Father, we confess before you that we flatter ourselves too much to detect or hate our own sin.
We confess before you that it could have been our hands that nailed your son's hands to the cross,
that it could have been our mouths which join with the soldiers or the priests in mocking you,
that, Father, we could very well have been these people,
and we could very well, Father, have agreed with everything they did.
So, Father, we confess before you that we flatter ourselves too much to detect or hate our own sin.
We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would gently but deeply come upon us,
that your Holy Spirit would gently and deeply move amongst us,
that you would create within us, Father, a pliable, tender hearts
that are receptive and responsive to your word and to the moving of your Holy Spirit,
that you would create within us, Father, a desire to see just how great and full of grace Jesus is
and what he accomplished for us,
and that you would fan into flame within us a deep longing and yearning to follow him,
to obey him, to be available to him, to be more like him,
and to live to bring you glory.
Father, you know that there's things in our hearts that don't want to do any of those things,
so we ask for a mighty work of your Holy Spirit in our midst,
as we read and think about your word and think about your Son.
And this we ask in Jesus' name, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
Amen.
So, some of you know that I go to Starbucks sometimes.
And so a couple of months ago, a fellow that I've gotten to know in a Starbucks who's a Christian,
he said he wanted to talk to me about a problem that he was having.
And the problem was that about a month earlier, whatever it was,
a group of guys were together, and the guys were joking the way guys joke.
And I'll call them Andy and Bob.
And Andy, completely made up names, okay?
Andy and Bob.
It helps me to remember A and B.
That's why I chose Andy and Bob.
And so Andy, I guess, during the course of them joking around,
said a couple of things that deeply wounded Bob.
And so Bob sent an email a couple of days later.
And in the email, he told Andy that some of the things that Andy had said
had really, really, really cut him to the quick and really hurt him.
And so Andy gets the email.
And I mean, this is what he's telling me, right?
And so Andy gets the email, and he immediately fires off an email back to Bob
and apologizes for what he did.
Said he didn't mean it, didn't mean to hurt it,
but he could see now that it probably did hurt him.
And he asked, you know, he said, I'm really, really sorry.
You know, can we maybe talk about this?
Because I want to be friends.
Bob responded that he'd been hurt too deeply to forgive Andy.
And you know the way these things go.
This has probably happened to you.
Bob didn't just leave it like that.
But Bob added a couple of zingers about Andy,
about what Andy's character was like and how Andy acted.
And Andy, he got this zinger back, and he was hurt by it,
but he decided that he would just reiterate his apology
and not respond to the zingers.
And so he fired back an email again,
and once again just reiterating that he was really sorry.
He wouldn't do it again.
He hoped he'd never do it again.
Could they talk?
Bob sent back another email after a little while,
saying, no, I don't want to talk.
You've really hurt me.
I'm really angry at you still.
And then, of course, Bob added a couple of extra zingers.
And this went on for a little while.
Bob not answering the phone call, Andy leaving messages.
And so Andy asked me what he should do.
The gospel text that we just looked at,
just read a couple of moments ago,
has a lot of very interesting things to teach us
about this particular situation.
And all of us have probably been in similar types of situations.
If we're honest, sometimes we've been the Andy,
and sometimes we've been the Bob.
So it would be a great help to me if you would open your Bibles,
and let's just look at this story
and see what the story of the death of Jesus upon the cross
and his burial have to teach us about this story that I've just told you,
a true story about Andy and Bob.
And so we're going to begin reading it.
It's Luke chapter 23, if you've forgotten what the text was,
and we're going to begin reading it, the 26th verse.
And what's just happened before,
if you remember from two weeks ago,
is three weeks ago we looked at how the Jewish leadership
did an inquiry into Jesus.
They came to the conclusion.
They already knew.
They were just looking for evidence to get him guilty of something
that would be a capital offense.
And then two weeks ago we looked at the inquiry of Pilate and Herod,
and Pilate and Herod had concluded that Jesus was innocent.
He was sort of very foolish and impractical, but he was innocent.
But because of utilitarian ethics, which, by the way,
is what most Canadians practice and how they understand right and wrong,
but by utilitarian ethics they decided it was a lot easier just to have Jesus die.
Pilate decided it was a lot easier for Jesus to die
than to have all the other problems.
And so that's where the story continues in verse 26.
And as they led Jesus away,
they seized one Simon of Cyrene,
who was coming in from the country,
and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus.
Just sort of pause there for a very little second.
Simon's from Africa.
Just so you know, Simon's from Africa.
So it's an African who carries the cross beam for Jesus the rest of the way
to this place of the skull.
Verse 27.
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women
who were mourning and lamenting for Jesus.
But turning to them, Jesus said,
Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me,
but weep for yourselves and for your children.
For behold, the days are coming when they will say,
Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore
and the breasts that never nursed.
