Embracing Grace: The Journey from Condemnation to Redemption
Summary
On this Palm Sunday, we reflect on the profound journey of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem, celebrated by many, only to be condemned by the same crowd days later. This moment in history serves as a poignant reminder of the fickle nature of human faith and the unwavering grace of God. As we approach Easter, we are called to be mindful of those around us who are distant from God, and to extend an invitation to them, not out of obligation, but out of love and hope for their spiritual journey.
We delve into the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion, focusing on the three crosses and the two criminals beside Him. This scene is a powerful illustration of grace and redemption, even at the last moment. The criminals, both guilty, represent two responses to Jesus: one mocks Him, while the other seeks mercy and grace. This interaction highlights the timeless truth that it is never too late to turn to God, no matter how far we have strayed or how little time we think we have left.
The crucifixion site, known as "the skull," symbolizes a place of death and despair, yet it becomes a place of hope and new beginnings through Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus, even in His suffering, offers forgiveness and salvation, demonstrating that true strength lies in self-surrender and love for others. His prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," echoes the depth of His compassion and the boundless nature of His grace.
As we reflect on this passage, we are challenged to consider our own responses to Jesus' invitation. Will we, like the repentant criminal, acknowledge our need for mercy and grace, or will we dismiss the offer of salvation? The choice is ours, and the opportunity to begin anew is available as long as we have breath in our lungs.
Key Takeaways:
- Palm Sunday reminds us of the duality of human faith and God's constant grace. Despite the crowd's change from celebration to condemnation, God's love remains steadfast, offering us a path back to Him, regardless of our past wavering. [00:00]
- The scene of the crucifixion, with Jesus between two criminals, illustrates the power of last-minute redemption. It shows that no matter how dire our situation, it is never too late to seek God's mercy and grace, as demonstrated by the repentant criminal. [29:33]
- Jesus' prayer for forgiveness from the cross exemplifies the ultimate act of love and self-surrender. His willingness to endure suffering for the sake of others challenges us to consider how we can embody such love in our own lives. [33:32]
- The crucifixion site, "the skull," transforms from a place of death to a symbol of hope through Jesus' sacrifice. This transformation invites us to see beyond our circumstances and recognize the potential for new beginnings through faith. [37:05]
- The choice between mocking or embracing Jesus' offer of salvation is a decision we all face. The repentant criminal's plea for mercy serves as a reminder that God's grace is available to us, regardless of our past, as long as we are willing to turn to Him. [42:31]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:45] - Palm Sunday Reflections
- [02:30] - Invitation to Easter
- [04:15] - The Significance of the Cross
- [06:00] - The Scene at the Skull
- [08:20] - Jesus' Prayer of Forgiveness
- [10:00] - The Two Criminals
- [12:00] - The Power of Redemption
- [14:30] - The Invitation to Begin Again
- [16:00] - Embracing Grace and Mercy
- [18:00] - A Call to Action
- [20:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Luke 23:32-43
Observation Questions:
1. What was the significance of the location called "the skull" where Jesus was crucified, and how did it transform through Jesus' sacrifice? [33:32]
2. How did the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus respond differently to Him, and what does this reveal about their understanding of Jesus' identity? [39:03]
3. What was Jesus' prayer from the cross, and what does it demonstrate about His character and mission? [37:05]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the crowd's shift from celebrating Jesus on Palm Sunday to calling for His crucifixion illustrate the duality of human faith and the constancy of God's grace? [29:33]
2. In what ways does the interaction between Jesus and the repentant criminal highlight the concept of last-minute redemption and the availability of God's grace? [42:31]
3. How does Jesus' choice to endure the cross rather than save Himself exemplify the strength found in self-surrender and love for others? [37:05]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when your faith felt fickle. How can you remind yourself of God's unwavering grace during such moments? [29:33]
2. Consider someone in your life who might be distant from God. How can you extend an invitation to them to explore faith, not out of obligation, but out of love and hope for their spiritual journey? [49:56]
3. The repentant criminal acknowledged his need for mercy and grace. What steps can you take to acknowledge your own need for God's grace in your daily life? [42:31]
4. Jesus' prayer for forgiveness from the cross challenges us to embody love and forgiveness. Is there someone you need to forgive, and how can you take a step towards that this week? [37:05]
5. The crucifixion site transformed from a place of death to a symbol of hope. How can you look beyond your current circumstances to recognize the potential for new beginnings through faith? [33:32]
6. The choice between mocking or embracing Jesus' offer of salvation is a decision we all face. How can you actively choose to embrace God's grace and mercy in your life today? [42:31]
7. Reflect on the idea that as long as you have breath, it's never too late to begin again. What is one area of your life where you feel it's too late to change, and how can you invite God's grace into that area? [49:56]
Devotional
Day 1: The Duality of Human Faith and God's Constant Grace
In the story of Palm Sunday, we see the crowd's swift transition from celebrating Jesus' arrival to condemning Him just days later. This serves as a powerful reminder of the fickle nature of human faith. Despite our wavering, God's grace remains steadfast, offering us a path back to Him. This duality challenges us to reflect on our own faith journey and recognize that God's love is unwavering, regardless of our past actions or doubts. As we approach Easter, we are encouraged to extend an invitation to those who may feel distant from God, not out of obligation, but out of love and hope for their spiritual journey. [00:00]
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23, ESV)
Reflection: Think of someone in your life who may feel distant from God. How can you lovingly invite them to experience His grace this week?
