All righty. Good morning, Brother Johnson. Morning, sir. Good morning, all. Morning, Brother Johnson. Morning, Brother Johnson. They said they loved you. Karen said hi. Karen said hi. All right, all right. Make sure you have a copy of the scripture there this morning. We're going to deal with Christ crucified in Luke. We're going to get into the resurrection a little bit here, and then with some thoughts in that. And so let's go to the Lord in prayer one more time. Ask God's blessings upon this. Heavenly Father, as we come to you right now in the name of Jesus, dear God, forgive us of sin. Cleanse us, O Lord. And then, Father, grant us a filling of the Holy Spirit for your service. And then, God, open our understanding that we might understand the scriptures. And now, Father, glorify yourself in what's done. We ask it in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Luke 23, 32 to 49. And then we'll be looking at Luke 24, 1 to 12, and then Romans 8, some. We start off this crucifixion. A little different today, I want to take, and we've looked at Christ crucified in Matthew, Christ crucified in Mark, but now it's time for us to bring some things home to us. And so that's what I want to do. I want to show you some things. Lean back, take this, because boy, there's some stuff in here that's just challenging, unbelievable. Let's read Luke 23, 32, 33, and 34. And there were also two other malfactors led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots. I want you to know as we look at this now, Christ crucified here in Luke, let's learn some things. Let's be challenged by some things. All right? I want you to know, I just read to you one of the hardest things for you and me to do. I just read to you one of the most challenging things in the word of God for me and you to do. But God said, boy, if you don't forgive, you're not gonna get forgiveness. But look at this. There's things that's happened in my life, in your life, and we would have thought for sure that there's no way I'm gonna forgive. Every time I pray to God, I'm just gonna pray, God, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits. May their socks rot and their feet fall off, everything. But look at this, regardless of how bad you've been treated, regardless of how bad I've been treated, regardless of how bad we've been treated and our forefathers have been treated, burnt at the stake, everything taken from them, you imagine it, it happened to them. Now here's Jesus, the absolute sinless Son of God, no sin, right? And look what he says. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. That one statement has challenged me and challenged me and challenged me. It's caused me to sit down and cry and get up and still be mad about things. Just think about this. He's saying, for they know not what they do. Now just think about this. Here they are crucifying the Son of God, the sinless Son of God. And he says, forgive them for they know not what they do. I want you to think about this. The people that abuse you, mistreat you, so on and so forth. I want you to realize they don't know what they're doing. And the Lord says, forgive them. for they know not what they do. I want you to know, ladies and gentlemen, that's got to be one of the biggest challenges in the word of God for you and me. I mean, all kinds of family issues, things contrary to the very essence of God himself, and he says they don't know what they're doing. Boy, it just rattles you sometimes, doesn't it? Think about that, of how people have abused you and will. Even the Bible says that sometimes they'll kill you thinking that they're doing God's service. Here they're killing Jesus. And he says, they know not what they do. That's amazing. Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Now listen to me. The Bible says the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, huh? If there's prayers that's going to be answered, The prayers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, His prayers are gonna be answered. So now look at this. He prays to the Father to forgive those that's crucifying Him. So what do you think's gonna happen? That's amazing, isn't it? I mean, that runs so deep, so wide, so powerful. Forgiveness, for they know not what they do. You know, folks, we do a lot of talking about the devil and all he's doing, but I think we need to have a long-term conversation about God, don't you? Forgiveness. I've seen people cry when they realize that God has forgiven them. I've seen big, brawny men sit down with tears in their eyes when they realize that God had forgiven them. I've watched women cry because the reality had come to them that God had forgiven them. Forgiveness realized is a heart rendering, a heart stirring thing for you and me. Forgiveness realized. It's something that'll change your life. When you realize how can that happen, then you realize that the blood of the precious blood of the Son of God, He purchased our redemption. The blood of the Son of God washes all of our sins away. The blood of the son of God. That's the only thing. That's the spot remover of your soul. There is nothing else. The blood of the son of God. I want you to know if he can hang on that cross and die the cruel death that he did. And right close to his last words, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. I reckon those words ought to challenge you and me to do the same. Why in the world should we live with a burden of unforgiveness? Like I said the other week, that's like us drinking poison waiting for somebody else to die. The reality of it is this, forgiveness. Even Jesus said, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay. Leave it with God. Live free in the amazing grace of God. Don't hang on to the things that causes the soul of humanity to rot. Don't hang on to things that brings your soul into a place of desperation and dirt. Let it go, the Bible says, lest a root of bitterness spring up and thereby many be defiled. Let it go. Look at this, forgive them for