Greg Laurie - Famous Last Words (07/15/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie preaches on the famous last words of Jesus from the cross in Matthew 27, walking through His seven profound statements during the crucifixion. He highlights the forgiveness, salvation of the thief, care for Mary, forsaken cry bearing sin, thirst, finished work, and final commitment to the Father—showing Christ's love and victory over death that offers eternal life to all who believe.
Famous Last Words – The Greatest Story Ever Told
Good morning, everybody. Let's pray together. Now, Father, as we explore the greatest story ever told, the story of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, his suffering, his pain, and his resurrection. Lord, help us to see it with new eyes and hear it with new ears. And for some, they're hearing it for the first time. Lord, as we learn more about your love demonstrated for us, help us grow in our love for you. Because scripture says we love you because you first loved us. And so, Lord, we're going to see that demonstrated in scripture now. Bless us as we open your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.
Well, hello to everybody. Grab your Bibles like we always do. And turn to Matthew chapter 27. The title of my message today is Famous Last Words. By the way, we're coming to the end of this series. We've been in for quite a long time. About 15 years, I think. Maybe not that long. But we've called it God Came Near. It's a chronological look at the life of Christ from all four Gospels. So we get the big picture. The total story. And now we're following the Lord to the cross of Calvary.
Again, the title is Famous Last Words, Matthew 27. You know, for every person, there's going to be a last meal. There's going to be a last breath. And a last statement. And in some ways, that final statement you give may be a summation of what you lived for, what you stood for. Your last words may show what really mattered to you.
Examples of Famous Last Words – From Flippant to Faithful
Now, sometimes people don't know when they're giving their last words. Michael Jackson was practicing for his comeback tour. And after a rehearsal, he said to all the folks that were there, This is it. This really is it. That was the name of the tour. But sadly, those became some of the last words he ever spoke. As he died shortly afterwards.
Sometimes people in their last words are somewhat flippant. I heard the story of atheist Karl Marx. Known as the father of communism. Who, as he was on his deathbed, had his housekeeper come to him and say, Tell me your last words and I'll write them down. Karl Marx said, Go on and get out. Last words are for fools and haven't said enough.
So from Karl Marx to Groucho Marx. His last words were, Die, my dear. Why, that's the last thing that I'll do.
Nostradamus was known for predicting the future. Not that accurately, I might add. But he was right about his future on one occasion. When on his deathbed, he said, Tomorrow, I shall no longer be here. End quote.
Pablo Picasso, the great artist, said, Drink to my health. Drink to me. You know, I can't drink anymore.
Sometimes people's last words were tragic. As actress Joan Crawford lay on her deathbed, her housekeeper began to pray for her. And Joan Crawford used an expletive. And then said, Blank, don't you dare pray for me. Can you imagine saying such a thing on your deathbed?
But Brad Delp, the lead singer of the band Boston, committed suicide. On his shirt, there was a note clipped with the words that he wrote, which became his final words, I am a lonely soul.
The last words of Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, as he was being beaten to death by his own people, were, What you're doing is wrong. Shame on you. You're sinning. Don't you know what's right or wrong? Some, ironic, coming from someone like Muammar Gaddafi.
Some last words were filled with courage. American patriot Nathan Hale was convicted for spying on the British for the United States. And he was put to death. And his final words were, I only regret that I have one life to give or to lose for my country. End quote.
Todd Beamer was aboard Flight 93 on 9-11. He found out that the World Trade Center had been hit by planes, and his plane, too, had been hijacked. And he knew that they were headed toward a certain target. So they decided they had to storm the cockpit that had been taken over by Islamic terrorists. And so he got some of the other passengers together, and he said, Are you guys ready? Let's roll. Those are his last words.
Some last words are filled with faith. D.L. Moody, the great evangelist, when he was on his deathbed, said, I see earth receding, and heaven is opening. God is calling me.
Young Stephen, the first martyr of the church, as he was being put to death by stoning, you remember, he said, I see the heavens open, and the Messiah standing before God at his right hand. And then he said, Lord, don't hold this sin against them.
Death – The Last Enemy Defeated by Christ
You probably are aware of the fact that there's a new movie out about Steve Jobs. I'm told it has a lot of fiction in it. That's not really true to Steve's actual life. But Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech to Stanford a little bit before he died, and he made this fascinating series of statements. And I quote, No one wants to die, said Steve Jobs. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is a destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is as it should be, because death is likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Sorry to be dramatic, but it's quite true, end quote.
