2nd April 2021
\nGood Friday Service
\nTitle: The Last Seven Words of Christ
\n By Heeyoung Lim<\/p>\n
1. Luke 23:32-35
\n“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
\nForgiveness is Christ’s way in every situation of life. Jesus had proven his ability to forgive sins in his healing and salvation ministry (5:24). He had taught that forgiveness comes only to those who forgive others (6:37; 11:4) and that forgiveness has no limits (17:4). He had called for love of enemies (6:27-28). He watched those who mocked and crucified him, but he forgave and prayed for them. (34)
\n2. Luke 23:39-43
\nThen he said, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d (42)\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cTruly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.\u201d (43)
\nOne of the criminals who hung there insulted at him: \u201cAren\u2019t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!\u201d But the other criminal rebuked him. \u201cDon\u2019t you fear God,\u201d he said, \u201cWe are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.\u201d He will be with Jesus in paradise. Jesus has a place in paradise for believers, He is leading us to the Kingdom of God.
\n3. John 19:25-27
\n“Dear woman, here is your son” & “Here is your mother” (26-27)
\nLooking down Jesus said, \u201cWoman, here is your son.\u201d It means, \u201cI am no longer your son. But then he said to the beloved disciple, \u201cHere is your mother.\u201d What is Jesus saying? \u201cMother, I\u2019m giving you a new son. Son, I\u2019m giving you a new mother.\u201d Jesus was forming a new family on the cross. Jesus said to His disciples before He complete His mission on earth. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you,\u201d
\nJesus tells us on the cross at His moment of deepest grief, Jesus is calling us to live as if strangers are our brothers and sisters. From that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Church is where we are gathered with first time strangers in Jesus\u2019 name, and called to look after brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus was telling His disciples about new family on the cross and He wanted us to love and look after each other as whole new church family.
\nOur families are a wonderful source of love and grace for us, but sometimes tragic stuff happens in our families. Mary suffered from the most painful moment watching her son of the cross. We may also see our suffering family members at the cross as Mary experienced before. However, we have a new family in Christ looking after each other.
\n4. Mark 15:33-34
\n\u00a0Jesus\u00a0cried with a loud voice,\u00a0\u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d\u00a0(34)
\nThe darkness lasted for three hours from the time Jesus was crucified until the moment of his death. This darkness of the skies expressed the agony and grief of heaven over the death of the Son of God. The darkness at Calvary was an announcement that God’s beloved Son was giving his life for the sins of the world.
\nJesus made seven key statements when He hung on the cross. Mark recorded just one, \u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d Jesus cried out in agony as he bore the sins of the world and was separated from his Father for the first time. Jesus expressed the pain of abandonment by God. Yet, in all this pain Jesus just submitted to God\u2019s will. Jesus is our Saviour who gave His life for us. Jesus fulfilled His mission through his death on the cross and separation from his Father. Jesus, the sacrificial servant, completed His mission by enduring injustice, abuse, crucifixion, and death.
\n5. John 19:28-29
\n “I am thirsty.” (28)
\nAll the steps that brought Jesus to the pain and death were in the design of His heavenly Father. The cry I am thirsty refers to Psalm 69:21. \u201cEnemies poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar.\u201d
\nIf we were too much busy with difficult tasks at work and intense sports or conversations with someone, we may suddenly feel exhausted or become thirsty. Jesus went through this in a far much more intense way than the experience of any of us during those three hours of darkness on the cross. He had been forsaken by God; He had experienced the suffering\u00a0even to the last breath. He felt the pain both spiritually and physically. They offered Jesus to drink, but He refused to do it at the first, He asked for a drink later. (Mt 27) He suffered from dehydration more than anyone, He tried to keep His clear mind and aware of what He was doing for people\u2019s salvation on the cross. He knew he was about to die. He felt pain and thirst when He shed blood for six hours on the cross.
\n6. John 19:30
\n\u00a0When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,\u00a0\u201cIt is finished,\u201d\u00a0and he bowed his head and\u00a0gave up his spirit.
\nJesus gave one last cry. \u2018It is all done.\u2019 \u2018It is complete.\u2019 He has finished the work that the father had given him to do. He has loved to the very end; he has accomplished the final task. Jesus\u2019 work is now complete. Jesus did not stop His ministry for us until it is all done, but we shamefully often hesitate or stop our love and mission. I hope we will do our mission given by God until the very end, and I pray that we can say \u201cIt is all done.\u201d Before God.
\n7. Luke 23:46-49
\nThen Jesus,\u00a0calling out with a loud voice, said,\u00a0\u201cFather,\u00a0into your hands I\u00a0commit my spirit!\u201d\u00a0(46) And having said this\u00a0he breathed his last.\u00a047\u00a0Now\u00a0when the centurion saw what had taken place,\u00a0he praised God, saying, \u201cCertainly this man was innocent!\u201d\u00a0
\nJesus expressed His faith and relationship to God through His last word. He breathed his last and died. Life left his body. However, the centurion praised God, he heard Jesus’ promise to the thief and his commitment of himself into the Father’s hands. Admitting that Jesus is righteous is more than a fact. It is a form of praise, of worship, for it brings glory and honor to God. This is what proper response to Jesus. \u201cFather,\u00a0into your hands I\u00a0commit my spirit!\u201d\u00a0I hope the cry of Jesus will be our daily prayer and faith confession.
