Parkwood Baptist Church

“After this, Jesus, knowing all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst’.” – John 19:28

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a  cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8

“By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God…” – 1 John 4:4

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us the with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:15, 16

Jesus knows how I feel.  He knows my struggle.  He knows what I need.  How can one word  say so much?

Yesterday, our meditation on this one word from the cross reminded us that every detail of the cross was part of the divine plan of God.  The cross was not some kind of “trap” set by Satan that Jesus happened to get caught in.  It was the ultimate act of sacrificial love for our salvation.

Today this single word, this cry from the cross reminds us of the “humanity” of Jesus.  The Scriptures tell us that it is very important to understand that “God became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).  The mystery of the incarnation is that Jesus was fully God and fully human.  He was not some type of phantom or ghost that could not experience the things of life that we experience.  His divinity did not somehow insulate Him from “real life” on this earth!

The verses above from Philippians explain that He willingly emptied Himself…set aside His divine privileges in order to relate to us and, then, to model for us what a godly life looks like.  He did it so that He could sympathize with us when we call to Him in pain and suffering and encourage us by His example.  He did not use some spiritual “get out of jail free” card to skip over the problems of living on this earth.  He did not opt out of the pains of life or even part of them.  He got tired and fell asleep.  He got angry and frustrated.  He felt the warmth of the sun and the chill of the rain.  He got hungry and…yes, He got thirsty.

It is important to know this about Jesus because He is a God who has “been there and done that”.  He is not a God who cannot relate to us…a God who is aloft and doesn’t understand how we feel or what we are going through.  No, He knows what it is to be lonely and betrayed by friends.  He knows what it feels like not to live up to the expectations of others.  He knows what it is like to be in physical pain and mental anguish.  The Book of Hebrews tells us that our Savior knows you and understands how you feel.  He has walked where you are walking.  You can go to Him for help and comfort…He knows what you need…and, with compassion, He is able to provide it.

Today, come to the cross and look upon a God who loves you and knows how you feel.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”              – John 1:1, 14

“Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair.  I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.  They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”           – Psalm 69:20, 21

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now  finished, said (to fulfill Scripture), ‘I thirst.’   A jar of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine o a hyssop branch and held it to His mouth.” – John 19:28, 29

Today we begin to look at the shortest of the seven phrases that Jesus says from the cross.  In fact, this is just one word in the Greek, dipsao…”I thirst”.  John lets us know that even this one word was spoken by Jesus for a reason.  There was a purpose behind it.  He reminds us that every moment, every action, and every word was planned from the beginning.  Yes, even this one word reminds us again that this was all God’s idea.  It was all part of the divine plan to redeem the world to Himself.  Even this one word was spoken “to fulfill the Scripture”.

Today we must remember that the crucifixion of Jesus was no accident.  It was God’s intention from the beginning.  God had revealed it through His prophets in the Old Testament and mapped out everything.  From the miraculous virgin birth in Bethlehem to the burial in the garden tomb.  Every detail…every word.  The cross was God’s demonstration of His love for us (Romans 5:8).

Therefore, it was not Satan’s evil plot to defeat God and take over the world.  He did not “win” the day or, even the hour.  The cross was not a battle.  It was not a temporary victory for evil.  It was not a “set back” for our Creator.  The victory has always been the Lord’s!  Jesus  went to the cross for you willingly as part of the eternal plan of our loving Father.  He has always been the Almighty God and He has no rival.   Contrary to some of our traditions, the Scripture tells us that the last thing our enemy wanted was for Jesus to die for our sins.  He took every opportunity to tempt Jesus away from the cross.  Matthew tells us that he even used the disciples to try to distract Jesus from His purpose and keep Him from going the way of the cross.

“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord!  This shall never happen to you.’  But He turned and said  to Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan!  You are a hindrance to me.  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'” – Matthew 16:21-23

Today on our Lenten journey we need to be reminded that Jesus died for our sin willingly as a fulfillment of God’s loving plan for our salvation.  Today let us be grateful for every moment, every detail and, yes, every word that was offered for our salvation.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...a Sabbath to the LORD.”                                                            – Exodus 20:8-10

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room ad shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  Pray then like this:  Our Father…”                                                                       – Matthew 6:5-9

The Sabbath day is a special day or moment that is different…distinct from other days or moments.  It is “Holy to the LORD” so it is set aside…separate…special.  That is what it means when something is holy in the Scripture.  It is not that the particular bowl or cup or day is somehow more valuable itself.  That item or time or prayer is holy because it is set apart for ONLY one purpose and that purpose alone.  In the case of the Sabbath, it is “Holy unto the LORD”.

