My Cup Runneth Over, Palm Sunday
My Cup Runneth Over • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsA close week at Jesus' final week and what that means for us.
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9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
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My Cup Runneth Over
My Cup Runneth Over
The last things spoken on a person’s death bed are probably the most important words of their life. A person’s thoughts are no longer on the temporal, physical world but on the eternal spiritual world. In those moments, they often confess sins, making loving declarations, and pronounce forgiveness to mend relationships. At other times, they may grow quiet in defiance and such times are really tragic. Pride wins out and despair remains for family.
A persons last words often, if not always, reveals what is at their core. Just who they are and what is most important to them. If this is correct, then what Jesus said in his last moments are very revealing of who He was and is. That is the subject of today’s sermon.
Our sermon comes from various verses found in Matthew, Luke, and John. To open, I wish to read the account from John but it is only three verses, so I am not going to have you stand.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
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I. The Seven Last Words, Matthew 27:45-46; Luke 23:33-34, 39-46; John 19:25-30
I. The Seven Last Words, Matthew 27:45-46; Luke 23:33-34, 39-46; John 19:25-30
There are a lot of sermons that focus on one or two of the last things Jesus said on the cross. Often a message will focus on one particular Gospel’s account of the crucifixion, gleaning insight from the details in that account. Although it means we will be jumping around a lot today, it’s good for us to take a closer look at all seven things Jesus said from the cross according to the Gospel accounts.
Jesus was both fully God and fully human, and his words from the cross give us a close-up look at both his divinity and his humanity. As we consider His words and the things He was focused on in those final moments, we need to understand that they demonstrate how He would have us live as well.
These phrases are somewhat in order as we understand them, though two separate accounts give a little different order of the final words. Whether the chronological order is right or wrong is immaterial. They are all significant in any order.
To begin, we notice that...
A. Jesus forgave others even while He suffered. Luke 23:33-34
A. Jesus forgave others even while He suffered. Luke 23:33-34
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Even while suffering, Jesus wanted to see others forgiven. Sometimes we tend to wait until the hurtful thing has passed, until we’ve had time to process and heal, before we think about forgiveness. Jesus shows us another way, forgiving even as the evil is being done.
We often associate forgiveness with as an emotion and we think we have to feel it to do it. However, this is incorrect.
1. Forgiveness is not an emotion, it is a choice we make.
1. Forgiveness is not an emotion, it is a choice we make.
Even once we make that choice, it can take time before the emotion follows, however, the emotion will come in time when we conscientiously choose to forgive. In fact, it happens a lot faster.
There is yet another misconception about forgiveness. We feel that forgiving someone is condoning their actions. This is false.
2. Forgiveness does not condone another persons action.
2. Forgiveness does not condone another persons action.
When we forgive another person, we are not saying that what they did was alright. Jesus was most certainly not condoning the behavior of the soldiers or the Jewish leaders, or even the Jewish people. Jesus acknowledged that they didn’t even fully understand the depth of their depravity, even as they cast lots and divided up his clothing while he suffered in front of them.
There are two positive things that forgiveness does.
3. Forgiveness frees us!
3. Forgiveness frees us!
We live with emotional baggage when we do not forgive. It places us in a prison that overshadows all we do. When we forgive another person, we are released from that baggage. We are able to close that door and move on. It does not matter if they ever acknowledge it or not, because we are free of it.
However, there is one more important thing if we are a Christian. We are to love others, yes, even those who are our enemies. Our hope is that they too will confess their sin and be freed of it.
4. Forgiveness leaves room for a restored relationship.
4. Forgiveness leaves room for a restored relationship.
As Christians, this should always be our hope. Not only that our relationship with this person will be restored, but that they will also find salvation. Just this week I was reading of a traveling missionary that met to men in Ethiopia in 2005. One had his arm around the others shoulders in a casual brotherly way. As they shared their story, the one man with his arm around the other said, “I used to beat this man.” You see, this man had been a Muslim radical and the other was a Christian man. The converted Muslim had beaten and persecuted the other man before he was a Christian. However, the Christian never mistreated the Muslim and in time, the Muslim man became a Christian as well. He even laughs and says, now he is beaten and persecuted, yet he is the happiest he ever was.
Jesus knew that forgiveness frees us and can eventually bring freedom even to the darkest of souls. Jesus is our example of true forgiveness.
