Palm and Easter Sunday - 2024 7-Last things He Said
Notes
Transcript
GREET EVERYONE-
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
Our Vision:
We Desire see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on the mission of Jesus.
What mission? - This questions leads us to articulate His mission for His church in a simple way.
Our Mission:
Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!
WELCOME-
This morning as we begin to step into the message You may be here this morning and this is the very first time you have been to a worship gathering of the church or this is the first time in a long time since you have been.
And the reason is you not sure you fit in because your not sure believe the same things as the people around you do.
My hope is to encourage you this morning.
1st thing is know that God has all of us on a journey, and we might not all believe the same thing but we all have the same fears, anxieties, doubts, hurts, hopes and dreams as you do and so we have much more in common than you might think.
Next is that there are no coincidences with God - Nothing happens by chance with Him. HE has been working our whole lives for all of us to be together at this very morning. and so you are not here by chance.
Lastly you could not have picked a better Sunday to risk coming to church and we are really glad you are here.
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to The Gospel of John Chapter 19 today as we come to this particular Sunday morning that is traditionally called Palm Sunday .
It is the ONE Sunday a year that we celebrate the historical event of Jesus coming into Jerusalem for the very last time.
Some 2 Thousand years ago, when the events we are celebrating today actually happened, This day marked the beginning of what some have called the Passion Week of Christ.
HANDOUT BOOKLET
When you cam in this morning my hope is that one of the members of your family recieved pr has in your possession one of these personal and family guide to the passion week of Jesus.
My hope is that you will use this booklet Everyday, beginning with today and ending next Sunday going through the Events of this week in chronological Order as they happened some 2000 years ago.
And as you go through this booklet you would also have your bibles with you to read the historical narratives recorded for us in the New Testament.
GOAL OF THE MORNING
This morning as we step into the message I want to take a brief moment to understand what happened on this day that we celebrate called Palm Sunday.
Some 2000 years Ago Jesus, The God Man, Entered into Jerusalem, in a manner that would fulfill the Old Testament prophesies concerning his reentry into the city. And that reentry is described as Him riding on the back of a borrowed donkey.
So He does this - Jesus, who reputation as a miracle worker and prophet and some even claiming demon others claiming Son of God, but either way this controversial figure of the first century, a Jewish man, had drawn a huge following.
You could have easily said he had gone viral at this point.
And so Jesus come riding slowly into Jerusalem on the Back of this donkey, for what most people around Him did not understand or were willing to accept would be His last time.
And when He gets to Jerusalem he is Greeted by an extremely large crowd that were laying their palm branches on the ground before Him as they did when a King returned Victorious from Battle.
And as Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time he would enter on this colt but He would enter as a reigning victorious King from the throne of David.
With everyone shouting - Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, Blessed the coming kingdom of our father David. Blessed is he who come s in the name of the Lord, Even the King of Israel! Peace in heaven and Glory in the Highest. Hosanna in the Highest.
All 4 Gospel Narratives record this historical narrative and they all record for us these historical actions taken by Jesus and these historical words spoken by these crowds.
And in this narrative it records for us very little of the words of Jesus other than - and I am paraphrasing here -
Bring me a donkey.
And AS happy as an occasion this was for the crowds of people, for his disciples, for the ladies involved in the ministry, and even including His own mother. All of whom were gathered around to celebrate this victorious king.
Just 4 days later this very same crowd would turn on him and Jesus would be condemned to die by the shouts of this same crowd, but this time the shouts would be “crucify Him, Crucify Him, Crucify Him.
TRUTH -
Ultimately - Jesus would respond to those very same people who cried out crucify Him and he would respond to those who carried it out.
Listen Loved ones to the very words of Jesus in the Historical Narrative of the following Friday.
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers 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, “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.” But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
ENGAGEMENT –
This over the last couple of weeks or so as I was working through this message.
This phrase came through my head over and over.
and I wondered how many times in our life do we do this but in contrast I wonder how many times we actually think about this.
The phrase that actually was tumbling over and over in my head was “last things”
Let me clarify - Here is what I mean and dont mean when I say last things.
I am not talking about the return of Jesus which will certainly be last things and will be glorious in all of those things.
What kept tumbling through my mind was our last things.
and we have last things all over the place.
When you change Jobs what is the last thing you do there? The last things you say to the people you have worked with?
When you close out your day what is the last thing you do with intentionality?
when you leave for the day to go to work or school - What is the last thing you say or do?
When you have family or friends over for dinner or a party or any form of get together Maybe your small group. What is the last thing you say or do when you are there.
And as you think about the last things that you have done in all of these settings the questions then become -
Do I do these intentionally? or are they just kind of on auto pilot?
