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Jesus died on the cross     [John 19:30; Mark 15:42-46]     Last Sunday was observed as Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday is said to be Palm Sunday based on the word of welcoming Jesus with palm branches.  Jesus would enter Jerusalem ahead of the feast.  That feast was the Passover.  In other words, Passover is the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Then, 50 days later, there is the Feast of Pentecost or Weeks or Harvest.  Then there is the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:2).  The Feast of Tabernacles was called the Feast of Ingathering in the Old Testament (Exod. 23:16; 34:22).  The Israelites, wherever they were, went up to Jerusalem to observe these three great feasts.  There were only a few people living in the city of Jerusalem, but at many times, about 2 million people gathered in the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the festival.  So, when Jesus entered Jerusalem during the Passover feast, many people came out to greet ...

Seven words on the cross (7)       [Luke 23:44-46]     This is the seventh word Jesus said on the cross: “Father into your hands I commend my spirt” (Lk. 23:46).   A scholar named Arthur Pink called this seventh word of Jesus ‘the word of satisfaction.  ‘It was an act of satisfaction, an act of faith, an act of trust, an act of love,’ he said.  Arthur Pink divided this word of satisfaction into seven parts and explained them in detail: (1) Here we see the Savior restored to fellowship with the Father.  (2) Here we see a deliberate contrast.  (3) Here we see Christ's perfect submission to God.  (4) Here we see the absolute uniqueness of the Savior.  (5) Here we see a perfect refuge forever.  (6) Here we see how blessed fellowship with God is.  (7) Here we see the true resting place of the heart.  Today I would like to consider the first of these seven, “Here we see the Savior restored to fellowsh...

Seven words on the cross (6)       [John 19:28-30]                      This is the fifth words Jesus said on the cross: “I am thirsty” (Jn. 19:28).   Jesus obeyed God's covenant on the cross and said, "I am thirsty" (v. 28) to fulfill Psalms 69:21, “knowing that all things have already been accomplished” (Jn. 19:28).   Immediately one of those present ran and took something like a sponge, soaked it in sour wine and put it on a reed (Mt 27:48; Mk 15:36), brought it to the mouth of Jesus who was nailed to the cross.   At that time, Jesus received the sour wine (Jn. 19:29-30).   The sour wine that Jesus received here was vinegar.   The fact that Jesus, who was thirsty, received vinegar would have made Him more thirsty, suffered more, and brought Him closer to death.   A scholar named John Stott said that after Jesus received this sour wine, He sai...

Seven words on the cross (5)         [John 19:28-30]       The fourth word Jesus spoke on the cross was “Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani” (Mt. 27:46).  This word of Jesus is Aramaic, and its’ meaning is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (v. 46).  What the fourth word of Jesus on the cross shows us is that God is just and holy, so He not only has no sin, but also Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, who knows no sin, bore my sins, our sins, and all our sins and redeemed us and saved us by taking on our sins and throwing them away on the cross as the payment for our sins.  Also, this fourth word of Jesus on the cross shows how heavy and terrifying the price of our sins is.  And this word shows that King David's prophecy of Psalms 22:1 was fulfilled.  In addition, the words of Jesus on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani,” show us God’s love concretely and clearly.   When Jesus cried out “Eli, E...

“Eli Eli lama sabachthani”       [Mark 15:33-36]       This is the fourth word Jesus said on the cross: “Eli Eli lama sabachthani.”   Look at Mark 15:34 – “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’-- which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”   During the Wednesday service last week, we meditated on the fourth word of Jesus on the cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama, sabachthani,” centered on Matthew 27:46.   About 700 years before Jesus Christ came to this world, the prophet Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:7 that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would be silent.   And according to this prophecy, Jesus was silent.   But before dying on the cross, He cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Mt. 27:46).   Even though Jesus had no sin, He was forsaken by Heavenly Father because of our sins, so He cried out loudly, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ...

Seven words on the cross (4)       [Matthew 27:45-49]                       This is the fourth word Jesus said on the cross: “Eli Eli lama sabachthani.”                    Look at Matthew 27:46 – “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”   Here, “About the ninth hour” means about three in the afternoon (v. 46).  And when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, it means that He cried out to Heavenly Father with a loud voice.  Here, when Jesus cried out on the cross, it means that Jesus desperately cried out to Heavenly Father with all His might.                   About 700 years ago, the pro...