7 Sayings from the Cross
Part II - Gospel Recalibration
Pastor Wes
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Recently I have been challenged to rethink the reasons behind why we as Christians regularly meet together. And I’ve been challenged as well in looking at the way in which we meet together- the form of our meetings, the elements of a church worship service. A fairly typical format that we often follow would be a welcoming, some announcements, some worship songs, Biblical teaching, some form of a call to action as a result from that teaching, and then a closing prayer of blessing. And there’s good reasoning behind why we meet according to this common structure, and it’s good for people to know what to expect, yet even so, we still shake things up a little from time to time. But in expecting the welcoming, announcements, songs, teaching, prayerful response, and blessing prayer, perhaps we are placing our expectations in the wrong areas. If those elements are the things in which we place our expectations, what happens when our expectations aren’t fully met? “The guy making the announcements jumbled up his words, or the songs were dated or too new or the sound isn’t to my liking, the teaching was on things I already know and it didn’t challenge me, or I wasn’t able to follow it, I didn’t resonate with the prayer being prayed, I don’t feel like any of the issues mentioned today are any of my issues, the closing prayer I missed because I was just ready to get home.” Now hopefully those thoughts and feelings aren’t the norm for you as we gather together here each Sunday, but I’m sure somewhere along the way, we each at some time have reacted with at least one of these thoughts during a meeting with fellow believers.
And when we over-focus on the forms and elements within a Christian worship service, we can miss a bigger reason behind us gathering together. Now, we do gather together for fellowship, to collectively worship God, to sharpen and support each other, to build community, to proclaim God’s truth, to provide opportunity for others to hear, to serve, to disciple our kids, to be encouraged… but what I think we often might miss is that through doing what we do, we have an opportunity to personally recalibrate our heart to the LORD. We have opportunity to align our thoughts and desires more closely with God’s thoughts and desires. Through our traditions of singing together- whether songs from 2021, or 1980, or 1580- we have opportunity to offer the sacrifice of praise and re-orientate our hearts from the melodies and lyrics spun on the radio, to the melodies and lyrics that focus on who God is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. As we read God’s word, we should be asking Him to show us something we haven’t seen before, to remind us of a truth we have forgotten, to show us a new way in which to apply His word in our daily lives. As we pray together we must desire His spirit to search our hearts and draw us into confession, to convict us, and not allow us to leave this place unchanged.
In a corporate worship setting, we have opportunity to remind ourselves, rehearse and re-rehearse in our hearts and minds the things we have heard many times before. And yet, the hearing and re-hearing shouldn’t create in us a boredom, but rather we should be attempting to absorb God’s truth each time as if it’s the first time we’ve heard it. And sure, we can- and should- personally do this heart/mind recalibration everyday throughout the week, but in the Biblical concept of God’s people assembling- coming together in unity, in the same time/same place, with the same purpose of seeking to recalibrate our focuses, our loves, our hopes to the LORD- there’s something extremely powerful and pleasing to God.
Helio Gracie, the grandmaster of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, said he taught in order to, and I quote “To teach those who don’t know, To remind those who do know, To correct those who think they know.” And I can’t help but think that every time we gather, the Grandest Master of the Universe- Jesus Christ- is wanting to: teach us something we don’t know, remind us of the things we do know, and to correct us in the things we think we know. This morning, as we continue our look at Jesus on the cross and His final words before death, my hope is that we each would have hearts and minds ready to learn, ready to be reminded, and even ready to perhaps be corrected in our understanding of who Jesus is, what He did for us, and what our response should be.
I want to read to you from a chronological Bible that weaves the four gospel accounts into one seamless narrative. And because I’ll be reading in that format, it will be difficult for you to follow along in your own Bible. So instead, you can follow along with me on the screen (if seeing the words helps you better absorb them), if not, then I encourage you to perhaps close your eyes, and attempt to picture yourself there in the scene as I read to you the descriptive narrative from God’s word. Either way, I don’t want you to tune out because you’re like, “I know what happens, Jesus dies on the cross.” Rather, read with me, listen, or close your eyes and imagine- as if it’s the first time you were to hear this narrative.
“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”- which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earth quake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”
Pastor Dave led us through the first 3 of Jesus’ 7 statements while on the cross. And as I looked at His remaining 4 statements, I couldn’t help but see the very message of the gospel in them. And as we look at each statement, my hope is that you would be able to absorb the significance of what Jesus did in a new way. That it wouldn’t seem like “old hat” to you. That somehow, your heart would be fine-tuned, and recalibrated- soaked afresh in the goodness of God’s love and sacrifice for mankind.
When Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”, in that moment, I imagine that the God-ness of Jesus was somehow separated from His Human-ness. There in that moment, the sin of the world was laid upon Jesus- all the filth of humanity was put upon Him- and in that moment there was separation between God and Jesus. God saw Jesus, as He had seen mankind since Adam and Eve broke relationship with Him in the Garden of Eden. This ultimately has been the problem with the world since the time of Adam and Eve. Because of sin and wrongdoing, because we have chosen our own way over God’s way- God has forsaken mankind. We no longer walk beside His physical presence in a lush ever producing garden, in perfect harmony with Him, our fellow man, and the animals. No, we live with a physical separation, a barrier between His world, and our world. We live in constant struggle in our relationships, and in our environments- we even have struggle within our own hearts and our own minds. And there is one general, universal sentiment, planted within every human heart- it’s the realization that things are really messed up. We all know it. There is something wrong with this world, there is something wrong with us, and we all want it to be different, to be better. Deception, injustice, pride, unfairness, evil, death- haunts every living soul. You and I were created for so much more than what we are experiencing, but God has forsaken mankind. Yet, through Jesus, He has placed into motion a plan that redeems mankind, that will bring restoration to those willing to admit they are forsaken by God, to those who wish for the relationship and experience with their creator to be different.
