00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 My name is James, I'm one of the pastors here, and it is good to be with you here today on Good Friday at St. Paul's.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:18 Over the last few weeks of isolation, I've seen my kids miss out on spending time with their friends at school.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:23 And it's made me think about the influence that their friends have on them.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:30 So my oldest son, Isaac, he comes home saying different words that I've never heard before.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 His most recent one is, us.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 And I don't really understand it.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:40 I think it means good or great, but I'm still trying to figure that one out.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 It was a couple of months ago, he came home asking for a Rubik's Cube.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 So we got him a Rubik's Cube, and now I'm still trying to figure it out so I can teach Isaac how to do the Rubik's Cube.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:59 But the things that Isaac's friends love, Isaac begins to love.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:05 The way that they behave and speak, he begins to behave and speak.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 And this is the same for all of us.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:16 The story of our lives is marked by people that have shaped us and had influence on us.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:22 I remember asking a friend back in the early 2000s what music I should buy.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:23 You know, Christmas was coming up.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:24 What albums should I get?
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 And one of the bands, I still listen to them today.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 They continue to influence the music that I listen to.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 Who are the people that have influenced you most?
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 Who are the people that have shaped your life the most?
00:01:39 --> 00:01:47 You might think of people that have had a negative impact upon you as well as positive.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:52 Some people may have tried to influence you away from following God,
00:01:52 --> 00:01:58 or some people might be influencing you to grow as a disciple following Jesus.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:04 The people that we love and are loved by shape our lives,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 and they mark the story of our lives.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 Today is Good Friday.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 It might not feel particularly good at the moment.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:20 Usually it can feel a little more special in this country because we have public holidays.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:24 And our country stops for this weekend.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 But at the moment, with the whole nation on lockdown,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 it doesn't feel particularly good at the moment.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 But today, as we step into the story of Easter,
00:02:37 --> 00:02:42 we see Jesus, even as he is heading to the cross,
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 shaping people's lives.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:50 And we see the good that Jesus brings us because of his death and resurrection.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 Today, as we step into this story of Easter,
00:02:55 --> 00:03:01 it is a good time for us to consider how much of our lives has been influenced and shaped by Jesus.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 How much have we allowed the story of Easter,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 Jesus' death and resurrection, be our story?
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 Of death to ourself and life because of Jesus.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 So as we look at God's word today, let me pray for us.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 Dear Heavenly Father,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:28 I thank you indeed for this time to stop and reflect and reconsider all that you did for us
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 in Jesus' death on the cross all those years ago.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 Heavenly Father,
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 it has shaped human history and it continues to shape our lives today.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 Be with us as we look at your word,
00:03:41 --> 00:03:51 that we would allow your story of Jesus' death and resurrection to be our story and to be shaped by it, Lord.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:52 Amen.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 We are in the book of Luke.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 And as was read for us,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 Jesus has been found guilty by Pilate.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 And he is on his way to be crucified.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 And as he is on his way,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 he is confronted by a group of women wailing for him.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 Have a look at verse 27 of chapter 23 with me.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 A large number of people followed him,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 including women who mourned and wailed for him.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 Jesus turned and said to them,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 daughters of Jerusalem,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 do not weep for me,
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 weep for yourselves and for your children.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 For the time will come when you will say,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 blessed are the childless women,
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:45 Even as Jesus is being led to his death,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 he is trying to warn people of the coming judgment.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Things will be so bad,
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 it would be better if you didn't have children.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 But for Jesus to say this,
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 something drastic must be about to happen.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 Because it was considered a curse to not have children.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:08 So it is like Jesus saying that it would better be to be cursed
00:05:08 --> 00:05:13 than blessed because of the coming judgment upon Israel.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 Jesus had been warning people all throughout his ministry.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 If you don't turn and follow God,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 he won't allow you to continue forever.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 Judgment is coming.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 It's a sobering warning.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:32 Jesus is saying,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 I will die soon,
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 but your pain will extend for a long time.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Wail for yourselves.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:46 Because if God allows his righteous son to suffer crucifixion,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:51 what terrible fate must await the unrighteous Jerusalem
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 and those who cry out but crucify Jesus.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Even as Jesus is being led away,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 his concern is not for himself,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:06 but he is trying to influence and to shape people with his last words
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 to heed the coming danger.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 Jesus doesn't get anything out of this.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 He doesn't benefit from this.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 He is still about to die.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 His concern has been for the people.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:23 I think many people have underestimated the impact of the coronavirus.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:27 I think we all have done this initially,
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 but people continue to not heed the warnings.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:38 I read about a pastor of a church in Florida in the United States over the last week
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 who continued to encourage his church to meet,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 to pack people together,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 to continue to shake hands and continue to hug
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 because, as he said,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 they were not pansies.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 He didn't heed the warnings.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:54 He didn't heed the warnings.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:00 And he was arrested because he was breaking social distancing laws.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:05 How much worse could it have been if someone had been sick
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 and they didn't heed the warnings because of the virus?
