MidTree Church
The sermon audio of MidTree Church in Harris County, Ga. BEHOLD // BELIEVE // BECOME
MidTree Church
Forgiveness at the Cross: Christ's Final Words and Their Eternal Impact
In the midst of his greatest suffering, Jesus offers us the most profound lessons about forgiveness. While inches away from the cross, after being mocked and beaten, Jesus shows more concern for others than for himself.
Through just three statements spoken from the cross, Jesus revolutionizes our understanding of forgiveness. His first words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," reveal that forgiveness is something Jesus offers freely, even to those actively causing him harm. This forces us to confront uncomfortable questions: Have we truly forgiven others, or have we merely stopped thinking about them? Is there someone we claim to have forgiven while secretly maintaining a record of their wrongs?
When Jesus tells the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise," we see forgiveness practiced fully. Notice how Jesus interrupts his communion with the Father to welcome one more sinner into the kingdom. The criminal's simple request—"Jesus, remember me"—stands in stark contrast to our complicated formulas for salvation. This reveals the beautiful truth that nothing and no one is beyond God's forgiveness, challenging us to examine whether we're holding someone's past sin as greater than God's current grace.
With his final words, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," Jesus fulfills forgiveness finally. All sin—past, present, and future—has been completely dealt with. The debt is canceled, not just deferred. This invites us to trust that our own sins are truly forgiven and to extend that same complete forgiveness to others.
Most powerfully, we see humanity's transformation through witnessing Christ's forgiveness. Our first response at the cross—"He saved others, let him save himself"—becomes "Certainly this man was innocent." When we truly encounter Christ's forgiveness, we can't help but be changed. Will you allow that transformation to reshape how you forgive others today?
If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.
Please turn in your Bibles to Luke 23, 26-35, which is on page 884 in the Pew Bibles, and follow along as I read God's word. And as they led him away, they seized one, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them, Jesus said Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed. For behold, the days are coming when they will say Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us and to the hills, cover us. For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
Speaker 1:Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him, and when they came to the place that is called the skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left, and Jesus said Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do and they cast lots to divide his garments and the people stood by watching. But the rulers scoffed at him, saying he saved others, let him save himself If he is the Christ of God, his chosen one. This is the word of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Thank you, sarai, I appreciate it. Yeah, you can leave it there. One of the things that strikes me as Sarai is reading that passage, you would have to take a look. You guys got me right there, awesome. You would have to take a look at the very thing that Jesus says in verse 28. If you have it in front of you, it's also on the screen the fact that Jesus is inches from the cross and he looks at the women who are weeping, recognizing not only what is going to happen, but what has already happened to Christ. Keep in mind at this point he has been mocked, he has been spit on, he has been beaten, he has been bruised, he has been mistreated by the very humanity that he came to save. And, as he is, feet from the cross, being carried by another because of his inability, after this beating, to be able to carry his own cross, he's no longer in his mind wondering what the cross may look like. He can see it, he knows what is coming.
Speaker 2:And what amazes me about Christ and I feel like this sets us up for the entire morning that we're going to spend in Scripture together is that Jesus, even in this moment, is more concerned about the people around him than he is concerned about himself, and I would just tell you, as a person with a nature, that I so long for it to be like Christ, but it feels so far away from that. This is a staggering thing for me to read. I think most of what we know from the cross comes later. Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and your children. It is not a well-known passage. I'm going to put a couple of well-known passages and kind of quiz you guys to see how well you know this section of scripture. Don't worry, you don't have to answer out loud when we get there. But this is not what I think of as a primary scripture. And yet what we find is that here Christ is more concerned, as he is inches from the cross, about the people around him than his own good or his own welfare.
Speaker 2:Let me point you to something that may feel out of the blue, but I don't think it is. One of the conversations that I've had with people over the past two weeks has been about the pollen that we are experiencing right now in our world. I thought something was burning in the woods the other day. Okay, all right, lots of you guys are giving me this. I thought something was burning down, only to realize that this smoke is actually an incredible amount of pollen. My wife, who follows the weather app fairly religiously, but even more so, I think, as we're getting ready to go to Thailand said have you seen the air quality? And I'm like I have never seen the air quality of any place I have ever lived in my entire life. But no, I have not seen the air quality. She said it is abysmal. I've never seen the air quality this poor before. And, as I've talked with folks, it's all. I can't keep my car clean. I can barely go to sleep at night. I'm always rubbing my. I am miserable. And I was thinking. This little season of pollen is a wonderful way for you to think about the text that we're about to read.
