Never Give Up Hope in God

 Temple Baptist Church - 3-15-2026

Psalm 43

 

Introduction:

A.  Psalm 43 seems to be a continuation of Psalm 42 that I titled “A Disquieted Soul”.  As Psalms 22 (The Cross of Christ), 23 (The Care of the Shepherd), and 24 (The Coming of the King) compose a trilogy, Psalms 42 and 43 comprise a duo. 

 

1.  Disquieted defined: to take away the peace or tranquility, to make uneasy, to make anxious, to make fretful, to make restless. 

 

2.  Synonyms: perturbed, agitated, upset, disturbed, unnerved, unsettled, discomposed, disconcerted, ruffled, startled, worried, troubled, bothered, concerned, distressed, alarmed, appalled, frightened, panicked, vexed.

 

3.  Have I rung your bell yet?  Everyone here tonight has suffered from a disquieted soul!

 

4.  Twice, in Psalm 42:5,11, the Psalmist asks, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”  In verse 6, he continued with “O my God, my soul is cast down within me.”

 

5.  Psalm 42:11 is the last verse of the Psalm, and, evidently, the disquieted soul was still disquieted!

 

6.  Psalm 43 ends the same way with the same verse!  Psalms 43:5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

7.  Why the continuation?  Because we, as the Israelites, are often prone to continuing despite previous exhortation. 

 

B.  This tells me that there is no easy fix for a disquieted soul!  If this is so, then the only way we are going to get victory is by putting our hope in God and putting our noses to the Bible!

 

1.  So many of God’s people live non-victorious lives.  The victory has already been won, and the battle is the Lord’s.

 

2.  So many of God’s people never open the Bible except on church days, and, once the text is read for the message, they either close of never glance at the Bible again. 

 

3.  So many of God’s children hope in the world more than in the Lord.

 

C.  The obvious reason for this ongoing disquiet of soul is found in verse one of Psalm 43.

 

Psalms 43:1  Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

 

1.  This present evil world is not going away!  If we think the world is going to improve, we fool ourselves.  It will wax worse and worse.

 

2.  The ungodly will not be godly and leave us alone!  The godly have always been and always will be persecuted by those who are ungodly and God rejectors.

 

3.  And there is little justice in this world!  Not everything will work out either right or to the advantage of the godly.

 

D.  In this short Psalm, we find the prescription: the road from complaint to confidence.  From fear to victory.  From a disquieted heart to a merry and rejoicing one.

 

E.  Still disquieted?  Get on the road!

 

1.  Verses 1-2.  Judge me, O God, before you judge them!  Then, if I am right, judge them. 

 

a.  A cry for vindication, not revenge.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord, but so does righteous judgment.  “I don’t get mad, I get even,” is a saying that most of us have heard.  We are neither to get mad nor get even.

 

b.  Put the wickedness of false accusation, slander, and injustice into God’s hands.  In both Psalm 42 and 43 say, “Hope in God!”

 

c.  The Lord is our strength.  He is our sufficiency.  He is our Saviour.  If He is these things, and He is, then why do I feel like I have been cast away?  The problem is ours, not His!  We can do all things through Christ!  God will not cast us away. 

 

2.  Verse 3.  Three Requests.

 

a.  Light for Guidance. Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

b.  Truth for Protection.  John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

c.  Assembly for Exhortation. Hebrews 10:23-25  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

3.  Verse 4.  The Value of Worship.  One of my favorite passages of Scripture teaches us this truth.

 

a.  A thirsting for God.  Psalms 42:1-2  To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  (2)  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

 

b.  A Desire for Church.  Psalms 27:1-4  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  (2)  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  (3)  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.  (4)  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

 

4.  Verse 5.  David found A Renewed Faith.

 

1.  He once again found his hope in God!  Our faith in God will sustain us when our heart is disquieted. 

 

2.  He resolved to praise God in all his circumstances.  “In everything give thanks!”

 

Conclusion:  Do not allow the temporal things of life to overshadow the eternal things of eternity.

7 Sayings Of The Cross – Part 4 - Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

Temple Baptist Church - 3-15-2026

Mark 15:25-36

 

Introduction: 

A.  The first 3 hours on the cross, Christ was crucified, and though the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the cross was one of great importance, the Lord took care of “first things first” as He is a God of order.

