Jesus' command to love one another, as demonstrated in John 13:34, is the central theme, with The passage emphasizing that this love is the distinguishing mark of His disciples. The sermon explores this theme through passages in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Peter, urging believers to increase in love toward one another and all people. The core lesson is that genuine, Spirit-produced love should characterize believers' lives and be evident to the world. The message concludes by connecting this love to the practical acknowledgment of Jesus' Lordship, urging a personal commitment to His rule in all aspects of life.
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Word of God, if you'll take your Bible with me tonight, we'll look at just a few thoughts. Then I'm going to do some reading tonight on the atopsy of the death of the Lord Jesus by an MD, a medical doctor who has done extensive research on the subject as well as a French surgeon, Pierre Barbay. So before we do, let us think about our relationship together here. And I'd like you to turn with me, if you would, to the book. of John chapter thirteen. Then we'll run over to Thessalonians and then we're going to Brother Peter's writings. We'll just pick up very quickly some passages. I'll probably go too quick for some of you.
So maybe you can just listen. The Lord Jesus said in John thirteen and verse thirty-four. John, verse thirty-four. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have loved one another. Someone quoted that verse today somewhere. Verse John. We know we pass from death into life because we love the brethren.
So the disciple test and the love test. Now if you will, turn in your Bible to the book of First Thessalonians, chapter three. Let us glance at a few verses in that particular book, starting in chapter three and going into chapter four. For the sake of time, just verse twelve. Chapter three, verse twelve, And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all, even as we do toward you.
What do you say? The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all, even as we do toward you. Chapter four, verse nine, Let's start there. But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more. Get the picture? All right. Keep that in mind now. First Peter. Dear Brother Simon Peter.
Chapter four, verses seven and eight. But the end of all things is at hand, Peter said. Therefore be you sober and watch into prayer. And above all things, above all things, have fervent love among yourselves. For love shall cover the multitude of sins. And I would remind us of that verse back over in First Thessalonians chapter four and verse ten. Indeed, you do it toward all the brethren, which are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more.
And here's the question. Do you love me more tonight than you did the first day I came? And do I love you more? See what I mean? That's what the Lord says, isn't he? Isn't that what he's saying? I love this increase. Real love. produced by the Spirit of God. Oh, may this characterize our lives and our local assemblies. And if it does, the world's going to know that we've really met the Lord. We've met the Master. Tonight, I want to be reading, I want to speak on the subject of Lordship if I get time. If not, I just want to read a medical doctor's account of the crucifixion of our Lord. I thought it might be of some value.
And several people, after I spoke this morning, asked me, was I going to do that tonight? And I said, well, I could. Lord willing. The Crucifixion of Jesus by C. Truman Davis, M.D., M.S., and so on. In this article, I shall discuss some of the physical aspects of the passion or suffering of Jesus Christ. We shall follow him from Gethsemane through his trial, his scourging, his path along to Via Dolorosa, to his last dying hours on the cross. I became interested in this about a year ago when I read an account of the crucifixion in Jim Bishop's book, The Day Christ Died. I suddenly realized that I had taken the crucifixion more or less for granted all these years, that I had grown callous to its horror and by a too easy familiarity with the grim details and a too distant friendship with him.
It finally occurred to me that as a physician I did not even know the actual immediate cause of death. The Gospel writers did not help us very much on this point. because crucifixion and scourging were so common in their lifetime that they undoubtedly considered a detailed description totally superfluous. So we have the concise words of the evangelist, quote, Pilate having scourged Jesus delivered him to them to be crucified and they crucified him, unquote. I'm indebted to many who have studied the subject in the past, especially to a contemporary colleague, Dr. Pierre Barbay, a French surgeon who has done exhaustive historical and experimental research and has written extensively on the subject.
The infinite psychic and spiritual sufferings of the incarnate God in atonement, for the sins of fallen man, I have no competence to discuss. However, the physiological and from the anatomic side, aspects of our Lord's Passion, we can examine in some details. What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture? This led me first to study of the practice to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself, that is, the torture and execution of a person by fixation to a cross. Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander the Great and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world, to Egypt, and to Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians, and, as with most everything Rome did, rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill in carrying it out.
A number of Roman authors, Levy, Cicero, Tacitus, comment on it. Several innovations and modifications are described in the ancient literature. I will mention only a few which may have thumb bearing here. The upright portion of the cross or stipe could have the cross arm or patibulum attached to two or three feet, attached two or three feet below its top. is what we come to think of today as the classic form of the cross, the one which we have later named the Latin cross. However, the common form used in our Lord's days was the tall cross shaped like the Greek letter tall or like our letter T.
