Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program, we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's book, Heaven. The first, here's the message, Father, forgive them. We are now on our way to Easter and on this journey to the empty tomb, we come to the cross. Jesus at the cross declares who He is and how we can know God.
We know who God is and what God is like. And we see the heart of God most powerfully in the life and the words of Jesus at the cross. At the cross, where the innocent one is dying among the transgressors and between two thieves. We've never seen a crucifixion except on film. But a crucifixion was the most shameful and disgraceful death of all.
It was devised and adapted by the Romans as a public display of their power to crush resistance, to deter crime. And so crucifixion was common in the day of Christ. In particular, Jews were crucified over and over again. And Jesus was led to a cruel death on the cross. Not dying for His own crimes, but for the crimes of others. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Death on a cross was torturous.
It was brutal, agonizing. A man would literally suffocate in his own fluids, dying on a cross or else die from exposure or the loss of blood. Crucifixion was intended to prolong death as long as possible so that ultimately a man would beg to die. Death would become a delight for someone dying on a cross. But on this cross, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, we see one who is in charge of his own destiny.
Even though he was placed into the hands of sinful men, yet Jesus, the Son of God, is in control of all that goes on around him. At the cross there were mockers and scoffers. The Romans themselves who crucified Him, who viewed Him as a failed king, just another uprising among the Jews, just another Jew to put on a cross. Around the cross, at the cross were the religious leaders, the religious establishment who talked together and conspired together to condemn Jesus to death, ultimately at the hands of the Romans. Then there was the curious crowd, the indifferent who just came by to see the latest crucifixion on their way to somewhere and then they gathered and they watched Him there. Of course there were a few friends and family members at the cross, but ultimately at the cross we focus on the one who is on that cross. Who is this one dying on the cross? We never see who He is and what He is like more clearly than in the first words spoken by Jesus. The first of these seven statements that He makes upon the cross, Luke 23, 33, and 34. And when they came to the place that is called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. And Jesus said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.
We have a saying, to err is human and to forgive is divine. Jesus declares and demonstrates His deity with these words, a plea, a prayer that He offers to the Father. He demonstrates His identity with the Father as the Son of God.
He never lost a sense of His sonship on the cross. He entered with words of affirmation to the Father, Abba, Daddy, Father, words that He used. He endured suffering when He cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And when He expired, He committed His life to the Father, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
But through and through, through the long six hours from 9 a.m. in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, throughout those hours, He stayed in perfect fellowship with the Father. And He cries out, He prays, Father forgive them for they do not know what they do. Here we see the heart of God to give love and mercy, grace, forgiveness. Jesus is telling us from the cross why He came and what He can do for all and that is to forgive. Jesus came to forgive our sins, to save people from their sins, to save people who are far, far from God including those who even tortured and put Him on the cross. He announces His forgiveness that He was dying to give.
Here is one who died like no other. He did not die in His sin, but He died for sin. But God demonstrated His love toward us and that why we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He did not die because of His own sin, but because of the sins of others, yours and mine. And so when He exclaimed, Father forgive them, they do not know what they do. This is Jesus with His arms open wide saying, I love you and I will forgive you if you come to me at the cross.
It is written in a way that suggests that He repeated these words again and again. Jesus apparently said, Father forgive them, Father forgive them, throughout His experience on the cross, His death and dying on the cross, when they nailed Him and impaled Him on the cross, dropped Him in that jagged hole, He was crying out, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. When they mocked Him, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. When they spit upon Him, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. He could have said, Father condemn them. He could have called 10,000 angels to deliver Him, but rather than saying, Father condemn them, He said, Father forgive them.
What amazing love. J.C. Ryle said this, as soon as the blood of the great sacrifice began to flow, the great high priest began to intercede. Jesus is the great high priest who is praying for us, then and now. Somehow, Jesus found strength and courage to pray at the cross. As I told you, death on a cross was so torturous and you would die because of asphyxiation, you would suffocate. So it was almost impossible to breathe, so you could somehow lift yourself up if there was a little pedestal there. And remember I said the Romans wanted you to linger as long as possible and to die as painful and anguishing a death as possible.
