The Church of Eleven22 - Submitted & Committed: Tetelestai - Wk 6

Episode Date: March 24, 2024

Dying on the cross was not a one time or final decision from Jesus. He was always eternally submitted and committed to living out the plan of the Father. - The Church of Eleven22® is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Eleven22 is led by Pastor Joby Martin and based in Jacksonville, Florida, with multiple campuses throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. To find out more about how God is moving at Eleven22, go to coe22.com

Amen and amen. Welcome to the Church of 1122, no matter what campus here at at one of our physical locations, or if you're watching online, or especially those of your brothers and sisters that are worshiping with us at our prison locations. Hey, listen, man, one day, maybe the reason you're here is because God would slow you down long enough

so that you would have ears to hear him. And one day you would look back on this time and you would rather say, I would rather have prison in Jesus than no prison and no Jesus. But we are so glad that you were here. Amen. Amen. So if you got your Bibles, you better.

Luke 23 is where we're going to start. Then we're going to go to six other texts and we'll loop back around to Luke 23. It's turkey season, so I'm in the woods more, so more woods equals more Bible. You're welcome. Happy birthday, Blake. He took me yesterday.

So, we're studying the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. The last seven things that Jesus said. We're also walking through Charles Martin devotional called It is finished. And one of my favorite parts about each day is this little section where he says, walk with me back to the cross. On day 26, Charles says this.

walk with me back to the cross? What if you and I had a right revelation of Jesus? What if we stood here and saw Jesus for who he really is? The only begotten son of God, Savior of the world, king of all kings, high and lifted up, ransoming mankind. Our problem is that we have an enemy who has worked really hard to obscure our view of Jesus,

to lessen this cross, to lessen Jesus. But what if we, like Blind Bartomea has cried, out, son of David, have mercy on me, I want to see. That's at the heart of what we're doing in this seven-week study on the last seven things Jesus said from the cross. The number seven is the number of completion, which means that Jesus said completely everything he needed to say from the cross. And it wasn't easy to speak from the cross.

We've talked about this before. That every single time Jesus chose to say things, he had to pull with his nail-pierced hands, he had to push up with his nail-pierced feet, he had to end the same. inhale as his lungs were filling up with fluid and choose to say these things. And the things that he said to us on the cross tell us who he is and what he is doing on that cross. He started with this, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Why?

Because Jesus wants us to know that he primarily came as a savior for sinners. Not a teacher, not a religious leader, not a good example on how to live, but a savior. year. Then he looks to the thief on the cross next to him and he makes this ridiculous promise. Truly, truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. That no matter what you've done or who you've done it with or how long you've been doing it, that your sin cannot outpace the grace of Jesus Christ poured out on this cross. Then he pushes up on his nail pierced feet and he quotes Psalm 22-1, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And if you're going to be able to You go back to Psalm 22, you find a blow by blow, play by play, prophecy of exactly what Jesus is going

through on the cross. And then from the cross, he looks out in the crowd and he sees his mom. And Pastor Britt helped unpack this two weeks ago. And can we just all agree that in that moment, Jesus is a little busy. He's redeeming the world. And yet, he puts the temporary, immediate physical needs of his mom. as priority. And he says, woman, behold, your son.

Then he looks at his friend John and says, son, behold, your mother. In other words, take care of my mom. Which, by the way, is an invitation for you and I, no matter what the issue we have going on in our life, is to come to him and pray because he cares. That's why we can cast all of our cares upon him. And then last week,

Pastor Charles Martin did an incredible job of explaining to us and showing us the humanity of Jesus Christ, that the sovereign king of the universe, who is fully God, became fully man. And he got tired and he felt pain. He knew loss. He knew remorse. And he got thirsty. He said, I thirst. And today, it's actually the seventh thing, he says, the last thing. We're going to do it a little bit out of order. The last thing that Jesus says is into thy hands, I commit my spirit. You see, I want us to see Jesus for who, he really is. And what Jesus is going to say in his dying breath, his father into thy hands,

I commit my spirit. The three most dangerous words that can come out of your mouth is this, I got this. And it's the air we breathe as Americans. I got this. Jesus is going to say, I ain't got this. Luke 2344 says this. And it was now about the sixth hour, that's noon. and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn into. We'll talk about that next week a bunch. And then Jesus calling out with a loud voice. Why does Luke record that it was a loud voice?

