Seven Skull Words Pt. 1

Well, we just finished up a little sermon series, and one of the words that I noticed in the passage in chapter 23, and I didn't speak on it at all, was forgiveness. And then I did talk on the other word that Jesus spoke on the cross, and I thought, I'm going to talk on all seven of those words. and we'll jump around a little bit in the scripture because I think those words are so significant that were spoken on the cross.

My brother Joe asked me this week, what are you preaching on this Sunday? And I said, the seven skull words. He said, well, that's a weird title. And I said, well, Jesus died at the place of the skull, Golgotha. And he spoke seven words on the cross. So I thought we're going to have skull practice is what we're going to do. And so that's kind of where this title comes from. I want you to look at Luke chapter 23. Keep your hand there. I'm going to read one verse of scripture to you. And they'll have it up on the screen, verses 33A and B. And then I'll pray and then we'll jump into this sermon.

And when they came to the place called the skull, there they crucified him. the place called the skull there they crucified him let's bow together in prayer Lord today as we look at your word and we pray that our hearts would be open our minds would be receptive to your word and Lord I pray that that what I speak will be according to your plan and will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. You know you can also compare in Matthew's gospel chapter 27 verse 33 that also talks about the place of the skull. Matthew uses the word, he says Golgotha which means place of the skull.

In Mark's gospel chapter 15 verse 20 Mark also talks about the place of Golgotha which he says is translated the place of the skull in John 19 17 through 18 8 Jesus it talks about they took Jesus therefore and went out bearing his own cross to the place of the skull which is called in Hebrew Golgotha and it says there they crucified him you know when I was in high school James may say your coach overdid it since he coached in Lorenzo at one time where I grew up when I was in high school I played quarterback for three years now that was really a joke because the guy that was a senior when I was a freshman was named Joe Reed. And Joe Reed ended up being the blue chipper state quarterback of the entire state I can remember when Darryl Royal came on our campus to recruit Joe Reed And I had to fill his shoes And they wanted me to wear his jersey. And I said, don't make a mockery of that jersey. I will not wear that jersey. It would have been too big for me anyways, I can promise you. But when I was a sophomore, we got a new coach that put in our game plan schedule, what he called the skull practice.

You know, I read a little bit about this. You know, even baseball had skull practice. I didn't know that until reading about that. we huddled in a room looked at a blackboard with the opposing team's numbers circled in their offense and defensive formation there were their numbers up on the board up there and then he painted a picture with the other coaches participating how to attack those weaknesses they shared with us the strengths and weaknesses of each of those players and their tendencies, how to move. And then they literally got in front of us, the coaches did, and they would get in a blocking position or a tackling position, illustrating how we would attack them in the trenches in order that we might be victorious.

Defensive and offensive captains were taught to look to the sidelines. or to hear a word or to see a picture. Sometimes just a letter that would determine our attack position. Since I was the quarterback, I'd look over there and see what they were saying. Okay, here's what you're going to get in position. Here's the play. And then I'd go back to the huddle and I'd call that play. Literally, they made us watch films. we just studied we had one day a week for three or four hours we sit in there and had skull practice and we watched films and they'd point out the guard this is who you're going to be blocking look what he does you can attack him if you see that he has this tendency and they went over and over and over this stuff and I'm going to tell you before we ever played the game, in our mind's eye, we knew what to expect. Skull practice was much more than just information. It was imaging a plan of victory. Now, I can't tell you that it really soaked in. You know, the next coach, we had a coach every year when I was in high school. The coach the next year, I said, we're going to have skull practice. I don't think it helped y'all last year. I doubt if we have much skull practice. That's what he said. The place of the skull, geographically, it identified an execution site just outside the city walls of Jerusalem. That's prophetic. Outside the city walls. Visually, it revealed a rock formation on a hill that looked like a skull. Kim and I have been over to Israel and there's these two eye sockets and a nasal socket and you can sit across and look across up to that hill and you can see it is a skull. It's crazy. Historically it was designated as the literal location where Jesus was crucified We can prove that but historically they say that Prophetically, here's what I want you to hear. Prophetically, it was the last words he spoke prior to dying on the cross. In an article by Grace Gospel, the author wrote in this article, I want you to listen to what he said. He said the crucifixion of Jesus stands at the very center of human history. It's not merely an event in history. It's not merely an event in suffering. It is ultimately the revelation of God's love and justice and mercy and redemption and finally victory. in the midst of unbelievable, unimaginable pain, he said, Jesus did not remain silent. You hear that? He did not remain silent. Instead, he spoke seven profound statements that carry eternal significance. Each provide us a complete image, skull practice, a complete image, a picture of salvation and forgiveness and suffering and obedience and ultimately victory. Seven skull words. I call them victory words. Words that would consummate his healing, his humanity, and his divinity. we're going to look at the first three words today what I call the words of healing and then next Sunday we'll look at the last four words the words of humanity and divinity so let's look at the first word today Luke chapter 23 verse 34 but Jesus was saying Father forgive them for they do not know what they're doing. Father, forgive them for they do not know what they're doing. This is the first word of healing spoken from the cross. The foundation and motivation is all about compassion.