Speaker 2:Jesus looks at Peter one day and he wants to wash Peter's feet. All right, something is dirty, something is not the way it ought to be, and Jesus wants to wash Peter's feet. And Peter says to him you shall never wash my feet. You are high, I am low. You are Christ, I am not. It's not going to happen. And Jesus answered him if I do not wash you, you have no share with me. And then Peter kind of flips, he's like well, look, if I can't have a share with you unless I'm washed, then Lord, not my feet, but my head, my hands like, get me real clean if it means I can be close with you. And I've never, I've never forgotten the next thing that Jesus says, because it has been a constant reminder to me for decades of what being a Christian if you're a Christian in the room today, what being a Christian in a world that is covered in sin is actually like. And Jesus said to him the one who is bathed does not need to wash. If your soul is right with God, you do not need to get saved again.
Speaker 2:I got saved at a Billy Graham crusade. I got saved at a DC talk concert I need to be using air quotes here, because my theology is better than this. I got saved at summer camp. I got saved on the floor of my bedroom and I got saved in my pastor's office. Those are not all correct in timeline, but they are correct in my experience. Why? Because I didn't understand this. I realized that there was sin in me and I thought that Christ had cleaned me up. But he must not have cleaned me up, because I'm still struggling with these thoughts, these deeds, these actions, these words that just keep flowing out of this jacked up soul inside of me and I'm like well, jesus, we got to do this again. I got the sinner's prayer wrong. I didn't get it quite right. I must not have been squeezing hard enough or praying fervent enough. And this has been such a gift to me, the one who has bathed.
Speaker 2:If you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ, you do not need to do that again. But your feet, the parts of you that are constantly in contact with this world, they need to be made clean frequently. And as we look at this passage of scripture, what I want to simply get you to wrestle with is this when it comes to receiving forgiveness, on the one hand, and when it comes to giving forgiveness, on the other, when it comes to you receiving forgiveness from God or from others, you need to ask people for forgiveness if you have wronged them in some way. Category one. Category two you need to give forgiveness to people as you have been forgiven, so you ought to forgive.
Speaker 2:When these two realities press in on your soul, is there a chance that your soul is a bit dusty here. Is there a chance that your receiving or giving of repentance is not as cleaned up as the Holy Spirit would desire for it to be? Because I believe that God wants us to freely receive his forgiveness day in and day out, and to freely give it as well, but I think, as humans, it is one of the hardest things for us to do. So what does Jesus show us in this? All right now, these are passages from the cross that probably will be more familiar than oh, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves. All right, let's just see how you do. You can answer in your mind, you can answer out loud, you can decide if it's pride, you can decide if it's not. I'm not getting into that. Okay, we're already talking about forgiveness. All right, number one, father, forgive them. Okay, good stuff, way to go. All right. Truly, I say to you today Okay, a couple fewer, but yeah, good, good, father, into your hands.
Speaker 2:Okay, the reason that I put this up is we are about to walk into a passage that many of you have heard before. We're getting close to Easter here, christ is laying out his heart for them, and I'm gonna get William to come and read with me. When I was a youth pastor, one of the things that I realized is, if you're ever gonna read a long passage of scripture, it is a kindness to people to break it up a little bit. And so here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna read a passage of scripture, I'm going to do the narrating and William is going to read the voices that are happening at and around the cross. This is not us trying to do a performance for y'all. Okay, I told William, you do not need to have accents, you do not need to like, we're both. I really tried, did you Okay? Yeah, he said no.
Speaker 2:It's all going to be in Hebrew. Someone's going to have to interpret. It's going to be a thing Now. So, but what I did want was for you to engage with this text in a new way. Why? Because you know this many of you, by the way. If you didn't know a single answer on the screen, I'm really, really glad you're here.
Speaker 2:Church is not for people who know the answers.