Because Luke wants you to know this is not a dying whimper of a dying man. This is a shout of victory. Jesus just doesn't whisper this with his last breath, but he inhales and he shouts loudly. Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Now, when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God saying,

certainly this man was innocent. My hope and my prayer is when I get done talking in about 45 minutes, that you will have the same experience that the centurion had. That you will see Jesus for who he really is, and you will praise God by confessing him. See, what I want you to realize here is that what Jesus is doing on the cross, when he says,

Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit, that this was not a one-time prayer. This was not a final decision on the cross. This was not a Hail Mary. That from the beginning, Jesus has been eternally submitted and committed to the plan of the Father. The question is, are you? Jesus is not on the cross and says, well, I got nothing else to do, so maybe I'll give God. a chance. That's not what he's doing. That Jesus has been eternally committed to the plans of the Father. He has always had his whole life committed into the hands of the Father. If you go back

to Philippians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul says it this way. Philippians 2 beginning in verse 5. He says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. What Paul is talking about here is what we describe as the Trinity, that God is one God in three persons, one God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Co-Eternal, coexisted from forever. No one created the other one, but God is in a perfect submission,

love relationship with himself, one God in three persons. Now, if that's a little bit confusing for you, and you have a hard time getting your head around it, is because some of you took two tries at the eighth grade, so this might be a little confusing, okay? I don't know how to describe it or explain it. It just is what God says it is. That God the Son, Jesus Christ, has been co-eutral

and co-equal with God the Father since from before the beginning, and yet he never counted equality with God something to be grasped. In other words, he never played the God card. He was never like, you know who you're talking to? No, no, no, no, no. that the Godhead, God himself, has been in a perfectly submissive love relationship with himself from the beginning.

By the way, this is why we are wired for relationships because we have been created in his image. That God in and of himself is a perfect community. That when the Bible says that God is love, God is both the subject and object of God's love for God's self. And when he created you, he didn't create you because he was in need.

It's an overflow of God's love for God's self. And the reason that God loves you ain't because of you. You're not that lovable. Ask your wife. And yet because God is love, he places his love upon us. And yet, Jesus, the second person of the Trinity,

co-equal with the Father from the beginning, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself. Which is interesting, because we are so full of ourselves. Do you know what the mark we will leave on this society is? The selfie. How pitiful are we?

The greatest generation defeats Nazism and pushes back darkness, and we just take pictures of our food and our face all the time. And you're like, well, I'm not full of myself. Have you seen your Instagram? You're the star of it. You ever notice that? But we're supposed to be like Jesus, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men

and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. My friend Charles does an incredible job of explaining this when he talks about Jesus, who has been co-eternal with the Father forever, on the throne, at the right hand of God the Father, and at just the right time, God the Father taps God the Son on the shoulder and says, son, it's time. And Jesus, dressed in his royal garb, king of kings, Lord of Lord, stands up from the throne, robes his royal heavenly garb, takes off the crown, the diadem, lays down his scepter,

and swan dives down here to earth into eight pounds, six ounce, whatever Talanaganite said, Jesus. It's true. He became obedient in human form and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And then when he did this, when he lowers himself, to be eternally submitted to God's plan of salvation, then this is what God the Father does.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. Do you know why the name of Jesus is above every name? It's because he did what his name is. The name Yeshua means God saves. And when Christ comes out of the grave, he accomplish what his name is. And he is the only one that saves. That's why his name is above every name. So that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So you've got two options when it comes to Jesus. Ready for this? You can jot this down. You can bow or you can bow. Those are your options. You can confess him as Lord and Savior

or you can confess him as Lord and Savior. Those are your options. Timing is everything. If before the return of Christ, you humble yourself and surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then he will be first in your life, but he will be first as Savior,

and God will be glorified by pouring out his grace upon you. If you reject him, then when he returns, you will bow. I mean, you know, some of you're like, well, I don't even believe in Jesus. I'm like, oh, that's adorable. It's going to be tough for you one day. Because when he returns, you will bow, and you will know who he is,

and then your life will glorify God in his justice as he judges you. And this has been Jesus' plan. from the very beginning, and he has always sought to glorify God by being committed to the plan of God from eternity past. This is not a one-time decision on the cross. He was also committed to God's plan of salvation.

John chapter 10, we should be fairly familiar with John 10. We're in the second year of this 10-10 life journey, which is rooted in John 10, and Jesus says this, I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep. and I have other sheep that are not of his fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.

That's us, by the way. It's not only us, but we are included. That's pretty cool. And if you think Jesus is bragging on you by calling you a sheep, it's not a compliment. You have to listen to another sermon about it. So there will be one flock and one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me because I lay down my life,

that I may take it up again. He's talking about his death and his resurrection. And now he's going to give commentary on this. He says, I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my father. This is what he's doing in Luke 23 on the cross.

Jesus is saying, this did not happen to me. Pilate didn't take my life. Herod didn't take my life. The devil didn't take my life. Caiaphas didn't take my life. The Roman shoulders didn't take my life. He willingly laid himself down for us and was resurrected on the third day.

Now, when I was in seminary, I went to this terrible seminary with a bunch of liberals. They would call themselves progressive Christians. You know what you call that? Lost and going to hell. That's what you call that. There's no such thing as a progressive Christian.

