Faith Presbyterian Church - Birmingham
At Faith Presbyterian Church we are seeking to exalt Jesus Christ the King and to exhibit and extend his Kingdom through worship, community, and mission.
Faith Presbyterian Church - Birmingham
Luke 23:32-43; The Cross of Jesus
Jason Sterling April 13, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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If you have a copy of God's Word, turn with me to Luke, chapter 23. So Luke 23, 32 through 43 is the passage. This morning We've been studying the Gospel of Luke this year and in the last several weeks we've been in order to prepare our hearts for Easter. We've been just walking through the last week of Jesus' life and looking at these key events. This morning we're at the last hours of Jesus's life. We come to the crucifixion. So follow along with me as I read God's word, luke 23, starting in verse 32. You'll see also the passage on the screen, but it's also in your bulletin as well.
Speaker 1:Let's look at God's Word together, for they know not what they do. 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 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? 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 he said to him truly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise. Let's pray and let's ask for the Holy Spirit to help us this morning. Let's pray together. Spirit, would you come, would you be with the one who preaches? And I pray that you would be with all those listening. We have lots of things we carry into this room. Some of us, our hearts are heavy, some of us are sad, some of us are full of joy. We're all over the place, but you've brought us here. You have this word on this day for us. And so, holy Spirit, take these preached words and put them inside our hearts, and I pray that we would all encounter in some way the glory of Jesus and the incomprehensible love and value of the cross. Only you can do that. Please come in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:There is a legendary episode of the Antique Roadshow from 2004. And if you're not familiar with the Antique Roadshow, it's a PBS show where people bring in trinkets and they have these experts there who appraise whatever it is that people bring in. And on this particular episode, a man brought in a pocket watch to this appraiser that had been passed down by his great-great-grandfather and had been in the family since 1914. He'd actually taken it to a place in town that appraises things and found out that it was worth $6,000. That's a lot of money, but Antique Roadshow is in town. He decides to take this pocket watch that he thinks is worth $6,000 in to get it appraised by a pocket watch expert that is known for appraising Swiss watches. And so the appraiser is examining this watch and all the unique features that are original to this watch, and he concludes that this exact pocket watch has been sold in museums there's very few of them, but has actually been sold to museums for a quarter of a million dollars. And the guy handling the watch, the appraiser, said that he had never handled a watch that valuable, and the owner hears this and starts to panic. This owner is at a loss for words and says no, you've got to be kidding me. It cannot be. No way. I can't believe it. Are you serious? Way, I can't believe it. Are you serious? I don't know how I'm even going to get it home now. He's at a complete loss for words, and I tell you that story because the point is that this watch had been in this family for almost a hundred years. But once the man understood the incomprehensible value of the watch, it changed him, it left him speechless and it changed his relationship to the watch.
Speaker 1:Many of us, the cross has been a part. We've grown up with the cross. We've grown up hearing about the crucifixion. The cross has been a part. We've grown up with the cross. We've grown up hearing about the crucifixion. The cross has been a part of our lives for as long as we can remember. We've grown up with it, we've heard sermons on it, we have crosses hanging around our necks and in our homes and my prayer for each of us this morning is, like this man on the Antique Roadshow, that we might, this morning, see something. We might see something in the cross that is of incomprehensible value, that we might see it in a new way and in a fresh way and we might realize how valuable the cross is and that it would change us and our relationship to it, and that it might even leave us speechless this morning. So let's go back to the cross, let's go back to the crucifixion and let's stand this morning at the foot of the cross together, and as we do, I want us to look at three things. I want us to see the humiliation of the cross, number one. Secondly, the salvation of the cross. Lastly, the grace of the cross, the humiliation, the salvation and the grace. Let's look at those in turn this morning. First, the humiliation of the grace. Let's look at those in turn this morning. First, the humiliation of the cross.
Speaker 1:This whole scene of the crucifixion is one of humiliation. If you have your Bible open, you can look back. It actually begins in verse 26 when it says Simon of Cyrene was carrying the cross of Jesus was carrying the cross of Jesus, and you are actually reading that correctly. If you hear the name Simon of Cyrene and the first thing that it comes to your mind is who in the world is that, you know you're reading it correctly.