Speaker 2:It's for people who want to come to the one who has them, and so what we're going to do is we're going to read through this together, and I would encourage you to do one of two things. I want you to engage with this text that you have probably heard many times before. If you want to read it, as you typically would, feel free, read along with us. That'd be one way. The other way would be this depending on if you've had a cup of coffee or not, if you want to close your eyes and picture the scene, I would encourage you to do that, because I want you to see this in your mind's eye before we walk through it expositionally. So here we go the crucifixion of Jesus. Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him, and when they came to the place that is called the skull. There they crucified him and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left, and Jesus said Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Speaker 2:And they cast lots to divide his garments and the people stood by watching but the ruler scoffed at him saying he saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one. The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. There was also an inscription over him this is the king of the Jews, one of the criminals who were hanged, railed at him, saying are you not the Christ?
Speaker 3:Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we, indeed, justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him Truly I say to you you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 2:It was now about the sixth hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Now, when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying Certainly this man was innocent.
Speaker 2:And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they had saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts, and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Amen, thank you, william. I appreciate your help with that. This is the scene. I hope you can see it in your mind. I hope you can see that in this moment. You're not going to see many disciples meandering around. You're going to see women trailing at a distance. The bravest of Jesus' followers on this day are the women and Jesus' own mother, john, probably tucked somewhere near her. But you're also going to see a man who is a part of the very council who put Jesus here. Look and say something is wrong with this. You're going to see a criminal on a cross. Look at this and say there is something that makes me uneasy here. I deserve to be here, but this man does not. You're going to look at a centurion, somebody who has seen death time after time, somebody who is not in his admonition, seeking to live a godly or a moral life, and God's word is going to say he praised God in this day, looking at Christ and saying surely this man was innocent. As you look at this scene, what I want you to realize is everybody was so confident that Jesus needed to die until Jesus began to die. And when Jesus began to die, all of a sudden, lots of folks began realizing. There is something inside of me that feels very uneasy about this. There's something that feels intrinsically wrong. And it didn't matter if they were the well-educated council members or if they were murderers, if they were God-fearers or Romans who were far from him. When anyone saw Christ on the cross, something inside of them screamed. This is wrong, and what I want you to notice is that in all of this, all of this talking, all of the pieces that William read to you while I was narrating, I want you to see how much Jesus, the greatest teacher of his and any age, the one that thousands would come to listen to when he is most visible, when people are most going to remember his words, I want you to see how much Jesus said. Here is how much Jesus said. That's it In the gospel of Luke. We hear more from the people around Christ than we hear Christ on the cross. Three lines that end up saving an entire world, and tucked into these three lines is the great hope for the world and everything that Christ felt was necessary for you to know. So what are these three lines that saved the world? The first line that we see is Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Speaker 2:Jesus is actually hanging under a sign when he says this. The sign was a little bit of a dispute that arose. This is the king of the Jews. The Jewish council members, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, really did not like the sign. They went and they said hey, you got a little bit of a typo there. Grammarly didn't pop up. You need to fix this thing. It should say he said he was king of the Jews. And they look and they're like look, we've written what we are going to write, and right above Jesus, as though it is mocking the very ones who mocked him. Is this great reality? This is what a king really is.
Speaker 2:A king is someone who looks at the weeping women who are worried about him and says don't worry about me. Worry about what life is going to look like for you when this happens to me. Disciples, I've told you give your money away, but you're going to need to hold on to it for a minute. Do peace to all those around you, but in this moment you're going to need to tuck a sword into the tent. Hey guys, I'm telling you things are about to get very, very dark, both spiritually, metaphorically, and physically.
Speaker 2:The very first line that a human says, that mankind says is right here when it says he saved others, let him save himself. I want you to commit that to memory, not for the rest of your life, although I think that could be beneficial. I want you to commit it to memory just for the next 10 minutes or so. Your first line, our first line as humanity, as Jesus is coming to the scene, is he saved others, let him save himself. You know what? If he really wants to show that he is Messiah, if he wants to show that he is Savior, if he wants to show that he is Christ, if he wants to show that he is King, this is the easiest way for him to do it. Subdue your enemies, step down. If you have really been able to heal others, heal yourself. The very first words that we put on Christ are prove it. As though his life had already not done that. Wait till you see what our last line is. But in this, what we find is that Jesus begins teaching us the greatest lesson over one of the greatest realities a human can ever learn about, and that is forgiveness.