Well, Steve Jobs was right about one thing. Death is a destination we all share, and no one has ever escaped it. But he was not right when he said, Death is the single best invention of life. It's not the single best invention. It's the worst.
Listen, Death is not a friend. Death is an enemy. The Bible says that. In 1 Corinthians 15:26, it says, The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
Listen, It was never God's will that we would die, but our first parents, Adam and Eve, had to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden. But you know what? If you or I were there, we would have done the same stinking thing. And because they ate of that forbidden fruit, death is now a part of life. We have sickness. If they had not eaten of that fruit, we would have never died. We would have never grown old. We would never get sick. And best of all, if they had not eaten of that forbidden fruit, Dude, I would have hair on the top of my head right now.
But they ate. And sin came into the world and death came with it. It spread to everyone. But Jesus came to this earth on a rescue operation to buy back that which was lost. And he did this at the cross. Jesus came to live and die and rise to defeat death.
Listen to this. Death died when Christ Rose. And that's what we're gonna be looking at together here in Matthew 27. Because we're really looking at the last statements of Christ. As he hung there on the cross, he gave seven profound statements. Every one of them is important. The order of them is important.
The Brutality of the Cross – Instruments of Suffering
So before we get to those statements, let's pick up where we last left off. Remember, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. He was taken to the high priest, Caiaphas and Annas and accused of a series of crimes he did not commit. And he was beaten and he was spit on and struck in the face.
Then he was sent to Pontius Pilate where he was scourged. One expert described scourging as the halfway death. Many men died by being scourged.
Now, you probably wondered what's under this here. Did you wonder? How many of you wondered? How many of you just noticed it for the first time? Okay. Here's what's under here. We have some of the instruments that were used in the death of Jesus. These are recreations of what would have happened.
And this is known as the Roman Cat of Ninetales. As you can see, it has this large stick you hold on to and strands of leather. I've described this for you before. At the end of this are bits of metal with spikes in them and then embedded with glass. So every time this would come on the back of a prisoner, you can imagine the damage it would do.
Do we have any volunteers? volunteers. I didn't think so. But Jesus did volunteer. He went voluntarily to the scourging and the halfway death that was described as because it was so brutal. It would tear into the skin, then into the skeletal tissue, even exposing vital organs. 39 times this whip came on the back of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then he was taken to the soldiers who mocked him and treated him cruelly. And they placed this crown of thorns on his head that would have looked very similar to this. Why? They were mocking the fact that he claimed to be a king. So they said, Here's your crown, king. Put it on. And they pressed it into his forehead, causing profuse bleeding.
So now this Thorn actually went into my thumb. So I'm getting a real account of what this may have felt like. Ouch.
Then the Lord, of course, is brought before the crowds, scourged, beaten. And Pilate thought that would bring some sympathy, but it did not. Pilate said, Behold this man. Look at him. Are you satisfied now? What do you want me to do with him? Shall I release to you Jesus or this other man Barabbas? And they said, Release Barabbas. What shall I do with Jesus? Pilate asks. Let him be crucified, they said. And let his blood be upon us and upon our children.
So our Lord was sent to carry his own cross, weighing hundreds of pounds. After his back was shredded open, he lost so much blood, he's carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem. Understandably, he collapses beneath the weight of it.
A man is tapped from the crowd. Probably a big dude, for sure. Because they thought, Who else could carry a cross of this weight? And they grab this guy named Simon, who's visiting from Cyrene for the Passover. And this man has the privilege of carrying the cross of Christ for a few steps.
And Jesus takes it up again. They arrive at the place where he's going to be crucified. They lay him on the cross. They take his hands and they pound spikes into them. Now the spikes may have been larger than this, but this gives a sense of what a spike would look like. And then a larger spike for the feet. One foot would have been pressed upon another and the spike driven through both feet.
And there hangs Jesus now. And he gives seven statements from the cross. Again, let me remind you, ultimately, death by crucifixion was death by suffocation. The crucified person could not breathe. Thus they would put a little foot base at our foot a little block of wood that the crucified person could push himself up on while hanging there to relieve some of the pain from the nails and also to get a gulp of air.
So here's our Lord with his shredded back and his hands and feet nailed to the cross. And he manages to get seven statements out from the cross.
