​Luke 23:33-34   And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Aren’t you glad that the very first thing Jesus said as He hung on the cross was, “Forgive them”?  Jesus forgave all our debt as He took our place, and died on the cross.

Colossians 2:13-14   And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Jesus nailed our sin to the cross.  He paid the price of our forgiveness.  Our sin is gone.  The debt has been erased.  Forever.  Then how should we respond?  Because not only do we stand in the place of the first servant, who owed such an incredible debt, but we also stand in place of the second servant who would not forgive.  Being forgiven, how are we to forgive?  Paul gives us the answer.

Colossians 3:12-13   Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 
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Did you catch that?  We are to forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven us.  Completely.  Immediately.  The first words out of our mouths need to be, “I forgive you.”  Just as they were the first words Jesus spoke on the cross.

Jeremiah 2:11-13   Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.  Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

John 7:37-38   On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

In Jeremiah, God called Himself the fountain of living waters.  In John, Jesus said that He is the source of living water.  The people understood that Jesus was telling them that He is God, and He is their Messiah.  He often demonstrated the fact that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.

If you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will fill you, and everyone around you will see and experience Him.  How?  You will overflow with the Spirit, like rivers pouring out of you.  They will be "soaked" with the love and grace of the living water flowing from your life.

Revelation 3:20   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. 

This verse, which has been used by preachers all over the world as an evangelistic verse, was actually a statement by Jesus to a church.  It is not for the lost, but for the found.

Coming in and eating together was a picture of intimacy in that culture.  It was a meaningful step to invite someone into your home in that way.

Jesus said that He wants you to spend time getting to know Him better.  He is knocking at the door of your life.  Will you open yourself to Him, and make Him the king of your life?  He is waiting here for you!

Ephesians 5:1-2,8   Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.   And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God…   for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light.

We are the children of God.  We need to walk in the light.  Where are you walking?

John 3:36   Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The choice is yours.  Believe and have life in Jesus here and now, and for eternity.  Or reject Him and know only eternal death.

It seems obvious what our choice should be.  Why do we hesitate?  Let's choose to live our lives for Jesus.

Mark 10:13-16   And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.  But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”  And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The kingdom of God belongs to those who come to it as little children.  Those who are helpless, poor, weak, in need of a loving Father to pick them up and care for them.  Little children like you and me, who come knowing who we are, and that we deserve nothing.  God loves to be the Father to the fatherless, and the Helper to the helpless.

So come to the Father today, crawl up onto His lap, and look into His eyes.  See His love for you.  Then tell Him that you love Him, too.  That is the way to true peace.

Luke 19:41-44   And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

The only crown Jesus was willing to wear during His life on earth was a crown of thorns.  As the people yelled and cheered, as they waved palm branches and laid down their coats, Jesus wept for them.  What an amazing contrast!  They were calling Him the Son of David, meaning He would be the next king.  They shouted, “Hosanna!  Save us, we pray!”  They named Him as the Messiah when they said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”  But Jesus wept.

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, it wasn’t because He was going to die.  He knew that He would die and rise again.  In fact, He foretold His own death and resurrection 3 times.  Jesus wept for people who were hurting and didn’t even know it.  He wept for those who would never know Him.  He mourned people who would die in their sins.

When is the last time you and I cried for someone because they refused to know Jesus?  Does it mean anything that people are dying without hope, to spend eternity in hell?  Will you tell them the Good News that Jesus died for them, and that He lives today so that we can know Him and live with Him for eternity?

On what should have been the greatest day of His life, coming into Jerusalem, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies, proclaiming Himself to be King, to be the Messiah, to be God Himself, with the crowd shouting and praising Him, Jesus stopped.  And He cried for them.  Because they would never really know Him.

Does it matter to you that someone you know won’t be in heaven?  What better time than this week to share the Good News that Jesus came to save them.  The crowd was shouting “Hosanna”, “save us”.  Jesus wept, knowing that they were unwilling to be truly saved.

What about that person you are thinking of?  Have you told them about Jesus?  This week, pray for them.  If tears come, let them come.  God loves that one.  He or she is worth every tear.

Then, this week, tell them about Jesus, how He loves them, how He came to save them.  Trust God to give you the words.  Then let Him do what He chooses to do.  He loves them even more than you do.  He gave His life for them just as He did for you.  That’s what they need to hear.   And they need to hear it from you.

John 6:35   Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 

When those following Jesus walked away because of the words of Jesus, He asked His disciples if they too wanted to walk away.  Peter had the perfect answer in verses 68-69:   Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Where would we go?  Your words are the words of life.  You are the only One who gives us eternal life.  It is through your blood sacrifice that we are forgiven.  Peter didn't say all of that, but it was all in that statement of belief.

Do you believe in Jesus?  He is the source of life for all who believe.

Paul said in Philippians 3:7-8:   But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 

Jesus said in:  Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

What does Jesus mean to you?  Is He greater than your own hopes and dreams?  He is worthy of all our praise and worship.  Make Him the center of your life, the focus of all your hopes and desires.  He is worth it!

Romans 10:13-14  (NLT)  For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

The question is this:  Do I really want to see other people come to Christ?  Not to our church necessarily, but simply do we want them to know Jesus?  Are we willing to do what it takes, loving, praying and sharing the hope of Jesus even with those who irritate us?

Think about this.  Someone in your life took the time & the effort to love you into the kingdom.  Someone was generous with their time, energy & money.  Someone showed you love, maybe when you were unlovable,  & finally you said, I want what you have.

Will you be that one?  Will you show that kind of love to someone who needs Jesus?  It takes time, it takes effort, it is on-going.  Inviting someone to Christ takes a commitment on our part.  But how else will they be saved?

Will you be the someone who tells them?  Will you share with them the incredible, undeserved love that someone shared with you?  Will you share with them the unending love that Jesus gave, poured out on the cross for you?  Will you love them the way somebody loved you?
Maybe you will be the only one to share the love of Jesus with someone who needs Him.  How will they hear unless you tell them?