Speaker 2:Forgiveness is something that Jesus offers freely. When somebody comes to you and asks for forgiveness if you're a Christian it's important that you know this you must forgive them. This is not a controversial statement, as it relates to scripture. As we have been forgiven, so we ought also to forgive. That means we forgive people who steal candy from our backpacks. It means we forgive people who cut us off in traffic. It means we forgive people who cuss us out. It means we forgive people who have affairs against us. It means we forgive people who are abusive, mean and cruel. It means we forgive people who have perpetuated the greatest evil you can imagine in your mind. We are called to forgive them.
Speaker 2:Now listen. That doesn't mean that there are no consequences for that sin. It's not what I'm saying. But what I am saying is, if you look in your own life and realize that somebody remains unforgiven in yours, you are putting yourself in a very tenuous, dangerous position according to Scripture, because if we do not forgive, scripture says he will not forgive us, and none of us have ever been sinned against more greatly than God has been sinned against by us. So the very first thing that I want you to see, when Jesus is looking at those who are ready to put nails through hands, looking at those who are ready to put nails through hands crown of thorns on head, spear inside, as well as all of the other stuff that happens the very first thing that comes from his mouth Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. They're casting lots because they're excited about who's going to get his clothes. They have done all manner of things to wrong Jesus. And what comes from his mouth is Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. This is how freely Christ gives forgiveness when it comes to us.
Speaker 2:I wonder is there someone that I've convinced myself I've forgiven simply because I've stopped thinking about them? Forgiveness and forgetfulness are not the same thing. Just because you can put someone out of your mind, just because you can come up with a way to put a situation out of the recurring rolling screen of your memory, does not mean that you have forgiven them. And I wonder how often we just say out of sight, out of mind, I'm moving on, I feel healthy, I'm able to worship I'm able to read. Might it simply be that you have just tried to stop thinking about that person? Do I think that I have been sinned against too severely to offer the same forgiveness that I have received?
Speaker 2:If you've been coming to this church for two months, you have listened to numerous testimonies in those past two months of people who have been sinned against in some of the most egregious ways. When Veronica was getting baptized last week, one of my absolute favorite parts of her testimony was as I have been writing this testimony, I have felt anger grow in my soul and I have chosen to take that anger to the Lord and entrust it to him. I'm not saying that you will get to a place where that person or that thing will ever become emotionally neutral for you, but forgiveness difficult and messy, still expected. Why? Because the one who we model our lives after as Christians modeled it for us, christ, has not come back yet. He has not said come into my kingdom, receive forgiveness. He is in the throes of abuse.
Speaker 2:Father, forgive them.
Speaker 2:They know not what they do In the midst of the heated argument. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do In the midst of the heated argument. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do In the midst of being belittled, name called and mistreated. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That is the first thing that we see about forgiveness in the very few words that Jesus gives us. Secondly, we see this Truly. I say to you today you will be with me in paradise. What do we find in this little line? One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him. You can sort of imagine Jesus. We've all seen this picture before A cross in the middle and then two on the side, one angry thief, another not, and they're turning inward at Christ, one with good things to say and one with poor things to say.
Speaker 2:This, by the way, is one of the most encouraging verses. If there's somebody in your life who you really want to trust in Christ, but you have yet to see it, in 10, 20, 30, or 40 years you can still say, hey, there was a thief on a cross and it took him to his last breath, but by the grace of God he was forgiven. And do you know what a gift it is that Jesus gives us these words? It would have been one thing to say I forgive you, but to go a step further and say truly. That whenever Jesus says truly, he's sort of saying I really, really mean this. It's not that Jesus ever did mean anything that he said I doubt he had wasted words. Hey, remember this. Those of you who will read about this 2,000 years later, those of you who, as you approach Easter, begin thinking about deep things, truly, I'm telling you this. I'm saying this today. You will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 2:These two thieves could not be more different and yet come from the same piece of cloth. Verse 40, the other rebuked him, saying do you not fear God? You were under the same sentence of condemnation. All three of us have gotten the death penalty, and we, indeed, justly. I know you deserve it and you know I deserve it, but this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, will you remember me when you come into your kingdom?
