And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” —Matthew 27:39-40 ESV Did Jesus really say he would destroy the temple and build it again in … More Did Jesus really say…?
Acts 2: 23 “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” John Piper, in a sermon,“Did You Kill the Lord of Glory?” I can hear a superficial cynic respond to this and say, “What kind of endorsement is that? … More God’s plan to crucify Jesus vs Pilate’s plan to crucify Jesus
John 19:26-27 So Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his family. John Piper, in a sermon “The Third Word From the Cross” … More Our Eager, and powerful, Provider
From John Piper’s Advent Poem, “Joseph of Arimathea, Part 2” When all of Joseph’s tears were spent, And all the secret love, long pent Behind the bars of fear, was loosed, And, like a swelling flood, reduced This polished nobleman to sobs, And left him weakened and with throbs Behind his burning eyes, at last … More Piper: God does not waste the gift of pain.
John Piper, in a sermon on Luke 23 “Into Thy Hands I Commit My Spirit” We should remember that God’s arms are open and his hands extended to his dying children. “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” Not: into the grave. Not: into the void. Not: into the dark unknown. But: into the … More Into the hands of God
J.C. Ryle on Jesus’ gracious words of intercession from the cross: (Luke 23:32-37) We read that when He was crucified, His first words were, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” His own racking agony of body did not make Him forget others. The first of His seven sayings on the cross was … More Infinitely-Loving Last Words
In my research on Luke 23, I came across this wonderful sermon by Pastor Steven Cole, of Flagstaff, AZ. He tells of Simon of Cyrene through the eyes of his son, Rufus. Please take time to click this link and read the entire story! The Roman soldiers in our day got a sadistic kick out … More Simon of Cyrene, through the eyes of his son
J.C. Ryle on the Transfiguration account in Luke 9: …this passage shows us that the Old Testament saints in glory take a deep interest in Christ’s atoning death. We are told that when Moses and Elijah appeared in glory with our Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, they “talked with Him.” And what was the subject of … More Ryle: this death is the ground of all our confidence
Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling … More Ryle: Death of Jesus and Miracles
J.C. Ryle on Mark’s account of the Crucifixion of Jesus in chapter 15: We shall find it useful to examine separately the several parts of our Lord’s passion. Let us follow Him step by step from the moment of His condemnation by Pilate to His last hour upon the cross. There is a deep meaning … More The Death of Our Substitute
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 