99 Sayings from the Cross (1)#
The Seven Sayings from the Cross (1)
The title of the sharing is: The Seven Sayings from the Cross, Lecture One.
Luke 23:32-35
32 “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 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. 34 Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 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.’”
Let us pray together:
“Father in heaven, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. Jesus Christ loves us so much; the Father loves us so much. When we all went astray, you still did not give up on loving us, sending your only beloved Son into the world to save us.
But we do not understand your love, we do not know Jesus Christ. When you died on the cross, the people beneath the cross mocked and ridiculed you. Your true people stood there watching, yet did not understand. Lord, on this day, we come together to worship you because we know what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Without you, we would still be in sin today, unable to escape from evil.
Jesus, when you died on the cross for my sins two thousand years ago, you freed me from sin. Now I am a person in Christ Jesus, receiving our Father’s love and supply to be renewed in strength. This week will be completely different, and we thank you for that. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.”
Brothers and sisters, do you know what week is coming up? Resurrection Week. Some say it is Passion Week, some say it is Holy Week, and some say it is Resurrection Week; all are correct. The key is what you are celebrating. If you define the coming week as Passion Week, some will say: “This week, stop all entertainment activities, do not sing joyful songs, observe silence, and think about how Jesus died.” Then, of course, you will live that way.
Another group of people says: “We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ; His death is not the end, the resurrection is the end.” People begin to rejoice and be glad. So the key is what you receive.
Over the next seven weeks, I will share with you the last seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. These seven sayings have a profound impact on everyone. What is the day fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Pentecost. Why is it called Pentecost? How many days is a week? Ten days, and fifty is fifty days. Pentecost is fifty days, and on that day, the Holy Spirit descended.
So I plan to take seven weeks to talk to you about the last seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. By the time this series is finished, Pentecost will have arrived. From that day on, the disciples were no longer the same. They were filled with the power of God, the Holy Spirit was poured out. They began to speak in tongues, performed many signs and wonders, and their courage grew, as if they had become different people.
Brothers and sisters, before you receive the power of God and His gifts, God first wants to give you His word. You must first know God’s word, and then the Holy Spirit will give you power to manifest His glory through that word. We have seven weeks to share with you what Jesus did for us on the cross. Then, receiving power, the Holy Spirit will work through what you have received.
What is the first saying of Jesus when He was nailed to the cross? Let’s read together:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, and He was without sin; for neither His enemies nor His fellow countrymen could find any sin in Jesus, even the very cruel Pontius Pilate could not find any fault in Jesus. Some say: “Actually, Pilate was quite merciful. He said, ‘Jesus is innocent; I will release Him.’” I will share with you later why this man was not merciful.
Pontius Pilate was not a Jew; he was a Roman official; the life or death of a Jew meant nothing to him. But when he saw Jesus, he realized this man was truly innocent, as his wife had said. Shouldn’t someone who is innocent be released immediately? Yes. But what did Pontius Pilate say? He said, “Come on! Let him be beaten first, and then release him!”
Think about it, if he was truly innocent, he should be released immediately; instead of being beaten first, even though he was innocent, you might have seen the passion of Jesus, or the passion of Christ, when the Roman soldiers went to beat someone, it was not an ordinary whip; that whip would hook the flesh. Being innocent, yet still being treated this way, and then sent back. After a beating like that, a person would be unable to work for a year.
It is easy to imagine how many people were beaten under Pontius Pilate; he was not a merciful man. In front of such a person, he said: I cannot find any sin in this man. Brothers and sisters, this enemy bore witness to Jesus, saying I cannot find any sin in him.
Did the Jews find any sin in Jesus? In the end, they said: Crucify Him! In Roman times, crucifixion was a very cruel punishment, reserved for the most heinous criminals. When someone was crucified, a sign of their crime would be written above their head. And what was Jesus’ crime? King of the Jews.
Because He said He was the King of the Jews, He was crucified. This was the reason why the group that followed Jesus ultimately had Him crucified, because He said He was the King of the Jews. This also proves that Jesus was innocent; when the Jews interrogated Him, they could not present any evidence of sin. King Herod found no sin when he interrogated Him; Pilate could not find any sin in Him; no one could present any evidence against Jesus. This once again proves that our Jesus Christ is indeed innocent, and Jesus knew that He had never sinned.
