Key Truth: Jesus Christ in his humiliation in crucifixion and death purchases eternal dignity for all of God’s daughters and sons.

Introduction:

Q: How do you respond to being or seeing someone else humiliated?

“Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?

A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.”

The Shorter Catechism

A Prophetic Warning:

Luke 23:26-31

“...because He knows what terrible judgments will ere long visit Jerusalem, He expresses in these words His unfathomable pity for the doomed people. It is beautiful and good that they should manifest such tenderness and sympathy with Him on His way to the cross. But they are unable to see things in their right perspective and do not realize what is awaiting them and their people if they should persist in unbelief. It is far more urgent that they should weep for themselves and their children: even at this late hour such tears may lead to repentance and avert the approaching doom.”

Norval Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke

Q: What grieves you most in this scene: Christ’s humiliating journey to death or your sin that required the humiliating death of the innocent Jesus?

A Priestly Intercession:

Luke 23:32-43

“Now, have I not a right to say, Christ is able to save to the uttermost all them that come unto God by Him? Behold the proof of it. If ever a sinner was too far gone to be saved, it was this thief. Yet he was plucked as a brand from the fire. Have I not a right to say, Christ will receive any poor sinner who comes to Him with the prayer of faith, and cast out none? Behold the proof of it. If ever there was one that seemed too bad to be received, this was the man. Yet the door of mercy was wide open even for him. Have I not a right to say, by grace ye may be saved through faith, not of works: fear not, only believe? Behold the proof of it. This thief was never baptized. He belonged to no visible Church. He never received the Lord’s Supper. He never did any work for Christ. He never gave money to Christ’s cause. But he had faith, and so he was saved.”

J.C. Ryle, Christ and the Two Thieves

Q: What is the only true barrier to salvation?

A King Received:

Luke 23:44-49

“Here we see the ultimate strength- a God who is strong enough to voluntarily become weak and plunge himself into vulnerability and darkness out of love for us. And here we see the greatest possible glory- the willingness to lay aside all his glory out of love for us.”

Timothy Keller, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering

Q: What do you confess as a result of the crucifixion and death of Jesus?

Application:

“To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God: because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labour to make us lovable.”

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Jesus Christ in his humiliation in crucifixion and death:

• prophetically warns us to be most concerned with our own condition before God
• supplies the priestly means of redemption to God regardless of our current condition
• reigns as the received king who has conquered sin and death on our behalf

Benediction:

Psalm 22:1-5