they know not what they do. You see, It's an amazing thing when you look at that. They were thinking about self, self, self, self, self. Let me show you something here. Maybe this'll help you. Maybe this'll change your life. The only thing they could think about was self. And when you think about self, you'll destroy others. If you just focus on self, you're nothing but a hireling. You'll run and lead the flock to the wolves, the family to the wolves. If you just think about self, you'll destroy yourself. But there's got to be a commitment outside of self. that brings you to a place of willingness to sacrifice self, even though others are saying, don't do it. Let me show you something. Look at verse 35. And the people stood beholding and the rulers also with them derided him saying, he saved others, let him save himself. if he be Christ, the chosen of God. Look at verse 37, and saying, if thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. Look at verse 39, and one of the malefactors were hanged, railed on him, saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. You see, They didn't understand. He didn't come to save his self. He came to sacrifice his self. Look at this. I want you to realize when it gets into your heart and mind, The Bible even teaches you and me, unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it's not gonna bring forth anything, is it? You see, ladies and gentlemen, what we find, Christ went there and they said, save yourself, save yourself, save yourself. No, no, no, there's something bigger. His purpose was not to save himself, but to sacrifice himself. And in that sacrifice, in that sacrifice, he died and brought forth fruit. And that's you and me. I want you to realize when everybody else is saying, don't do it, don't do it. I want you to know, boy, when you got your purpose set in front of you and you say, well, God's purpose for my life is whatever it is. As the world says, don't do it. I want you to know, do it. Do it. Do it. Christ did not forget his purpose and his purpose kept him on the cross. His purpose kept him going to the end. His purpose allowed him to be beaten and abused and the hair plucked off his cheeks and it allowed him to be beaten with the cat of nine tails. He had a purpose and the purpose will keep you going. The purpose will keep you sacrificing. When others say quit, don't, save yourself. I want you to know something. Christ understood the principle. And he spoke the principle, unless that piece of grain falls into the ground and dies, it's not going to bring forth anything. I want you to know something. There's a power in surrender. There's a power in surrendering to the purpose of God. There's a power in that. And I want you to know that purpose will not be thwarted one way or the other. The purpose of God and your life, once you surrender to it, has a power to it that'll keep you going when the rest of the world says stop. Listen to me. When you stop looking at self, and wanting to live for self, you'll find a freedom that you've never experienced before. When you learn to sacrifice self for God's purpose, you're going to find a joy unspeakable and full of glory. When you find It's time for me to die to self. When you do that, you're going to step into the arena. of Christian heroes. You're going to step into the arena of those that sacrificed their life for the cause of Christ. You'll step up, if you please, to the platform of the martyrs that have died cruel deaths down through the centuries. They didn't. Boy, they didn't. Boy, if you'll just deny Christ, we'll let you live. But they wouldn't do it. They wouldn't do it. Why? Because it wasn't about them. It was about Christ. And so it is with Jesus Christ, our great example. They said, save yourself. Save thyself. Save thyself. No. His purpose wasn't to save himself. Next point. His purpose wasn't to prove himself. They said, come down from the cross and we'll believe. If you're the son of God, if you're this, do that and we'll believe. You see, It just wasn't the purpose, but they wanted him to prove himself. Prove yourself to us by doing that. Ladies and gentlemen, it's not for us to prove ourselves to some human. No, it's for you and me to prove ourselves faithful to our crucified Savior and nobody else. Let's prove our faithfulness to Him. Let's prove our willingness to live for Him. Let's prove our life as a sacrifice for Him. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. I want you to know that's where you'll find happiness. That's where you'll find peace that passeth all understanding. As the devil drums up all of the demons in hell to stop you from doing that, I want you to know something. There's a power in that. Let's look at one of these men. Like I said the other week, on one side of the Lord, you had somebody that was close to Jesus that just shows us how close somebody can be to the Lord and yet die and go to hell. But yet on the other side, it shows us how close somebody can be to dying and going to hell and never go there. Look at this now. Look, start in verse 40. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. Boy, what a witness, a dying man, And he gives witness to Christ. Verse 42, and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. I want you to know something. There's a little book, it was written years ago, and it's called Finding Faith in the Strangest of Places. Finding faith in the strangest of places. Look at this man. He calls on the Lord, says, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Isn't that something? Faith in the strangest of places. But every time I read that, I just want to stop and sing Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Here that man was dying with the Savior, the Son of God. And he declared him to be pure. Holy, what are you doing? This man's done nothing amiss. And lo and behold, the Lord's response, that today thou shalt be with me in paradise. You know what that is? That's God's amazing grace. No wonder the Bible says you're