Now, let’s think from Jesus’ perspective about this matter. You are innocent, yet the people around you falsely accuse you and want to crucify you. How would you feel? We would feel very wronged and aggrieved. Especially when enemies attack us, we say: Lord! Open your eyes and look at me (as if the Lord is closing His eyes)! Look at how pitiful I am! The enemy bullies me for no reason; quickly strike him down! If Jesus had prayed for balance and fairness at that moment, all the Jews would have been killed.
Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since it is Passion Week, we need to think about why Jesus had to die on the cross. Couldn’t it have been done another way? Why must He die on the cross? Some say it is to bear our sins. Actually, bearing our sins could have been done in the temple; why must it be on the cross? This is a key point.
The first point I want to share with you is: Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
In Roman times, no one wore a cross necklace because it represented a curse and humiliation. Today, some people wear cross necklaces, but in the past, no one wore them because crucifixion was an extremely cruel and painful punishment.
Those of us who are doctors know that if a person’s artery is cut, blood may spray out, and they could die in a moment. But when Jesus was nailed to the cross, it was the veins; His hands and feet were nailed, and blood dripped from the veins. The Romans, seeing this heinous crime, did not want Him to die immediately; they wanted Him to endure the pain. Many people could hang on the cross for a day and a night without dying, and this is the reason. The blood did not gush out; it dripped slowly from the nails. This person gradually experienced the process of dying, which was extremely painful. Brothers and sisters, Jesus did not need to suffer this punishment, yet He still went to the cross.
Earlier we asked, why did Jesus have to go to the cross? To save us. Why is the cross our salvation? Because the punishment of the cross represents us. On the cross, everything about a person is stripped away. First, life is taken away; secondly, all dignity is stripped away because it is a curse.
Looking at the Passion of Christ, Jesus was crucified wearing a loincloth, but the reality was that He wore nothing. Imagine, on that roadside hill, lifted up on the cross, everyone passing by could see Him completely naked, yet He could not die; wanting to die, but unable to do so. Because the cross is meant to humiliate, to show everyone what the fate of a criminal is, stripping everything away. Dignity, respect, everything is gone, and finally, life is taken away.
Why did Jesus have to suffer such a severe punishment? Because we have no life in this world; everything about us has been stripped away by the devil; and when Jesus comes to restore everything to us, He must save us from death, from the bondage of the law, and from the bondage of the devil.
The wages of our sin is death, so Jesus had to die; we were cursed, we were humiliated, and Jesus took everything in our place. So when He was humiliated on the cross, you are no longer humiliated; when Jesus Christ was cursed on the cross, you are no longer cursed by God. When Jesus was on the cross, after the Father left Him, from then on, God will never leave you.
Similarly, when He died on the cross, God said, I give you eternal life. Jesus gave everything on the cross; what did Jesus give? Honor, glory, holiness, righteousness, and all blessings are in Jesus; He gave all of this on the cross, to whom? To us. What do you give to Jesus? Just your sins.
Brothers and sisters, this is the love of the Father. The Father loves us so much; He sees that we have nothing, and He says, I will give you my Son. My Son has everything, but for your sake, He lost everything on the cross. As long as you believe in Jesus Christ and are willing to accept Him, God says, give your sins to my Son. Jesus opens His arms on the cross to welcome sinners, not the righteous. As long as you feel you are a sinner, you can come before Jesus, and Jesus will open His arms to accept you, saying: Give me your sins! Then Jesus gives you all His holiness, righteousness, love, blessings, and eternal life. This is why we look to the cross of Jesus; this is a righteous exchange.
When Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,” it was not without cost; His forgiveness is different from worldly forgiveness. If I were a prince and my father were the emperor, and my friend committed a crime, I would come before my father and say: Father, please forgive my friend! The father would say, “Alright, alright! I declare: your friend is innocent.” This would be abolishing the law. I would bring my friend before my father and say: Father, he is my friend; you cannot condemn him to death, even though he has sinned. The father would say: “I forgive him in my name.” This would be abolishing the law. But Jesus did not come to save us this way; He did not come to ask the Father to forgive us like this. How did He do it? He said: “My friends have sinned; I will take their sins upon myself and die for them. Father, forgive them.” Jesus did not abolish the law; He fulfilled the law. This is how Jesus saves us. Brothers and sisters, He understood why He came to this world; it was to save us.
