What Did He Say?

What Did He Say?

Luke 22:63-23:56

-Luke records for us 7 times Jesus spoke during the horrific events of the crucifixion. 

-Luke records 5 times Jesus verbally interacted with people in the hours before and during his crucifixion and 2 times that He interacts with God the Father.

-Today, I’d like to give you some intensely sobering truths Jesus gives us to consider in His final sayings before He died and I’d like to ultimately point out to you the tremendous hope that is wrapped up in this words He spoke.

I. Confrontation with Truth (Luke 22:67-70, 23:3)

-The Elders of the Jewish people & the Chief Priest (religious leaders) said to Jesus: Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am…And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.

-Other times He previously pointed out that He is God:

• John 8:58, Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
• John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
• John 14:6-7, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

-Examples:

1) When a person has heard the truth that Jesus is the only way to God and they choose not to accept it

2) In the context of the church: a person who knows the truth and has heard what God’s Word says and walks away from it

3) People who ignore Biblical counsel

4) Those who worry, fret, our get discouraged

• Accept Jesus as the Son of God and worthy of your faith for salvation.
• Accept that Jesus is in control of your circumstances and is worthy of your trust, submission, and obedience despite how you feel or the situation appears to you.

*Every single one of us needs this confrontation with truth because ultimately, it is the truth that sets us free from the bondage of sin and from the bondage of our own erroneous thinking!

II. Condemnation of Rejection (Luke 23:28-31)

–But Jesus turning unto them (those who were following Him to the cross and were mourning and sad) said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

-The saddest part of this was that those who reject Him and His truth will be eternally condemned to separation from God and will experience torment forever!

-For those who reject Jesus, He says that for them:

1. They’ll cease to value life.
2. They’ll wish for a quick end to what will last forever.
3. What they’re witnessing happen to Jesus is nothing compared to what’s going to happen to them.

-Again, this is not the first time Jesus warns of coming destruction for rejecting the Gospel:

• Matthew 21:44, And whosoever shall fall on this stone (ref. rejecting Christ) shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
• John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
• John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
• Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
• 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

*To reject Jesus is to accept condemnation.

III. Compassion in Forgiveness (Luke 23:33-34, 39-43)

–And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots…And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

-Truth of the matter: to reject Jesus is to choose to attempt to pay for your sins with your own righteousness—which doesn’t exist!

-Jesus knew that these self-righteous people insisting upon His death that day had no ability to pay for their sin debt and yet, He’s lovingly and mercifully asking God to forgive them.

-He endured rejection, humiliation, physical beatings and torture. He knew He was getting ready to bear all the sins of mankind, yet some of His last words as a man were centered around compassionate forgiveness.

-This brief interaction between Jesus and the thief really encapsulates the beauty of what Jesus offers to you and me today as well.

-This guy:

1. Understood he was rightly condemned as a sinner.

2. Recognized the sinlessness of Jesus.

3. Recognized the deity of Jesus.

4. Reached out for the forgiveness of Jesus.

*And Jesus’s words are representative of what He says to all who choose to accept Him: “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

-That’s the promise Jesus makes to you and me if we have accepted His free gift of salvation from our own sin—“…whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13)

-There is no greater compassion known to man than to be counted righteous by God based on the merit of Jesus Christ and as a result, to have a home in heaven reserved for you!

IV. Comfort in Example (Luke 23:46)

–And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

-If there was anyone who ever felt alone, deserted, and isolated in the course of history, it had to be Jesus that day on the cross!

-(Commentator) Even in the intensity of this isolated feeling, Jesus acknowledged God the Father as His God.

-No matter how you/I might be feeling in our struggle (whatever it might be), we can rest in knowing that our God is still our God! Our Father is still our Father!

-When we don’t understand His plan, we can still trust His heart, because of Who He is…God is just, merciful, gracious, ever-present, loving, kind, protecting, etc.!

-A reminder passage: Psalm 139:7-10 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

-What words of Christ ring most loudly to you today?

• Condemning words for rejecting Him? ACCEPT HIM!
• Compassionate words of forgiveness? WORSHIP HIM!
• Comforting words of trust in His Heavenly Father? TRUST HIM!