Sermons
Wonderful Merciful Savior
WONDERFUL MERCIFUL SAVIOR
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / July 23, 2017
This morning’s sermon comes in the form of a devotional meditation focusing on The Fellowship Of The Table.
Sing - - Lead Me To Calvary
If you still use the old KJV, you will note that the word “Calvary” appears only once in all of Scripture in Lk.23:33
The word calvaria is found in a prominent ancient Latin translation of the New Testament known as The Vulgate.
Calvaria is the Latin translation for the Greek word, kranion, and is used in The Vulgate in all four gospels.
Mt.27:33; Mk.15:22; Lk.23:33 and Jn.19:17
For some unknown reason, the translators of the King James Version retained this latin word in Lk.23:33.
The KJV reads: And when they were come to the place called CALVARY (Hebrew Aramaic is Golgotha),
there they crucified Him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
“Though based on this one odd occurrence, the term “Calvary” has taken on such rich devotional
and theological associations that its value guarantees it a permanent place in the Christian vocabulary.”
It was here, some 250yds NE of the Damascus gate (outside the gate or camp/Heb.13:12-13) that Jesus bore it all for us.
Peter writes (1Pet.2:24) - - He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Sing - - He Bore It All.
The place of the skull (calvaria, kranion and golgotha), as UGLY as it sounds, it also a beautiful place.
It is the place where God’s wonderful holiness and His merciful love merged to extend to mankind GRACE.
Listen to the words of Paul in Eph.2:4-5 - -
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we
were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Sing - - Wonderful Grace Of Jesus
When we ask the question, “why did Jesus have to die?”, many thoughts and Scriptures come to mind.
~ Heb.9:26 / Once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself
~ Heb.9:23 / without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness
~ 2Cor.5:21 / (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf…
The death of Jesus on the cross was an act of God TO PROCURE ATONEMENT for us.
But when we ask the question, “why did Jesus come to earth so as to die”, the non-technical answer is
quite simple, yet very profound - - LOVE - - God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…
Sing the first verse of - - Why Did My Savior Come To Earth?
Years before the incarnation of Christ, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the cross.
Please stand for the reading of Isaiah 53:1-7 and the song to follow, Wonderful Merciful Savior.
On the night before His crucifixion Jesus celebrated The Passover with His disciples.
It involved the sacrificing of a lamb and the shedding of its blood and the eating of unleavened bread.
Who would have thought that a LAMB could rescue the souls of men?
Jesus brought the Passover to its deepest meaning with the words He spoke during the meal.
Jesus became the perfect lamb of God (sinless), who takes away our sins (Jn.1:29 & 35 and 1Pet.1:18-19).
Lk.22:14-20 / And when the hour had come He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I shall suffer;
For I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves;
For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them saying,
‘This is MY BODY which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
And in the same way He the cup after they had eaten, saying,
‘This cup which is poured out for you is THE NEW COVENANT OF MY BLOOD.’
Sing - - Lord Of Our Highest Love (vss.1-3)
Prayer and Eating of the Bread
Sing - - Lord Of Our Highest Love (vss.4-5)
Prayer and Drinking of the Wine
Please stand for singing of Marvelous Things and reading of Philp.2:5-11
Acts 20:7 states that on the first day of the week the first-century saints gathered to break bread.
The apostle Paul directed (1Cor.16:2) - - on the first day of every week, let each of you (give)…
The Supper and The Offering - -while these two actions may be viewed as
distinctive and separate, they might also be viewed as two parts of a whole.
The Supper tells us what God has given and The Offering speaks of what we are willing to give.
I have often thought that our giving on the first day is not just because of 1Cor.16:2.
How strange it would be to focus on God’s great gift in the sacrifice of His Son and not want to give of ourselves.
In one of His words of exhortation recorded in Acts 20:35, Paul reminded the brethren to
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
This act of offering by means of our giving back is another way of walking in the steps of Jesus.
God tells us to give bountifully (generously), purposely (willingly and intentionally) and cheerfully (not begrudgingly).
GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. cf. 2Cor.9:7
Offering Prayer followed by three brief songs
Following Jesus is not always easy.
Discipleship comes with a cost. It cannot be bought with money, but it does require great sacrifice.
Jn3:16 speaks of the cost of discipleship - - God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
This belief in Jesus is a confession of faith, but it is also an ongoing act of obedience.
Jn.3:36 states this clearly - - He who believes in the Son has eternal life;
But he who does not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Sing - - In My Life, Lord Be Glorified