Isaiah 53:7, He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
So Jesus did not open His mouth when He was being humiliated by others. He knew what He was doing; facing the crowd mocking Him, Jesus said nothing. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
When you evangelize, do you have the same heart as Jesus, willing to save them, willing to give them the life of Jesus Christ? Perhaps others say: All who believe in Jesus are fools; I don’t want to believe! Go away; don’t let me see you again! You feel wronged, but do not be like John: Lord, let fire come down from heaven and consume these people! How dare they treat me this way? We should forgive them like Jesus. Why? Because they do not know what they do.
If the people of Israel knew that this Jesus was the one who came down from heaven, the unique Lord who created the world, they would not have done this. If they knew that the person standing before you, sharing the gospel, is the Son of God, the beloved Son of God, they would not have done this. They do not recognize you, so they dare to humiliate you, dare to mock you. Therefore, you must forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Brothers and sisters, when you see what Jesus has done for you, you can forgive others. Because our Father has this intention; He is willing to love us. When He gave us His Son, He saw His Son enduring all kinds of humiliation and suffering. He was oppressed; by whom was He oppressed? Actually, it was by sinners, by His own people.
Yet He opened not His mouth in His suffering. When you are working for the Lord Jesus, the suffering you endure is known to the Lord. The Bible tells us: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Everything you labor for in the Lord is not in vain; God will reward you. This is our Jesus; He is not without power; He just chooses not to speak.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus once prayed to the Father,
In Matthew 26:39, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
What does this cup refer to? The cup of suffering from being nailed to the cross? Let me explain this scripture to you. The vast majority of people think that Jesus was afraid of death, that He could not bear the suffering, so He asked the Father to take this cup away. Actually, that is wrong; Jesus knew from the very beginning why He came to the world; His purpose was to die for us. The Father sent Him to die, so He clearly understood what the Father’s will was.
When He was twelve years old, He said in the temple, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” He knew what His purpose was for coming to the world. So before He went to the cross, He said three times: “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of the priests and scribes; they will mock Him, scourge Him, and crucify Him, and on the third day He will rise again.” Jesus clearly knew He would die and that He would rise again. He knew all of this.
Brothers and sisters, if you knew you would rise again after you died, would you still be afraid of death? No, you wouldn’t. It’s like someone who has a little cold, perhaps a sore throat; would they lose sleep over it, thinking they are going to die? No, because they feel that this is not a big deal; a little medicine will solve the problem, right? For Jesus, death was not scary because He would rise again three days later. But why did Jesus pray to the Father, saying, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me?” This cup refers to the moment on the cross when the Father would leave Him.
At one point on the cross, Jesus bore all the sins of humanity upon Himself. To put it in one word, our holy Father could never be in the presence of sin; at that moment, He had to leave His Son. Because He was now in the presence of sin, bearing the sins of the world, the Father had to leave Him.
You know that the Trinity has never been separated; Jesus said, “The Father is in Me, and I am in Him; we are one,” which proves that they had never left each other. But at that moment on the cross, the Father left His Son. Later, we will share that Jesus on the cross said: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
At that moment, in the entire four gospels, this is the only time Jesus calls our Father “My God, My God,” because at that moment, Jesus could not call our God “Father” because He was in the identity of a sinner. This was something Jesus did not want to bear; He did not want to. He meant to say: I am willing to die for everyone, I am willing to suffer, I am willing to be scourged, but I do not want you to leave me for even a moment. This was what Jesus was praying about.
Although Jesus prayed this way, He said: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus was not without power; did He have power when He was on the cross? Did He have power before going to the cross? Yes. It is not that Jesus was stripped of everything and had nothing left; all His power was still within Him.
Matthew 26:52-54,
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
This group of Pharisees, scribes, and chief priests came to arrest Jesus on a night of the fourteenth; in fact, the moon was very high, and they came with torches, as if they were very afraid.
Jesus asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said, “I am He.”
What happened next? All of them fell down. Did Jesus have power? So He did not use His own power.
No one could kill Jesus; He willingly laid down His life for us; He willingly offered His life on the cross for our sake. He said: “Do you not know that I could pray to My Father and He could send twelve legions of angels right now?” Did it take twelve legions to kill this group of chief priests? Actually, one would be enough; one angel could kill them all, but Jesus did not do that.