Speaker 1:When that is your thought, where is Peter? Where are the other disciples? Why aren't they carrying the cross? You see, that's the point. They are not there. There's no one to carry the cross, except for this random guy who's passing by A stranger is the only one left to help Jesus. Everyone else has left him. He has been utterly abandoned by his friends. He ends up at the place called the skull in verses 32 and 33, and he's crucified there between two criminals, one on his right and one on his left, and he is stripped bare of all of his earthly possessions Verse 34, the second part. The soldiers cast lots to divide his garments. So think about that. Please get into this scene with me.
Speaker 1:At the foot of the crucifixion of the Son of God, they are playing a game, a game of dice. They're gambling at his feet for his stuff, valuing his clothing more than him. It is humiliating, it is profane and it's every person in this room's greatest nightmare to be completely exposed in public, stripped of everything you own, all alone, no one with you, shamed and publicly humiliated. And Jesus faces all of that head on. And I think again, because of our context, we are around the cross, we hear about the cross and we hear about it often so much that it loses its strangeness. Sometimes it's really strange if you think about it, christian, behold your hero Naked on a cross. Christian, here is your centerpiece of life and of faith. Why? Why is the cross so over the top in its shame and humiliation? To say it another way, why can't we skip all of this and just go to Easter? Why can't we go straight to the resurrection? Well, friends, you must have both, because this is what God is like. You must have suffering and you have glory.
Speaker 1:Tim Keller says Jesus is not just a king, but he is a king on a cross. If he were just a king, you would bow to him and submit to him out of obligation, because you have to. But a king on a cross, you submit to him out of love and out of trust. You see a king on a cross. That's what the people in the crowd, that's what the rulers and this one criminal hanging beside Jesus. That's what they miss Two times. Look at verse 35 and 37. If you are the Christ, save yourself. Behind that statement is if you are a Christ, if you are a king, then you would not be on a cross, because that is too weak. There is no way that what you are claiming Jesus this would be what they would be saying is true, because a king would have might and power, power. And so show us you're the king, show us you have that power and come down and save yourself. And in that invitation they realize and they reveal that they have a false concept of who Jesus really is and what kind of king Jesus really is, because in their minds there's no way a king and a Messiah would ever get hammered and nailed to a Roman cross. They expected military might to save good people from bad oppressors, and that is not the gospel. The gospel is bad people are saved through the weak one, the humiliated one, who would come and save bad people from the oppression of sin and death. And they miss that and that's why the Apostle Paul says things in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 23,. Like we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
Speaker 1:George Herbert has a famous poem. It's actually written in 1633. Do yourself a favor this week and go read it. You can find it online and the title of the poem is the Sacrifice and it basically walks through Holy Week and in this one scene that we're looking at this morning, the people say now heal yourself, physician. Now you come down. And Jesus responds alas, I did so when I left my father's smile to fill his frown. For you, whatever grief like mine, come down, jesus. And Jesus says I did. I came down to stay on this tree and to hang between two criminals and to be numbered.
Speaker 1:This is a fulfillment of prophecy as well to be numbered, as Isaiah 53, 12 says, among the transgressors, so that I can prepare a way for sinners to stand before a holy God, clean and redeemed. And so then the question is so what? What does that have to do with you this morning? I don't know your story, but some of you this morning perhaps think you're too bad for God. Maybe you think of what you've done and who you are that there's no way God could love you. Maybe you almost didn't come this morning because you were so overwhelmed with guilt and shame for what you did last night.
Speaker 1:Look at the cross. Look at the cross. Do you see in this cross the love of God for sinners? Do you see in this cross just how far God was willing to go in order to save you, forgive you and make you clean? Don't miss the incomprehensible value of the cross for sinners. Don't miss Jesus, a king on a cross. It should leave us speechless. It should leave us struggling to find the words. Secondly, the salvation of the cross.
Speaker 1:Look at verses 39 through 43. There's two criminals on each side and they each have different reactions to Jesus. The first thief, cynical, rails against Jesus, mocks Jesus, just like those at the foot of the cross in the crowds and the religious leaders. Because this thief wanted a king who conquers, just like them, not a savior who suffers. He wanted power, not mercy, and his pride causes him to miss the greatest gift the world has ever known hanging right beside him. That's the first thief. The second thief has a different response. The second thief is actually just as close as Jesus to the end of his life, and instead of mocking Jesus, we see he embraces Jesus.