The next thing Jesus said brings us encouragement as it demonstrates that...
B. Jesus’ forgiveness is instantaneous. Luke 23:39-43
B. Jesus’ forgiveness is instantaneous. Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
One of the criminals mocked Jesus, but the other defended him.
When the criminal asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus told him that the man would be with him in paradise. Jesus’s grace for the man was even greater than what the man requested. Instead of just remembering him, Jesus welcomed him.
Most, if not all religions, are dependent on people earning their salvation. Salvation through faith alone sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions. You should be thankful for this because this means that salvation is instantaneous. Jesus does not say, “Great, now you believe, so now to receive your salvation you must do this and this and that. What if you die in the meantime? What if you are requested to do something that is beyond your physical or mental capacity to do so?
For those who do not believe that faith is enough, I point to the thief on the cross. He believed, but he had no means of achieving anything further, yet Jesus assured him that he would be with Jesus in heaven on that very day. Even as Jesus was suffering on the cross, He demonstrated His love for another who by most standards was undeserving, and He pronounced him saved. Thank you Jesus!
Next we notice that...
C. Even while Jesus suffered, He was taking care of others. John 19:25-27
C. Even while Jesus suffered, He was taking care of others. John 19:25-27
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
“Woman, here is your son” and, “Here is your mother.”
In this case, it was His mother, though we just previously saw Jesus taking care of a thief. However, on the cross, Jesus continued to do His duty to family. Even as he died, Jesus cared for the concrete needs of his mother. It was a cultural expectation for the eldest son to care for the parents, especially their mothers, as they aged. Jesus knew he could trust John to care for his mother after he died.
When you remember the things we spoke of last week, the physical condition Jesus was in in this moment, it is amazing that He was able to do anything. His body was hamburger. His strength would be all but gone. Crucifixion was death by asphyxiation. Jesus isn’t just standing there speaking. In order to say anything, He had to put pressure on His nailed feet, which had to be excruciating as it was, then try to take a breath but use that same energy to speak. Yet, speak Jesus did. Only extreme emotion would drive someone to speak in that moment. Either love, hatred, or fear. For Jesus, it was an act of love.
There is something else you need to think about. Jesus was Mary’s real son. We see the true love of a mother in that Mary didn’t shy away from Jesus’s suffering but stayed with him at the cross until the end. Can you imagine the pain she felt in those moments. I am sure every lash, and ever nail was felt by her as well. I have often wondered at what point she remembered Simeon’s words to her about a “sword piercing her own soul.” Surely, she in time remembered that as she thought back over her life with Jesus and His crucifixion.
I am sure Jesus was comforted by her presence, but it is also likely he didn’t want her to see his suffering. Even as he suffered, his concern was with making sure his mother would be cared for even though He understood His death would be short lived. He wanted her cared for and comforted both in the short term and the long term.
Last week I left you with a cliffhanger. I said there was one thing Jesus suffered that we do not have to suffer if we place our faith in Him. His next words describe that moment and the agony felt in that moment.
D. Jesus experienced complete separation from God, literally experiencing hell for a brief time. Matthew 27:45-46
D. Jesus experienced complete separation from God, literally experiencing hell for a brief time. Matthew 27:45-46
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” or, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, which is a psalm of trust in God. This psalm laments the pain of hardship yet trusts in the deliverance of God. By quoting it, Jesus could have been implying his own sadness even while asserting his trust in the Father.
Quoting this psalm could also have been a way for Jesus to express the visceral pain of abandonment he felt at the deepest point of his suffering. We know God cannot look on our associate with sin, yet Jesus took on our sin on the cross. There was a time when God had to look away. For the first time in His eternal existence, Jesus was completely alone, devoid of the presence of His Father. Can you imagine how foreign and frightening that would be for Him? Yet it was His willingness to do so that gave Him the authority to descend into hell and to remove the saints of hold from their temporary dwelling to finally join Him in heaven. Jesus now holds the keys to hell. He now has that authority, because He was willing to endure complete separation from the Father for a brief spell. However, I doubt that any of us can ever imagine what that was like for Him in that moment.
Jesus divinity is revealed in all of the aforementioned moments, however, our next one reveals His true humanity.
