Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church on the May time period for Easter. But I want to look at that this morning because I believe that I want us to look at this passage at the impact that Christ had on one individual and it was really his reaction to the things that were going on in his life that allowed him to have an impact. To the most unsuspecting person. It would be the last person you would probably think that he would have an impact on. And so I want us to look at this individual today and I want us to see the impact of a righteous man and the impact that he had on this individual that Christ did.

I believe it's the same impact that you and I can have on people today especially this time of the year. If we would be a righteous man or a righteous woman for Christ. When they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the male factors, 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. 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. And the soldiers also mocked him coming to him, saying, And offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews.

By the way, that was absolutely correct. Verse 39. And one of the male factors which were hanged railed on him, saying, Thou art God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation. And we indeed justly, for we received the due reward of our deeds.

In other words, we deserve it. But this man hath done nothing amiss. 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.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Do you imagine that little infant in Luke 2, now what that very infant is going through in Luke 23. Verse 47, our last verse this morning. He felt crucified, Christ.

When the centurion saw what was done, now hold on, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. I'm going to read this to you later, but he just kind of wrote a brief synopsis of this experience there at the cross and I wanted to read this to you. What a bleak, wretched scene it must have been that day outside Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus Christ died to save our souls. It was a day when all of hell was unleashed against the Lord Jesus. It was a day when those who should have been his friends saw to it that he was put to death. It was a day when most of his own disciples left him to die in agony alone on that cross. It was a day of horror. It was a day that will live in infamy for all of eternity.

Yet it is one of the greatest days that dawned since time began. For on that day our Savior died for our sins. Jesus Christ died as the Lamb of God so that you and I might go free. He died to save sinners and he was surely surrounded by many sinners that day. In that crowd that surrounded his cross that day were sinners, criminals, soldiers, religious people, family, and a few friends.

In that crowd were two special men. One was a criminal who had come to Calvary to be put to death. And one was the death of the one that was dying on that middle cross. Now you say preachers does that mean that the centurion was a saved individual?

You know I don't know that for sure. I can tell you this that I think it was a great possibility because what it takes obviously is for us to understand that we're sinners to realize that Jesus is the Savior of the world and we put our faith and trust in him as the Savior who died on the cross for our sins. I don't know whether the centurion was saved that day. I believe that the thief on the cross was saved because Jesus told him that you'd be with me in paradise. But I do know this that that centurion admitted that he was God, glorified him as God, and recognized that he was a righteous man. By the way the Bible says that none of us are righteous, no not one. The only one that has ever been is Jesus Christ himself. But what changed his mind? As you watch all this and everybody the crowds just gathered against Christ and by the way crowds are still against Christ.

There's far more against him that are for him. Beware sometimes of what is popular because according to the Bible Jesus has never been popular. Jesus changes people. People don't just stay the same. They change when they meet Jesus. So what changed this centurion? What was it that was so different? What was it that just absolutely made an impact on him? Well I want to look at a couple things in this passage and I'll let you go this morning.

I know our time's a little bit later than normal but we'll get you out obviously in plenty of time. Notice number one, look at verse 32 and 33. And there were also two other male factors led with him, notice this, to be put to death. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, verse 33, there they crucified him.

Number one, I don't know if this is what made the impact on the centurion but I think this is one thing that possibly could. Number one was his submission. You say submission to what preacher? Well his submission to the cross. Dear friends, do you know what Jesus could have done that day? Jesus could have in half a second killed every person on the earth. Not just those crucifying him, everybody. Not only that, we believe that the Bible teaches he could have called legions of angels to come and keep him from that cross. Not just angels that would have absolutely obliterated every centurion, every person against Christ. Jesus had at his disposal everything that God had to offer.

A countless number of angels that you and I, our minds couldn't even fathom the number. He had all that at his quick disposal and yet he absolutely submitted himself to dying on the cross. You say preacher, what does this have to do with Christmas? It has everything to do with Christmas. Do you know why Christmas is special to us? Because of the cross. If it wasn't for the cross, Christmas would be another baby that was born. No different than any other baby. I'm going to tell you something, we're in a day where the nativity scene is being attacked.

