“JESUS’ LAST WORD ON SALVATION” LUKE 23:43 I. Introduction “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” These are Jesus’ last words on salvation. A week ago today we heard the last recorded words of some well-known people. We heard the last words of unbelievers like the French philosopher Voltaire […]
“JESUS’ LAST WORD ON FORGIVENESS” LUKE 23:34 I. Introduction On January 9, 2014, my ninety-two year old mother passed into the arms of her Lord and Savior. In the final hours of her life she was, for the most part, unable to speak intelligibly. It was obvious that she was agitated and struggling to say […]
“THE CRUCIFIXION” LUKE 23:33-49 I. Introduction There is before us this morning a great dichotomy. On the one extreme we will be witnesses to the most despicable crime in human history, the premeditated murder of God’s only Son. On the other extreme we will witness an act of grace that will forever be unsurpassed, the […]
“ON THE ROAD TO THE CROSS” LUKE 23:26-32 I. Introduction Have you ever given someone a valuable gift and then watched as your gift was neglected, unappreciated, broken, or even thrown away? It hurt, didn’t it? Have you ever offered a friend or a loved one the gospel of Jesus Christ and then stood by […]
“CRUCIFY HIM!” LUKE 23:13-25 I. Introduction “Hindsight is 20/20.” You’ve all heard that before, haven’t you? “Hindsight” refers to things that are obvious now that weren’t so obvious in the past. “20/20” refers to a common measurement for ideal eyesight. So “hindsight is 20/20” is an idiom meaning, “It’s easy to know the right thing […]
“KING OF THE JEWS” LUKE 23:1-12 I. Introduction “Jesus the Nazarene – The King of the Jews.” John tells us that those were the words that were tacked to the cross just above Jesus’ head when they crucified Him. All four gospel writers report that detail. Matthew’s words are, “This is Jesus the King of […]
“YES, I AM” LUKE 22:63-71 I. Introduction It is arguably true that the greatest sermon ever preached in America was “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” Jonathan Edwards delivered it in Enfield, Connecticut, on July 8, 1741, thirty-five years before our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence. It is an amazing sermon […]
“CRADLE, CROSS, AND CROWN” SELECTED SCRIPTURES I. Introduction It’s Christmas Eve! And on Christmas we just naturally think of Jesus, don’t we? We also think of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, the Star of Bethlehem, and angels praising God. But the fact is that Christmas is about Christ. Everything else is secondary, […]
“MARY’S BABY BOY” SELECTED SCRIPTURES I. Introduction I learned a new word this week – it’s “mondegreen.” It seems that mondegreen can be a noun or a verb. That is, you could say, “That was a great mondegreen.” Or you could say, “I think I just mondegreened myself through that.” So whether we actually did […]
“THREE RESPONSES TO JESUS” MATTHEW 2:1-11 I. Introduction How many of you, in the last few weeks, have heard someone say, “Happy Holidays”? On the other hand, how many of you have heard someone say, “Merry Christmas”? It seems that virtually everyone is interested in the holidays. Just think of all the fun stuff. There’s […]