Our Savior lived under the shadow of the cross. Think of the many times he uttered the statements, mine hour has not yet come. We are going to be looking at Christ's seven declarations on the cross. Last words mean a great deal to the listener and to receiver. How many great men on the battlefield, shedding their life's blood in the defense of their country, have uttered last words to their comrades on the battlefield? How many husbands or wives have bent over their loved ones in the hospital to hear last words? Children, grandchildren, listening to the last words of their beloved parents or their grandparents. We listen very carefully because those last words are very meaningful. Well, I'd like for us to take a journey through what the scriptures have to say regarding the seven last words of our Savior. And our Savior, while hanging on that cross in Calvary's Hill, uttered seven powerful declarations that really reveal his heart and his ministry to us and his glorious anticipation of being with his heavenly father again. Each declaration that our Lord made carries the weight of the gospel and provides a portrait of God's eternal plan of salvation wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ. And as Resurrection Sunday approaches, we want to take some time to meditate upon these seven words. So therefore, I'd like for you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 23, for the first declaration of our Savior. Luke, chapter 23. You'll notice that I have, in some cases, included only a portion of the words, but I'd like for you to turn carefully to each passage because we will be reading, in some cases, in the context of where those verses are found. The first declaration of our Savior, I would call it the cry of compassion. The cry of compassion. Notice it says in Luke 23 and verse 34, Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And even in the context of his uttering that prayer and that declaration of compassion, they're parting his garments and casting lots upon that garment so greedily. I want you to notice several items regarding this matter of the Lord's cry of compassion. First of all, I want you to notice that the Lord did not ask or cry out on his own behalf. He did not ask for forgiveness of himself because he didn't have to. He was the sinless Son of God. He did not ask for a painless death. He knew his purpose included suffering and dying on the cross for our sins. Our Lord could have cried not for compassion but for vengeance upon those that sought his destruction and rejected his grace. And yet he prayed on their behalf. Even in his suffering, Jesus was able to forgive his tormentors. And if Jesus could pray and cry out with compassion upon those who mistreated him, he certainly is willing to give us the same compassion for those who would mistreat us. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. The second declaration that I would like for us to look at We're going to be moving rather quickly, for there are seven and our time is limited, but the second declaration is what I call not only the cry of compassion, but the cry of consolation. The cry of consolation. You're already in Luke chapter 23. Please note verse 39 through 43. The specific cry of consolation that I'm referring to is specifically his words when he said, verily, verily, I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Let's take a look at the setting in which these words are found, beginning with verse 39. One of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, saying, if thou be the Christ, save thyself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. but this man hath done nothing amiss. Notice he realized who Jesus was. He realized that he was not a sinner as every other man, but he was sinless. He had done nothing amiss. And then he called him Lord in verse 42. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And notice the Lord's cry of consolation, his second statement chronologically on the cross. He says, verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. To be absent from the body for a believer is to be present with the Lord. And here was a man who came to Christ at the last moment of his life. And yet, interestingly enough, the other malefactor, his heart was as cold as stone. And yet here is another man who responded to the truth of God's word. You know, somebody once said, one man was saved at that final hour that none should despair, but only one, lest someone should presume. Folks, we can't say, I'm gonna wait until the last minute to get saved, because the Bible talks about somebody that got saved at the last minute. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna live my life to the fullest, eat, drink, and be merry, and then at the last minute, I'll do like that man on the side of Jesus that got saved at the last minute. None of us can presume that we will have that opportunity. As a matter of fact, accidents, sudden death, the onset of painkillers, and all types of things that would put you in a comatose situation, none of us can put off the challenge of 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 2 that says, now is the day of salvation. Yes, our Lord uttered the cry of consolation, but yet remember, Some received him and some did not. Here in one of our Lord's final interactions in this second cry, I want you to notice that Jesus extended eternal life. He came that men might have life and that they might have it abundantly. everlasting life, and even in his dying moments, what do you find Jesus doing? You find him extending eternal life. What type of a commission do you think we have? As followers