The first cry from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," reveals the profound love and mercy of God, demonstrating His balanced nature of justice and grace. This prayer, uttered by Jesus, highlights humanity's ignorance and sinfulness, contrasting it with God's perfect character and the immense sacrifice required to atone for sin. The sermon emphasizes that this cry was not only for those present but also a fulfillment of prophecy, illustrating the efficacy of prayer and the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice. Ultimately, the message calls individuals to recognize their own sinfulness and the necessity of accepting God's forgiveness through Christ, warning of the severe consequences of rejecting Him.
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To take up a series of studies, I was going to continue the ones on the phases of salvation, who can lead that to later. I was thinking the other night about the time of the year, and I thought of the seven tries from the cross. And I thought, I think I spoke on these about twenty years ago. Anyway, I got up and looked at the calendar, and I noticed there were seven Sundays in March and in April, three in March and four in April, seven before Easter.
So I thought I'd take up the seven cries of the cross, and you can't dwell too much upon the cross. And that's the hub of Christianity. And so I want to speak on the seven cries of the cross. And they're remarkable when you stop to think of them. We'll turn to the text in a minute or two. But you think of the seven cries of the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That's the first one.
You'll find it in Luke twenty-three. Then you have the cry of salvation. He said to the thief, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Then you have the cry of affection. Son, behold thy mother, woman, behold thy son, when he spoke to John about his mother and his mother and John. Then you have the cry of anguish. I thirst. Then the cry of suffering, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Then the cry of victory, it is finished. Then the cry of contentment into thy hands. I commend my Spirit. And so will go over these various texts. Lord willing. And so will turn now to Luke. And verse thirty-four. We've already quoted it, but you can read it for yourself. Then said, Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, and they parted his raiment and cast-lock.
In this very chapter, chapter twenty-three, you have four prayers. It's a chapter full of what happened around the cross. You have four prayers in this chapter. You have the prayer of hate. When they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. Then you have the prayer of fear. referring to the future, when he shall cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them, to hide them from the face of him that shith upon the throne. Then you have the cry of love. Father, forgive them.
They know not what they do. And then the cry of faith, the dying thief, Lord, remember me. when thou comest into thy kingdom. I think the cross teaches us three things. It teaches us the nature and character of God. You certainly see this at the cross. God is a God of justice. A justice is a God that will not pardon the sinner. and the wicked and the ungodly. And so you have God is a God of mercy.
Not all of judgment, but a God of mercy. Then you find that God is a God of grace. Yes, a God of grace is a God of love instead of a God of hate. God is a God who has attributes and he will manifest and display those attributes. And I think you'll find that in these seven cries of the cross. For instance, you take water. Water is a great friend. How could we live without water?
We must have water. But at the same time, water can be an awesome foe. Look at the millions who lose their lives in water. You've seen that recently over the English Channel when that boat went down. Look at the floods that we have heard about and witnessed. Yes, we must have water, but water is an awful foe. The world knew it when God destroyed the population of this planet with a flood.
There you have the sun. We love the sun. We need heat. We need heat. And the sun gives us that heat. But that sun can blister you and burn. Our God is a flame of fire. So you have God and he is a God. who loves man, and he proved it by giving his son. But he also is a God of judgment. He's a God of wrath. And see how balanced God is. Man is unbalanced, but God in this attributes and character is a balanced God.
Not only so, you see, man's character in this chapter or in these cries of the cross. Man's character. What a loathsome character man has. Why, you see it right here. His mind's love of himself. Man does love himself more than he does anyone else. He loves himself. And you'll find it right here in this chapter. What did man do at the cross? Away with this man will not have him to reign over us. What did they have against the Lord Jesus Christ?
They hated him. And if ever you see hatred, bitterness, displayed from man, and I'm going to say a religious man, the scribes and Pharisees, you see it at the cross. Away with this man will not have him to reign over us. That's the character of man. And these men, as the Lord says, looking down upon them, he says, Father, forgive them. Them. And around that cross you see a group of men, and they speak figuratively of all men.