That means I have not submitted and surrendered to the Lord. I am the Lord, and I get to tell God what his word means. That's what that means. So don't be one. And so what they would say sometimes is this. I've heard this said, it's kind of become popular again, that if Jesus died on the cross for our sins, then that is divine child abuse.

If that's what you think, you just punch yourself in the face because you tend to them to talk to. Are you kidding? Instead of telling God what it is, why don't you just take Jesus at His word? And he says, this did not happen to me, but I have willfully and willingly submitted to the plan of the Father.

And nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down. and I have the authority to come out of the grave. He has been committed from the beginning to God's plan of salvation. Also, he was committed to God's plan and God's way in his public teaching ministry. John chapter 5, he heals a man.

And I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but when Jesus changes somebody with life, man, religiously just show up with a clipboard. You ever notice this? Do you heal that guy? Mm-hmm. What day did you do on? Saturday morning?

Can't do that. Who said you couldn't do that? Oh, well, we made up these rules a bunch of years ago when you can and cannot do stuff. It's weird, man. It's weird. Yeah, religious people do weird things. Where they're all this funny clothes.

I don't know what's going on with that. And they begin to tell Jesus when and where he can heal. And so here's his response in John chapter 5 verse 17. But Jesus answered then, my father is working until now and I am working. You see, the law they said that he broke was not a law in the Bible. It was a law of some people made up. to try to help God out. That's what religious people do.

He keeps going in John 5. It says this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. And so Jesus is going to tell us what he is all about. So Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord,

but only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does, that the son does likewise, for the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him so that you may marvel, like the resurrection from the grave. You hear what he's saying. He's saying, my entire life has been submitted to the plan and will of the Father. Again, my question is, is yours.

He keeps going. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son. that all may honor the son just as they honor the father. Don't miss this next line. This next line is going to be the most offensive line of all the lines, and there's plenty to choose from today.

Jesus says, whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. You get what Jesus is saying. You cannot simultaneously say you love God the father and reject God the son. You cannot divorce, I love God, but I don't know who Jesus is. And these people purportedly worship the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and read Genesis through Malachi. And he's saying, you've missed it. Whoever does not honor the son, does not honor the

father who sent him. Truly, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the of God and those who here will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice. This is what Jesus does while everybody's waiting for him to come out of the grave. And come out, and those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the

resurrection of judgment. In another place, Jesus says, to do good is to believe in Jesus. And then here's how he sums up his life. Verse 30, I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me. His whole life has been submitted and surrendered to the Lordship of his father. How about me and you? He was committed to God the Father from eternity past to the plan of salvation and his public teaching ministry and also in his private, prayerful, painful life. He is submitted to the will of God. Matthew chapter 26, this is just after the Lord's Supper.

Verse 36, it says this, and then Jesus went within to a place called Githemite. Githemite means crushing. So at the bottom of the Mount of Olives, there was an olive press there. There were three different crushings that an olive would go through to get the things out of olives that people want. And I think later, the folks that live in the first century could see the three crushings of the olive and that Jesus went through three crushings. One at Caiaphas's house, one through the flogging of Pilate, and then one ultimately at the cross. And in this place of crushing, the Garden of Gassimony, Jesus says to his disciple, sit here while I go over there and pray.

And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, that's James and John, he began to be sorrowful and trust. and then he said to them, my soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch or pray with me. A couple of things. First of all, if you're the kind of Christian that thinks you don't need a church to follow after Jesus, and you can just do this thing by yourself. I just want to lovingly ask you, then who the heck do you think you are? Because when Jesus Christ was in a time of need, you know what he said he needed?

I need me some friends that can go a little farther with me and pray for me, but you think you can do it by yourself. Come on, get over yourself. This is why relationships matter like crazy. And please don't be dumb enough to wait until you need them to try to build them. It's like a retirement account. If you wait to build it when you need it,

it's way too late, man. Get connected. And then notice what Jesus is going through here. The Bible says that he was sorrowful and troubled and he said, my soul is very sorrowful even under death. Listen, if you've ever had a mental health struggle, if you've ever been depressed in a way you can't even explain,

if you've ever felt alone, if you've ever felt light or thought that you were going to die and thought that might be an option for you, here's what I want you to know, is that we have a high priest that can empathize and sympathize with you because he's been there before. He's literally got the weight of the sin of the world on him, and God brings him through.

