them for beating me. Forgive them for crucifying me. Wow, isn’t this enough?? Hasn’t Jesus done enough?
2. HE PRACTICED WHAT HE WAS PREACHED!
3. BUT, did you hear his reply to this criminal, this robber, this thief on the other cross??
4. “Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (verse 43).”
5. Can you imagine such love? Can we realize the depth of the compassion our Lord felt for us as He was bleeding to death writhing in pain?
ILLUSTRATION: Audio Adrenaline has a song call OCEAN FLOOR
THE MISTAKES I’VE MADE-- THAT CAUSED YOU PAIN-- I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT-- AND MY SELFISH THOUGHTS-- ALL MY PRIDE-- THE THINGS I HIDE-- YOU HAVE FORGOT ABOUT
THEY’RE ALL BEHIND YOU-- THEY’LL NEVER FIND YOU-- THEY’RE ON THE OCEAN FLOOR-- YOUR SINS ARE FORGOTTEN-- THEY’RE ON THE BOTTOM-- OF THE OCEAN FLOOR
MY MISSDEEDS-- ALL MY GREED-- ALL THE THINGS THAT HAUNT ME NOW-- THEY’RE NOT A PRETTY SIGHT TO SEE-- BUT THEY’RE WIPED AWAY-- BY A MIGHTY WAVE-- A MIGHTY WAVE, MIGHTY WAVE
CHORUS
TAKE THEM AWAY-- TO RETURN NO MORE-- TAKE THEM AWAY-- TO THE OCEAN FLOOR
TRUTH: THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS LED NOT ONLY TO OUR FORGIVENESS, BUT ALSO TO THE OPENING OF PARADISE!
QUESTIONS: HAVE WE EXPERIENCED THE FORGIVENESS THAT JESUS FREELY OFFERED ON THE CROSS? DO WE WANT JESUS TO REMEMBER US WHEN HE COMES INTO HIS KINGDOM?
CONCLUSION: Jesus taught forgiveness all through His ministry. At the end of His earthly ministry He had the opportunity to Model for us what true forgiveness looks like. Regardless of what we had done to Him, putting Him on the cross, He freely forgave and offered us paradise for the asking. The last question for us today is where do you stand with Jesus?
BENEDICTION: REVELATION 1: 5-6