Mankind has the choice, to numb the pain of this world with all different sorts of partially fulfilling distractions. Money helps a little, power, esteem from others, joy/thrill/pleasure experienced through drugs, sex, experiences- those things can help a little, but none of them end up having lasting effect, and often they actually end up having rather a massive negative effect on one’s life. On the cross, Jesus was offered two different times to quench His thirst. The first time, which occurred before the passage I read to you, as the book of Mark records it, says “They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.” (Mark 15:23) This mix of wine and myrrh was a cocktail intended to numb the brain from pain, it was given as a mercy to dull the pain experienced in death. This Jesus refused. No, He was going to experience the full weight of giving His life to redeem mankind. But later, when Jesus cried out “I am thirsty,” “sour wine” was offered to Him. A sour wine vinegar is mentioned in Greek and Roman literature as a thirst-quenching beverage of soldiers and laborers. It wasn’t costly and was a beverage of common people during the time. Its effect would have been to keep Jesus conscious and alert, rather than the previous wine offered that would have numbed His consciousness and alertness.
Mankind thirsts. As I mentioned, we all know there is something wrong with this world, there is something wrong with us, and we all want it to be different. The Bible tells us that God has placed eternity in humanity’s heart. (Ecc. 3:11) The daily choice we have as human beings is between a whole host of numbing “wines”- offerings from the world that provide temporary satisfaction- and then there’s Jesus, who says “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst.” (John 4:14) I’m reminded also here of Jesus at a previous festival in Jerusalem, when he stood up and cried out, saying “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37) What a weird thing to say. Know that we all thirst, and that Jesus in the answer to that thirst. I would dare to say, that every problem you will face will either be addressed by you trusting more in a temporary wine of the world to satisfy your thirst, or by you trusting more in Jesus, the true vine- the source of true, satisfying wine. Now, I don’t want to sound crass or too “head up in the clouds,” and have you think that no matter what the issue is, we can just say “Jesus is what you need” and walk away. No, life is complicated and there are issues we deal with that aren’t directly addressed by the Bible, yet God is the author of truth, and so there does exist resources in addition to His word that can be very helpful. But what I want to encourage you to do, is to place more of your trust in Jesus, than in the resources that Jesus has given. This church is a resource, and I hope it is a resource you can trust in and depend on, but our hope is that we only serve as a catalyst to propel your relationship with Jesus further and further, knowing that only He can satisfy your deepest thirst.
After Jesus received the drink, He said, “It is finished.” His life’s work had been accomplished. The message He had preached was that the sin causing God’s forsaking could be repented of and forgiven, and that message had been proclaimed and proven by His miracles. The sin that forced God to forsake mankind was laid upon Him and paid for by His blood. His followers had been equipped to continue living in and sharing that message- they were now the ones who would stir up thirst in others- thirst for forgiveness, thirst for eternal life, thirst for a better life while on earth. We each, must awaken to the fact that we have been forsaken by God. We must each recognize the thirst in our hearts and minds. And once we have found Jesus- believing in Him, receiving His forgiveness, following His teaching- it is finished. Surely there will be areas- daily- that we will need to grow in, but the answer has been found. We must stop looking for satisfaction, fulfillment, meaning, purpose, peace, joy… outside of Jesus. No, it is finished, you don’t have to look any further- He is the answer.
And then, with a loud voice, Jesus called out “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” I love that with this statement, the text says it was said with a loud voice. Jesus wasn’t defeated by the Romans, the Jews, or by the cross. He wasn’t weakened unto death. As a man who still had His consciousness and strength, He cried out loudly so that all would know that He willingly gave up His life, turning it over to God the Father. In realizing the world that we live in, (to a great a degree) has been forsaken by God, in realizing we thirst, or as Pascal put it- there is a God sized vacuum within each of our hearts- in choosing to satisfy that thirst/vacuum with Jesus, we can know it is finished, and all that remains is to fully commit and trust our lives into God the Father’s hands. Willingly giving our life to him, placing in Him all our fears, hopes, trust- and letting Him deal with the outcomes that arise from living a life committed into His hands.
This gospel message is what the world needs right now. This gospel message is what the world has always needed. And it is the message that you and I need, even right now in this moment. As many times as we have heard it, as many years as we have journeyed walking with the LORD, it is still the message we need to be reminded of. As well as we know the gospel story, there are still so many moments in life in which we forget the true problem of this world, we forget what it is that our hearts really thirst for, and we forget the true solution to our problem and thirst.
We as humans are worshipping beings, and it we’re not careful, we will form habits that encourage the worship of our job, our family, money, pleasure, success, popularity, style. It is so easy to worship something other than Jesus, through our affections, loves, time, desires, fears, and hopes. And what you worship, determines your behavior. What you worship determines your whole life experience. So, I encourage you to make a habit of remembering and rehearsing Jesus’ gospel message. I encourage you to form habits that cultivate God pleasing worship. Throughout the week, may you set up habits, reminders, practices- that recalibrate your heart and remind you of the truth of the world’s real problem and real solution. Recalibrate through meeting weekly with an accountability partner, through coming Wednesday night to pray, making a habit of praying with someone over the phone, signing up for our Pain to Purpose course. Refocus your heart (that is looking to worship) through spending at least 5 minutes reading scripture daily, through listening or watching solid Biblical teaching, through reading a book that will challenge you spiritually. Form habits throughout the week that feed and nourish you. And then as we come together Sunday mornings, on the LORD’s day- to celebrate His life, death, and resurrection as His church- we come together with hearts all unified in that desire for His gospel recalibration.