Day 2: The Power of Last-Minute Redemption
The scene of the crucifixion, with Jesus between two criminals, illustrates the profound power of redemption, even at the last moment. Both criminals were guilty, yet their responses to Jesus were vastly different. One mocked Him, while the other sought mercy and grace. This interaction highlights the timeless truth that it is never too late to turn to God, no matter how far we have strayed or how little time we think we have left. It serves as a reminder that God's mercy is always available to us, inviting us to seek His grace in our own lives. [29:33]
"And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (Luke 23:43, ESV)
Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you feel it's too late for change? How can you invite God's grace into that situation today?
Day 3: The Ultimate Act of Love and Self-Surrender
Jesus' prayer for forgiveness from the cross exemplifies the ultimate act of love and self-surrender. Despite His suffering, He chose to forgive those who wronged Him, demonstrating that true strength lies in selflessness and love for others. This act challenges us to consider how we can embody such love in our own lives, even when faced with adversity. It calls us to reflect on our capacity for forgiveness and the ways we can extend grace to those around us. [33:32]
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44, ESV)
Reflection: Think of someone who has wronged you. How can you begin to extend forgiveness and love to them today?
Day 4: Transformation Through Sacrifice
The crucifixion site, known as "the skull," symbolizes a place of death and despair, yet it becomes a place of hope and new beginnings through Jesus' sacrifice. This transformation invites us to see beyond our circumstances and recognize the potential for new beginnings through faith. It challenges us to look at the areas of our lives that feel like "the skull" and trust that God can bring about transformation and renewal. [37:05]
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, ESV)
Reflection: Identify an area in your life that feels hopeless. How can you trust God to transform it into a place of hope and new beginnings?
Day 5: Embracing the Offer of Salvation
The choice between mocking or embracing Jesus' offer of salvation is a decision we all face. The repentant criminal's plea for mercy serves as a reminder that God's grace is available to us, regardless of our past, as long as we are willing to turn to Him. This choice challenges us to reflect on our own response to Jesus' invitation and consider how we can embrace His offer of salvation in our daily lives. [42:31]
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are hesitant to embrace Jesus' offer of salvation? What steps can you take today to open that door to Him?
Quotes
Well, good morning, Menlo Church, and welcome to our series, The Cost of Connections. You've actually arrived for our final message in this series, where we have been focusing on snapshots of Jesus' earthly ministry on his way to the cross 2,000 years ago. Today is also called Palm Sunday in church history, and it marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just a few days before he would be crucified. And it kind of shows us this really unique polarity of people that are celebrating Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, and then many of the very same people joining the mob shouting for his execution just days later. It's a reminder of God's love for you and me, even when it feels like our faith can be fickle, even if it's like, oh, I'm in and I'm out, and this is what it is for me to be faithful, God, and this is what it is for me to lean back. [00:21:01] (52 seconds)
Now, even though we are a week away from Easter, we are actually going to study a passage from the final hours of Jesus' life, and we're going to see three crosses meet two criminals and be invited into a deeper relationship with one Savior together, whether it's for the first time for you or maybe the first time in a long time or just the next time. Now, the reason that we teach these series as we get ready for Easter in this season that has been historically called Lent is because of our inclination to make salvation something that we are smart enough or good enough to figure out or earn on our own. And when we place the cross of Jesus at the center of our Easter experience, we simply can't take credit for it. And that's the way that God designed our faith to work anyway. [00:23:29] (49 seconds)
For others of you, you're scrambling to finish and I actually just injected even more anxiety into you and I'm really sorry about that. But tax day is kind of a unique built-in cultural deadline for the world around us. It's a line in the sand. And if you don't do it, if you miss it, there are consequences for all of us. Now, life has all kinds of individualized deadlines, right? Relationships that we thought we had more time to fix, resolutions that we set for the year a few months ago, or maybe you set a few years ago, conversations that we should have had, apologies that we should have made, bridges that we should have built or rebuilt. And sometimes it can feel like grace, this idea of God's favor in your life, it can feel like grace is one of those things that has a deadline too. And maybe for you, especially if church is not a normal part of your routine or pursuit, maybe for you it feels like you've missed the deadline of grace. [00:26:16] (59 seconds)