Around that cross you see the men pouring out their venom, their hatred of this man. And the Lord says, this is your hour and the hour of darkness. He as much as said to these men, you're having your day. And they did have their day. And it was a wicked day. And they were like a group of maniacs. thirsting for the blood of the one that hung upon that cross. Yes, they couldn't say, and we can't say like Pilate, when he washed his hands and says, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.
No, Pilate, you're not innocent. You're dreadfully and awfully guilty. And so men today at heart, they don't love God. The Bible says that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Man in heart, he hates God. And he has to face that. And so you have this, and then you have thirdly, the nature of sin. It hasn't changed.
The nature of sin, the sin that was in Adam the moment he disobeyed God and Eve. And that nature of man has not changed. How do we know that sin is so fearful? Because it required such a sacrifice to put it away. It caused God. to give His only Son, His well-beloved, the one in whom He derided, God could have sent a million angels. He could have mentioned other ways to avoid punishing sin.
It was only one way. Sin was so fearful. Sin was so terrible. In the sight of a holy God, He sent His Son to deal with it. Yes, sin is a fearful thing, and we all know what the power of sin is. The fact that they needed forgiveness shows they were guilty. He says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. You'll notice in this prayer a number of things you have the efficacy of prayer.
How effective prayer is. It resulted in the Lord Jesus saving that thief on the cross. And he says, Father, forgive them. And some of those very men that were around the cross thirsting for the blood of Christ like a number of hounds catching the fox. Now they're going to pour out their venom. on him. And they mocked them. They scoffed them. Yes, they did. But he prayed for them. Father, forgive them.
How many times I have heard men and women say they got saved. They've told me many a time. But I know this, behind those at conversion, there was a lot of prayer. Prayer, yes, how effectual prayer is. Peter saw three thousand souls saved in the day of Pentecost. Later on, five thousand were saved. I say this, behind every conversion, someone prayed. That's true.
Father, forgive them. It wasn't Peter's preaching. It was the Son of God praying to the Father. Father, forgive them. And that's true. I think of how prayer has answered. It flashed in my mind a few moments ago about Bill Evans. When I think of how stubborn and rebellious that man was over the years, And a year ago, I went to the hospital, and I really told them what I thought his situation was. I didn't think he would ever speak to me again.
Only a month or two later, he got saved. And when I spoke to him, when he told me he got saved, I said, how did you get saved? He said, my wife and I were on our knees. And he said, I accepted the Lord Jesus' prayer. And I think of my own case. I fought conviction for two weeks. I was fighting against it. I didn't want to be saved. I wanted this world. But in my home, there was a mother. There was a father praying.
Never went to sleep without them on their knees praying for their wayward son. That's the only way I attribute my conversion, because I was fighting against God. I wanted this word. I wanted to enjoy myself. Oh, the power of prayer. How effective prayer is. and I've been praying for some of you out there sitting in this auditorium. I have a wholeness. I've been praying for four years. I've crossed out a number of them. If I'm going to say this, some of you, I haven't crossed out your name yet.
I'm still praying that God will reach and save your soul. Behind every conversion, someone prayed, and that was the truth here. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Furthermore, this cry was the fulfillment of prophecy. And I'm going to read a remarkable verse for you. It's over in Isaiah fifty-three, twelve. Therefore, I will divide him a portion, God speaking of his son. force him with the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sin of many.
Underline that. And made intercession for the transgressors. That's what he was doing on the cross. making intercession for the transgressors. And I say again, it wasn't only those around the cross. He was praying for all of Israel. Them, the representatives of that nation, tribes and Pharisees. Yes, He's been praying. And there's been a lot of prayers go up for that nation, the nation of Israel.
Here you have the Old Testament saints brought in. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Did God save Old Testament saints? Certainly He did. He saved them. How did He save them? Well, if you want to know how he saved them, I'll give you this text. You have in whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. Romans four, forty-five. Remember this, the people are just born again since Pentecost.
Wasn't Abraham saved? He certainly was. What shall we say then that Abraham, our Father, hath pertained, as pertaining to the flesh? What has he found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath were after glory, but not before God. For what sayeth the Scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Same with David, even as David also described as the blessedness of a man unto whom God imputes his righteousness without works.