Speaker 1:But it's remarkable here because the other Gospels actually tell us that earlier in the day he too was mocking Jesus. Luke doesn't include that in his version and piece of the story, but Matthew does. Matthew 27, 44 says and even the robbers plural who were crucified with Jesus also mocked and reviled him in the same way. And I tell you that because apparently something's changed. This man went from mocking Jesus to embracing Jesus. And the critical question is okay, how? How does that kind of thing happen. Of course we would say Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit worked in his heart. But there's something else here too, I believe.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 34. He's hanging beside Jesus, and so he would have seen Jesus, and he would have heard Jesus say Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He even says it in his words that Jesus is innocent, and so he knows that. And he's seeing Jesus die. Except Jesus is not raging out. He's not raging out, jesus is not protesting, he's not spitting on all of the executioners and soldiers and cursing them. No, jesus. Instead, he prays and he says God, forgive them. Who's capable of something like that? Only God, only God in the flesh. And the second thief sees this, I think, and says Jesus is who. He says he is the Messiah, god with skin on. We don't know for sure when it happened, but it happened and something obviously clicked for this second thief, so much so that he goes from mocking to crying out for mercy.
Speaker 1:The whole statement look at verses 41 or 40 and 41 from this criminal is remarkable. Let me read it again. Do you not fear God? So he's talking to the other thief who's mocked Jesus. Since you're under the same sentence of condemnation. We are receiving our due reward for our deeds and this man, jesus, has done nothing wrong. You want to talk about a loaded statement? That is a loaded statement and we're going to look at it Because there is so much here, and here we see the elements of true conversion and true repentance.
Speaker 1:This man gets clarity on who God is. He's convinced of his guilt and sin before a holy God and he cries out for mercy from Jesus. He gets clarity on God. That's the first thing he says. Do you not fear God? And I find that extremely profound, because he's acknowledging who God is and he's acknowledging that we are standing before him. He knows our motives and our secret thoughts, he knows our actions, he knows our hearts and our words and he requires that we one day will give an account for our life. This man gets that. Do you, are you clear on that this morning? That you will one day stand before a holy God and give an account for your life? That is the first thing. And then this man, we see, is convinced of his guilt and sin. Look at what he says. Jesus has done nothing wrong, but we have, we're guilty and we are getting exactly what we deserve. You see, before you can enjoy grace and receive grace and salvation, you must admit your guilt, you must face what you deserve. Our world, we live in a world where it says that we're good people who have made a few mistakes along the way. Friends, if you believe that, you will completely miss Jesus, because the Bible says that we are sinners and that we, the wages of sin the Bible says, is death and that our sin before a holy God deserves death, that we are guilty and that our sin before a holy God deserves death, that we are guilty. It's why every person that joins this church, you know question number one what do they have to vow to that I am a sinner in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure except for God's sovereign mercy?
Speaker 1:Rembrandt is a famous Dutch painter and he has this very famous painting maybe you've seen it of the crucifixion. It's called the Raising of the Cross and obviously in the painting the center of the scene and the first thing that your mind is drawn to in this is the cross and Jesus hanging on the cross. And then you start to look around the painting and you start to notice the crowd and then you see someone who doesn't look like they fit the scene and doesn't look like they belong Standing at the foot of the cross. And it's Rembrandt. He had painted himself into the scene. Why? Because it was his way of saying I did it. It was his way of saying it was my sin that put Jesus there.
Speaker 1:And my question for us this morning is have we painted ourselves into the scene? For us this morning is have we painted ourselves into the scene? Because until we do, grace will seem unnecessary to us. Until we do, we will get bored very quickly with Jesus. Until we do, we will never see the incomprehensible value of the cross. And when we paint ourselves in and see what we deserve, like this thief on the cross, suddenly we get desperate and we cry out for mercy and for grace.
Speaker 1:And that's the third part, right? This thief calls out to God, to Jesus, for help. I need a Savior, I cannot save myself. Jesus, save me, have mercy on me. That's verse 42. That's essentially what he does when he says Remember me, jesus, help me, remember me in your kingdom. He went from mocking God to fearing God, to being convinced of his sin and guilt, to calling on Jesus to save him. That's repentance. That's what salvation looks like, but you know what else it looks like. It's also a picture of how we grow in the Christian life. We often try to complicate growth in the Christian life, but it looks the exact same way. You know what growing in your faith looks like, constantly growing in your awareness of how holy God is and getting clarity on that. And what does that do? When you see the holiness of God, it helps you to see more and more that you're not. It helps you to see the depths of your sin. And then where does that lead To? Over and over, just crying out I need help. Jesus, have mercy on me, remember me. You cry out for mercy and grace.