of Jesus Christ, as long as the Lord gives us life here on earth, we ought to be extending the message of consolation and compassion and the availability of salvation towards others. Our Lord was not too preoccupied to listen and to minister to this person who was coming to him. Even in his dying moments, our Lord had time for a searching sinner. He was never too busy, and I will add this, he will never be too busy for your concerns either. He'll never turn you away. Just like a daddy reading his newspaper, holding it up, and a little child will run up to him and knock the paper down, trying to get daddy's attention, because she wants to talk to him. That's not our Lord. He's an ever-present help in time of need. So we have our Lord's prayer of compassion. We have our Lord's cry of consolation as well. Notice number three. Number three, which is found in the Gospel of John. And it's his cry of committal. His cry of committal. Let's take our Bibles and turn to John chapter 19 and verse 26. And what do we see our Savior doing in the last moments of his life on this earth? He is committing his mother to the Apostle John. Notice it says, woman, behold thy son. Then it says to John, behold thy mother. Look at John chapter 19, verse 26. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved. He sayeth unto his mother, woman, behold thy son. The crucifixion was so gruesome and so vicious and so vile that rarely would you see many women seeking to be anywhere near this place of execution. But here was his faithful mother, Mary. And Jesus says unto his mother, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, that's John himself, speaking of himself in the third person, behold thy mother. The word of God says from that time forward, he took Mary into his home and cared for her. Jesus' concern for Mary was not just as a savior. And she needed a savior. But Jesus's concern for his mother was also a concern of a son. And his compassion for his earthly mother reminds us that Jesus also cares for our well-being. our direction in life. That same concern that he had for his mother is the very same concern that he has for you and that he wants to take care of you in your future and direct your steps and see to it that your needs are properly met. And of course our Savior demonstrates an example to us, doesn't he? That we ought to care for our mothers. Oh, most of us, our moms are already in heaven. But I can tell you this, I'm thankful that above all, other brothers that geographically couldn't have cared, I'm thankful for every moment that I had to care for my mother and for my father. And even the times when I was busy working on something at the garage and my mom would call up and say, I can't get the remote going 10 miles away. You know what? I was willing to help them out because, you know, someday I wouldn't have that opportunity. And our Lord demonstrates his cry of committal. Hear his last words, and where is his mind? His mind is on the needs of others, especially his mother. In the dying moments, I'm sure that Jesus's mind flashed back, even in his earthly experience. You know, doctors tell us that when a person is facing death, your life flashes before you in milliseconds. Experiences that you've had. And I'm sure that Jesus thought of the time that his mother rocked him on her lap in his arms, that kissed his forehead when he was sick, taught him things, our Savior, made provision for his mother. His cry of committal, one of his last cries. Then look at declaration number four, and that is his cry of condemnation. His cry of condemnation, and you know it as well as I do in Matthew chapter 27 and verse 45, the Lord cried out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? This prayer, this cry, this declaration is the fulfillment of the prophecy that we preached on just last week from Psalm chapter 22. Think of it, for the first time in all of eternity, The son knew the wrath and the judgment of God that I should have received, that you should have received. Our Lord for the first time experienced that wrath and judgment. Your sins and my sins were poured out on Jesus and God could no longer look at him. as he became the very personification of sin. And God turned his back on his son. God turned his back on his son so that God will never have to turn his back on you and me. What a glorious truth. This truth caused Martin Luther to cry out, God, forsaking God? How can this be? Oh, God's ways are past finding out. The fifth declaration that we find in the words of Jesus, his last words, his cry of anguish. His cry of anguish. You know the scripture in John chapter 19, when Jesus made the statement in verses 28 and 29, I thirst. I, Thirst, after enduring unthinkable stress, imprisonment, trials, floggings, crucifixion, the Son of God, who made the waters of the earth, who made every beautiful river, stream, and waterfall, spoke and the waters came into existence. that very son of God wished for one single drop of water. You know the rich man in Luke chapter 16 cried out because he was tormented in the flame and just prayed that someone would come and dip the tip of his finger in water and put it on his tongue. He encountered that because he was a rejecter of truth. but here is the Son of God who suffered first and I believe it was the very first that one would encounter not only in the crucifixion process but in the very flames of hell itself that first this statement is fulfilled in another prophecy look at some chapter 69 if you will in your scriptures Psalm 69 and verse 21, it says, they gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Warren Wiersbe makes the