Sermon Tone Analysis

Words from the Cross

May 17, 2009

*John 19:26-27*

* *

As we near the end of our study of the book of John, I will be focusing on biblical truths spoken by Jesus at the end of His life.

Last week our message focused on Jesus’ words to Pilate about why He was born.

“For this cause I was born , and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

(Jn 18:37).

Today we’ll look at words of truth spoken while Jesus was on the cross.

As you can imagine, words spoken while in excruciating pain would be few and important.

The words Jesus spoke from the cross to His mother are only recorded by John.

Before we examine the words of God’s sacrificial Lamb, I want to look at another passage of Scripture about our sacrifice: Romans 12:1.

Turn to it with me.

WE think of the sacrificial system coming to an end at the cross, don’t we?

But Romans 12: tells us otherwise.

/Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship/.

Henry Blackaby says,/ /God takes great pleasure in worthy sacrifices.

In the Old Testament God gave detailed instructions for how His people were to give their offerings.

He declared that these brought a “soothing aroma” to Him (Lev.

1:13, 17).

When the Israelites gave an offering to God, it was no longer their own, it belonged entirely to God.

God would accept only the best that people could give.

It was an affront to almighty God to offer Him animals that were damaged or imperfect in any way.

God Himself met the standard for sacrifices when He offered His own Son as the spotless Lamb.

Only the death of His perfect Son was a worthy enough offering to atone for the sins of mankind.

Now, God asks us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living sacrifice.

Just as it was in the Old Testament, our sacrifice, once offered, cannot be reclaimed.

We belong entirely to Him.

We cannot make a partial sacrifice of our lives; our offering must be wholehearted.

Therefore, if you are a Christian, your life is not your own.

Rather than dying, however, God asks you to live for Him as a living sacrifice.

Every day, you are to offer your life to Him for His service.

You do not serve Him in your spare time or with your leftover resources.

The way you live your life for God is your offering to Him.

Relentlessly pursue holiness so that your offering to God is unblemished and acceptable to Him.

Eph.

4:1 and 1 Thess.

2:12 both exhort us to walk worthy of our calling.

Now, let’s return to the foot of the cross and see how we can apply some of Jesus last words to our lives.

Please turn to John chapter 19 and we’ll read verses 26 and 27.

/So Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son."

Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!"

And from that hour the disciple took her into his family./

In the end Jesus was not absolutely alone.

At his Cross there were four women who loved him.

Some commentators explain their presence there by saying that in those days women were so unimportant that no one ever took any notice of women disciples, and that therefore these women were running no risk at all by being near the Cross of Jesus.

That surely is a poor and unworthy explanation.

It was always a dangerous thing to be an associate of a man whom the Roman government believed to be so dangerous that he deserved a Cross.

It is always a dangerous thing to demonstrate one's love for someone whom the orthodox regard as a heretic.

The presence of John as well as these women at the Cross was not due to their lack of importance that no one would notice them; their presence was due to their love -  perfect love which casts out fear.

(1Jn 4:18) \\ \\

There are at least three reasons that this last word of Jesus to his mother and to the beloved disciple is a tremendous encouragement to our faith.

The first reason is: if Jesus was so eager to care for his mother in her hour of need, how much more is he eager to care for us, his disciples who hear the Word of God today and do it.

Ordinarily one would reason just the opposite: if he loved his disciples who were not his relatives, how much more would he love his own mother.

But Jesus didn't view things in an ordinary way.

With him it was strangely true: if he loved his mother with a natural affection, how much more can his obedient disciples bank on his love.

We know this because of an incident recorded for us in Luke 8:19–21:

His mother came to him and his brothers also, and they were unable to get to him because of the crowds.

And it was reported to him, /"Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see you."/

But he answered and said to them, /"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."/

That was not a depreciation of his mother and brothers.

It means very clearly, those who hear the Word of God and do it have a more ready access to Jesus' fellowship and help than do his own family members.

In one sense it is very risky to hear and do the Word of God.

For the Word of God is always calling us to sacrificial acts of love.

/"He who would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his own cross and follow me"/ (Luke 9:23).

But in another sense there is nothing safer and more rewarding than to hear and do the Word of God, because Jesus said, those who hear and do the Word of God are my mother and my brothers.

Loving obedience to the Word of God puts us in a relationship to Jesus which is more intimate and more certain to be heard and helped than his nearest family relations.

So if he took care of her, will he not /much more/ provide for all your needs, "/O ye of little faith"?/

The second reason that this word to Jesus' mother is an encouragement to our faith is: if Jesus could provide for the needs of his mother in a moment of his deepest weakness, how much more can he provide for our need in his present power and exaltation!

According to Ephesians 1:19, 20 the greatness of God's power which is working on our behalf is described as /"/ /And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, \\ Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, " /The satisfaction made for our sin at Calvary was so complete that God honored this sacrifice by raising Jesus from the dead and giving him incomparable glory and power for us who believe.

And so when the apostle contemplates whether we can bank on Christ for our need, it is this wealth of glory that gives him assurance when He says, /"My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus"/ (Philippians 4:19).

The risen Christ is so full of glorious riches that he need not turn anyone away.

As Paul says in Romans 10:12: /"There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches to all who call upon him."/

Not only are you, as an obedient disciple, in a better position than Jesus' own mother to receive blessing at the hand of the Lord, but he is now in a better position to give it to you than he ever  was.

Therefore, the word of Jesus to his mother from the cross is a great encouragement to our faith.

For if he could provide for his own in His weakest moment, how much more can he meet all our needs today from the right hand of God, full of power and glory.

The third reason Jesus' word to his mother encourages our faith is that it illustrates for us the benefits of the church, the body of Christ.

Notice that contrary to custom and expectation, Jesus did not admonish his own brothers to care for their mother.

Whatever the reason for not putting Mary in the care of her other sons, the new relationship between Mary and John illustrates for us the provision made for us in the body of Christ.

You recall how Jesus told the rich man to sell all he had and follow him.

The man turned away, and Jesus said/, "How hard it will be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."/

And Peter said, /"Behold we have left everything and followed you."/

And Jesus said, /"Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms for my sake and the gospel's, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

/Now where in this life are we going to receive 100 children and 100 mothers?

Answer: in the church, the family of God.

When Jesus says to Mary: /"Look on John as your son";/ and to John: "Look on Mary as your mother"; he is showing us how our needs are to be met when we have left everything to follow him.

Paul said in Acts 20:28 that Christ /"purchased the church of God with his own blood."

/Therefore, one of the gifts Jesus gave to us from the cross was the church – this church – Good Shepherd Community Church - a loving, caring, sustaining, encouraging supernatural family beyond any natural family.

And it is a great encouragement to our faith that he illustrates the meaning of the church the way he did in the relationship between John and Mary.

In His time of greatest torment, Jesus thought of relationship – our relationship within the bride of Christ.

It is right for us, too, to think of our relationship within the Body of Christ.

Hebrews 10:24 says, /“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

/We should be sensitive to the needs of those around us.

Is there someone in the body who is alone – feeling isolated or estranged from others?

Everyone needs encouragement.

When God urges you to consider the welfare of others, it means He wants you to truly care about your brothers and sisters in Christ.

When they don’t seem as “up” as usual or when they skip church, we should make it our aim to seek them out to bless them and strengthen their faith.

The local church is designed by God to be a spiritual family where people display love for one another.

Church should be a place where everyone is committed to being a blessing to one another.

If you’re sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and truly concerned about the bride of Christ, God will show you when and where you can lift the spirits of others.

In this passage there is something which is surely one of the loveliest things in all the gospel story.