 

1 Corinthians 14:40  Let all things be done decently and in order.

 

B.  He forgave those who were crucifying Him because it was my sin and your sin that hung Him there.  “Father, forgive them” showed us the mission of Calvary: without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.  Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1John 2:2).  Though Christ forgave those who crucified Him for that particular sin, He did not save them from an eternity in hell because that requires repentance and faith in Christ.  They had neither!  It also teaches us who are saved to forgive those who have hurt us, even if they do not ask for it or ever get right.

 

C.  He forgave and saved a dying thief who repented and believed in Him.  “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” showed us the men of salvation.  Though Christ died for all, not all are saved.  Only those who come to Him are born again.

 

D.  He made sure that his earthly mother was properly cared for after His death. “Woman, behold thy son” showed us the importance of his mother’s care in His absence.  We need our families and have a responsibility to them.  We are to be there for our families.

 

E.  This morning, I want to look at the next of the seven sayings: “Why hast thou forsaken me?” Here we see a change. Psalms 22-24 form a trilogy that foreshadows the cross of Calvary in 22, the care of the sheep in 23, and the coming of the King in 24. In this saying, we find the fulfillment of Psalm 22:1 as Christ is currently suffering for the sins of the world. 

 

F.  During the last three hours of the crucifixion, there was total darkness on the earth. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

G.  Here, we find the final forsaking of the Saviour.

 

1.  He had been forsaken by the multitudes. 

 

John 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

 

2.  He had been forsaken by His disciples. 

 

Mark 14:50  And they all forsook him, and fled.

 

3.  He had been forsaken by Israel. 

 

John 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

 

4.  He was forsaken by His Father. 

 

Mark 15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 

H.  I want to look at that three hour period of darkness and try, with my finite mind, to grasp what infinitely took place.  In those three hours of darkness, we find:

 

1.  Darkness – “There was darkness” of sin as Christ became sin for us!  Now, we find darkness as God became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

a.  Christ was crucified at the 3rd hour, or 9 AM. Mark 15:25 states, "And it was the third hour, and they crucified him." There were three hours during which our Lord was observed in light. From 12 noon until 3 PM (the 6th until the 9th hour), darkness covered the earth. This was an extraordinary event; it was not a solar eclipse, as a solar eclipse would have caused a twilight effect. According to Luke’s gospel, the “sun was darkened” (Luke 23:45a), as during the deliverance of Israel in Egypt, there was a darkness that could be felt.  Jesus Christ became sin for us during this time.

 

Amos 8:9  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

 

b.  When the Lord judged the sin of Egypt, He caused a darkness that may be felt. 

 

Exodus 10:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 

 

It was an absolute darkness in which you could not see your hand in front of your face.  I have experienced such darkness while miles underground.  There is a complete absence of light.  Many of you have been in a cave when they turned out the lights and have felt the smothering effect of that darkness. 

 

c.  As sin brings about darkness, it also causes the heart to be darkened. 

 

Romans 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

John 3:19-21  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  (20)  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  (21)  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

 

d.  There was darkness because the payment of sin at Calvary was between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  God allowed no one else to observe.  Remission of sin is an act of God, not man! 

 

Isaiah 53:10-11  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  (11)  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

 

Jude 13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

 

2.  Division – “why hast thou forsaken me?”  Darkness and Light cannot co-exist, as light dispels darkness. 

 

Genesis 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

 

a.  There has always been a division between darkness and light. 

 

John 3:19-20  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  (20)  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

 

b.  Christ became sin for us!  Sin separates man from God. 

 

Habakkuk 1:13  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

 

Isaiah 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

 

c.  Sin had to be paid for before relationship could be restored. 

 

Hebrews 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

 

3.  Despair – “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

 

a.  There is earthly despair because of sin. 

 

Proverbs 13:15  Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

 

b.  There is eternal despair because of sin. 

 

Jude 13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

 

4.  Deliverance – Mark 15:39  And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

 

a.  The light of deliverance is in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

 

2 Corinthians 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 

b.  The power of deliverance is found in salvation as we come to the light. 

 

John 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

 

c.  The glory of deliverance is found in a new life in Christ. 

 

1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

 

Conclusion:  “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

 

a.  The wages of sin have been set. 

 

Genesis 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

 

Ezekiel 18:20a  The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

 

b.  The wages of sin never change. 