The Seven Statements of Jesus from the Cross
Here they are in their correct order. Statement number one. He says, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
Hanging next to him as a thief, a criminal, I'll talk about him more in a moment, he turns to Jesus and says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus gives his second statement. Truly, truly, I say to you today you will be with me in paradise.
Now looking down at the foot of the cross he sees his mother, Mary, standing next to the apostle John. He says to Mary, Woman, behold your son. And looking to John he says, Behold your mother.
This is where many believe that the sins of the world were poured upon Christ causing him to give his fourth statement from Calvary. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani which is translated My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Then, he says, I thirst. Statement number six. It is finished. Statement number seven. To his father into your hands I commit my spirit.
Standing nearby as the lead Roman centurion who observing all of this says, Surely, this was a righteous man.
On each side of our Lord was a criminal. Now we have to understand when we call them the thieves on the cross I know it's translated that way in some versions but the word that is used in the original language is much stronger than thief. I'm sure they did steal things but that would have been the lesser of some of their crimes. these guys were probably guilty of murder. The Romans did not generally crucify thieves. They crucified men that had tried to overthrow the power of Rome. Insurrectionists in Rome's perception they would have considered them terrorists.
So these terrorists if you will these hardened criminals these murderers are nailed to each side of our Lord. They were there for their crimes. They could not have gotten out of this even if they wanted to but Jesus could have gotten out of this. They were there against their will. Christ was there because he willingly. went.
And now it's fascinating to see what three men do as they face death squarely in the face. Let's read about it now. Matthew 27 dropping down to verse 39. Those who pass by blasphemed him wagging their heads and saying you who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself if you are the son of God. Come down from the cross.
Likewise the chief priest also mocking with the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save if he is the king of Israel let him come down now from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God let him deliver him if he will have him for he said I am the son of God even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing.
we will stop there. How this mockery and unbelief must have pained the tender heart of Jesus. Even here at the very cross he hangs on they persist he is atoning for the very people that are spewing this venom. It is unbelievable.
but then something unexpected happens. And this is the beauty of four gospels because it is a quadraphonic look if you will at the life of Christ and that is why we have looked at it this way in this God came near series. We are given a very important detail.
Jesus gives his first statement from Calvary Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Those are the first words of Christ from Calvary. That shouldn't surprise us. Jesus was a man of prayer and this was a prayer.
Even those who generally refused a prayer are very open to it in moments of crisis and usually on a deathbed. We might have expected Jesus to say Father help me. Or we might have expected him to take one of his seven statements and say them in a different order like statement number one could have been my God my God why have you forsaken me or even I thirst but Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
But isn't this what Jesus taught us to do on the Sermon on the Mount he told us in Matthew 544 love your enemies bless those that curse you too good to those that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you persecute you. Pray for them.
Have you ever prayed for an enemy? How many of you have enemies? Raise your hand up. Don't be afraid I won't mock you. Yeah. We all have enemies. Pray for them. Pray for their salvation. Pray they come to believe in Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus did. He's praying for them.
And by the way he's fulfilling a messianic scripture. What is that? A messianic passage or prophecy is a verse from the Old Testament that speaks of the coming Messiah. And on Isaiah 53 a very. specific statement was given there in verse 12 it says of Messiah he poured out his life and a death and he was numbered with the transgressors for he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
That's what he was doing. He was praying for the people that did this. Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
This does not suggest they were somehow unaware that they were sinning. I think they understood that. Ignorance does not absolve anyone. I don't think they understood the full implications of what they had done. I mean many attested to its innocence. Pilate himself said of Jesus I find no guilt in this man. The Sanhedrin were clearly aware that those charges they brought against Christ were blatantly false. The soldiers could see an injustice was being done yet they gleefully participated. Even Judas knew he had done wrong when he said afterwards I betrayed innocent blood but yet these people did not see the enormity of their sin but Jesus did.
Father he is saying forgive them they know not what they do. Father they have committed a sin that is wicked beyond all comprehension. Father they have committed a sin that is black beyond their realization. Father forgive them because they need forgiveness so desperately they don't realize Realize what they're doing.
The Conversion of the Thief – A Divine Appointment
Now here's the amazing twist in the story. Because of these words, one of the men believes. One of the thieves, the criminals, the terrorists, if you will, comes to his senses and believes.
Luke 23:39 says, one of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed. So you're the Messiah or you will prove it by saving yourself and us too while you're at it. Then the other criminal protested, don't you fear God even when you're dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds. But this man hasn't done anything wrong.