Speaker 2:Can I just tell you that doesn't fit into the prayer that I was taught to pray with kids at camp, prayer that I was taught to pray with kids at camp. What I was taught to pray with kids at camp is this Okay, will you? Don't want to screw this up? It's your eternal salvation. We're going to make it very easy for you. There's this bracelet with little beads. Okay, it has lots of different colors so that you don't get confused. Y'all remember the bracelet. I just need to see show of hands. Who remembers the VBS bracelet with all the beads? If you don't know, that's okay. They then gave us a little booklet with no words it was called the wordless booklet had the exact same color of the beads on the booklet. I guess in the event that you needed another identical illustration. But here's what we were taught.
Speaker 2:When somebody recognizes this, this does not make sense for Jesus, but it makes a lot of sense for me when somebody comes to that realization I am a sinner and I need forgiveness. A, b, c. Admit that you're a sinner, believe that Jesus will forgive you and then confess your sin and call on the Lord A, b and C. It's very simple. Gospel's not complicated, but it's heavy and it's hard to get your soul there. I love the fact that this man's sinner's prayer is simply this Jesus, can you not forget about me? I know that there are a lot of people you shepherd. I know that there are a lot of people you care for. You must be a very busy guy to be in charge of speaking the universe and to be in keeping all of its parts together. But when you do go into your kingdom, which I believe you will, will you just remember me when I show up at the gate? Will you remember that I was the guy next to you and that I do trust, I do believe you are who you say you are, and for Jesus to overlook an entire life lived in sin and in one moment, millennia of eternity change simply because he says Jesus, will you remember me?
Speaker 2:What do we find about forgiveness here? Forgiveness is something that Jesus practices fully. He never takes a day off from forgiveness. Forgiveness is not something he, by the way, I think this is important for whichever one of you is the emotional one in your marriage. If it's both of you, then both of you put your ears up, okay. If you're not married, but you just know my feels, get big. Please pay attention to this. Jesus fully practices forgiveness. He doesn't just wait until it's convenient.
Speaker 2:Do you know when it's convenient to live for Christ? Never. It is never convenient to live for Christ. It will always be compared to your own sinfulness, nature, desire, timeline and calendar. Inconvenient, inconvenient for you to go and have that conversation. Inconvenient for you to interrupt your family's plans to invite another person into them. It will always be inconvenient for your feelings to forgive and to go and seek forgiveness, but what we see with Christ is there is no waiting to go and seek forgiveness. But what we see with Christ is there is no waiting. There is no time to wait. If somebody is at the point of seeking forgiveness, jesus says today, you are going to be with me here. They are Killing a king who is actively seeking their good, praying for the forgiveness of the sinners who surround him and mistreat him.
Speaker 2:I'd like you to also notice one thing about this second line. Now you're going to have to pay kind of close attention and I'm sorry I can't make it much bigger than that. What is different about the second line Jesus gives us at the cross than the first and the third? What's different? You got to speak up, sorry, yeah. So in the first one, father and Father. Now, I always want to be careful not to stretch Scripture and try to find stuff that's not actually there, but to me this stands out as quite obvious.
Speaker 2:If you say Father, what are you in the midst of doing? Praying, right, I mean, this is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray, pray like this okay, our Father, who art in heaven. What I find beautiful and encouraging is that the only thing in the gospel of Luke that interrupts Jesus's prayer is him inviting a sinner to heaven. Here Christ is in what must be for a being who is endless, infinity before, infinity after. In this moment, father, father, father, and we don't see everything Jesus is thinking, but I have a hint as to what it might be. Ends, father, father, father. But right here, in the midst of his prayer, when he most needs the strength of his Father, father, father. But right here in the midst of his prayer, when he most needs the strength of his Father, the Father who would send angels to strengthen him and support him, he is willing to open his eyes and say I will interrupt this prayer if it brings one sinner into this kingdom. Sinner into this kingdom. This is the kind of king that he is. The only thing that interrupts Jesus' prayer on the cross is inviting in one more sinner.