So I place importance on the last things or do I just go about doing them becasue they are what I have always done and they are just what I do?
YOu see I think there are some times when we do last things and we dont think that those last things are important becasue it is possible that we will will see these people or these circumstances again and then there will be new last things.
But you see - last things get real real important when they are last things forever.
Like the last thing you did before leaving a Job.
The last thing you said or did before a relationship was over either becasue of a break up or just becasue of a change circumstances, or a change in time and distance.
The last thing you said to your parents, or your friend or your loved ones or you child before they died.
The last thing you did or said and then you died.
You see when never know when our last things are truly our last things.
Because when last things are really last things they become hugely important.
Let me give you and example:
In the fall of 1984 I was the ripe old age of 19 year old and I was working for the university I was attending.
One after noon the work I was doing caused me to be in the vicinity of my grand parents.
SO I thought I would stop by and see My grandmother and when i got to the house granddad was there but grand mother was not.
Granddad was a staunch man. A man of strength and a man who never said too much.
Granddad invited me in and we had some iced tea and As I was finishing my tea with the conversation being kinda shallow.
My grand father did something that He has never done before.
My grand dad Had moved down to Ft worth Texas with the Bell aircraft corporation to come and begin to build the plant in Hurst Texas that would manufacture bell helicopters.
His employee number with bell aircraft was number 9.
What he did that afternoon was ask me to sit as he took the photo albums of his career with bell and page by page year by year shared the stories of his whole career with me his oldest and first grand child.
It was an amazing journey.
It was my grand fathers last thing with me. Literally two days later he was killed in a car accident.
Now - I don't know if granddad had a sense or what caused Him to call me to his recliner and to sit before I went and for Him to say to me “Hey I want to share something with you before you go”
But it was His last thing and it was an important last thing to Him and it became so very special of a last thing for me.
As the very day of his funeral we were gathered at grand moms house and I sat once again in His recliner and held the albums in my hands and remembered the best conversation I had had with my granddad.
This week we spend the week remembering, celebrating, thinking and in some cases reliving the passion week of Jesus. Holy Week as we have come to know it.
Towards the end of this week we will remember and walk through and celebrate the one of the two most tragic and at the same time most glorious events that could have ever happened in all of Human History.
The Central player in those two historical events is the Person of Jesus Christ. God in the flesh! Predicted, prophesied and anticipated for nearly from the beginning of time, and for nearly 2500 years by the Jewish people.
Jesus finished His work here on earth with 7 last things.
7 things that jesus said on the cross of Calvary that would change the course of human history, have deep, impact and permanent effects on Human relationship that literally can change the world.
7 things that Jesus said that would permanently and powerfully change the relationships that we can have with God.
7 things that leave for us the foot print and pattern for us to walk in as we realize the phenomenal love that God has for us.
None of them said by default but all of them intentional as Jesus knew of His last day, He knew of His last work, He knew of His last things to say.
Jesus knew of His last things.
So this morning we are going to Go forward in this Holy Week and we are going to the Cross.
The Cross and the 7 last things of Jesus before his Sin atoning, Wrath Satisfying and relationship reconciling death.
UNPACK
In Luke Chapter 23 we read that after Jesus was actually crucified. This is what History captures for us.
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Loved ones - I want us to think about the significance of what Jesus has said and the circumstances under which He said this.
Jesus is hanging on the cross.
He has been beaten by his own people. Abandoned by his own followers.
Mocked by Soldiers - Whipped by torcherers and then Nailed with actual nails in his hands and feet buy a team executioners who were trained in the most efficient and brutal method of putting a human being to death. that being roman Crucifixion.
To add insult to injury - these very same executioners that have just placed him under the certainty of a long and excruciating death are now insulting the very person that He is by reducing the clothes that were once covering him in modesty as objects to be wagered for in a contest of chance.
Jesus says “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”
Father forgive them for they do not know that they are killing God.
They do not know that they are insulting God
They do not know that they are attempting to extinguish the light of the world and the life of men.
They do not know that they are rebelling against God!
In these very words Jesus, The Begotten Son of God - One with the father and the Spirit is calling on the very Character and Nature of Himself and the God head. as Recorded for us in the the Old Testament
The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.
Jesus calls for their forgiveness and Loved ones He calls for your and mine this very day.
There is not a sin that you have committed that the work and the Blood of Jesus on that cross cannot wash away -
And some of struggle with that becasue we know that our sins are severe in comparison with what others have done.
And becasue they are severe we have a difficult time forgiving ourselves.
Loved ones - Hear me in this - Stop trying to forgive yourself. The reason it is so difficult is becasue you are not the author ans source of forgiveness. Jesus is!
Trust and immerse in the healing forgiveness of Jesus and you will know that you are forgiven.
