The Last Sayings of the Lord Jesus — Mark 4

0:00 This is a great privilege to come and be able to address you all. And I was wondering what I ought to talk about this morning. And as some of you may remember, we had a thing at Bible Fellowship called Bible Memory Association, and we had books we ordered from the association, and and there were scriptures in there to memorize. And in the adult one, there's also a little little text, part of a text that talks about the scriptures that you've memorized and what they mean, and it was a good explanation. And so I use that periodically on occasions like this to find something I think is worth sharing with you all.

0:53 And what I wanna talk about this morning, just briefly, is the glory of Christ in his humiliation. What does that mean? Well, Christ came to Earth as a baby, didn't he? Born in in humble circumstances, and he lived to a certain age, taught, healed, ministered, and then he came to do a work, and that work was to die on the cross of Calvary, and he did that. And there's two things in there you could think of as humiliation.

1:42 We don't like to be humiliated, do we? It means you've been brought down low. Well, Christ, to come to earth at all, to leave the glories of heaven, to become a little baby, completely helpless and dependent on his mom, dad. That was humiliating in a sense, taking a very humble position like that. And then, of course, the cross was a humiliation just to be abused as he was.

2:17 You're all familiar with the details of that. So I'd like us to briefly think about the humiliation Christ suffered because of the curse. He became cursed. The Bible tells us that cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, and that was him on the cross. He was physically abused by those in authority and by nobodies, like the other people that were crucified with him.

2:53 They deserved it, but he didn't. If you turn to Isaiah chapter 53, there's a couple of things about how Christ was humiliated and is described there. Isaiah 53 verses... Verse two and then verse seven. It says...

3:20 It talks about him having no form, no comeliness, and no beauty that we should desire him. And if you notice that when I'm when I'm talking about these various sections, there's things that are all no, things he didn't do or didn't have. And he had no no form, no comeliness, and no beauty that we should desire him. And then secondly, he had no words during his crucifixion. I mean, there were a couple, but essentially, he's...

4:04 He did did not open his mouth. In that part we read, it says he was like a lamb before her shears his tongue, so he opened not his mouth. And then second Corinthians chapter eight verse nine tells us that though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor to make us rich. So in his humiliation, he was rendered poor in this thing... In this world's goods.

4:45 And then when he went to die on the cross, they even gambled for his clothes. But the thing that he did is what makes us rich. So we in his poverty gain our riches, the riches of reconciliation with God and peace with God. So he had no house. Said foxes have dens, but the son of man has no place to to lay down his head.

5:56 He even became obedient to death. Creator God in whom is all life, source of life, became obedient to death. He was the one that formed life, yet went to the cross to pay for our sins. He was humiliated by men, yet he knew no sin. He became sin for us that we who have no righteousness might have the righteousness of God.

6:30 So his humiliation was a blessing to us. It was a thing that even the God the father had to temporarily leave him alone. He said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And that was because he became sin for us. He who knew no sin became sin for us.

7:04 What a God, what a savior we have to worship and to appreciate and to accept. The Bible tells us in probably the best known verse in the entire Bible, John chapter three verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. There's a savior you can believe in.

7:33 Thank you. Hello. I was interested in sharing just a few words about a bible story that I began to look at differently because of a detail I had missed when I had grown up with it. So the story I mentioned in talking about is in Mark chapter four and it's in verse 35 through verse 41, which is the end of the chapter. And you can turn to it.

8:10 But I expect many of you, if you grew up in a Christian home, are familiar with the story. In it, Jesus and the disciples are in a boat. They've left behind some crowds, and they're going across the Sea Of Galilee. And on the way, a huge storm picks up, and the disciples who are in the boat become very afraid. And Jesus is sleeping, and they go.

8:36 They get really concerned for their own safety. They wake him up. They say, you know, master, we perish. And, you know, Christ gets up. He says, peace, be still.

8:50 He calms the wind and the waves, and the disciples are thankful, and also they effectively say, you know, what kind of man is this that even the wind and the waves obey him? And I had, you know, I I even sung the song, you know, the sun was sinking in the West and it goes on, it tells the story about the little ship on the sea. And I envisioned in my mind this ship out there all alone in a big empty sea in a storm. And I thought in part that the message of the story is that the disciples shouldn't have been, you know, so concerned, they should have had faith in Christ. I think that's a useful message, but there's a detail in

9:31 the

9:31 story that doesn't appear in the song, and it's something I never paid much attention to until a little bit later in life. And that detail is in verse 36. It says, leaving the crowds behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. It says, there were also other boats with him. So perhaps you guys are all familiar with this, but I had never really that the time the disciples were in the boat in the storm, there was a whole bunch of other boats traveling with them.