Speaker 1:The second thief is showing us, yes, the way of salvation, but also the way we grow in the Christian life. I told you there was a lot in verses 40 and 41. Lastly, the grace of the cross. Look at 43. Jesus responds and says truly, I say to you that today you will be with me in paradise. Paradise is not what it is, because it's the cessation of pain and suffering. Yes, it certainly is that. The bible assures us that heaven, paradise is when all the sad things will come untrue and all diseases will be done away with and our relationships that are broken will be reconciled and on and on no tears, no mourning, no crying. Paradise certainly is all of those things, but to focus on that misses the primary point of paradise. Look at what Jesus says Today. You will be with me in paradise. To say it another way, if you have Jesus, you have the hope of heaven. Yes, but if you have Jesus, you also have the substance of heaven. Heaven is heavenly because Jesus is there and you are with him.
Speaker 1:Think about the context of this. He's saying this to a criminal. He's saying I'm doing all of this. He's saying this to a criminal. He's saying I'm doing all of this and going through this suffering so I can have you with me. He's saying I'm doing all of this. Do you believe that this morning, that is amazing Jesus stays and doesn't come down so that he could be with you this morning. If you believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, do you believe that Jesus wants to be with you? If you struggle to believe that, look at the cross.
Speaker 1:Look at the cross, and I want to suggest this morning that this scene is a picture of the radical nature of the gospel and the radical nature of grace and why Christianity is called good news. Because think about this here is a criminal who is sentenced to death. He has ruined his life, he has wasted his life, he's done everything wrong, he has no resume, he has no religious accomplishments, he has nothing. Here is a man who, for 99.9% of his life, has rebelled against god and at the last minute he cries out god, remember me. And he's completely forgiven, and fully forgiven for his sins. Today you will be with me in paradise. Does this bother you?
Speaker 1:A lot of people are bothered by this Self-righteous. People are bothered by this because it seems so unfair and it is. And that's why the gospel and why grace is so radical, because we see this man and we think surely he can't be forgiven as bad as he's been. And the gospel is jesus giving us what we don't deserve and jesus taking what he didn't deserve. And that's what makes Christianity so amazing, that's what makes it different than any other religion in the world. Every other religion in the world says work hard enough, be good enough, work your way to heaven. Christianity, on the other hand, is grace that is amazing, radical, scandalous and free. It is the grace for the worst of sinners. It is hope for the hopeless and mercy for people like us who do not deserve it.
Speaker 1:I'll close with this illustration. This is an illustration I've used before by Alistair Begg. I cannot preach this sermon and not use this illustration. It's that good.
Speaker 1:Maybe you've heard it, heard it from me, or perhaps you've seen it online, but it's an illustration about the thief on the cross and in the story it's like imagine one of the angels comes up to this thief, who's now with him in paradise, and says how did you make it? And this man had been cursing Jesus earlier in the day, he'd never been to a Bible study, he'd never been baptized, he had no idea what church membership is, and yet he's in heaven. The angel says how did you make it? And the thief says I don't know. And the angel replies well, what do you mean? You don't know. Are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith? And the thief says I have no idea what you're talking about. The angel goes what do you mean? You don't know what I'm talking about. What about the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture? And he looks at him and says I have no clue. And the angel, who's frustrated, says well then, on what basis are you here? And the thief said.
Speaker 1:The man on the middle cross said I could come. Friends, that's our only hope and that is our fastball at this church. That's our only message. That's all we have to offer you every single week at our church. The man on the middle cross, I don't know where you are. Maybe you're here and you do not have faith. You do not. You're not a Christian. Maybe you haven't been to church in a really long time. Maybe you're full of guilt and shame. Maybe your life feels chaotic, or maybe you've never been better.
Speaker 1:Wherever you find yourself, all we have for you is this man on the middle cross and he is saying come, and so will you come to him this morning. Come to him this morning. That's an invitation. Let's pray. Thank you for coming down, jesus, and for staying on the cross. You had the power to get off. You had the power to do it another way, but you stayed so that we could be with you and so that we could be forgiven. Would you help us this morning to see the incomprehensible value of the cross? There's someone here this morning that doesn't know you. I pray that they would see you clearly, for your holiness, that they would be convinced of their guilt of sin before you and that they would call out for mercy and grace to the Lord Jesus. Only you can do that. Please do that in Jesus' name, amen.