Then they will begin to say to the mountains,
Fall on us and to the hills, cover us.
For if they do these things when the wood is green,
what will happen when it is dry?
And just sort of pause, keep your finger here for a second.
Some of you might, if you know the Bible very well,
you can hear echoes of the book of Revelation there,
and you can hear echoes of different Old Testament texts in there.
But the thing I just wanted to do as we pause
is that this prediction of Jesus comes true
33 to 36 years after he speaks it.
And it's 33 to 36 because it's not clear
whether Jesus is crucified in the year 30 or the year 33.
There's evidence that can go both ways.
But what we do know is that in the year 66,
the war of the Jews against the Romans began.
And it was to be interrupted, but it was to go over four years.
And the Jewish people were to lose that war very badly.
The city of Jerusalem would eventually be completely and utterly destroyed.
Over a million Jewish people would die in the war
and over 100,000 would be taken into slavery
and spread across the empire.
And so the words of Jesus are fulfilled 33 to 36 years
after he speaks them.
Now, just before we sort of keep reading,
one of the things you've already maybe noticed
is that there's, Luke seems to leave some stuff out of his gospel.
And maybe it's a little,
and I know sometimes when I talk to people in places like Starbucks
and all about the Bible,
they'll mention how the different accounts in the gospel
seem to contradict each other.
I just want to say to you that Luke does leave things out
that others talk about,
but there's actually no contradictions.
It would be another talk,
like maybe a Saturday morning or an evening exercise
to take the four different historical records
of the death of Jesus, his crucifixion,
and show you how there's different types of narratives
that all would equally put all of the verses together.
But Luke, just because of the way he's telling his story,
he chooses to bring certain things in and leave others out.
So, for instance, he leaves out that Jesus began by carrying the cross.
He leaves out that Jesus had been scourged and stuff like that.
But that's just quite normal.
Yesterday, there was about nine or ten of us who were involved,
or eleven of us, who were involved in the big give in Ottawa.
And if afterwards you were to talk to a couple of us about what happened,
we all wouldn't tell you the exact same thing.
We're all there.
None of us are lying.
None of us are hiding anything.
None of us are trying to create contradictions.
But we didn't get together and we'd just tell you different things.
Maybe the things from our perception that were the most telling
or the most interesting thing about the day.
And that's what happens here with the four historical writers.
Luke has the particular points that he wants to bring out.
And so that's why we see some differences in the different accounts.
But it's been known for 1,800, 1,900 years,
Christians have effortlessly put these different bits and pieces together
to make different types of, to make a narrative that makes sense.
So, you know, you don't have to be worried about it
because we're about to come to something that only Luke records.
All four of the historical records of the death of Jesus
all mention that he was crucified between two criminals.
But only Luke is to record what we next see in verse 39,
or sorry, verse 32.
Two others who were criminals were led away to be put to death with Jesus.
And when they came to the place that is called the skull,
there they crucified him and the criminals,
one on his right and one on his left.
And Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
And just sort of pause there for a second.
We're going to actually spend a good part of this sermon
looking just at that verse, that little part of a verse.
But, you know, what I'm going to do,
I want us to see the whole story because, you know,
one of the things which people who have maybe been involved
in more conservative types of Christian churches,
and then they leave, maybe to just become spiritual,
I shouldn't say just, to become spiritual but not religious,
or to become part of a church which practices more a residual form of Christianity
rather than full, vibrant Christianity.
They'll often complain that Christians take things out of context.
And so what I want to do is,
even though we're going to spend a good chunk of time
meditating upon these words of Jesus upon the cross,
I want us to see the full context,
the full story of what happened,
so that when we come back and we spend some time meditating upon these few words,
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,
we can, in a sense, grasp the full power of it
and see that I'm not going to say anything that is out of context with the text.
So we'll see that again.
Verse 34,
And Jesus said,
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,
and they cast lots to divide his garments.
And just pause.
The implication of this text is that Jesus was crucified naked.
In other words, this picture here is wrong.
Wrong.
Jesus also probably didn't have blonde hair,
and he was probably pretty hairy.
But, you know, apart from that,
he was probably crucified naked
because part of the whole purpose of crucifixion
was not only to create a very, very horrible form of death,
but the reason it was reserved to slaves in the lowest orders in the Roman Empires
is because it was to humiliate the person as much as possible.
Verse 35,
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.
In other words, they present him wine as if he's a king, you know,
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.
And you see that the Jewish leaders mock him
because he claims to be the Messiah,
and the soldiers mock him because he claims to be a king,
as if there could be any king
that can defy the emperor,
the great Caesar, who is also a god.
And we see that Jesus dies upon the cross
as the king of the Jews.
Just to reiterate something I said very briefly two weeks ago,
no Christian should ever be anti-Semitic
because a Christian has given
his or her life
to the king of the Jews.
No Christian should ever have
any anti-Semitism in their life
because we give ourselves
to the king of the Jews.