10:09 Now you don't see the disciples, you know, complaining and worrying at the time about all the people in the other boats in the storm. And I think there's a lesson for that for us. Know, the disciples of all of the people in the storm should have been the ones who were least concerned. They were after all the ones in the boat with Jesus, the son of God. They were surrounded by people in other boats in this horrible storm who were not in the boat with Jesus.

10:47 And it seems like in that circumstance, the real concern should not have been for themselves, but for those who were not there present with Jesus at that time. And I think in our lives, we we go through storms. Everybody at one point or another in their life will go through storms. Whether it be illness, whether it be the loss of work, whether it be, you know, being in a part of the country where there's persecution, you know, they they... The storms we can go through range from the tempest in a teapot to the huge all encompassing things that when we're inside we can't see out at all.

11:31 But no matter what kind of storm we're in, no matter what is going on, I think we need to remember that we are in the boat with Jesus. We have that guarantee that no matter what happens to our physical bodies, that we are safe and secure completely in him. But we are surrounded by people in the world who are going through some of these same storms, but they are not in the boat with Jesus. They do not have the guarantees, the insurance, the assurance that we have and so as we go through storms or even when we're not in the middle of the storm ourself, I think we should remember that we have that safety and that we should always be on the lookout for those around us who are going through storms but do not know Christ and that we should be praying and interceding on their behalf with Christ.

13:24 And and John has this interesting way of using his... Referring to himself in a third person. He refers himself as the disciple who Jesus loved and many other times, but here he's referring to himself, he who has seen. He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. So what he's saying is, look, I saw the Lord.

13:54 I saw him. I can tell you it's true. I... I've seen it. I know with my own hands, with my own eyes, and and the the verse in first John, at the beginning of first John brings it out even more.

14:12 First John chapter one. Beginning in verse one. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. The life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the father and was manifested to us, that which we that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And things...

15:00 These things we write to you that your joy may be full. Flip over a couple pages. John chapter... Or first John chapter five verse 13. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of god.

15:28 I appreciate John's writing more and more, although I... I've said it before, I I have difficulty connecting with it. I have more of a, I'll call it a logical mind like Paul and things walk through there. So I I follow him a little bit better. But I've I've been appreciating John more and more as I as I have to struggle for me to understand how he's writing and what he's writing, but his words here ring home true to me, particularly in first John after many years, he's writing these words.

16:02 So he had been with the Lord. He had walked with the Lord. He had been by his side. He had laid his head on his shoulder. He...

16:10 And yet, the Lord had gone. He had ascended to heaven. And now many years, let's call it sixty years or so later, John writes these words and says, I saw him, and now I have seen him. I have handled him, and now I've known him. So so he's known him not just when he was here on earth, but he knew him all this time as he saw the work of the Lord through the the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the time that he'd been gone.

16:44 He can now testify many years later of the of the presence of the Lord in his life and in the church since he was no longer bodily present here on earth. And he writes to us to tell us and writes those words to say, look, I saw it. I've seen it. I know it. I believe it, and I want you to know it and believe it.

17:12 And I'm so thankful for those words that he wrote, inspired by the holy spirit, in his own style, that we can have hope today, that we can not only believe,

17:29 but

17:29 we can have assurance. We can know. We can know that we have eternal life. No. And I'm thankful for that.

18:41 And, you know, many times, I don't know about you guys, but for me, I experience mission creep in my life where I begin to to believe that my real goal in life is to, say, make my wife happy, or my real goal in life is to try to make money or to try to become famous scientists so that everybody, you know, thinks, you know, in my field, there's this this this this great scientist, Nathan Morris. He's this really smart guy. Right? Or there's so many things that we begin to... Because in some ways, we are kinda trying to do those things.

19:36 We begin to let those things become what's really important. And what we're told here is that the the main thing that we're trying to seek, the main thing that should be our object and our vision and our goal is to seek those things which are above. And what is the primary thing which is above? Well, the primary thing that is above is Christ. That's where Christ is.

20:05 And it's to please him and to honor him and to seek those things that are in the future when we'll be with him. That's to be our primary goal in life. And the other things that we do, all of them, we do them for him and for that. And I wanted to just kinda skip a couple verses. Colossians chapter three again.