They were made righteous in the Old Testament because they had faith in the one who was to come. And the Old Testament saints were saved on the basis of credit. When you want something? you go to the store, maybe they will if they know you, sell you something on credit. There it is, it's written down. And someday when you've got the money, you go in and you pay the debts. But you were living for quite a while on credit. That was true of the Old Testament saints.
Whenever a Jew wanted and knew his condition before God. In those days he brought a sacrifice. It may be even a sparrow, but he brought a sacrifice. It could have been a lamb. It could have been a bullock. But he brought a sacrifice. And as he offered that sacrifice, he was believing in one who was to come, a Messiah. And that's true. And so they were not in the church, because Israel had her day up until the time when she rejected that one that was to come, the Messiah.
But that nation is going to be someday saved, when they shall look upon him whom they have pierced. And that's going to be in the future. and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only sum. Then they shall say he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, that chastisement of the view to our having peace. And with his stripes we are healed. And a nation shall be born in a day, and that's future. And so you see, how he prays.
This verse I've read to you, he said he was numbered with the transgressors. Was he not? He was on the cross with two thieves. And he made intercessions for the transgressors. Yes, he was. And as many, the word many. And he was numbered with the transgressions, and he bear the sins of many. the sins of many. That's a large number, a number we can apprehend or tabulate. Old Testament saints, we're saved. David said the same thing. Yes, he had righteousness imputed to him when David cried out in repentance that God forgive him.
Read Psalm fifty one and tell you the whole story. And so you see the vastness of this prayer of the Lord Jesus. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Did they not know what they were doing? You notice it said this. They know not what they do. He didn't say, Father, they know what they've done or what they're going to do. He says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do right now. What were they doing? They were crucifying them.
Right when they had them on the cross, it was then when the soldiers divided the garment, as we were hearing about the worship being. They know not what they do. They knew they were doing wrong, but they didn't know all the wrong they were doing. Even his disciples didn't take in what was being done. They didn't grasp it. Why did they go fishing a couple of days later? Peter says, I go fishing.
And he took six with him. Would they have done that had they entered into the truth of what Christ was doing on the cross? And so even the disciples didn't really take in the vastness, the importance, the significance of what was happening on that cross. That's something to think. They know not what they do. When you think, and I'll tell you one thing, God knew what was happening, and Jesus Christ knew. God knew, and Jesus Christ knew.
All the Jews didn't. And even some of those in the early days I refer to his disciple didn't take it in. When you stop to think of the awesomeness of what was happening at that moment when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, praying, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. In other words, their being ignorant didn't mean innocence. No. In the Old Testament, there's an offering for innocence. They did know what they were doing eventually.
I wonder if you know what you're doing. Could it be that you sit here this morning and you don't know the meaning of the cross of Christ, His suffering and His death? You will know. In other words, in connection with the Jewish nation, they found out later what he was doing. That nation has suffered terribly because they didn't take in or understand what Christ was doing on the cross. They still don't believe he was their Messiah. And had they suffered?
No nation on earth has suffered like the Jewish nation. Eighty-seventy when Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem went up in flames. Maybe a million or more people were destroyed. Ah, yes, they suffered. Down the ages the Jews have suffered. What did Hitler do when seven million were burned in those ovens? They suffered. Israel today is suffering. They're scattered. They may suffer more, and they will.
For when the Church is taken to heaven, then the Great Tribulation is going to take place. Seven years of the most awful suffering the world has ever known, and Israel will be the victim. Why? Because they rejected Jesus Christ, they were not aware of what he did upon the cross. Yes, they didn't take it in. And that's what's going to happen to a lot of Gentiles. Millions of Gentiles, some don't even believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
They don't believe who was born of a virgin. They don't believe That he dies and shed his blood to put away our sins. They don't believe that. And if Israel doesn't believe it, the Gentiles' unbelief will be severe. God is a God of judgment. And we start to think of that. That's an awesome statement. I'll just think of this. God spared not. A number of spare-nots in your Bible. He spared not the angels that sin, but cast them down to hell, and they might be reserved unto darkness for the judgment of the great day.
