For many, imprecations have almost been considered to be “unchristian”.  The thought that Christians could pray and call down judgment has been seen as anti-Christ in every way.  And yet, God has literally saturated His word with prayers of imprecation.  Two years ago, God opened my eyes to these prayers as a Biblical way to deal with my righteous indignation.  And while we certainly heed the words of Paul and never take our own revenge but leave room for the wrath of the LORD, we also understand that it is our right and our calling to bring our frustrations and lay them at the feet of our righteous Judge.  These prayers have been a blessing for me, hopefully they will be for you as well in these dark days and difficult times of evil.

[evp_embed_video url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/s1yqanc9nwyzhot/Imprecatory%20Prayer.mp4?dl=1" width="500"]

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Being God’s People
Psalms 95
January 24, 2021

Psalms 95 has long been one of my favorites.
It reveals what it means to be “The People of God”

Have you ever pondered that question?
• People today like to assume the title “man of God” or “woman of God”
• Some seek sort of the generic term “child of God”
• What does that mean?

Perhaps more importantly, what does that look like?
• Can you spot a “man of God”?
• Is a “woman of God” evident?
• What do “the people of God” look like?

It really is a basic question and one that
We all ought to have a very clear understanding of.

So, if you aren’t quite sure, let’s look together at Psalms 95.

NOW – WE HAVE A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE IN STUDYING THIS PSALM

The reason is because the last half of this Psalm
Is already exposited and preached for us in the New Testament.

Hebrews 3:7-4:13 is an exposition and application of Psalms 95:7b-11

WE WOULD BE FOOLISH NOT TO TAKE A LOOK.
So we are going to study this Psalm sort of in reverse order because we want to start off with what the writer of Hebrews has to say about the end of this Psalm.

TURN TO: HEBREWS 3:7

Now, just to make sure we all understand
(and I think we looked at this a little in regard to Sabbath rest a few Sunday nights ago, so hopefully you’re still familiar with some of it)
Let me give you the basic point of the sermon.

“HOLD FAST or NO REST”

That’s really the message.
• The writer of Hebrews is preaching to a group of Jews
• Who have professed faith in Jesus,
• But because of persecution are considering defecting from Him.

The writer of Hebrews wants to bring to their attention
A group of people who did that very same thing in the past
And how it did not work out well for them.

Now a very important verse is actually Hebrews 3:6

(3:6) “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house – whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope until the end.”

He said that we are truly part of the house of God if we hold fast to Christ.

It is similar to the statement of Jesus in:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

It is that same gauntlet that is being thrown down here.

And in order to reiterate his point,
The writer of Hebrews turns to Psalms 95:7b-11,
Which he quotes in verses 7-11 here.

(7-11) “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'”

So he’s made his point that you should hold fast,
And then he gave his supporting text.

In verses 12-14 he REITERATES HIS POINT once again.
(12-14) “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,”

Do you see the same point as in verse 6?
• Yes, there is a warning about falling away.
• Yes, there is a call to encourage others not to fall away.
• But ultimately it ends with the same point of verse 6.
• We read it in verse 14 – “we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end”

This is NOT a warning about losing salvation.
This is a litmus test.

That is to say, it’s not about no longer being a child of God.
We’re trying to determine whether you ever actually were a child of God.
If you fall away, then we’ll know you weren’t.

That’s the overarching point.

Then, in order to enforce his point he starts expositing Psalms 95

(3:15-19) is the FIRST POINT
Namely that your religious past is pointless if endurance doesn’t occur in your life.

You notice there how the writer brings up
All the religious activities of the people in the wilderness.

The writer talks about those who provoked God but he wants to know who they were?

And the answer is that it was those who followed Moses out of Egypt.
• Those who had seen the plagues
• Those who had participated in the Passover
• Those who had passed through the Red Sea

And if you are unclear as to what all that meant, listen to Paul:
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.”

Paul equates the actions of the wilderness congregation to basic Christian actions today.
• The Passover would have been their profession of faith
• Going through the Red Sea would have been their baptism
• Eating the manna and drinking the water would have been their basic Christian
lifestyle as part of the congregation

They did all the religious stuff.
“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.”

Despite all their religious ordinances they clearly were never pleasing to God.

Now, that is the same point the writer of Hebrews is making in 3:15-19.
• Despite all that God had done for them.
• Despite all they had done in a religious sense.
• God never let them enter His rest.

So their religious past was pointless.
You see that.

Then we come to the next point.
(4:1-3) is the SECOND POINT
If you want to enter rest you must believe.
And of course believing here is equated with endurance or not falling away.

The writer warns us to fear.
• We should fear that any of us might fall short of God’s rest.
• And he reminds us why the congregation in the wilderness fell short.

They had good news preached to them, “but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

They didn’t believe.
They heard, they knew, they did not believe.

Are you starting to see the problem with the wilderness congregation?
THEY WERE PHONY.

They heard the truth, they went through all the motions,
But they didn’t believe.
That’s why they didn’t enter.

On to the next point.
(4:4-10) is the THIRD POINT
Rest is real. Rest is enjoyed by God and it is continually available to all who believe.

That is to say that true believers can also rest from their works
Just like God rested from His works.

Here the writer points out how the former congregation had rest offered
BUT they never received it because of their disobedience (lack of faith)

But the writer also points out how that
When we get to Psalms 95 we something amazing happening.

Rest is still being talked about!

Now, just for reference sake,
• The writer of Hebrews says that Psalms 95 was written by the Holy Spirit (3:7), but here he also attributes it to David (4:7).
• And just so you know, David showed up around 400 years after Joshua.

And the point of the writer is that if “rest” was just about the children of Israel taking the Promised Land under Joshua,
Then what in the world is David talking about in Psalms 95?

Clearly God’s rest is about way more than just entering the land.

His point is that rest is still available.
(9) “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

And that rest is defined as this.
(10) “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

• You will remember that God rested because He was finished.
• There was nothing left to be done, tweaked, finished, or accomplished.
• He rested because all the work was completed.

Now, we rest the same way.
• Jesus said that it was finished.
• He finished it on the cross.
• We rest in Him and understand that there is no more work to do.

And so the writer of Hebrews is simply reminding his audience,
Based on Psalms 95, that rest was not a one-time offer.

Rest is a continual proposition
Made available to all who trust in the finished work of Christ.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

So rest is real and available.

And then
(4:11-13) is the FOURTH POINT
God knows your heart as to whether or not you really believe and therefore whether or not He will give you rest.

So the calling is to enter that rest.
Which is equal to believing in Christ
And showing that belief through obedience and endurance.

And to understand that God knows your heart,
Whether or not you are really His people,
And He only gives rest to those who are really His people.

And his text for that was Psalms 95:7b-11.

Let’s read it again and now you’ll see all those elements in play.
(7b-11) “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

Clearly there you see that David and the writer of Hebrews
Are using the same example to make the same point.

• What God once did for them, He is now doing for you.
• He is offering you rest, and He is offering it today.
• They hardened their hearts and refused to believe.
• This angered God and in His anger He refused to give them rest.
• Even though they claimed to be God’s people, their behavior proved otherwise.

That is the universal application of this text.

We are talking about the importance of genuinely being the people of God.
That is also what David is talking about.

There’s just two main points.
1) THE EXPECTATION
2) THE EXHORTATION

We’ve already looked at the exhortation, but let’s now look at the beginning.

#1 THE EXPECTATION
Psalms 95:1-7a

Now I will also tell you that we need to break this first point
Down into 2 sub-points.

There are really two expectations listed here.
1) JOYFUL SINGING (1-5)

When we begin the song we see very clearly what is expected.
• We see a reference to singing
• We see a reference to shouting
• We see a reference to thanksgiving
• And we see a 3-fold call for joy

(1-2) “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”

So just see this basic yet totally authoritative command.
THIS IS THE EXPECTATION OF GOD.
He expects joyful singing, joyful shouting, and joyful thanksgiving.