The Lord Jesus was crucified because He obeyed the will of our Father. He took the cup of suffering from our Father’s hand, the cup of separation; from then on, God will never leave you again. He accepted all our sins and bore them on the cross; from then on, God will no longer remember your sins and transgressions. Because the price of all our sins has already been paid by Jesus on the cross. Thank the Lord; this is the will of our Father. Because He loves us, He allowed Jesus to die on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5-6 tells us: 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
The original form of the cross is like this; why did Jesus have to go to the cross? It was for our sake. When He was punished, it was for us to have peace; when He was beaten by others, it was for us to be healed. This is an exchange, do you understand? He said: “Father, forgive them.” When Jesus cried out this forgiveness, He said: Now they can be worthy of peace because I have already been punished.
Our Lord Jesus said: “Father, heal them, for I have already been wounded.” When our Father looks, all the conditions have been met; we do not need any other conditions. We just need to believe that Jesus has paid the price for you, so you can freely receive His healing and His peace.
Thank the Lord; all of this was paid for by Jesus with His life, so we can receive grace freely. From a human perspective, we have not paid a bit of the price; everything was done by Jesus on the cross. If you want to receive healing, think about this: Jesus was wounded, and you are already worthy of God’s healing; thank the Lord.
Look at our Lord Jesus; He is full of forgiveness, full of tolerance; He intercedes for sinners. Although this group of people nailed Him to the cross, Jesus said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This includes the two criminals beside Him; these two criminals deserved their punishment, but when one of the criminals saw how Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, he understood in his heart: This is the love of the Father. Although we do not speak of the love of the Father, when you see that Jesus died for you, this is already the love of the Father. Jesus died for us; He is willing to heal you, willing to give you peace, all because Jesus has already paid the price.
Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
What do you think this cross is like? Many people during this week will say: You must take up your cross and follow Jesus. Some say: This cross is painful, it is humiliating, it is a very difficult path, it is a road full of thorns. Haven’t you heard such teachings? I want to ask: If our cross is still like this, then the path we walk is the same as Jesus’, right? Where was Jesus going with this painful, humiliating cross? To the kingdom of heaven?
Jesus carried this cross to a place called Golgotha, where He was crucified and died. If you still believe that the cross you bear is such a painful, humiliating, cursed cross, you will walk towards death. Jesus does not want you to bear this cross; because Jesus went to the cross, everything has changed.
Why do you wear a cross necklace and not feel it is a humiliation? Instead, you feel it is peace, it is protection, it is salvation. When you see a huge cross on a building, what is it? Is it hell? No, it is a hospital. When you see a car on the street with a cross on it, is that car for killing people? No, it is an ambulance; it is a vehicle for salvation.
Before Jesus went to the cross, that cross was indeed a humiliation, a pain, a curse; but Jesus has already completed that part for us. When He died on the cross and rose again, it became a glorious cross. Each of us carries our own cross; that cross is not yours; it has already been exchanged by Jesus Christ, turning into a saving cross.
When you see an ambulance coming to someone, is the person in the ambulance there to kill that person? What are they there for? Since it is for salvation, let’s analyze this matter more deeply. When a group of doctors arrives at the scene of an accident, they say: First tell me, who hit whom? Who is right and who is wrong? Did you hit him first, or did he hit you? You tell me. You have a serious rib injury; let me see his condition. Do doctors need to do such things? They only need to do one thing: get both people in the ambulance and take them to the hospital. At that moment, doctors do not have the authority to judge; that is someone else’s job.
Christians all bear the cross; it is a glorious cross, a saving cross. When you see someone injured, do not judge them: You tell me how you committed this sin; that is why God is punishing you. You have an illness, you have pain; you should confess all your sins.
Do not forget, you are just a saving doctor; what you need to do is bring this person before Jesus Christ. Just like that ambulance, you need to bring this person to the hospital, letting the doctors there save him; this is our duty. Many people overstep their bounds, thinking that we bear a painful cross, a humiliating cross, a cross leading to death; that would mean the ambulance is there to kill, not to save.
I hope you can really remember this story: every person has a glorious cross; it is salvation, it is glory. Wherever you go, remember to bring healing and comfort to others. Because you are to bring this person before Jesus Christ; this is the duty of every child of God; this is our cross. We must bear this glorious cross, bear this saving cross, and tell the good news to the world.
Tell them that the Father no longer remembers your sins; come and believe in Him! When you see a weak person, say, “Come boldly before God! He has already accepted you.” The weak can become strong, the sick can be healed; because someone has already paid the price; Jesus on the cross has already paid the price.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,” because He Himself was bleeding. The Bible says without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. At this moment, Jesus Christ had already been wounded, so He could say, “Father, forgive them.” Because He is now bleeding, He says, “Father, forgive them,” because their sins are being forgiven. When Jesus Christ died, all the work of redemption was completed. Brothers and sisters, do not return to the old covenant; do not let others tell you that you are bearing a painful, cursed cross that you cannot bear.