statement that oftentimes there were sisters of mercy that would go to crucifixion sites to help the suffering of those that were being crucified. And that was their ministry, as it was. And they would carry stupefying mixtures of vinegar and gall that would deaden the pain of those that were suffering. And they would make that available. Well, whether that's the case or not, and we cannot be sure, one thing is for sure. that our Lord thirsted so that we might never have to thirst again. The psalmist said in Psalm 42, as the deer pants for the stream of water, so my soul pants for you, O Lord. Are you going to the Lord for the satisfying of the thirst of your soul? Why should we go to Vessels that can hold no water for the satisfaction of our soul's needs. All we who come to Jesus, the true source of living water, need never ever thirst again. But he went through that thirst. He cried out with the psalmist and he was thirsting for the fellowship and the presence of God even during this separation from God on the cross. The cry of anguish. Then look at the sixth cry that the scriptures tell us about. The sixth declaration and it is the cry of commitment. He makes the statement in Luke chapter 23 Verses 44 through 49, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. This was fulfilling the prayer of Jesus in John 17 and verse 5, when Jesus made the statement, Father, I will, that I would be with you with the glory that I had before the world had begun." And he was able to commend his spirit unto the Lord. Oh, don't mistake this cry of commitment. This cry was not the cry of defeat. It was a cry of victory. It was not the cry of being conquered by death, but the cry of conquering death for him and for you and for me. It was not a cry of a person who was a victim of circumstances, but rather it was the cry of a person who was in control of his circumstances, who became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Psalm 31 in verse 5 reminds us that he dismissed his own spirit As a commander would dismiss his servant from his presence, Jesus dismissed his own spirit and went to be with his father. You remember many stories and songs have been written regarding the centurion. When he saw these things and this victorious cry, it was at this moment that he said, Surely this was a righteous man. Indeed, he was the Son of God. Then I want us to look at the last cry that the scriptures speak to us of. It's the seventh declaration of our Savior, and it was the cry of completion. The cry of completion. It is finished. The word tetelestai. used often in documents, signifying that a document was fulfilled and indeed rendered complete. How many times, think of it, in the Gospels of John does Jesus talk about his hour that was to come? He would say, mine hour has not yet come. But here it's almost as if Jesus is hearing the chimes of the clock. that nobody else can hear. He hears it winding down closer and closer. The life of our Lord, the sum total of his ministry and mission leads to this one final cry, Tetelestai. It is finished. From his birth, through his boyhood, through his manhood, on through his public ministry, Jesus' focal point, was to finish the work that his father had given unto us. And we know that from the very beginning, God's plan included the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. He was the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. Oh, dear listener, if you have not received Jesus Christ and his finished work at Calvary, you can today. Now, some people misunderstand this word, it is finished. Some people say, well, if he said it is finished, Why did he have to rise from the grave? Why did he have to send up into heaven? Why prophecy? Why about what the Bible says about Jesus interceding for us? The point was, on the cross, Jesus accomplished and fulfilled God's requirement for a sinless, spotless lamb. The term it is finished, tetelestai, does not mean that there would be no subsequent events based upon his completed work. But the point was the point of expiation of forgiveness and provision for sin had been made. And because of that, God ratified what Jesus did, tetelestai, by raising him from the grave. And that was God's ratification and demonstration that that payment was received. But the provision was made. And thank God that word tetelestai includes everything. He paid for and fulfilled prospectively the resurrection of your body into heaven when you die. His words, tetelestai, completed the fact that you have a reservation in heaven. His words, tetelestai, mean that you will be and we all will be together as a family in heaven for all eternity. Tetelestai gives us the basis for receiving and believing every word that talks about his presence with us, his provision for us, his presence with us together in heaven. It is our all in all. And I thank the Lord that for us as believers, These seven final cries provide a constant encouragement that we don't have to spin our wheels, get bent out of shape and worry about tomorrow because he is there for us and has accomplished it all for us. Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the wonderful day that we've had together. And Lord, we could literally take a week for each one of these cries. And Lord, we would never even begin to exhaust the wonderful depth of what you have here in this passage for us. And Lord, we've covered them all just in a short time. Bless us now, Lord. Encourage us, guide us and lead us for your glory. And may we glorify you as we look forward, Lord, to that trumpet sound where we will be with you in heaven. for all eternity, in Jesus' name, amen.