Thank God that today my church’s pastor, Pastor JJ Lim, preached a very heart searching and heart warming sermon on the seventh words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was on the cross, “I commend my spirit” from Luke 23:46:
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
Pastor JJ has been leading my church through a study of the seven Words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was on the cross.
These seventh words were:
1) Word of Forgiveness: “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This is a prayer shortly after He was nailed to the cross, showing forth His meekness.
2) Word of Salvation: “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). These are the words of salvation to the penitent sinner - come with nothing in our hands, simply with faith in our heart.
3) Word of Affection: “Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26). These are words of affection, words that shows our Lord’s selflessness.
4) Word of Anguish: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The Son of God bearing the sins of the world - the deep suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of His people. He experienced as it was hell, as He saw the wrath of God against His people because of our sins.
5) Word of Suffering : “I thirst” (John 19:28). He suffered not just spiritually, but physically as well.
6) Word of Victory: “It is finished!” (John 19:30) His work of sacrifice is completed.
7) Word of Contentment: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Now as our Lord bowed His head to give up the ghost, He said these words in Luke 23:46 which summarizes our Lord’s mediatorial work as fulfilled in His role as our Prophet, Priest and King.
My Pastor reminded us that no one can lay down his life the way our Lord Jesus Christ did. There is in some way true that one can lay down his life for another. But none can do as what our Lord did. Our Lord did not commit suicide, He willingly gave up the ghost (soul/spirit) as the God-Man. He yielded/ delivered/handed over His soul/spirit to His Father. He was in full control. Our Lord laid down His life willingly and by His power. He laid down His life and take it up again at His resurrection.
John 10:11, 15, 17, 18
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Pastor JJ encouraged us that we can trust our Lord Jesus Christ to lead us with His hands through all the changing scenes of life knowing that He is sovereign and in full control of all things. This is such a comforting thought to me as I considered afresh of how the Lord has led me through many trials and tribulations in my life. Truly, I can safely trust in Him no matter what He allows me to go through, as He is with me to bring me safely through it. I can trust in Him because He is God and in total control.
Pastor JJ reminded us that when our Lord laid down His life on the cross, the sacrifice of our Lord is accepted by God and the wrath of God against the sins of His people are quenched. And that is why our Lord uttered such comforting words, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:”.
Our Lord must taste death so that we might be raised up together with Him, that we can be adopted into the family of God and enjoy His communion. By our Lord’s death on the cross, He shows us not only the way to life but of life. The redemptive works of Christ always speaks of the death of Christ.
Pastor JJ exhorted us that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ is also to set an example for us. God in John 15:13 tells us that “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). Pastor JJ said an important mark of a true believer is that he loves his brethren. He asked us to consider the following verses from the Bible:
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16
1 John 2:9-11
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:14-15
Today, my church commemorated our Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross to redeem us from sins and eternal condemnation, by partaking of the Lord’s Supper together. As we prepare to come to the Lord’s table, my Pastor exhorted us to examine our hearts to see if we are bearing grudges against any brethren. And if we do, to confess our sins and ask the Lord to forgive us, and we must resolve to forgive and be reconciled to this person. As we come together to the table, we are to come knowing that we do not deserved to be received as we have no righteousness of our own but we come in the name of our Lord, in His righteousness. May God teach us to be more like His Son, to be willing to lay down our life and humble ourselves for the sake of our brethren, so that we can have fellowship with God and His Son, that God may lead us to walk as Christian, walking as a soldier of Jesus Christ.
Thank God for this very encouraging message that Pastor JJ delivered to us. There are many more lessons which we can learn from this encouraging sermon which you can download from my church’s website when it is available in .mp3 format.
This reminder of our Lord’s great love for us by laying down His life for us is always a great encouragement to me. It never cease to amaze me of God’s love for sinners like us. As I consider my own sins, failures and weaknesses, and how I often failed the Lord despite His consistent love and patience, I am greatly moved to seek more of His grace to walk with Him afresh, and to love Him and His people more and more. I know that I cannot do it of myself. I need the Lord’s grace and strength.
To remember once again the deep sufferings He has gone through for us, together as a church, reminds me once again for the need to love our brethren irrespective of the differences in our personality or theological bias. Our Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life not only to save us but to set an example for us that we may learn to lay down our life for our brethren. This laying down of our life may not be literal most of the time. Few of us will be called to literally lay down our life for our Lord or our brethren. But we lay down our life for the Lord and our brethren when we esteem our Lord and His people better than ourselves. We lay down our life for our brethren when we willingly suffer losses for their sakes.
There is so much to learn afresh always of the love of God and His sovereignty. It is our strongest comfort and encouragement as we press on in our pilgrim journey. Though in this life we may have many challenges, sicknesses and tribulations but God enables us to walk joyfully in Him and to sing praises unto Him whenever He fills our hearts with His love. May God enable us to know the love of Christ in our hearts and remember His love in laying down His life for us so that we may live in Him, through Him and for Him.
Ephesians 3:14-19
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
I am reminded of a hymn/poem I like very much, “The Love of God”. I like the way the love of God is being described as greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above, would drain the oceon dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky! How true! The immeasurable depths and heights of God’s love! It has to be experienced to know what it means and even then we cannot fathom the whole of it.
It is interesting to note that this 3rd stanza, which I like very much, had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave, the general opinion was that this inmate had written the epic in moments of sanity (quoted from Cyber Hymnal website).
The Love of God
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Chorus: O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Chorus: O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Chorus: O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen!
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