Welcome on this Good Friday 2005 as we celebrate the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. You see, He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay!  Paul put it this way in II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Now this evening we are going to be looking at the seven sayings of Jesus that He spoke from the cross of Calvary and they are powerful and they are complete. Before we get to our text this evening, listen to this story that will help set the stage for what we will be looking at this evening. We are told:

            If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting of the Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died.  Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you’d be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.

- Source Unknown

            How true that is for every one of us. Jesus didn’t go to the cross of Calvary because we were so good, but that we were so bad, dead in our trespasses and sins. Isaiah tells us, “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”  Isaiah 59:1-2.  Thus, Jesus has come to reconcile us back to God by paying in full the penalty for our sins.  He is the mediator between God and man. He is the bridge-builder, and that giant gap between God and man because of our sins is now replaced with the cross of Christ giving us access to God!

            The seven statements we are going to be focusing on this evening are: THE WORD OF FORGIVENESS – Luke 23:34.  THE WORD OF SALVATION – Luke 23:42-43.  THE WORD OF AFFECTION – John 19:25-27.  THE WORD OF ANGUISH – Matthew 27:46.  THE WORD OF SUFFERING – John 19:28.  THE WORD OF VICTORY – John 19:30.  And THE WORD OF CONTENTMENT – Luke 23:46.

            Why are we going to focus on these statements this evening?  Think about it like this.  If you knew you were going to die shortly, are the last words you are going to speak going to be foolish gibberish or heartfelt words with profound meaning?  Of course they are going to be important and thus, the last words of Jesus as he hung on the cross of Calvary are very important for us to read, to understand and to apply to our lives.  Keep in mind that 7 is the number of completeness and thus, the complete work of God is given to us here in these statements as we shall see. So with that in mind, let’s dig into these statements and see what the Lord has for us this evening and as we do, place yourself at the foot of the cross, looking up to Jesus hanging there and listening to the words He has to say to us!

1.  THE WORD OF FORGIVENESS – Luke 23:34

            Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals for a minute. You have been beaten, scourged, hit in the face, your beard has been pulled out, a crown of thorns placed on your head, your face is so disfigured that it no longer resembles that of a man, you are mocked, placed on a cross to be crucified – what would you say at this point?  I probably can’t repeat those words here but it would not be pretty and there would be no forgiveness, only anger, hatred, wishing they would get what you are getting. But that is not what Jesus said. I find that amazing, the heart of forgiveness!

            What an example that Jesus left for us.  Maybe you feel like your hands are tied in the situation you are in right now.  Maybe you feel that you can’t make a move. It is easy to get discouraged, angry, and bitter – let it go!  Have a heart of forgiveness and pray for them.  I know it can be hard to forgive at times because of real or perceived things that others have done to us.  Look at the example of Jesus and forgive.  If you are having a hard time doing this, maybe this will change your mind. It is a letter that was found in the clothing of a dead child at the Ravensbruck concentration camp. The note reads:

            O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will.  But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering – our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble.  When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

- Source Unknown

            That truly is the heart of forgiveness.  Can we forgive like that?  Can we forgive for the little wrongs that others have done against us? God wants us to!  Jesus said in Matthew 18:35, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  And Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  May we learn to have a heart of forgiveness as Jesus has forgiven us!

            And think about it, isn’t that what we desire in our lives, forgiveness?  Of course it is!  In fact, the famed psychiatrist, Karl Menninger once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75% of them would walk out the next day!  Amazing statement when you think about it!

            Maybe you heard of the story of the Spanish father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away and the father set off to find him.  He searched and searched for months and could not find his son. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find his lost son, the father put an ad in the newspaper, hoping to track him that way. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven.  I love you. Your Father.”  On that Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.

            Folks, the Father has forgiven us of all our sins in Christ.  All you have to do is receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior and once you do, the forgiveness of God is extended to you and then, in turn, you can extend forgiveness to others. You see, if God has forgiven you of all your sins, can you forgive others who have sinned against you?  It is your choice but you need to have a heart of forgiveness looking to Jesus as our example!

            One last point before we move on and that is these words of Jesus are a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.  In Isaiah 53:12 we are told, “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.”  Christ, at the cross of Calvary made intercession for His enemies, those that put Him on the cross, living what He taught regarding forgiveness.  He said in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?   And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  May we be a people who have a heart of forgiveness as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has!  The word of forgiveness.

