Father Into Your Hands I commit My Spirit Luke 23:44-49

Intro: Good Evening FE, we are in our 7 Sayings of the Cross series, were we have focused on the words Jesus spoke before he died, I want to invite to open your Bibles as we focus on the final moments of Jesus life, when he gave his last breath, what was going on around him and how did people respond. Open your Bibles to Luke 23:44-49.

Luke 23:44 (ESV)

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,

Era ya como la hora sexta, cuando descendieron tinieblas sobre toda la tierra hasta la hora novena

The Darkness of Judgement of Good Friday

We know it was about noon on Friday and darkness rolled into Jerusalem until about 3 in the afternoon. For 3 hours as Jesus hung on the cross, we see the darkness of judgement on good Friday. We can go to several places in the Bible were darkness is seen as a judgement of God, but in Amos, who is prophesying to the people of God in the Northern kingdom says this

Amos 8:7–10 (ESV)

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:

“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

El Señor ha jurado por el orgullo de Jacob: Ciertamente, nunca me olvidaré de ninguna de sus obras.

The Lord says I will never forget their deeds, I will not forget there sin, there must be judgement. Judgement is coming.

Shall not the land tremble on this account,

and everyone mourn who dwells in it,

and all of it rise like the Nile,

and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God,

“I will make the sun go down at noon

and darken the earth in broad daylight.

8 ¿No temblará por esto la tierra, y hará duelo todo aquel que habita en ella? Subirá toda ella como el Nilo, se agitará y menguará como el Nilo de Egipto. 9 Y sucederá que en aquel día —declara el Señor Dios— yo haré que el sol se ponga al mediodía y que la tierra en pleno día se oscurezca.

Listen, to the words of judgement, on that day, on judgement day, i will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. Darkness of Judgement came on good friday, during the passover feasts.

I will turn your feasts into mourning

and all your songs into lamentation;

I will bring sackcloth on every waist

and baldness on every head;

I will make it like the mourning for an only son

and the end of it like a bitter day.

10 Entonces cambiaré vuestras fiestas en llanto y todos vuestros cantos en lamento[l]; pondré cilicio sobre todo lomo y calvicie sobre toda cabeza; haré que sea como duelo por hijo único, y su fin, como día de amargura.

I will make it like the mourning of losing an only son. Amos explains perfectly what is going on on good friday, The Lord is not forgetting sin, he is remembering their deeds, he is remembering their sin, my sin your sin, but instead of the judgement of God falling on me, on Israel, on the you, on the people of God, judgment is falling on his only son, it is falling on Jesus. The darkness of judgement rolls in and just sits in the final hours of Jesus’ life, as the wrath of God is poured out on him.

Good Friday brings joy because in Christ, we have

The Joy of Access Because of Good Friday

Luke 23:45 (ESV)

while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

45 al eclipsarse el sol. El velo del templo se rasgó en dos

This veil in the temple is what separated people from entering the holy of holies in the temple, anyone who entered would die. This is where the presence of God was. The only entrance to the holy of Holies was on the day of atonement by a priest who was ritually pure.

On good Friday, a better and pure High Priest made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his own life for the people of God and as he was dying the curtain is torn, the book of Matthew says it was torn from top to bottom, almost as if the hands of God came out of heaven and tore it himself as his son was laying down his life for you and me so we could have the joy of access to the Father. Listen to what Hebrews says,

Hebrews 10:19–20 (ESV)

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

19 Entonces, hermanos, puesto que tenemos confianza para entrar al Lugar Santísimo por la sangre de Jesús, 20 por un camino nuevo y vivo que Él inauguró para nosotros por medio del velo, es decir, su carne,

We have confidence, boldness to come into the presence of God, into the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, which he opened for us. The writer of the Hebrews says be cause we have the Joy of access, Draw near,

Let Us Draw Near

Hebrews 10:22 (ESV)

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

22 acerquémonos con corazón sincero, en plena certidumbre de fe, teniendo nuestro corazón purificado de mala conciencia y nuestro cuerpo lavado con agua pura.