20:40 Starting with verse 14. But above above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you were called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him. Wives, submit yourself...

21:21 Submit to your own husbands as is fitting to... In the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. He's going through each of these different aspects of our lives.

21:38 We all live in these relationships, whether that's husband, wife, a work relationship. The next thing he goes on, fathers, do not provoke your children unless they become discouraged. Bondservants, that's the work relationships. Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice as men pleaser... Pleasers, but in serious...

21:58 Sincerity of heart, fearing God. For whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of your... Of the inheritance for you see... Serve the Lord Christ, and he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. So, again, just wanted to remind us of the the fact of what our primary goal and our aim in life is is that it's all about serving the Lord Jesus.

22:37 And that that doesn't mean that we change what we're doing. It means that we need to change why we're doing it. Our purpose in everything that we do is to serve the Lord Jesus, and we should recognize that it's to please him, not to please anybody else, and that that is our goal in what we're what we're doing.

23:02 The words of the chorus just running through our mind. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Kind of in keeping with what we've just heard. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

23:44 So Luke chapter 23, and it says in the thirty second verse, and there were two other criminals led with him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on

24:03 the

24:03 left, then Jesus said, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. So this would be perhaps the first of the sayings when the Lord Jesus was actually hanging on the cross. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And we we might find it and probably ought to find it strange that that they had just nailed him to the cross and yet his first response was, father, forgive them. Forgiveness for the undeserving.

24:36 And and how important that is that perhaps as we would look look at ourselves, we might say, yeah. Yeah. I can enter into that forgiveness for the undeserving. That's what he did for me. I didn't deserve it at but he loved me and forgave me forgiveness for the undeserving.

25:00 Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Well, the the the second of the... Of these sayings, I believe, would be in the forty second verse. And to get the context of it, we'll start with the thirty ninth. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us.

25:29 The other answering rebuked him, do you not even fear God seeing that you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed just before we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say unto you, today you will be with me in paradise.

26:00 And so so here here we have one of the two that died with the Lord Jesus. They were criminals, and and it it is it is not inappropriate that the man had said we indeed justly. We're up here on this cross for for a reason, but this man has never done anything. So here was a man in the sinner cross that had not done anything that would deserve the the the anger and wrath of the masses as they would take him and and condemn him, the Romans would cruelly nail him to cross. But but beside them were two men that that manifestly were sinners.

26:46 We all are sinners, but some... It's a little more obvious. Manifestly are sinners, and so and and so the the man looks here and there and says, I I understand. This man doesn't deserve to be here. But he he...

27:07 He's a... He somehow is I I in in my imaginations, how this happens is he's he's nailed it. Here here, probably the two thieves are probably blasphemy or probably angry and yelling at it, but here's a man that just yielded himself, did not fight it, did not blaspheme it, and turns around and actually says, father, forgive them, and then somehow he's smitten in his conscience. Look at me, I... I'm here, I deserve it, but he's...

27:40 He doesn't. And so so a perception that he sees that this

27:47 is

27:47 one who's accepted by God and and per... I maybe would question whether he understood the whole value, sacrificial value of the death of Christ, but he understood that this this man, this must be indeed the Messiah. So he says he says to him, Lord, he calls him Lord, Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me. Think of me. And the Lord Jesus gives this wonderful statement, and I I would call it hope to the hopeless.

28:23 Hope to hopeless. Imagine, you're nailed to a cross. You are nailed to a cross and and there... You're kept... I mean, the soldiers are there guarding, nobody can come along and have mercy on you, But here's a man beside you that exceeds it all.

28:41 Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus says to him, assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Beautiful, isn't it? Well, the the third of the sayings is found in John chapter 19. If could run over to John 19.

29:37 He was being held, he was brought in by his parents into the temple and a man named Ananias comes to a... I think it's... Was it Ananias? Do I have the name right? Anyway, he comes to the Lord Jesus in the temple, and he and and he he had been told that that he wouldn't die until seeing the Lord's Christ.

29:55 And he he comes to the temple, he picks up the baby, and and and he begins to prophecy. One of his prophecies was this. He said to to Mary, he says, yeah, yes, a sword will pierce through your own heart also. And and others may have some thought on it, but I thought probably was referring to this moment as Mary would stand in front of the cross of Jesus and her heart bleeding out, so to speak. She was just destroyed by it.

