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[Music]
Luke 23:43 43 so let’s paint the picture
if you will imagine with me Jesus on the
cross you know they say when your life
is coming to an end that your whole life
flashes before your eyes so there he is
on the cross perhaps in his mind going
through all of the many trials and
tribulations and challenges of being
chosen and while he is on the cross
someone interrupts his highlight-reel
imagine with me you have but a few
minutes to recount all of what your life
has meant and right in the process of
that someone says excuse me as if there
is a not a better time to really ask any
questions and so we see our Savior on
the cross and this gentleman who was on
the cross beside him asked him if you
really are the Savior then save yourself
and save us instead of you know trying
to come to terms with why you feel
forsaken or the wounds and stripes that
you had to bear please take a moment and
save me have you ever had someone try to
call out for an SOS when you were in the
middle of your own struggle
as if it was just that easy to say okay
I will save you and myself as soon as I
get finished bleeding all over the place
has anyone ever been unreasonable with
your wounds had they ever expected more
from you than you could possibly give in
the moment and so before Jesus could
even answer his request the other guy
says but the other answering rebuked him
saying do you not even fear God seeing
you are under the same condemnation and
we indeed justly for we receive the due
reward of our deeds but this man has
done nothing wrong I want us to be
careful of people who convinced us to
abandon the work we’re doing to Jordan
to enjoy the pleasure and rewards of who
we are you see he’s on the cross in the
midst and struggle of the work that he
has altom utley been born to do and
someone reminds him that there is an
easy way out that you have the power to
give up in the middle of your struggle
that you don’t have to take this anymore
even though you have faith enough to
believe that resurrection is on the
other side of this moment you could give
in and give up right now and you could
convince us all to do the same that’s
the incredible things about being
influencers is that if you give up you
can teach others how to give up too
then he said to Jesus Lord remember me
when you come into your kingdom
and Jesus said to him
assuredly I say to you today you will be
with me
in Paradise what is before Christ’s work
was completed on the earth he had to
save one thief on a cross and in order
for him to save that thief on the cross
he would have to be willing to look like
one that sure he had performed signs and
wonders and miracles but there was just
one more soul he needed to touch before
he left would you be willing to be
humiliated for the sake of saving
someone to lay naked on a cross with no
pride filling abandoned and rejected and
abused to save one person would you be
willing to go through that to save
yourself we catch the Jesus in an
incredible moment on the cross because
he feels the most Forsaken yes he had
yet he has an opportunity to still do
what he’s been called to do you see your
gift doesn’t leave you no matter what
cross or parade or Palm Sunday exists
you are who you are whether you are in
the club or in the church on a Good
Friday you see when the hand of God is
on your life
[Applause]
when he has set you apart and set you
aside even when you are bleeding all
over the place and have no idea what
possible purpose could be produced from
the pain you are still God’s he went
through the suffering so that you could
have that right that royalty in your
bloodline that’s why he stayed on the
cross when he could have saved himself
because he knew that there was going to
be someone who looks just like us who
would say I really believe in who you
are and I’ve done a lot of wrong in my
life but if I could just correct
someone’s misinformation about you if I
am my own mess could show the love of
Jesus and the light of Jesus in the
middle of my own despair and depression
then maybe just maybe would you remember
me have you ever just hoped that God
would remember you when we find Jesus on
the cross he’s going through his own
struggle he has his own tears to cry his
own pain to feel yet he stopped for a
moment to remind someone that even in
the midst of what I’m going through I
see you have you ever felt like God
could be a little too busy for you
anytime you turn on CNN it would be very
easy to convince yourself that he
certainly has other things to be worried
about yet he remembers you and I want to
know tonight if you live a life worth
remembering not in the world this isn’t
about our name being in lights in the
world knowing our name
can you tell Jesus remember me when you
look back over my life when you see all
of the good bad and ugly of being me can
you please remember my name you see
sometimes we have to choose between
Jesus saved me and Jesus remember me
what is the difference
save me means remove this pain from me
remember me says even if the pain
doesn’t go away if nothing at all
changes and and I have to pay for every
wrong I’ve ever done and the
relationship is never healed and I’m
never exactly as happy or as successful
or as wealthy or as beautiful or as
skinny or as whatever as I want to be
remember me remember that I am dying
while trying
[Music]
and I just happened to be crazy enough
to believe that we see a Jesus on the
cross who died trying that he died still
saving souls and he looked over at him
and he thought that at the gentlemen on
the cross and he saw a thief who was
still trying to to rob himself of the
consequences of his actions
and then he saw another thief who said
simply remember me we may have to pay
some consequences we may have to carry
our own crosses we may have to look at
other people succeed and wonder if the
reason why we can’t make it is because
of that one thing or something that
happened that no one else knows about
but Jesus has offered us an opportunity
to be remembered in his kingdom so that
we can make it in paradise with him and
I want to know if any of us are living a
life worth remembering you see the
reality is that Jesus still had work to
do even on the cross I don’t know about
you but I have these days where I wish
life would just take a day off
it’s not that I don’t want to deal with
you I just need to pause for a 12 hours
just 12 not even no full 24 hours just
hold everything back for just a minute
