Luke 23:33 THE PLACE
Intro: This old world is filled with many places. Some are places of
great beauty and happiness while others are places of ugliness and shame. If all the
places of the world were lumped together, they could never compare to the Place spoken of
in these verses. This is the Place where the Plan of the ages was consummated. This is the
Place where we received the plan and the promise of eternal salvation. This is the Place
where the greatest battle of all time was fought and won. This is the Place, when during
creation, the eye of God must have dimmed with tears as He contemplated the price that
would be paid here. Yet, at the same time, His heart must have leaped for joy at the
thought of the family, which this Place would produce. This is the most remarkable place
ever encountered by mortal man. This Place is Holy Ground! This morning, as God gives me
liberty, I want to take us to the Place and look at the events of that great day when
Jesus died for us. Lets look together at The Place.
I. IT WAS A PLACE OF PROPHECY (Matt. 27:35)
A. The Prophets Predicted It (Ill. Isa. 53) (Ill. Psa. 22:1-21)
(Ill. The Levitical Sacrificial system All pointed to this Place!)
B. Jesus Himself Preached It (Matt. 20:18-19)
C. God Planned It Rev. 13:8 Ill. This was determined before
there was a sinner to save!
II. IT WAS A PLACE OF PAIN (Luke 23:35)
(Ill. The description of the event doesnt do proper justice to the pain Christ
suffered for fallen man. Do not be deceived by the traditional portrayal, it was a
gruesome, bloody affair! Isa. 52:14)
A. The Pain Of His Sentence (Ill. The Horrors of Crucifixion)
Jesus died an extremely horrible death. He allowed it because He loved you and me!
B. The Pain Of His Separation Ill. Matt. 27:46 For the
first time in forever, there was a break in the fellowship between the Father and the Son.
This was His greatest agony. In that moment, Jesus was literally experiencing the horror
of the Second Death 2 Thes. 1:8-9. (Ill. This will be the greatest agony of Hell!
Ill. The Rich Man Luke 16:26.)
C. The Pain Of Our Sins Ill. 2 Cor. 5:21. The very reason Jesus
went to Calvary is because we are sinners, Rom. 3:23. As sinners, we are doomed to Hell,
Rom. 6:23. But Jesus, in His great love went to the cross, bore our sins, 1 Pet. 2:24, all
because He loves sinners, Rom. 5:6-10! (Ill. It was our sins that caused this awful event
to take place. He suffered it all just so we might be saved!)
III. IT WAS A PLACE OF PAYMENT (Mt. 27:50)
A. Our Debt Was Settled (John 19:30) Ill. Forever finished,
nothing can be added to it, it is complete in and of itself! (Ill. Eph. 2:8-9)
B. Our God Was Satisfied (1 John 2:2) Ill. Every person outside
Jesus is walking, right now, under the wrath of God John 3:36. But, through the
death of Christ on the cross, we have been saved from wrath Rom. 5:9!
C. Our Liberty Was Secured Rom. 3:20; Titus 3:5 No more do men
have to sacrifice animals or keep long lists of Laws in an attempt to please God. Now, we
are made right with the Almighty through faith in Jesus Christ, plus nothing, minus
nothing! (Ill. Eph. 1:6; Rom. 8:1; 1 Pet. 2:5)
IV. IT WAS A PLACE OF POWER (Luke 23:39-43)
A. Cleansing Power (Ill. The Thief on the cross He did
nothing but believe, and yet Jesus forever cleansed him!) (Ill. His Blood cleanses
Rev. 1:5; 1 John 1:7)
B. Converting Power (Ill. His Blood changes the believer 2
Cor. 5:17; 1 Cor. 6:9-11) (Ill. You will never be the same after you come to Jesus! He
will change you. Ill. Paul Rom. 7:14-25 The old nature is still active, but
a new set of desires is in place. There will be a heart for the Lord when true salvation
enters a live!)
C. Continuing Power Rom. 10:13; 1 John 1:7. The Blood has never,
and will never, lose its power to save the sinner and make him fit for Heaven! It
can even work this morning in this very room. If you have never trusted Jesus just come to
Him and see for yourself!
V. IT WAS A PLACE OF PROMISE (Matt. 27:54) (Ill. Calvary held far more
than the promise of salvation from sin. There were other promises that came into effect
when the cross was accomplished.)
A. Jesus Promised A Resurrection (John 2:19; Matt. 12:39-40) He
delivered one too! Matt. 28:1-6! Ill. A Dead Savoir was no good to anyone! (Ill. We
could have been made right with God, but we could have never had eternal life! If the
grave could keep Jesus, then it could keep us all! But, praise the Lord, it had to give
Him up!
B. Jesus Promised A Return (Ill. John 14:1-3 On the eve of
the Crucifixion, Jesus predicted His own return for His people.) (Ill. 1 Thes. 4:16-17
This is still our hope today!)
C. Jesus Promised A Reception (John 6:37) If you are one who has
never experienced salvation through the Blood of Jesus, then He gives you this promise!
Ill. Many institutions in this world might turn you down, but Jesus never will. He will
receive you today, just like you are, love you, save you, cleanse you, adopt you and take
you to Heaven to be with him some day. What a guarantee!
Conc: Have you ever, through the avenue of faith, been to the Place?
Have you ever seen yourself a sinner and realized that Jesus Christ truly died for you
sins? Have you ever acted on that realization and come to Him asking Him to forgive you of
your sins and be your Savior? If not, then you need to get out of your seat right now and
come to Jesus. He will save you, but He says you must come to Him Rev. 22:17. Will
you do that today?