Speaker 2:So, when we think about forgiveness being something that Jesus practices fully, a couple of questions for you. Am I still bitter with someone I have forgiven? Am I still holding blank against them? Can I tell you one of my favorite things about preaching. One of my favorite things about preaching is you can read through a text and people are like you need to talk to the husbands and wives about that. And then you can read through another text and it's like singles ears up, ears up. Another one, young people, kids pay attention, others, empty nesters, look, look, look. But do you realize that the vast majority of scripture 95%, which is me just completely shooting from the hip on this applies to every human male, female, child, old, young, white, black, from 2025 or from AD 25? Do you know how fascinating it is that when I read am I still bitter with someone I have forgiven? Am I still holding blank against them?
Speaker 2:In this room, there are hundreds of answers that are filling that blank, and it has nothing to do with how long you've walked with the Lord. It has nothing to do with what your genetic makeup is. You are human and, as human, the likelihood that you are bitter with somebody that you have forgiven is quite high, and the likelihood that you have been wronged in such a way that you still feel that you can fill that blank. This is how powerful the word of God is. I would also just maybe a tidbit on the shepherding side. If that thing that you're filling the blank with you've been filling the blank with for a long time, I'd love to talk to you. I'd love to pray with you. I would love to encourage you, I would love to help you. So would Greg, so would Trent, so would any of the elders or pastors in the room, so would MCG leaders. We want to help you navigate the things that are filling that blank.
Speaker 2:When we think about the fullness of Christ's forgiveness, am I viewing someone's previous sin as greater than God's current grace? This to me was Lance Ogden, who I ran into at Chick-fil-A the other day. I ran into him at Chick-fil-A and he and a handful of guys were pulling out Bibles and sitting at the fancy or high top table. Y'all know what I'm talking about at Chick-fil-A the wood grain. Okay, now you've got the picture in your mind. They felt like they were the ones in that moment.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's a bit of an arrogant pull to take that table. I do, I can't explain it. It always bothers me. It always bothered me. When people without kids sit next to the play area, I'm like who do you think you are? Don't you know that's for us with little kids we have to keep an eye on them. You're supposed to be on the other side. What is wrong with you people? Anyway, I have lots of stuff to work on, but I aged out of that one. I don't even sit near that. I don't even want to be close to it anymore, but nonetheless am I viewing someone's previous sin as greater than God's current grace? Lance Ogden.
Speaker 2:My senior year at Hardaway High School, I was in a bunch of theater type stuff and so during lunch sometimes we would dip out and my next class was theater or drama, whatever it is. I can't remember what it was, but it was that thing. And every single day after lunch, lance would walk in with a fork in his hand and I'm like Lance, why do you have a fork? And he's like I just steal forks every day from the cafeteria and I'm like what he's like? Yeah, I don't know, it's just a thing I do. I like stealing forks. I don't know how many of you guys are public school. They're not impressive. All right, they bend if you sneeze on them, like they're cheap things. But he would steal these forks and I remember just thinking you are so far from God and I could not for the longest time, reconcile.
Speaker 2:When I started going to Crosspoint, the church that planted this one, he was in the band. He was like playing bass, and I walked in and I was like I don't know if I can be a part of this place, like 12 years had gone by and stuck inside of me was me looking at this bass player who all I knew was that dude steals forks. I don't know if you know or not, I'm pretty confident he might still be doing it. And in that moment, one of the things that the Holy Spirit made very obvious to me it's a lot easier to remember a person's sin than it is to forgive it and forget it. And I do wonder are you viewing somebody's previous sin as greater than God's current grace? Does sin prevent people from drawing near to God? Absolutely yes, but sin is actually essential for them to draw near to him. If we don't recognize our sin, there's no reason to come here. It is not the sinful, but the proud, those who feel like they have their lives together, that we really ought to be most concerned with. Nothing and no one is beyond the forgiveness of God. There were two criminals who were crucified with Christ.
Speaker 2:St Augustine would say One was saved, do not despair. One was not. Do not despair. One was not, do not presume. And as we look at this reality of the forgiveness of Christ, I would really encourage you with verse with line two here One of them was saved at the end of their life. Don't despair as you think about adult children in your life that are walking far from the Lord. As you think about adult children in your life that are walking far from the Lord. As you think about parents or grandparents who are walking from the Lord. I would encourage you not to operate off of despair, but also don't presume. Don't presume that God is going to send somebody else. You might be the else and sometimes you may need to ask people to step in.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite prayers that I prayed with somebody this year was me saying I do not have faith to pray for my dad, will you? They're like, yeah, I can have faith that your dad will come to faith. I'm like great, who do you want me to pray for? And they said, well, I do not have faith that so-and-so is going to come to faith and I was like I'll take that. There is something about us doing this in community and not just navigating life solo.