Psalms 81:1-5a “Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob. He established it for a testimony in Joseph When he went throughout the land of Egypt.”

You might even recognize the reference to the fact that
God instituted this ordinance with that first congregation
When they came out of Egypt.

God delivered them and He very explicitly commanded them
To sing and shout with joy.

It was called “an ordinance of the God of Jacob”

God expected this – God commanded this. God ordained that this would be done.

As we have said many times before
• It had nothing to do with singing ability,
• It had nothing to do with if you could stay on key or on time.
• It disregarded personal preference.
• It overlooked feelings of embarrassment.

God had saved this entire congregation
So this entire congregation was expected to sing and shout joyfully.
(Instead they grumbled and tested God and you see how that worked out)

But David reminds us of God’s expectation
That His people will joyfully praise Him.

And then David goes one step further and tells us why.

(3) “For the LORD is a great God…”

What a statement!
• Do you believe that?
• Is He in fact a great God?
• Is He worthy of shouting and singing?

Remember when God rebuked the priests in Malachi for calling His work too tiring?
Malachi 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

Those who think worship is too tiresome
God simply reminds how much He deserves it.

I am a great God! He says.

(3) “For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods,”

Jeremiah 10:6-7, 12-16 “There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You…It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”

There is not another god in this world
That actually deserves worship, but this God does.

He is a great God.
And David continues with his evidence.
(4-5) “In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land.”

David appeals to the glory and grandeur of creation.

You of course remember that creation alone is enough testimony to condemn humanity. It is that telling.
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Do you not see God’s greatness in creation?
Psalms 19:1-6 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

I love that passage.
• There have been several moments over the past year where I took advantage
of this.
• We know our world has been in chaos.
• We know we are fed massive amounts of dis-information.
• Many we listen to would simply seek to invoke fear and confusion.

And on the days when the noise gets too extreme,
I like to just walk outside and look up at the sky and then look around.

I remind myself that the sun still rose in the east and it will set in the west
And remind myself that God is sovereign over it all.

Creating teaches us about the greatness of God!
• He owns the depths of the earth
• He owns the mountains
• He owns the sea
• He owns the dry land

IT’S ALL HIS!

Psalms 33:6-8 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”

Isaiah 40:12 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?”

Job 38:8-11 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?”

The passages are endless.

And make sure you understand David’s point here.

He is NOT here telling us to praise God for creating the world.
No doubt we should, but that is not the point here.

He is telling us to praise God
Because only a great God could create the world.

• What kind of God has the power to create all of this?
• What kind of God has the power to sustain all of this?
• It is like the disciples on the boat: “Who is this Man that even the wind and the waves obey Him?”

THE EXPECTATION IS THAT
We will praise God with joyful shouting and grateful singing
Because He is the great God of creation and He deserves it.

Any failure to participate is a slap in the face to Him.

That’s the first expectation.
Joyful Singing

But there’s a second expectation.
2) HUMBLE SUBMISSION (6-7a)

Again, the expectation is clearly outlined.
“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”

Now we have moved from outward praise to inward awe.
The understanding of who God is
Leads us to erupt with shouting and singing at His greatness.

But as His greatness begins to sink in,
It becomes awe-struck wonder where we now “bow down” and “kneel”.

• It is submission.
• It is the humble offering of our lives to Him.
• It is the full surrender of our wills to Him.
• It is the total devotion of all that are and have to His desire.

“worship” is such a great word.

It is so much more than just singing songs before the sermon.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

It is the giving of all that we are and have to His glory.

The very first time the word “worship” appears in the Bible is a very telling explanation.

Genesis 22:5 “Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

Of course Abraham was talking about
How he would go and sacrifice his son to God.

• It wasn’t a pep rally…
• It wasn’t a rock show…
• It wasn’t a mosh pit…

• It was Abraham surrendering to God the thing he loved most in this world.
• It was his greatest offering
• It was his most prized treasure

That was worship.
And that is what is being commanded here.

First it was a call for JOYFUL SINGING
But now it is a call for HUMBLE SUBMISSION.

And again we are given EXPLANATION as to why we should give it.
(7) “For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

• We praise Him with singing and shouting because He is “a great God”
• But we submit our lives to Him because He is “our God”

David has moved inward.
It is no longer simply the expectation for creation.
Now we are talking about the expectation for redemption.

We are those who have been purchased.
We are those who have been redeemed.

Do you remember God’s expectation for His people at Sinai?
Exodus 19:4-5 “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;”

What did God want?
• A people to call His own.
• He wanted His own people; His own possession.

It is very similar to like when a man takes a wife.
In one sense he can be friends with all the women in the world, but only one will be his.

This is what God said to Israel.
I want you as My own.

Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”

God chose them and saved them and purchased them
TO BE HIS OWN PEOPLE.
He would be their God and they would be His people.

And the expectation is that they
Would worship and submit to Him as their own God.

Now do you understand why God was so angry with them in the wilderness?
These people, whom He had purchased and delivered.
• All of a sudden they didn’t want to worship and bow down.
• All of a sudden they didn’t want to trust and believe.
• All of a sudden they didn’t want to obey and endure.

He bought them and they refused Him.
He was so angry that He decided to never let them share in His rest.

So now let’s again move into that final point.
We saw the Expectation
#2 THE EXHORTATION
Psalms 95:7b-11

You see it now more clearly don’t you?

David is now speaking to his contemporaries
And reminding them of how great God is and that He is our God.

And the expectation has always been
That they would worship and bow down to Him.

But whatever you do,
Don’t make the same mistake our ancestors made and ignore Him.

• Don’t harden your heart to His call.
• Don’t put Him to the test.
• Don’t try Him.

The first generation that did that suffered for it greatly.
God loathed them and they never entered His rest.

That was David’s exhortation.

When we get to the New Testament the writer of Hebrews read that
And determined to apply it to his contemporaries as well.

• Those who had professed faith in Jesus.
• Those who had claimed to be His people but now were tempted to leave Him.
• They were about to try Him and test Him and the writer of Hebrews again
warns his followers not to.

Remember that old congregation and how God loathed them
And never let them enter his rest.

Well tonight we get to follow in their steps.
We read Psalms 95 and we apply it to our lives.

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
• If we say we are the people of God then we must be a people of praise.
• If we say we are the people of God then we must be a people of submission.
• If we say we are the people of God then we must be a people of worship.

• But if we harden our hearts…
• Or if we test and try Him…
• Or if we fall away from Him…
• Or if we fail to praise Him joyfully…
• Or if we fail to kneel in submission to Him…

Can we really say that we are the people of God?

• So what if you got delivered out of Egypt…
• So what if you got baptized in the Red Sea…
• So what if you at the manna and attended the feasts…

They all did that.
But God loathed them.

We are talking about being God’s people in this world.
• Being people of praise
• Being people of worship
• Being people of submission
• Being people of obedience
• Being people of endurance

Ultimately being people of faith.
We are talking about being God’s people.

So the simple question is “Whose people are you?”
• That’s what David was asking.
• That’s what the writer of Hebrews was asking.

Whose people are you?
• Are you God’s people or not?
• Are you Christ’s people or not?

Then praise Him, worship Him, submit to Him, obey Him,
And by all means stick with Him.

Do that today.
And He will give you rest.

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The Crucifixion of Jesus – Part 1
Luke 23:32-49 (32-35a)
January 24, 2021

This morning we enter a study that has such weight and glory
That the task of preaching it is really quite overwhelming.

In many ways it makes me feel like Moses must have felt when approaching the burning bush and he was told to take of his shoes because he was standing on holy ground.

We are of course talking about the account of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Though sermons beyond number have been preached on this event,
NO PREACHER WILL EVER DO IT JUSTICE.

There is no other day like this one.
There is no other event like this one.

December 7th was once called “A day that will live in infamy”
• And yet now less than 100 years after the event most born today, read about it as just another day in history.