please hear me very clearly if you've ever been in a place like that you cry out to jesus and you cry out to your church and please let us help you and walk with you and get you the help you need because jesus wants you to be whole and healthy so this isn't like saying your prayers you get this we find out later that he's sweating like drops of blood and going a little further he fell on his face and prayed and here's this prayer my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me. We talked about this on week two, the Psalm 22 week, that the cup that he is referencing here

is the cup of the wrath of God that has been stored up against sin and sinners from all of eternity because God is just, all sin must be paid for. And Jesus knows that the reason that he is going to the cross the next day is because he is the Lamb of God that will be slain for the forgiveness of sin. that without blood there is no remission of sin. And in this moment, Jesus says, Father, if it be possible,

the way the NIV translates it is this. Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. Here's what he's saying, Father, if there's any other way for sinful humanity to be reconciled to a holy God, can we do that? like if I don't have to die for people to go to heaven like if Oprah's right and all roads just get up there eventually then can't we just pick one of the other roads if you could be good enough if you could obey the law

if you could do enough righteous deeds if you could align your chakra if you could obey the five pillars if you could go to Mecca if you could take enough laps around the karma reincarnation maybe you start out of grasshopper but eventually you make it to heaven father if there be any other way do you realize what Jesus is at It's the thing that people had the biggest problem with Christianity in our culture. What do you mean to tell me that he's the only way?

Well, I didn't make that up. John 146, Jesus just says, I am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. And that's not just like one rando verse, it's the point of the whole New Testament. So in this moment, he's asking that question. God, if people can get to you apart from me from me dying on the cross in place of sinful man,

if there be any other way, it seems like an awful waste of my blood on that cross tomorrow, and then here we see the surrender. Not my will, but thy will be done. By the way, Luke lets us know that he prays a version of this three different times. You ever pray and not get what you want?

Apparently, Jesus says, just keep praying. Just keep praying. Something's gonna change. sometimes it's your circumstances most often it's you but he just keeps praying in fact when jesus teaches on prayer you know what the primary message of prayer is first and foremost know him as dad our father and then just pray and pray and keep on praying and the parables that he uses are like a kid asking a dad for stuff or like somebody that's trying to get some food to feed their neighbor or like this widow that he's a judge to make a to make a decision in her favor and and god's like if humans can wear

humans out and get what they want, how much more will your Father in heaven give to you what he wants to give to you? So just keep asking and keep asking, come on, ask me again and ask me again, and ask me again. Which, by the way, if the words ask me again come out of my mouth in my house, I don't mean what Jesus meant. You know what I mean? It's more like, ask me again. It's kind of like that. But the Lord's like, no, come on, just ask me again. Why? What does he want from you? Your prayer? He already knows what you're going to pray. He wants you. So he does not mind putting you in a desperate situation so that you will desperately seek him.

So in this moment, Jesus says, not my will, thy will be done. On the cross, he's going to say, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. The reason he says it is because his whole life was committed to the hands of the father. Is your life committed into the hands of the father? Now here's what I'll tell you. if we're being honest, I know this is church, no place for this, you look great. I think we would say, yeah, about 90%,

oh, about 90%, not my will, but thy will be done. Like when it comes to salvation, yeah, into your hands, I commit my spirit for salvation. I mean, you mean to tell me I'm a wretched, black-hearted sinner, and not by anything that I have done, but you came on a rescue mission for me, and what you did on the cross, if I would just believe or trust that when you pushed up

your nail on pierce feet and says it is finished it that counted for me and if i just called the name of the lord i can be saved okay that will be done i'll take that the problem often is is if we are honest and take a look at our life we're about 90% in like 70% of the time it works all the time you know what i'm talking about and we're like yeah i trust you in these areas in my life but i've got some stuff over here and it ain't into thy hands it's still into my hands So let's just talk about the big three. The big three are easy, man. Easy to talk about, easy to point out.

And it's no mystery, because John later is going to write in First John, do not love the world or the things of this world because all this world has to offer is the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. That's what every single one of us struggle with the most. One of those three things. Or in my life, a combination of the three. This is why, by the way, when I've told you I'm a terrible counselor,

it's true. I don't know why you people want to come to me for counseling. It's going to take nine seconds. I'm going to be able to identify which one of the three that the enemy is trying to lure you away with. I'm going to go, stop, see you Sunday. I'll try to do it in a nicer way. But that's it, man, stop.

There's only three. Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, proud of life. That's it. Can you imagine that would be the worst counselor? This is probably why God wouldn't allow me to be a doctor. When I went to college, I got a pre-med degree because I was going to be a doctor. I didn't want to help people.

I just wanted to be rich and respected, so I thought I'd do that. I'd be the worst, can you imagine? I'd be an orthopedic. You come in and be like, hey, my shoulder hurts when I'll do this. Stop doing that. It'll be $10,000, next person. But you wouldn't wait in the waiting room for 30 minutes, so anyway, we'd be on time.

So, there are things in the human life where we want to give Jesus our heart, but our hands are still holding on to some stuff. Anybody identifying with that? You see, it's like the crusaders when they would get baptized. history tells us that they would declare Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and they would get baptized, but they would hold onto their sword

and keep it out of the water. Because what they were saying, on their way to kill people in Jesus' name, it's kind of weird, they would say, God, you can have all this, but what's happening with this hand is going to be ungodly, so I'll hang on to it.

