Reading continues in Luke chapter 23. We'll begin the reading this morning at verse 33. Hear now the word of the Lord. 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 the left. And then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided his garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Christ, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him sour wine and saying, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. And an inscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. This is the King of the Jews. And then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, If you are of the Christ, save yourself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly. For we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong." And then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. This is the Word of the Lord. Let's pray. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your Word. We give you thanks for the Spirit who has inspired the Gospel writers to give us true history, true truth. We thank you, Lord, that He is with us this morning, guiding and directing not only the words of my lips, but the hearing of our ears, that we might have hearts and minds to hear and obey what you would teach us this day. We thank you and praise you for this in the name of Jesus and all of God's people said. Amen. You may be seated. Well, Lord willing, we're going to spend the next three Lord's Days considering three simple words. Crucified, dead, and buried. Three simple words that we use to confess what we believe about Jesus before we come to this table each week to partake of His body and His blood. Simple words in the Apostles' Creed that describe the most important event in human history. Words that assure us that the penalty for our sins has been paid. The wrath of God has been propitiated. And kids, you remember, we've been working on that big word, propitiation. It's a word I want all of you to know well and to be able to use, because it's an important word. It means that the wrath of God has been satisfied. The wrath of God has been fully satisfied. Jesus came to save His people from their sins, and He did. These three simple words that describe the final portion of Luke's Gospel and prepare us for the joyous resurrection on the first day of the week. And as we move through these Gospel accounts, I'm going to be including in the Order of Worship the parallel text so that we can see what the flow is in all of the Gospel writers, and hopefully it will enhance a little bit of family study and discussion as we go along through this. But understanding what we confess, what we confess here about Jesus being crucified, dead and buried, is central to the contentment that we should have in the Christian life. In the Gospels, we often heard Jesus say, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And you see, the point that Jesus is making is that There are ears. And we can study biology, and we can learn how ears work, and we can learn how the sound waves travel to our ears, and how they're picked up and transmitted to our brains, and that's all exciting stuff. Part of God's creation. But Jesus points out that there's ears, and then there's hearing. Doing something. Believing something about what we hear. And you see, in our confession, there are words. And then, there is understanding. And as we take these weeks to really look deeply into the meaning of these three simple words, I hope and pray that it will help us to never confess them casually. You know, it's easy when you do something all the time and you get it memorized. It's just sort of propunctory. We can even do it in our marriage. I love you, honey, without thinking about what that really means. As we do these, we will remember that we demonstrate how we hear and understand these simple words each week as we come to the Lord's table. You see, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the message of the cross is power. There's a lot of searches in the world for power these days, with money and political power. But Paul reminds us as saints that the real power lies in the cross. For Christ did not send me to baptize, he tells the Corinthians in the first chapter of his epistle. But to preach the Gospel, the Good News, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. It wasn't an intellectual battle that Paul was having. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? These are words so relevant to America today. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For sense in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For the Jews request a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You see, it is at the cross that we see the weakness of God from a human standpoint. But we must remember that God is not weak. As we've stressed many times in moving through this final chapter or two, the cross was not a surprise to God. It was not a failure of plan A that He had for salvation of the Jews who went awry when they decided to crucify their own Messiah, so God had to move on and come up with a church age that isn't doing too well either. Listen to what Peter explained and proclaimed. on the day of Pentecost. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know. Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands and have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having loose the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it." What appears to the world to be the weakest point with Christ on a cross proves to be the most powerful point as God demonstrates His victory over death. Not only had Jesus reminded His disciples on many occasions that the Messiah must suffer and die, but God had shown His people throughout the Old Testament that this was true and necessary. You know, we're really glad when the first presentation of the Gospel comes in Genesis 3.15 to read that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head. of the seed of Satan. That's good news for us. We're glad. We know we win the battle. But God also said in that same verse that the serpent would strike the heel of the seed of the woman. And this is what we see here at Calvary. Remembering the glorious picture that we find in Genesis 22 also helps us to understand what is going on here at the cross when Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his only son. The son that was to be the heir. And that's a story that we need to be so familiar with. It is so stunning in its imagery. God comes to Abraham and tells him that he's to sacrifice Isaac. And then He also tells him to take a three-day journey to the land of Moriah. Does anybody know what city was built in the land of Moriah? Jerusalem. And then when he gets to the land of Moriah, God tells him to go to a specific hill. I firmly believe, along with Dr. Schaefer, that that hill was Calvary itself. And there on that hill, Isaac was a very perceptive son. As he and his father marched up, he said, Dad, I see the wood. I see the knife. I see the starter for the fire. We're going to build an altar. Everything is in place for the sacrifice, but where's the sacrifice? They didn't have a lamb or a bull or anything to sacrifice. And Abraham says to his son, God will provide himself. A sacrifice. Now Abraham, from his human perspective, knew that it was to be Isaac. And he believed, we're told in the epistles, that God was going to raise Isaac up again in resurrection to demonstrate his power. That's what he thought God's plan was. But you see, God was demonstrating something much bigger. Much bigger than the resurrection of Lazarus. He was talking about his own son. And when they got to that hill, Abraham in obedience lifted up the knife and then the angel told him to stop. And he turned around and saw in a bush a ram who had been entangled in that bush. And Abraham took that ram and placed it on the altar. And it was sacrificed in place of his son. Abraham offered up that ram. as the burnt offering that God had commanded in place of His Son. And now here at Calvary, God Himself was truly presenting Himself as the sacrifice for sin. What was pictured on that hill was now taking place, I believe, on that very same hill. Jesus is seen from Genesis to Revelation as the Lamb of God. The ultimate sacrifice that was pictured in so many ways in the Old Testament system of altars and sacrifices and procedures. Even the specific cruelty of crucifixion. And the mocking of Jesus was pictured in Psalm 22, which I want us to take a moment to consider this morning. If you've got your Bibles with you, you might turn to Psalm 22. This was a psalm that was written before crucifixion was used as a means of execution. And yet, we're going to see it described in incredible detail. And again, It's not something that we are familiar with. The saints of that day certainly would have been. Rome was a cruel nation and crucifixion was used all the time. It was used because it was cruel. You know, we don't like to be hung. We don't like to be beheaded. We don't like to be shot or in the electric chair, you know, face any kind of death. But sometimes the civil magistrate is commanded to carry out the death penalty, and yet Rome was not doing it because God had commanded. Rome was doing it because they were pagans and they were cruel. And they wanted to make a point when they killed somebody. So they would take them and they would take them out and everybody knows what a cross looks like, but we don't think about what the agony of that death was. In this particular case, He was actually nailed to the cross. Sometimes they were tied to the cross. But you see, if you stand up there and hang from something by your arms, unless you keep pushing up with your legs, you can't breathe. Your lungs can't be filled with air. And yet, your legs begin to ache. If they're nailed as Jesus was, it's very painful. You're out in the middle of public, probably naked. It was a shameful and agonizing way to die. And over time, the actual joints of your body would become separated like a dislocated shoulder. The agony of breathing would become more and more difficult. You would become completely dehydrated. And in some cases, it would take two to three days for a strong person to die in that kind of agony. That is the cruelty of crucifixion. That is what was chosen for the Lord of glory. And perhaps, as part of a follow-up for this sermon, we could have as our homework a little bit of discussion. Because there's something that often comes to my mind when I have to deal with this, and that's how we use the symbol of the cross. You know, if Jesus had been hung as a means of execution? Would we place the hangman's noose around our necks or on the walls of our churches? If he'd been beheaded, would it be the guillotine? Now, the reason I put this out for discussion is because I firmly believe that we must consider the wisdom and practice of those who have gone before us, wise people. Because the sign of the cross has been used almost universally in the church. But at a minimum, I think we need to be very, very careful in remembering what that symbol represents. It's not a pretty piece of jewelry. It is a sign of cruel death. It is a symbol of the penalty that Jesus paid for all of our sins, great and small. And