saved by grace through faith, that knowledge of yourself is a gift of God. That man wasn't baptized for salvation, was he? That man didn't have any time to do some work for salvation, did he? No, that man didn't have any time at all to do any of those things that some require. No, not at all. There's one thing he had. He had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father granted him a true view of the Savior. And he saw it, recognized it, and confessed it. This man has done nothing amiss. And the response was simply, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Glory to God in the highest. What a blessed thing I can see. I'm challenged by his forgiveness. I'm challenged by his sacrifice. I stand in amazement at his grace. And so the three of them died that day on the cross. And now in Luke 24, one to 12, Joseph has taken the body and so on. And now it says in Luke 24 verse one, now upon the first day of the week, the first day of the week, that's Sunday. That's why we have, we celebrate the resurrection every week. That's why we have, it's one of the reasons we have services on Sunday. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Man, they come to an empty tomb. Praise God for that. They came to an empty tomb, and they came to pass as they were much perplexed. Thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments." Now, watch this, verse 6. Look what they said. He's not here, but is risen. He's not here, but is risen. Isn't it? Now, I want to show you something, how this is worded. This is fantastic. The first thing those two angels do is to state the fact. He's risen. They state the fact, but then look what they do. Remember how he spake unto you when he was in Galilee? saying the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified in the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. Stop right there. And they remembered his words. I want all of you this morning. I want you to get this because you'll hear it again. You're going to remember the Word of God. Did you know that? The day you die, it's still gonna be stuck in you. I can share with you about unbelievers dying, finding out that all of this that we've preached is real. But there's something you and I have got to face. Once our minds get closed to something, it really takes something to rattle us out of that. Let me show you something that's absolutely amazing here. Now watch this. Go to verse... Well, go to verse 10. I'm gonna start like this. Verse nine. And returned from the sepulcher and told all these things unto the 11. Now that's the apostles, isn't it? And to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary, the mother of James, and the other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. All right, you got it? Now watch this. This is absolutely amazing. Verse 11, and their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Listen to me. They had walked and talked with the Lord. They had heard him say everything that the two angels just told them women. They had heard all of that. But yet when truth happened, they didn't believe it. And they believed them not. That's amazing. But know this, the apostles were humans and humans have this ability to walk with the Lord, talk with the Lord, watch the Lord's miracles, listen to the Lord, be taught of the Lord. and then go through some traumatic time that causes them to forget everything the Lord said. We have a hard time believing reality in our day. We find that things happen around us. We say, well, really, is that really spiritual? Did that really happen? Things happening around us. And we look at it, we said, is that really happening? Is this really of God? Did this really take place? And you and I have a terrible time actually believing what God has already told us. In the last days, perilous times shall come. Men shall be lovers of themselves. Lovers of themselves. You get around a self-centered person, beware, there's going to be conflict. Because that self-centered person's only going to think about self. Christ. That's what they told Him, isn't it? Think about yourself. Think about yourself. Think about yourself. And Jesus said, no. No, I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you. You're telling me to think about myself. I'm going to tell you to sacrifice yourself. Wow. And they believed them not. The next verse. Then arose Peter and ran unto the sepulcher. Only Peter. Now just think about this. 11. One, one out of the 11 apostles took off running to the sepulcher. And the others just stayed there. One. That's all. You see, ladies and gentlemen, I just wanna challenge you this morning. Are you willing to be the one? There might be 11 others that's gonna question it, but are you willing to be the one that's actually gonna go look? Are you willing to be the one that's gonna get up and go and say, let me go see. Are you willing to be the one? Not the 10 that sit there shaking their head, no, no, this is an idle tale, no, no, no. Are you willing to be the one? You look at Peter's life, oh, impetuous Peter. But boy, when they went to crucify him, according to folklore, I reckon, they went to crucify him. He said, no, I'm not worthy of that. So they crucified him upside down. Then arose Peter and ran to the sepulcher. I want you to know something. Peter could have sat right there with the rest of them and missed out on one of the greatest blessings of his life, one of the greatest encouragements of his life, one of the greatest empowering moments in his life. He could have sat there with the rest of them and missed out on an experience that would have changed his life. I want you to know, I would to God that everybody in this room would be the one. I would to God that everybody in this room could have the experience that Peter had. To run up there and look at that tomb open. Christ gone. You see, ladies and gentlemen, that would be an experience that would change your life forever. No wonder Peter was willing to serve Christ like he did. Just think