If you think about it, they're attacking a baby. So we might as well, while we still can, bless God we're going to do it. But I want you to understand something, the manger is only special because of the cross. The manger is only special because he resurrected from the dead. Yes, he was our savior but where he proved that he was our savior is when he died, was buried and when he rose again.

The cross is what makes Christmas so special. I don't know if this centurion, once he realized that this was God, that he could have done anything. But I do know this, that this centurion had seen a whole lot of people die this exact same way. He had seen a lot of criminals die on the cross. But I will guarantee you this, he had never seen anybody die like Jesus died. Normally when he would see them die, there would be cursing and swearing and hollering and screaming and gnashing of teeth and everything else.

I mean people that absolutely were rotten sinners putting on that cross. And I'm going to tell you something, he had watched them fight it the entire way, screaming, cursing. But he had never seen anybody that acted as if this was supposed to happen. The Bible says that there was literally a whole company of soldiers which would be 400 to 600 that absolutely played games and had their way with Christ before he was even crucified.

Nobody else had had that done. This centurion had watched all this unfold and yet Christ never uttered one cross word to anybody. His submission to the abuse. I don't know if that's what impacted him or not but I will tell you this, dear friends let me tell you what will impact people nowadays is when you and I submit to the will of God. No matter what it causes us, no matter what we have to go through, when you claim to be a Christian and you have to go through suffering and you have to go through sickness and you have to go through things dear friend, when you and I act as if we're not mad at the world and mad at God because it happened but when you and I just simply submit God knows what he's doing and I trust God and love him anyway, that impacts people. I don't know if that's what changed the centurion but somehow the way Jesus conducted himself that day with the submission to the cross, it might have been the thing that did it, I don't know.

Number two it could have been his suffering. Not just his submission to the cross but the suffering that he went through on the cross. Look at verse 33 obviously. It says there they crucified him. Now what is interesting about this is that not only what Jesus went through on the cross but what they had put Jesus through before he even got to the cross. There was scourging and beating and spitting and they had put him through several different trials and even then like I said that entire band of soldiers, 400 to 600, doing things, spitting on them, pulling things, breaking things, all the things that went on.

I mean they just absolutely had their way with him and perhaps the centurion had never seen such hatred at an individual that really had absolutely no criminal act that could even be found. It might have been that the centurion realized that this man doesn't deserve it and yet he's the one that's going through it. And may I ask you this, I don't know if it might have been the suffering of Jesus. It might have been the cross that moved him.

It might have been as they thrust that spear into his side. It might have been what was different about him than the other guys is how they placed that crown of thorns on his head, married him, made him carry his cross, threw that fake robe around him, ridiculed him, called him king of the Jews. I don't know if it was what it was but somehow it could have been the suffering that Jesus went through impacted this man.

Can I ask you something today? Does the suffering of Jesus impact you? Does it mean anything to us now? Is it just another sermon? Is it just something we expect at Easter?

Well bless God we're getting it at Christmas this year. Dear friends, the suffering of Jesus should still move us. Should still have an impact on us. You know why I think it's difficult for us sometimes? Because we didn't see it.

But you know what, if it takes faith to believe in Christ, a little bit of that faith realizes what Jesus went through on that cross. Maybe if there was an opportunity for us to somehow pull up a video and wouldn't it be something if I could say alright, hope you're having a great Christmas week. We have a little bit of a treat. Now listen, if you have young children you might want to be careful today but we have special footage that we have found and we are going to show you today Jesus dying on the cross beforehand during the thing.

We want to show that on the screens. If we just took the lights down low and watched it. Could you just imagine? Would we walk out of here probably a little different than we came in? Just think with me.

Do you not think that we would walk out those doors very different? If we could physically see what he went through. His suffering. I don't know if it was his submission to the whole process. I don't know if it was his suffering on the cross.

But number three, it might have been his sympathy. Now I want you to look at verse 34 if you would. The Bible says, Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Look at verse 39 The other answering, Doest not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed just, but notice verse 42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Look at verse 43. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. While Jesus was dying on the cross, he exhibited grace and love and compassion by showing this to the needs of others. And the hour of his greatest suffering and his greatest need.

Now think about this. Number one, he showed compassion to the crowds. He said, Father, forgive them. They don't even understand what they're doing. Father, don't hold this against them. Forgive them. Then not only did he show compassion to the crowds, but he showed compassion to the criminal. That criminal said, Hey, would you remember me?