In this cross, the patibulum, was placed in a notch at the top of the stites. There is fairly overwhelming archaeological evidence that it was on this type of cross that Jesus was crucified. The upright post of stites was generally permanently fixed in the ground. at the site of the execution, and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum, apparently weighing about one hundred and ten pounds. From the prison to the place of execution, without any historical or biblical proof, medieval and Renaissance painters, most of the sculptors of crucifixes today show the nails to the palm. Roman historical accounts and experimental work have shown that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrist and not through the palms.
Nails driven through the palms would strip out between the fingers when they supported the weight of a human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, quote, observe my hands, unquote. Anonymous, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as a part of the hand. So what they're saying is they believe that the nails were driven through right here because this was considered a part of the hand. And if having been driven out here, it would have ripped out because of the weight. a titillate or a small sign stating the victim's crime was usually carried at the front of the procession and later nailed to the cross above the head.
This sign with its staff nailed to the top of the cross would have given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross. The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, I shall only discuss one of the physiological interests, the bloody sweat. It is interesting that the physician Of the group, St. Luke is the only one to mention this. He says, quote, And being in agony, he prayed the longer, and his sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground, unquote. Every attempt imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this phrase. Apparently, under the mistaken impression, that this just does not happen. A great deal of effort could be saved by consulting the medical literature.
Though very rare, the phenomenon of hematodrosis or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process alone could have produced marked weakness and possible shock. We shall move rapidly through the betrayal and arrest. I must stress again that important portions of the passion story are missing from this account. This may be frustrating to you, but in order to adhere to our purpose of the discussion only, the purely physical aspect of the passion, this is necessary. After the arrest, in the middle of the night, Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas, the high priest. It was here that the first physical trauma was inflicted.
A soldier struck Jesus when questioned by Caiaphas. The palace guards then blindfolded him and mockingly taunted him to identify them as they each passed by, spat on him, and struck him in the face. In the early morning, Jesus, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, is taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium of the fortress of Antonio, the seat of government of the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to pass responsibility to Herod and Titus Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned again to Pilate. It was then, in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Barabbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion.
Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two. Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus' scourge as his full punishment, and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in response to the taunt by the mob that the procurator was not properly defending Caesar against this pretender who claimed to be the King of the Jews. Preparations for the scourging were carried out. The prisoner is stripped of his clothing and his hands tied to a post above his head. It is doubtful whether the Romans made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter of scourging. The Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Pharisees always making sure that the law was strictly kept, insisted that only thirty-nine lashes be given.
In the case of a miscount, they were sure of remaining within the law. The Roman legionnaire stepped forward with the phlegrum or phagellum in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders and back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally flirting arterial bleeding from the vessels and the underlying muscles.
The small balls of lead first produce large deep bruises, which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally, the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn bleeding tissues. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-painting Jesus has been untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement wet with his own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They throw a robe across his shoulders and place a stick in his hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete.
A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns commonly used for firewood are platted into a shape of a crown, and this is pressed to his scalp. Again there is confluence bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body. After mocking him and striking him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from his hand and strike him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into his scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport, and the robe is torn from his back. This had already become inherent to the clots of blood and serums of the wound, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain, almost as though he were again being whipped.
and the wounds begin to bleed once more. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans returned his garments. The heavy patidulum of the cross is tied across his shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers, headed by Centurion, begins its flow journey along the Via Dolorosa. And in spite of this effort, his efforts to walk direct the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with a shock produced by copious bleeding, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges its lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulder. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurions, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, select the stalwart North African onlooker, Simon the Serenian, to carry the cross.
Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating, the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The six hundred and fifty-yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Galgotha is finally complete. The prisoners are getting stripped of his clothes except for a loincloth which is allowed the Jews. The crucifixion begins. Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground, and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy square wrought iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood.
Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. Patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes, and the title is reading, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, is nailed in place. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails of the wrist, excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain.
The nails and the wrist are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid stretching torment, he places his full weight on the nail through his feet. Again, there is the searing agony of the nail tearing the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, nodding them into deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward, hanging by his arms. The pectoral muscles are paralyzed, and the intercoastal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but it cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise himself in order to get even one short breath.
Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the bloodstream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that he uttered the seven short sentences which are recorded. The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers, throwing dice for his seamless garment. He says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. The second, to the penitent thief. Today, shall thou be with me in paradise. The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John, the beloved apostle. He said, Behold thy mother, and looking to marry his mother, well, and behold, thy son. The fourth cry is from the beginning of the twenty-second song. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins, a deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. Let us remember again the twenty-second psalm, verse fourteen, quote, I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like water. It is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over.