Draw near because of the sacrifice Jesus made on Good Friday gives you assurance and washes you clean from the stains of sin. The Hebrews writes also says hold fast,

Let Us Hold Fast

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

23 Mantengamos firme la profesión de nuestra esperanza sin vacilar, porque fiel es el que prometió;

Hold fast, stay faithful, don’t give up, because Jesus who promises you access to the Father, promises cleansing, he is faithful. He says consider

Let us Consider

Hebrews 10:24 (ESV)

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

24 y consideremos cómo estimularnos unos a otros al amor y a las buenas obras,

Consider how you can love others and serve others and involve others in your love and service. The Joy of access comes with joy of being forgiven and cleansed, the joy of holding on to the promise of a God who is faithful. The joy of loving and serving others, this joy isn’t meant to be bottled, it is a joy to be shared with your friends and neighbors, with Little Rock and Arkansas, with North America and the world. The price for access to our Father, the God of the universe was paid on Good Friday through the death of his only Son. Through the beauty of Surrender

The Beauty of Surrender on Good Friday

Luke 23:46 (ESV)

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.

Y Jesús, clamando a gran voz, dijo: Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu. Y habiendo dicho esto, expiró.

Again we see Jesus, using the scriptures to document his experience, Jesus words are a quote from Psalms 31:5. Jesus again quoting the words of God, shows the beauty of surrender. Jesus who humbled himself, taking the form of a servant, suffering the humiliation of the cross. Jesus calling with a loud voice, so all can hear, quoting the Psalms, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit! Father, the mission is accomplished, the price of redemption has been paid, I am coming back home.

Listen to what Jesus says in John 10,

John 10:17–18 (ESV)

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

17 Por eso el Padre me ama, porque yo doy mi vida para tomarla de nuevo. 18 Nadie me la quita, sino que yo la doy de mi propia voluntad. Tengo autoridad para darla, y tengo autoridad para tomarla de nuevo. Este mandamiento recibí de mi Padre.

What does Philippians say, because of your surrender, to the point of death, therefore God has highly exalted Jesus, with name that is above every name, and at the name of Jesus every one will bow in heaven on earth and under the earth, and confess that Jesus is Lord.

The beauty of surrender, in the joys of Jesus’ life he surrendered to the Father, in moments of suffering, he says not my will but your will be done and in the moment of death Jesus says, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. This is why Jesus can say come to me, surrender to me, I know what you are going through, I am a merciful and faithful High Priest, because I suffered I can help you in your suffering, it is the beauty of surrender that Jesus patterned for us through out his life, he invites us to experience the beauty of surrender.

The Response of Those Who Watched on Good Friday

Look at all the responses on Good Friday from all the people watching, The Roman Centurion

Luke 23:47 (ESV)

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”

47 Cuando el centurión vio lo que había sucedido, glorificaba a Dios, diciendo: Ciertamente, este hombre era inocente.

John tells us he says, Truly this man was the Son of God. Isn’t it amazing on that Good Friday, the thief who is an outcast and a Roman Gentile are both confessing their faith in Christ who was rejected by his own people.

We also see the crowds, the people who are along for the ride, the followed Jesus for a little while as he was healing and feeding them, but when he invited them to true dicipleship, invited them to the beauty of Surrender, they went home. The crowds are back watching as the event unfolds...

Luke 23:48 (ESV)

And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

48 Y cuando todas las multitudes que se habían reunido para presenciar este espectáculo, al observar lo que había acontecido, se volvieron golpeándose el pecho.

On the passover feasts, the crowds are going home mourning, beating their breasts, sounds like the prophecy of Amos, as if they were mourning for their only son. I really think the Spirit of God maybe working in their lives, because 50 days later Peter stands up and gives a sermon, this Jesus that you crucified is both Lord and Christ, and you know what the scriptures say, they were cut at the heart and thousands of people experinced the beauty of surrender that day, and I am sure some of those people were part of the crowd on Good Friday.

What about those who followed him,

Luke 23:49 (ESV)

And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

49 Pero todos sus conocidos y las mujeres que le habían acompañado desde Galilea, estaban a cierta distancia viendo estas cosas.

They stood at a distance, maybe afraid for their lives, wondering what is going to happen now? what do we do now?

Maybe that is where you are tonight, confused, afraid, not sure about life, not sure what to do now, things in life are just a mess, or maybe everything is good, but you know you are still missing something, Jesus invites you to the beauty of Surrendering your life to him, Jesus said come unto and I will give you rest, my yoke is easy, my burden is light, come unto me and experience the beauty of surrender, use the words of Jesus, Father, into your hands I commit my life.