\nWe cannot treat the cross lightly because we are in the last seven words of Christ. Jesus did nothing to deserve a criminal’s death, but He died for us on the cross. We became a part of His Kingdom. Jesus taught us forgiveness is Christ’s way in our lives. I hope we can forgive others, no matter what they have done to us. We have hope in God’s hands. I hope we can take our stand on Scripture and fulfill what Jesus wants us to do. I believe that we can be sure that we have trusted Jesus and have a place in His Kingdom. I hope and pray we praise God for all He has done for us on the cross and live in expectation of the Kingdom of God and the hope of resurrection. <\/p>\n
Thanks be to God! Amen!
\n\u2028(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2nd April 2021 Good Friday Service Title: The Last Seven Words of Christ By Heeyoung Lim 1. Luke 23:32-35 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is Christ’s way in every situation of life. Jesus had proven his ability to forgive sins in his healing and salvation ministry (5:24). He had taught that forgiveness comes only to those who forgive others (6:37; 11:4) and that forgiveness has no limits (17:4). He had called for love of enemies (6:27-28). He watched those who mocked and crucified him, but he forgave and prayed for them. (34) 2. Luke 23:39-43 Then he said, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d (42)\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cTruly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.\u201d (43) One of the criminals who hung there insulted at him: \u201cAren\u2019t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!\u201d But the other criminal rebuked him. \u201cDon\u2019t you fear God,\u201d he said, \u201cWe are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.\u201d He will be with Jesus in paradise. Jesus has a place in paradise for believers, He is leading us to the Kingdom of God. 3. John 19:25-27 “Dear woman, here is your son” & “Here is your mother” (26-27) Looking down Jesus said, \u201cWoman, here is your son.\u201d It means, \u201cI am no longer your son. But then he said to the beloved disciple, \u201cHere is your mother.\u201d What is Jesus saying? \u201cMother, I\u2019m giving you a new son. Son, I\u2019m giving you a new mother.\u201d Jesus was forming a new family on the cross. Jesus said to His disciples before He complete His mission on earth. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you,\u201d Jesus tells us on the cross at His moment of deepest grief, Jesus is calling us to live as if strangers are our brothers and sisters. From that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Church is where we are gathered with first time strangers in Jesus\u2019 name, and called to look after brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus was telling His disciples about new family on the cross and He wanted us to love and look after each other as whole new church family. Our families are a wonderful source of love and grace for us, but sometimes tragic stuff happens in our families. Mary suffered from the most painful moment watching her son of the cross. We may also see our suffering family members at the cross as Mary experienced before. However, we have a new family in Christ looking after each other. 4. Mark 15:33-34 \u00a0Jesus\u00a0cried with a loud voice,\u00a0\u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d\u00a0(34) The darkness lasted for three hours from the time Jesus was crucified until the moment of his death. This darkness of the skies expressed the agony and grief of heaven over the death of the Son of God. The darkness at Calvary was an announcement that God’s beloved Son was giving his life for the sins of the world. Jesus made seven key statements when He hung on the cross. Mark recorded just one, \u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d Jesus cried out in agony as he bore the sins of the world and was separated from his Father for the first time. Jesus expressed the pain of abandonment by God. Yet, in all this pain Jesus just submitted to God\u2019s will. Jesus is our Saviour who gave His life for us. Jesus fulfilled His mission through his death on the cross and separation from his Father. Jesus, the sacrificial servant, completed His mission by enduring injustice, abuse, crucifixion, and death. 5. John 19:28-29 “I am thirsty.” (28) All the steps that brought Jesus to the pain and death were in the design of His heavenly Father. The cry I am thirsty refers to Psalm 69:21. \u201cEnemies poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar.\u201d If we were too much busy with difficult tasks at work and intense sports or conversations with someone, we may suddenly feel exhausted or become thirsty. Jesus went through this in a far much more intense way than the experience of any of us during those three hours of darkness on the cross. He had been forsaken by God; He had experienced the suffering\u00a0even to the last breath. He felt the pain both spiritually and physically. They offered Jesus to drink, but He refused to do it at the first, He asked for a drink later. (Mt 27) He suffered from dehydration more than anyone, He tried to keep His clear mind and aware of what He was doing for people\u2019s salvation on the cross. He knew he was about to die. He felt pain and thirst when He shed blood for six hours on the cross. 6. John 19:30 \u00a0When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,\u00a0\u201cIt is finished,\u201d\u00a0and he bowed his head and\u00a0gave up his spirit. Jesus gave one last cry. \u2018It is all done.\u2019 \u2018It is complete.\u2019 He has finished the work that the father had given him to do. He has loved to the very end; he has accomplished the final task. Jesus\u2019 work is now complete. Jesus did not stop His ministry for us until it is all done, but we shamefully often hesitate or stop our love and mission. I hope we will do our mission given by God until the very end, and I pray that we can say \u201cIt is all done.\u201d Before God. 7. Luke 23:46-49 Then Jesus,\u00a0calling out with a loud voice, said,\u00a0\u201cFather,\u00a0into your hands I\u00a0commit my spirit!\u201d\u00a0(46) And having said this\u00a0he breathed his last.\u00a047\u00a0Now\u00a0when the centurion saw what had taken place,\u00a0he praised God, saying, \u201cCertainly this man was innocent!\u201d\u00a0 Jesus expressed His faith and relationship to God through His last word. He breathed his last and died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Leighmoor.Master","author_link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/author\/leighmoor-master"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Sermons<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"2nd April 2021 Good Friday Service Title: The Last Seven Words of Christ By Heeyoung Lim 1. Luke 23:32-35 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is Christ’s way in every situation of life. 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