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 Jesus calls on people to heed his warnings,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 but many people didn't.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 It was God's judgment on a rebellious nation and this city.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 Now, we don't know if these women heeded Jesus' warnings,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 but the warning still stands for us today.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 Will we heed Jesus' warning of coming destruction and judgment?
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 And will we follow the Lord?
00:07:39 --> 00:07:44 Jesus continues to seek to shape people's lives,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 even as he is crucified.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 Have a look at chapter 23, verse 33.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 When they came to the place called the skull,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 they crucified him there,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 along with the criminals,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 one on his right, the other on his left.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 Jesus said,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 Father, forgive them,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 for they do not know what they are doing.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 It's not exactly clear who Jesus is praying for,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 but it's most appropriately understood
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 that Jesus is praying for all of those
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 who are responsible for his death.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 The Jewish court,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:20 the Jewish leaders,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 for Pilate,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 for the crowd,
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 but also for all sinners
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 who are responsible for the need for a savior to come.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 That includes us.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:35 Jesus and his self-giving love and forgiveness,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 his cry of forgiveness,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 is contrasted by the mocking cries of those around him.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 Have a look at verse 35.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 The rulers even sneered at him.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:45 They said,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 he saved others.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Let him save himself if he is the Messiah,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 the chosen one.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 The soldiers also came up and mocked him.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 They offered him wine, vinegar,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 and said,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 if you are the king of the Jews,
00:08:58 --> 00:08:58 save yourself.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 In verse 39,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 one of the criminals who hung there
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 hurled insults at him.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 Aren't you the Messiah?
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 Save yourself and us.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 Even when Jesus is mocked
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 and beaten
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 and hung on a cross to die,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 he still has concern
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 for those who are killing him.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 He says that they do not know
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 what they are doing.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 They knew that they were killing someone.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 They knew that they were doing that.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 But they don't know what God is doing.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 They don't know that God is working
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 at the death of his son
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 to see their forgiveness.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 Because forgiveness comes to those
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 who don't deserve it.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 Luke's use of the verbs here
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 paints a picture of people
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 who do not deserve forgiveness.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 The rulers sneered.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 The soldiers mocked.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 The criminal hurled insults.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:56 These are descriptions of horrible people
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 acting in disgusting ways.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 And yet Jesus' prayer
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 is also for us.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:05 Father,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 forgive them for they don't know
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 what they have done.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 They didn't know that they were killing
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 the son of God.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 And yet here and now,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 we know the cost of our sin.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 It meant that Jesus had to die.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 And yet Jesus still prays for us
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 who know the cost of our sin.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 But when we are shaped
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 by the generous and selfless forgiveness of Jesus,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 our story changes too.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 Over the last week,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:41 I read a story about a mother from the US.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 Her name is Mary Johnson.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 And her son, Loramium,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 was killed in a gang-related incident.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 He was only a young man
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 and he was killed.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 A 16-year-old confessed to the crime
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 and he was sentenced to jail.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 Mary Johnson, at the time,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 said that she forgave him.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 She said,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 the word says,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 the word the Bible says,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 in order to be forgiven,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 you must forgive.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 So I said,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:12 okay,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 I have to tell him.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 But I wanted him locked up and caged.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 So I said,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 and so she stayed in emotional turmoil,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 wrestling with this desire to forgive,
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 but this desire for her son's murderer
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 to be caged.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 But God worked on her heart
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 over those 10 years.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 He slowly shaped Mary
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 throughout this time
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 to forgive completely.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 She eventually met
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 with her son's killer again
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 and said to him,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:46 look,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 I told you in court
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 that I forgave you.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 But today,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 from the bottom of my heart,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 I want you to know
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 that I forgive you.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 Mary said,
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 he was like,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 ma'am,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 how can you do that?