 

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

c.  God the Father forsook His only begotten Son for me!  God the Father forsook His only begotten Son for you!  God the Father forsook His only begotten Son for the whole world!

A Dark Time: Praying in a Cave

 Temple Baptist Church - 3-8-2026

Psalm 142

Introduction:

A.  “A Prayer when he was in the cave.”  Psalm 142 has a short title that explains David’s plight and underscores the Psalm's importance to the believer. 

 

1.  In Psalm 142, we see the Psalmist David in the dark room of God…he’s in a cave.  From the text, we learn that he was fleeing from King Saul's pursuit.  David was at the lowest and darkest place he had ever been.  

 

2.  Before we examine the text, note that this is one of the thirteen Maschil Psalms. The word 'Maschil' means to instruct, so this is a Psalm of instruction. There are lessons to be learned from the Psalmist's experience here.

 

B.  Though there are some exceptions (Bathsheba and numbering the people), I believe that every believer would love to be called “a man after God’s own Heart,” as there was never a king before or a king after that measured up to this man of God who established a throne that was eternal.

 

C.  Though King David was a man after God's heart, he was also just a frail man, such as we are.   It was the hardships that David suffered that molded him into the man that God wanted him to be!  This man may change many minds, as we have become accustomed to comfort and the pleasures of this life. 

 

1.  Raised shepherding sheep was essential to such a life.  Most want to start at the top rather than do the menial tasks of shepherding.  Most young preachers are searching for an established church with a bi-vocational free life, a good starting salary, an automobile, and a place to live.  David was put in charge of the innocent sheep.  His job was to lead them, feed them, and protect them. How long he held this position is unknown, but he faithfully carried out his duties when he killed Goliath with the same skill and courage he used to kill a bear and a lion.

 

2.  Anointed King as a teenager, David was not yet ready to ascend to the throne of Israel.  He needed to attend God’s school of hard knocks to prepare him for the daunting task ahead. 

 

3.  Life as God’s anointed started well for David, who was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16), and killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17)in his late teens.  Anointed but not ready.  There is a difference.  Anointed shows divine approval, but even in the ministry, the Bishop or pastor is not to be a novice!

 

4.  David learned to make instruments and write songs.  He had the solitude in which to do so.  Many great musicians honed their skills in solitude.  David became notable before

Saul chose him as his personal musician, but jealousy drove Saul to try to kill him.  During this time, David proved himself in the art of war as he led Israel’s military and killed tens of thousands.  He also won the hearts of the people.  David spent the next 8-10 years running and hiding in the wilderness.  David was 30 years old when he was finally seated upon the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 5:4).  

 

5.  When Saul died, David arose to sit on the throne. Later, King David would spend less than a year fleeing and hiding from Absalom before finally reigning for the rest of his life. Hardship shaped David’s life and the throne, which he established as an eternal throne that Christ will one day occupy.

 

6.  I said all that to say this: God uses hardship to shape men from boys, transforming young, innocent wives into women who are battle-hardened and ready to face difficulty while trusting the Lord.

 

D.  Here, in Psalm 142, we find him hiding in a cave.  The title of the Psalm does not indicate whether this was the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22) or En-gedi (1 Samuel 24).

 

E.  We do know that David had his men with him in the cave, but he also knew that the cave should have been a castle!  Though out of order, Verses 3-4 show something of great interest to us, as God’s children.  You can be in a crowded place and yet feel overwhelmed and all alone!

 

1.  Verse 3.  In the middle of a crowd, David’s spirit was overwhelmed in his spirit!  Psalms 142:3a  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me … 

 

a.  It is in our spirit that we worship God.  Spirit and truth.  There will be times of trouble and confusion when our worship is gone.  We may come to the house of worship, but our spirit has been broken, and we go through the motions with no true worship or joy. 

 

b.  Overwhelmed is a dangerous place to be, as it breeds disappointment, which leads to discouragement if we fail to trust God enough to put Him in His proper place.

 

1)  Warren Wiersbe made a statement worth quoting: “What life does to us depends on what life finds in us.”   

 

2)  Dr. H. B. Smith used the process of film development to explain this Psalm.  “It is in God’s darkroom that the true test, and the validity of our spirituality is made known.  Faith is like film…It only develops in the dark.” 