I have seen in the West that some people try to experience Jesus’ cross during Passion Week. In the Middle East, they set up a cross, and some people want to experience what it was like for Jesus on the cross. They bind themselves to the cross, but their hands are not nailed; they hang there from 9 AM to 3 PM, and some faint. Imagine how much pain Jesus suffered on the cross. Why did He endure this pain? It was for our sake. He was without sin, yet He was nailed to the cross.
There are two kinds of suffering; one is that others do not understand and reject Him. His fellow countrymen, His beloved disciples all fled; what a desolate state that is! Jesus once said, “The shepherd will be struck, and the sheep will scatter.” You will all leave me alone. Immediately after, Jesus said: “Actually, I am not alone, for the Father is with Me.” But at that moment on the cross, the Father left Him; He was truly alone in the world, with nothing.
For what purpose? So that we could have no lack.
The Bible says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Jesus gave everything He had to us, leaving not a bit for Himself; He gave everything away. He lost His dignity, but you gained dignity. He, as the Son of God, gave you that identity, and we became children of God. Brothers and sisters, we must take up the cross and follow Him, following Jesus daily.
When you understand that Jesus truly loves you, you will be willing to take up this cross because it is glorious, it is salvation. When your boss bullies you for no reason, you should think: “Father, forgive him, for he does not know what he is doing.” He does not know what he is doing? The suffering you endure, the Father has a reward for you.
The cross brings love and forgiveness. In the church, we often mention the cross of Jesus Christ; what message does the cross bring us? It is love and forgiveness. After Adam sinned, humanity fell into sin; we cannot clean our own sins. Just like the two thieves beside Jesus, neither of these criminals could say, “Put my sins on me; let him go.” They did not have that qualification because they were also guilty.
The only one who can bear another person’s sin is the one who is without sin. Jesus Christ is without sin, so He can bear our iniquities. When Jesus bore our iniquities, He could say to the Father, “Father, forgive them.” Under the law of the Old Testament, what did God’s law say? “I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation;”
But Jesus Christ said, “Father, forgive them. Because I have shed blood on the cross, forgive their sins.” So Jesus said: “You will bless them to a thousand generations.” This is the forgiveness that Jesus brought us on the cross. The first saying of Jesus on the cross is “Father, forgive them,” which is the love of our Jesus Christ.
Look at what our state was in the past: Ephesians 2:13-16
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
In the past, we were far from God, just like the people beneath the cross, far from God. But now, where are you? In Christ Jesus. It is not by good behavior that you can stay in Christ; it is by the blood of Jesus Christ that you are in Christ. And you have been brought near to God. What does this mean? Your relationship with God is very close.
I have been to many churches, and some teachings say: Every time you come to church, the first thing you must do is confess all your sins from last week; only then do you have the right to worship God, and God will accept your worship. Otherwise, God will not let you go. They forget that it is not your confession of sin that brings you close to God. What is it based on? The blood of Jesus Christ.
It is very clear here that because of the blood of Jesus Christ, you have been brought near to God in Christ Jesus. In the past, there was something between us and God, a wall of separation; that was sin. Our sin separated us from God. When Jesus offered Himself on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them,” that wall was torn down. It was because Jesus died, for us, that He tore down the middle wall of separation.
He abolished the enmity in His flesh; when Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. What was that place? The Holy of Holies. In the past, the high priest had only one chance a year to enter the Holy of Holies. Before entering, he had to tie a bell around his waist and have a rope tied to his foot. When the high priest approached the mercy seat to draw near to God, were they afraid? The Old Testament describes coming near to God with four words: fear and trembling. Why did the high priest have a rope tied to his foot? He was not sure if he could come out alive after meeting God. Did the high priest not confess his sins before entering? He confessed more thoroughly than you; did he not wash? He washed more than once. Because it was a matter of life and death, it was not a joke, so all these things were done, but there was still a great possibility that the high priest would be killed.