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 She said,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 because of who is in me.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 Mary knew God's love
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 and forgiveness
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 and it shaped her story.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 It took 10 years.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 It took a lot of pain
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 and wrestling with God's forgiveness of her
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 so she could forgive,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 but she was able to hold out
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 that same love and forgiveness
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 even to her own son's murderer.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 Jesus is still seeking
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 to shape our lives,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 to shape our tomorrow
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 to know his forgiveness.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 Are we people
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 who are quick to forgive?
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 Are we people wrestling
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 with what it means
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 to forgive others
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 because we have been forgiven
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 so much ourselves?
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 Holding grudges
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 is not how God
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 is shaping us to be.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 He is shaping us
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 to be people
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 to know his forgiveness
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 and to hold it out to others
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 so when they say,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 how can you forgive me?
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 We can say,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 because of who is in me,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 because of who has forgiven me.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 Jesus has been
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 seeking to shape people's lives
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 even as he's headed to the cross,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 even as he's hanging on the cross
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 and we see him
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 continue to do that
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 with the criminal
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 on the other side
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 and the centurion
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 even without speaking to them.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 After one of the criminals
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 mocked him,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 the criminal on the other side
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 spoke to him
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 in verse 40
00:13:39 --> 00:13:39 and said,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 don't you fear God
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 since you are
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 under the same sentence.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 We are punished justly
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 for we are getting
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 what our deeds deserve,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 but this man
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 has done nothing wrong.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 The other criminal
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 has been shaped
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 by seeing Jesus' character.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 He has seen him,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 he's likely heard his trial
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 or heard of his trial,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 likely seen Pilate's declaration
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 of Jesus' innocence
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 and he understands
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 who he is
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 and who Jesus is.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 Jesus is innocent,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 but this criminal knows
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 how sinful he is
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 and what he deserves.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 Jesus' reputation
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 and character
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 influences this criminal
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 to come humbly to Jesus.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 Verse 42,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 he said,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 Jesus,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 remember me
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 when you come
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 into your kingdom.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 Remember me.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 That's all he asks.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 He doesn't shout
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 like the other criminal,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 save yourself and us.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 He says,
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 remember me.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 And Jesus says,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 verse 43,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 truly I tell you,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 today you will be with me
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 in paradise.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 What a wonderful promise
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 for Jesus to give
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 to this criminal.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 He will have all his sin,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 his terrible decisions
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 that led to him
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 being crucified,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 which only he knows
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 too well.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 He will have all of that
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 forgiven
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 and he will be
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 in paradise.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Can you imagine
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 this man's joy
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 and elation,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 even though dying,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 to hear these words
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 from Jesus' lips?
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 This is who we want
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 to be as a church.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 We want to be authentic
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 like this criminal.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 We want to be a church
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 who is cultivating
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 a heart of humility,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 seeing our pride
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 weakened
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 through the journey
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 of our life,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 knowing who we are
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 just like the criminal
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 knew who he was
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 and knowing
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 who Jesus is
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 and how dependent
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 we are on him.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 How much better
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 is it to know
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 how bad
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 our situation is
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 than to pretend
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 that everything
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 is fine?