2.  THE WORD OF SALVATION – Luke 23:42-43

            Here is a thief, a murderer, a mocker of Jesus being crucified alongside of Jesus and his eyes are opened to who Jesus is and this man’s dying request is to be with Jesus in His kingdom. What a remarkable request because it shows this man recognized who Jesus was and that when this life was over there is resurrection life and he wanted to be with Jesus for eternity and that is his request, a dying man’s request!  And what does Jesus say to him? “Get away from be boy, you bother me!”  Or, “I’m sorry but you lived a wicked life, an immoral life and that is how you will die!” Not at all, Jesus said, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

            This is a perfect illustration that we are saved by the grace of God through faith and not by the Law through works, this man had no good works, he didn’t keep the Law!  Paul, in Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  It is a free gift of God given to us, and it is all wrapped in Jesus!  This man came to the end of himself; there was nothing more he could do for himself except reach out to Jesus by faith and folks, the same is true for us!  You must come to the place where you realize you can’t do it on your own and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  It is as Paul said in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  The word of salvation.

3.  THE WORD OF AFFECTION – John 19:25-27

            Can you imagine the pain, the anguish that Mary was going through as she watched her Son being crucified before her?  How His body was beaten and disfigured and there she stood watching.  Remember the prophecy of Simeon that was given to Mary and Joseph as they brought Jesus to be circumcised on the eighth day.  We are told in Luke 2:34-35, “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”  A sword has pierced her heart as she stood their watching her son be crucified!

            As Jesus hung on the cross, in pain, having to work just to breath and every time he pushed Himself up to breath on that wooden cross His back, raw from the scourging, bleeding, it would rub up against the wood and cause excruciating pain and yet, after all He was going through, He looked down and saw His mother Mary and John standing there. He could see in their eyes the pain they were going through and He tries to bring them comfort by telling his mom, “Don’t worry, John will look out after you, he will care for you!”  Jesus was always looking out for others no matter what He was going through.

            Are there times when you feel you are hung out to dry, and people come to you and instead of bringing them the affection of God, which they need, you complain about this or complain about that, how much work you have to do, and you give to them your wrath instead of blessing them with the affection of God!  May we learn the lesson from Jesus and bring forth the affection of God to people, looking for those to bless no matter how tired we may be, no matter how we may feel!  The word of affection.

4.  THE WORD OF ANGUISH – Matthew 27:46

            After reading the previous three sayings of Jesus from the cross of Calvary this seems out of place. Why would Jesus say something like this? Because the sins of the world were now placed upon Jesus as Peter tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”  I Peter 3:18.  Thus, as the sins of the world were placed upon Jesus, the Bible tells us of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness . . .” Habakkuk 3:13a.  Thus, fellowship with the Father, something they enjoyed for eternity past was now broken and Jesus cries out with a heart that is broken as the Father turns from the Son.

            Now if the Father could not look down upon the Son with favor because He was bearing the sins of the world upon Himself, then why in the world do we think we can appease a Holy and righteous God in our own righteousness, which the Bible tells us are like filthy rags before Him?  We can’t and that is just plain foolishness on our part if we think we can!  It is not only foolish but it is arrogant to think like that.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “ . . . ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Thus, we can only come before the Father through Jesus as His blood cleanses us from all our sins!

            Do you feel God has forsaken you? Do you feel you are in darkness right now?  What are you going to do about it?  Have you walked away because of the situations you are in?  In times of darkness, at times when it seems like God is silent, He is still there.  It may be a season you are going through. You see, you just can’t trust God, have faith in Him when things are going well for you. You must learn to trust God, have faith in Him when things may be dark also, cry out to Him and rest in the fact that He is there. If there is something that is hindering your relationship with Him, repent and get right, but take that step.

            Remember what David said in Psalm 61:1-8, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.  For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.  You will prolong the king's life, His years as many generations.  He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!  So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.”  Go to the Rock, Jesus Christ, who is higher than we are, who not only created us but also sustains us, and give it to Him, no matter what you are going through for He is a strong tower, a shelter from the enemy where we can run to!  The word of anguish.

5.  THE WORD OF SUFFERING – John 19:28

            Here again Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 69:21, which says, “They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  He was completing the words the prophets spoke of the Messiah; the work was coming to an end. And prophecy regarding Christ’s first coming were fulfilled down to the tiniest detail!

            Now this thirst shows to us the humanity of Christ.  Paul said in Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  He knows our physical pain, our sufferings; our emotional pain because He not only was fully God in the incarnation but He was also fully man.  At this point He was probably physically thirsty for he was dehydrated from all the blood loss. But I also think there is a spiritual aspect to this.

            He just cried out to the Father as fellowship was broken and now, spiritually speaking He was dry.  That is so true in our own lives as we break fellowship with the Father because of sin and we become dry, we become thirsty and many times we try to fill that need with worldly things which will never satisfy.  Remember David’s sin with Bathsheba and how he had her husband killed to cover his sin. We are told in Psalm 32:1-5, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”  When David hid his sin he was dry spiritually and physically he was in pain, but as soon as he confessed his sin before God, God was standing there with forgiveness and he was refreshed!