The loss of tissue fluids have reached a critical level. The compressed heart is struggling to pump thick, heavy, sluggish blood into the tissues. The tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to grasp in small depths of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasped his fifth cry, I thirst. Let us remember another verse from the prophetic twenty-second psalm. My strength is dried up like a pot-shirt, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soap in Pasca, the cheap, sour wine, which is the staple drink of the Roman legionnaires, is lifted to his lips. He apparently does not take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and he can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues.
This realization brings out the sixth word, possibly a little more than a tortured whisper. It is finished. His mission of atonement has been complete. Finally, he can allow his body to die with one last surge of strength. He once again presses his torn feet against the nails, straightens his legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters his seventh and last cry, Father, into thy hands. I commit my spirit. The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath be not profane, the Jews ask that the condemn them be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by curifracture. The breaking of the bones of the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward.
The tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest, and rapid supplication occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that this was unnecessary. Apparently, to make doubly sure of this, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium, and into the heart. The thirty-first verse of the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel, according to St. John, says, quote, And immediately there came out blood and water, unquote. Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the heart and blood from the interior of the heart. We therefore have rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that our Lord died, not the usual crucifixion death by supplication, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
Thus we have seen a glimpse of the epitome of evils. which man can exhibit toward man and toward God. This is not a pretty sight. It is that to leave us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the sequel. A glimpse of infinite mercy of God toward man, the miracle of the atonement, and the expectation of the resurrection morning. In the remaining time that I have this evening, I'd like to discuss with you the subject of Lordship. And I'd like to use just this little bit, remember this is just written by a man, it may or may not be absolutely accurate.
I'm not trying to contend for its accuracy, I'm just saying it is a doctor's opinion from the physiological side of Jesus' death as to how he died. I'm confident that whatever he has written here, my Lord suffered more. Whatever he has written, I'm confident there was no suffering like it's suffering. But as I appeal to that, I'd like to remind you that that story, in its essence, should really make an appeal to us in the subject of lordship. So tonight, who is going to run your life? Who's going to run your life?
Would you turn in your Bibles with me to the Book of Acts? We're going to look at a passage of Scripture. that should be familiar to most who study their Bible. In the tenth chapter of the Book of Acts, the Apostle Peter is dispatched to the Lord to go over to Caesarea. He's at Joppa. He's in the home of Simon the Tanner. He receives a vision from the Lord, and the Lord makes it clear to him that God is going to be saving both Jews and Gentiles. and that far as God is concerned, there is no difference. God is interested in all.
Peter says in verse thirty-four, after he gets to the home of Cornelius, and there he's ready to give his message and starts his message, he says, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter person, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. The question might well be raised tonight is Jesus Lord of the unsaved. And I appeal to the word of God. He is Lord of all. We're told in the book of Philippians chapter two. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, taught it not robbery, to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation.
And all of that is just one word. in the Greek New Testament, Canosus, made himself of no reputation as one word. He emptied himself and took upon him the form of a service and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, notice now, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus... Every knee should bow of things in heaven, things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
He's Lord. To what view? To what end? To the glory of God the Father. He is Lord. Jesus appeared in the upper room. John says the doors were shut. And he said, Peace be unto you. And then he said, As my Father has sent me, even so send thy youth. Thomas wasn't there. Thomas had said, Except I see in his hand the print of the nails, and put my finger in the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side. I'll not believe. Eight days later, the disciples were in the upper room, and this time Thomas was with them. And Jesus appeared. And after he said, Peace be unto you, he said, Thomas, reach into thy finger, and behold, my hand.
and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing. And Thomas cried out, My Lord and my God. Jesus is Lord. On the cross, the Lord Jesus has been nailed. There he is, fixed to the tree, in all of his sufferings, for you and I. We find that both of these so-called thieves, really robbers is the better word for us, these robbers, these men that are worthy of death, They didn't kill people in those days for stealing something. In their robbery, usually they kill someone to be able to take it away from them. And so these two men are being crucified. They're dying the same day that the Lord Jesus died. They had both, according to the Word of God, been casting accusations into the teeth of the Lord Jesus.
Notice in your Bible quickly, if you will, Matthew is one place we'll look, and then Mark is the other. Matthew chapter twenty-seven. Look at the plurality found in verse four. The thieves also, plural, the thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. What is it? Accusations. They were just demeaning the Lord Jesus. Now, if you will, look in the book of Mark, chapter fifteen. Mark, chapter fifteen. Verse thirty-two. We'll read thirty-one and thirty-two together.