Then he turned to Jesus and said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said, truly I say to you, today you'll be with me in paradise.
Now some would read this statement of Luke and say, well, that's a contradiction. Because Matthew's gospel says both thieves mocked him. But Luke's gospel says one of the thieves believed in him. Contradiction.
That's not a contradiction, friend. That is a conversion. That guy was converted on the spot. And why was he converted? Well, this is before all the supernatural phenomena of the day took place, by the way. They didn't have the earthquake yet. The sky hadn't gone dark yet. But there were a few little indications that something was really significant here.
Maybe one was Pilate's gospel track. Did you know that Pilate wrote a gospel track? Yeah, it was a little sign placed right there on the cross that said, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. And some of the religious leaders said, take that down. Now, rewrite it. And they could say, he claimed to be the king of the Jews. Pilate said, what I've written, I have written. And a better translation would be, what I've written will always be written. Deal with the guys. That's the truth.
There was a little evangelistic proclamation. Jesus of Nazareth, this man right here, was the king of the Jews.
But I think the moment that really shook that hardened criminal was when he heard Christ say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He'd never seen anything like that. Others were cursing the soldiers. And Jesus is praying for the soldiers. And suddenly this hardened heart begins to soften.
His rebellion and his angerness and his bitterness had driven him for all of these years, was suddenly dissolved. His seared conscience was resensitized. You see, he had a divine appointment with the king of kings and lord of lords.
And he turns to Jesus and says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And then he defends Jesus to the other guy. I love that. This reminds me of the zeal of a new convert.
I just love the passion of someone that has just come to faith in Jesus Christ. Christ. Why is it that those that often know the most do the least? And those that know the least often want to do the most? Does that make sense?
We'll have people come and say, I love this church. I want to get involved. Can I help out as an Usher or a new convert counselor? In fact, you can hire me to be a pastor. I'm ready to serve God. We'll say, how long have you been a Christian? One week.
We want them to serve in a position yet because we want them to get grounded in their faith. And the Bible says, don't raise up new believers too quickly. But we appreciate that zeal.
But then there are folks that have known the Lord for 10 years, 20 years. And they've never volunteered to do anything. And they're missing out on so much.
You know, we see this in our crusades. Sometimes someone will come to Christ on Friday night. Then they'll go and grab members of their family and friends. And bring them out Saturday. And they'll accept Christ. Then they'll grab some more people. And by Sunday night, you'll have 10, 15 people coming to the Lord.
But then you'll have people that have known the Lord for decades. That can't remember the last time they brought a non-believer with them.
We see this illustrated here. This guy's defending Jesus to the other guy. What are you doing, man? This guy has done nothing wrong. We deserve what we've received.
This man was speaking up for Christ. Taking responsibility for his own sins. And there Jesus was hanging and dying for the sin of all of the world.
Jesus' Care for Mary – Entrusting Her to John
Now let's shift gears. And we come to Mary. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Maybe one of the most misunderstood people in all of the Bible. Because in the Catholic Church, Mary is venerated. We are told that we should go to Jesus through Mary. Pray through Mary to Jesus.
We're told that Mary was born of immaculate conception. Meaning that she never sinned. We're told that Mary never had any other children besides Jesus. And we're told that Mary ascended to heaven.
None of these things are in the Bible. Okay? It's important for us to understand that. Mary was a sinner like everyone else. In fact, she herself said in what we call her Magnificat. Or her Psalm of Praise. After she found out she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. She said, my soul rejoices in God, my Savior.
See, Mary needed a Savior too. She was not a co-redeemer with Christ. He was the only redeemer. We don't go through Mary to get to Jesus. We go through Jesus to get to the Father. And we have access to him all the time.
And Mary did have other children as well. Jesus had siblings. But having said all that, let's not marginalize her and fail to see what a special woman she was. Divine? No. Born of immaculate conception? No. Blessed by God? Oh, yes. Especially chosen by God? Yes. Of all the women. And all time. God said, that's my girl. That's the woman I choose.
And, you know, I don't think us guys can ever understand the bond of a mother to a child. And the bond of a mother to a son. You know, we don't know what it's like to be pregnant. Our closest thing is when we get, you know, heartburn and we overeat or something.
I mean, sometimes I'll say to my wife, if I've eaten too much, I'll say, put your hand right here. Look, it's kicking. It's kicking. We don't know. We don't know. We did a natural childbirth thing, my wife and I. And so we didn't use any of the drugs. And so I was her coach. What a horrible coach I was.