The reason is that God does not say, “Oh, I see; you think you have confessed enough.” God looks at whether you have even a tiny bit of sin that has not been cleansed; if so, you will be killed immediately. And the people outside, seeing someone killed, could not enter, so they had to tie a rope and pull out another priest to go in. This is the Old Testament. Even the one who cleanses himself, even the one who confesses his sins thoroughly, is not sure if he has confessed enough because the standard is not with us, but with God.
But under the New Covenant? The first saying of Jesus on the cross is “Father, forgive them.” The forgiveness of Jesus Christ is complete; therefore, when He died, the veil of the temple was torn in two. In the past, people could not directly approach the Holy of Holies; now that way has been completely opened. Because of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, because His blood has been offered before God. Today, the New Covenant describes your state when you come before God as boldness. Are you afraid when you come before God? Just now, you were happily praising because you are bold; that is the reason.
Because Jesus has torn down that middle wall of separation, from now on, our relationship with God is reconciled, and this reconciliation is eternal. Never let anyone deceive you, saying that if you sin today, God will punish you and send you to hell. These are all lies because it is the blood of Jesus that guarantees you. The first saying of Jesus on the cross is “Father, forgive them.” Remember, God has also forgiven you. Jesus on the cross abolished the enmity, resolving the issue that could not be resolved between man and God.
There is a verse in Isaiah that many people use, but they use it incorrectly. Isaiah 59:1-2, 1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
Many pastors in churches use this verse to scare believers: Do you know why you are sick? Because of your sins, that is why God does not heal you when you pray. His ear is not short; His ear is long, but He does not hear you. Why? Because your sins have separated you from God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
Believers say: “What should I do then?”
Confess your sins.
That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? Isn’t that going back to the Old Testament law?
Remember, when these things arise, remind yourself again: “Father, I am not accepted by my behavior; I am accepted by the blood of Jesus Christ; His blood is still effective today.” When you fix your eyes on this unshakable foundation, your faith will not weaken.
If you truly believe that because you have sinned, God no longer listens to your prayers, you have been deceived. Because Isaiah 59 comes after Isaiah 53, which speaks of the Messiah dying for our sins, allowing us to receive forgiveness. Chapter 59 immediately mentions this matter.
Today, when you read this scripture, you must know that the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; it is because many people do not know what they have done, many people do not recognize what Jesus has done for them, and they still live in a deceptive language. Brothers and sisters, the Father’s forgiveness for us, I want to emphasize again, is definitely not without cost. Although it seems to us to be grace received freely, it was earned by Jesus Christ with His life; it was paid for by the Lord Jesus with His death.
He personally bore all our sins; therefore, the Father will surely hear your prayers and grant you grace. This is a guarantee. When you understand Christ’s forgiveness for us, you can forgive others. This is very important for us; many people forget that God’s forgiveness for us is because of the blood of Jesus Christ, and they think they still need to earn God’s favor and acceptance through good behavior, which is wrong.
Let me solve another problem for you, brothers and sisters. During Passion Week, I often heard such teachings in the past, and today I want to ask you: Who crucified Jesus? The teachings I heard in the past were like this: Now it is Passion Week, so please stop all entertainment activities; do not sing joyful songs. Don’t think that it was the Jews who crucified Jesus; you also have a part in it. I want to clarify this point. You say: I crucified Jesus! Do you really think you are willing to crucify Jesus? You do not even know what you are doing.
Isaiah 53 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way,” right? Although we are sinners, we say, “Lord, I am a sinner; what should I do?” Then Jesus comes along, and we say, “Let’s crucify Jesus.” Is that how it is? No. From the descendants of Adam onward, everyone has become a sinner. After we became sinners, we still enjoyed the pleasures of sin.
The key is that we are unwilling to accept God’s redemption; we want to live our own way. When Jesus came, He said: “I place life and curses before you; come and believe in Me; I have already paid the price for you on the cross.”
We say: “Go away; I don’t want you.”
Brothers and sisters, it is not that we intentionally think we are sinners and crucify Jesus. If that were the case, everyone would be saved. The key is that after we became sinners, we still do not want Jesus; it is God who comes to find us step by step. We are sinners, yet we run away; Jesus is behind us, saying: “Accept Me; I have already died for you on the cross; I have shed precious blood; the Father has already forgiven you.” We still do not want Him; we keep running; this is our state.
Do not think too highly of ourselves, thinking we are sinners who crucified Jesus. You would not even want to crucify Jesus! But the Father does not want to see us living like this; the Father sent His Son to find these sinners. Why do we evangelize? When we see someone in sin, their life is in the hands of the devil, we say: “Believe in Jesus, for the Father has already forgiven you.” You come to accept Jesus, and you will receive eternal life.