In our world, man, people get baptized in their heart, but they got two hands out with a fistful of me. So here it is. One of the things that many, many, many people, like right now, listen to me right now, that you're still holding on to, that in your hands, it has to do with money. You'll give Jesus your heart, but not your money.

And every time I bring this up, you can save the email, okay? See, I knew it. The church just wants my money. Sounds like you want your money. And if that little inner lawyer just objected in your mind, you better pay attention.

First of all, you know what's sick and sad? You think it's yours. You think it's yours. I don't know if you realize it. You don't own anything. You're just going to steward it for a minute. I mean, you ever seen a U-Haul hooked to a hearse? It's all staying here, man.

If God wanted your money, he could just, you'd be a greasy spot and he could take whatever he wants. It's all his. And here's the problem with money. See, our money lies to us because what our money tells us is, I love you, and if you love me, I'll love you back. And we believe it. Like some of you have been stingy towards God

because you think there's some kind of stuff that you can buy that is going to satisfy a deep place in your soul. And you know what's dumb? We do the same thing over and over and over again. You take a little bit of stuff. You know, a half bath and a shiny refrigerator, then you'll be fully and finally satisfied.

Are you dumb? Now what's crazy is physical things, have a tendency to make us feel better for a minute, don't they? You ever get some new pants and just feel like a better person? You just put the... You'd be like, we're about to get it done today. These pants are awesome. You ever think about how silly that is?

You ever think about the parable of trying on new clothes? You walk into the dressing room with some clothes that you had previously put your trust in for satisfaction in a previous season, but now they have let you down. So you take off those clothes and with great disdain, throw them in a pile and be like, how dare you make me look so frumpy. And then you put on some new pants, you're like, not now, man, boom.

And you think these are going to do what those can. This is why around here we lovingly call this the cul-de-sac of stupidity. Not because stuff is stupid, because you're stupid. Whatever it is, a truck, a boat, a vacation, whatever, if you think that stuff, it's all staying here. Do you realize this? I don't care how fancy your pants are. We're going to sell your fancy pants in Hope's closet for $2. You make it worse?

Some chick you ain't ever met It's going to look better than you In your used pants than you do right now. Selah. How about that? Is anything wrong with stuff? No. As long as it's a tool and not your God.

But if you're withholding from the Lord for some stuff, man, watch it. Now here's the other thing. Some people don't trust stuff for satisfaction. They trust stuff for security. and right now you're like you get them pastor it's because you're stingy man you ain't no fun you're stingy you're storing up for yourselves treasures here on earth in barns where rust and moth and irs are going to take it all anyway meanwhile you claim to be a part of a church that's a movement for all

people to discover in deep in our relationship with Jesus Christ and we're trying to push back in the kingdom of darkness and advance the kingdom of God plant a thousand churches and send 100 missionaries and put a campus anywhere between here and Mars where the Lord wants us to and yet you got all this stuff in some account back there doing nothing, and the reason is because you put your security there. You think when you log on to one of your many accounts, there's a number that makes you feel safe. First of all, you're miserable to hang out with.

Your wife's like, get them. We only go out to dinner on triple coupon Thursday and still wearing shirts from the 90s, okay, whatever. And your money cannot provide security. Talk to anybody with a gray hair. one phone call, one phone call from the police or the doctor. And what's your money doing for you? So are you rich towards God?

And listen, man, I'm not even saying this because the church needs, this is the most generous church in the history of churches. Literally of every church I know of, you are the most generous. This ain't for me, man. This is for you to be free to trust him. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things. This is sermon on the Mount stuff. What things?

Security and satisfaction, and all these things will be added unto you. Maybe you're holding on to the first and best, and what you need to say today is, Father, into your hands, I commit my resources. Sometimes it's not money. It's success. You're chasing success. and like if I can, like you're not serving God's bride like you ought to be. You're not serving people like you ought to be because it's all about you and making a name for yourself. And you think if I can just get this degree, this promotion, then I will have arrived.

I mean, honest to goodness, how many VH1 behind the musics did they have to make for us to realize the things of this world will never finally and fully satisfy? You're like, what? Aerosmith, was it happy? No. And for some people, it's self-help. Like, you think if you could just be a better version of you, then somehow then you'll be fully and finally satisfied.

Here's the crazy thing, even if you're still nailing your New Year's resolution, which I know you're not, so it's easy to talk about. And even if next week for Easter, you come walking in the thinnest, fittest and richest you've ever been in your life. Maybe it's just abs and cash is just falling out of your pocket. People are like, oh, you drop something to worry about it. I've got plenty of that. You still don't lay your head on the bed at night.

to go, is this it? Is this it? I mean, I don't care how many antioxidants and kale you eat and how much yoga you do, you're going to die. Then what? And again, look, be in shape, man, do your thing, work out, get on the treadmill, jiggling around with all the rest of us, no problem.