And he said, Today you'll be with me in paradise. Look at me. His worst suffering.

Look at me. Compassion to the crowds. Compassion to the criminals. Can I tell you what still impacts people today? Is compassion. Sympathy. Imagine if you and I showed sympathy to the crowds and showed sympathy to the criminals and showed sympathy to the quote unquote sinners, which we all are by the way. It would impact people.

You know why? That maybe in a sense we're blessed around here. In a sense we have a lot of churches. There's a lot of different type of churches. We have big churches. We have small churches, whatever the case might be. And we're blessed in this area. We have a lot of churches.

But can I tell you why we have this building instead of about a 500,000 square foot building full of people today? Because over the years Christians don't show sympathy. The Bible says that some have compassion making a difference. What we have done is we have tried to take the things that don't make the difference and we've tried to use them to make a difference. And it hasn't worked.

And the very thing that does make a difference we're not using. His sympathy. I don't know if maybe that day that centurion saw that these two criminals who did deserve the cross in fact they even admitted it that we rightly deserve this reward. Here's two criminals that they had a long list of things and here's Jesus that that centurion knew. He didn't even have a rap sheet. He didn't even have an offense. They couldn't even find a reason why. The only reason is because He claimed to be the Son of God and He absolutely was.

So what do you want Him to do? But that's the only thing they could even find. And here you've got two guys that deserve it. And yet on the cross that centurion that was so close to Him during this time of submission to the cross and suffering on the cross. All of a sudden he hears Jesus say, Father forgive them.

They don't even understand what they're doing. At that time they're pulling across His robe and trying to cast lots to see who's going to get it. And then he heard Him say to that thief on the cross, today you'll be with me in paradise. And maybe that centurion saw that while he was being abused and while he was being done wrong he still had compassion not only on people but on the individual.

Can I ask you something? Does Christ's compassion on you still impact you? Does the fact that if you think today that He loves you, that He loves me, does that still impact us at all? Let's say this, number four, I want you to see, I don't know if it was His submission to the cross. I don't know if it was His suffering on the cross. I don't even know if it was His sympathy to those while He was on the cross. But number four, I want you to think it might have been His statements. Now this is very, very important.

I want you to get this this morning and we're almost done. Look at verse 34 if you would. They know not what they do. Look at verse 43. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto you, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Look at verse 46. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Now these very statements on the cross. Listen, look at me.

I want you to get this. This centurion heard Jesus say these things. Now I don't know about you, but talking is one thing and walking is another. But he was watching what Jesus was going through physically and then he heard the statements that Jesus made. And it could have been the very statements that he heard. Now there were seven statements at the cross. And I'm sure you're familiar with these, but just in case you're not, I want to give you all of them today, if you don't mind.

And let me put them this way to kind of help you understand what they mean. Number one, there was the statement of love. Now verse 34 that we just read, this is what Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. A statement of love.

He loved the very people that were doing all these things to Him. Notice number two, there was the statement of forgiveness. Look at verse 43. Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Here He forgave sin of a sinner on the cross. Notice the third statement, if you will, and I'm going to read this verse too.

You can look at it. Matthew 27 verse 46 records this one during the crucifixion. It was a statement of fulfillment. Verse 46 says in about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. That is to say my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That means He had fulfilled taking sin because God the Father could not even look on His own Son because of the sin, our sin, your sin, my sin that Jesus took on the cross. Number four, there was a statement of provision. John chapter 19 verse 26 records this.

Let me read this to you. When Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciples standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold Thy Son. Then saith He to the disciple, Behold Thy mother.

And from that hour that disciple took her unto His own home. And talking about John here, and the Bible says while Jesus was suffering on the cross, here He was making sure that He was providing for His own mother. And then He looked down at Mary's mother and He pointed at John and He said, This is Thy Son. And then He looked at John, pointed at Mary and said, This is Thy mother. In other words, you're going to be her son now. And Mary, this is going to be your son. And you're going to take care of her. And the Bible says, by the way, that John lived and died a natural death and lived for a number of years.

And I'll tell you why. Because I guarantee you God and Christ was not going to let anything happen to John until Mary. John was going to be alive to take care of her. Jesus made provision on the cross for His own mother.