This was lived our and flushed out in living color in the very next thing that Jesus spoke n the cross.
As Jesus was crucified - HE was not Crucified alone. On his right hand and on his left were tow criminals who were actually guilty of crimes they had actually committed.
I find it completely interesting that Jesus, while he was walking among us as a free man, he hung out with the lowlifes and the criminals of his day. Tax collecting traitors, Prostitutes, and sinners. Jesus said He had come to call sinners to repentance and to be reconciled to God not the righteous.
and from among the Sinners and tax collectors and drunkards, prostitutes ie the criminal element of culture that Jesus spent time with, Some believed and were changed forever and some did not and were not.
It is completely interesting is that like his free world experience - As a condemned prisoner Jesus was executed in the company of the same criminal element.
And at the beginning these two criminals reviled Jesus and mocked him the same way the executioners did.
The the Holy Spirit overtook one of their hearts and He yielded.
When He yielded - He surrendered His life to Jesus - Corrected his fellow Criminal and asked Jesus to simple remember him when Jesus arrived in His kingdom.
You see these tow were angry at their executioners - These two were angry at the system - These two were victims of their past and upbringing and angry - that is why they mocked.
But when the Spirit came and overwhelmed one of them as they heard jesus forgive these who were executing Him.
The Thief knew He needed that kind of forgiveness becasue he knew He did not have it with in himself.
His heart began to recognize jesus as King - and when He did that He simply asked Jesus to remember him when this king came into His kingdom - Nothing more nothing less - Jesus remember Him.
Here is what Jesus promised this man who life the rest of His very short life as a public witness to who Jesus was.
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Loved ones this is the simplicity of the Gospel
Recognize jesus as King and master-
Agree with God that He is Lord - Placing Him and Him alone as the ruler of your life. That He is King of King and Lord of Lords.
Believe- Trust the Jesus was raised form the dead and has come into His kingdom and his promise is sure - There will be a day when you are with Him in paradise!
Then there seems to be this unusual conversation with Mary Jesus mother and John the Disciple that was the very closest to Jesus.
Jesus in the severity of roman execution. Says:
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Here is what Jesus just did - and it is so important to understand not only the depth of what happened between Jesus and John and Mary but also the fore shadowing picture of what Jesus actions were.
Jesus was the first born of Mary and there for Jesus was responsible for the welfare of His earthly family as Marys husband was not in the picture.
Jesus turned that responsibility over to John. Giving Him the first born of the family responsibility and prevelidge of leading Mary and Jesus other earthly Brothers.
Here is Else Jesus did - By doing this Jesus created a new family.
You see when you come to faith - When The holy Spirit gives you the gift of faith and you surrender your life to Jesus. You not only are a new creature - Not only God workmanship created in Christ for the good works God planed before all time.
But you also Get a new family. New Brothers and sisters wot lock arms with and live life with and serve Jesus with.
This is called the Assembly of the called out ones.
This is called the Church.
You see loved ones we are more that just a saved assembled people -
We are more than new creatures -
We are more that gods workmanship we are adopted children of the most High God and we are family.
Jesus created this new family as a foreshadowing of the Church -
Jesus CRIED OUT in a loud voice.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Now at first it would be real easy to hear this exclamation of Jesus from the Cross and think that Jesus was sensing that God had forsaken him becasue of his physical suffering.
But that goes oh so much deeper that this -
What happened in that moment that Jesus 0 The eternal Son of God - God in fact in the flesh - the third person of the trinity - what happened in this very moment is that all of the guilt of all of the sin of all humanity of all time and history and in every place was imputed upon the perfect sinless innocent son of God.
And in that moment Jesus was absorbing all of the guilt of all of the sin of all of the world and satisfying the wrath of God for all the people who would trust in His name from that moment forward. and of those who believed in His coming from that time before all the way back to the garden when Adam chose to rebel.
All of the wrath of God was in the process of being satisfied for everyone who believes.
He became guilty so that we would be set free.
He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.
But there was more to do. Jesu physical body was suffering and Jesus became thirsty and the ancient prophesies of the Psalmist -
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
After this proclamation that Jesus made knowing that it was required to fulfill prophecy - Sour wine was placed on a sponge and taken to his mouth.
After Jesus recieved this last bit of torchure. Jesu said two more things.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
46 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.
At this Jesus was physically dead.
STICKY POINT
APPLICATION OR IMAGINE
Here is what is now important - And it is the one thing that needs to stick to all of us this morning and to anyone and to everyone we share the gospel with.
Right before He physically died -
Here is what Jesus proclaimed - IT IS Finished -
Loved ones of you don't remember any of the other 6 last things of Jesus you need no you must remember this one -
IT IS FINISHED!
PRAYER TEAM