But when you make that your God, it might take a couple of decades to show up, but when it shows up, boy, it shows up in the weirdest way, man. You come walking in church. Why are you so surprised, relax? and I'm like, oh, you don't know what? Okay, it's a weird thing to chase, man. You'll never be able to stretch it and tuck it

and suck it out enough. You just never will, because they don't do that kind of heart surgery. So what are you chasing, man? You still have you? Are you ready to say, into the hands, I commit? And now the one you're not supposed to talk about,

so let's give it about 10 minutes, sex and sexuality. You see, there are people that claim to be Jesus followers. And they say, all right, Jesus, I believe you for my salvation, and I believe you for all these things, but when it comes to sex and sexuality, why don't you sit down for a second and let me tell you who I am?

That's just not how it works. It's just not how it works. He's a good dad. He knit you together on purpose. You may have some serious, significant struggles, don't we all? But we have to come to him and say, I ain't the boss of me. I ain't got this.

I'm going to submit and surrender my life to your lordship, the lordship of Jesus Christ. And the Bible says to flee sexual immorality, And the Bible says that sexual immorality is any kind of sex outside of marriage. And the Bible says that marriage, buckle up for this one, is between one man and one woman. And no, you don't get to switch teams

halfway through the innings. That's not how it works. One man and one woman for one lifetime. That's what it is. And then people bring this weak-saw stuff. And listen, man, I ain't trying to beat you up, I'm trying to love you. And there's people, man, men.

There's some of the men in this church. You've been coming here for a long time. and then using your hands to lift them in worship and receive the elements of communion and then put your hands on somebody that's not your wife. And say that Jesus is your Lord, you ain't acting like it. You ain't acting like it. And then I'll have people come up to me

with just this week's off justification to tell God what you get to do. Oh, well, we're married in our heart. You can't get married in your heart. You can get married in a church, you get married in the courthouse. You can sin in your heart and that's what you're doing. We're married in the Lord's eyes. Have you seen his eyes?

When he comes back, they're full of fire and he's ticked off at you. That's what's happening, okay? I'm telling you, man. And here's the thing, you actually think your ways are better than his ways. It's a trust at you. You don't believe him.

That was the problem in the Corinthian church. They wanted to trust Jesus with their heart. They just didn't trust them with their body. And so what area in your life are you hanging on to? Because we all got a couple, me included. And you need to say, Father, into your hands, I commit. Now here's how crafty the enemy is.

Sometimes it's not those sins. Everybody knows you're supposed to repent of sin. The gospel teaches us we're actually supposed to repent of our own righteous deeds. How crazy is that? The moment we think our righteousness earns us favor with God, the Bible says that's like filthy rags. And oftentimes what can happen is God blesses us with something. and we take a good thing and then treat it like a God thing

and that's a really bad thing. And sometimes what we have to do, often what we have to do is say, Father, into thy hands, I commit my marriage, my children, my occupation, my ministry, some good thing that God gave us as a means to an end of worshiping him and instead we flip it upside down, idolize it, and we begin to worship that thing. And God does not play well with idols.

So Jesus, in the garden, He says, not my will, but your will be done. On the cross, he says, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit, because he was committed his whole life to God the Father. And he was committed to God the Father on the cross. Luke 23, we're back there. He says, and it was now about the sixth hour,

so it was, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, until the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn into, and then Jesus calling out with a light, loud voice. He declares this. Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. Jesus is quoting Psalm 31-5 from the cross. He's quoting Psalm 31-5.

I've taught you this before, but oftentimes what rabbis would do is they would do this Hebrew teaching technique called a Ramez. Ramez is Hebrew for hint. So the moment he begins to quote this verse out of Psalm 31-5, every little Jewish boy and girl there, man and woman, who knew the Psalms, which is all of them, they would know the context in which he is talking about. And I've told you this before. It's easy to do.

We could still do it today. I could divide our whole church generationally simply by going, ding, ding, ding, ding. If you're older than me right now, you feel pressure, and if you're my age or younger, you stop collaborating, and listen. That's just what happens to the human brain. This was actually a prayer that dads would pray

over their children every night. night. The idea is as the sun would go down and it would get dark, you would pray into the hands, I commit my spirit. And what you're asking is as the sun came up the next morning that God would shine the light of his face upon you and your family. This was the, this was the Hebrew's version of the little nighttime prayer, now I lay me down to sleep. Any of you old enough remember praying that? Yeah, we did that at my house. It's the weirdest prayer I've ever heard. Have you ever looked at the words of the prayer? now I lay me down to sleep

now I pray the Lord my soul to keep if I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take good night Timmy that's rough I can remember I was a kid I go to my mom and hey mom I got a theological question for you and she said what's up buddy I go what's Fashida I mean

she said what do you mean Fashidae say I'm from South Carolina and we are efficient with the number of syllables that we decide to use in a sentence If somebody ever says they're from South Carolina, they moved there. Because we just say, South Carolina. It's like three syllables, Saarolina. That's all it is.