Some of you remember the broadcast, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
• And yet today there are many who don’t even know what that was talking about.

Some of you remember when you heard the announcement that Kennedy was shot,
Some of you remember where you were when you heard report that the twin towers were brought down,
• And Americans swore we would never forget.

But the reality is that
Even though those events were in the moment larger than life,
None of them made even close to the footprint
Of the day Luke writes about here.

THIS IS THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION.
This is the day that the sinless Son of God bore the eternal wrath of God
And paid for all the sins of all the elect for all eternity.

It is the pinnacle day of all human history.
• This one event affected every single day which came before it.
• This one event affected every single day which came after it.
• This one event affects all eternity even after time ceases to exist.

By comparison, there is no other event.
Nothing else stands in its class.

Even when we look into the book of the Revelation
And catch a glimpse of the majesty of heaven;
We hear their worship, and the worship of heaven is about this event.

Revelation 5:9-12 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

The crucifixion of Christ is THE EVENT of all eternity.
There is no message bigger than the message of the cross.
• Every other doctrine
• Every other truth
• Every other moment
• Must be seen in relation to this moment or it is wrongly understood.

You can’t understand anything written before this or after this
If you don’t understand this.

• The Old Testament gives us the SHADOW of the crucifixion of Jesus.

• The Gospel Accounts give us the STORY of the crucifixion of Jesus.

• The rest of the New Testament gives us the SIGNIFICANCE of the
crucifixion of Jesus.

IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
THIS EVENT IS THE MESSAGE OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE.

This event tells us more than any other event about things like:
• The love of God – since it is here that God demonstrated His love
• The wrath of God – since God poured it out on Christ
• The justice of God – since God did not allow sin to go unpunished
• The sinfulness of man – since this was what the Substitute received

This event is our HOPE
This event is our PEACE
This event is our JOY
This event is our SHAME

This event is the FOCAL POINT of all the redeemed
This event is the STUMBLING BLOCK of all the lost

To try to use a sermon to grasp the magnitude is for me very intimidating.
But, that is the calling.

And so this morning we approach this sacred ground.
We approach the crucifixion of Jesus.

This event is the entire reason Luke wrote his gospel account.
• My notes tell me that we started our study of Luke on July 2, 2017.
• That means we have been studying for 3 ½ years to get to this point.

Everything Luke wrote was to prepare you for this.
• Everything about the prophetic birth of Christ.
• Everything about the evident power of Christ.
• Everything about the gospel preaching of Christ.
• Everything about the suffering of Christ.

It was all for this.
This is the story. This is the point.

And this morning we begin to look at it,
Knowing that we couldn’t possibly grasp it all.

BUT OUR COMFORT IS THIS.
That even the smallest glimpse of the cross
Can have the most profound impact upon a life,
So even though we may not see it all, to see any of it is pure joy.

So this morning let us begin to look at this sacred moment.

We’re going to break down the text into 4 points. (1st one this morning)
#1 THE SCENE
Luke 23:32-34

We actually continue seamlessly from the text we studied last week.

• Last week we called it “The Last Sermon”
• Jesus addressed the crowd that followed Him,
• He warned them of their coming judgment.

But if you’ll remember we spoke of A CONTRAST in that text.
• We contrasted Simon, who was walking behind Jesus carrying His cross,
• With the women who were also walking behind Jesus lamenting His cross.

We contrasted TRUE SALVATION from FICKLE EMOTION.

Well this morning we actually find that
There is a third group who was also on the road with Jesus.

(32) “Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.”

Make no mistake, this is not a joyous walk.
• Jesus is on a death march.
• He, and the criminals with Him, are going to be executed.

• There is no pageantry…
• There is no nostalgia…
• There is no honor…

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

Psalms 22:6 “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people.”

Psalms 69:7-12 “Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. I have become estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother’s sons. For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I wept in my soul with fasting, It became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate talk about me, And I am the song of the drunkards.”

This is the humiliating walk of the condemned.
THE SCENE IS DARK.

And as we look at these 3 verses which describe the scene,
It is clear that there are points Luke wants us to see above any others.

IDENTIFICATION

We’ve talked about this now for several weeks.
• It was introduced by Jesus the night before in the upper room.

He told the disciples:
Luke 22:37 “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”

You’ll remember that Jesus told the disciples that
• The days of easy ministry and abundant hospitality are over.
• Jesus was about to be labeled as a transgressor.
• Jesus was about to be reckoned as a blasphemer and a criminal.

And we know why.
He was identifying with us.
He was taking upon Himself our shame and our guilt.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Part of the saving work of Christ
Was to wrap Himself in our sin and our shame.
His work was to be treated as we deserved.

• We saw it in the garden where Jesus felt the coming condemnation of God.
• We saw it in His arrest where they treated Him like a phony rebel thief.
• We saw it in His trials where He was regarded as blasphemer.

And now we see it still
As He walks the death march accompanied by criminals.

(32) “Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.”

Jesus is NOT a criminal, but He is being treated like one.
Jesus is NOT a sinner, but He is being treated like one.

And then comes the terrible event.
(33) “When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.”

They finally made it to “the place called The Skull”

• The Catholic church has their traditional site of this event.
• There is a more recently proposed site called “Gordan’s Calvary”
• Some think it may have just been a place where there were literal skulls of
previous crucifixion victims.

Who knows?

Either way the name itself rightly depicts the event that took place.

“there they crucified Him”

4 little words in the English language.
• None of the gospel writers go into great detail regarding the event itself.
• There is no gory description of the flogging He received first.
• There is no graphic telling of the nails being driven through His hands & feet.

Partly because to mention crucifixion to their immediate reader
Needed no explanation.

It would be today like if I told you
“Someone was executed by being shot in the back of the head.”

You wouldn’t need me to go into the graphic details
About what would be happening there.

Luke’s readers knew what crucifixion was.
• It was purposely a public event used by Rome for intimidation as much as it
was for punishment.
• Enemies of Rome were purposely crucified for all to see, and Luke’s
readers were well aware of what took place there.

WE ALSO NOTICE that the goal of the gospel writers is NOT to SENSATIONALIZE the event.
• The goal is NOT to simply move you to some emotional weeping.
• That makes you no better off than the women Jesus just rebuked.
• It is actually more important that you apply your mind and understand the significance of what is occurring here.

Beyond that, to focus too much on the physical horror of the cross
Is to miss the entire point of what actually happened there.

This is something Mel Gibson in his famous “Passion of the Christ” movie
DID NOT UNDERSTAND.

The horror of the cross IS NOT what man did to Jesus on that cross.
(as bad as it was)
The horror of the cross IS what God did to Jesus on that cross.

Perhaps that helps you understand why the gospel writers
Almost seem to understate the physical horror of actual crucifixion.

Now, without being overly graphic, if you are not aware what it meant to be crucified, you do need at least a little understanding.

• Crucifixion was likely invented by the Persians.
• Alexander the Great of Greece was known to have used it.
• The Romans certainly adopted it because it was powerful deterrent to criminal activity.

• Those who were to be crucified, were first to be flogged.
• They would be whipped and beaten and ultimately prepared for the cross.
• When the crucifixion actually occurred, they would be stretched out on a wooden beam and nails would be driven through their wrists and then through their feet.

• They would then be lifted up and the person on the cross died from asphyxiation.
• That is, they suffocated.

• You weren’t able to breathe in the way they had you hanging unless you pulled your body up to catch a breath, and this of course was terribly painful since the only thing you could pull against was the nails.
• That is also why, if the Romans sought a quick death the legs would be broken and then suffocation was almost immediate.

But perhaps the best way I can tell you, without getting graphic,
Of the physical torment of the cross is like this.

When we want to talk about the worst form of pain,
We often use the word “EXCRUCIATING”

Excruciating comes from the Latin word “EXCRUCIATUS”
And that word literally means “OUT OF THE CROSS”

IT WAS BAD.
But what happened there happened because that is what sinners deserved.
• The cross was designed for criminals.
• The cross was designed for thieves.
• The cross was designed for rebels.