so that I can suffer in peace so that I
can feel forsaken in peace without
anyone asking me to do anything or
asking me to to find the divinity inside
of me I just want to take a moment to be
broken and that was robbed from him
because he was chosen and it has been
robbed from you time after time after
time and maybe instead of looking for an
opportunity to be saved we should
actually live a life where we can be
remembered
[Applause]
so tonight we commemorate a Good Friday
what is so good about suffering what is
so good about being humiliated what is
so good about having to war with being
Forsaken and chosen at the same time
what is so good about confusion and what
makes a good Friday is so good is the
cross that in spite of all of those
feelings and emotions that resurrection
and second third fourth fifth sixth
seventh chances still exist
they say that this thief who who acts
for God for Jesus to remember him
perhaps could have known Jesus at
another time and had a chance to to rob
a Joseph and Mary in Jesus and instead
he didn’t and that’s why they had a
kinship but there is no no true
historical connection between the thief
and Jesus until this moment on Calvary
and so all we know in this moment is
that we have a dying sinner reaching out
to a dying Savior and saying if you were
dying and you’re making it to the other
side take me with you our thieves
allowed to go he didn’t ask that he
didn’t ask what the criteria was he just
trusted and who he was enough that he
didn’t care what his background was he
just believed that he had a chance
and maybe our biggest struggle will not
be living a life of perfection perhaps
our biggest struggle will be living a
life of believing that in spite of what
we’ve gone through that the beauty of
the cross exists for us too that we can
look over in the midst of our own
thieving and robbing of emotions and in
time and faith and and that God is still
accessible to us and that a place can
still be reserved for us and so I don’t
know about you but on this Friday above
all things that I’m going to pray for
the most important is that I will live a
life worth remembering not in the world
not only capito you I want to say Jesus
remember me remember I tried remember I
didn’t always get it right but remember
I learned every single time remember
that it took me a while to walk away
from the thing that hurt me but when I
did I felt stronger than I thought
possible remember that I learned and
that I bumped my head and I have all of
these scars and all of these wounds but
I trusted you know we’re not perfect no
we won’t always get it right but we can
be memorable would you stand with me as
I pray
I don’t know how many of us can look
back on our lives and say that we’ve
lived one worth remembering I’m not sure
how many of us are still dealing with
the fact that we run across in the first
place that we can’t see the beauty of
being closer to God that had this thief
had the vantage point of everyone else
on the ground that he wouldn’t have been
able to whisper into Jesus’s ear perhaps
you are suffering even in the midst of
being perhaps wrong so that you can be
closer to him he was willing to to be on
a cross with those they say are thieves
and unworthy of being with the king of
kings and Lord of lords but he’s willing
to go as far and as low as he has to go
to win you and all I’m encouraging to
you to do on this evening instead of
saying lord save me just say simply
remember me father God thank you so much
for the opportunity that we have to be
remembered that in spite of all that
we’ve done that you’ve given us a new
breath and a new day and a fresh
opportunity to change our ways into and
to climb higher and say as for more
capacity and more work to do in your
name Oh God so let us not be so clouded
with the world’s idea of having our name
in life that we missed a habit in the
book of life that if there is anywhere
that our name should be written for
eternity let it be in the book of life
let it be in your kingdom may you look
over our lives and and see all of us not
just the beautiful parts
may you see the miracles the signs and
wonders and the disappointments that
formed us and shaped us and may you say
well done my good and faithful servant
we humble ourselves in your presence O
God and we say strip us away of
everything that keeps us from being
close enough to whisper in your ear
strip us down to nothing Oh God so that
you may increase in our lives Oh God
pull us back and you lead the way order
our steps Oh God
direct our moves more wisdom more grace
Oh God
more opportunity to shine boy love may
it overflow in our lives Oh God and then
into this world have your way with us we
tried it our way we got it messed up and
yet you have still given us this day to
start things anew and so we say thank
you for the suffering on the cross so
God we say thank you for the the depths
and lengths in which you are to go to
save someone who could have been just as
wrong as the thief Oh God
thank you that it applies for us to that
there is no criterion there is no
requirement that you said come as you
are and so here we are broken and abused
and stripped down Oh God and we say
bleeding will follow you wounded will
follow you misunderstood we will follow
you we will stand to make your name
great in this world because you suffered
for us we will certainly learn to suffer
for you so thank you God for our present
sufferings that we know are
strengthening us so God thank you God
for the wounds in and the tears and the
bruises along the way Oh God for we know
that all things are working together for
our good thank you for the promise that
is on our lives Oh God for the head
in the heads of protection that has kept
us alive Oh God
and so we dedicate this breath and we
dedicate this life to you Oh God
tomorrow is not promised but your grace
in your mercy is the same and so we take
advantage of God as you desire for us to
do of your grace we take advantage of
your mercy O God and we say teach us the
discipline of grace that it requires
suffering but that suffering is going to
work together for our good Oh God that
that suffering will make us more like
your people that we will be able to save
someone who was suffering just like us
and tell them about the time when we
whispered in Jesus ear and he said I
will be with you in paradise Oh God we
thank you for your promises and we thank
you for the ability to hear your voice
in this season in Jesus name Amen
you