Some would last for multiple hours, even days on a cross, but you could somehow lift yourself up on this little pedestal and get air in in order to speak. And somehow, Jesus was able along the cross's terrible way to speak at His first words, Father forgive them for they know not what they do reminds us that prayer is always possible for the believer and follower of Jesus. Because we have a God and a Father who cares about us. And in severe crosses and extreme losses, sometimes we feel, God are you there? I don't know how to pray.
I don't know what to say. But remember Jesus, who prayed for forgiveness to all who would come to Him. And no matter what you're facing in your life, no matter how difficult the pain and the anguish in your life. You can barely breathe.
You can't even speak. You can cry out to God, and He will hear you. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Father, forgive them. Even in life's heaviest moments, the promise of heaven holds out an encouraging hope for you today. And when you understand what your future with God will be like the burdens of the present fill lighter. That's what Pastor Graham's book heaven is all about.
And it's why we want to get a copy into your hands today. Heaven is our thanks for your gift to help share the truth of the gospel to more people around the world. So call now to request your copy of heaven when you give call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org, where you could shop our store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot org. Now let's get back to today's message, Father, forgive them. We ask for whom was Jesus praying? For whom was Jesus praying when it says, Father, forgive them, they do not know what they do.
What does that mean? Well He was certainly praying for the soldiers. He was certainly praying for the religious establishment, those who crucified Him, the immediate surrounding persecutors.
He prayed for them. He said they do not know what they do. Those who crucified Jesus in arrogance and those who crucified Jesus in ignorance.
Some said we will not have this man to reign over us. They crucified Him in arrogance. But they crucified the Lord of glory because they didn't know what they were doing. They could have never understood the enormity of their sin and the consequences of their sin.
They could have never imagined what they were doing in crucifying Jesus. They didn't know, some didn't know who He was. They should have known who He was. He told them who He was.
As He stood on trial, as He stood before men, He clearly announced His deity, His sonship. They should have known, but they refused to believe. They were blinded by their sin, just like people today who are blinded to the truth and the reality of who Jesus Christ is. They choose their sin over the Savior.
Ignorance is no excuse. The other day I was driving to the church about a month ago. I was driving to the church and I came a back way that I normally don't travel. And I'm going down a thoroughfare and I was driving the speed limit 45 miles an hour in this particular area and then I took a turn to get to the church and what I did not realize and did not see that there are a couple of signs on the little side road where I was cutting through that took the speed limit from 45 to 30. I found out that it was a 30 mile speed limit. When I got pulled over by a nice officer and he asked me, sir, I mean you know you're getting a lot older when the policemen look like they're about 16 and call you sir, right? But he said, sir, why, is there any reason you were driving so fast?
I don't know why they asked that question. I know better than to give an excuse, all right? So I just said, no, sir, I just wasn't paying attention to the speed limit. I was still driving 45, but I was over the speed limit.
So I got a nice ticket just to remember what the speed limit is at that particular place. I didn't know. I thought I was innocent. But I was guilty. And ignorance didn't save me from the consequences of my actions. So when it comes to the cross, we cannot plead ignorance.
We didn't know. And yet, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. We see His amazing grace and desire to forgive all, even those who crucified Him. Jesus is interceding and He is inviting all to receive His forgiveness. He will forgive anyone, anyone who repents of sin and receives His grace. He gives hope for every poor, undeserving sinner. So when He prays, Father, forgive them, who is the them? We is the them.
In that personal pronoun, it is a blessed pronoun. Them means you, me, we can be forgiven of every sin. Do you not think if Jesus would pray to forgive those who committed this unconscionable act of defiance and rebellion and brutality against Him, do you not think that if He would choose to forgive them, that He would choose to forgive you? Hear His prayer, receive His pardon. This is the last invitation of the Bible.
Whosoever will, may come. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Father, forgive them. Father, forgive them. Father, forgive them.
These words echo through the generations. Thunders in our souls today. Did God the Father answer this prayer?
Yes, and He's still answering it today. As Jesus spoke and interacted with these two thieves, crucified, one on the right, one on the left, one of the thieves believed, and I can't help but think that what drew this thief to Jesus, the dying, believing thief, was hearing these words. Father, forgive them. A guilty man who knew he deserved to die, he hears Jesus praying to the Father to forgive. And He said, I want to be forgiven.
Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. When it was all said and done and Jesus died and committed His Spirit to the Father, a hardened Roman soldier had never seen a man die like this one had died. He said, surely this man was the Son of God.
It must have been the mercy of Jesus and the forgiveness of Jesus that would forgive that man before he even asked that brought him to confession and declaration that Jesus is the Son of God. And yes, God is still answering that prayer of Jesus today. In fact, did you know that Jesus is still praying?
Not on a cross but at the throne of God. For Hebrews 7 25 says, He always lives to make intercession for them. So He died interceding for us and He lives interceding for us. He is praying for our forgiveness.
The portrait here is of a defense attorney standing before the bar, standing in our defense at the judgment bar, interceding for us, interacting with us, praying and pleading for us that we would be forgiven. What a prayer! To God the Father who freely forgives all who receive His Son, Jesus is praying on this altar of sacrifice, bearing our sins and He's pleading His own blood. And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanses us from all sin. His death secures the promise of forgiveness. Forgiveness is free but it costs God His only Son. Forgiveness is not cheap.
The consequences of sin is death but Jesus paid a debt, the debt that we owed in order that we might be forgiven. Father forgive them for they know not what they do. And if you have received His forgiveness and mercy, then there's only one thing that you can do, having repented of your own sin and received God's grace and mercy by trusting in His Son and Jesus only to be your Lord and Savior, there's only one thing for us to do. And that is to forgive others. To live a life of forgiveness because those who have been forgiven, forgive. All of us have been hurt and damaged by people, sinned against and broken by other sins. Perhaps you're thinking there is no way that I can forgive because of this or him or her or this. You probably know by now if you know me that I had to deal with that question as a young man when my father was brutally murdered. I had to decide if I was going to live in bitterness or live in forgiveness.
And we all do. You say I can. Yes, by God's grace you can. And I stand as a testimony to say it's true that God will give us the grace and His love to forgive others. This is at the heart of the cross. We talk about picking up the cross and following Jesus. I can think of nothing more centered in the cross than forgiveness. If you're carrying the cross, you are offering forgiveness. These words mark the lives and the testimonies of the disciples of Christ.
To forgive your enemies, to forgive those who hurt you, and to pray that they will be forgiven by God the Father through Jesus our Lord. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Father, Forgive Them. No matter what struggles you're facing today, you have hope in the promises awaiting you in heaven. And God calls you to share that hope with others today. That's why we want to encourage and inspire you today by sending you Pastor Graham's book Heaven. This exciting book takes you straight to scripture to help you see all that awaits you in the life to come and how it impacts your life today.
You'll find hope for today and courage to share that hope with others. So don't wait to request your copy. Heaven is our special thanks for your gift to help boldly proclaim God's word through PowerPoint. So request your copy when you call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? When life is difficult and when people fail you, defraud you, when you're the victim of some injustice or when sickness and suffering attacks you, it's always a great idea to keep your eyes on Jesus, to keep your eyes on following Jesus and that includes the cross. The reason is at the cross we see something incredible, something wonderful, something glorious that happened.
In the midst of the greatest tragedy imaginable, God was achieving his greatest victory. And so in our lives, we look to the cross and we remember that God uses sufferings and pain for his own purposes in us. We look to the cross to remind ourselves that even when life is hard and difficult, God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We know that if we love this much, if he has given us this great love, then we can get through anything.
We look to the cross to remember that we have been forgiven and our eternal future in heaven is guaranteed through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. I want to encourage you to visit jackgram.org and there you will be able to request prayer. We would love to hear from you if you have prayer requests, some way that we can minister to you. Prayer is so powerful and we're so grateful for the opportunity to connect with you and to connect with God in this way.
There are materials and resources available to you at jackgram.org. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook from there. It's just a great way for us to get together on a regular basis. It's also an opportunity at jackgram.org for you to give an online donation, a gift that will go towards the advance of the gospel through PowerPoint. God is opening some amazing doors in our times and through PowerPoint and we're grateful.
So we definitely need your financial support. So thanks for listening each day. Thanks for praying for us and thanks for caring about Jesus and the work that He does through this ministry.
God bless you. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint we'll send you Dr. Graham's book Heaven as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. Well next time Dr. Graham brings a message about how the cross of Christ leaves no middle ground for negotiations. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
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