That's how he dies.
So,
we're about now to see something
as we start to read the next few verses
as we go into
verse 39.
There's some gruesome images
sort of just very, very briefly,
you know, put into the text.
It's a very, very simple word
that actually is a very gruesome image.
It's verse 39.
One of the criminals who are hanged
railed at him.
This is just reminding us
that Jesus is literally
hanging from the wood.
And he's not hanging from the wood
because he's gripping it with his hands
and hanging,
but the nails
have been put just
underneath,
sort of there.
And he's literally
hanging from the cross
because the nails
are holding him there.
So,
in the next little bit
as we,
it's part of the thing
which is so striking
about the text
is that one man
who's also hanging,
hanging by nails
and his blood is dripping down
on the ground
and all of that
and he's going to be
mocking Jesus
just as the chief priests
and just as the soldiers did.
And another man
on the other side of Jesus
who's also literally
being held up
on the cross by nails
and his blood
is dripping down
and he's going to have
a conversion.
You know,
I said to you
that there's these
different accounts
in the Gospels
and they're all,
they're four historical records
of the death
and resurrection of Jesus
and they don't all tell you
the same things
and only Luke
tells you this
particular detail.
The other three
or two of the other three
will tell you
that both thieves
mocked Jesus.
And one of the Gospels
will tell you
that Jesus was
in a sense
nailed to the cross
at around 9 a.m.
in the morning.
John's Gospel,
the time's given different
because it uses
a different time system.
It's like the difference
between those of us
who use a,
you know,
12 hours
versus a 24-hour clock.
You know,
that some people
will say it's,
you know,
1,300 hours
as opposed to
1 o'clock in the afternoon.
John has a different way
of keeping the time
than the other
three Gospel writers
and it's clear
that in Mark
that Jesus is crucified
at 9 a.m.
and it's clear
in Mark and Matthew
that from 9 a.m.
till approximately noon
that both thieves
are going to mock Jesus.
but the Bible
doesn't tell us why
but it just tells us
that for some reason
both are hanging
from the cross,
both are dying,
both are completely
and utterly humiliated
in front of the crowd
and one man's response
to this
is to pick on Jesus
and another man's response
was to pick on Jesus
but for some reason
which we do not know,
somewhere between
9 in the morning
and noon
the second man's heart
was changed
and it's actually
a credit
to show
the historical
nature of this account
is that
Luke doesn't tell us
why he changed his mind
because how could he tell us
how he changed his mind?
He could only tell us
how he changed his mind.
Luke could only tell us
how he changed his mind
if the man survived
and then could sit down
with Luke over a glass of wine
and say,
oh yeah,
I was on the cross
and this really struck me
and it felt like the Holy Spirit
coming upon me
but no,
we don't know that
because as we know
sometime after this
the man after never leaving the cross
is going to die
and so nobody can ask the man
why is it that you changed?
All we can see
is that Luke records
that for some reason
that one man
seeing the same thing
that everybody else sees
and experiencing the same thing
that the other thief sees
that he has
a profound and deep change
in his life.
Listen to it here.
Verse 39.
One of the criminals
who were hanged
railed at Jesus 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.
Here's this
profound act of faith.
It's one of the most
touching moments
I think
in all of the Gospels
these next couple of verses.
And the thief says,
Jesus,
remember the man
is hanging on the cross.
The blood from his back
and the blood
from his arms
and the blood
from his feet
are dripping on the ground.
And that's what Jesus
is happening to Jesus as well.
And the thief says,
Jesus,
remember me
when you come
into your kingdom.
And one of the things
which is so remarkable
about this
is that
in the original language
he just
has this trust
in Jesus
within the
Jewish religious terms
that aren't really
quite what God's
going to do
and Jesus
doesn't then say to him,
oh dear man,
you've just failed
the theology test
and your ethics
are terrible
and I wish
I had more time
to actually set you
straight on the need
of federal
incorporation
and headship
and sacramental
theology
and atonement
and I wish
you could be baptized
and have communion
first
and no Jesus,
what is Jesus?
Just to say
that stuff.
This man says,
Jesus,
when you come
into your kingdom,
in other words,
when the resurrection
happens
in the last days,
but it's your kingdom,
Jesus,
that's the great thing.
It's Jesus,
it's your kingdom,
your kingdom
and when it comes,
remember me,
remember me.
Jesus says to him
in verse 43
and it says here in English,
truly I say to you,
today you will be with me
in paradise.
No Christian,
no matter how much
they're suffering
and they are close to death,
I should say,
every Christian,
we should remember
that when we are
close to death,
we are just moments away
from paradise.
Jesus,
by saying truly
I say to you
in the original language,
is a very,
very solemn pronouncement
and it's very,
very,
it's very,
very moving.