Speaker 2:Third question I would give you on Jesus's second line that saved the world Is there someone that I have forgiven, that I am selfishly holding at arm's length I underline the word selfishly for a cause? Some of you have been forgiven in such a way that you do not need to be near that person physically. It would be unwise for you to do so, that there is a level of abuse or advantage taking that has been presumed upon you and it would be unwise and unhealthy for you to be near them. You're still expected to forgive them, and for those of you who that person is not a concern of physical or emotional harm, I do wonder are you holding them at arm's length just because? Or should your forgiveness look more like Christ's?
Speaker 2:Let's just keep in mind that, as Christ is here and as the thief on the cross is there, this man's whole life has been lived spitting in the eye of who Jesus is. His whole life has been lived forcing Jesus to need to go there. Not one of his days, does it seem, was honoring Christ as king. And yet Jesus looks at him and, in this moment of forgiveness, says today. Today you are forgiven and you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 2:When we look at the third line, father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Three lines that saved the world, and this is the last. I would encourage you to please notice this, jesus though he was dragged along by your sin and mine, we wrote the script in our sinfulness that he had to walk out. He remained very much in control. He was a victim in one sense, but not a victim in another. Father, if there is any way for this cup to pass, then I pray that it would, but if there is not another way, then your will be done. And as Jesus is breathing his last words, he, with all power and with all authority, says Father, I am committing my spirit into your hands. I am extinguishing my life as a payment and a ransom. I am putting in the hand of the Father all of the payment that is necessary to cover all of the sins that your life would accrue. Father, I am committing my life to this, I am giving my life to this. There are gonna be people 2,000 years from now, early in the spring, who need to be reminded. I did this with my will and my desire that they would draw near to me Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last.
Speaker 2:I told you a few moments ago I wanted you to remember our first line. Our first line was he saved others, let him save himself. If he is the Christ of God, his chosen one, what is the last word that mankind says? Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Now, when the centurion saw what had taken place there's an awful lot that he's imagining here he praised God Might another man be saved.
Speaker 2:At the edge of the cross here, just by watching and listening to the three lines that Jesus uttered that saved the world, saying certainly this man was innocent. The first line that humanity claims that it screams out is he saved others, let him save himself if he truly is the Savior. But by the time Jesus has given us his three lines, by the time we have seen him on the cross. This is why I wanted you to take yourself there when William and I were reading this. Were you there, I think almost every one of us would be here. This man was innocent. We have made a huge mistake. We've made a mistake that we cannot take back. Why would he allow this to happen? Certainly he was powerful enough to prevent it. Why? Why was it that a few days ago, this seemed like the only solution and now it seems like the only one that was wrong? Certainly, this man was innocent and yet, as Jesus is breathing his last, he continues to teach us about forgiveness.
Speaker 2:Forgiveness is something that Jesus offers freely. It is something that he practices fully, and forgiveness is something that Jesus offers freely. It is something that he practices fully, and forgiveness is something that Jesus fulfills. Finally, this is the end of the story. When it comes to forgiveness Into your hands, I commit my spirit. Forgiveness is something Jesus fulfills. Finally, and I don't mean like, oh, finally he did it, I mean there is never more. There is no more need ever for something to be done for any sin that you have, will have, are or will commit.
Speaker 2:Sin has been dealt with fully and finally, god is not rubbing his hands wondering how am I going to get people who are yet born, that have yet to sin, right in a relationship with me? It has been done and dealt with. Do I trust that my sin is actually and finally dealt with. This was something that Will struggled with. When he got saved for the 48th time, I just didn't believe it. It was too good to be true and my sin just kept being produced.
Speaker 2:But Romans 3 would remind us of this, for all have sinned in their past, all fall short in the present and are justified. This means made right forever. Forever, jesus' death on the cross has finality to it. There's nothing else to wait on. There's nothing to wait for. All of the sin that you have committed, that you are committing, even the sins you don't even know that you're going to commit, jesus has fully dealt with Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 2:Am I canceling a record of debt or keeping a record of wrongs? This will be the last question that I give you today. If Jesus forgives finally and he stamps it done, what does your forgiveness of others look like? I hope that you believe that he has fully and finally forgiven you, if you have asked for it. But are you in the business of canceling debts or recording them, you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh? God made alive of your flesh. God made alive those of you who are dead. Through his death and his resurrection he has made alive.