E. Jesus was human and experienced human discomfort. John 19:28-29
E. Jesus was human and experienced human discomfort. John 19:28-29
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.
“I am thirsty.”
We see here that Jesus was still fully human as he died on the cross. He expressed a real, physical need. This is important as the Gnostics would tell you that He did not. Gnosticism fast became a thing in the early Christian church. They declared that Jesus was spirit and as such, did not experience these physical things. However, this demonstrates that He was and did. Not just in His thirst, but every detail of torture He experienced. If Jesus was spirit and therefore unable to feel these things, why did He cry so vehemently in the garden while sweating blood from the stress. Jesus would have no reason to experience such stress if He were not going to feel every bit of the torment.
Jesus was human, but Jesus was divine as well and even in this moment, Jesus was fulfilling scripture. By saying He was thirsty, those near the cross lifted wine vinegar on a sponge to his lips thus fulfilling Psalm 69:21.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
It is important to recognize that every scripture regarding Jesus’ death and resurrection were fulfilled. There are none that are left hanging that anyone can point to and say He was not the one.
And now we come to the final words, which reveal.
F. Jesus followed God’s will to the very end. John 19:30
F. Jesus followed God’s will to the very end. John 19:30
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
“It is finished.”
Jesus knew his work on the cross was done, that God’s incarnational purpose had been accomplished. Can you imagine the flood and relief He felt in that moment? Have you ever had a task you needed to complete that you just hated to do? As you finish the last of it, you breath a sigh of relief that it is completed. Magnify that a thousand times over and you may come close to what Jesus felt in that moment. The worst was behind Him. The best was about to come.
According to John’s account, these were Jesus’ last words spoken. However, according to Luke’s account, there was one final phrase and it demonstrates that ...
G. Jesus had complete confidence in the Father. Luke 23:44-46
G. Jesus had complete confidence in the Father. Luke 23:44-46
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
The fact that John and Luke stated different last words should not distress us. Eyewitnesses often have accounts that vary somewhat. Obviously we don’t know what Jesus’s true last words were. Either Gospel account is plausible. The order in which he said them doesn’t matter as much as the fact that he said them.
What is important for us to focus on is that even in his last moment of intense suffering, Jesus was giving everything to God. Jesus committed his life to God from the beginning. If you were with us during the Advent season, we found Jesus at the age of 12 in the temple listening, learning and studying about the Father and the Jewish faith. The next time we hear of Jesus after that, He is approaching John the Baptist to be baptized. All during his years of ministry, and at the very end, he is still committed to God. In this moment of intense suffering, He commends His Spirit to God, completely assured that God will receive Him. His confidence of this at death, can be our confidence! His assurance can be our very own. We can have every trust and confidence in Him that He had in the Father. He and the Father are one and so, just as we have the faith in Jesus, we have the same faith in God.
Conclusion
As I bring this sermon to a close, let me ask you, “What do we take from all of these final words of Jesus?” Let’s quickly review a few.
Jesus suffered, but even in suffering, he cared for the needs of others.
He looked on with compassion at those who tortured him, asking God to forgive them.
He wanted to make sure the needs of his mother would be met in his absence.
He forgave the criminal on the cross, welcoming him into paradise.
In previous weeks, we’ve talked about what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Following Jesus to the cross means doing so without scorn or bitterness. We don’t begrudgingly carry a cross and spew venom at anyone who gets close enough to see our suffering. Instead, we take up our cross and lay down our lives with pure love for others and devotion to God. Whether you’re going through trials now or looking ahead to the next storm of life, follow the example of Jesus.
Lead with love.
Lead with kindness.
Take the high road, even if it takes you to a low place.
Follow Jesus and pick up your cross.
If you are here today and you have never received Jesus as your Savior, this may sound like an outlandish idea. However, I promise you, when we fully place our hands in God’s hands, no matter what we are experiencing, we are still living our best life. I can share with you account after account of people who have fully committed their lives to God, and live in places where they experience great persecution, yet you will find them with a smile on their face and a spring in their step. They will quickly testify, this is the best life here on earth, and it is followed by an even greater life to come. They have the same confidence that Jesus had even as He hung on that cross.
Copyright © 2024 The Foundry Publishing®. Permission to reproduce for ministry use only. All rights reserved. (Outline was denomination generated, I then added the majority of the body of the sermon.)
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