And so go, go, go, you know, breathe, breathe, breathe, all this stuff. And it's kind of a hippie thing. I don't even know if they do this anymore. I'm sure they do. I'm just kidding.
When she's getting ready to get birth, here's a little sucker. I was eating the sucker myself. She remembers that from the birth. We have no idea. But girls, you know, you know what it's like to bear the child. You know what it's like to look at the sonogram and see those features. You know what it's like to see the child born. You know the pain of bringing the child into the world. And you know what it's like to hold that little one in your arms. You have a connection like no one else has.
And think about Mary. She bore Jesus. She carried God in human form in her womb. And then as a little baby, she nursed him. And then she watched him take his first steps. And she watched him grow into a young man. And Jesus was the perfect son. Can you imagine? No rebellion. No naughtiness. Just compliant and loving and supportive. Absolute perfection. And she loved him with all of her heart. And he loved her too.
And that brings us to his statement from the cross. That's really significant. It's statement number three. It's found in John's Gospel. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son.
Let me say a word about that. She stood at the cross, folks. His disciples were in hiding. Mary stood at the cross. Isaiah says he was so beaten and disfigured from his beating and crucifixion. You could hardly even tell he was a man. His body was traumatized, swollen.
And imagine she looked up and saw him. But she would not give any hysterics, running away in horror. She would not faint or fall to the ground. She would be strong for Jesus. And she would stand there saying, Son, I'm here. I love you.
And then Jesus says, Woman, behold your son. What does that mean? Well, we can't be certain. But my opinion, which is really important. to me, is that Jesus was saying, Woman, behold your son. Not saying, Look at me, Mary. But I think he was speaking of John, who was there.
Woman, behold your son. That's your new son. Son, behold your mother. He was entrusting to John the responsibility of caring for his mother.
Jesus was the firstborn. It was a responsibility in Jewish culture of the firstborn son to care for the parents in their old age. Jesus obviously was dying now. And so he is giving to John this great privilege. John, take care of my mother.
What a privilege, John said. Of course, yes.
That was the fourth statement from the cross.
The Darkest Moment – My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Now we're going to come to the worst moment of Calvary. It's been described as the crucifixion in the crucifixion. It's where Jesus bears the sin of the world.
Drop down to verse 45 of Matthew 27. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Which means, My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Some of those who stood there when they heard that said, This man is calling for Elijah. Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with sour wine and put it on a Reed and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, Let him alone. Let's see if Elijah will come to save him.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. We'll stop there.
Without exception, excuse me, without explanation, the sky suddenly turns dark. From the sixth hour, so this is 12 o'clock noon. So from 12 noon to 3 in the afternoon, lights out. Probably for planet Earth. I think the whole Earth may have gone dark at this moment.
As Jesus bears a sin of the world. Why did it go dark? Because Satan was coming in full power. In Revelation 12, we have an interesting statement about the devil in the end times when it says, The devil has come down to you. He's full of fury because he knows he has but a short time.
Here at Calvary, Satan was full of fury. He was hitting Jesus with everything he had. It was dark.
But it was also dark because it was at this moment that Christ, as I said, most likely bore the sin of the world causing him to make this statement. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Some people say the Bible's a book of fiction. Oh, really? No fiction writer would ever have the hero of the story make a statement like this. It's a misunderstood statement. It disarms us. It surprises us. We wonder, what did he mean when he said, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
In some films that depict the crucifixion, they show Jesus in a delirious state, even in a moment of crisis where he's doubting the Father, Father, Father, why have you let this happen? That's not what was happening. Jesus was not having doubt. Jesus was simply describing what was taking place.
Because it was most likely at this moment that all the sin of the world was being placed upon Christ and the Holy Father turns his face away and Jesus is forsaken by the Father for a time so we can enjoy his presence forever.
See, he will never forsake us. Because he was forsaken by the Father, he will never forsake us.
Look, I don't know what you're going through right now, but God has not forsaken you. Jesus said, I will never leave you or forsake you. And if you were to take that same statement and translate it literally, it would go along these lines. Jesus speaking, I will never, no, never, no, never leave you or forsake you.
So he is now taking the sin of the world upon himself. As Christ was hanging there, he was bearing the sins of the world. He was dying as a substitute for others. To him was imputed the guilt of their sins and he was suffering the punishment for those sins on their behalf and the very essence of that punishment was the outpouring of God's wrath. on Christ himself.
