James Fetterly's sermon delves into the profound meanings and lessons derived from the cross and Jesus' actions and words during his crucifixion. Fetterly emphasizes several key themes:
1. **Forgiveness and Salvation**: He begins with the idea that the cross represents forgiveness, as Jesus demonstrated by asking for forgiveness for those who crucified him, signifying broad and specific forgiveness that allows sinners to reconcile with God and have a relationship with Him.
2. **Reconciliation and Eternal Assurance**: Fetterly discusses how the cross also symbolizes salvation and reconciliation with God, highlighting Jesus' promise of paradise to the repentant thief as an example of the personal relationship and eternal assurance believers can have with God.
3. **Affection and Fulfillment of Prophecy**: The sermon explores Jesus' words of affection from the cross, particularly towards his mother, Mary, and the disciple John, emphasizing Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy and his obedience even in suffering.
4. **Obedience and Perfection Through Suffering**: Fetterly reflects on Jesus' obedience and how through his suffering and death, he was made perfect, serving as an example of righteousness and obedience for believers.
5. **Honor and Responsibility**: The sermon touches on the importance of honoring and caring for one's parents and loved ones, illustrating this through Jesus' concern for his mother even in his final moments.
6. **Example of Lowliness and Costly Love**: Fetterly calls believers to follow Jesus' example of humility, love, and obedience, even in the face of hardship and suffering.
7. **Practical Applications and Spiritual Insights**: The sermon concludes with practical applications of these lessons in believers' lives, such as prioritizing family responsibilities and understanding the nature of spiritual relationships and salvation.
Throughout the sermon, Fetterly intertwines biblical narratives, teachings, and personal reflections to convey the depth of Jesus' sacrifice and its implications for faith, obedience, and relationships. He invites believers to reflect on Jesus' life and death as a model for their own lives, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation, and adherence to God's will.
James Fetterly's sermon delves into the profound meanings and lessons derived from the cross and Jesus' actions and words during his crucifixion. Fetterly emphasizes several key themes:
1. **Forgiveness and Salvation**: He begins with the idea that the cross represents forgiveness, as Jesus demonstrated by asking for forgiveness for those who crucified him, signifying broad and specific forgiveness that allows sinners to reconcile with God and have a relationship with Him.
2. **Reconciliation and Eternal Assurance**: Fetterly discusses how the cross also symbolizes salvation and reconciliation with God, highlighting Jesus' promise of paradise to the repentant thief as an example of the personal relationship and eternal assurance believers can have with God.
3. **Affection and Fulfillment of Prophecy**: The sermon explores Jesus' words of affection from the cross, particularly towards his mother, Mary, and the disciple John, emphasizing Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy and his obedience even in suffering.
4. **Obedience and Perfection Through Suffering**: Fetterly reflects on Jesus' obedience and how through his suffering and death, he was made perfect, serving as an example of righteousness and obedience for believers.
5. **Honor and Responsibility**: The sermon touches on the importance of honoring and caring for one's parents and loved ones, illustrating this through Jesus' concern for his mother even in his final moments.
6. **Example of Lowliness and Costly Love**: Fetterly calls believers to follow Jesus' example of humility, love, and obedience, even in the face of hardship and suffering.
7. **Practical Applications and Spiritual Insights**: The sermon concludes with practical applications of these lessons in believers' lives, such as prioritizing family responsibilities and understanding the nature of spiritual relationships and salvation.
Throughout the sermon, Fetterly intertwines biblical narratives, teachings, and personal reflections to convey the depth of Jesus' sacrifice and its implications for faith, obedience, and relationships. He invites believers to reflect on Jesus' life and death as a model for their own lives, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation, and adherence to God's will.