So, to be clear, we are called to take rest or Sabbath in our lives on a regular basis.  It is the way we are created.  It restores us.  But, we also must understand that we need to set aside regular times that are “holy to the LORD”.  In other words, time that is set aside for God alone.  The Sabbath principle is not “me time” it is “God time”.  It is time that is holy to the LORD.  Rest is good.  “Me time” to relax and decompress is necessary, but there needs to be time for you and your heavenly Father…one on one.

Jesus even used this principle when it came to prayer.  We should pray always.  We should pray for others and with others, but then there is special times of prayer…holy to the LORD.  These are times that Jesus says we go into our closet and shut the door and pray…in secret…just you and God.

Have you done that lately?  Have you had a moment lately that was holy, set apart for God alone?  You go into the quiet room and you shut the door and it becomes a holy moment…a holy conversation…just between you and your Master.  When Jesus describes this kind of prayer He is describing a holy moment.  The place becomes holy.  The time becomes holy.  The words become holy.  Everything is focused only on the Lord.  It is different…deeper…more personal…holy.

Today for your Sabbath, I would suggest that you set aside a time and a place and make it holy to the Lord.  It doesn’t have to be long.  It doesn’t have to be eloquent.  It simply needs to be His and His alone.  Go in…shut the door…and have a holy moment with your Savior.

“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain!  Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near…” – Joel 2:1

“And Jesus went throughout the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.  When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’  And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.” – Matthew 9:35-10:1

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” – Isaiah 52:7

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him…But the other (criminal) rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'” – Luke 23:39-41

This morning I was suddenly awaken from sleep by the sound of my alarm.  This is unusual because, most of the time, I wake up before it goes off.  However, I still set it every night…”just in case”.   Occasionally I am enjoying the my slumber just a little too much and I have to experience that uncomfortable wake up call that reminds me that I have things to do today!  Sleep is nice but, it’s time to get up and get to it!

Our meditation on the cross and on the words of Jesus this Lenten season are not only a reminder of the wonder of our salvation, it is a wake up call for us that there are still many who do not believe…many who are lost…many who are on the path to suffer the consequences for their own sinful condition…death.

The words of the second criminal have been a source of comfort for believers for thousands of years for many of the reasons that we have looked at this week.  The last minute salvation of a dying sinner gives us hope.  The promise of Jesus about Paradise and His presence gives us peace…and we enjoy the “blessed of assurance” of our salvation.  This is good and a gift from the Lord, but…this short dialogue between these three men is also a startling alarm  that there are those who still do not know.  Those who have not heard.  Those who do not understand.

The second criminal…the thief…was preaching the good news to the other on the cross!  His faith was revealed in his words and the response of Jesus but they were spoken to the other man who had not yet believed.

“Hey, don’t you know who this is?  He is who He claims to be!  He is the Christ and He is saving us at this very moment even though we don’t deserve it.  You just need to believe it and you can live!”

Sometimes we need the alarm to wake us from the comfort of our salvation and realize that there are still people who need to here the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It’s time to get up!  Today is a good day to share the good news!  Blessings!

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'” – John 11:25, 26

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ?  Save yourself and us!’  But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’  And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’  And He said to  him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” – Luke 23:39-43

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”                                              – Ephesians 2:8, 9

The last few days, we have been meditating on the beautiful salvation experience of the thief on the cross next to Jesus.  It reveals to us so many wonderful things about our loving Father and the salvation that He offers to all of us who believe and come to Him in faith.  These compassionate words of Jesus are spoken during the very “work” necessary to make our redemption possible!

The Scripture tells us that God Himself did ALL that was needed for lost sinners to experience His amazing “grace”.  We cannot earn it…we cannot work for it…we can never be good enough…we are all sinners and the “wages” (consequence) is death.   The only way we can receive it is by faith…believing in Him.

Today I want to remind you that there were two criminals crucified with Jesus.  One who believed and was welcomed into the Kingdom and one who, tragically, did not believe.  The “good news” that we celebrate is that God created everyone and loves us all.  He died on the cross for everyone, providing us forgiveness of sin and new life with Him forever!  The Truth of the Gospel is that God has done the work.  What you could not do…He did.  The wages of your sin has been paid and His grace is free for the receiving for those who come to Him by faith…those who believe in Him.  It is a universal invitation to all people!

But, we must remember that there were two criminals…sinners…crucified with Jesus.  One responded and one did not.  One believed and one did not.  This should remind us of the truth that the marvelous grace that we cannot earn is only available by faith. Though we can do nothing to make it POSSIBLE we must believe to make it PERSONAL.  God’s grace makes it possible and one’s faith makes it personal.  This is the whole Gospel…both aspects…both necessary for salvation.

The two criminals at the cross are an illustration of the decision we all face when we stand before the cross of Jesus.  A decision between life and death.  A decision that determines our eternal destination.  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life!  The question is the same for us as it was for Martha in the verses above…the same as for the criminals on the cross…”Do you believe?”

“Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I  will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:1-3

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” – Luke 23:42, 43

There is a place.  A place that has been prepared…for you.  It is not just a hope and a prayer.  It is not just a dream or “make believe”.  It is a real place.  Jesus talked about it all the time.  He was looking forward to going back there…to the Father’s house…home.

It is a place where Jesus is.  His promise to the disciples in the upper room and to the thief on the cross was that He would see them there.  In other words…”I’ll get things ready and we will meet there and hang out!”

Several things to think about as we think about our eternal home.  First, there is a place for you!  It has been prepared.  No one comes into heaven and has to look for a seat.  “Oh…we weren’t sure you were going to make it.  Wait right here while we find you a place.”  No…Paradise is a place where you will be expected.  You will feel at home there.  “Yes, we have a place already set just for you.”

Yes, believer, this is more than words of comfort to us to help get through the trials of this life.  This is something to look forward to.  Jesus is giving His disciples and this new believer on the cross next to Him a destination!

This changes your perspective when you are headed somewhere.  The long drive on a family vacation, the traffic, the uncomfortable car are all much more bearable when everyone is filled with excitement…anticipating the arrival at your final destination…the “place” reserved for you.

It is good to know as we make our way through the ups and downs of this world that we are headed somewhere.  There is a destination.  You are on the way and Jesus has gone before you.  It’s good to know that He is prepared for you…expecting you.

Have you accepted His invitation to His Father’s house.  He has a place for you.  He wants you to come.  He loves you and has created you and a spot for you in His Kingdom.  You’re going to love it!

“So, he told them this parable:  ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until  he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.'” – Luke 15:4-7

“And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” – Luke 23:43

Was there joy at the foot of the cross?  I don’t mean the smug smiles of the jealous Pharisees or the mild amusements of the soldiers and their gambling games, I’m talking about the joy of a sinner coming into the Kingdom…the lost being found.  Our hymns and traditions talk a lot about the “weeping” of all of heaven as Jesus was dying on the cross for our sins, but I believe Jesus…once again…reminds us through this “eleventh hour” conversion that there is joy when salvation is experienced.

Yes, there was joy around the cross!  Jesus told us in the Scripture above that there is a party in heaven when even one sinner repents.  What did the angels think when they heard the party music start up?  Even while on the cross Jesus was bringing lost sheep home!  He was, once again, turning heaven and earth upside down.  He was carrying the thief into heaven on His bloody shoulders calling together the hosts of heaven,

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!”

Yes, there was joy around the cross!  All of heaven was rejoicing over this one who had been found!  Even the thief must have experienced the joy of being redeemed and loved even through his physical pain.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was rejoicing that a lost sheep was found!  Yes, there was joy, but what about the small group of disciples?

Again we need to be reminded that our source for these words of Jesus are a small group of women and the disciple John.  What did they think when they heard Jesus speak words of forgiveness from the cross?  What was their reaction when He showed mercy to the criminal in response to his request?  Even the beloved John must have been a little taken aback when Jesus offered this “riff-raff” a golden ticket to Paradise.  Or…maybe…they remembered what Jesus taught them about the lost sheep and the lost coin…the lost son.

“When the lost is found…those at home throw a party!”

Many of us have forgotten the joy of being found and when others find their way we find ourselves more in line with the older brother in that famous parable…”Where’s my party?  I have been faithful all these years and this guy gets in at the last minute?” (Luke 15:25-30).

I believe that when John and the others shared this story with those in the upper room that there was joy.   I can imagine some smiling and shaking their heads saying, “Well, that’s just like Jesus”

Let us renew the joy of our salvation today and share the love of Jesus with others that need it so they can too.

“And Moses said, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?'” – Exodus 33:15, 16

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”                                   – Psalm 23:4

“Fear not for I am with you:  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

“And behold, I am with you always…” – Matthew 28:20

“And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” – Luke 23:43

The promise that Jesus gives to this man on the cross next to Him is one that He makes to each of us that call upon His name in faith…fellowship with Jesus.  To be with Him is our greatest reward and the only one that matters!  Our salvation is the restoration of a long time broken relationship between us and the One who made us…and who loves us.

The Scriptures are clear that it is His presence that brings us comfort.  It is His presence that defines us as His people.  When God told Moses that He would not go into the promised land with the people, Moses said to God that he would rather stay in the wilderness with God than go into the promised land without Him.  His presence is everything!

His presence was the source of David’s confidence in his life.  It seemed to be the most important part of his prayers throughout the Psalms, even when he had messed things up he prayed,

“Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” – Psalm 51:11

Yes, the salvation we receive from the Lord gives us eternal life and a dwelling place in heaven, but it also begins a beautiful relationship now…today.  Jesus described the experience to the disciple John like this,

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 4:20

The thief on the cross only had a few more hours to live but his last few hours were spent with Jesus.  The promise of Jesus was more than just a comfort about where he would spend eternity…it was a source of peace and strength in that very moment.  In his last hours he knew he was loved.  He knew he was right with God.  He knew that he was forgiven and…for the first time…free from the sins that had enslaved him.

Believer, we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy fellowship with Jesus.  He is with you today!  He is there with you in the midst of your chaos.  He is there with you in the celebrations of life.  He is there with you through the “valleys” as well.

Today, take advantage of it!  He is with you!  It is the truth that will change your day…Jesus says to you,

“Today you will be with me…”

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  – ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'” – Mark 5:25-27, 34

Testimony:  I was at the end of my rope.  I had tried everything; nothing helped.  For twelve years I spent all I had on doctors and medicine and came up empty…and I was empty…unclean…untouchable.  I heard about this Jesus and how He healed many by His “touch”, but He would never touch me and I wouldn’t be allowed to touch Him, but maybe, if I somehow got close enough to touch the edge of His cloak…

“One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’ – Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’  And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.”                                  – John 5:5-6, 8-9

Testimony:  I had been unable to walk for 38 years.  Even family and friends had given up on me.  They took me to the pool at Bethesda where many sick and crippled had been left to die.  It was a “last hope” kind of place.  It was said that an angel would occasionally stir the waters and the first one in the pool got healed.  Talk about a mad rush.  It didn’t matter to me.  I didn’t really care anymore.  I didn’t have anyone to help me…I had been abandoned.  But then Jesus came into the courtyard and came to me…

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth…Then He anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’…So he went and and washed and came back seeing.” – John 9:1

Testimony:  I’m not exactly sure how it all happened.  I am blind..or, I mean…I was blind.  It was the way I was born.  No one knows why.  All my life my parents would set me out by the pathway that led to the Temple to beg for alms.  I never knew anything else.  Then this guy named Jesus came by and I heard Him talking about being the “Light in the world” and the next thing I know He is putting something on my eyes and…short story…brought light into my world.

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’  And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” –  Luke 23:42-43

Testimony:  I had been tried and convicted and sentenced to death.  The Romans didn’t always get it right, but in my case, they did.  I was guilty as charged and was getting what I deserved.  I had really messed up my life and had been a disappointment to everyone who cared about me.  Today was the end.  As I hung there, I recognized the face of the one next to me.  Yes, it was Jesus.  I had heard Him speak and I knew about His miracles.  When I saw Him, I knew that He was the real deal…I could just tell.  I knew He didn’t deserve this and I knew I didn’t deserve His attention…but, maybe…

What’s your story?  Whether you are at the end of your rope or the end of your life, there is always hope with Jesus.

“Again He entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Come here.’ And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. And He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held council with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him.” – Mark 3:1-6

Sabbath or rest is often defined by what we cannot do.  For most of us rest is doing nothing.  My doctor asked me the other day, “What do you do to rest or relax?”  Do? I thought resting was when you stopped doing?…you know…just “veg” out…chill.  The less you do the more you are getting rest.  Right?  Not necessarily.  Turns out that rest has as much to do with what you do as it does with what you don’t do.  The restoration of your mind and body actually increases when you are doing something you love or helping someone else.  Hmmmmm.

Unfortunately, our attitude seems to lean toward that of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  For hundreds, maybe thousands, of years they had focused on the Sabbath experience as a day when you did less of some things and none of other things.  In other words, Sabbath was more about what you did NOT do rather than what you did.

So, it must have really bothered them when Jesus asked what them what it was lawful to do on the Sabbath or to do harm?  “Do?”  

It is true that a big part of the practice of Sabbath is being “off”…not “working”…doing less, but if it is only that than we miss part of the purpose of the Sabbath which is freeing up time to do good…to help…to heal.

Today, on this Sabbath, take time to think about what you will do to rest not just what you will not do.  What would be something you could do that would refresh you and bring you joy…and joy to others.  Relax in the Lord today.  carve out some time to do good and, you might be surprised how much good it will do you!