you know, we forget that. You know, if one of us slipped up and committed adultery or, heaven forbid, murdered somebody or robbed a bank, boy, we'd come running quick with confession and we would really be glad that Jesus paid the price to take care of that sin. But oh, how easy we snap at our spouses or dishonor our mother and fathers or take that cookie that we weren't supposed to take or do that little extra bit of work that we shouldn't have done. Those little things took Jesus to the cross as much as the great sins of history. And as we study Psalm 22 for a few moments, I think that's what we need to keep in mind. Psalm 22 is an incredible psalm. As I said, written hundreds of years before the use of crucifixion was in place. Written to predict what God's own Son would go through. And it begins in verse 1, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? These are the very words that Jesus Himself will utter from the cross as we'll consider next week. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far off from helping me? And from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear. By night, I am not silent. You see, part of true Christian contentment is being able to rightly cry out in times of trouble. But we must see from this psalm, and from the example of Jesus, that we know from whence our help comes, even in desperate times. Because it continues in v. 3 saying, but you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted. and you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered. They trusted in you and were not ashamed." Jesus has come to Calvary and He will be the one great sacrifice for sin so that this cry of David can be true for all of the saints through all of history. We can trust God. and not be ashamed. David's confession, as he continues on in verse 6, is a picture again of the suffering and shame of Jesus as He hung on that cross. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see Me ridicule Me. They hurl insults. They shake their heads saying, He trusted in Jehovah. Let Him rescue Him. Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him." Exactly what we see in Luke's account. And you see, all of those who put Jesus on trial, the Jewish leaders, the Romans, the crowds, The ones that we've talked about representing Satan, the world, and our own flesh. They are the ones that are now at the foot of the cross, saying the very things that God, in this psalm, said they would say. And then we see, in Psalm 22, a promise that we claim for our covenant children. A promise where again, we see the great example found in Jesus as the Son of Man. But You are He who took me out of the womb. You made me trust even on my mother's breast. I was cast upon You from birth. From my mother's womb, You have been my God." What a great promise for our children to be able to claim. In the garden, we saw Jesus turn to the Father for the strength that He needed to endure and angels comforting Him. And I'm sure that as that went on in the garden and the hours that followed, He was comforted in part by the words of comfort that we see here in Psalm 22. At verse 11, David continues, Be not far from me, for trouble is near. For there is none to help." Jesus had been completely deserted. Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion. We see here the entire suffering of Jesus. From the agony of the garden to the final moments on this cross. But then we see the specific cruelty of the cross on which He now hung, prophesied in this psalm. In verse 14 we read, I am poured out like water, and all of my bones are out of joint. My heart is turned to wax. It has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have brought me to the dust of death." Jesus will soon utter from the cross, I thirst, to remind us that He was fully suffering all of the cruelty of the cross in His flesh, just as we see in this song. And not only do we see the physical pain and suffering, but the added cruelty of the mocking that was going on at the same time. For dogs have surrounded me. The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They've pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all of my bones as they stare at me. Think of Jesus naked on that cross. His hands and His feet have been pierced. and they stare and they mock. Most of the religious leaders that stood and watched the crucifixion would likely have memorized this song. And yet, their head knowledge, what they knew up here, did them no good. As Jesus had said, they were truly the object of Isaiah's prophecy, where he said that they would have eyes, but not see. They would have ears, but not hear. We really see this with verse 18. Verse 18 is literally fulfilled before their eyes. David wrote, almost a thousand years before, they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." You see, Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. And that is what Psalm 22 turns to in verse 19. But you, O Jehovah, do not be far from me. Oh, my strength, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog. Deliver me from the lion's mouth. Save me from the horns of the wild oxen. That is the joy that Jesus looked forward to. We'll see again next week that He utters, Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit. Jesus trusted His Father to the very end. And in verse 22 it continues, I will declare Your name to My brethren. In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You will fear Jehovah, praise Him. All the descendants of Jacob glorify Him and fear Him, all You offspring of Israel. For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one. He has not hidden