Now,
this is the first
of two or three
or four times
I'm going to mention
how the gospel
is very un-Canadian
and very un-American
and I'm just going
to point it out
and in some ways
it's so un-Canadian,
all I can do
is tell you
that it's very un-Canadian
and I can't necessarily
argue or prove to you
that Canadians are wrong
and the Bible is right,
but I just want to point it out
that it's very un-Canadian.
If you,
if we were to go
afterwards the service
and just walk up and down,
go to the University of Ottawa
and go up and down
King Edward
and go along Rideau Street
and we were just to have
a bit of a,
you know,
a pad with a question
and ask you
what happens when you die.
I don't know what,
maybe 80,
90% of the people
that we would talk to
would say
I will go to a better place
and maybe some will just say
when you die,
that's it,
but probably everybody
would say
I go to a better place
and this,
these next few verses
just are very,
very,
very un-Canadian
because Canadians
believe that we're just
going to go to a better place
it's not necessarily
a place where God is
but if there is a God
he's a wimpy type of God,
a distant God
who basically
will now
in the better place
just cater to our needs
and we might mock
Muslims
for thinking
that they're going to
go and spend time
with virgins
but the fact of the matter
is that the Canadians
while we might not have
a crudely sexual
type of an image of it
that in fact
we have a crudely
self-centered
materialistic image
of it
that we just go to
a better place
where God
will cater to
wherever he needs
and the average Canadian
they have no type
of basis
as to why
that might be true
or why
I mean really
it's just
it's both on one hand
an intuition
of life is more
there's something
more than life
but it's also
a great sign
of the great
overwhelming
and I don't mean
to offend
if you're a guest
but it's a great
type of presumption
actually
that just
because I'm me
when I die
I go to a better
place
and these next
few verses
are going to
really show us
that the Bible's
view of God
and what happens
is very
very
un-Canadian
and very different
verse 44
it was now
about the sixth hour
and that means
around noon
and we're going to
see here
that there's two
miracles that happen
they're just miracles
they're just
God does something
God is revealed
not as being
distant and absent
but God shows up
and does something
it was about
the sixth hour
and there was
darkness
over the whole land
until the ninth hour
three o'clock
in the afternoon
the brightest time
of the day
and while the sun's
light failed
and the curtain
of the temple
was torn
in two
the religious
leaders
and the Romans
had been
mocking Jesus
God now
shows up
and performs
two miracles
and his miracles
in a sense
are both
a mocking
of the pretensions
of the soldiers
in the Roman Empire
and it is a mocking
of the pretensions
of the chief priests
and the Jewish
religious leaders
it is both
a mocking
and it's
a warning
in other words
the true
and living God
is not a tame
God
is not a wimpy God
is not a distant
God
he's not a God
that we can just
take lightly
and pretend
that he is
exactly a God
who will only
fulfill our needs
and wishes
because ultimately
we are the center
of the universe
I am the center
of the universe
the God
who truly does exist
the God
who's revealed
here in the scriptures
he now
mocks and warns
the Romans
first the Romans
and then the Jewish people
how does he do that?
the Romans
believed in omens
and so
every emperor
the death
of an emperor
the ascension
of an emperor
was marked
with omens
and
you know
those were made up
they were made up
or they'd find something
and say
oh that's the omen
you know
but they're looking for it
because it has to be there
but most of the time
it's just
it's just made up
it's just invented
and these Roman soldiers
are standing there
and they
maybe they believe
the made up stuff
but what they
and maybe they don't
maybe they know
it's just made up
but they're there
and an omen
happens
it's eleven o'clock
eleven fifteen
eleven thirty
eleven forty five
and then somewhere around noon
the sun's light
fails
and it fails
for three hours
and as the sun's light
returns
Jesus died
Jesus actually
dies
on the cross
and then moments
after he dies
the light returns
and good grief
if you are a Roman soldier
this is not
a made up
omen
the skies
changed
the light
of the sun
failed
all of our
beliefs
about emperors
being gods
and these purported
signs and omens
in the skies
and they're just
really just made up
the sky
changes
the Jewish religious
leaders
who believe
that they guard
the rituals
and God is in their
pocket
and God is tame
and they know how to do
the ceremonies
and they know how to
control the people
and they know how to
control the interpretation
of the word
and they can control
all of these things
and as the son of man
God himself
is dying upon the cross
the veil
that separates
the holy of holies
that only a priest
can enter
once in a year
after many sacrifices
that is ripped
from top
to bottom
God
shows up
and the holy
of holies
is open
for all
to view
and God
mocks
and warns
God is not
like most Canadians
believe him to be
according to the Bible
I can't prove
that that's true
but I can point out
that that's the case
I think ultimately
the resurrection
of Jesus
is strong
belief
and there's other things
that we can say
but it just needs
to be strongly grasped