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 The story of Easter
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 is that it shapes
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 how we view ourselves.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Jesus' death
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 on the cross
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 allows us
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to all be that criminal,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 to both know
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 our low position
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 before Jesus,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 but also to cry out,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 remember me,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 to know me.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 And Jesus' promise
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 for us all
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 is that we can be
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 with him
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 in paradise.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 As Jesus was
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 about to die,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 he called out
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 with a loud voice,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 Father,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 into your hands
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 I commit my spirit.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 When he had said this,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 he breathed his last.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 Even as Jesus
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 is dying,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 he is shaping
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 the lives
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 of people around him.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 Verse 47,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 the centurion,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 seeing what had happened,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 praised God
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 and said,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 surely
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 this was
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 a righteous man.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 The centurion,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 the soldier
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 responsible for
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 ensuring that
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 all of these criminals
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 died,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 who had likely
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 seen many,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 many deaths,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 he sees
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 what happens
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 to Jesus
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 and it causes him
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 to praise God.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 His death
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 influences the centurion
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 to see that Jesus
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 was innocent,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 to declare
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 that he was righteous
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 and to praise God.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 This is a Roman
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 who is not just
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 praising a God,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 he is not praising
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 a God of the pantheon
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 or all of the gods,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 he is praising
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 the Jewish God,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 the Christian God
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 that Jesus
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 came to reveal.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 What a stunning moment
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 that even when
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 Jesus breathes
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 his last,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 he is shaping
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 an enemy
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 to bring
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 praise to God.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 When we see
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 Jesus,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 the Son of God,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 dying
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 on the cross
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 for us,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 it leads us
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 to praise God.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 Oh God,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 how marvelous
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 it is
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 that you
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 have saved me.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 How good
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 and lovely
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 and kind
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 are you
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 that your Son
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 would die
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 for me.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 Jesus
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 sought to shape
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 and influence
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 all the people
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 that he came
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 into contact with
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 to see that
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 he was from
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 the Father
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 to follow him
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 with all of their heart.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 And here,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 in the lead up
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 to his death,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 Jesus has been
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 calling people
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 to heed
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 his warning
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 of judgment,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 to be forgiven
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 even though
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 we don't deserve it.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 He causes people
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 to understand
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 their sin
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 and see that
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Jesus is the only
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 one who can save.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 And he leads
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 people to praise God.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 Jesus,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 in his death
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 and resurrection
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 from the cross,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 it shapes
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 our lives,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 it shapes
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 our yesterday
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 and it shapes
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 our tomorrow.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 the story
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 of Easter,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 the story
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 of Jesus,
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 as it continues
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 to be read
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 and told,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 it shapes
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 our lives
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 and this is why
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 we continue
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 to come back
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 to it
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 every year.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 It is why
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 we continue
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 to celebrate it
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 in a season
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 of crisis
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 or when
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 everything around
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 us seems normal.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 I am
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 a product
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 of those
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 who I have
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 allowed to
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 influence me,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 those who I have
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 allowed to speak
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 into my life
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 to change
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 my story
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 and my direction.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 Who are you
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 putting into
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 your life
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 to influence
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 you,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 to shape
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 you?
