Seven Sayings of Christ from the Cross
Listen…
When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
Man had done his worst. The fell deed had been done. The One by whom the world was made had come into it, but He was rejected.
No ordinary death would suffice His implacable foes. A death of intense suffering and shame was decided upon. A cross secured; the Savior of the world was nailed to it.
But listen…His pallid lips seem to be moving. Is He crying for mercy? Is He pronouncing a curse on His crucifiers? No.
Listen…to the words of Forgiveness
Saying 1
“Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
It was no accident that Christ was crucified between two thieves. There are no accidents in a world that is governed by God. The second of Christ’s sayings on the cross was spoken in response to the request of a dying thief.
And he said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Listen…to the words of Salvation
Saying 2
And Jesus said unto him,
“Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Grace is free; the invitation is broad enough to take in “whosoever believeth.” The dying thief had no good works either before or after conversion. If it wasn’t too late for him…
Listen…To the words of Affection
Saying 3
He said to His mother,
“Woman, behold, your son!”
Then He said to the disciple,
“Behold your mother!”
What piercings of soul must have been hers when she saw her son despised and rejected of men. What grief must have wrung her heart as she stood beneath His cross.
In the last and awful hours of His human life, amid the infinite sufferings of the cross, the same One who wrote “Honor Your father and mother” thought of her who loved Him, and commended her into the care of His beloved disciple.
Listen…To the words of Anguish
Saying 4
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
The word “forsaken” is one of the most tragic in all of human speech.
During the thirty and three years the Son had been on earth, He enjoyed unbroken communion with the Father.
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
This was a cry that made the very earth tremble and that reverberated throughout the entire universe.
Now on the cross the Lord Jesus was receiving the wages that were due His people. He had no sin of His own, for He was the Holy One of God.
He was paying the price for our sins, in His own body on the Tree. Here we see the awfulness of sin and the severity of its wages. Here we see the absolute holiness and justice of God. And yet…Here we see the basis of our salvation. Here we see the supreme evidence of Christ’s love for us.
Listen…To the words of Suffering
Saying 5
Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, said
“I thirst.”
“I thirst.”
These words were spoken by the suffering Savior a little before He bowed His head and gave up the spirit.
“I thirst.”
These words reveal Christ’s humanity, that He became one of us. They remind us that Jesus Christ can sympathize with the basic needs and sufferings of His people.
The problem of suffering has ever been a perplexing one. Why should suffering be necessary in a world that is governed by a perfect God, a God who not only has the power to prevent evil but whose very nature is love?
Why should there be pain, sickness and death? After all our reasonings, we ask, does God see? Does God care?
Like all questions, these must be taken to the Cross. The Cross supplies the essential perspective from which to consider such things.
The Cross reminds us that God is not unaware of our sorrows, nor is God indifferent to our pain, for in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, God has Himself “…borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…” (Isaiah 53:4)
No matter how despondent you may be, no matter how rugged your path and sad your lot, you are invited to spread it all before the Lord Jesus and cast all your cares upon Him, knowing that your Redeemer is not unfamiliar with the road you walk, and that in the end, His grace will be sufficient to carry you through.
Listen…To the words of Victory
Saying 6
“It is finished!”
This was not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr; it was not an expression of satisfaction that the termination of His sufferings was now reached; it was not the last gasp of a worn-out life.
Here we see the accomplishment of our atonement. Here we see the end of our sin.
Listen…To the words of Fulfillment
Saying 7
“Father, into Thy hands I commit
My spirit.”
Both the first and last sayings of Christ from the cross begin with the same word…
The Savior committed His spirit into the hands of His Father in death,
because it had been in the Father’s hands all through His life.
Just as a river after many turnings and windings pours itself back into the ocean,
nothing but God can satisfy our souls. We find our true home in Him.
Christ alone can save us.
The symbol of the Christian faith is the cross…not the measuring scales.
Nails & Communion Instructions:
That is why we now come, with grateful hearts, to the table of the Lord.
Please come forward via the side aisles with the nail you received when you arrived, representing your sin, and nail it to the cross.
Then, proceed down the center aisle to take the bread and the cup, remembering what Christ has done for you. Afterwards, you are invited to return to your seat.
Closing:
We thank God for His amazing love, displayed on the cross of Calvary; where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, laid down His life for us so that we may be forgiven.