verse 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
and it's not very obvious
here in the English
but it's obvious
in the original language
that what happens
here to Jesus
is quite remarkable
and I don't mean
to depress you
but really
one way we can image
what's happening
with this
is that what happens
with us
with us human beings
is that as I walk
through my life
what you can really
imagine is that
the grim reaper
death himself
follows behind me
and as my day
goes on
I always stay
a couple of steps
above
in front of the grim reaper
but when my time
is up
death itself
overtakes me
and I succumb
to death
and I have no choice
over succumbing
to death
because when death
comes
I will succumb
I am powerless
against death
as are every single
one of you
but the image here
is not of death
finally catching up
to Jesus
and overwhelming
Jesus
because Jesus
is weaker than death
what is portrayed
here
is that death
always had to keep
its distance
from Jesus
John tells us
that Jesus
is life itself
he doesn't have life
he is life
and it's as if
death itself
is always
at more than
arm's length
from him
and that on the cross
as Jesus
the final word
that he says
from the cross
is that
father into my hands
I commit your spirit
and death
is the separation
of the spirit
from the body
and Jesus
gives himself
to the father
and with that
he enters death
he's in control
and he
enters death
and it's beyond this
we're going to look at it
next Sunday
we see that as he
enters death
and he will eventually
defeat death
and death itself
is changed
death
where is your victory
where is your sting
that Jesus
life himself
life itself
entering death
will change death
and those
who put their faith
and trust
in life itself
will share
in life itself
and death
is but a passing
into
paradise
with the untamed
good
and living God
for the lowliest
disciple
verse 47
now when the centurion
saw what had taken place
he praised God
saying certainly
this man was innocent
and Luke just records
one thing
that the centurion
said
he said other things
that others record
but Luke wants to really
deeply emphasize
in his account
the innocence of Jesus
and I won't read it now
but the rest of it
you can read it later on
48 to the end
time after time
after time
it just wants to emphasize
that Jesus is dead
Jesus is dead
nobody expected him
to come again to life
he is dead
he will stay dead
and that's what
the other verses
want to communicate
to us
now
some of you might say
okay George
that's a
you've given the context
of the text
what about Bob
and Andy
what about Bob
I wanted to say that
because I really like
that Bill Murray movie
what about Bob
so actually
what about Andy and Bob
Andrew if you could
put the verse up
or
there we go
could you say this
with me
and Jesus said
father forgive them
for they know not
what they do
let's say it again
and Jesus said
father forgive them
for they know not
what they do
here's the
here's the thing
remember Andy and Bob
and Andy did something wrong
Bob tells him
Andy apologizes
and then
as these things go
it just goes south
and Andy's asking me
what he should do
because he really wants
to be reconciled
to Bob
and here's the first point
if you could put it up
which is part of what I told him
one person alone
can forgive
but two
are needed
for reconciliation
one person alone
can forgive
but two
are needed
for reconciliation
Andy
was
battered
by this whole event
the several weeks
of conversation
before he talked to me
he was
he'd been really good
friends with Bob
he was really bothered
that Bob didn't want
to see him
he was really bothered
that Bob had been
saying bad things
about him
to his mutual friends
and had really
had really just
had was actually
become very vindictive
and vengeful
and Andy
on one hand
he's caught
because he wants
to be reconciled
he felt he's forgiven
and to be honest
when I'm talking
to Andy
you could see
at times
his fists would clench
and you could
actually almost
see that
he's a strong guy
you could see
like his muscles
tensing
and I knew
that he actually
wanted to pound Bob
and if not
pound him physically
pound him verbally
and launch
a full scale
offensive
and what
Bob
was saying
to him
was eating
him up
in my previous
church
I was the pastor
of some
four little
country churches
and in four
these country churches
when there's a death
and I do a funeral
I would do the funeral
with the church
the ladies
of the church
would gather
and they would
make a lunch
it didn't matter
if you had it
in the morning
or the afternoon
it was always called
a lunch
for some reason
and one time
there was this
big funeral
and a big lunch
and afterwards
shortly after
the funeral
was over
I was really
sick
and I discovered
that a couple
of my kids
were sick
and I discovered
that there were
a lot of people
in the church
who were sick
and we realized
we figured it out
but one particular
person's
multiple trays
of egg salad
sandwiches
gave us food
poisoning
and we of course
never told people
we never told
that person
that do you realize
that your three trays
of sandwiches
of egg salad
sandwiches
gave us all
food poisoning
that would be
devastating
especially
in a rural
community
person would
never live it
down
but here's
the thing
here's the thing
about how one
person alone
can forgive
and people
need to forgive
to not forgive
for by Andy
not forgiving
Bob
what he was doing
was that every day
he would think
about Bob
