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Luke
23:13-46 HE
DID IT ALL FOR YOU! Intro: When we read the account of the death of Jesus on the cross,
there is always a question that forms in my mind: that question is, why? Why
did Jesus leave Heaven to be born in Bethlehem? Why did the Creator come in the
image of the creature, live in poverty, be rejected by those He came to save
and then die a cruel death on the cross? Why? Jesus Himself answered that question the night before He died. If
there had ever been any doubt as to why He came to this world, that doubt was forever
dispelled as He and His disciples observed the Passover together in the upper
room. Look in Luke 22:19-20. There we find two small, seemingly
insignificant words that solve the riddle as to why He came to die. Those words
are: “for you”. There is His reason for all He did. Jesus came to this world for you. Jesus died on the cross for you. Jesus
rose again from the dead for you. You are the reason He did what He did: He Did It All For You! With that in mind, let’s look
into our text today and consider what He did when He
Did It All For You. Let me remind you of the sacrifices the Lord Jesus Christ made when
He Did It All For You. I. 23:13-24, 34-43 SEE HIS CONDEMNATION
HE
DID IT ALL FOR YOU A. v. 18-23 See Him Rejected - Ill. John 19:4-7;
34-43 - The very people He came to redeem and deliver from their
sin and bondage were the ones who turned their backs upon Him, fully and
finally, John
1:11. B. v. 35-39 See Him Ridiculed - Matt. 27:
39-44 - With one accord, His enemies mocked and ridiculed the
King of Kings. Yet, He did not revile them! He endured their cruel mockeries
because that was part of the price He was destined to pay for you and me, 1 Pet. 2:23;
Isa. 53:7. Jesus was humiliated in His death for you! Illustration: At
one point early in Julius Caesar's political career, feelings ran so high
against him that he thought it best to leave Rome. He sailed for the Aegean
island of Rhodes, but en route pirates attacked the ship and Caesar was
captured. The pirates demanded a ransom of 12,000 gold
pieces, and Caesar's staff was sent away to arrange the payment. Caesar spent
almost 40 days with his captors, jokingly telling the pirates on several
occasions that he would someday capture and crucify them to a man. The kidnappers were greatly amused, but when
the ransom was paid and Caesar was freed, the first thing he did was gather
together a fleet and pursue the pirates. They were captured and crucified ...
to a man! Such was the Romans' attitude toward
crucifixion. It was to be reserved for the worst of criminals, a means of
showing extreme contempt for the condemned. The suffering and humiliation of a
Roman crucifixion were unequaled.[i] Note: It is
interesting to recall what the Lord said about those who sinned against Him, Psa. 2:4;
Pro. 1:26. The Lord
promised to mock and laugh at those who sided with sin against Him. However, as
part of the plan to redeem the lost, Jesus became a laughing stock before those
He came to redeem! What irony! What utter depravity that would laugh at the
Creator as He died for the creature! C. v. 34, 40-43 See Him Respond - When
the Lord did open His mouth on the cross, it was not to condemn or to revile
His enemies. When He spoke, He did so with compassion and love. He opened His
mouth to pray for His attackers. He opened His mouth to salvation to a lost
soul. He spoke to give comfort to a tormented mother. He spoke to give peace to
fallen me. Note: One word from
His lips had brought light into being. One word from that cross could have
abolished every molecule in the universe from existence. Yet, He responded in
love! What grace! Grace that continues to this very day, Rom. 5:20! I. See His Condemnation – He Did It All For You II. 23:33 SEE HIS CRUCIFIXION
HE DID IT ALL FOR YOU A. See His Crown - Matt. 27:27-31 - Never did a King wear such a cruel crown of mockery and
infamy! Yet, He allowed Himself to be crowned as an amusement to
the soldiers, because He was in fact a King! A King Who one day would wear many
crowns upon His lovely head, Rev. 19:12. (Note: Those thorns were emblems of the curse
that had come upon this world because of sin. As such they were symbolic of
that for which He was dying on the cross. He died to remove the curse of sin
from man and from the entire universe. He wore that thorny crown that day so
that He might wear a royal crown in the future. He wore that crown for you and
for me!) B. See His Cross - John 19:16-17 - Never did a King occupy such a gruesome throne as He
occupied that day! To die on the cross was to die the death of
One cursed, Gal.