Jesus was none of those things, but He was identifying with us
And so He was being treated as we deserved.

“there they crucified Him and the criminals”

Luke also adds: “one on the right and the other on the left.”

This is NOT incidental.
This is intentional.

As you will see later in the story,
The entire scene of mockery and shame is centered around Jesus’ claim to be a King.

What is happening here is His mockery coronation.
• They already clothed Him in a purple robe
• They already placed a crown of thorns on His head
• And now they have lifted Him up on His throne with His most fitting subjects on His right and on His left.

This is an intentional move of humiliation.
It is there way of saying that He is “The King of Criminals.”

Perhaps we might borrow from Paul’s self-assessment
And say they are labeling Him “the chief of sinners”.

It’s all part of their desire to totally humiliate and discredit Him.
He doesn’t deserve it, but we do, and so He is enduring it.
He is being treated as though He lived our life.

Isaiah 53:1-6 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

IDENTIFICATION.

There is a second clear point Luke makes by showing us this scene and it is:
INTERCESSION

(34a) “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

It is probably the most famous of all the statements
Jesus made on the cross.

It certainly appears to be Luke’s favorite, since even when Luke wrote the book of Acts he included the similar statement from Stephen as he was being stoned.

Acts 7:60 “Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”

AT SIMPLY FACE VALUE IT IS
A remarkable demonstration of meekness and mercy and forgiveness.

To see that Jesus was not only willing to forgive,
But actually pleaded for the forgiveness of His murderers
Certainly encourages us regarding the depth of the mercy of Christ.

If Christ would willingly forgive and intercede
For those who physically hung Him on the cross,
Then here is hope for the vilest sinner.

The mercy of Christ truly knows no limits.

Jesus has even taught us:
Luke 12:10 “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”

• Blasphemy against the Spirit would be to refuse the Spirit’s call to believe in
Christ.
• That sin can’t be forgiven since to reject the Spirit’s call is to reject the Savior.
• But remarkable about the verse is that Jesus had said that even those who
speak against Him can still be forgiven.

And on the cross we find that this mercy reaches even to those who
• Falsely testify against Him
• Falsely condemn Him
• Brutally flog Him
• Actually nail Him to a cross

And so I can confidently tell everyone listening,
That regardless of the degree of your sin,
Regardless of what you have done, Jesus Christ will forgive you.

Recently we were listening to a John MacArthur sermon on the Love of God and in that sermon he shared a story that honestly shocked me, but I think it will help reiterate our point.

“I don’t know how it struck you, but it struck me as an amazing thing on one hand, and yet not so amazing on the other, that before Jeffrey Dahmer – the mass-murdering, homosexual who killed seventeen and cannibalized a number of them – died at the hands of some fellow prisoners, he had made a confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and been baptized. In fact, I had occasion to read his will, in which repeatedly he expressed his genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in confidence that Christ had forgiven all his sin. And I heard an interview with the chaplain who said that there was no question in his mind but that the faith of Jeffrey Dahmer’s was indeed placed in Jesus Christ and that he was now in His presence.”
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-77/the-love-of-god-part-1

It only goes to illustrate what we see depicted here that
Jesus Christ came to save sinners; even really bad sinners.

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Paul wrote:
1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

That should comfort you.
Here, Jesus prays for the sinners who are killing Him.

This does NOT mean that all sins there were instantly washed away.
NOR does it mean that the sin for crucifying Christ was instantly rendered null and void.

Peter is going to make it clear at Pentecost
That those who participated in the event must still “repent”.

But what it does reveal is that
When a sinner does repent they will find mercy.
Christ already asked for it.

And Christ even gave the basis on which He asked for this forgiveness.
“for they do not know what they are doing.”

And this by the way introduces us to the third theme
That Luke highlights in this crucifixion scene, and that is
IGNORANCE

(34b-35a) “And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on.”

This fills in the scene for us.
• While Christ is hanging on the cross dying,
• Below the cross there is the most despicable event imaginable taking place.
• Before He is even dead the Roman Soldiers are gambling for His garments.

This, by the way, was PROPHESIED.
John 19:23-24 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”

That of course was a direct quote from Psalms 22:18:
Psalms 22:18 “They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”

Christ is dying for sinners while they are fighting over His clothes.

This might be expected, even routine, for the soldiers
But Luke adds that “And the people stood by, looking on.”

We might say OBLIVIOUS
But no doubt the better word is IGNORANT

That’s what Jesus said:
“for they do not know what they are doing.”

• They don’t have a clue.
• They don’t realize who I am.
• They don’t realize what I am doing.
• They don’t realize why they need it.

They are ignorant people who simply don’t know any better.

This, by the way, would be the foundation for the apostles preaching.
Acts 3:17-19 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

Peter noted that
• They were ignorant of the prophets…
• They were ignorant of the Scriptures…
• They were ignorant of the necessity of the suffering of the Christ…
• They were just ignorant.

And in that ignorance they committed a terrible sin.

Acts 13:27 “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.”

Paul actually attributed this ignorance to himself.
1 Timothy 1:12-16 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

• Paul said the same about himself.
• I was ignorant.
• I didn’t understand what was going on.

This ignorance, by the way, is in all of humanity
Until they come to know the truth.

Paul wrote:
Ephesians 4:17-18 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;”

The world is ignorant of the truth.
Romans 3:11 “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”

And again:
1 Corinthians 1:18a “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…”

The world just doesn’t understand
Who Christ is, why He died, and why they need it.

And that is also put on full display here.

So from Luke’s perspective can I
SUMMARIZE THE SCENE of the crucifixion for you.

Here we have the sinless Son of God,
Dying AS a sinner, FOR sinners, AT the hands of sinners;
And the sinners don’t even know why He is doing it.

Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

And so the first objective of any study of the crucifixion of Jesus
Must be to make sure we remove the ignorance.

You must understand what is going on here.
You must not be some simple bystander just “looking on”

This event is too important for you to miss.

Jesus Christ was here atoning for sinners.
• He was the propitiation (appeasement) meant to satisfy God’s holy wrath.
• He was paying for the sins of all those who had believed in Him in the past, as in the Old Testament.
• He was paying for the sins of all those who believed in Him at the present, as in the disciples.
• He was paying for the sins of all those who would believe in Him in the future, as in the church.

He was offering to God the FIRST, LAST, and ONLY sacrifice
God would ever accept as a suitable payment for sin.

Hebrews 7:27 “[Jesus] does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”

Hebrews 9:11-12 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:24-26 “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Hebrews 10:10 “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Hebrews 10:11-14 “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

What He was doing here was the greatest event in all of human history.
He was paying the entire sin debt
• For everyone who believed in the present,
• For everyone who had ever believed in the past,
• And for everyone who would believe in the future.

If anyone would ever realize their sin and the wrath of God on that sin
And would then turn to Christ for forgiveness,
He was atoning for that sin here.

PAID IN FULL.

And the people standing around were totally oblivious.

HOW ABOUT YOU?
• Do you see that He is being treated as you deserve?
• Do you see His great mercy even for you?
• Do you understand that the calling is for you to repent of your sins and trust in what He did?

On the day the church was born,
Peter stood up for the first time and addressed the ignorance
And the rebellion of this entire crowd who crucified Jesus.

I want us to end by reading what he said.
TURN TO: Acts 2:22-40

And there it is.

Maybe Peter’s sermon addresses your life so far.
• You’ve done some terrible things.
• Maybe you did them out of ignorance, but you did them none the less.
• Maybe even in your past you have rejected Jesus.

Well, here’s the good news.
• God has seen fit, in His tremendous mercy, to allow you today to hear the truth about the cross.

And the offer that Peter extended to the Jews that day in Jerusalem,
I now extend to you.

“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself…Be saved from this perverse generation!”

That is what the cross is about.
It’s about saving sinners.

I hope you see that this morning, and I hope you will respond.