You're in the right place. Now, I want to approach our passage a little bit differently today. If you're familiar with kind of how we typically walk through passages together, we cover them a little bit at a time, and we sort of journey through the passage together. But today, I actually want to read through the entire thing with you, and then go back and look at it in small pieces. And so I hope that as you do this, maybe you'll let yourself be immersed in the passage a little bit more than you might otherwise be. Maybe as I'm reading it, close your eyes, move any distractions away from your view. What would it look like for you to hear this passage, to let God show you this passage, to place yourself in the moment 2,000 years ago? What do you smell? What do you feel? What do you hear? And what do you see? Let the passage become immersive for you as we prepare to study it together. [00:27:42] (56 seconds)
Even in just a few verses, we see so many elements throughout the passage. Now when we read the scene carefully with a little bit of help from scholars and scripture, we begin to realize just how layered a moment like this is. We begin to realize that Jesus isn't just dying for sinners. He's welcoming them actively while he is in the process of dying. He's not just absorbing pain. He's still offering hope at the same time. He's not just our savior. He's our gateway to begin again even now. [00:31:53] (37 seconds)
Traitors, murderers, and those who had tried to challenge Caesar's rule. This place, the skull, it wasn't just physically grotesque. It was morally grotesque. It reeked of power misused, justice miscarried, pain magnified. The kind of place that you'd do anything to avoid, the type of people you'd write off, the sort of punishment that shouted, it's too late, they're a lost cause. And that's where we find Jesus. And it's what makes what happens next so shocking. [00:34:42] (33 seconds)
Even with the hours leading up to this moment, putting Jesus on trial for crimes He didn't commit, publicly mocking Him, then a scourging that could have taken His life before He ever made it to the cross. And He is still praying for the people around Him, still, even in this moment, defending them to the Father for the sake of their ignorance and the path of hope. There's something called a breath prayer. And while Luke, the author of this account of Jesus' life, he only gives us this one line, I sometimes wonder if this was a breath prayer for Jesus. A breath prayer is one that you can say with a single breath that I think maybe Jesus was repeating over and over and over again in the hours to come. [00:35:48] (45 seconds)
See, He could have saved Himself. Make no mistake about it. He could have saved Himself. But if He had, He couldn't have saved us. He couldn't have saved you. So instead of calling down angels, He calls out to His Father. Instead of shouting back, He whispers forgiveness. Instead of silencing His enemies, He prays for them. Can you imagine what it would be like if we just followed that example today? We have all added to the noise that we hear in this scene. The noise of selfishness, pride, indifference. If we're honest, the most church-going, Jesus-following person in this room has to be honest. [00:38:06] (47 seconds)
And even his own clock as it's ticking to zero and time is running out, he can hear and be challenged, right? He challenges this other criminal that he likely knows that he's maybe committed crimes with. And that challenge, like, that's what we hear when he says, do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. Now, this criminal is given supernatural insight and likely could hear Jesus praying. In the midst of so much judgment and evil in Jesus, he saw empathy, meekness, power under control, and humility. [00:39:48] (45 seconds)
Now, this criminal, he knew he was guilty, and what he was asking for was two things, neither one of which he deserved. And when you and I ask for God to give us help, we're asking for these two things. One, mercy, that he would not get the negative consequences that he deserves and earns. And the second is grace, that he would be given the favor of God that he didn't deserve and could never pay back. When you and I ask for God's help, that's what we ask for. Now, Jesus could have responded in any number of different ways, but he finishes our passage with these famous words. He says, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. [00:42:31] (35 seconds)
But the good news of this passage and the power of the gospel is that as long as you have breath in your lungs, even if it's just a little bit of breath, just like he's on the cross, it's never too late to begin again. That if you still have a pulse, God still has a plan. If you're not dead, he's not done. God is still working on you. Author Ann Voskamp, she puts it this way. She says, grace isn't a tap you turn on. Grace is a flood that finds you. And some of you are here today because grace has found you. [00:47:59] (32 seconds)
Whether you've known this before or not, God made you in his image with infinite dignity, value, and worth. And all of us, all of humanity, you and me, have gone our own way and continue to live in rebellion apart from God. But because of his love, he sent his only son to live a perfect life in our place, to die on the cross that we deserved, to come back from the grave so that we can turn from our way and our will to experience a perfect relationship with him as a part of a perfect kingdom forever, starting right now. [00:48:53] (35 seconds)
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