Does this person want it? No. Why do we go find them, and they still do not want it? Because they are going their own way. If they really believed that they crucified Jesus, they would see a way out and quickly crucify Jesus; that would be fine. It is not like that; we are in sin, yet we do not want God. It is God who comes to find us again and again; this is the love of the Father; this is the Father’s love for you. He does not want you to die, so He sends you these angels, messengers of the kingdom, to tell others: You must repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
Isn’t that what we are doing in evangelism? Telling others that the Father loves you; He has forgiven you because Jesus has died on the cross for your sins. If you are willing to accept Jesus, you will receive this life. This is the content of the gospel we preach.
Brothers and sisters, the Father loves us like this; we reject the gospel, yet the Father keeps telling us the gospel; this is what all Christians do. Do not forget that in fact, people are really nothing; we have sinned, yet we do not want God’s salvation; we want to live on our own. But God’s intention is that He is willing to save us; Jesus’ first saying on the cross is, “Father, forgive them.” This is the reason Jesus can forgive you. In your daily life, when you sin, remember that Jesus has already forgiven you; fix your eyes again on what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross!
Some may have this question: If my brother or sister has offended me, how should I pray? Or if I have offended someone else, what should I do? Should I not care?
James 5:16, Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
Does this verse refer to the relationship between people or our relationship with God? The Bible says very clearly, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” God knows our hearts are small; He knows we cannot forgive others, we cannot let go, so Jesus gave you an example. I just analyzed the imbalance in Jesus’ heart; He had not a bit of balance; I could not find even a tiny bit; He was completely unbalanced, yet He still forgave us.
What about our interactions with others? Indeed, others have hurt you for no reason (I mean in this aspect, not that you hurt others for no reason); others have hurt you for no reason, and you do not feel very wronged? You feel very uncomfortable? It is unforgivable. But the Bible says you must forgive him. Why? For your own good.
There is a very important reason for getting sick; my family is from a traditional Chinese medicine background, so I know this. Illness is caused partly by physical imbalance and partly by blocked energy and blood. When someone has a little problem, you think about it over and over, getting so angry that you cannot eat or sleep, and you get sick. You must confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. If you feel that your brother has offended you, go find him, pray together, and confess to one another. Even if it is his fault, you say: “I am sorry for you; let us pray together.” When you both are willing to pray before God, these problems will be resolved, the knots in your heart will be untied, and then you will be healed.
Two years ago, an elderly sister came to our church; when I first met her, she said: “Teacher Ren, pray for me. I feel very uncomfortable; I often cannot sleep; I cannot let go of the hatred in my heart; my husband has hurt me too deeply; I cannot forgive him.”
I said: “Where is your husband now?”
She said: “He has been dead for ten years.”
Some people really cannot let go, resulting in insomnia and many problems; it has been ten years.
God wants us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed. God does not want you to be bound by hatred, to be bound; He wants you to be released. In the past, I preached a sermon called “Forgiving Others, Releasing Yourself,” which is a very important thing. God is willing to remove the thoughts of unforgiveness from your heart; how can you forgive? How can you have that strength? By looking to how Jesus forgave you, you can forgive others. So we must look to Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the cross.
Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Fix your eyes on Jesus, and you will often have the ability to forgive; you will no longer be bound by many things; instead, you will often be in His rest, in His release, in His freedom.
Let us pray together:
“Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. During this Passion Week, we reflect on the words Jesus Christ left us. Your first saying on the cross is ‘Father, forgive them,’ which is the heart of our Father.
The Father does not wish for us to die; He wishes for us to live; the Father does not want our hearts to be bound by hatred; He wants us to be filled with love. So when the Father sent Jesus into the world, it was for my sins; it was for me to receive forgiveness; it was for me to receive healing.
As I live this week, I want to often think about how Jesus Christ forgave me, and I also have the strength to forgive those who have wronged me. Lord, I do not care about right or wrong; I just want to forgive him because I want to gain freedom and release.
Father, I thank You for already telling us the way to victory. I hope everyone fixes their eyes on the cross of Jesus Christ. You bear the glorious cross of Jesus Christ; wherever you go, you will bring salvation to others; wherever you go, you will bring rest and release to others. Thank and praise the Lord; may all glory be given to our Father in heaven. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.”