Download Here:

My Consolation In Evil Days
Psalms 94
January 17, 2021

Tonight we approach a Psalm that I have been eager to reach.
It has been a Psalm which has been
MY PERSONAL CONSOLATION many times over.

We live in evil days.
• Our culture is filled with violence
• Our culture is filled with corruption
• Our culture is filled with immorality
• We live in a nation of abortion
• We live in a nation of sexual deviation
• We live in a world of human trafficking

On a daily basis I feel very much like the Bible says Lot felt in Sodom.

2 Peter 2:8 “(for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),”

That is a perfect description.
• I have a tormented soul regarding the world in which we live.
• I long more now for the return of Christ than I have ever longed in my life.
• I have such an intense craving for a city in which righteousness dwells.

Hebrews 13:14 “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

I (at least in some ways) understand the groaning of Jesus who would say:
Mark 9:19 “And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”

This world is a depressing place to be.
Evil runs rampant and appears to be unchecked.

And we, as we have said many times before
Are held in check by the commands of God.

Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

• We know that we are called to love and pray.
• We don’t get to attack either verbally or physically.
• We are called to be like our Father, who despite His wrath toward humanity,
still maintains basic benevolence toward them.

Even in their rebellion God SUSTAINS their life, PROVIDES them with food and clothing. He sends rain and sunshine on the just and the unjust.

God is kind and merciful to evil men.
And we are called to be His children in this world.

Our behavior is clearly mapped out for us.
• We pray for them (mostly for their repentance)
• We show love and consideration toward them.
• We turn the other cheek
• We go the extra mile

That has never been in question
Regarding our Christian duty in this sinful world.

We have also often times referenced the reminder of Paul who said:
Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”

We’ve said it before, but we say it over and over again.
It is extremely hard to live like Jesus in a sinful world.

His meekness is perhaps the hardest attribute to emulate.
• He was omnipotent
• He could do whatever He wanted
• He could stop any person He wanted to stop
• And yet, this omnipotent God-Man willfully submitted Himself to the scorn and
abuse of sinners.

BUT THIS IS THE CALLING
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

But humbling ourselves as we watch the world
Grow all the more wicked is incredibly difficult.

THE PSALMIST AGREED.

Hence the infamous (3) “How long shall the wicked, O LORD, how long shall the wicked exult?”

It’s getting old.

And in his frustration he has turned to God.

As we have said repeatedly, THIS IS WHAT WE DO.
This is why I love the imprecatory Psalms.

• I love being able to lay out my raw emotions and indignation before God.
• I can so identify with that widow in Luke 18 who continually went before that unrighteous judge asking for justice.
• God has given us many great Psalms to pray that we can lay right at His feet.
• We don’t go beat up our enemies. Instead, we deal with our anger and frustration by laying it at the feet of our just Judge.

Well that is certainly what our Psalmist is doing,
And in doing so, HE HAS FOUND GREAT CONSOLATION.

(17-19) “If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

So, if you’re angry…
• If you’re anxious…
• If you’re defeated…
• If you’re impatient…
• If you’re frustrated…

Here’s the Psalm for you that will bring consolation
To a troubled soul during evil days.

Now, I do want to give you a backdrop passage.
This isn’t a cultural backdrop, it’s a theological one.

• I can’t line up for you the historical event that has prompted this Psalm,
• But I do think I can give you the scripture that has prompted it.
• I think I can give you the passage that has inspired this specific prayer from the Psalmist.

TURN TO: DEUTERONOMY 32

• Deuteronomy 32 is a song of Moses.
• It is highly prophetic about where Israel is headed
• And it is a warning about how they shouldn’t go there

We actually see the motivation for this song in the previous chapter.

Deuteronomy 31:26-29 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you. “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? “Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. “For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

Perhaps you can call him a pessimist, Moses was certainly a realist.
He had led these people for 40 years
And he knew exactly what kind of people they were.

He knew that rebellion was coming.
In as a prophetic warning, Moses wrote this song in chapter 32.

It is long, but we can cover it quickly and you’ll get the gist of it pretty easily.

(1-4) – Opening Praise
(5) – Announces that Israel are illegitimate and corrupt children.
(6-14) – The rebellion is undeserved since God has done so much good.

Obviously Moses is speaking prophetically there
Since Israel wasn’t even in the land yet.

(15-18) – Israel’s prophetic idolatrous rebellion.
(19-25) – This is the coming punishment of God that will follow their rebellion
(26-27) – God announces that their sin would have been enough to actually destroy them, but He doesn’t want the nations thinking that He has been defeated.

But God is going to use foreign nations to chastise and punish Israel.

(28-33) – This is about Israel’s enemies. God says that those enemies should have realized that God was helping them when they punished Israel. And that this understanding would cause them to (29) “discern their future”.

But those foreign nations won’t.
They will afflict God’s people without mercy and without repentance.

• SO we have Israel who has offended God
• And who has brought on themselves the chastisement of foreign nations.
• Those nations fail to realize that God remains for Israel
• And are afflicting them beyond God’s intent.

(34-36) – God will respond to their chastisement by punishing those foreign nations.

Hopefully you noticed that verse that Paul quoted, “Vengeance is Mine”

(37-43) – And God will make it clear to everyone that He was the One who both chastised and delivered Israel.

• SO it is a song about the sin and failure of Israel.
• It is a song about how God will use the wicked to chastise.
• It is a song about how God will then vindicate His children and punish the wicked.
• It is a song about how God will ultimately be glorified and worshiped.

And now when we work through Psalms 94 you’ll see that
It is rather obvious that the Psalmist had this song in mind.

They also are chastised by the godless…
They also are eagerly awaiting the vengeance of God…

Their consolation is found in the promise that God will bring it.

Well, let’s look at this Psalm and the consolation it brings.

There are actually 4 truths here that console our Psalmist,
And they will console you in a wicked world as well.

#1 WHAT GOD HATES
Psalms 94:1-7

What we are saying here is that
The Psalmist is actually consoled and comforted
Because he knows what God hates.

And it is this knowledge that actually fuels his imprecatory request.
(You don’t ask God for vengeance if you don’t know that He is against it)

He cries out:
“O LORD, God of vengeance”

And we stop there because we get a theological description of God.

The LORD is the “God of vengeance”

He is also referred to as:
• God of forgiveness (Neh 9:17)
• God of righteousness (Ps 4:1)
• God of truth (Ps 31:5)
• God of salvation (Is 17:10)
• God of justice (Is 30:18)
• God of hope (Rom 15:13)
• God of peace (Rom 15:33)
• God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3)
• God of love (2 Cor 13:11)
• God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10)

And most of those we are familiar with,
But we do not lose sight of the fact that
He is also the “God of vengeance”

He is the God who avenges His own.
He is the God who repays His enemies.

That is NOT a contradiction to His mercy.
His mercy is readily available to all who repent.

Psalms 7:11-13 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”

And the Psalmist knows this.
In fact, it is his consolation.

• He knows that God is NOT a corrupt judge.
• He knows that God is NOT one who refuses to see evidence
• He knows that God is NOT one who refuses to deliver out justice

And so he prays:
“God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud.”

By now you know that such prayers are NOT anti-christian,
But are rather a blessing to the Christian.

• We do not take our own revenge…
• That Luke 18 widow did not try to kill her legal opponent…
• But we do go before our righteous Judge.

And our Psalmist goes before God because he knows what God hates.

(3-7) “How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. They have said, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

Are you picking up on his complaint?
We’ve actually seen something similar to this recently in Luke,
Though granted the example we saw was a dishonest one.

But consider for a moment the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin.
Remember they condemned Him because He claimed to be God.

But when they hauled Jesus before Pilate, and Pilate asked why He deserved to die, what was the answer?

Luke 23:2 “And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

Now why did they tell Pilate about taxes and insurrection?
That clearly wasn’t the consensus at their trial.

Because they wanted vengeance from Pilate.
But in order to receive it they needed to appeal to something Pilate hated.