Statement of provision. Number five is a statement of agony. John chapter 19 verse 28 says this, watching the fact that He was His own father had forsaken Him. He's hearing these statements and then Jesus simply says, Of all the complaints He could have had that day, He only says, I'm thirsty. I thirst. Statement of agony. John chapter 19 verse 30, we see a statement of victory.

Listen to this. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is what? It was finished. Victory. I came in a manger to die on the cross.

I came as an infant so that as a man I could die on the cross and take all the sin of the world. And He had done it. He had went through the cross and all the sin had been laid on Him.

And it was finished. Victory. By the way, He's always won, always will win. He's never lost a battle. That old song Tennessee Ernie Ford used to sing, if you remember that song, Stand By Me. Y'all remember that one verse? To Him who's never lost a battle. Stand by me. By the way, your Savior who is with you right now if you're saved, He's never lost a battle.

Why would we be scared? Last there was a statement of departure. Verse 46 of Luke 23 where you're at. Look at verse 46. And when Jesus cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

The Bible says, And having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Into thy hands, submission, I commend my spirit, submission to the cross, submission to the Father, submission to the will of the Father, He gave up the... Now listen, I don't know if it was the fact that Jesus just took everything that they gave Him that day and didn't say a thing about it. I don't know if that's what impacted this centurion. I don't know if it's the fact of all the physical suffering He went through once He even got up on the cross.

I don't know if that's what impacted that centurion. I don't know if it's the fact that Jesus had sympathy on the crowds that day and then He had sympathy for that thief on the cross that day. I don't know if that's what made such an impact. I don't know if because His proximity that He was so close that He heard all seven statements that Jesus made.

I don't know what it was. And I don't know what, but I do know this, you can't be around Christ and that close to Christ and you not have to make one change or the other. If you're around Christ, look at me, you're either going to rush towards Him or you're going to run away from Him. When you're around Christ and when you're faced with a decision of Christ, you're either going to hate Him or love Him.

There's no middle ground. You can't say, well I want a little bit and I don't want this, dear friend, I'm here to tell you. You've got to make a decision when it comes to Christ. And that day, that centurion realized, be it through his submission, be it through his sympathy, be it through his suffering, be it through the very things that he said, it made an impact on this centurion. Can I say this this morning as we close? Do you know the things you say has an impact on people? The things Jesus said on the cross that day probably had a huge impact on this centurion. Look at me, I don't care how we act or what we do, the things you say has an impact on people.

May I ask you during this Christmas season, are you and I having any kind of an impact on people? I do know this, that a man that was literally on the opposite side of Christ, that hated Him, that couldn't wait to put Him to death like everybody else, look at me, by the time it was done was a believer. Jesus never said one thing to him but a righteous man had an impact on this soldier. May I say to you today, you know what during this Christmas season, any time of the year, you know what still has an impact on people? A righteous man.

It still makes a difference. I'm going to ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes this morning. I would ask you this morning, does the suffering of Christ still move you?

May we understand that, you know what, it's nice and comfortable to look at Him in a manger, but I want to remind you where He ended up was on a cross. Are you having an impact on people? Do you realize the things you say, the things you do, the sympathy that we show others, our submission to the will of God, even at times when we go through suffering, it impacts people. It makes a difference. I wonder today, are you still moved by the suffering that Christ went through on the cross?

Does it still move you? Maybe during this Christmas season, it would be maybe out of character, something we don't normally do, but maybe we ought to find an altar today and say, you know what, during this time of Christmas where we give gifts to each other and we celebrate the greatest gift that was ever given, Lord, I want to thank you again for the suffering you went through so that I have freedom, that I have salvation. Lord, I pray that your will be done.

We love you. Lord, I pray that you'd bless our folks. May they desire to have a greater impact on people.

Lord, I pray that you would help. Lord, if you've laid different decisions on people's hearts, I pray that they'd be obedient. That they'd come to this altar today, dear God, as we have Christmas week in front of us. Oh, may we show gratitude to you once again for the things you've done. Lord, we sure do love you. Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed. I want to ask you to stand all over the building. As long as you do not know for sure, 100% for sure, that you're on your way to heaven, you can come this morning and let us show you. We have individuals that would love to show you in privacy how you can know for sure that you're on your way to heaven. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.