and it would be
like him taking
one of those
egg salad sandwiches
and eating
an egg salad sandwich
saying I sure hope
this makes Bob
sick
and all it does
is make Andy
sick
Bob's having
a great time
luxuriating
in his accusations
and his slander
and Andy's
getting eaten up
taking another
one of those
food poison
egg salad sandwiches
eating it
hoping that Bob
gets sick
and only Andy's
getting sick
and one of the
things I said
to Andy
is that
whether or not
he's able to
eventually reconcile
with Bob
that's
maybe that'll
happen
but what he
needs to do
is he needs
to forgive
Bob
he needs
to forgive
Bob
and here's
the thing
one person
alone
can forgive
but two
are needed
for reconciliation
if you could
put the verse
up again
you want to
say this verse
with me
again
say it with me
and Jesus
said
father
forgive them
for they know
not what they
do
let's say it
again
and Jesus
said
father
forgive them
for they
know not
what they
do
here's the
second thing
if you could
put it up
Rebecca
I cannot
forgive another
person
without personally
paying a price
I cannot
forgive another
person
without personally
paying a price
Andy would
talk to me
about this
I could see
his fists
at time
clenching
as I said
you could see
his arms
you could
see the
muscles
in his
you know
the bit
of the
biceps
you could
see in
his wrist
you could
see them
tensing
and flexing
you could
see the
emotion
you could
see the
hurt
about his
reputation
you know
listen
we all
when you
think about
it for a
second
he's eating
these poison
egg salad
sandwiches
all it's
doing is
making him
sick
and on
one hand
to forgive
that other
person
means that
you have
to
pay a
price
for that
but the
price is
worth it
how does
he have to
pay a
price
he has to
pay a
price
he's not
going to
get revenge
he has to
pay a
price
because it
might be
that the
friends
that Bob
has slandered
about Andy
that Andy
will never
get to set
the record
straight
he might
just have
to pay
that price
he might
have to
pay a
price
in terms
of
his
pride
and
he has
to pay
a price
of just
being able
to sense
to swallow
that anger
and forgiveness
is a miracle
you know
it's a
common grace
it's a miracle
every time
somebody forgives
and it's not
just something
that only
Christians do
because we all
know non-Christians
who forgive
in fact we know
lots of Christians
who maybe
desperately need
to forgive
and non-Christians
who are very
good at forgiving
it's just part
of God's
common grace
that there's
this type
of price
that we pay
for forgiving
the other person
but we realize
that it's just
so worth it
because on the
other side
of it
there's a basic
there's not
forgetting
but there's
freedom
because who
wants to eat
food poison
egg salad
sandwiches
every day
and be sick
it's so much
better just
to be free
just to be
free
but a price
has to be
paid
a price
has to be
paid
could you put
the verse up
again for us
Rebecca
let's say it
together
and Jesus
said
father forgive
them for they
know not what
they do
here's the third
point if you could
put it up
Rebecca
on the cross
Jesus paid
the price
of God
forgiving me
and he's
going to
forgive Bob
he has to
pay a price
see here's
the thing
which makes
Christian faith
in the gospel
so Islam
has nothing
for forgiveness
it's just a
mere act
of just a
mere
you go to
the good
place
you go to
the bad
place
you go to
the good
place
bad
good
bad
just pure
it doesn't
make any
psychological
emotional
sense
the Christian
faith
makes so
much sense
and provides
so much
hope
and this
sentence
looks a bit
odd
and I tried
to figure a
way to put
it in
but this
was just
so much
more punchy
but really
you have to
remember
that I
wanted to
try to say
something like
on the cross
Jesus paid
the price
of God
the Father
God
the Son
God
the Holy
Spirit
three persons
one God
forever and
ever and
ever forgiving
me
but that's
what happens
if you wanted
to string it
out it's not
not as catchy
but on the
cross Jesus
paid the
price of
God
the Father
God
the Son
God
the Holy
Spirit
three persons
one God
forever and
ever world
without end
forgiving me
and on the
cross
you notice
that little
line about
you know
forgive them
for they know
not what they
do
this isn't
just saying
because they're
not very
smart
forgive them
that's not
it's showing
that forgiveness
is not the
same thing
as forgetting
it shows
that Jesus
knows what's
going on
in their
hearts
you see
that's the
part of
the great
confidence
that I
can have
that when
I understand
that every
single wrong
I've done
and every
wrong that's
a wrong
because I
should have
done something
and I
didn't do
something
the good
that I
should have
done
and I
didn't do
and that's
a type
of wrong
and the
actual wrong
I did
and Jesus
knows it
all about
me
all about
me
and Jesus
is dying
on the
cross
is God
absorbing
into
himself
the price
that has
to be
paid
for God
to forgive
me
Rebecca
could you
put up the
verse again
could you
all join
me in saying
it this is
the last
time we'll
all say
it together
and Jesus
said
father
forgive them
for they
know not
what they
do
let's say
it again
father
forgive them
for they
know not
what I
do
here's the
fourth point
if you could
put it up
Rebecca
every wrong
I do
is an
offense
against
another
person
or creation
and
against
God
himself
every
wrong
I do
is an
offense
against
another
person
or creation
and
against
God
himself
this is
very
un-Canadian
see
if Jesus
is on the
cross
saying
father
forgive
them
for they
know not
what they
do
God's
not
where's
God
being
wrong
against
Jesus
but you
see
the
Christian
understanding
of right
and wrong
is not
utilitarian
it's not
consequentialist
it's
that
there's
that
ultimately
right
and wrong
just
reveal
the
good
reflects
the
character
of God
and wrong
is some
bending
or rejection
or breaking
of that
which is
good
and that
there is
it can be
hard to
always
understand
it
and we're
bent
and broken
ourselves
and all
but there's
this moral
order that
actually exists
and that
every wrong
act I do
against another
person
or against
the created
order
I try to
put that
in
because we
can wrong
our dog
we can
wrong
our donkey
we can
wrong the
rivers and
the lakes
and the sky
and every
wrong we
do is
also a
wrong
against
God
and that's
why Jesus
in his
death upon
the cross
he is
paying
the price
for God
to forgive
me
now some
of you
might be
saying
okay George
I'm a little
just so
make this
clear
okay so
you're telling
Andy that
he has to
forgive
Bob
okay remember
my first
point was
that
one person
alone can
forgive but
two are
needed for
reconciliation
and
you know
part you
can't really
have
this is one
of the things
about this
truth and
reconciliation
commission
I don't want
to be political
about it but
without forgiveness
there can't
really be
reconciliation
and you
can't force
somebody to
forgive but
gosh for
life why
go through
life eating
food poisoned
egg salad
sandwiches hoping
the other
person will
die a lot
better to
forgive
and
but
so Andy
has to
forgive
Bob
but Bob
has to
still do
something if
there's going
to actually be
reconciliation
and this is
where we see
this wonderful
thing and
we're not
going to have
it up on
the screen
but if you
have your
Bibles open
look at what
Jesus says to
the thief on
the cross
remember in
verse 42
the thief after
acknowledging that
he's up there
wrong and that
Jesus is
innocent the
thief says
Jesus remember
me when you
come into
your kingdom
and in
verse 43
Jesus says
to truly I
say to you
today you
will be with
me in
paradise
here's the
thing
when I was
younger I
used to
think that
most things
that were
right you
know when
people got
into conflict
that it
was sort
of 50-50
and maybe
60-40
and then
as a
minister I
have come
to realize
that that's
often the
case and
one of the
problems with
Andy and
Bob and
their thing
is it
started off
with Andy
doing the
wrong thing
and Bob
not but
then it
got really
messy and
you know
Bob did
all sorts
of wrong
things and
it got
really messy
and that's
really true
of human
life but
you know
there are
still some
times I
know for a
fact that
there still
are some
times when
it's 99.99999999%
one person's
fault and not
the other and
I don't
just know it
because I've
had to deal
with people I
know it because
of myself I
know that there
have been times
I have hurt
my relationship
with my
wife and
I'll be honest
with you it
wasn't 50-50 or
60-40 it was
99.999999% my
fault and
whatever's left
over out of
that purse that
there's just
some times when
it's really all
one person's
fault it really
is it's all
one person's
fault and what
do you do when
it's all one
person's fault
well all you
can hope for
if the marriage
isn't going to
end or the
relationship isn't
going to end
is that when
it's all one
person's fault
you have to
hope that the
other person
forgives and
you have to
hope that as
the other person
forgives that in
this case I
swallow my
pride and
humble myself
and will say
to my wife
Louise I'm
really sorry
I've done
wrong will
you forgive me
and I want to
stay with you
that's what
salvation is
God's done
nothing wrong
to you
God's done
nothing wrong
to me
my relationship
with God and
your relationship
with God is
nothing like the
relationship of
Andy and Bob
and in my case
with God and in
your case with
God the fact of
the matter is
it's a hundred
percent wrongdoing
by you and me
and zero by God
and salvation is
described as
reconciliation and
reconciliation only
happens if the
one who is wronged
forgives and pays
the price of
forgiving and
if you desire
to be reconciled
to the one that
you have wronged
can come to him
and say I have
done wrong I
am sorry I don't
want to do it
again will you
have me back
and that's what we
see on the cross
the thief he
doesn't have a
theology test he
can't pass it he
can't pass an
ethics test he
can't pass how
he's lived you
know two hours
before this he
was mocking
Jesus with the
other guy but
there's a change
in his heart and
and and reconciliation
is possible because
in the cross Jesus
is taking into
himself the price
that has to be
paid for God to
forgive me and
you and the
invitation we see
here with the
cross is for you
and me to say
father thank you
so much for
forgiving me
I have done
wrong I want
to be yours
reconciliation
takes us to
turn to receive
what's fully
done you see
that's why it
can be that
Jesus has died
his death upon
the cross is an
act of forgiveness
for every single
person that we
will meet today
for every single
person on the
planet and the
question isn't
whether the cross
is big enough and
God is big enough
to forgive all the
question is will you
turn to be
reconciled will I
turn to be
reconciled
if you could put up
the next point I
couldn't word this
better I came across
it in one in part of
my research for this
sermon one thief was
saved that no
sinner might despair
but only one that
no sinner might
presume don't
presume today
J.C.