            Remember what Jesus said to the woman at the well in Samaria in John 4:13-14, “ . . . ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’”  May we drink from Him and be refreshed.  May we not only have living water in us but also gushing forth like a mighty river from our lives touching the lives of others!  The word of suffering.

6.  THE WORD OF VICTORY – John 19:30

            This was not a cry of defeat, “It is finished” but the cry of victory over sin. The work the Father sent Him to do was completed!  The Greek word TETELESTAI means “Paid in full” or “It is finished” and Jesus is speaking of our sins, they have been paid in full, the work of redemption is finished, not because of what we have done, but what He has done!

            Let me explain it like this, with this story.  We are told:

            Alexander III was Tsar of Russia from 1881-1894.  His rule was marked by repression, and in particular by persecution of Jews. His wife, Maria Fedorovna, provided a stark contrast, being known for her generosity to those in need. On one occasion her husband had signed an order consigning a prisoner to life in exile.  It read simply, “Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia.”  Maria changed that prisoner’s life by moving the comma in her husband’s order. She altered it to, “Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia.”

            In Christ God has changed the comma that stood against us. From “Pardon impossible, send to Siberia” comes the good news of salvation: “Pardon, impossible to send to Siberia.”

- Today in the Word, July 14, 1993

            Folks, what a glorious truth that is.  Our sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more!  When Jesus said, “It is finished” He meant it. He didn’t say, “Okay Joe, My work is done.  Now it is time you come up to the plate and give it your best, and maybe you will make it into heaven if you work hard enough.  Good luck!”  Jesus didn’t say that even though some people think that way!

            Paul, in Colossians 2:13-14 tells us, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and 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.”  You see, all our sins were written down for us, we were guilty of them, but those sins were nailed to the cross of Calvary, the penalty for those sins were paid by Jesus, and now, across that paper is written, “TETELESTAI” or “PAID IN FULL!”

It doesn’t get any better than that.  In fact, Jesus gave us assurance of our salvation because our salvation is not based upon our faithfulness but His, it is not based upon our good works, but His finished work on the cross of Calvary. Thus, He tells us in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”  The word of victory!

7.  THE WORD OF CONTENTMENT – Luke 23:46

            No one took Jesus’ life, He freely gave it for us and He was in control, He gave up His spirit and died!  No anger, no fear, no resentment because He knew what was ahead, Sunday was coming, resurrection day, but before that He spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the earth revealing Himself to those who had died in faith, awaiting the coming Messiah.  You can read of this place called Abraham’s bosom in Luke chapter 16.  Then, on resurrection morning, as Jesus rose from the dead, these dear saints were also raised and are with the Father!

            You see, these bodies of flesh will not last forever and thank God, for flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God. But as these bodies go back to the dust of the earth we will be with the Lord. Death is not the end of life for the Christian, it is moving day and thus, when it is time to go, our faith should be, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  The word of contentment.

            As I begin to close this evening, let me share with you this story. We are told:

            A father and his young son were viewing a parade in London, England.  Because of the chilling wind, they stepped inside a small store and watched through the window.  In the course of time a regiment of British troops marched by, and the man exclaimed, “My, aren’t those Redcoats pretty!”  But the little boy replied, “They aren’t red, they are white.  If you don’t believe me, just squat down here and look.”  Just to prove the little fellow was wrong, his Daddy got down on his knees and looked out the window. To his amazement the coats were not red; they looked white.

            What had happened was this. There was a red band of glass around the storefront window, and at the height that the boy was looking out he was viewing the parade through a red band of glass.  When you look at a red object through a red piece of glass, the red object loses its red color to your eyes.  It appears white.

            The same thing is true in salvation. When God looks at you through the red blood of Jesus your scarlet sins appear white. This is blood atonement.

- Source Unknown

            It is as the Lord said in Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’”  That is what God has done for us, that is what we are celebrating, the finished work of Christ on Calvary, the forgiveness of our sins!

            If you don’t know the Lord this evening, won’t you receive Him as your Lord and Savior? Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and He will and you will be clean, you will be forgiven.  If you refuse, if you reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you will die in your sins; you will be separated from God.  But don’t pass up the opportunity for today is the day of salvation.  We must all be prepared to meet our Maker and the only way that is possible is by receiving Jesus Christ into your life!

            For those of you who know the Lord, rejoice in the finished work of Christ.  Not only rejoice in what God has done, bringing reconciliation into your life, but then you bring that reconciliation to others, you share your faith with others so they too may receive the reconciliation of God that is found in Jesus!  It is as Jesus said in John 3:16-21, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  May the last words of Jesus from the cross of Calvary encourage you and bless you!  And remember, He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay!