The Seven Last Words of Christ From The Cross

The First Word:
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
–Luke 23:34

It makes sense that the first word of Jesus from the cross is a word of forgiveness. That’s the point of the cross. after all. Jesus is dying so that we might be forgiven for our sins.

 

The Second Word:
“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
–Luke 23:43

We are welcome there not because God is merciful and we have put our trust in Jesus.

 

The Third Word:
“Dear woman, here is your son.”
–John 19:26

We are reminded that Jesus was a real human being, a man who had once been a boy who had once been carried in the womb of his mother. Even as he was dying on the cross as the Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he didn’t neglect in his last moments.

 

The Fourth Word:
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
–Mark 15:34

Jesus entered into the Hell of separation from God. The Father abandoned him because Jesus took upon himself the penalty for our sins. In that excruciating moment, he experienced something far more horrible than physical pain. The beloved Son of God knew what it was like to be rejected by the Father.

 

The Fifth Word:
“I am thirsty.”
–John 19:28

John notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical reality, but also in order to fulfill the Scripture. Though there is no specific reference in the text of the Gospel, it’s likely that John was thinking of Psalm 69, which includes this passage: “if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”

 

The Sixth Word:
“It is finished!”
–John 19:30

Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God. We know that nothing can separate us from God’s love.

 

The Seventh Word:
“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”
–Luke 23:46

“I entrust my spirit into your hands” points back to the familiar suffering of David in Psalm 31, and forward to the resurrection.

Have you accepted God’s salvation through Christ?

Father’s Day 2012 (The Greatest Father)

Most likely you have already been bombarded today by articles, blogs, TV reports, etc., all filled with quotes, Scripture, and numerous anecdotes. I know how you feel. It’s the same trite “stuff” every year. I realize that as a Minister you may be assuming that I might be about to express my love of our Heavenly Father peppered with appropriate Scripture and dazzle you with my wit. No. I am not going to do that today. Instead, I’m going to tell you a story about the greatest Father on the planet.

That’s my Dad.

I was born with multiple disAbilities. I was a handful to care for, but my Father simply saw me as his son. In my early years I went from having a full body cast to huge awkward braces and eventually braces worn at night until doctors realized the futility of their folly.

Despite all that, my parents loved going “down the shore” and they brought me and my hardware along with them. One of their favorite beaches was on the bay west of (the now infamous) Seaside Heights. My Dad would pick me up and carry me out above the water. He had to balance me so either my cast or braces would not touch the water. He carefully tipped me forward so I could feel the saltwater on my hands. He went out far enough so we could bob in the waves. I could feel what it was like to float in the sea while safely in his arms above the waves of the bay.

This was perhaps the greatest thing that a Father could do for his son. Thank you. I love you.

I still value every trip I take “down the shore” whether to watch the sunrise or enjoy the sights and sounds. I think of my Dad on every visit.

My Father gave me many valuable “gifts” throughout my life from learning to drive, how to hold a hammer and especially the importance of respecting people despite their race. His example of helping others day or night was part of the inspiration behind the creation of my Ministry. My Father is a great man.

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Involved Fathers Produce Better Children

A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science confirms what many in the Christian community have been saying: Children whose fathers live with them and are actively engaged in their lives have higher IQs and fewer behavioral problems than those in single-parent homes headed by moms.

“This new study supports a wealth of existing data published over the last 30 years, showing that dads bring things that are essential to healthy child-development, and primarily because of the particular ways they tend to play with their children, being more physical and unpredictable,” noted Glenn T. Stanton, director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family. Mr. Stanton examines the topic in detail in his book Secure Daughters, Confident Sons.

“Father play provides kids with a range of important experiences — many of them building things like a greater sense of confidence as well as empathy toward others — that mom’s way of play is just not as likely to stimulate.”

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
— Ephesians 6:4

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
— Proverbs 22:6

A Father’s Excruciating Decision

There was a Pastor, who after the usual Sunday Evening Hymns, stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in service that evening. In the introduction, the Pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak.

“A father, his son, and a friend of his were sailing off of the Pacific Coast,” He began, “When a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.” The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

The aged minister continued with his story, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves.

“As the father yelled out, ‘I love you son!’ He threw out the lifeline to his son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.” By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth.

“The father,” he continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save his son’s friend…”

With that the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The Pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side.

“That was a nice story,” politely stated the boys. “But I don’t think it was realistic for a father to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”

“Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied glancing down at the worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t realistic, is it? But I’m standing today to tell you that the story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His only son for me. You see, I was the father and your Pastor was my son’s friend.”