Ryle is who
Ryle College is
named after one
thief was saved
that no sinner
might despair but
only one that no
sinner might
presume
Rebecca if you
could put up the
next point if
you're trying to
write these down
they'll be on the
web page tomorrow
here's the prayer
I urge you if
you've never said
a prayer like
this that there's
no time better than
right now like right
today like to see
this and stop
listening to me and
with your heart my
words aren't perfect
I'm just trying to
capture what's
happened in Luke
chapter 23 and say
this to Jesus to the
Father to the Holy
Spirit say it
yourself there's no
better time than
right now to say it
Lord I have done
wrong I am sorry
thank you for
forgiving me on
the cross in your
grace please make
me yours please be
my Lord and never
let me go in Jesus
name on men
Lord I have done
wrong I am sorry
thank you for
forgiving me on
the cross in your
grace please make me
yours please be my
Lord and never let
me go in Jesus name
Amen. I've gone way over my time. Just two things very, very, very briefly before we go. If you
could put up the next point, Rebecca. As the gospel grips me, my desire to forgive will grow.
As the gospel grips me, my desire to forgive will grow. It should grow. And here's the thing,
here's the wonderful thing. All sorts of us today are eating rotten egg salad sandwich,
hoping that after we've eaten those sandwiches, somebody else will get sick.
And sometimes when we ask God to help us forgive another person, it happens instantly. But for most
of us, it could be a journey of a couple of days or a couple of weeks or a couple of months or a
couple of years. And even in some cases, it might require daily prayer that goes on for two decades,
but it's always so worth it to stop eating rotten egg salad sandwiches. There's no good case for
eating egg salad sandwiches that will give you food poisoning. There's no good case for it.
And you know, if non-Christians, it's part of the common grace that they just realize they need to
forgive. For us, realizing what Jesus did for us on the cross, as that grips us, then why wouldn't we
want to call out to God and ask, Father, help me to forgive this person that wronged me 60 years ago,
40 years ago, 30 years ago, 20 years ago, last week, this morning. Father, help me to forgive.
And who better than we can turn to to Jesus and say, Jesus, I'm having such a hard time forgiving.
I am so filled with bitterness. I am so filled with anger. I am so filled with revenge. Who better
than Jesus to pour our hearts out to if we have made him our Savior and Lord?
Do it today. Begin it today.
And final point, Rebecca, if you could put it up. As the gospel grips me, the cry of my heart will
increasingly be, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. You know, it's really interesting in Luke's
gospel, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do, is the first word from the cross. If you look
at the four historical records of Jesus on the cross, there's seven things he says from the cross.
Luke records the first and the last.
The first and the last. If you go and ever start to learn morning and evening prayer, a great part of
Anglican spirituality, you'll see that this prayer in different forms is a key part of the spirituality
of morning and evening prayer. As the gospel grips me, the cry of my heart will be increasingly,
men face eking sun. Father, into your hands I commit my joy. Father, into your hands I commit my day.
Father, into your hands I commit my path. Father, into your hands I commit my prophecy.
ant I commit my past. Father, into your hands I commit my desire for revenge. Father, into your
hands I commit my desire to do evil. Father, into your hands I commit my money.
Father, into your hands I commit my family. Into your hands I commit my career. Into your
hands I commit my study. Into your hands, Father, as the gospel grips us, this will become the cry of our
heart. I invite you to stand.
let's bow our heads in prayer
father if there are any who
who prayed that prayer today maybe for the first time and
acknowledging that Jesus has died and paid in himself
the penalty the price that needs to be paid for forgiveness
father if there's any who prayed that may your holy spirit just flood upon them
and seal them as your own father seal them as your own and father
for all of us father thank you so much that your son
died upon the cross that paid the price that had to be paid for me to be
forgiven for me to be reconciled to you father thank you that it was in your
heart it was your heart that we would be desired that we would be reconciled
to you that that when we turn to you and receive what Jesus has done for us that
that's that's your heart that that would characterize our lives and father we
ask that you would gently but deeply pour out your holy spirit upon us so that
as we are gripped more and more by the gospel that we will desire to live up on
the path of forgiving others and that we will as the gospel grips us father that
we will live on the path of committing ourselves and commending
ourselves and commending all that we do into your hands father make us disciples
of Jesus gripped by the gospel who live for your glory and this we ask in
Jesus's name amen