“Because Of Calvary”
Text: Luke 23:26-33
Introduction:
What bring us to Calvary? A quick look at the events that have just taken place days before tells us why we might be at Calvary today. Jesus, the Son of God, and of Mary, was to be crucified here today, but for what crime? The crime of Love! You see; John’s gospel tells us that “God loved us so much that He was willing to give even His only Son to die so He would be able to have a relationship with us.” Jesus had finished the upper room supper, washing of His disciple’s feet, He finished the Prayer in the Garden, and He went through a mock trail, and was condemned to die.” Innocent of all charges that was brought against Him, but nonetheless, condemned to die! So here we stand at Calvary!
What is Calvary?
You could say, it is nothing but a rocky hill along a busy highway that ran to and from Jerusalem. Calvary is a hill on the outside of the city of Jerusalem near the garden where Jesus was laid in the tomb. Matthew, Mark and John calls this place “Golgotha,” being interpreted from the Hebrew word meaning; “The Place of the Skull.” Luke alone calls it Calvary, However; The word “Calvary,” also means ‘The Place of the Skull.’ It is a barren place, no place in which to picnic, no place where one would like to take a friend. It is a lonely place, a place that’s not beautiful to look at, it doesn’t have a beautiful sky-line. But to the child of God, it is a beautiful place, one that we look upon with hope, a place that we look upon with longing. Knowing that it was here that a man did what no other man could do, and that my friend was die so we could have life.
1). Because of Calvary; I have a peace with God which passes all
Understanding:
In my encounters with people that do not know the Lord as their personal Saviour, I realize that before I can get them saved, I have to get some of them lost. A good question to ask is; “Are you an enemy of God?”
Most will answer; “No! of course not,” I just don’t have to go to church to believe in God. ( I want to say right here that, that is true, but belief in itself is not enough, you have to know Him, you have to love Him!) Than you answer them and let them know that those who are not in Love with Jesus are His enemies. Romans 5:8-10 says; “But God commendeth His loves towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “ Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Listen to me now, You cannot have peace from God, if you have never accepted His love for you! Peace is an off-springing of His love. The Bible says; that the wrath of God burns against all evil and sin. But it was the Love of God that took His wrath out on His Son, and it was because of what He did on Calvary that you and I can have peace.
Colossians 1:21 says; “……once you were alienated from God and were enemies because of your evil behavior, but now; He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death.”
Philippians goes on to say that, “Christians have a peace which surpasses all understanding.”
I want to tell you something church. Because of Calvary! As a child of God, I have a peace in knowing that where ever I am the Lord is right there with me, where ever I go, He is thee. When I lay my head down to sleep at night, I have the assurance in knowing that He is watching over me, protecting me from everything that Satan can muster up against me.
There is a peace in knowing that if I leave this world today and enter into eternity, I will awaken in the arms of Jesus there in that heavenly home that we are all looking for and longing for, and it is all because of Calvary!
2). Because of Calvary; We have Healing through Jesus Christ:
You might say, now hold it preacher, you still preach that stuff even though you are going through with what your going through with? Yes I am. Whether, the Lord heals my body or not, He is the Healer.
I’ve said this before, but here again. Mel Gibson depicted the scourging of Jesus in a very graphic way. However; I believe that he only scratched the surface of the kind of beating that Jesus actually went through so that you and I can be healed of any and all sickness that comes upon us.
Isaiah 53:5 says; “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.” Friend, I want to tell you that sickness comes our way, there is nothing we can do about that fact, but because of Calvary, we can claim our healing. You might say, but what if He don’t heal me preacher? So What? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in a hurry to leave this world, but Paul said; “If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable.” Listen to me now! I have a peace in knowing that if I leave this world I have a healing just on the other side of death, and it is because of Calvary.
3). Because of Calvary; I have victory through the Blood and Name Of Jesus Christ:
Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19; “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because He hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at LIBERTY them that are bruised, ( Isaiah said Bound), To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Hear me now; Satan as a roaring lion is going about seeking whom he can devour, But Jesus paid the price on Calvary so you and I can have victory over Satan. To say brother Corley, I’m bound with something and can’t get victory over it, is to say the work that Jesus did on Calvary meant nothing. You say I’ve tried and tried and can’t get victory, than ask for help, you don’t have to carry that burden alone, that is what you have brothers and sister for. ( And I might say this to. If a brother or sister comes to you with a problem they want you to help them pray about, keep you mouth shut, don’t spread it all over the church. That’s why a lot of people don’t ask for help, because many saints don’t know how to keep quite about it, they want to tell everybody).
Jesus will give you victory over that thing if only you will trust Him. He said He came to preach deliverance to the captives. Friend, if you are hooked on pornography, or drugs, or tobacco, or an uncontrollable tempter, or whatever, you are a captive of Satan, and he will let you continue with that thing until it kills you and than he will laugh at you, for thinking you can handle it on your own. You Can’t!…….
4). Because of Calvary; I Am Saved:
Listen; this is the greatest reason for Calvary. Sister Amanda took this for a text the other night and did a wonderful job with it. Here is what it says, John 3:16-18; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “ For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: “But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
I said it earlier, belief in, itself is not enough. The Bible says; “The devils believe and tremble.” Why, if belief is all we have to do, because they know there is something else. Paul said to the Romans in Romans 3:23; “ For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Than he told them in chapter 10:9-10; “…If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For with the heart men believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Friend, it’s simple, all we have to do is tell Jesus that we are lost sinners, and we want Him to come into our hearts and save us and make us one of His children and than start living for him.
Now! Because of Calvary, Jesus has did all of these things and much more for us. He has made a way so we can ( we don’t have too) but we can have a life in heaven with Him. You say, wait a minute brother Corley, you said He died on a cross. Than if He died, He is dead. I did say that, but as Paul Harvey says; “Now, for the rest of the story.” Most of you know this, but some may not. He didn’t stay dead! Cause on the third day, He Got Up, and because He got up, even if we die, we will get up also and spend all of eternity in heaven with Him. Glory!, Glory!
But it is all up too you! Where do you want to spend eternity? The song writer said it like this; “Where will you be a million years from now, will you be happy, will you be singing, while ages role throughout all eternity, I ask this question, Where will you be?