You know, it's hard for us to grasp this. But this is what it comes down to. In those mysterious. moments on the cross, he was facing God's judgment. And this was so we could be forgiven.
You see, the recipient of that wrath was God's own beloved son. Listen to this. God was punishing Jesus as if he had personally committed every wicked deed committed by every wicked sinner and in doing so he could forgive and treat those redeemed ones as if they had lived Christ's perfect life of righteousness.
I'm going to say that again. I want you to listen very carefully. God was punishing Jesus as if he personally committed every wicked deed committed by every wicked sinner and in doing so he could forgive and treat those redeemed ones as if they could live Christ's perfect life
This is amazing. This is what justification is. Justification is when God comes to my spiritual bank account and removes my sins and puts in its place the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So I stand before you today as a righteous man approved by God and loved by God. And you are in the same position if you put your faith in Jesus.
This is what he did for us at the cross of Calvary. Let's applaud for that right now.
Second Corinthians 5:21 says, He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Isaiah speaking of this says, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. We have deemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And the punishment for our peace was upon him. And by his stripes we are healed.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? What does this mean? It means that Jesus was separated in fellowship. from the Father for this time. And that for Jesus was a fate worse than death.
You know that? You know, for Jesus, being separated from God even momentarily was worse than this crown of thorns. It was worse than this Roman cat of nine tails. And it was even worse than these spikes going in to his hands and feet because he had never had a single thought out of Harmony with the Father. He walked in absolute perfection. And now to face this was, for Jesus, a fate worse than death.
It was God's most painful moment. Do you remember the most painful moment in your life? This was God's most painful moment.
But I want you to notice something. It was a prayer. It was framed in a prayer. Jesus started with the seven statements with a prayer. And he ended with a prayer.
Statement number one, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Final statement, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
But what did Jesus say? He said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
You know, bad things happen to us in life. And we wonder why. That's usually the first thing that comes to our mind when something bad happens, especially if it's a tragedy. We say, why has this happened to me?
You're not alone in thinking that. And I've had people come up to me and say, you know, I've lost a loved one. I've lost a wife, a husband, a child. Why? Why has this happened to me? And is it wrong to ask why? They'll sometimes ask.
You might be surprised by my response. Because I've heard some say, never ask God why. That's a lack of faith. Never ask why. Really? Well, Jesus said why, didn't he? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
There's nothing wrong with asking why. And I'll say that to a person. It's okay to ask why. I've asked why. After my son. died. I said, why? Why did this happen?
So here's what I want to say. It's okay to ask why. Just don't expect an answer. Because if God were to answer your question, do you think that would satisfy you? Do you think you'd be okay after that?
Actually, Habakkuk, the prophet, was struggling with things that God was doing. And he said, God, I don't get this. I want to know why. God said, if I told you why, you wouldn't believe it. Habakkuk says, oh yeah, try me. God told him. Habakkuk says, I don't get that.
So let's just say one day the Lord condescended to your request. All right, I'm going to tell you why I allowed you to get cancer. Okay, I'm going to tell you why I allowed your child to die. I'm going to tell you why this event happened. I'm going to tell you why you were born with a disability. I'm going to tell you why this happened. Are you ready? Yes. Got your note tablet out. Here it is.
I don't agree with that, God. That's probably what What we would say. Because we're living this side of heaven. We see things in the way that we see them. But one day when we're in glory. And we see the Lord face to face. Everything's going to make sense to us.
So when we don't understand what is going on. We fall back on what we do understand. And that is that God loves us. And it's our best interest in mind. That he is in control. And he works all things together for good to those that love him.
It Is Finished – The Victory at the Cross
Famous last words. These are famous last words. The last words of Christ. And one day we will give our last words.
I read in the paper about the last words of a tenor known as Richard Versailles. He was singing one night in the Metropolitan Opera. He had climbed a ladder and sang these words. Too bad you can only live so long. And then he had a heart attack and died. How ironic. Too bad you can only live so long.
One day you're going to give your last words. And then eternity. You may know they're your last words. You may not know. But then eternity comes. The afterlife.
Now, if you're a Christian, you go immediately into God's presence. And you are immediately reunited with loved ones that have died in faith and are already there. And you're in total bliss.
If you're not a Christian, you go into a place of separation from God. It's outer darkness. And ultimately you stand before the great white throne in judgment of God and you're cast into the lake of fire.