Pilate didn’t care that Jesus claimed to be God,
But Pilate did hate people who didn’t pay taxes or who revolted against Rome.

It is a similar thing happening here with our Psalmist.
He is able to cry for vengeance because he knows what God hates.

We have the wicked boasting and speaking arrogantly, crushing God’s people, saying widows and orphans, and thinking God doesn’t see it.

And the Psalmist knows how God feels about all those things.

Jeremiah 50:31 “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” Declares the Lord GOD of hosts, “For your day has come, The time when I will punish you.”

Psalms 5:5 “The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.”

Psalms 11:5 “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.”

Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Zechariah 2:8 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”

Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”

You see why he is able to come before God during this evil time,
And that is because he is confident that God hates it.

And we understand that.
• We live in a day where innocent blood is shed in massive amounts.
• But we have no problem at all praying for God to avenge those infants who
have been murdered because we know God hates it.

As grievous as the sin is,
It is actually consoling to us to know that our God hates it too.

And I can pray for vengeance on the shedding of innocent blood
BECAUSE I KNOW WHO GOD IS.

I would have despaired if I thought God didn’t care.
But my consolation is to know that
He most certainly does and that He will avenge.

What God hates is a consolation to the Psalmist and it is to me as well.
#2 WHAT GOD HEARS
Psalms 94:8-11

The Psalmist revealed in verse 7 that these wicked are so smug.
They think they are getting away with everything.

They sin, they oppress, they speak arrogantly, they shed innocent blood,
They attack the weak and helpless and they THINK NO ONE KNOWS.

If that were true, it would crush my soul.

BUT IT IS NOT TRUE.
The Judge of all the earth knows!
(He hears)

(8-11) “Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones? He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, Even He who teaches man knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.”

They think they get away with it,
But nothing could be further from the truth.

Do they really think the One who created the ear doesn’t hear?

Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”

Do they really think the One who created the eye doesn’t see?

Psalms 11:4 “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”

Amos 9:8a “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth…”

Proverbs 5:21 “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.”

Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.”

David reminded us:
Psalms 139:1-6 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

GOD KNOWS ALL.
He even judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And do we really think that the God who has judged nations has somehow lost His nerve?
• Do we really think that the God who flooded the earth refuses to judge?
• Do we really think that the God who rained fire on Sodom won’t kill?
• Do we really think that the God who crushed Egypt won’t punish?

It’s absurd!

God knows the futile thoughts of man
And He will most certainly punish them.

AND THAT IS A CONSOLATION TO US.
The God who avenges knows every evil deed.

Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”

What God Hates & What God Hears
#3 WHO GOD HELPS
Psalms 94:12-16

Here the Psalm takes an interesting turn,
Because the focus has now left the arrogant oppressor
AND THE PSALMIST LOOKS INWARD.

And he begins with a sobering beatitude.
(12) “Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law;”

Now if you’ll remember that song of Moses we opened with
• You’ll remember that the very point of that song was to point out to Israel the danger of idolatry.
• Moses was very clear that if Israel defected from God into idolatry that they would be chastised for it.
• The purpose was not destruction, but ultimately redemption.

Well, here we find the Psalmist listing that very silver lining.
He sees the recent persecution as being “chastened”.

He sees that God has used this enemy to “chasten” Israel
And to refocus them on God.

And the Psalmist even lists the goal of this chastening.
(13) “That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit is dug for the wicked.”

God chastened this man to turn him back to Himself
Namely so that he would be saved from further adversity.

In other words, it has been a little hardship now
To save you from greater hardship later.

And the Psalmist says that it good news.
That is a blessing.

And it only reiterates to him that God is for Him and God cares.

(14-15) “For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it.”

So here is what the Psalmist knows.
• Does God chastise His people? Yes
• Does God use that chastisement for their good? Yes
• And ultimately, God will never forsake His people, regardless of their sin.

I often find comfort in this promise regarding Israel that Paul quotes.
• Speaking in reference to Israel’s murder of Jesus and them being broken off.
• Paul reminds that regardless of this heinous sin,
• And even though God has surely chastised them for it,
• God has not forgotten them.

Romans 11:2a “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.”

He goes on to say:
Romans 11:25-27 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”

THAT COMFORTS ME even though I am not Jewish
Because I realize that I, like they, absolutely deserve to be abandoned.

If God would not abandon them, He will not abandon me either.
Matthew 28:20b “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Is that a consolation to you?
It is to me.

In the midst of evil days I am so glad to know that GOD HATES EVIL TOO.
In the midst of evil days I am so glad to know GOD KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON.
In the midst of evil days I am so glad to know GOD HAS WILLED TO HELP US.

That being the case, I love verse 16.
(16) “Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?”

That’s a little hard to understand exactly what he means.
This is NOT a statement of despair.
He has just emphatically stated that God won’t leave him.

It is best to read this verse like this: “Who [else] will stand up for me against evildoers? Who [else] will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?”

The answer is – NO ONE
God alone is our hope, God alone is our help.

But that is a tremendous comfort.
Psalms 20:7 “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.”

Psalms 37:35-40 “I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.”

That is such a consolation.
• God hates the evil of our world
• God hears and knows all about it
• God has chosen to help us

One more consolation
#4 WHO GOD HIDES
Psalms 94:17-23

You certainly love his response to the truth of God’s help.
(17) “If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.”

That is to say, “If I couldn’t count on God I’d fall into a bottomless depression and hopelessness.”

THAT’S TRUE.
It is God’s help alone that satisfies and encourages our soul.
We count on nothing else.

It echoes:
Psalms 27:13-14 “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

And that is why the Psalmist goes on to say:
(18-19) If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

• Ever feel like giving up?
• Ever get overwhelmed with discouraging despair?

Well the Psalmist says even when I would give up, God holds me up.
When I am overcome with my anxieties, God consoles me.

We aren’t holding ourselves, He is holding us.
That is such good news.

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

He is holding us. He is helping us.

And this cannot be said of the evil ones in our world.
Listen to his logical conclusion. There is comfort here.

(20-21) “Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree? They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death.”

• He talks of this fierce enemy who attack the righteous and innocent.
• It is these same people who he described up in verses 1-7.

But here the question is this.
Knowing the level of their evil, is it even remotely possible for them to be on God’s side? Or for God to be on their side?

No, it is not possible.
“Can a throne of destruction be allied with You..?” NO

What does that mean?
God is definitely for us and God is definitely not for them.

THAT IS A CONSOLATION.

And that is why the Psalmist closes here.
(22-23) “But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. He has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil; The LORD our God will destroy them.”

The picture is of the coming day of destruction.
The picture is of the day when all wickedness is brought to light and destroyed.

• On that day, these wicked whom God hates…
• On that day, these wicked whom God hears…
• On that day, these wicked whom God is opposed to…
“The LORD our God will destroy them.”

But for us who are oppressed…
• For us who are helped by God…
• For us whom God will not abandon…
• For us whom God is for…
GOD IS FOR US A HIDING PLACE

“But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge.”

Psalms 18:30 “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”

Psalms 34:22 “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”

And that is also a consolation.

We certainly live in evil times,
And such evil is prone to lead us into anxiety, despair, and even hopelessness where we might be tempted to give up.

But God is for us.
• He hates the evil we hate
• He hears the evil we hear, it has not escaped Him
• He helps us His people
• He hides us from the coming judgment

LET THAT CONSOLE YOU IN AN EVIL WORLD.
He is a God of vengeance
And there is coming a day when His people will be avenged.

The Psalmist begins with a cry for vengeance
And he ends with absolute peace that it will occur.

2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

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The Last Sermon
Luke 23:26-31
January 17, 2021

If you’re studying Hebrews with us through the daily devotions,
Then recently you have been reminded of the story of
The failure of the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness.

The text that the writer of Hebrews cites comes from Psalms 95
Psalms 95:7b-11 “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

The event alluded to there was the grumbling of Israel regarding water,
And God’s ultimate decision that an entire generation of people
Would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Do you remember that proclamation by God?