about this now. When you hear people talk about the apostles, the original little crowd, who stands above them, above everybody else? I would say this, and they believed them not. Why would those ladies come in there and lie to them? Why would they come in there and tell them this story? Why would they do that and it not be true? I want you to know something. Traumatic things in our lives can have two effects on us. One, a bad effect that causes us to slam the door to everything around us, including truth. Two, It can have an effect upon us that says, I don't care what's happened to me, the truth is. How is life affecting you? Are you allowing yourself to be thrown away? Are you allowing, even though it's true, you're allowing some circumstance to cause you to reject truth? Or has this circumstance caused you to hug truth? I read a statement earlier. To Brother Floyd, Brother Walt, Spurgeon had said that the yoke of grace, the yoke that's put on the graceless person is something they want to throw off. But to the saved person, it's something they hug and love. What a truth it is, isn't it? Which one of those two are you? Would you be one in 10? One out of the 11. One out of the 11. Even the apostles. Look at them. You see, ladies and gentlemen, the difference is this. Either you can abide by a group that's willing to think like you and you like them, and you abide in this group of nominal believers, or you're gonna be like Peter. I'm gonna go check this out. Now, this is gonna be a life-changing moment for me. Don't let the crowd stop you from having a moment in your life that turns out to be a life-changing moment. We need moments in our lives that are life-changing moments that draws. As one man said, these times of my life, I have felt grace reach out and hug me and hold me dear. Let grace hug you. Let grace hold you. Let the death of Christ be real to you. Let the blood of Christ wash all of your sins away. Go to the tomb and find the risen Savior. Boy, meet Him. Even if you have to meet Him at the cross, meet Him. Encounter the sinless Son of God. And there you'll find peace that passeth all understanding, that the world is not going to like. You're going to have joy unspeakable and full of glory that the world will never understand. You'll have a calmness of soul amongst the storms of life. Why? Because when you look at Jesus Christ, you realize there's something higher than you. Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. Now look down to the bottom of Romans 8, 9, 10, and 11. Watch this. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Watch this now. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. I want you to know something, ladies and gentlemen. Now, look up here, let me tell you something. When the Spirit of God dwells in you, he's a driving, motivating, convicting, educating force when the Spirit of God's in you. Listen, you go out here and you drink you a pint of liquor, boy you get to talking crazy and acting nuts, wouldn't you? Well, I want you to know the Spirit of God that dwells in you has a thousand times more influence upon you than any man made bottle of sin. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's not of his. I want you to know something. Listen to me well. We already know it. We've rode that horse till it's about dead. The reality, there's a lot of people that say they're saved, but the spirit of Christ is not in them. We know that. We've talked about it. We've wore it out, haven't we? Most anybody here probably stand up right now without even looking at their Bible and quote Matthew 7, 21, 22, so on. What a shame. Living without the indwelling Christ in you. I want you to know the power of Christ When he walked this earth was the presence of the Spirit of God in him. Verse 10, and if, this is Romans 8, 10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Do you know what you call that? Salvation. You know what you call that? Born again. You know what you call that? A new creature in Christ Jesus. You know what you call that? Eternal security. That's what you call it. And if Christ being you, the body is dead because of sin, amen. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And the Bible says, all of our righteousness is as of filthy rags. The Bible says, all of our righteousness is in Christ Jesus. Verse 11. But the spirit of him that raised, now watch this. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. Just think now, just think about this. The spirit that raised Christ from the dead, If you're saved, if you're born again, if you're a true believer, the Spirit of Christ dwells within you and the Spirit of Christ that raised up Christ is going to raise up you also. That's what the Word of God says. In other words, you and me, all that are truly born again, who have the presence of the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us. Look what it says, from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. The hope, the blessed hope of the resurrection How do you like this? Everybody sitting here that's truly born again, you're going to experience not a resuscitation, but you're going to experience a resurrection. That's what you're headed for. If you're sitting here and you're truly born again, I want you to know, you might say, what's my future? Well, it's a part of us that wants to die. Glory to God, let me die. Because on the other side of death, there's no more sickness, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more Dennis, no more Biden, nothing. Let me tell you something. I mean, why in the world would we want to moan and groan when somebody that's truly saved dies? My goodness. Everything on this earth that bothers you and me will never bother them again. Everything on this earth that we hate, we're afraid of, and scared of this and that. Just think about it, folks. No more sickness, no more pain, no more sorrow. Wow, what a life that is. You know what your future is? A resurrection. Read 1 Corinthians 15, your future. You're sitting here and saved, your future. You're sitting here truly born again, your future. Your future is a resurrection unto a new life. Without pain, without sorrow, without sickness. That's a pretty good future, isn't it? Praise God for that. Romans 10, eight and nine, watch this. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. Which we preach. The word of faith which we preach. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Do you truly have a God-given faith? Faith is a gift. Faith is life-changing. Faith Romans 10, 9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. How do you like that? If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart. You know something, there's something about that old heartfelt religion. When I was teaching college at the Citadel there in Charleston, one thing I liked, boy, go up in the mountains there between North and South Carolina, those old mountain preachers. My word. They had a view of God that was really big. One of them went up to the pulpit one time. Thou shalt believe in thine heart. Heart. And he took off and he preached on a heartfelt conversion. a heartfelt religion, a heartfelt surrendering, a heartfelt commitment. He said, we say all the time, well, that's the heart of the matter. The Bible says the heart is desperately wicked, who could know it? But the Bible also says, Thou shalt believe in thine heart. You see, when truth becomes a matter of the heart, you'll change. But as long as truth is not a matter of the heart with you, you'll not change. I've watched grumpy people become sweet. I've watched mean people become kind. I've watched self-centered people become sacrificial. I've watched people, man, from the guttermost to the uttermost, but boy, when they got a hold of their heart, they changed. As long as it's all about you, it'll never change. Save thyself. Save thyself. Save thyself, they said. And that's what the world screams at people. But when your faith becomes a matter of heart, you'll go to the mission field and die there. When your faith becomes a matter of the heart, you'll go to the jungles and die there. When your faith becomes a matter of the heart, you'll surrender yourself to whatever God wants you to do and die there. When it becomes a matter of the heart, Your thinking will change. You'll become Christ-like. Your words will change. You'll become Christ-like. Your giving will change. You'll become sacrificial. When it becomes a matter of the heart, you'll find out. It'll bring tears to your eyes. There was no tears in my eyes when my mother died. A few tears in my eyes when my dad died. No tears in my eyes when a multitude of men around me died on the battlefield. But since God saved me, I've cried a million tears for you. I've heard you talk. I've watched your life. And the only thing I could say is, Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do. When your relationship with Christ becomes a matter of the heart, you'll change. Jesus said, not my will, but thine be done. When your faith in Christ becomes a matter of the heart, that's exactly what you'll say. Not my will, but thine be done. When your life becomes, before Christ, a matter of the heart, you'll find out discipline will come into your life. When it becomes a matter of the heart, you'll wind up loving the things that God loves and hating the things that God hates. When it becomes a matter of the heart, you'll find yourself loving truth, standing for truth, living for truth, dying for truth, Hebrews 12, 4, ye have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin. When God's truths become a matter of the heart with you, you'll become intolerant to sin. because you'll know the damage it'll do. Like one of the devotions I sent out, one sinner destroyeth much good. When your life before Christ becomes a matter of the heart, there's nothing can stop you. There's nothing can stop you. It's a matter of the heart. I've known people from the goodermost to the uttermost. And when their religion became a matter of the heart, they could have cared less whether they were on the top or the bottom. The only thing they were concerned about is, God, where do you want me? What do you want me to do? That was it. It's your faith of matter of the heart. There's a resurrection day coming. Christ died on the cross. It was real. He was resurrected. It's real. If the spirit of Christ dwell in you, you're gonna experience the same thing and it'll be real. Praise God for that. Now listen, does the Spirit of Christ dwell in you right now? Are you truly born again? Is your faith a matter of the heart? That's what's important. Is it? May God do a work of grace in all of our lives. May our faith be a matter of the heart. May it be. And may he do a work of grace in all of our lives this very day. Let's all stand, if you would, please, as we go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, as we come to you right now in the name of Jesus, dear God, I ask that you would save the lost. I ask, Father, that you'd call men into the ministry. Truly, God called men. I pray, Father, that you would just work in all of our lives, if we're cold, warm us. And God, I pray that you'd grant us faith. And may our love for you grow and grow and grow. And God, may our commitment to you and Jesus Christ be a matter of the heart, not just a thought in the head, but a true matter of the heart. May we have a heartfelt faith, a heartfelt commitment, a heartfelt surrendering, a heartfelt love for Christ and other Christians. May the people of this church have a heartfelt love for one another. And now, Lord, we commit this unto You. Work in our lives. Speak to our hearts. For, God, we know that apart from You, we can do nothing. Now make a difference in our lives. We ask it in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Join me, if you would, please. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch Like me, I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see. Brother Walt, would you dismiss us in prayer please?