Italicized words are added, otherwise content is taken from the ESV Bible
Father, Forgive Them
Today we remember that it is our sin that brought
Jesus to the cross. And it is only
through the blood of Jesus that we find forgiveness.
Though you wash yourself with lye and
use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord
GOD (Jeremiah 2:22). For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God (Romans 3:23) Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified
with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore,
just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world
before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type
of the one who was to come. But
the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s
trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of
that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many (Romans 5:12-15). For the
wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord (Romans 6:23).
It was written surely he has borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by
God, and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on
him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6). And so if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). And, he is able to save to the uttermost
those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make
intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
But who can forgive sins but God alone (Mark 2:7)?
Jesus declared, “This is my
blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins
(Matthew 26:28).
"Father, forgive them, for they know
not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Join me in a
time of humble and grateful adoration of the undeserved forgiveness we find in
the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
You Will be in
Paradise
Not only do we find forgiveness in Jesus’ sacrifice, we are promised the
hope of a future and eternal relationship with God.
Jesus says
truly, truly, I
say to you, whoever believes has eternal
life (John 6:47).
It is written that, as sin
reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21). And this is the
testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1 John
5:11). Therefore, since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access
by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory
of God. (Romans 5:1-2)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever
believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might
be saved through him (John 3:14-17).
And Jesus
promises, truly, truly, I
say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to
life (John 5:24). Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great
in heaven (Matthew 5:12). Anybody who receives this reward shall
hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any
scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their
shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:16-17).
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? (John
14:2).
"Truly,
I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke
23:43)
Join me in prayer as we praise
God for the hope that we have based on God’s promise of eternal life for those
who believe.
Behold Your Son!
Behold Your Mother!
Even in His last hour, Jesus was
caring for His own. One of His primary
means of caring for and providing for His people is through the unity of the
church—His Body.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give
you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). For God has so composed the body…that
there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same
care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member
is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in
which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church
of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure
fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock[…]. And now I
commend you to God and […] (Acts 20:28-32)[ …] a new commandment I
give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are
to love one another. By this all people
will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John
13:34-35). For whoever
loves God must also love his brother (1 John 4:21).
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your
son!" Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother!" (John 19:26-17).
Join me in prayer as we thank God
for the provision of the Body of Christ, and solemnly consider how we can
better carry out His call on our lives.
Why Have You Forsaken
Me?
Sin
means death and eternal separation from God.
Jesus paid the price and experienced the agony of separation from His
Father as He bore our sins.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore I will divide him a portion with the
many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his
soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD (Proverbs 15:9).
Yes, your
iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins
have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and
your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies (Isaiah 59:2-3).
Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace (Isaiah 53:5). And He
cried,
"My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
Join me
in prayer as we acknowledge the agony that Christ endured on our behalf, so
that we might be brought back to God.
I Thirst
To be our perfect sacrifice
Christ was necessarily fully human, while still fully God. He endured the temptation, the pain, and the
suffering that came with that humiliation.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). When the fullness of time had come, God sent
forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were
under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5).
He had to be made like his brothers in
every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in
the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people (Hebrews
2:17).
Humbled, as a human, He experienced
suffering.
He was a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their
faces he was despised (Isaiah 53:3). In
His suffering Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this
cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will,
but yours, be done." And
there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more
earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the
ground (Luke 22:42-44).
They spit in his face and struck him (Matthew 26:67).
After all
of this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said…"I
thirst." (John 19:28).
Join me in prayer as we meditate
on what Christ endured in His humanity, so that He might be our intercessor and
let us pray for strength and guidance to the one who identifies with all our
struggles.
It is Finished
God’s Word promises a covenant
that would bring full victory over the power of Satan. Jesus’ death was the only sacrifice necessary
to atone for our sins once and for all.
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jeremiah
31:31).
Just as
the LORD God said to the serpent, I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her
offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel
(Genesis 3:14). For
the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1
John 3:8).
Just as Jesus explained to His disciples,
"Everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be
accomplished. For he will be
delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and
spit upon. And after flogging
him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." (Luke
18:31-34).
And we know that
Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has
dominion over him. For the
death he died he died to sin, once for all (Romans 6:9-11).
But death is
swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is
your sting? The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:54-56). For Christ also
suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit (1
Peter 3:18).
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of
the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are
continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near […]. Consequently, when Christ came into the
world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a
body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin
offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your
will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither
desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and
sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added,
"Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in
order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every
priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a
single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from
that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has
perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:1-14).
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
Join me
in prayer as we stand in awe of the perfect and complete sacrifice, promised by
God, and given through Jesus’ death on the cross, and understand that there can
never again be a day that we are found guilty under the law.
Into
Your Hands I commit my spirit
Jesus,
the very Son of God, submitted to the authority of God, His Father. Jesus knew that He could perfectly trust in
God’s will. And in His last words before His death He again affirmed that He
came to do the will of the One that sent Him.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I
may take it up again. No one takes it
from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up
again. This charge I have received from
my Father (John 10:17-18).
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of
him who sent me (John 6:38).
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be
done." (Luke 22:42) “I have come to do your will” (Hebrews 10:9).
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice,
said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said
this he breathed his last (Luke 23:46).
In conclusion, join with me in
prayer as we too commit our lives and our purposes to the authority of God. We know that it is only through Jesus’
sacrifice that we can truly live. And we
can trust in and rest in His perfect will even in our struggles.