Numbers 14:26-32 “The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey — I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. ‘But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness.”

It must have been a horrifying day.
• God announced that if you’re over 20 you will not enter the Promised Land.
• YOU WILL DIE IN THE WILDERNESS.

THE POINT?
Because of a present decision, their future fate was sealed.
In a sense, they were dead men walking.

Like the famous signs along the river that lead to NIAGARA FALLS,
They had crossed the point of no return.

All that was left for them was to wait for the Lord’s judgment.

The writer of Hebrews referenced that story because
He wanted his audience to understand the importance of “Today”.

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”
• You can no longer trust Christ yesterday.
• You cannot yet trust Christ tomorrow.
• All you have is today, all you have is right now.

And the reality is that what you choose today
May very well be the decision that sets your eternity forever.

We saw that with Pilate last week.
• He had every opportunity to confess the Son of God, the Messiah, the innocent One (all things Pilate knew) and yet he didn’t.
• He washed his hands, but he would never escape the guilt.

It is a terrifying reality to think about
The children of Israel in the wilderness or Pilate in Rome
Who spend the rest of their days simply waiting for the judgment.

Habakkuk had a similar encounter with the Lord.
• Habakkuk was a man who was distressed by the wickedness of his society
and he asked God to do something about it.
• God affirmed that He was about to do something.

Habakkuk 1:5-6, 11 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days — You would not believe if you were told. “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs… “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”

• Habakkuk was terribly frightened when he heard the Lord’s plan.
• But God had already determined it.

Later in the book Habakkuk remarks about this coming dread:
Habakkuk 3:16 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us.”

In short, we are dead men walking.
Now Habakkuk was a man of faith and he had determined to trust God,
but the dread of the coming judgment was still real.

IT IS THIS DREAD WE DISCUSS THIS MORNING.

We come to the last sermon of Jesus before He was crucified.
Only Luke includes it.

But it follows perfectly what we have been saying.
• We have seen Jesus stand before various courts and leaders and they all thought they were trying Jesus.
• IN REALITY, JESUS WAS TRYING THEM.
• And that goes for the crowd who yelled for Jesus to be crucified as well.
• They had rejected the Christ.
• And now they faced a sure and certain judgment.

And this is the sermon Christ is preaching on His way to the cross.
IT IS INCREDIBLY IRONIC.

We have here a Man sentenced to death, on His way to be crucified
And yet He is warning the crowd about their coming doom.

We would call it laughable if we didn’t have the rest of the story.
In 3 days Jesus will be back alive,
But the fate of Jerusalem would be permanently set.

And so we listen to this last sermon of Jesus
• And it simply reminds us that “Today” we are required to trust Christ
• For none of us knows when our final opportunity will have passed.

There are 5 points we can make in this text this morning, and several of them we’ll work through rather quickly.
#1 A CROSS IN TOW
Luke 23:26

Here we begin with an interesting account
That is included in all 3 synoptic gospels.

“When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simone of Cyrene, coming from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”

This was not actually that unheard of.
• You may remember Jesus earlier teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:40-41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”

• It was the prerogative of a Roman soldier to be able to enlist a Jewish citizen
into temporary service at his pleasure.
• And that is what happens.

We have a man here from “Cyrene” (northern Africa; Libya)

He has no doubt come to Jerusalem for the Passover
And finds himself “At the right place and at the right time.”

He is grabbed and forced to carry Jesus’ cross.

The reason I say he was “At the right place at the right time”
Instead of the opposite is because it is apparent that the event
Left a mark on Simon and resulted in his salvation.

Mark’s gospel reveals this:
Mark 15:21 “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.”

• It is obvious that Mark had a personal connection as did the church to whom Mark wrote.
• His audience obviously would have known Alexander and Rufus.
• By the point the gospels were written those two men had obviously become followers of Christ and were a part of the church.

Paul even references Rufus later:
Romans 16:13 “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.”

• Paul even referred to Rufus’ mother as “his mother and mine”

It is apparent that Simon must have been moved by what he experienced
And that he led his family to know the Lord.

THERE IS EVEN GOOD REASON TO ASSUME
That Simon had a hand in the gospel reaching his home village of Cyrene
Because as the church is beginning to grow it is actually missionaries
That come from Cyrene who are among the first to preach to Gentiles.

Acts 11:19-21 “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Now obviously we don’t have the entire story, but being that Cyrene was in north Africa it is doubtful that the village would have known much about Christ.

It is more likely that Simon’s trip to Jerusalem
And this encounter with Jesus
Actually resulted in many salvations including that of Simon.

He was in the right place at the right time.

But more than that, I think there’s a reason why Luke includes this story.

By now you realize that Luke likes contrasts.
He likes to lay two players beside each other and to allow you to see the obvious difference.

WELL SIMON PROVIDES THE CONTRAST.

In verse 26 read about Simon and how he was selected
And “placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”

He is quite the living illustration isn’t he?
Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

• I’m NOT insinuating that Simon was already saved at this point, or that he was here following Jesus in faith as Jesus spoke.
• But the scene is pretty illustrative of exactly what Jesus had proclaimed as necessary.

Simon will be saved, but here he is just a really interesting picture.

He will soon be CONTRASTED with other people who are following Jesus.
• They are not carrying a cross…
• They are not suffering with Christ…
• They are merely weeping for Christ.

AND THERE IS A GREAT CONTRAST EMERGING IN THAT PICTURE.

One is following Christ while bearing His cross.
The other is following Christ while merely lamenting His cross.

Simon provides for us a point of reference to view the rest of the crowd.

So we see A Cross in Tow
#2 A CROWD IN TEARS
Luke 23:27

Now we are introduced to the other part of the crowd.
• Two groups really emerge here,
• Though only one of them earns the attention of Jesus.

“And following Him was a large crowd of people”

• No doubt some of these were people who had been at the triumphal entry.
• Certainly most of these had been at His recent sentencing and even cried out for Him to be crucified.
• They are caught up in the moment and they are going to watch this blasphemer and traitor to Rome be executed.

But there is another group there that Luke really focuses on.
“and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.”

THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES HERE.

ONE IS THAT
• They are merely those professional type mourners
• That were often employed in Israel
• Who simply saw it as their job to put on a good show of grief and mourning.

THE OTHER IS THAT
• They were legitimately moved by the horror of what was about to occur.

And I don’t have a problem with either or both of them being true.
We don’t really know.

All we know is that they are behind Jesus
And they are really getting after it in their weeping.

THERE IS ONE OTHER THING WE KNOW AND THAT IS THAT
While they are weeping, they are NOT REDEEMED.

This is why they are good contrast to Simon
Who is also following Jesus while bearing His cross.

How do we know they aren’t redeemed?
Because Jesus is about to tell them to weep for themselves.

That is a different message than Jesus has for the redeemed.
Just a few hours earlier He had told the disciples in the upper room.

John 16:20-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

The message to the redeemed is that their weeping would be short-lived.
That was NOT the message to these women.

So what we have here are women who are following Jesus
And putting on a good show of weeping,
But they are not genuine followers of Christ.

It brings to mind:

Esau who did not receive the blessing:
Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

It reminds of the warning of John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

We are reminded of the Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:22 “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

DON’T LET THE EMOTIONAL DISPLAY FOOL YOU.
There is a drastic difference between following Christ
And simply being emotional about Christ.

There is an entire group of women who are just weeping like crazy
And it looks like they really love Jesus,
But the contrast is the one behind Jesus who is carrying His cross.

WHICH ARE YOU?

Again, Jesus was clear:
Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

When Jesus called us to follow He was calling us
to forsake this world and to latch on to Him.