3:13. It was to die the most painful of deaths. It was to writhe
in agony one a rough piece of wood, after having been beaten with a scourge,
after having been tried and convicted, after having been beaten by the
soldiers, after having been mocked and made to bear your cross to the place of
your execution. It was a horrible death! Yet, it was this death that He was
destined to die. Isaiah the prophet wrote of His death, Isa. 53:4-6. David wrote
of His death, Psa. 22:1-18. It was a death reserved for Him before the
world was ever framed together, Rev. 13:8. It was a death that He went to
willingly, humbly and expectantly, John 18:37; Mark 10:45; Phil. 2:5-8. He
occupied that throne for you! C. See His Cause - Luke 22:19-20; Rom. 5:8 - Never did a King have such a noble cause as did Jesus when
He set out on His crusade against sin. He went to the cross for
others! Not people like, but for sinners! Not people who could repay Him, but
for those to whom He could offer salvation freely, Isa. 55:1; Rev. 22:17. Not
for the righteous, but for the dregs of humanity, Luke 5:32. He did what He
did for people who were His sworn enemies! He did what He did for you and for
me! He did what He did so that we might be able to look away to Him by faith
and be eternally saved by His grace, Isa. 45:22. He died to open the door of salvation
wide for you. I. See His Condemnation – He Did It All For You II. See His Crucifixion – He Did It All For You III. 23:44-46 SEE HIS CONQUEST
HE DID IT ALL FOR YOU A. See Him Redeeming - Matt. 27:45-46 - As Jesus
hung on the cross, something mysterious and divine took place. The sky was
darkened and the precious Lamb of God literally became the sin of the entire
world, 2
Cor. 5:21. He did not just take our sins upon Himself, He
literally became our sin on that cross! God judged Jesus as if He were the
literal sins that you and I were born in and commit day after day. God saw His
Son as if He were my wretched sins and He was subjected to the wrath of God on
the cross. His work on the cross opened the way to God, Matt. 27:51, (Ill. The
veil in the Temple had stood as a barrier between God and man for centuries, Heb. 9:7,
Lev. 16:2. Jesus removed all the barriers!) His work on the
cross extinguished the wrath of God toward the sins of the elect and now those
who are in Jesus are forever free from the threat and dread of an eternity in
Hell fire; all because He won our victory on the cross. Illustration: It
was May 21, 1946 in Los Alamos, NM. A young and daring scientist was carrying
out a necessary experiment in preparation for the atomic test to be conducted
in the waters of the South Pacific atoll at Bikini. He had successfully performed such an
experiment many times before. In his effort to determine the amount of U-235
necessary for a chain reaction—scientists call it the critical
mass—he would push two hemispheres of uranium together. Then, just as the
mass became critical, he would push them apart with his screwdriver, thus
instantly stopping the chain reaction. But that day, just as the material became
critical, the screwdriver slipped! The hemispheres of uranium came too close
together. Instantly the room was filled with a dazzling bluish haze. Young
Louis Slotin, instead of ducking and thereby possibly saving himself, tore the
two hemispheres apart with his hands and thus interrupted the chain reaction. By this instant, self-forgetful daring, he
saved the lives of the seven other persons in the room. As he waited for the
car that was to take him to the hospital, he said quietly to his companion, “You’ll come through all right. But I haven’t the faintest
chance myself” It was only too true. Nine days later he died
in terrific agony. Nineteen centuries ago the Son of the living God walked
directly into sin’s most concentrated radiation, allowed Himself to be touched
by its curse, and let it take His life. But, by that one, selfless act He broke
the chain reaction. He broke the power of sin, and set His people free![ii] B. See Him Rejoicing - John 19 30 - You might not
think of the cross as a place of rejoicing, but if you had been there that day,
you would have listened as Jesus made seven utterances from the cross. Each
time He moved His parched lips and breathed out the words He endured pain and
deepened His agony. However, near the end of His time of the cross, when He
knew that the way to God had been opened by the payment of the redemption
price, He opened His mouth and spoke three simple words that still echo
throughout the halls of eternity. ·
He said: “It is
finished!” This was not the cry of a defeated Man! He did not
say “I am finished!” This was not the cry of One
Who had given up short of His goal of redeeming the human race. This was not
the mournful lament of a victim, but the glorious shout of a Victor! ·
He did not say, “You are finished!” This was not the cry of
One Who was condemning those that had crucified Him and thus deserved His
wrath. This is the shout of a Man Who had achieved true victory for all who
will look to Him by faith! ·
He said, “It is
finished!” When He did, it was the cry of a Champion! Just as a
mighty lion will roar after he has made a kill, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
roared His great cry of victory so that you and I might know that there is
hope! That shout from the cross caused fear to ripple down the spine of Satan.