That's not fair. Hold on now. Don't you think God took drastic measures to keep you out of hell? He poured his judgments on his own son so you wouldn't have to face it. And Jesus was forsaken so you could be forgiven.
So if you end up in hell on that final day, you'll have no one to blame but yourself. God doesn't want you to go there. He wants to forgive you of all of your sin. And you can believe in him.
Think about that thief on the cross. How long did it take him to believe? Years? Hardly. Months? No. Weeks? No. Hours? Really happened in an instant. And that's how quickly a conversion can happen.
Just like that. Where you might come in here as a non-believer and you're listening, you're like, whatever. And all of a sudden, a light goes on and you say, I get it. For the first time you realize, oh wait, wait. Jesus died on the cross for me. Jesus paid for my sins. Oh, I get it. Jesus will come and live inside of my life right now and I can go to heaven when I die.
And you say that to someone, they say I've been telling you that for like five years. But there has to be the moment where it happens for you.
The Bible describes conversion this way. It says that God opens our eyes. Then we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. And then we receive an inheritance among those that are sanctified.
But it starts with opening your eyes. I can open your eyes. But God can. And by opening your eyes, I mean just all of a sudden it all comes into focus. It all makes sense.
And I believe as I've shared these words from scripture, some of you have had your eyes open. Some of you have just suddenly realized I need Jesus Christ and I need him right now because I don't know when my last moment on earth will be. But I want to be ready to go to heaven.
And I want to close with a prayer and give you an opportunity to get right with God so you can know with absolute certainty you will go to heaven when you die.
Listen friend, there's going to be a last meal. There's going to be a last statement. There's going to be a last breath. You cannot escape this. But if you're right with God, you don't have to fear it. You don't have to fear it. because you'll go to be with the Lord.
But if you're not right with God, you ought to be scared. But you can change it all right now Now, by putting your faith in Jesus, who died and Rose again from the dead, and is with us here right now, standing at the door of your life, and he is knocking. And he is saying, if you will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.
We're going to pray right now, and I'm going to give you an opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to come into your life.
Let's all pray. Father, I thank you for your word today. We know, as you say, it will not return void. It will prosper in the place where you send it.
Now, I pray for any here that do not know you, any that are listening, any that are watching on a screen. Even now, I pray that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince them of their sin and bring them to yourself. Now, we would pray.
Now, while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, and we're praying together, if you would like Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin, if you would like to know with certainty that you will go to heaven when you die, if you want Jesus to live in your life, if you're ready to say yes to Jesus, would you lift your hand up right now? Wherever you're sitting, then I'm going to pray for you. Raise your hand up high where I can see it. You're saying, I want Jesus Christ right now. I want my sin forgiven. Raise your hand up. I'll pray for you today.
God bless you. Wherever you are, raise your hand up. God bless you. God bless you over here on the side. Up there on the balcony. God bless you.
Now, if you're watching the screen, I can't see you. But it really doesn't matter, does it? Because God sees you. And this is a commitment you're making to Him. Wherever you are, wherever you're seeing this or hearing this, say, yes, I want Jesus too. Raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. Wherever you are.
For those of you that I can see, I'll try to acknowledge you. If you haven't raised your hand yet, lift it now. Let me pray for you. You want Christ to come into your life. You want your sin forgiven. Raise your hand up. God bless you. God bless all of you.
Anybody else? I'll wait another moment. God bless you as well. God bless you too. Anybody else? Raise your hand now if you haven't lifted it yet. God bless all of you. God bless you.
Now, I'm going to ask every one of you that have raised your hand. If you would, please, I want you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up. Every one of you that raised your hand, stand up. And we're going to pray together right here, right now. Stand up. God bless you guys standing. Others are standing. You stand, too.
Even if you did not raise your hand, but you want Jesus to come into your life. You want him to forgive you. Stand to your feet. Let me lead you in a prayer. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand now. You that are watching on the screen, wherever you are, just stand to your feet. And I'll lead you in this prayer, too. Stand up.
One final moment. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand now. You will not regret what you're about to do. I guarantee that.
All right. You that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is a prayer where you're asking Jesus Christ to come into your life. Again, as I pray, pray this after me, out loud, wherever you are. Pray this now, if you would.
Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you are the Savior. Who died on the cross. Who died on the cross. And shed his blood for every sin I have ever committed. I'm sorry for my sin now. I turn from that sin now. And I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for loving me. And calling me. And forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Amen. Amen. Amen.