• We were to embrace His suffering…
• We were to embrace His shame…
• We were to embrace His cross…

He doesn’t need more posts on Facebook…
He doesn’t desire more tweets on Twitter…

His call was for people to set their life aside and follow Him.
• To do that with cross on shoulder…
• To do that up the hill to Golgotha…

Don’t ever miss this.
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

I would remind you again of what we have said before.
Do not misunderstand the analogy.

1. You have a wide road with a wide gate and a popular following.
2. You have a narrow road with small gate and a scarce following.

But only the narrow road leads to life, the other leads to destruction.
And here’s the critical part.

People assume
That over the wide road hangs a sign that says, “The Road to Hell”
And over the narrow road hangs a sign that says, “The Road to Heaven”

But that’s not true.
The wide gate actually says “The Road to Heaven”
• The only problem is that it is mislabeled.
• It was hung there by the false prophets
• Who have deceived people into thinking that they can keep their easy life and all their friends and still go to heaven when they die.

Those people are just happily traveling that wide open road
And they don’t even realize they are headed to hell.

The sign above the narrow road does not say the road to heaven,
• It says, “The Road to the Cross”
• Which is the road we are called to walk.
• And that’s why so few travel it.

And the terrifying reality that Jesus teaches is that
Most people are on the road to hell and they don’t even know it.

Most people are headed to hell and don’t even know it.
The contrast is visibly clear here.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears
#3 A CORRECTION IN THEOLOGY
Luke 23:28

Here Jesus turns and addresses especially these women,
AND HIS SERMON IS STARTLING.

“But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

That is to say, “Boy, you’ve got it all wrong!”
You have assessed everything and you think I’m the One in trouble.
You clearly lack discernment.

You probably thought I was on trial before the Sanhedrin too…
You probably thought I was on trial before Pilate as well…

Here we have the Son of God being led away to be crucified
And the people watching think He’s the One in trouble.

Jesus says, “NOT SO!”
“weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Remember that little declaration before Pilate?
Matthew 27:25 “And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”

BAD IDEA.
• These people had just rejected the Son of God.
• They had willingly dipped their hands in His blood
• And they had acknowledged the effect this decision had on their children.

AND WE KNOW THE AFFECT AS WELL.
Israel would be broken off.

Paul said that as a result of their rejection:
Romans 11:7-10 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” And David says, “LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM. “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.”

It’s as we talked about last week.
• They had chosen to condemn and innocent man!
• They had chosen to murder the Son of God!

Jesus wasn’t the One in danger here and Jesus clarifies that.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears, A Correction in Theology
#4 A COMING TRIBULATION
Luke 23:29-30

I can imagine that as Jesus told these women to weep for themselves
• That there must have been an abrupt stop to the weeping
• And a look of bewilderment
• And perhaps even a chuckle or two.

WHAT?
So Jesus explains the situation that they had failed to see.

“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.’”

Now there’s more, but let’s STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.

In Jewish culture there was no higher calling or desire for women than to bear children.
• Think about Sarah…
• Think about Rebekah…
• Think about that feud between Rachel and Leah…
• Think about Hannah…
• Think about Elizabeth…

The greatest desire for any Jewish woman was to raise godly children,
Or even to be fortunate enough to be the mother of the Messiah.

Remember:
Luke 11:27 “While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.”

Bearing children was the goal and the desire.

It was absolutely unthinkable that any woman
Would consider a barren woman to be blessed!

That’s is just a strange statement.
• What do you mean “Blessed are the barren…”?
• What do you mean “Blessed are…the wombs that never bore…”?
• What do you mean “Blessed are…the breasts that never nursed…”?

That’s absurd!
No barren women would ever be considered blessed.

Well, they will on the Day of Judgment.
• They will on the day that the babies of Jerusalem are being slaughtered…
• They will on the day their children are dying…

It is the picture of a woman watching her child be slaughtered
AND ACTUALLY ENVYING A BARREN WOMAN
Who doesn’t know the pain of losing a child.

IT’S GOING TO BE BAD.

What do you mean?
(30) “then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’”

There is an Old Testament reference here.
• In Hosea 10 Hosea speaks of the northern kingdom of Israel and their terrible idolatry.
• And because of their faithless idolatry God has pronounced judgment on them.
• He is about to send the King of Assyria to destroy them.

Hosea 10:5-8 “The inhabitants of Samaria will fear For the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry out over it, Over its glory, since it has departed from it. The thing itself will be carried to Assyria As tribute to King Jareb; Ephraim will be seized with shame And Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel. Samaria will be cut off with her king Like a stick on the surface of the water. Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars; Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

In other words the judgment of that day will be so bad
You will actually enter into caves and plead that the cave would collapse
Because that would be better than the judgment that is coming.

And that’s not the only reference to such talk.
• A few years later, after the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyria,
• The southern kingdom of Judah was facing the judgment of God as well.

Isaiah spoke of their judgment.
Isaiah 2:12-19 “For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft. The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.”

The judgment will be so terrifying you’d rather a mountain fall on you.

And of course we will see this same judgment occur during the tribulation.
Revelation 6:12-17 “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

YOU GET THE POINT.

These women are weeping for Jesus as though He is the One in danger.
• He’s fine, and in 3 days He’ll be alive.

The real danger is on the people who rejected Him.
• They have secured a judgment of such extreme horror that it would be better to
have a mountain fall on you.

Now do you understand the behavior of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem?
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

• Jesus was referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 at the hands of Rome.
• Because Israel failed to see and believe in her Savior she had secured judgment.
• It would be a judgment so horrible that women, after watching their children slaughtered,
• Would wish they had never even had them
• And men would rather have a mountain fall on them then endure this horror.

IT’S GOING TO BE BAD.
And all this even pales in comparison
To the ETERNAL JUDGMENT they will receive.

It seems strange today that so many people have such a little fear of hell.
Some have even embraced it as a place of like-minded friends.

Can I remind you that when Jesus contemplated the wrath of God
That He sweat drops of blood?

Can I remind you also of what He said when contemplating hell?
Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”

Jesus wasn’t advocating self-mutilation; namely since that won’t work.
• Sin resides in the heart, not the eyes
• And a man with no eyes can still have lust in his heart.

BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.
How awful would it be to right here gouge out your own eye?
How awful would it be to right here cut off your own hand?

IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE.
Jesus said that would be better than hell.

Hell is God’s eternal trash heap
Where the worm doesn’t die and the fire isn’t quenched.

Are you weeping for Jesus?
You’d be better off weeping for yourself.

Jesus will triumph, but sinners who reject Him will suffer forever.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears, A Correction in Theology, A Coming Tribulation
#5 A CONDEMNED TREE
Luke 23:31

Jesus closes with an illustration.

Context allows us to understand it.
“For if they do these things…”

Who is “they”?
• Well “they” is the same “they” have been throughout the text.
• It is Israel.
• It is “they” who will bless the barren women (29)
• It is “they” who ask the mountains to fall on them (30)

And what are “these things” that “they” are doing?
• They are crucifying Jesus.

And they are crucifying Jesus “when the tree is green”
• That is to say when the fruit is obvious.

Jesus has lived among them for 33 years and ministered for the last 3.
His words and His miracles have been obvious for all to see.
His fruit was everywhere.

And even with such evidence they chose to condemn Him.

BUT NOW
• He looks vile and is identified with sinners.
• In the coming days He will leave.
• His works will not be so easily spotted.
• In that regard the tree will be “dry”.

AND THE POINT IS:

If they wouldn’t believe while I was right here in front of them,
They surely won’t when I am gone.
If they won’t believe while I’m working miracles.
They surely won’t believe when I’m hanging on a cross.

Remember this passage?
John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

The point is, the time is now.
• There will never be a greater opportunity.
• And in that sense, the decision you make today will set your fate for tomorrow.

Just like those children wandering in the wilderness.
• They were dead men walking.

So it was for those who crucified the Lord.
• Today, when it was easy and obvious, they rejected.
• Tomorrow, it will only be that much more difficult.

Now you understand why the writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Or why he said:
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Or why he said:
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Today is the day to believe, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”