30:26 A sword shall pierce through your own heart also. Her son. Her son was dying on the cross and and here's the Lord Jesus, the son. And he looks down at his earthly mother and he sees what she's going through. And he and he says to her, woman, behold your son.

30:49 And then he turns around to John. I suppose they're both standing there by the cross. He says, behold your mother. The implication, no doubt, that you you I want you I want you I want this relationship. I want you to have the comfort.

31:06 So I would label this comfort for the sorrowing. Even even in his very death, the Lord Jesus could look out and he could have compassion on his dear mother. Then the the fourth one is in Matthew chapter 27, I believe. Matthew chapter 27 verse 46. We'll start with 45.

31:34 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is, my God, My God. Why have you forsaken me? And and so we see the Lord Jesus at this sacrificial moment when when he the sacrificial moment when he's actually about to give up his life, and and and he's there as the sin offering, sin sacrifice hung up on the cross and there he hangs. But we have to understand that he was the sin offering.

32:27 He was bearing our sins on the cross. As I think Carl mentioned, cursed is everyone that is nailed to a tree. And so so there there is the Lord Jesus up on the cross, and there he is, the sin bearer. And and here's the righteous holy father who, for this moment of sin bearing, allows our Lord Jesus to hang alone on the cross and the Lord Jesus would say, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Not forsaken for any sin of his own, but forsaken for my sins, for your sins.

33:31 They filled it a sponge with sour wine and put it in hyssop and put it to his mouth. So here here's the Lord Jesus in his great physical suffering. You can imagine hanging for six hours in such a condition, bleeding significantly, exhausted beyond measure, and the thirst was maddening. And here's the Lord Jesus says, I thirst. Just two words, but how much they mean and what suffering was beyond those two words.

34:06 And so so here's the Lord Jesus enduring intense, great physical suffering for us on the cross. Then the the sixth of his seven sayings is the thirtieth verse. Now when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost. So so it is finished.

34:35 It is finished. So we like to think of this or or perceive this as as came down here. You know, when he was facing the the cross in in John chapter 12, the the the Lord Jesus said... Was praying to the Father and he says, what shall I say? Father, deliver me from this hour?

34:59 But for this cause came I to this hour. Father, glorify thy name. So so the Lord Jesus had come to the cross for a purpose. He was to be the sacrifice for our sins. He came to the cross for a purpose, and now he could say, as he was about to give up the ghost, he could say, it is finished.

35:23 I've I've done it. I've suffered for your sins, and it's finished, and then he gives up the ghost, the final act. Okay. So if we were in Hebrews 10, we would find that by one offering I'm I'm going to have to turn to... My quota just went out on me.

35:48 Hebrews chapter 10 Hebrews chap... Chap... Chapter 10 verse 12. But this man but this man... We're talking about this man who said, I'm finished.

36:03 This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, a finished work, good forever and ever and ever. That's what the Lord Jesus did. Now let's just close by looking at the last one, which is, it's found in, Luke twenty three forty six. Luke twenty three forty six. And so we had already said he said it's finished and he gave up the ghost.

36:52 Passages seemed to be mad. So I I had taken out that taken it that he would said in a loud, almost victorious verse, it is finished, you know, and and then then he he quietly said... Quietly says, father, into your hands I commend my spirit. I thought, as closing, I thought that this was beautiful in this particular sense that the Lord Jesus had power over death himself to dispense his own spirit. Think of that.

37:30 Now it... Now I I thought, you know, if you were to turn over to the to the death of Stephen, you'd see that he also commended his his spirit into the hands of the father, but it was... Wasn't the same. He didn't dismiss it in the same sense. The Lord Jesus dismissed his spirit.

37:45 And and there's... It's interesting, and and I think I'm gonna take the time just to read the verse and then we'll close. It's significant that in the in the... Let me get the reference. In the tenth chapter of John, in the tenth chapter of John verses seventeen eighteen, the Lord Jesus says this, therefore, my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again.

38:18 No one takes it from me. Now isn't that a little bit awesome? No one takes... They couldn't kill him until he until he was ready to to go. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself.

38:30 I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received from my father, a man who, in his death, had power over death. And how much more wonderful still, brethren, that that that same man has power to grant life to you and me if we would trust in him. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

38:51 That's the gospel message that he grants to us. Let's just pray in our meeting. Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus, the precious savior of sinners, the one who endured all for us, and we pray, father, that each one here would trust in this precious savior whose love never ends. We pray in his name. Amen.