And so, I was like, Mom, what's Fai should die? What do you mean? I was like, are we varsity, praying Latin in our house? What's happening here? I said, you know, if I should die for I wake. She's like, oh, no, baby. That's if I should die. So I'm like, well, good Lord, what's happening here in East Dillon

that we're begging God to survive until the sun? Do we need to move? What's happening? So they would pray this prayer. So Joseph, hope you know Jesus grew up in a blended family, so if that's you, man, you can make a great disciple. And his stepdad would pray this thing over him. And from the cross, Jesus pushes up on his feet and quotes this. I want you to think about the crucifixion, where Jesus is.

And hear these words that were prophesied by King David 2,000 or 1,000 years before this. And you, O Lord, do I take refuge? Let me never be put to shame and your righteousness deliver me. Incline your ear to me, rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. For you are my rock and my fortress. And for your name's sake, you lead me and guide me

and you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Then we get to verse five. And Jesus adds a thing and omits a thing. The Psalm just says, into your hand, I commit my spirit. Jesus adds, Father, into your hand, I commit my spirit.

When it first started getting dark, he said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Because of the wrath of God was being poured out on the sun for the forgiveness of sin. Now the debt has been paid, and he is reestablished. So he says, Father, into your hand, I commit my spirit. But he doesn't keep quoting. It keeps going by saying, you have redeemed me,

O Lord, faithful God. Well, Jesus doesn't pray that part because he doesn't need to be redeemed. He is redeeming us in this very moment. He says, I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love because you have seen my affliction,

you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet on a broad place. Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress. My eye is wasted from grief, my soul and my body also, for my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing, Strength fails because of my owniquity and my bones waste away.

Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors and an object of dread to my acquaintances. Isaiah says he was beaten as unrecognizable as a man. And those who see me in the street, they flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who was dead. I have become like a broken vessel, for I hear the whispering of many terror on every side. as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life, but I trust in you, O Lord.

I say, you are my God, my times are in your hand, rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors. Make your face shine on your servant. Save me in your steadfast love. O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you. Let the wicked be put to shame.

Let them go silently to shield. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous and pride and contempt, oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you in the sight of the children of mankind. In the cover of your presence, you hide them

from the plots of men, you store them in your shelter, from the strife of tongues, blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said to my alarm, I am cut off from your sight, but you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried for your help. Love the Lord all you his saints.

The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord. And for three days, they would wait for the Lord to come out of the grave. You see, not only was Jesus committed to the plan of the Father from the cross,

he was committed to his very last breath, darkness overtakes. He says, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit, and having said this, he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying certainly this man was innocent. If you've been around Bible study for a minute, and you read the seven sayings of Christ on the cross,

it can't help but connect in your mind to the first seven days of creation. See, there were seven days, there were six days of work, And then there was one day of rest. And on the cross, Jesus says seven different things. And the sixth thing that he says is it is finished. And on the sixth day of creation, the ultimate work of God is finished. That he creates, his image bears.

He creates Adam and Eve. That the Bible says that he forms together the dust of the ground. And this is Adam, Adam, but he was not yet a living creature. And then God breathes out his breath, the ruah of life, which can be changed. Translated breath or spirit into Adam. And Adam becomes an image bearer of God, alive, heart, soul, mind, and strength. He opens his eyes and he is face to face with his creator, God the Father. That's what every single one of us were created for.

And then the next day, Adam and Eve, rest in the presence of God. The seventh day, the very first Sabbath. And on the cross, Jesus goes through saying after saying. And the sixth thing he does is he pushes up on his nail, feet and he says, it is finished. What is finished? That Jesus is saying, I have come to undo what Adam did. The sin that Adam brought into this world, I have come and laid my life down for it to pay for that sin so that for anyone who would believe that when Christ died on the cross, somehow it counted for you, that when Jesus breathed out his breath, he breathes into you life and the spirit of God so that you and I could have what Adam had a faith.

to face relationship with God, unbroken by sin. And then he says, so Father, into the hands, I commit my spirit, and he breathed his last. You see, Jesus was committed to God, the Father, until his dying breath. I don't know if you've ever thought about how you'll die. I mean, you should probably think about it, it's coming. I mean, it's cancer or a car wreck, but it's coming.

And I hope you realize that the way you live will be the way that you die. And Jesus has lived submitted unto the Father for his whole life. So on the cross, man, when you squeeze Jesus, you know what comes out? Prayer and Bible. When you get shaking up, you know what comes out?

What's in there? And Jesus, his father, into the hands, I commit my spirit. Can you say that? You see, one of the glorious but strange things about this occupation of being a pastor is I can't tell you the number of times I've sat with people in their dying breath.