And God spared not the old world. You find that in the third chapter of second Peter. He didn't spare the old world, and he's not going to spare this one. At the end of the millennium, This planet upon which you're on right now is going to be destroyed with fire. And he spared not Sodom and Gomorrah. He poured out fire from heaven upon those cities. He tells you all this over that chapter I mentioned. He spared not the natural branches. He's talking about Israel. They were the natural branches.
The church has been grafted in. And let me say this. Israel is still suffering. God did not spare them. He hasn't. And he will not. Stop punishing them until. They accept his son as their own personal savior. And so, and we read this, God spared not his own son. He didn't spare the angels, and he didn't spare the old world, and he didn't spare Solomon Gomorrah, nor did he spare the branches, the old branches, and he didn't spare his son.
That's something. How righteous God is. When his son took your sin and mine on the cross, God didn't say, I'm going to spare him. He didn't. God poured out all his wrath. He poured out all his thoughts of sin and wickedness. Yes, in Jesus Christ, bore the sins of all the world, and if you can tabulate that, all the wrath and the judgment of God against sin, all the sin since Adam and Eve, men are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God when God's going to punish sin.
He did. He didn't spare his son. He didn't say, I'm going to be lenient. No, God punished sin. He didn't spare his son. And his son, as we'll see later on, he cried out under the load of sin that he was bearing. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus Christ was left alone, suffering on the cross, showing the righteousness of God He will punish sin.
How sad this was. Think of the Lord Jesus crucified. No more heads to crown with thorns. They didn't put any thorns on the two thieves. No. They put a crown of thorns on his head. No more heads to crown the thorns. No more nails to be driven in his hands. No more spikes to put in his feet. They didn't spit in his face anymore.
He was too high. They didn't punch him in the face. They couldn't reach him. The Lord Jesus suffered. Oh, the moment when the Lord Jesus was on that cross, bearing the sins of you, me, and those who were on the cross, He says, Father, forgive them. for they know not what they do. Is that not love? Is not that compassion? And they mocked him.
They criticized him. They crushed him. They did. And in the midst of all this, he said, Father, forgive them. They really don't know what they're doing. but they found out later and they'll find out more. They have suffered and friend, if you hear this morning, you can't say you're not guilty. You're guilty. Barely guilty. You know you're sinning against God. You may not know all the awfulness of it.
They know not what they do. They don't seem to understand it. And friend, if people today entered into and understood fully what was happening at the cross, they wouldn't go out that door without accepting them as their Savior. The sad thing is that the women are going to find out as has the nation of Israel. The awesomeness of the judgment of God against sin is got to come. And God is a righteous God.
And you'll see in that day what he thinks of sin and how you'll suffer for your sins. Your sin is rejecting Jesus Christ. I'm not telling you this morning to go and join the church. I'm not telling you this morning to do the best you can. I'm not telling you this morning to get baptized. It's not that. Most things don't enter into it.
God's not going to punish you for that. He's going to punish you for rejecting his son. He's going to punish you for saying away with this man, I'll not have him to reign over us. It's an awful thing to think of that, isn't it? But that's what the Bible teaches. That's what the Bible says. And that's exactly what will happen. In the days ahead... and you won't be able to say that you didn't hear the gospel. You're verily guilty. And I have tried in thirty-two years in this chapel to acquaint men and women with the gospel.
I have never asked anybody to join the chapel. I have never asked anyone to pay money into this chapel. I have never asked anyone to turn over a new leaf, do the best you can. I hope no one has ever come into this chapel and gone out without hearing the gospel. What is it? Simply that you're a sinner. You can't deny that. And you're lost. You can't deny that. That Jesus loved you. You can't deny that.
That he died for you. You can't deny that. Though He rose again, you can't deny that. He said, Heaven, you can't deny that. He's coming again, and you can't deny that. And if you're not saved, you're going to die and be in hell, a lake of fire, forever and forever. You can't deny that. And so you're guilty, verily, verily guilty. Then Jesus said, that word then is very significant. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them.
They know not what they do. And that's true. Many women don't realize today what they're doing. Day after day, putting it off, putting it off. quaring it up coming day by day near the time when they'll meet that one they'll see him but they'll meet him as a judge and not as a savior how lovely he exemplified his own teaching how to do that his love for his enemies Was he not doing that?
