CRCF””3-28-10
Palm Sunday
–VIDEO Clip from “The Passion”
Introduction””
There”™s an old hymn whose chorus says of the Gospel,
“Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.”
Over the last few weeks, we”™ve been listening to the last words of Jesus, even as He hung dying on the Cross. Truly, Jesus”™ dying words are “beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life”!
The Heart of the Cross:
Jesus Speaks from the Cross
Luke 23:44-46
Part 5: “Father, I entrust my spirit
into your hands!”
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Luke 23:44-46 (NLT)
44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o”™clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.
46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
The Message (MSG)
44-46By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours””a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
44Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. 46Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Jesus, as He cries out this prayer to the Father, is actually quoting a phrase from Psalm 31:
Psalm 31 (NLT)
1 O LORD, I have come to you for protection;
don”™t let me be disgraced.
Save me, for you do what is right.
2 Turn your ear to listen to me;
rescue me quickly.
Be my rock of protection,
a fortress where I will be safe.
3 You are my rock and my fortress.
For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.
4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,
for I find protection in you alone.
5 I entrust my spirit into your hand.
Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God.
Mark Roberts:
By quoting a portion of Psalm 31, therefore, Jesus not only entrusted his future to his Father, but also implied that he would be delivered and exonerated. No, God would not deliver him from death by crucifixion. But beyond this horrific death lay something marvelous. “I entrust my spirit into your hands” points . . . forward to the resurrection.
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Dr. William Barclay writes, “Jesus died with a prayer on his lips. `Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ That is Psalm 31:5 with one word added– Father. That verse was the prayer every Jewish mother taught her child to say last thing at night. Just as we were taught, maybe, to say, `Now I lay me down to sleep,’ so the Jewish mother taught her child to say, before the threatening dark came down, `Into your hands I commit my spirit.’ Jesus made it even more intimate, for he began it with the word Father. Even on the cross Jesus died like a child falling asleep in his father’s arms.”
Yes, Jesus in his final moments on his journey did not speak large words. He did not engage in a philosophical debate. He uttered the words of the first prayer he ever learned. This is what gave great comfort to his soul in his last moments. Yes, these last words were a testimony to what life is about. He began life with God–and he completed his earthly journey with God.
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
This is a good place for a reminder from Jesus Himself about what was really happening in these last moments of His life.
Make no mistake””Jesus was in control of the entire situation!
John 10:17-18 (NLT)
17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
John 19:30 (NIV)
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The Message
Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
So, when we hear Jesus cry out, “Father, I place my life in your hands!”, He is voluntarily laying down His life for us!
Amazing!
Look at our text once again:
Luke 23:44-46 (NLT)
44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o”™clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.
46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Edward Markquart:
In the Great Temple there was a place called the Holy of Holies. This was the meeting place between a Holy God and a sinful people. This curtain prevented un-holy people from entering the Holy house of God. Once a year the Great High Priest was permitted by Jewish law to enter this place with awe and trembling to make the sacrifice for the sins of the people. This was the Great Day of Atonement.
However, when Jesus cried out, “It is finished”–this curtain was no longer necessary. Jesus Christ would now be our only mediator between God and His people.
With that part of the journey now completed–Jesus was ready to go home!
Max Lucado captures this moment better than anyone else when he wrote:
“The voice that screamed at God, `My God, My God, why have you forsaken me,’
now says, `Father.’
The two are again one.
The abandoned is now found.
The schism is now bridged.
`Father.’ He smiles weakly. ‘It’s over.’
Satan’s vultures have been scattered.
Hell’s demons have been jailed.
Death has been damned.
It’s over.
`Take me home.’
Yes, take him home.
Take this prince to his king
Take this son to his father
Take this pilgrim to his home
(He deserves a rest.)
`Take me home.’
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Edward Markquart:
So Jesus cried out with a loud voice–(not a whisper or a whimper) for all to hear his declaration, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit!”
In this prayer that makes up the Seventh Word from the Cross, we see that it is a Prayer of Communion with God, it is a Prayer of Confidence in the power of God, and finally it is a Prayer of Commitment–Jesus entrusting God to prosper the work he had done on the Cross. He deposited his soul, his love, his life with the Father.
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Will you? Do we?
Conclusion–
Dan Joseph: [Jesus] calls us to look again at how much we truly do trust in God”™s plan for our lives.
1 Peter 2:21-23 (NLT)
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
Jesus could simply obey God because, even in His worst moment, He trusted His Father to work it all out in the end!
We can do the same!
Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out””plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
Does this verse mean that our worst moments will always turn around and become our best moments? Does this mean that tragedy will always, in this life, be made right and that there will be ease and prosperity for us as Christians? NO! This verse means that God will ultimately bring about our good and give us an eternal future that is all we could ever hope for!
Jesus obeyed God, suffered and died. For Jesus, Easter morning””resurrection from the dead””was the outcome!
Hallelujah!
And because of that, for you and me, the ultimate outcome will also be resurrection to eternal life!
1 Corinthians 15:20 (The Message)
“But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.”
But more on that next Sunday!
The heart of the Cross is that . . .
In your worst possible moment, you can trust your Father with your life.
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
As we come to the Table, take Jesus”™ prayer and make it your own””“Father, I put your life in your hands”””I give you all that I am in this moment (be it a good time or the worst of times).”
Make it your Prayer of Communion with God, your Prayer of Confidence in the power of God, and finally your Prayer of Commitment to God.