Do you remember the story of Jesus healing the paralytic that was dropped down through the roof to him? The first words Jesus spoke to him, I find this interesting. He didn't just speak a word of healing physically. The first word Jesus said to him, my son, your sins are forgiven. Jesus knew what his greatest need was and because he was a friend of sinners, He spoke forgiveness into his life. From the cross, this compassionate word of forgiveness was not simply for the there and then crowd, the Roman soldiers, the mocking populace, the Jewish church, the fallen and denying disciples, but it included all of mankind. for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God the Apostle Paul says we are enemies of the cross of Christ none of us none of us were there physically but judicially we were there guys All of us stand and will stand in the courtroom of the Heavenly Father someday

From the least of sinners to the chief of sinners, every one of us. We are all guilty. Do you hear that? we are all guilty of willful sinful disobedience all the way do you remember Dallas Holmes song that he wrote some years ago go ahead drive the nails in his hands laugh at me where you stand go ahead and say it isn't me the day will come when you will see go ahead and mock my name my love for you is still the same that's amazing go ahead and bury me but very soon you will see go ahead and say I am dead and gone but you will see that you were wrong go ahead and try to hide the son but all notice he goes from you to all but all will see that I am the one listen to me father forgive them for they know that what they're doing this is a prophetic word for all of us not just the then and there crowd it is a prophetic word for every one of us sitting here today. You know, I ask myself the question, how do you make this declaration personal? How do you make it your own experience? In Acts 10, 43, Peter is preaching to Cornelius and his family, a Gentile, about the forgiveness of Jesus. And he says, of him all the prophets bear witness that through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sin. Do you hear that? Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sin. Let me add a single kind of a side note here. Jesus also says this, and we're not going to go into this today. It's a sermon all in itself, but he says, forgiven people forgive others. Mark that down. Forgiven people forgive others. In fact, there is even substantial evidence that the requirement for forgiveness is that we forgive others.

In Ephesians 1.7, it says, In him we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of our sins trespasses some of your Bibles may say trespasses according to the riches of his grace I remember when I was in college one of the students preached in college worship and they gave us an acronym for grace God's riches at Christ's expense God's riches at Christ's expense have you experienced the forgiveness of God forgiveness guys forgiveness is the first word he spoke isn't that interesting the very first word he spoke on the cross was forgiveness

Could it be the most important word he spoke on the cross?

You'll have to make your mind up on that. There's a lot of words he spoke there, but it was the first word he spoke, but it's not the last. Second word I want you to see. Jesus said, and we looked at this a little bit last week, truly, assuredly, assuredly is confidence in his salvation. assuredly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise Herbert Lockyer in one of his little commentaries said and made this statement and asked the question he said where is heaven and then he answered that question by simply saying tis heaven for me where Jesus is tis heaven for me where Jesus is today listen to that today you will be with me in paradise, in heaven. This is the second word of healing. It's a word of eternal healing spoken on the cross. This criminal, literally a bandit, a violent robber, heard this promise and in his own agony and pain he cried out, Jesus remember me when you come into the kingdom. Simply put this man acknowledged Jesus was not guilty but was divine. That he was the son of God the king of the Jews the king of salvation. This story teaches us that it is never too late to turn to Jesus. Never. That our salvation is not earned but rather a gift from God. In Romans 10, 11 it says, for the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. In 10, 13 it says, for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. We can only imagine what it must have been like for this criminal. Just think of it. To follow Jesus into heaven and to spend eternity there.

He didn't even have an opportunity to feed somebody a meal, to hug somebody's neck, to pat somebody on the back, to do a good deed. This man never did a good deed, but he entered into heaven. You hear that? That is totally amazing. For by grace you've been saved through faith. And that's not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not the result of works that anyone should boast.

What is your response to God's grace?

God's riches at Christ's expense. What's your response to that?

Well, Jesus, just let me try to get my life in order. let me clean up my act just a little and then I'll come to you or let me straighten up these messes that I've created let me just straighten this all up and then I'll come to you when I feel just a little bit better about myself then I'll come to you Jesus so often I've sat with people and counseled with people that have that attitude I've got to clean all this up. I got to straighten all this up I got to level out this mess I made Guys that not how it works That not how it works Even in the Old Testament, Isaiah's own conversion illustrates true repentance and confession and cleansing just like the robber on the cross. In Isaiah 6, 5 through 7, listen to what it says here. Then I said, and this is after he had seen the holiness of God in the temple. Then I said, woe is me, for I am ruined. Literally the word means there, I'm undone. I am literally undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips, for I live among people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, Behold, this has touched your lips. And listen to this. And your sins, iniquities, unhealing in your life is taken away. And your sin is forgiven. it says sin there not sins, S-I-N-S plural, it says sin the very nature the depravity of our soul has been healed taken away truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise can you imagine just put yourself in that criminal's shoes. One moment he is being crucified for his own guilty worthlessness and the next moment he's standing in the presence of Jesus for eternity.

Now that doesn't compute in our world today. At all. That's how big God is. That's the forgiveness of God.

