222: Mick Roberts - Exhortation: The Last Words of Jesus on the Cross

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good for selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:50

   Welcome back for this week. We’re listening to an excitation that was given by Brother McRoberts earlier. This year, right after the Idlewild Bible school and Title of his exhortation is Jesus last words on the cross and the focus of Brother mix words for this excitation are one of the ones that is like a classic. Look at what an excitation is meant for. He’s looking at.

3. 1:13

   What are the words that were thinking about when we partake of the emblems every week? I didn’t realize in, this is one of the little nuggets that he shared during his excitation with while Jesus was on the cross. He only said, 50 words less than even what’s in the Lord’s Prayer. And those phrases are Right across the various gospel accounts of Jesus crucifixion.

4. 1:35

   I found this to be a really powerful look at the crucifixion of Christ. Since it is something that we remember every Sunday, there’s lots of times when you hear her different expectations where you think about Christ’s sacrifice and about the things going on around that event. And I just found it to be a really interesting way to look really closely at the words because every word that Jesus chose and phrase that he spoke Carried some significant, some impact for us as those that are reading of it, and those that heard it during that that fateful day.

5. 2:09

   So I found it to be a really powerful lesson to look at. He has some good notes as he goes through looking at the meaning and the impact behind each of the phrases that Jesus spoke while he was on the cross. So I would advise you to write those down and take notes. As you’re going, I found it to be a really powerful thing. Something to go back and look at, I’m not going to spoil. Anything else from his exhortation? I’m going to let you go ahead and listen to that. So as always, thank you for sending and suggestions for listening for all the support, we greatly appreciate it. And with that, I’m going to turn it over to brother and McRoberts for his extrication, entitled.

6. 2:46

   Jesus last words on the cross, but I wanted to take as a theme this morning, something that was triggered by a conversation. I had a while ago. We somebody who just simply said to me, when we break bread and wine, What do you think about when you actually partaken of the bread and the wine?

7. 3:05

   What goes on in your mind? And I thought, well, that’s a strange question, because it depends week-to-week what’s been going on. And there may be all sorts of Silent prayers and all sorts of things that are passing through my mind. And I said, well why what do you think about? He said, well this brother said, well, what I find helpful for me is I I visualize I go to the foot of the cross. He said that that’s that’s just what I do that was his his moment in silence as you share the bread and shared the wine that was his, I won’t call it a technique but that was Where his mindset went that, he just felt helped him to focus on what he was doing and why I was doing it. So, I thought that’s an interesting idea and something, which I’ve tried from time to time, but I also then looked at the idea of what if I thought about the words that Jesus spoke during those Quiet Moments, When a taking the Bread and Wine. Now this is not a test so don’t fear that it’s a test that’s coming.

8. 4:05

   But when I looked at this, I asked myself the question. What do I do? I know what Jesus said when he was on the cross in those last few hours of Is life because it’s only about 50 words that Jesus speaks Which is less than the Lord’s Prayer and we could all stand up now and recite the Lord’s Prayer without any hesitation.

9. 4:27

   But the idea is saying well could we all stand up and just recite what the Lord said in his last few hours on the cross? I know I would struggle. And I’d also perhaps really struggle thinking, and what was the sequence in which those things were said, but the gospel writers Faithfully recorded for us? Those seven statements or phrases or words, the words that Jesus spoke in his last hours, and you may have looked at it before, as a study and you may have explored those sayings and considered their sequence and consider their impact. So, it might be that we’re going to try on some familiar ground, but then I have another thought and the thought was that the things that Jesus spoke on the cross, actually, may have a different impact.

10. 5:15

    On me at different times depending on, what’s going on in my life. So the worst that I read six months ago or six years ago, when I thought about it, when I thought about those 50 words, they just might land differently this morning or last week or next week if the Lord reminds away. So it’s a very simple exultation. I want to have us all think about this morning before we share the bread and the wine.

11. 5:45

    And whether you choose to let those words tumble through your mind, when we partake of the bread and butter take of the wine, that’s, that’s clearly up to you, but it might be in a quiet moment at some point when you just sort of sat there thinking I’ve got nothing to do and I know with Idlewild.