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 Here at St. Paul's
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 we take our
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 youth away
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 for a camp
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 every year
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 at the start
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 of the year.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 One of my
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 favorite parts
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 of that camp
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 is seeing
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 the relationship
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 that builds
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 between older
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 brothers and younger
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 brothers and older
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 sisters and younger
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 sisters.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 I remember
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 Ko, one
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 of our young
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 adults, he
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 loves reading
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 the Bible
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 and he loves
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 memorizing it.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 And I remember
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 seeing him
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 sit with one
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 of our younger
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 brothers, our
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 younger guys,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 reading the Bible
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 early in the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 morning.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Not only are
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 they being shaped
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 by God's word,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 but there is an
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 older brother
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 shaping a younger
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 brother, teaching
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 him to love
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 godly disciplines.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 You might be
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 finding that you're
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 not spending time
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 with any people
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 because of social
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 distancing and
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 isolation, but that
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 doesn't mean we're
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 not being influenced
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 and shaped.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 In this time, we
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 can be shaped by
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 what we watch on
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 TV, those people
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 in our house, but
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 we also have an
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 opportunity to build
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 new disciplines, to
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 be saturated with
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 God's word in the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 Bible, so that it
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 can not just shape
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 what we read, but
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 our whole lives.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 Jesus enters into
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 the story of our
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 lives and he
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 shapes us.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 There is a coming
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 judgment, but his
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 death brings
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 forgiveness, and
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 it shapes our lives
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 to forgive others.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 His righteousness
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 reveals our
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 dependence, and
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 his death brings
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 us to praise God
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 for all he has
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 done.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:14 God's
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 to forgive us.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 And we
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 want to
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 enter the story of
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 my life and
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 change it and to
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 shape it.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 As Mary Johnson,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 the mother of the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 son who was killed,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 shows, this is the
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 journey of our
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 lives.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 That Jesus and his
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 death and resurrection
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 from the cross
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 continues to shape
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 our lives.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 God's
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 maybe you are at
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 the start of this
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 journey.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 Maybe today, just
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 for the first time,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 you are realizing
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 that you need
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 Jesus' help.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 If that is you, let
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 me encourage you to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 do what the
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 criminal on the
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 cross does, to
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 cry out to
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 Jesus for help.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 Because he
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 promises that he
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 will come to
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 him in paradise,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 and he promises
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 that for all who
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 believe in him, we
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 will be with him
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 for eternity.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 If this is you at
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 the start of your
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 journey, Debbie is
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 going to share some
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 details in a minute
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 in how you can
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 contact us.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 We would love to be
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 in contact with you,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 even if it is only
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 over the phone.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 We would love to be
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 praying for you to
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 see you continually
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 shaped on this
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 journey of following
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 Jesus.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 Or maybe you have
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 been on this
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 journey for many
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 years.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 Maybe you have
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 been following Jesus
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 for many years.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Let me encourage
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 you this Easter
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 weekend, as we
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 stay inside, to
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 find some time to
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 spend with Jesus.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 To read over the
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Easter account in
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 Luke 23 and 24,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 and ask Jesus,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 what part of my
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 life am I not
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 letting you into?
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 Jesus, what parts
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 of my life am I
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 tightly holding on to
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 you?
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 Jesus, how do you
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 need to be shaping
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 my life so that I
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 can forgive people,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 so that I can know
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 fully who I am, so I
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 can understand who I
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 am and how dependent
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 upon you I am, so
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 that I can praise God
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 for all that he is
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 doing in my life and
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 in the world today.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 Please pray with me.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:26 Dear Heavenly Father, we
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 thank you for your
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 goodness to us.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 In that first
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 Easter, where your
00:23:34 --> 00:23:37 son died on the
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 cross, an innocent
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 man, God and man
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 dying on the cross in
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 our place.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 Heavenly Father, as we
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 have seen, this shapes
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 our lives.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 Lord, thank you.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 Thank you so much
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 that you do not leave
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 us to our own
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 devices, but that you
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 sent Jesus to shape
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 us so that we could
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 have forgiveness.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 Not only that, that we
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 would be people like
00:24:03 --> 00:24:06 Jesus, who love you,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 who seek to forgive
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 others.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:13 Lord, we ask that as
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 the world and life seems
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 to be on hold, our
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 trust and our love,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 for you would not be
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 on hold.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:25 Father, please continue
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 to grow us and shape
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 us, to know you and
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 to love you and to be
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 praising you more and
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 more each day.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 This we ask in your
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 son's name.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 Amen.