Likewise also the chief priest mocking said among themselves, with the scribes, he saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. and they that were crucified with him, plural, they, plural, that were crucified with him, reviled him. Now you've got the picture very clearly. Both of these robbers are reviling the Lord Jesus and casting accusations into his teeth. They're really demeaning the Lord Jesus, and both of them are dying with him that day. However, in the book of Luke, and you remember, if you'd like to turn there, you can see it. In the book of Luke, there's quite a different account, and there's no contradiction in Scripture.
So, if you will, turn to Luke chapter twenty-three. And there we read in verse thirty-nine, one of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ saved thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Thou shalt not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly. In other words, he says, We're getting just what we deserve. For we received the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing of this. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shall thou be with me in paradise. Notice what the robber did not say.
He did not say, Jesus remember me. He did not say, Savior remember me. He did not say, Christ remember me. He said, Lord, remember me. Peter, quoting the book of Joel, chapter two and verse thirty-two, on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter two and verse twenty-one says, And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Savior. No. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I do not know what you understand about Lordship. I do not know what you believe about Lordship.
But I am convinced in my heart My beloved friends, that God is absolutely accurate and that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. And he deserves our surrender to his Lordship. Well, the word Lord has the idea of one who rules as a master and he wants to rule our lives. Who's going to run your life? Is it going to be you or the Lord Jesus? Now, if you run your own life, He's not going to be Lord of your life in the practical sense. He's Lord of all. That's the provisional truth. Nothing can alter it. Nothing can change it. Nothing can do away with it.
It's implacable. It's immutable. But, beloved, what about the practical side? You see, someone's going to run her life. You'll notice in your Bible that the same truth is repeated in the book of Romans, chapter ten, verse thirteen. For the Apostle Paul says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You'll also notice that Lordship is mentioned in a negative sense in the book of Romans. Shall we turn to the book of Romans? We'll go to the sixth chapter. We'll begin our reading it.
Actually, we should begin at chapter five in verse twenty. The writer says, Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Notice now, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Obviously, more sin brought on more grace. Now, if we're not careful, we'll misunderstand that. But there's an absolute logic to this that the more sin, the more grace. And so some people might say, well, you know, I've grace such a wonderful thing. I want more grace, so therefore I'll commit more sin. Therefore, more grace. And it's logical. You couldn't deny the logic. You can't change the logic.
You can't alter it in each chapter six, verse one. Suggest that's the logic. Read it. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? That's the common thought. God forbid. How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? No, you're not. That so many of us as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're baptized into his death. Therefore, we're buried with him by baptism into death, that like his Christ is raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the innocent life. For if we've been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, or literally was crucified with him.
That the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on, or henceforth, we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we believe, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we should also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more, death has no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died under sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth under God. Likewise, in like manner, you consider... You account, you impute, that you yourselves are dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Sin shall not have lordship. Same word. Sins shall not have dominion or lordship over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. God is telling us that he has accomplished such a unique and wonderful provision and redemption and propitiation for all sinners that no longer does sin has to be Lord. For the word of God says, Jesus is Lord, and he's Lord of all. But here's the real issues. This is the crux of it. You can back off and say, oh, isn't that a beautiful truth? Oh, it's wonderful.
We can sing about the Lord. We can say Jesus is Lord. Romans ten and nine, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus. And believe in thy heart, God has raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. Oh, we can all quote it. We tell it to others that they might be saved. But the truth is, we may not be understanding lordship in a practical sense. What do you mean lordship in the practical sense? You said a while ago, Donald, he's Lord of all. He is. But are all acknowledging his lordship. Jesus said in Luke chapter six, why do you call me Lord, Lord?
And do not the things which I say. Lordship is connect with doing and being. Both are involved. How can I, as a saved individual, as a saint of God, in a very practical way, acknowledge His Lordship? I'm going to suggest three words. Three words. Number one, conviction. Number two, confession. Number three, commitment.
Number one, until you and I have the firm and settled conviction that Jesus Christ is the only one that can rightly run our lives, that Jesus Christ is the only one who deserves to run our lives, and that Jesus Christ has been offered by God to run our lives. Until we get that conviction deep in the core of our being, I don't think there's going to be much attempt toward yielding to Christ as Lord in the practical sense in our lives.
I think God wants us to search the Scripture and see for certain and have a settled persuasion, a deep conviction that He is the only one that deserves that position. of being our Lord in the practical way. He deserved it. The Hebrew writer says that Jesus is the captain of our salvation, and he was made perfect through suffering. He is the captain. He is the Lord. He is the master. He is the ruler. And he's the only one that really knows how we should walk daily and where we should walk. And beloved...