12. 6:06

    That might seem a long way off. But there might be, those just moments just sitting quietly and just to let those 50 or so words just run through your mind and to see what they’re saying to you today, what am I taking from them? Today? That might be exultation ‘l. That might be encouraging. That might be.

13. 6:30

    Shall we say? Just what I need. So let me just read you those phrases because if you are reading this week during Matthew, you would have read one of them but Matthew only records. One of them. We have to put together, John’s record and Luke’s record to get the 7 and to try and put them into some sort of a sequence. So let me just read them to you.

14. 6:56

    Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Assuredly I say to you today. You will be with me in Paradise. Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother. My God. My God, why have you forsaken me? I thirst It is finished. Father, into your hands. I commend my spirit. Now as I say it wasn’t a test but just a read them out to you.

15. 7:36

    You might have. Yes, that’s right. That’s a cut that comes next. And, and that comes next. But the sound of those words that were spoken and Faithfully recorded, I think. I think offers a amazing exultation and I’m I’m wanting I guess to share with you what I found helpful. I ended up when I wrote the Lister out of trying to find what would be a word that encapsulates for me, that sentence or that statement.

16. 8:08

    And I found I could come up with a word that began with the letter c for each. So let me share with you what they were. We begin with Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

17. 8:26

    Maybe it’s reminding me that there are things that might be going on that right now in my life, I’m so close to. I can’t see the wider context when Jesus said, father forgive them, they know not what they do. Jesus was clearly one who knew the whole picture, you knew exactly what was going on. He knew that those Roman soldiers were effectively just instruments in his father’s hands. Ends and who knows what’s going on in our lives right now, that we’re so close to that because we can’t see the context. We’re scared, Jesus wasn’t at that moment, when he’s being taken ready for execution, he’s talking about forgiveness because he can see context, brothers and sisters, do you, and I sometimes lose context.

18. 9:27

    And we need to remember, Context. When Jesus said, assuredly, I say to you today. You will be with me in paradise. And we, of course, we don’t know the backstory that we desperately, want about that Thief. That was on the cross. Alongside the Lord Jesus. But there is Jesus in his Agony extending Words, which would have provided Comfort to that man. We know from the conversation that’s recorded that you had an appreciation.

19. 10:09

    Maybe he had heard the master speak before and knew that he was deserving, whereas the Lord, Jesus wasn’t deserving, and in his Agony, Jesus wasn’t focused on himself. He was focused on the needs of others, he was reaching out. He was perhaps responding to the agony and the cries that they were making, as they also hung on their crosses and Jesus speaks words of comfort, I wonder what it would have meant to a man in his final hours of life to hear from the Lord Jesus. Those words assuredly without doubt because of that Act of Faith.

20. 11:01

    A man who was ultimately baptized into the death of Christ at that moment. You’ll be with me in Paradise. What what is it brothers and sisters that the Lord is saying to you and saying to me that even though we might be in great distress like the thief incomparable, perhaps in its physical poem. but maybe in the mental stresses and strains that were failing, And we just need to hear and take comfort when the Lord speaks to us. Assuredly certainly don’t doubt.

21. 11:46

    You’ll be with me in Paradise. This is look at some words will look at one or two of them. Will look at John from moment, John 19. Because we have the amazing.

22. 12:05

    Words that Jesus speaks to his mother and his disciple, which we believe to be John. They are it says in verse 25 of John 19 at the foot of the cross.

23. 12:22

    And Jesus speaks. Woman, behold your son. And to the disciple, behold your mother. Now what’s that saying to you and me brother and sisters this morning? It may have said something to us before and it makes her stomach different next week. But what’s it saying to you this morning about relationships about the importance of care that’s there?

24. 12:54

    Or my third see. that Jesus, at this time was concerned about the welfare and well-being of those who are near to him and the importance of placing on them, our responsibility of relationship, Woman, behold your son and to the disciple. Behold your mother. We could read that initially. And just say, I’m wanting John to look after my mom, which in itself is wonderful, Given that he knows that he stressed.

25. 13:28

    That his mother would have been him. We know how much distressed she was in the last time. He got lost in Jerusalem and she and her husband, Joseph will be side themself when they didn’t know where he was.

26. 13:44

    But he’s also saying, woman, behold your son? Maybe there’s a mutual need, there’s a mutual support, there’s a mutual care, which is made possible because Jesus has given the instruction So who needs you or I to reach out because I need to look at my brother behold, my sister, behold my brother, we get the example, don’t we?

27. 14:13

    And the encouragement in the letters of treating, the older as mothers in the Ecclesia. And when we read that, the writings to my dear children, that sense of the family that we are. So is Jesus. Also speaking to me today about taking care of my brothers, and my sisters, my elders, and my younger ones.

28. 14:43

    We then have Jesus crying out. Those words, my God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? And, of course, on the surface, when we read it, we could easily take it as the Lord has suddenly His faithless collapsed. But we know it happened. Because when we read all of that, Psalm 22, we know that it goes on to speak of the fact that he has been answered. His cry has been heard.

29. 15:12

    It says, in verse 24 of Psalm 22. So, when Jesus speaks that song, I think he’s confirming. Not an anxiety that has been forsaken, but a contentment that these things are being worked out. Out and that his father has heard him and does know his circumstance and does appreciate his situation. So, brothers and sisters, who are you content?

30. 15:42

    Are you finding contentment? Even in the struggles that we might be facing? Have you forgotten that the Lord does here? A father does here. We read in Romans, we, we cry out, Abba, Father, Just like the Lord did. And we cry out, not in desperation. But we cry out in confirmation. We cry out content that we’re being listened to if your Bible is still open in John. And 19, and at verse 28 after this. Jesus knowing all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled said, I thirst. Now, we could read that in two ways couldn’t we? We could read it as being the man who is understanding of what scripture was prophesied.

31. 16:40

    So to fulfill that prophecy, he calls out and they bring him that vessel the sponge, the wine vinegar. So it could be in that sense. So we might say the Lord is in control at this moment. When he cries out I thirst it could be that he also knows that he wants to have a voice that’s loud. Enough to be heard when he cries out his next statement. He’s in control.

32. 17:10

    That’s the main thing. Brothers and sisters, and isn’t it phenomenal when we just pause and think about all the agony, which the Lord is going through that, the man is in control, Give me something that I might drink. I thirst fulfilling prophecy, but giving him the voice that enables him to cry out the next statement.

33. 17:38

    It is finished. And it’s so loud and clear that everybody would have heard it. Who was there? And he wanted everybody to know, it’s something, which he himself. Of course had said a little earlier in John chapter 17, I have finished the work which you have given me to do. And now on the cross, he’s making sure if you missed it. It’s finished.

34. 18:09

    That provision. Nothing has been left undone, its completion. Brothers and sisters. What have you? And I left incomplete. That needs to be done in the Lord’s service, the example that we’ve got is a man who finished are you? And I in control as it were, well, we know that the Lord is in control, but are we letting him take control of us that we make the right choices and do the right things?

35. 18:52

    And his final words, father into your hands. I commit my spirit. Commitment in the ultimate sense. The complete example of trust, not a desire to hang on and fight to hold on to life which is what it is in our DNA. It’s their natural response that if we’re drowning with fight to save ourselves, but for Jesus, there was no fight. There was a commitment.

36. 19:33

    I commend my spirit. I commend my life. I have poured out all that I have to give. 50 or so words. But spoken and recorded. For our learning.

37. 19:57

    So, while we sing context, are we drawing Comfort? Are we inspired by his example of care. Are we content? Are we controlling ourselves completing the work? And making that commitment.

38. 20:24

    Now, we said those 50 words might be 50 words that might wash around our mind when we share the bread and wine. If not now then maybe those 50 words can wash around this week. when there’s a moment when we just need to pause and reflect on what we have done together this morning, what a privilege brother and sisters that wherever we are, whatever we doing. However, low, we might feel that in effect. The Lord has given us a mind that enables us to listen to the Son of God speaking at the end of his life. I think that’s an amazing privilege and an amazing blessing, which I know I don’t listen to half as much as I ought to as I sit down with and sisters, I’ll remind you. That whilst of course, those are the last words that were spoken on the cross.

39. 21:31

    They’re not the last words that we have recorded that he said, and as we share the Bread and Wine, We can look forward to because he also said Shirley I’m coming quickly.

40. 22:02

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41. 22:18

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42. 22:58

    God, bless and talk to you next week.