If you think you've sinned your way out of the kingdom and you're sitting here today, you still got breath in your lungs, you can still come to Jesus. And you can still know His forgiveness. The third word, John 19, 26-27 when Jesus therefore saw his mother now this is gut ripping right here here he is on the cross guys when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved most say that's probably John standing nearby he said to his mother woman behold your son. Then he said to the disciple behold your mother.

Now does that catch your gut right there like it does mine? And from that hour the disciple, hallelujah the disciple took her in to his own household. Even in his suffering, listen to me, Jesus cared for his mother.

He entrusted her to the disciple,

ensuring that she would be cared for until her last dying breath He wasn't going to be there. He was not going to be there to take care of his mother physically.

This is the third word of healing on the cross. It is the healing, let me tell you, it is the healing of provision. Luke 4.18 when Jesus defined his purpose of ministry in the anointing of the Holy Spirit he said this the spirit of the Lord is upon me to heal the broken hearted get inside your soul for just a second can you imagine can you feel with me the brokenness of Mary's heart in this agonizing moment this was her son Carol Ann this was her son not only God's son her son now she knew the uniqueness of this son compared to her other sons but this was still her son she carried him nine months she birthed him she fed him She nurtured him. She protected him.

This was her son.

You remember when Jesus was just a little boy disappearing from his parents in the temple, then being found teaching in the synagogue and stating to his confused parents, do you not know that I should be about my father's business? You know, if Kurt had said that to me when he was eight years old, I'd freak out.

Dad, I'm about the father's business, you know.

Jesus said that. I'm about my father's business.

I'm sure there were times when she wanted to back away from this reality.

To redefine the circumstances of his birth.

She was a virgin.

Now listen to that. She was a virgin.

She conceived the Christ child by the embrace of the Holy Spirit.

She might have considered trying to distance herself from this reality.

But she didn't. didn't she?

Who was at the foot of the cross?

Jesus was her son.

And now she found herself at the very foot of his cross watching him suffer and bleed and agonize from breath and yet speak to her about the healing of provision.

Jesus prophetically fulfills Psalm 147.3 when it says, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up the wounds And in Isaiah 30 verse 6 The moon shall shine like the sun and the sunlight will be seven times brighter like when light of seven full days when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds of the inflicted.

Was Mary broken hearted?

You mothers out there, would you have been broken hearted?

Was she in need of healing?

Did she need to hear a word of provision?

You know, here's my understanding. I put it in simple English to you.

Jesus looked down and said, Mama, I love you. and I'm going to take care of you.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

My body, the body of Christ, my family they will be there for you Jesus was the great physician to her soul that day you hear that he was the great physician to her soul her brokenness you know if I sit down with each one of you and said you ever felt broken you ever been broken hearted you ever been bruised up in your soul I doubt there would be anybody in here today that said no that's never happened to me I've been broken he is the great physician of healing our broken hearts there's a lot of reasons for brokenness in this world some of it is just circumstance some of it we create and we have to pay the consequences but let me tell you something Jesus is the great physician he is the great healer mama I'm going to take care of you you know I thought how do you how do you conclude this let me ask you a question are you in need of healing today the healing of forgiveness that you got something going on in your life where somebody's offended you and you're carrying a grudge

Kim and I laugh in every church we pastored.

I remember one church we were in, there was a lady in that church. And through fun, we were kidding around with her kid and made a statement. And her kid just laughed because she understood the gist of the joke. But the mother took offense to it. I mean she just got so angry and so we apologize and here's the spiritual cliche she gave well I guess I have to forgive you because Jesus said if I'm going to be forgiven I have to forgive you and I thought don't even try you don't get it You know, she wore at the end of her sleeve constantly, offend me, offend me, so I can be holy and give you forgiveness. Guys, the offense of Jesus, the offending of Jesus, he did not have that attitude Father forgive them for they do not know what they doing

Maybe you've offended somebody.

Oh boy.

Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing and the healing of eternity do you have assurance you know it's amazing to me when I say do you know you're going to go to heaven well I hope so I hope I go to heaven well I think I might you see what that's the basis of that is works well if I get my act cleaned up good enough when he comes into your heart your name is written in the Lamb's book of life and he protects your salvation that doesn mean you going to be perfect it may mean you stay on your knees a lot confessing

But he'll always cleanse. He'll always take those tongs and put on your lips and say your sins are forgiven. Always. 100% of the time.

the healing of a broken heart.

I see a lot of sadness and brokenness in this world.

The only remedy is to come to the great physician.

You can go to all the doctors that are on the planet but they can never heal what's broken in here.

He can only heal it.

That's why he came.

He came to heal us.

Well, I guess I'm just going to keep going to the doctor. You hear what I saying there I going to keep going to Dr Jesus

Because I'm assured that he will heal me for eternity.

Amen. Amen. If you don't have your appointment made with him, get it. make that appointment.

Amen. Let's bow together in prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this day.

I thank you for,

you know, Lord, you imaged for us healing here. We've had a little skull practice in here today. That image is there. but Lord for it to really be real we got to get on the field we got to come out of that dressing room and we got to get across onto the field and we got to start having faith in you so Lord we love you and we trust you be the great physician in our lives in Jesus name I pray Amen