Where we ought to begin, the cross represents forgiveness. There is forgiveness for sinners like you, for sinners like me. Jesus said on the cross,"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Because of this forgiveness, we come to the second word that Jesus uttered from the cross. And that was the word of salvation. The cross is not just forgiveness, it's reconciliation. It's being brought back into the presence of God. Jesus said to the thief, "The malefactor, the sinner,"truly I say to you today,"you will be with me in paradise." This is marvelous for all of us to know that there's not just broad general forgiveness. There's actually specific forgiveness where we can have a relationship, a right relationship with this holy God. He's not just our maker and creator, he's our reconciler, redeemer, he's our Lord. And we can have the assurance that we will be with him for all of eternity. Isn't that the great news of the old covenant where God says, "I will be your God"and you will be my people?" Yes. So today on the heels of a word of forgiveness, a word of salvation, we have this wonderful word of affection. Since we're in the gospel of John, let's take a look at John chapter 19, picking up the second half of verse 16. And we'll read to verse 27. The gospel narrative says,"So they took Jesus"and he went out bearing his own cross"to the place, the place of the skull,"which in Aramaic is called Golgotha."There they crucified him"and with him two others,"one on either side and Jesus between them."Pilot also wrote an inscription"and put it on the cross."It read Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."Many of the Jews read this inscription"for the place where Jesus was crucified"was near the city."And it was written in Aramaic, in Latin"and in Greek."So the chief priest of the Jews said to Pilate,"do not write the King of the Jews,"but rather this man said,"I am King of the Jews."Pilot answered, what I have written, I have written."When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,"they took his garments and divided them"into four parts."One part for each soldier, also his tunic."But the tunic was seamless,"woven in one piece from top to bottom."So they said to one another,"let us not tear it, but cast lots for it"to see whose it shall be."This was to fulfill scripture which says,"they divided my garments among them"and for my clothing they cast lots."The soldiers did these things,"but standing by the cross of Jesus"were his mother and his mother's sister,"Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene."When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple"whom he loved standing nearby,"he said to his mother,"Woman, behold your son."Then he said to the disciple,"behold your mother."And from that hour, the disciple took her"into his own home." That is the biblical text, that's the narrative from John's gospel. And we ask, why did Christ suffer and die on the cross? There are many, many reasons why Christ suffered and died on the cross, but here would be one that could answer that question. Christ suffered and died to learn obedience and to be made perfect, to be perfect for us. Do you remember in Matthew chapter three, verse 15, it's the Baptist, he is preaching repentance to the people. He is telling them that they should forsake their sin and then go through purification, go through the waters. And Jesus, of course, he is the spotless, sinless Lamb of God. He comes to John and says, "Baptize me." And John is confused because he knows this is the pure one, the holy one, the one that has never committed any sin and he's reluctant to do that. But Jesus says to him, "Let it be so now,"for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Jesus is there standing in the place of us as one of us. He is a man that is going to identify with his people and he's going to fulfill it all. Where we haven't fulfilled it all, Christ fulfilled it all. We did not fulfill the demands of the covenant, the terms of it. In Adam, we all fell. But Christ is going to be that second man, the last man that will say,"I will do it all on behalf of my people." Hebrews helps us by saying this,"For it was fitting that he, for whom"and by whom all things exist." Hebrews recognizes that yes, Jesus is God. He created everything, but he's also incarnate, that it was fitting that he would bring many sons to glory and should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. Christ suffered and died. He learned obedience so that we might have his perfection. Later on in Hebrews chapter four, verse 15, we read,"For we do not have a high priest"whose unable to sympathize with our weaknesses." No, he really was man. He was the God-man, he took on flesh. He could understand our weaknesses. He can sympathize with us, but he's the one who is in every respect that has been tempted as we are, yet he's without sin. He suffered all of that. Hebrews chapter five reads, in verse eight,"Also, he was a son."He learned obedience through what he suffered." Or as Peter writes in his first epistle, chapter two, verse two, "He committed no sin"and neither was deceit found in his mouth." Isn't that wonderful? See, Christ suffered and died to learn obedience and be perfect. If the Son of God had not gone from incarnation to the cross without a life of temptation and pain to test his righteousness and his love, he would not be a suitable savior for fallen man. His suffering not only absorbed the wrath of God, it also fulfilled his true humanity and made him able to call us brothers and sisters. This is glorious. And on the cross, we see Jesus giving us a word where he is fulfilling obedience. We see this word of affection in one of its glorious manifestations as a fulfillment of Simeon's prophecy. Do you remember in Luke chapter two, how the story of Simeon, he's the one that's waiting for God's Messiah. And he breaks out into a song and he says,"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace"according to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation." Can you just imagine the old man holding the child? I'm seeing your deliverance for your people."For my eyes have seen your salvation"that you have prepared in the presence of all people"a light for revelation to the glory of the Gentiles"and for your people Israel." And then Simeon just says,"You can let your servant depart in peace." But he also goes on and he says something to the mother, Mary. Simeon blesses