It's a thing, man. Years ago, there's this guy that I got to know here at the church. His name's Bob. His kids were at the 9 o'clock service. And by kids, they're older than me. Bob was a stud, dude. I mean, Bob was, like, every dude in here,

you wanted to grow up and be like Bob. I mean, he was awesome. He was athletic, he was fit. He was old, but he was still all. He's like Clint Eastwood. He's like, how do you not get, I'm 50, and look at this. You look awesome.

What's happening here? He's just, you know? And he was loaded. Everything he had touched turned to go. He was successful and CEO and all the things. And he sold his company for a bazillion dollars and he loved to hunt and he loved to fish

and that's why I loved him. I liked to do that stuff with him. And so we would go hunting and fishing and he was awesome, man. He was awesome. And then he got diagnosed with cancer. And he was terrified. And he was afraid of dying

but even more than that, he was raised in a church, in a denomination, that believed in what's called works-based righteousness. They believed, and they taught, if you don't do enough good things, you don't get to go to heaven, and he was tormented by, what if I haven't done enough good things? So he started showing up to this church. And by the grace of God, he began to understand the unmerited favor of God through Jesus Christ. that it's not what you do, but it's what Christ has done on your behalf. And he didn't use these exact words, but he said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. And he submitted and surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

And I walked with him as he was going through cancer treatments, and then at the end, his family asked me to go spend time with him. And I sat in that hospital room across from the shell of the man physically that used to be Mr. Bob. I mean, he'd probably lost 75 pounds or something. And he was sitting in this little wheelchair, knee to knee with me, eyeball to eyeball, kind of a weak voice, and he was freezing, so he had this little Afghan on, had this little hat thing because the little bald head was freezing cold. And he looks at me and he says, I'm not afraid.

What you mean you're not afraid? He says, I'm not afraid. And then he goes on to say, I would rather have cancer in Jesus than no cancer. cancer and no Jesus. How in the world do you get there? I mean, what an incredible dying statement. Here's how. Because he got to the place in his life where he realizes, I ain't got this. I ain't got this. My works will never be enough. My successes will be never, never be enough, my finances will never be enough. even these loving relationships that I have will never be enough. And so he took the things that he had been holding on to.

And he said, Father, into your hands, I commit my whole life. Have you ever done that? And here's what I know because of the promise of Jesus. And he always keeps his promise is that when he took his final breath here on this earth, the next time he inhaled, he was healed, and he was whole, and he was in the presence of Jesus, just like. Jesus promised because he put his life into the hands of God the Father. Have you ever done that? Maybe today for the very first time you're ready to do it. Listen, being a Christian ain't easy.

But submitting and surrendering your life to the Lordship of Christ, receiving the free gift of salvation is pretty simple. You just admit it. I ain't got it. You believe, you trust. When he died on the cross, that counted for me. And the Bible says, if that's you, then just confess it. for all who call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. Would you bow your heads? Would you close your eyes? And if you were ready to call on the name of the Lord,

if you were ready to say, Father, here I am, into your hands, I commit my whole life. If you're ready to do that for the very first time, would you lift your hand as high as you can as a symbol to say, Father, here I am, I am calling on the name of the Lord to be saved? Our good and gracious Heavenly Father God,

we love you more than anything because you first loved us. And God, I thank you that even in this moment in your house, there is salvation because you came to seek and save those of us who are lost. And, God, I thank you for every man, for every student, for every woman, for every person sitting in a prison cell right now. And they are turning their lives over into your hands. God, thank you that you always keep your promises and you can always be trusted.

but God, I also pray for those of us who surrendered to you a long time ago, but as we look at our current situations, we see there's still some of us in our hand. Whether it's our finances or it's our sexuality or it's our job or our family, whatever it is, by the wooing of the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, once again, would you call us to come and just lay it at your feet, lay it all? because you're a good dad and you're good to your kids and you can be trusted. And your ways are just better than our ways. God, we love you and we know that you love us because of what Christ did on the cross. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen. Church, would you please stand as we respond? We're going to bring our ties and offerings. Some of us have not been fateful in bringing to God first and best. And we've been putting our trust in the temporary things of this world. And this is an opportunity. to attack the enemy who has been attacking you and say as an act of worship, God,

I'm going to bring to you first and best because I trust you, not the temporary things of this world. And we're going to pray, we're going to, together, at all of our locations, man, we're just one church. We sing the same songs at the same time. And this is a big old prayer that you are my living hope, that there's a chasm created by my sin, but you came on a rescue mission,

mission to seek and save me and bring me to you. And we're going to sing that. We need to sing like save people if you are. And we're going to pray. Luke mentioned that the curtain was torn. That is an invitation for you to come into the throne room of the king of kings. Because through the blood of Jesus Christ, he just happens to be your heavenly father. And he says, ask me again, ask me again, ask me again. So let's sing, let's bring, let's pray. Let's respond.