 

3)  It is in the absence of light that a picture is developed.  Here is the process: 

 

a)  In order to properly develop the film, it must first be taken into the dark room.  (David was in a dark place.) 

 

b)  There are different chemicals that must be added to enhance the quality of the prints to be developed.  (God was doing something in David’s life that would help to grow in faith later.) 

 

c)  After the right chemicals are added, it is safe to expose the film to the light that will eventually produce the details and quality of the picture developed.  (God uses these dark times that often overwhelm us to introduce us to the final picture of life.)

 

4)  “Then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.”  Though God often allows hard things to come our way, He knows and controls them! 

 

c.  In an overwhelmed state, David did the right thing; he cried unto the Lord.  When we cannot track God, trust Him!

 

2.  Verse 4.  In the middle of a crowd, David felt alone.  He said that no man cared for his soul! 

 

Psalms 142: 4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 

 

a)  But King David was not alone in the cave.  He had 400 men with him who looked up to and followed him!

 

1 Samuel 22:1-2  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.  (2)  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

 

b)  Here is one of the dangers of self-pity, and that is what David had.  As their leader, he was supposed to encourage those with him.  I Samuel 22:1...there came to David about 400 men in distress, debt, discontented.  It was not a lack of company that discouraged him, but a lack of companionship.

 

c)  These men probably fear and he who killed his ten thousands was to face his challenges as he did in the Valley of Elah when he faced and killed a giant!

 

d)  Now, let’s see what King David did that was right and would deliver him in his dilemma.

 

3.  Verses 1-2.  He brought his fears to the Lord in prayer!

 

Psalms 142:1-2  I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.  (2)  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.

 

4.  Verse 5.  He remembered who the Lord was!  His true Hiding Place is not the cave.

 

Psalms 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

 

5.  Verse 6-7.  He placed his faith in the Lord, who could do the impossible, and ended with a promise of praise!

 

Psalms 142:7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

 

Conclusion:  When we are going through dark times, God is still God and He stands with us, but we need to recognize Him for who He truly is.

 

1.  In our hours of darkness and loneliness, God is still worthy of our praise.  Just praise the Lord anyway!

 

2.  God uses darkness to teach us that we walk by faith and not by sight.  A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted!

 

3.  It is the hard times that make us what we need to be.

7 Sayings of the Cross – Part 3 - Woman, Behold Thy Son

Temple Baptist Church - 3-8-2026

John 19:25-27

 

Introduction:

A.  The last 2 weeks, we saw our Lord forgive those who crucified Him because they knew not what they did.  Then we saw our Lord forgive a repentant, believing thief simply because he asked.  In both sayings, we find the amazing grace of God!

 

B.  This third saying of the cross gives us insight into the dual nature of Christ. 

 

1.  In the study of Theology, this is referred to as the Hypo-static Union of Christ.  The Hypo-static Union is the biblical doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ is one Person with two complete natures—fully God and fully man—united without mixture, change, division, or separation.

 

2.  Jesus Christ was 100% God and 100% man at the same time.  Though this defies human comprehension, it is a Biblical reality.  The two Persons of Christ never mixed nor caused either division or separation.  Thus, Jesus Christ was the God-Man. 

 

3.  As 100% God, He could die for our sins and fully satisfy the just righteous demands of the Father.  As 100% man, He could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and become our faithful High Priest. 

 

C.  Much heresy is refuted in the gospel: the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Here are just a few examples.

 

1.  “Father, forgive them” refutes teachings that the church and the priests can forgive sin.  Only God can forgive sin!

 

2.  “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise” refutes both multiple ways of salvation (Christ is the only Way to heaven), the doctrines of Limbo, Purgatory, and soul sleep (today … with me).

 

3  Our verses for this morning, “Woman, behold thy son  … behold thy mother” refutes Mariolatry.  Our Lord dispelled the heresy that Mary was the “Mother of God” as is believed by many.  God had no mother!  There are no verses of Scripture where Jesus ever referred to Mary as mother.

 

D.  From the cross, our Lord made statements from both the human side and the divine side of His person.  Here, in the third saying of the cross, we find our Lord dispensing the care of His earthly mother to John the Beloved.  An obligation that He took seriously and set forth an example for us to follow.  In this third saying, it is interesting that He dealt with the family unit.