That cry from the cross sounded out the doom of his dominion on earth and among
humans. That cry from the cross sent waves of rejoicing through the city of
God. Note: I have
shared with you what this word means in the original and how it was used. But,
if you will allow me, I want to share it again, because it is so precious and
rich in its meaning to all believers. 1. A Servant’s Word - Used when a task had been
completed. 2. A Priest’s Word - Used when a sacrificial
animal was found to be worthy. 3. A Farmer’s Word - Used when a perfect
specimen had been born into the flock. 4. An Artist’s Word - Used when the final
touches had been applied to a masterpiece. 5. A Merchant’s Word - Used when a deal had been
struck and all the haggling had ended. Its usage meant that both parties were
satisfied. You see, the cross for Jesus wasn’t a time of
defeat and doom. It was a time of joy and anticipation, Heb. 12:2. He rejoiced
when the battle was won, let us never be ashamed of what He accomplished on the
cross! Let us rather glory in the cross of Jesus and bless His holy Name that
He loved sinners to that depth and degree, Gal. 6:14. C. See Him Resurrecting - Matt. 28:1-6
- Thank God His story does not end with Him hanging dead on a cross! No, three
days after His death, He arose from the dead to become the first fruits, 1 Cor. 15:20,
from the dead for you and me. He is the promise of eternal life for all who
trust in Him. D. See His Reigning - After He arose, He
ascended back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of His Father in glory, Acts 1:9-11;
Heb. 10:12. There He lives today as out Intercessor with the
Father, Heb.
7:25. From there, He will return some day to receive His bride
unto Himself and take her home to Heaven, John 14:1-3. From there, He will return to
establish His kingdom upon this earth, Rev. 19:11-21. Note: What I am
trying to say is that the same Jesus Who came from Heaven to this earth to die
on the cross, is the same Jesus Who sits in Heaven today awaiting that moment
when He will return to claim His people. He is the same One Who offers
salvation to all who will come to Him by faith. He is the One Who died for you
and if you will come to Him, He will save you by His grace and give you eternal
life in Heaven! Conc: When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his body was brought from
Washington D.C. to Illinois. On its way, it passed through Albany and it was
carried through the street. A black woman stood on the curb and lifted her little son as far
as she could reach above the heads of the crowd and said to him, “Take a long look, honey. He died for you.” If I could, I would take you today to a place called Calvary. I
would say to you, “Take a long look, He died for you. Just for
you!” That is why the King of Glory left Heaven, was born in Bethlehem,
lived in poverty, died in shame and agony and arose in victory. He did it just
for you! He did all that He did so that you might simply call on Him by faith
and be saved by His grace. He did what He did just for you so that you might
miss Hell and enter Heaven. In fact, what He did provided the only way that anyone has or ever
will be saved. What He did for you open an exclusive way into a saving
relationship with God, John 14:6; Acts 4:12. He did all that He did just for you. What have you done about in
your own life? Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? If not, you can by coming
to Him by faith right now. If you have, then how long has it been since you
said “Thank You?” |
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