Speaker 2:Now, yeah, you're walking through a place that's covered in pollen and your feet get awful dirty and you do need to get tidied up a bit here and there, but you are living because God has made you alive. Together with him, he has forgiven us all of our trespasses. How? By canceling the record of debt. This is the way that Jesus forgives. He doesn't remember them anymore.
Speaker 2:As far as the east is, from the west, the psalmist tells us, so far as he removed our sins from us. How could a just God look at you, remembering all of your sins, and say welcome, come near me. He wouldn't be able to. Guys, I know it is hard and it is in the human condition for us to remember the wrongs that people have done and the rights that we have done. But this is what we are called to.
Speaker 2:Is there somebody that, when you see them, is carrying a record of debt that you have said that you have forgiven? Because that is not love. Love is patient, it's kind, doesn't envy, doesn't boast, isn't proud, doesn't dishonor others and it's not self-seeking, doesn't even get easily angered. But you know what love is. It is a keeper of no record of wrongs. This is the reality of love, and if you look at those in your life whom you say you love, or even those you know that you're supposed to love, and attach to them as a record of wrongs that you constantly hold them up next to, I wonder if you have truly forgiven them, because forgiveness is something that Jesus fulfills.
Speaker 2:Finally, the way that I'd like for us to end this morning and respond and we have lots of time to respond this morning, so we're not in a hurry and we're not in a rush, but I'm going to get you to just maybe play for a moment. I want to put a scripture up for you. I told you we only get three lines on the cross, but Jesus had to be thinking more than what we have. We can all agree with that. We don't have all of Jesus's thoughts on the cross. We may have a clue as to what Jesus was thinking. Why might we have a clue? Because one of the lines comes right out of a psalm.
Speaker 2:This was a psalm that was written by David before Jesus came incarnationally in flesh, like you and me. This was a psalm that was written by David before Jesus came incarnationally in flesh, like you and me. This would have been something that he would have studied as a 12-year-old in the temple. Of course, he knew it, probably before he walked in, but this is a verse that Jesus knew well. So when Jesus is on the cross and the last words that come from his mouth are into your hand, I commit my spirit. He's not freewheeling, he's not coming up with something. Lord, this is going to be the last time I pray on earth. I really want to make it a good one. It looks like people are listening. They're going to write it down. I don't think there was any pressure like that for Jesus. I think he's just connecting with the Father before he goes into the darkness that lasts for three days.
Speaker 2:But this one line lives in a psalm. It's a fairly long psalm, and so I didn't take all of it, but I did take a few verses that, to me, were worth noting. Might these be the things that Jesus was thinking when he was on the cross, knowing that he was thinking verse 5,. Might he have been thinking in verse 1, about being put to shame and needing to be delivered? Might he, in verse 3, have been thinking about God, his rock and fortress, that God was the one who led him here and that he was trusting Might. He, in verse 12 feel, feel like he truly has become A broken vessel. And at the end of that psalm he says this Be strong, let your heart take Courage, all you who wait For the Lord.
Speaker 2:I would not presume as to the final thoughts of Christ, but were I to have to guess, and if scripture were to give us a hint, I think Jesus would have been working through every one of these thoughts and ending there. I will be strong. My subjects need a king who is strong. My heart will not be troubled. It will take courage. This is something that was necessary and I will wait for the Lord. It'll only be a few days and things will be tidied right up.
Speaker 2:I leave this for you to reflect on and worship team. When you're ready to call us into worship, feel free to do so. If you want to celebrate something God's doing in your life, if you need help forgiving, if there's something that's been filled into that blank that you need to walk through, greg, if you don't mind taking that side, I'll be over here. If you want to just sit alone, take the back porch. It's a little bit yellow back there, but it's all right, we've navigated how to work through that already. Stand and sing. If that is something that you want to do proclaiming these great truths and if you want to talk with somebody, we would be happy to talk with you on the back porch, but respond as you feel led to do so.