 

1.  Jesus never called Mary His mother in the Scriptures.  He addressed her as “Woman.”  This is important because of the Mariolatry being taught today.  Thus, “Woman, behold thy son!”  When addressing John, the Beloved, He said, “Behold thy mother!”  Jesus knew what kind of mother Mary was and that Mary would be a good mother to John.

 

2.  Though Mary was blessed to be chosen as the mother of the “Son of Man,” the human side of Christ, she was not the mother of the “Son of God,” the divine side of Christ.  The man, Christ Jesus, had a mother, but Jehovah God had no mother!

 

1.  Jesus’ Love for Mary.  Mary was His devoted mother!  In Mary’s life, we find both devotion to Jesus on the human side, as a mother, and on the spiritual side, as her Saviour.

 

a.  Mary was a godly mother.  Mary’s Selection - Luke 1:26-27, 28  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,  (27)  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary … (38)  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 

 

Mary was pure and highly favored, but not divine! After the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary had a normal husband-and-wife relationship, and their other sons (Mark 6:3) and daughters are mentioned in the Bible.  She did not ascend to heaven as a virgin.

 

Mark 6:3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

 

 

b.  Mary was a saved mother.  Mary’s Salvation - Luke 1:46-47  And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,  (47)  And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

 

Only Sinners need a Saviour.  Mary was just like you and me.  A good woman, a godly woman, but Mary was born a sinner and a sinner by choice, just like we are.

 

Romans 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 

c.  Mary was a sorrowful mother.  Mary’s Sorrow - Luke 2:35  (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)

 

John 19:25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

 

How many times did she “ponder” these things in her heart?  Mary, the one who gave Him birth; Mary, the one who nursed Him on her breast; Mary, the one who swaddled and took care of Him; Mary, the one who raised Him during His formative years; Mary, the one who pondered His being while He was growing up; Mary, the one who accompanied Him during His earthly ministry; Mary, the one who stood by Him while other forsook Him.  Mary had to watch Him crucified!

 

d.  Mary was a faithful mother.  Mary’s Steadfastness - John 19:25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother …

 

Mary never left His side! Her love and devotion were to her Saviour, not just her son! If you are reading my notes, you will notice that “son” is not capitalized in this last statement. Though He was God, He was still her “son” in the flesh. She, of course, sorrowed as everyone else did, but she knew who He was, why He came, and what He was doing.

 

2. Jesus’ Duty to Mary! As was customary, the transfer of a mother’s care after her death was usually handled within the family. Our Lord could have easily arranged this before Calvary, but He chose to address it from the cross instead. By doing so, He revealed an important truth openly for all to see.

 

a. His duty. After Joseph’s death—which is not recorded—since He was the firstborn, it was our Lord’s duty to care for His earthly mother. It was the responsibility of the eldest son to care for aging parents, and our Lord was no exception.

 

b. His desire. As God, all men and women were equal, but as a “son,” His mother held a special place in His heart. As one writer said, “Christ’s sufferings surpassed all conception, yet they did not drown the memory of His mother.” Like any of us, our Lord held great respect for the one who gave Him life. He never disrespected Mary nor was He ever disobedient to her. As God’s children, we are encouraged to honor and obey our parents.

 

c. His decision!  As the firstborn son, Jesus had the blessed task of caring for His earthly mother.  He gave Mary to John, not to the second-oldest brother.

 

1) Our Lord Jesus did not entrust His earthly mother to the second-born brother. This would have been both a natural succession and biblically correct, as at that time, the care of a mother belonged to the second-born son. This highlights a failure within the family structure. Satan has undermined the American family by shifting God from the first to the second, third, or last place in the home. The family structure is the foundation of both the church and the nation. As goes the home, so goes everything else.

 

2) Our Lord Jesus did not entrust His earthly mother to the church. Mary was not a “widow indeed” and thus was not the congregation’s responsibility to care for her. While debates may continue about the early church, we can all agree that there was a body of believers to whom the Lord gave the Great Commission and the church ordinances.

 

3) Our Lord Jesus chose John the Beloved, a man who could be trusted! The only disciple who remained at His side until the end. No other disciples are mentioned.

 

Conclusion: In the third saying from the cross, we see the importance of family and duty. Family holds significance to God because He established the family unit in the Garden of Eden.