them and says to Mary,"Behold, this child is appointed for the fall"and the rising of many in Israel."And for the sign that is opposed,"a sword will pierce through your own soul also"so that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Her heart would be pierced through and that's what we see here on the cross. Could it be that Mary's the greatest of all privileges was to bring in the greatest of all sorrows, watching the savior her son die? Never such a bliss at a human birth, never such sorrow at an inhumane death. No mother ever suffered as she did. His friends may have forsaken him, his nation may despise him, but his mother stands there at the foot of the cross. Oh, who can fathom or analyze the mother heart? What would it have been like? But it fulfilled that prophecy that Simeon gave. Many of you guys use a catechism with your own children. One catechism says, "What's the fifth commandment?" And of course it quotes from Exodus 20 verse 12. The answer is to honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Deuteronomy also has the same verse because it's the same 10 commandments given, but in Deuteronomy's account, verse 16, we have an expanded version. It says, "Honor your father and your mother that the Lord your God commanded you." Why?"So that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." Christ learned obedience and he is obeying and honoring even to the last moment of his physical life. The catechism goes on and says,"What is God's will for you in the fifth commandment?" The answer, that I, that you honor and love and be loyal to my father, to my mother and all those in authority over me, that I obey and submit to them as is proper when they are correct, when they correct and punish me, and also that I be patient with their failings for through them God chooses to rule us. But the answer is it's not just that we obey them, it's that we honor them, that we love our parents and that we're loyal to them. That brings us to a second great picture here of Christ, that he is the perfect man setting an example for all children of all times to honor their parents. The command for children to honor their parents goes far beyond just bare obedience to their expressed will. Though of course it includes that. It embraces love and affection. It embraces gratitude and respect. Children owe, children owe their parents a debt that they can never fully discharge. The very least they can do is to hold their parents in high esteem, to put them in the place of superiority and to reverence them. In the perfect example of the Lord Jesus Christ, we find both obedience and esteem manifested. Furthermore, as it is with us, so it was with Christ. The years of obedience to Mary and Joseph ended, but not the years of honor. In the last and awful hour of his human life, amid the infinite suffering of the cross, the Lord Jesus fought of her who loved him and whom he loved. Thought of her present necessity and provided for her future needs by committing her to the care of that disciple who most deeply understood his love. Jesus thought for Mary at that time, and the honor that he gave her was the manifestation of his victory over pain. Is this not awesome? He was fulfilling even what we find in the New Testament, not just the old, children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother. This is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Johnathan Edwards capitalizes on this whole idea of example. He says, "All the virtues which appeared in Christ"shown brightest in the clothes of his life"under the trial he then met." Eminent virtues always show brightest in the fire. Pure gold shows its purity chiefly in the furnace. It was chiefly under those trials which Christ endured in the clothes of his life that his love to God, that his honor to God's majesty, that his regard to honor his law, his spirit of obedience, his humility, contempt of the world, his patience, meekness, and spirit of forgiveness towards men appeared. Indeed, everything that Christ did to work out redemption for us appears mainly in the clothes of his life. Here mainly is his satisfaction for sin. Here chiefly is his merit of eternal life for sinners. And here chiefly appears the brightness of his example, which he set for us for imitation. Why did Christ suffer and die? He suffered and died to call us to follow his example of lowliness and costly love. Do you remember what Philippians two said that he humbled himself? He took on flesh, he humbled himself, even to the point of death, death on the cross. Hebrews 12 verse three says,"Consider him who endured from sinners"such hostility against himself"so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted." Christ suffered and was obedient so that it would be an example for us in our walk so that when we're going through hardship, we'll look to him and glean from that. First Peter in chapter two verse 19 and in verse 21, who's writing to a church that's being persecuted, that's suffering. Peter writes, "For this is a gracious thing"when mindful of God, one endures sorrow"while suffering unjustly." And then in verse 21 he says,"For this you have been called"because Christ also suffered for you,"leaving you an example"so that you might follow in his footsteps." Christ suffered and died, honored his mother to the end so that it would be an example for us. We might need to hear that word. But when we also look at the cross and we see this word of affection, we should see a tender, compassionate side of Christ. How many times did Jesus say in the gospel of count, that you will all fall away because of me? The shepherd will be struck, the sheep will be scattered. And of course some of the disciples were like,"No, that won't happen, not me."I'll be with you to the end, to death." And of course, you know the story. We don't need to name names, they all left. Every one of them. Even in John 18 verse 19, the high priest even asked like,"And where's your disciples?"Where are your followers?"How can we believe you and even those that were closest"forsook you?" Some of us have forsooking Christ at a moment of time, but we have a word here for all of us, when that has occurred. Is there one who has wandered away from the side of the Savior? Who is no longer enjoying sweet communion with him? Who is in a word, a backslider? Perhaps in the hour of trial, you denied Christ. Perhaps in the time of testing, you failed. You have given more thought to