Pray for his enemies. Does that not fit into what you have in Matthew. Twenty-four, no, forty-four. Matthew five, twenty-four. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That's what they did to the Lord Jesus. Yet he prayed for them. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Here you have what man needs most.
Forgiveness. Father, forgive them. That's what man needs most, is forgiveness of his sins. For all sins against God, David said against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. Did David not sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah? Yes. But he sinned against God. And all your sin, Fred, is against God. For you may be doing wrong to your child or your wife or your husband.
Many ways you can sin, and you don't involve God in it at all. But all sin is against God. And the great sin, the major sin, the cardinal sin against God is rejecting Christ. That's the thing, the sin that God hates and will punish. The Lord is here the triumph of redeeming love. Have you got any other display comparable to that man on that cross, suffering, dying, bleeding, being cursed, condemned?
Why is he doing it? There you have redeeming love. It was only the love of God that gave his Son. The love of Christ to give Himself on that cross. Here's the triumph of redeeming love. People can say, and I've already said, I'm innocent. No, you're wide open. That's this. A lot of people could, and I do today, and millions of people in the world are innocent of what I've been saying this morning. brought up in the dead stunted jungles they haven't heard this a lot of the Jews were ignorant of a lot of things but you can't be ignorant of these things for instance you've got the witness of creation you see creation and God speaks to you through creation then again God gave you a conscience.
You've got the witness of conscience. And you've got the witness of the law. And you've got the witness of the gospel. You've got the testimony of the Holy Spirit within your heart who is trying to win you to Christ. Yes, you've got all that. You've got a witness that the Holy Spirit is trying this morning lead you to Jesus Christ. All this will be reviewed at the great white throne. You can say you're innocent. You're ignorant.
No, you're guilty. Can you stop to think of this scene? Happened nineteen hundred years ago and what it was. No, many of people gathered around that cross. And you see a man walking up, kind of slowly going by, stop him. What do you think of that man on the cross? Well, I don't know. He's a criminal, or he wouldn't be there. Out of Roman law, that's what they do with criminals. Do you think he's a criminal? Sure he's a criminal. I want you to come with me a little closer.
All right, and you walk up, and he stands there, and he looks at that man on the cross, and he hears him, say, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. He thinks that's something. A man praying for his enemies, the ones that put them on the cross, That's what I look at. He's not disfigured like the thieves. They look fearful. Criminals. He has a kind look on his face. And he speaks lovingly.
Don't you know who that is? The Son of God. The Son of God. If he's the Son of God, why is he there? because man sinned and he's paying their debt. I never heard that before. The man has gotten knowledge. Would you trust that man on the Middle Cross? Well, no. I don't know that much about him. What you said is good, but I couldn't trust him. All I know is what you said about his character. But would you believe that that's God's son who was born of a virgin, he came in this world, and he went to that cross for sinners, your sinner?
Yes. Do you think he's able to save you? I would say yes. After what you've told me, he is able to save me. Will you trust him? Will you trust him? Well, no. I'd like to know a little more about this, and it goes this way. That man received knowledge. That man saw, and he was faced with something like, do you believe in this character? Do you believe he can save you?
Do you believe he will save you? Now comes committal. Will you commit yourself to this man? A few moments ago, you didn't know. You didn't know who he was. I've told you who he is and why he's there. You've got knowledge. Will you commit yourself to him? Do you have confidence in him? Wouldn't it be wonderful when he says yes. I now have knowledge. Who this man is, and what's he doing?
And I've got perfect confidence in him. I wouldn't have any confidence in a lot of two men. Will you have confidence in him? Yeah, I will. Will you accept him? Will you commit yourself to him as your Savior? Yes, I will. Vows his head the need. Lord Jesus, I believe you died for me. You suffered for me. You paid my debt. You set me free. I'm a new man. I'm not going on my way where I was going. I'm going back home to tell my parents what happened on Calvary.
Friend, it's up to you. Do you believe all I said about the Lord Jesus? say yes have you committed yourself to him are you willing to trust him if you say no I won't trust him then you're leaving him as a