Once we get that conviction deeply settled in our hearts, then we're ready, I think, for the next step that I'm going to suggest, and I'm going to call that contrition. The word contrition can also be rendered bruised or crushed, something that's rather beaten. And I do believe down in our affection, down in our hearts, down in the emotional part of our being, when we begin to see what he went through. that God might exalt him as Lord of all, he'll tend to break us down. You know, we need to be broken down sometime. Somehow or another, there's a haughtiness in us.
There's a rebellion in us. There's a resistance in us. There's an opposition in us to the things of God. And I believe only when we begin to really be tenderized by the fact that Jesus went through such deep waters in love to us and love to God, that He deserves that position of Lord, and we owe it to Him to bow to His Lordship in the practical way. Confucian, does it put tears in your eyes ever when you think about the Lord Jesus and what He went through for you? Can you remember that time when you were converted, how your heart was broken?
You were broken over your sinful condition, but then you began to realize by the work of the Spirit of God just how much Jesus went through to save you. And didn't it bring tears to your eyes that one could love you so much that one would give himself for you? Had you gone so far since your conversion experience that you no longer could be touched by it? May God help you. May God help you. Go back and reread the death of Christ. Confission. Allow the Lord to break your heart up. to pulverize it, to tenderize it, so that you're really affected by what the Lord went through to make you His own. And thirdly, commitment.
There was a time in my life when I committed myself to a young woman. She really was just a girl. She wasn't a woman yet. She really is now, though. Quite a woman. She was a girl, just seventeen years of age. I don't know what was running through her mind that night, but I can kind of tell you what was going through mine. I was hoping after I said I do that she would say the same.
I understand one of those things is coming up Saturday, one of those things, you know. That's a wonderful thing. Whoso finds a wife finds a good thing. You know, a woman's a thing. No offense to you, sister. The King James Virgin italicizes saying, you know, you were to get a special word there. But I know in my heart, I was hoping that she would commit herself to me. I had committed myself to her. I did it first, you know. Now, the Lord has committed himself to us. But he wants us to commit ourselves to him. Would you look at one word with me in closing? Verse thirteen, chapter six, the book of Romans. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield.
That same word is interestingly translated in the book of Acts chapter one. And I believe it's verse one or two. I'll have to glance at it to see. Yes, in verse three of Acts chapter one, S-H-E-W-E-D. Same word as healed in Romans, six and thirteen. Same word. In Romans twelve and verse one, the word present is the same word.
In Romans sixteen, speaking of the deepening, Phoebe, the word is translated as cyst. But the word really is two Greek words. It literally means to stand, and that's the word histony, and it means alongside, and that's the word parahistony. So the Lord is saying to us in Romans six and thirteen, neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness under sin, but stand alongside God yourselves.
That's commitment. Lord Jesus, here I am. From here to here, it's all yours. That's commitment. And if we'll do that, beloved, there'll be a realistic operation of lordship in our lives. I think it would be rather apparent who's running our lives. But if we fail to do that, I'm rather confident that someone else is going to run it. And I'm afraid it won't be very honoring to God. Oh, beloved, let us think about His death. Don't wait till the first day of the week to think about the death of the Lord Jesus.
Think about it every day. You can enjoy the victory that He accomplished in His death. But in thinking about the victory, don't allow your mind to get away also from the suffering side. That tends to tenderize us, you know, and help us to deeply appreciate His great love and grace. Now shall we close with the word of prayer, thanking the Lord for His loving kindness and giving us His time together. Maybe there's someone here that's not saved. I realize I haven't really classically preached the gospel. I've given the death of Christ and mentioned His resurrection.
But if there's someone here that's not saved and you're interested in being saved, I've given many verses to tell how to be saved. personal opportunity of meeting you and talking with you about your need of Christ. And I'm sure that there are many others here that can do it just as well if not better than I. So if there's anyone that's not saved and you want to be, be sure and let some of us know. Shall we pray? Father, we're grateful for the privilege of once more looking at the book, for thinking very seriously about the agony and suffering of our blessed Lord, when there he was nailed to the cross, O God, cause us to think deeply upon this. And after having been able to comprehend just at least a little of it, cause our appreciation to well up within us for the blessed one who did redeem us with his own precious blood.
And then, Lord, help us to see once more the imperative of lordship that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and how much more certainly he is Lord of all Christians. And we should yield and submit and stand ourselves alongside him so that he may exercise that lordship in a practical way in our lives. We, Father, we want Jesus to run our lives as the Lord of glory. And to this end, we commit ourselves. Blessed us, dear assembly, Lord, with continued growth and development, with real outreach, and with fervent love. Oh, God, increase our love, first and foremost, for thee, for our blessed Lord, and then for each other, how we do need to increase in our love.
This we ask, returning our thanks for all things in the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.