your own interest rather than Christ, the honor of his name, which you bear you have lost sight of. Oh, may the arrow of conviction now enter your conscience, may divine grace melt your heart, may the power of God draw you back to Christ, where you, where alone your soul can find satisfaction and peace. Here is a word of encouragement for you. What is that word of encouragement? Well, remember, Christ did not rebuke John on returning. Instead, his wondrous grace bestowed on him an unspeakable privilege. We are to cease our wandering and return once to Christ. He will greet you, he will greet me with a word of welcome and cheer and who knows, but he might give us some honor, some commission that may await us just like John, where he entrusted his mother to his care, one that left him, one that forsook him. A fourth glorious thing that we see is an illustration of Christ prudence. Isaiah says in Isaiah 52 verse 13, that he shall act wisely, he shall act prudently. And we do see this on the cross that Christ is acting prudently. Christ is not saying I'm going to honor my mother to the very end and hand my mother over to my other brothers, fleshly brothers who are unbelievers. No, he's going to hand that care over to someone that is redeemed, that is in the faith, that is in the household. He acted very prudently. Moreover, in commending his mother to the care of his beloved apostle, the savior displayed wise discrimination in his choice of the one who was henceforth to be her guardian. Perhaps there was none who understood the Lord so well as his mother, and it is almost certain that none had apprehended his love so deeply as had John. Yes, we do see that the servant acted wisely, prudently when dealing with this situation. Here we see therefore how they would be fit companions for each other in as much as there was an intimate bond of common sympathy uniting them together and uniting them to Christ. Thus there was none so well suited to take care of Mary, none whose companion she would find so congenial, and on the other hand, there was none whose fellowship John would enjoy more. A fifth. We see that spiritual relationships must not ignore the responsibilities of nature. This is practical, listen. No duty, no work, however important it may be, can excuse us from discharging the obligations of nature, from caring for those who have fleshly claims upon us. Not in 2019, but in 1919, A.W. Pink points out three ways that we could apply this to our lives. He says, "They who go forth as missionaries to labor in heathen lands and who leave their children behind or who send them back to homeland to be cared for by strangers are not following the steps of the Savior. These women who spend most of their time at public meetings, even though they may be religious meetings or who go down to the slums to minister to poor and needy, to neglect their own family at home, but do bring reproach upon the name and the cause of Christ. Those men, even though they stand at the forefront of Christian work, who are so busy preaching and teaching that they have no time to discharge the obligations that they owe to their own wives and children, need to study and practice the principle exemplified here by Christ on the cross." Friends, don't over-spiritualize your service at the neglect of the things that God has put clearly in front of you. Six, there's a universal that is exemplified here. Jesus said, "Behold, behold your son." Woman, behold. Here is the epitome of the divine salvation. Deliverance from the wrath to come, forgiveness of sins, acceptance with God is obtained, not by deeds of merit, not by good works, not by religious ordinances. No, salvation comes by beholding, behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world. There is life in a look. There is life in a look. Have you beheld the divine sufferer, the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you seen him dying on the cross, just the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God? Mary was to look to Christ. We're to look to Christ. You must look to Christ. Mary, the mother of Christ, indeed needed to behold him. And so must you. Look, look unto Christ and you shall be saved. Seventh and finally, here we see the marvelous blending of Christ's perfections. Here we see Christ's perfections in full view. This is the one of the greatest wonders of his person, the blending of the most perfect human affections with his divine glory. The very gospel which most of all show him to be God is here, careful to prove that he was man, the word made flesh. Engaged as he was in the divine transaction, making atonement for all the sins of all his people. Many of his mightiest works were done on the highway, in the cottages or among the little groups of sufferers. Many of his words, which today are still unfathomable and inexhaustible in their wealth of meaning, were uttered almost casually as he walked with a few friends. And so it is here we see at the cross. He was performing the mightiest work of all history. He was engaged in doing that, which in comparison the creating of the world fades into utter insignificance, yet he forgets not to make provision for his mother, much as he might have done and had been together in the home of Nazareth. Rightly it was to be say, his name shall be called wonderful. Yes, his name shall be called wonderful. Wonderful he is in all that he did. Wonderful he was in all that he did. Wonderful he was in every relationship that he sustained. Wonderful he was in his person and wonderful he was in his work. Wonderful he was in his life and wonderful in his death. Let us wonder and adore this Jesus who died for sinners by giving a word of affection and honoring his mother, his parents, even to his dying words. This should cause us to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what he's done on the cross. Let us pray. Oh Lord, we thank you for your example. May it encourage us in our walk as we follow you. Lord, some of us have not honored those that we should have and we ask Lord that you would grant us forgiveness and newness of life to respect those that have been placed in authority over us by your good hand. Lord, we thank you that you did suffer and die to secure people that may have backslidden but then you restore to yourself even like John and giving him a work. Oh Lord, may we work in your kingdom for your honor and for your glory. In Christ's name we pray, amen.[BLANK_AUDIO]