Words From the Cross - Compassion and Substitution
Our staff and elders hope that all of you are doing well during these very uncertain times of the COVID-19 health crisis - we were so glad to be able to meet with you at the Drive-In Movie Theater this past week - we will be also having this upcoming service there also! More information will continue to roll out through our Social Media platforms to keep you up to date. You can continue to find information on this subject going forward here. If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we have recorded all of our recent sermons and they are available on our Facebook page; every Sunday evening they are live-streamed and archived starting at 7 pm!
This past week we ended up continuing our meetings at the Drive-In Theater! They were thrilled to be able to provide the space, so thankful in fact, that we will also be having services there until further notice! Again, this will be done specifically in-line with social distancing measures in places, from our cars but still gathered together!
We began our Words From the Cross series the week prior, to begin building up towards Good Friday and Easter - this recorded sermon is available at our Facebook page, details and a link to that is down below. Pastor Robbie continued this series in the last week approaching such an important and reflective time in our year. He began saying, ‘I'm excited about the message today because we started a new short series last week called Words From the Cross. These are the words that Jesus spoke when he was on the cross, the last words, his last phrases are what we’re going through, and I want you to understand that I believe that these words that Jesus spoke are very powerful. I believe that he wanted us to hear them and he wants us to apply them to our lives, because he went to such extremes to get to speak out and to let us hear them.’
This sermon series was planned months ago, it’s been scheduled long before any of us knew what COVID-19 was, long before anyone even considered we’d be in the midst of a quarantine fighting to wrestle down an invisible health threat. But it gives us great joy to know that God knew, and God’s got this! These words of Jesus this morning should speak directly to us in the midst of our current situation.
Our source material jumps around a little bit from the records of the different Gospels but surround similar events. You can find them all listed under our Key Take-Aways below.
Throughout all of these passages, we see specific things that point to much of Jesus’ purpose and intent with his actions on the cross. ‘Jesus showed compassion while on the cross. He didn’t think about himself, he thought about others. How are you showing compassion to others during this current storm? Are you spreading hope and joy, or fear and pessimism? Are you thinking of and reaching out to others, or just circling the wagons and fending for yourself? Church, there are so many ways to show love and compassion in the middle of this social distancing. We just have to have a heart to do it and a willingness to be creative. Here's the deal church, Christ was abandoned so that you could be adopted. Christ was abandoned on that cross, so that you didn't have to go through it! So now, you don't have to feel abandoned! Galatians 4:5 says that God sent him to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive adoption as sons and daughters. We can receive adoption! Thank you, Jesus, that you did that for us!
Jesus was abandoned so that we could live! Jesus was abandoned so that he could be our substitute. Listen to his cry from the cross! It was for everyone who feels lonely, everyone who feels abandoned right now, for the orphan, for the widow, for the single parents struggling to make ends meet, for the mother standing at the bed looking at her dying child, a father who’s without work, a prisoner in his cell, women who've been abandoned by her husband, people that have hit rock bottom, people with coronavirus, people that are quarantined right now - the word from Jesus on the cross is for you! It's for you today! Are you gonna receive it? Are you gonna live in his peace? Are you gonna live in who he is?
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Words From the Cross - Compassion and Substitution: Jesus’ actions on the cross through the last moment of his life, and in the harsh conditions of death allowed us to be able to be in relationship with the Father, bringing life to all those who would accept it.
Main Scripture Passages - John 19:25-27; Matthew 17:45-46; Mark 15:34; Isaiah 53:5-6;
YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN! - Our Staff and Elders are praying for each and every one of you; reach out if you’re in need!
Main Points - 1) We must never minimize the awfulness of sin (Hab. 1:13); 2) Jesus can identify when you feel abandoned (Heb. 4:15); 3) Because Jesus knew abandonment we can experience life (2 Cor. 5:21).
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes.
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Join us next Sunday as we return to the Drive-In Movie Theater for our Gathering; all Gathering, until further notice will be held here
We hope that you and your family are well, and know that You Are Loved!