WEBVTT 00:00:00.001 --> 00:00:17.000 If you have your Bibles turned to two places in the Gospels, turn to Luke chapter 23 and put your finger there, and then Mark chapter 15. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:37.000 I've been studying the life of Christ for over a year now, and I know I'm working through 1 Corinthians, but I've seen something as I've been studying something I've never seen before, and sometimes you can't wait to share what you've seen. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:44.000 And it's, to me, is one of the more glorious things that I've never noticed in the Bible. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:56.000 And it essentially comes from a couple of verses, 1 Luke 23, starting at verse 46. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:01.000 This is right when Jesus is on the cross. He's dying. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:05.000 In fact, this is the moment of his death. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:17.000 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. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:40.000 And now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly, this man was innocent." Now flip to Mark 15, verse 39, the same exact moment in time. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:02:03.000 And when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God." Did you know that Christ, the moment he died, forgave this man? 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:15.000 Christ forgave the centurion-soldier, the man who nailed his hands to the cross and nailed his feet to the cross. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:23.000 He forgave the executioner the very moment he died. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:26.000 That's unbelievable. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:35.000 It's unbelievable that God would do such a thing. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:40.000 Though we don't know this man's name, I'm going to call him Rufus. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:51.000 And I've chose the name Rufus one because it sounds like a Roman soldier, but also because this man was ruthless. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.000 He was cruel. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:01.000 We'll see that he was a very hardened man, an experienced soldier, probably had been in multiple battles. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:11.000 He killed for a living, and he was literally ruthless. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Also, that's a good name for a dog. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:21.000 And no doubt this man was a dog. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:29.000 He was a Gentile dog that was a killer. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.000 So who was Rufus? 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:33.000 Who was this man? 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:38.000 Well, he was a high-ranking official in the Roman army. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.000 According to our text, he was a centurion. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:48.000 Most likely, he was a lieutenant colonel, the second command under Pontius Pilate. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:58.000 So at the top was Pontius Pilate, who was the governor of Judea, and underneath him was this man, most likely. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:06.000 See, in the Order of Ring, there were four types of centurions in the Roman army. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:11.000 You have a captain who oversaw somewhere around a hundred. 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.000 That's where the word centurion comes from, a hundred. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:20.000 By the time of Christ, that came down to around 80, so somewhere between 80 and 100 men. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:30.000 Then you have the majors. A major is the one who oversaw 160 to 200 men. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:39.000 Then you have the lieutenant colonels, and they oversaw a battalion, which is somewhere between 500 and 600 men. 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:44.000 Then you have the colonel, which was over a legion, which is a thousand. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:05:03.000 Well, the reason we think that this man was a lieutenant colonel was because of Matthew 27, 27, when Pilate handed him over to the centurion, it says a whole battalion of soldiers took him, which would be 500 to 600 men. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:15.000 So if he's over the one over this, then he must have been a lieutenant colonel, and most likely the highest ranking officer in Judea. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.000 And so this is who Rufus was. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:24.000 He's an older man by this time, probably in his 30s and her 40s. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:28.000 He experienced soldier. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:33.000 And this man was completely and utterly unworthy for salvation. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.000 This man should not have been saved at all. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:42.000 In fact, as you learn more about him, the least, the less you will like this man. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:51.000 And I want you to think if this man was doing to you what he did to Christ, would you have the heart to forgive him? 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:57.000 Just how unworthy and ruthless was Rufus? 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.000 That's a tongue twister. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:08.000 Well, first of all, we learned that Rufus was the one who in charge of mocking, beating and scourging Christ. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:17.000 Matthew 27, 27 says the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and they gathered the whole battalion. 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:20.000 Again, that's about five to 600 soldiers. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:25.000 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and twisting together a crown of thorns. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:38.000 They put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hell, king of the Jews." And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:48.000 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:51.000 And so here they're mocking him, spitting on him. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:56.000 And here's Rufus. He's the one in charge. He's the one overseeing this abuse. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:01.000 He's the one that's going to oversee the execution of Christ Jesus. 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:10.000 And not only did they mock him, they stripped him of his clothes and they put robes on him and they put a crown of thorns on his head. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.000 And they put a stick in his hand. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:16.000 The word reed here just means stick. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:20.000 In fact, later it says there is a hyphsop stick that's translated as reed. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.000 So it's just some form of branch. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:27.000 And they put a branch in his hand as a skepticaler and they mocked him and made fun of him. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:33.000 Then they took the stick out of his hands and started beating him in the face with it. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:44.000 All the while spitting and mocking him, "Hell, king of the Jews." And after they mocked him, as we've already talked about a couple of weeks ago, they tied him up. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:08:08.000 They put his hands to a post, tied him up, and they scourged him with a whip that had nine cords with balls of broken glass and stone and raked it over his back until his back was exposed with all kinds of lacerations. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:14.000 And this is Rufus doing this. I mean, how can you do such a thing if you're not hardened? 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:21.000 How can you act so inhumane if you're not a hardened man? 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.000 So they despised and beat him. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.000 Some of them used their hands to hit him in the face. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.000 We learn that in Matthew 27, 30. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.000 They struck him with their hands. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:33.000 Maybe they slapped him. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:35.000 Maybe they punched him. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:41.000 We learn from Isaiah 56. This is the time that the soldiers pulled out his beard by the roots. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:48.000 Isaiah 50 verse 6 says, "I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:59.000 I hit not my face from disgrace and spitting." So Rufus may have been even the ones that's pulling on his beard, yanking it out, beating him. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:03.000 The time Rufus was done with Christ, Christ was unrecognizable. 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.000 He no longer looked like the man Jesus Christ. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:13.000 If you came in and saw him after they finished beating him, you wouldn't have known who it was. 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:24.000 Isaiah 52 verse 14, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the children of mankind. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:30.000 You've got to look at Christ here, and he is barely alive before he's crucified. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:35.000 And this is the means of crucifixion. All who are crucified go through this step. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:43.000 And a lot of them, they said, would even make it to the cross because they were abused so terribly at this phase. 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:47.000 And Christ no doubt had barely the strength to stand. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:54.000 We know that because Rufus forced him to carry his cross to the execution site. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:57.000 But Christ, after a few steps, maybe he went a couple yards. 00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:02.000 We don't know how far he went, but in the process, he buckled underneath the weight of it. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.000 His back was tore apart. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:08.000 His face was battered and bruised. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:11.000 His cheeks full of blood. 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:18.000 And Pilate wanted to release him because Pilate knew he was an innocent man. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:22.000 He knew that the scribes and Pharisees were only doing this because of envy and jealousy. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.000 And Pilate says, let me free to you another person. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:28.000 And they cried out. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.000 No, we don't want we don't want Christ to be freed. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.000 We want the insurrectionist. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.000 We want Brabus. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:41.000 You know, they charge Christ with insurrection, but then they say we want the insurrectionists to be free. 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.000 They're hypocrites. 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:49.000 And so they let another man free and Rufus was taken. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:55.000 I mean, Christ was taken by Rufus to the execution site right outside the city gates to a place called Gaugatha. 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:59.000 Rufus was there. 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:03.000 In fact, we know that Rufus went with three other soldiers. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:07.000 The centurion took three men underneath him. 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:16.000 We know it was four men because it was the full soldiers Rufus included who gambled over Christ's clothes before they nailed him the cross. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.000 They took off his tunic cloak. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 They exposed him. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:24.000 And they started gambling over their clothes. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.000 They wanted souvenirs. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:27.000 I mean, what would they do? 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:28.000 They rip them apart. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:33.000 It's like, you know, finally he had a shirt that was seamless and say, hey, that's too valuable to rip apart. 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:35.000 So they cast lots for that. 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.000 But the their his jacket, they ripped in four sections. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:44.000 So all the soldiers could have a little souvenir to boast about. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:56.000 And Rufus got his article of clothing as a little trinket of war of execution. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:01.000 Rufus was there and mocked the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.000 Luke twenty three thirty five says in the people stood by watching. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:07.000 But the ruler scoffed him and saying he saved others. 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:11.000 Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:21.000 And then it says the soldiers also that includes Rufus mocked him coming up and offering him sour wine, saying, if you're the king of the Jews, save yourself. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:25.000 Another version says they took a stick and put a sponge on the end of the stick. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:31.000 They put dipped it into the sour wine that they had there and they put it up to the face of Jesus. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:35.000 And I think what they were doing, they were jesting him, mocking him. 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:40.000 They were made fun of people's shame. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:41.000 That's what they're doing. 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.000 They're mocking his shame. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:52.000 And as they put the sponge to his mouth, no doubt, Christ is going to put a wincing facial expression and then they laugh. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:59.000 I mean, this is completely demonic to laugh and mock at the God of the world. 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:10.000 Rufus is among them leading the cheers, leading the execution. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:20.000 In short, Rufus was the official executor of Christ. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.000 He was without compassion. 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:34.000 He deserves to die. Christ deserved to live. 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.000 That's my first point. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:45.000 Second point, we'll notice Christ's compassion on Rufus. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:54.000 Christ was wounded and beaten and felt embarrassed and he was ashamed. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:00.000 He was not bitter. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:06.000 First Peter tells us in chapter 2, 22, he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:09.000 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:15.000 When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:16.000 Now, I know what you're thinking. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:19.000 He just kept his mouth shut. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:24.000 He's there on the cross and they're reviling him and mocking him. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.000 And he didn't say anything in return. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.000 He didn't do the tit for tat that we normally do. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:38.000 How many times you got an argument with your spouse and they said something, I heard your feelings and you just snap something back. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:43.000 You know, are you snap real quickly out of frustration? 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:44.000 He said, well, Christ didn't do that. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:49.000 No, he didn't do that, but he did more than that. 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:53.000 It was greater than that. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:58.000 He never allowed bitterness to seep into his heart. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:00.000 It's not that he just kept quiet. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.000 It's not that he just didn't say anything. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:09.000 He continued to have compassion and love on them. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.000 He still felt tenderness towards them. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.000 You ever been wounded? 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:15.000 Someone hurt your feelings. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:16.000 Someone did something. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:21.000 Something someone has hurt you so bad that you get hurt. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:24.000 And you know, Christ was hurt here. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:25.000 He was ashamed. 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.000 He was embarrassed. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:32.000 It was a real emotional wound plus the physical wounds upon him. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.000 He was tortured. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:42.000 Have you ever had anything that caused you to feel hurt within your heart? 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:45.000 And it's not simple to feel the hurt. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000 It's not simple to be broken. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:52.000 It's not simple to feel wounded. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:58.000 But how easy it is to be wounded in the wound turns to bitterness. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:04.000 Where you become bitter, the soft heart becomes hard. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.000 The tenderness within becomes a little callous. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:12.000 And you become bitter towards the one who has hurt you. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:13.000 Maybe you don't say anything. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:14.000 You think well of yourself. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.000 I didn't say anything in return. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.000 Or you did not seek retaliation or revenge. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:23.000 Maybe even prayed for them some way. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:26.000 But in your heart, there was some bitterness there. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:30.000 There was some form of a little bit of unforgiveness there. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.000 That little seed of hardness crept in. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:36.000 We've all experienced that. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:46.000 We all know what it's like to feel bitter towards someone, to feel so hurt that you're upset and you're agitated with that person. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:47.000 We all know what that feels like. 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:51.000 But let me tell you, Christ did not feel that. 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:56.000 He did not have that feeling of bitterness within Him. 00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:09.000 He remained, while He was being beaten and mocked and crucified, He remained as gentle and lowly as He was when He was there with the woman at the well. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:13.000 Can you imagine that? 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:15.000 I can't imagine that. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.000 I don't know how someone can be that holy. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:22.000 I can't understand how someone can be that pure and humble. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.000 Someone that can be that righteous. 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.000 I don't understand the perfection of Christ. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:34.000 It's remarkable that He can have such love and tenderness. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:37.000 You know what He did as soon as Rufus put him up on the cross? 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:41.000 Rufus nailed his hands to the cross and his feet to the cross. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.000 And then they erected him up, put him up on the cross. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:52.000 And the first thing Jesus said, the first thing out of His mouth, He's hurt, He's beaten. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:18:00.000 The first thing out of His mouth is, "Father, forgive them." They don't know what they're doing. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:02.000 You see the tenderness in His heart. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:05.000 You see the love in His disposition. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.000 You see the softness in Him. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:15.000 Rufus is a hard, hallus, cruel man and Jesus is the soft, tender man. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.000 It's unbelievable. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:24.000 Though he was crushed, he was not hardened. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:29.000 He remained full of tender mercy. 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.000 There was not a revengeful spirit within him. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:39.000 There was no hate in his heart, not even a touch of hate. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:44.000 No animosity towards those who were mocking him. 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:48.000 No hardness of heart towards those who were crucifying him. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:54.000 This is perfect, pure, unadulterated love at this finest level. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.000 This is the greatest temptation ever faced by any man. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:03.000 This is the worst temptation in the 40 days in the desert. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:16.000 This was a time that you would have a little bit of justification to be mad, a little bit of time to be frustrated with your enemies. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.000 But Christ overcome that temptation. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:27.000 Not an ounce of hardness or bitterness or spite. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:32.000 No revengeful spirit within him. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:40.000 Though he was unjustly punished, he remained a forgiving Savior. 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:59.000 You see the first thing he said when he was on the cross is, "Lord, forgive them." You know the last thing he did, the last act of Christ, right before he says, "It is finished." The last thing he did, one of the mockers on his right hand or his left hand, one of the thieves was mocking him. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:11.000 Then finally the thief realized, "Wait a minute, I'm about to die and I'm guilty and I know this man's innocent." The man looked to Christ as if he remembered me. 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:25.000 And Christ didn't go, "Hey, you were just mocking me." Christ says, "Today you'll be with me in paradise." He was on the cross for three hours. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:28.000 The last act was asking the Father to forgive. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:32.000 The last act was to forgive himself. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.000 Now that's mercy. 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.000 You know what he did? 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.000 The first thing he did when Jesus went to paradise. 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:44.000 As soon as he died, the first thing he did is, "I want Rufus. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:47.000 I want the one who crucified me. 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:56.000 I'll forgive him." Now that is unbelievable. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:00.000 None of us, if we were honest, none of us would do that. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:11.000 None of us would have bestowed forgiveness of the one who nailed us to the cross. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:16.000 And that has raised me to my last point. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:19.000 The salvation of the man who was undeserving. 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:22.000 How do we know Rufus was actually converted? 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:25.000 How do we know he was forgiven? 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:28.000 Because Rufus repented and believed. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:35.000 That's how we know. 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:43.000 According to the text, according to all four Gospels, when Christ died it was a miraculous event. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:50.000 When he says, "It is finished," I think he used his last breath to cry out. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:56.000 In fact, with a loud voice, with agony, not just saying, "It is finished," you've got to see the suffering Savior. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.000 You've got to see Him in agony. 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:06.000 And he's picking up, cruciatingly, picking up the weight off his shoulders so he can breathe. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:19.000 And with his last voice, he cries out in agony, "It is finished." And Rufus, it says, in our text, it says, "Rufus was right in front of Christ when it happened. 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:28.000 He might have been five to ten feet away looking dead on at Christ." And it says, "Rufus saw Christ breathe his last. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:32.000 And soon as he breathed his last, it is finished. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:35.000 The sun went dark. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:45.000 And then there was a great earthquake that split rocks in two." Rufus felt the ground underneath shake. 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:51.000 He saw the darkness and felt the darkness. 00:22:51.000 --> 00:23:23.000 And then he says, "Surely, this must have been the Son of God." Luke 23, 46, it says in verse 47 actually,"Now when the centurion saw that what had taken place, he praised God, saying,'Certainly this man was innocent.'" You see, Rufus worshipped God that moment. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:32.000 He went from mocking to worshipping, from scorning to praising. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:50.000 It says in verse 47 of Luke 23, "Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God." The word here for "praise" is the word for "glory." Dax adzol, he glorified God in other words. 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.000 Some versions say he honored God. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:54.000 Some say he praised God. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.000 Some say he worshipped God. 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:02.000 But this is the idea he rendered esteem to God. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.000 Matthew 27 talks about the soldiers there. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.000 They were filled with awe and wonder. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:17.000 And this wasn't just he saying, "Oh, this must have been the Son of God." He, in his heart, began to awe at what just happened. 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:25.000 And then he praised God at that moment. 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:28.000 You see, Rufus believed in the humanity of Christ. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:38.000 In verse 47 it says, "He praised God, saying, 'Certainly this man.'" He knew he was the man of Lazarus, Jesus of Nazareth. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:25:07.000 "Certainly this man was innocent, but not just a man. He was a holy man, an innocent man, but not just believing in the humanity of Christ. He believed in the deity of Christ." Mark 1539, "And when the centurion who stood facing him saw that this was the way he breathed his last, he said, 'Truly--" and you don't say this without the Holy Spirit and not mean it in your heart. 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:19.000 "Truly this man was the Son of God." You see, Christ's last act on the cross was to forgive the thief. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:26.000 The first act in paradise was to forgive the one who crucified him. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:31.000 The first person to be saved after the death of Christ was a Gentile. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.000 Isn't that amazing? 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:38.000 He saved a Gentile, the first thing he did once he got to heaven. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:55.000 And once he said on the right hand of the Father, "First act, first commission, I'm going to save that man.""I'm going to save that man from the surface. I'm after him." Isaiah 65.1 tells us, "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:58.000 I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:03.000 I said, 'Here I am, here I am to a nation that was not called by my name. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:11.000 I spread out my hands all the day to rebellious people.'" Paul picks that up. He says to the Jews, "All day long, Jesus has cried out to you. 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:14.000 He was under her chickens, under her wings. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:29.000 Christ called and called and he sought them." But Paul says about the Gentiles, "I was found by those who weren't even seeking me." Rufus was not looking to be saved that day. 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:32.000 Rufus wasn't seeking salvation. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:36.000 He could care less about Christ that he was a religious leader. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:46.000 Doing his thing, living his life, trying to work his way up the chain of command. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:50.000 At the moment he was least expecting, Christ revealed himself to him. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.000 And he turned from mocking to worshiping. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:59.000 The first one he saved was not just a Gentile, but the executioner. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:14.000 Now this is the grace and the kindness and the compassion of Christ. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:18.000 Would you have saved someone like that? 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:27.000 Let me tell you, you are Rufus. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:32.000 If you are saved today, it is only because of God's grace. 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:35.000 You did nothing to warrant it. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:42.000 When Christ looked down at Rufus, when he saw Rufus, he could go,"Well, there is a little bit of good left in this man. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:46.000 There is just a little bit of compassion. He loves his mom. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:57.000 He could be a good soldier. If I could just get a hold of him, there is some value in this man that I could turn around and use for good." Christ saw nothing in Rufus. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:06.000 There was nothing that would cause Christ to have compassion upon this man, who was a hardened man. 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:10.000 It was simply because Christ is compassionate. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:15.000 It is simply because he is a man of grace and tenderness. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:28.000 And he just looked at one who was completely unworthy and wasn't even looking to be saved and revealed himself to him in a special way in order that the man would be saved. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:33.000 And if you are saved today, it is because God revealed himself to you. 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:36.000 He showed you his love, his compassion, his grace. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:39.000 He showed you who he was. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:42.000 And you didn't see a mean God. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:51.000 You saw a loving and compassionate and tender God who says,"Come unto me, all you who are labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Come unto me and I will save you. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.000 Come unto me. I will all push you away. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:29:01.000 I am tender. I am soft. I am a forgiving God." And you saw the glory of God, and it brought you to tears. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:04.000 It brought you down. It caused you to worship him. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:08.000 And listen, if you are going to worship God, you've got to see God as he is. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:14.000 You've got to see his wonder, his majesty, his kindness, his gentleness, his love, his grace, his compassion. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:27.000 And when you see who he is, he is altogether worthy of bowing down to and worshiping with you, worshiping him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000 There is none like him. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:32.000 All of us would have failed the test. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:39.000 Not to us be the glory, not to us be the light. 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:42.000 Don't shine on us. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:47.000 There's only one man who's ever lived that's worthy of worshiping. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.000 And that's the one who passed the test perfectly. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:30:00.000 That's the man who loved when he was hated by all and forsaken by all. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.000 You see, Christ came to save the unworthy. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:30.000 Remember the woman who came to Jesus and broke up the banquet, and he was eating with a lot of the high and leaders of the city, the scribes of the Pharisees, and they were most likely at a table in a courtyard in this known woman who probably was a harlot, notable city in the woman who was a notable sinner in the city. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:38.000 She came rushing up to the feet of Christ and the way they ate, they kind of bent down with their legs to the side. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:46.000 They reclined at a table and she came back to him and came to his feet and just started weeping. 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:50.000 And here's this prostitute. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:31:08.000 Everybody thought she was unworthy, and they got upset with Christ because they said to Christ, said to themselves they were thinking if Christ knew who she was, he would not let her at his feet. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:12.000 And Christ looked at that woman who was weeping. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:14.000 She knew she was a sinner. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:17.000 She knew as she was unworthy. 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:20.000 He says your sins be forgiven. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:23.000 You see, Christ saved sinners. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:27.000 He came to save the unrighteous, the unworthy, not the righteous. 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:32.000 The scribes and Pharisees were not saved because they thought they had enough good works to make it. 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.000 They thought they didn't need to be saved. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:37.000 They thought that they were good people. 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:46.000 Remember, it was the older son that was mad at the father for having a banquet and killing the fatted calf for the younger son. 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:56.000 And that's what the scribes and Pharisees, they're upset because Christ has mercy upon Rufus and harlots and sinners and tax collectors. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:32:19.000 And so if you are in this room today and you are upset with Christ being compassionate to the unworthy and if you think that Christ shouldn't be merciful for those who don't deserve mercy, then you need to be careful because Christ didn't come to save the self-righteous. 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:25.000 The only ones who make it to heaven are sinners. 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:30.000 Those who know they're sinners, those who know they have nothing to offer the Lord. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.000 You don't come to the Lord, and listen, this is so important for us to understand. 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:38.000 We don't come to the Lord and say, "Look, I went to church, I prayed, look at Rufus. 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:41.000 What did he do? 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:47.000 He didn't even have time to go, 'What have I done?' He didn't even have time to weep and mourn over his sins. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.000 He didn't do anything. 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:53.000 There was nothing in him for Christ to reveal himself to this man. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.000 He didn't deserve it at all. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:03.000 You can't win salvation because of how many tears you cry. 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:06.000 You have nothing to offer the Lord. 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:13.000 The only thing you can bring to the courtroom of God is your sins and your filthy rags. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:17.000 But good news is God forgives sinners. 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:35.000 If he was compassionate when people were trying to kill him, when he's under such agony and torture, how much more is he willing to forgive us now that he's in paradise? 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:50.000 You see, if you're going to understand the gospel, you must understand that it's only the unworthy who find grace. 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:59.000 Don't be offended by God's compassion. 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:05.000 I'm here to tell you you can be saved this moment. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:06.000 You don't have to wait. 00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:13.000 We don't do an altar call, but you don't have to have an altar call. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:22.000 Rufus was converted looking at Jesus pass away, converted on the spot. 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:32.000 He turned from mocking to worshiping, from unbelief to belief. 00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:36.000 And you can turn and look to Christ. 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:42.000 Jesus is looking to me all the ends of the world and be saved. 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:47.000 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you too can be saved right now. 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:48.000 So I don't understand. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.000 I've done too much. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:51.000 He won't save me. 00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:52.000 I'm a blasphemer. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:55.000 I've rejected Christ for so long. 00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:57.000 I've been ashamed of Christ. 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:02.000 Some of you may be pretending that you're a Christian when you're not and you're afraid. 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:05.000 You're afraid because you don't want people to be exposed. 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:10.000 Well, I thought you're a Christian all this time and you're afraid to expose that you're not a true believer. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:13.000 So your pride is keeping you from believing. 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:16.000 But Christ will forgive you of your pride. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:20.000 He'll forgive you of everything you've done. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:23.000 There's nothing that hinders you from salvation. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:27.000 There's nothing that he won't forgive. 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:35.000 You can be forgiven today no matter how large and deep your sin is. 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:41.000 Your sin can be covered because price paid the price on your behalf. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:47.000 Here's an application for us Christians. 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:58.000 Peter looks at how Christ handled the abuse, the pain, the mocking as an example for us how to handle one another. 00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:08.000 First Peter 2 19 for this is a gracious thing when mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:14.000 For what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for you endure? 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:23.000 But if when you do good and suffer for you endure, this is a gracious thing inside of God for this you have been called. 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:30.000 That is God is called in your life and he's purposed in your life to be mistreated by others. 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.000 You're going to have it. 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:34.000 God wants you to have it. 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:36.000 He's ordained it in your life. 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:43.000 People will take advantage of you, exploit you, abuse you, speak negatively about you, gossip about you. 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:45.000 That's going to happen. 00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:46.000 It's ordained of God. 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:49.000 But what is your response? 00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:51.000 He said, well, I just can't say anything back. 