his face from him. But when he cried to him, he heard. The darkest day of human history will be followed by the glorious morning of resurrection. But it is the suffering of this day which allows God to be just, and the justifier of him who has faith. The Father could listen to the cry of the Son, His own Son, because He had presented Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin, for our sin. However, we must always be reminded of the awful price that was paid for those sins. And in doing that, we should join with David in living a life that is filled with praise and thanksgiving. Listen to the words at verse 25. My praise shall be of you in the great assembly. Before those who fear you, I will fulfill My vows. The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek Him will praise Jehovah. Let your heart live forever." David, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, also understood that this great salvation that was to be wrought by Jesus was not just about him. You see, Jesus was not just issuing get-out-of-hell-free cards for all of us so that we could go to heaven. The impact of what Jesus did on this cross would be felt throughout the entire world. Again, at verse 27, shall worship before you. That should sound pretty familiar to us, especially when we read the Great Commission a few times a month. All the families of the nations shall worship before you. For the Kingdom is Jehovah's, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will feast and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even He who cannot keep Himself alive. There is no fountain of youth. They're not going to figure out how to beat death. And yes, every knee will bow before Jesus. When we confess that Jesus was crucified, we are confessing that He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. To truly confess this, we must live as though we believe that all of the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Jehovah our God. And all the families of the nation will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord. And He rules over the nations. Brothers and sisters, most Christians in America, Do not believe this is true. And God cannot bless our efforts until we believe and act upon this once again. David concludes Psalm 22 by declaring that the good news is not to be our best kept secret. In verse 30 he says, a posterity shall serve him. It shall be recounted of Jehovah to the next generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born that He has done it." Generational faithfulness. He says that we have a tremendous responsibility. Look around and see all of the covenant children that we have in our midst. We are commanded to recount the salvation of Jehovah to them. But you see, we do that so that they can pass it on to a people who are not yet born. You know, we've got our hands full raising these kids. But God is thinking about their kids and their grandkids. That's how God thinks. And our thoughts should be His thoughts. This is what we are still doing here today. We are fulfilling what David said in Psalm 22 as we proclaim with the Word and the Sacrament these very truths. This is what Jesus meant when He told the Jewish leaders, you diligently search the Scriptures. You've got Psalm 22 memorized and yet you're not going to recognize it when it's carried out before your eyes. What you miss is that in them you will find Me. They were searching for eternal life, but they missed Jesus. And He said, these are the Scriptures that testify about Me. This is what we proclaim each week when we celebrate at the Lord's table. Proclaiming His death until He comes. May we never say those words of the Apostles' Creed without remembering the meaning behind them. As Paul explained to the Colossians, and I think you'll see many similarities with Psalm 22 in these words that are often proof-texted, but not read together. He's encouraging the saints, and he says, so then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, okay, you're a Christian now. Continue to live in Him, rooted and build up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ. And if you think about television and Hollywood and the universities and almost anywhere you turn in this world, that's what you're going to be confronted with. And Paul says, don't be deceived. For in Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form. And you, you brothers and sisters, from the youngest to the oldest among us, have been given fullness in Christ. What more could we need? We have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised. in the putting off of your sinful nature. Not with a circumcision done by hands, not the Old Testament circumcision, but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in your uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. He could do so because of what Jesus did on that cross. Having cancelled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us. He took it away. Nailing it. to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. You see, Paul explains what was going on that day. All of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, the Roman authorities and the crowds had gathered and were standing there mocking Jesus that day. Believing that they were making a public spectacle out of Him. And anybody walking by as a casual observer would certainly think that's what was going on. But you see, in fact, Jesus was making a spectacle out of them. Triumphing over them by the cross. May we live this week and all of our lives as though we believe what it means when we confess that Jesus was crucified, dead and buried.