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:52.000 I can't gossip back. 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:53.000 I just need to be. 00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:54.000 I just need to look kind. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:55.000 I need to feel. 00:36:55.000 --> 00:37:00.000 No, it's your heart that God's looking at. 00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:06.000 But this has been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. 00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:09.000 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:12.000 When he was a reviled, he did not revile in return. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:18.000 When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly. 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:24.000 Here we're called to follow that wonderful example. 00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:33.000 To have tender mercy and compassion on those who take advantage of us, exploit us, mistreat us. 00:37:33.000 --> 00:37:35.000 There is no room. 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:38.000 And I know that we all fell here. 00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:42.000 I know I fell here tremendously. 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:45.000 I've had a battle such bitterness in my heart. 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:48.000 Oh, Lord, please take the bitterness away from me. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:49.000 I hate it. 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:51.000 Bitterness will destroy you. 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:52.000 Bitterness will ruin your life. 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:54.000 Bitterness will take the joy right out of you. 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:56.000 They'll take the strength out of you. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:01.000 Bitterness is no place for Christians to have bitterness in their heart towards anyone, even their enemies. 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:03.000 We're to love our enemies. 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:07.000 We're to love those who despitefully use us and take advantage of us. 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:09.000 This is a hard issue. 00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:14.000 But by God's grace through the power of the cross in Christ said an example for us. 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:18.000 We too can have no bitterness within us. 00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:23.000 We can have pure love for everyone to be like Christ. 00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:25.000 When isn't that gorgeous? 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:27.000 Do you not see the glory of that? 00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:28.000 The beauty of that? 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:30.000 Do you not see how splendid that is? 00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:32.000 How majestic that is? 00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:37.000 See, this is the glory of Jesus Christ is that he showed us how it's done. 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:39.000 It is altogether glorious. 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:41.000 I don't understand it. 00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:42.000 I really don't. 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:47.000 I would see when I first saw that Rufus was saved, I could not believe my my ears are my ears. 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:50.000 Or I could not believe this when I read this. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:52.000 This is what it says that he worshiped God. 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:58.000 This man the executioner could not believe Christ would do such a thing. 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:09.000 But why would I be surprised when he saved me? 00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:12.000 See the glory of Jesus. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:15.000 See the goodness of Christ. 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:18.000 See the loveliness of Christ, the tender mercies of Christ. 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:19.000 Why are you? 00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.000 I say this with a broken heart because I know some of you are unconverted. 00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:27.000 I know when I've been praying for certain names of you. 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:33.000 I know I know and I know you could some of you could care less about Jesus. 00:39:33.000 --> 00:39:34.000 You don't care. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:37.000 You're more worried about everything under the sun than the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.000 You don't care that he died for you. 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:40.000 He suffered for you. 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:41.000 He took your shave. 00:39:41.000 --> 00:39:44.000 You don't care. 00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:47.000 Why do you not care? 00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:54.000 I remember when Jesus went to Nazareth and he said when he entered a Nazareth, he said he marveled at their unbelief. 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:56.000 I can't understand it. 00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:59.000 I think the Lord in one sense I understand depravity. 00:39:59.000 --> 00:40:00.000 I understand all that. 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:06.000 But if you know that he died and suffered and bled and took health for you. 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:08.000 It took the wrath of God on your behalf. 00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:12.000 And he says you don't have to do anything and I give you eternal life. 00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:13.000 How can you turn that down? 00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:14.000 How can you run from that? 00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:21.000 How can you say I don't want it? 00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:22.000 I beseech you. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:23.000 I plead with you. 00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:26.000 I ask of you God himself. 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:28.000 Jesus Christ through me says please be reconciled. 00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:29.000 I made a way. 00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:34.000 I made a way. 00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:36.000 Come. 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:38.000 Come all of us. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:39.000 Come to the light. 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:40.000 Come to the man who is perfect. 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:43.000 Come to the man who has no bitterness in him. 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:45.000 He will receive us. 00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:46.000 Praise the Lord. 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:46.500 the Lord. 00:40:46.500 --> 00:40:56.500 [BLANK_AUDIO]