Father, into your hands I commit My spirit

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Father, into your hands I commit My
spirit (Luke 2346)
Part 7 0f 7
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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, Father,
  forgive them, for they do not know what they
  are doing

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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, Truly, I say
  to you, today you will be with Me in paradise

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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, Woman, behold
  your sonBehold your mother

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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, My God, my
  God, why have you forsaken Me?

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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, I am thirsty

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Introduction

• As Jesus our Lord was on the cross, His last
  words teach us many lessons

• In this series I hoped to share with you some
  insight into those final moments before Jesus
  took His last breath and died.

• In our last lessons we studied, It is finished

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Have you ever wondered what your last words
  will be?

• As the Son of God was about to die, He spoke
  words of commitment to His Father

• At death our spirit will depart somewhere.
  Jesus commended His spirit to the Father with
  the assurance of an eternal future.

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• The spirit of the Lord was found blameless and
  we must hope for the same in our death (I Thess.
  523)

• All NT writers want us to know that Jesus
  didnt just die, but that His death was the
  beginning of a new relationship with the Father
  (See Acts 222-24)

• We have this hope of being raised to an endless
  day in Christ (Heb. 613-20)

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Jesus was committed to the Father from the
  beginning to the end of His life (Luke 249
  2346)

• An interesting point to note is that Jesus was
  actually meditating on scripture when He spoke
  His last words (Psalm 311-5)

• Jesus died with the assurance that the Father
  was still His strength and guide until His
  eternal glorification

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• When the Passover Lamb was being offered it was
  said to be between the evenings or twilight
  (Exodus 126)

• This time was between 3 and 6 in the afternoon,
  when Jesus the Lamb of God was sacrificed with
  all other Passover lambs (Jn. 1828 129)

• Jesus last cry was one of submission to His
  Father in heaven

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Another rendering of commit My spirit is
  gave up His spirit (Matt. 2750)

• The spirit of Jesus was under His control
  throughout His life He chose when to yield up
  or dismiss His spirit

• Jesus gave His sacrifice as He pleases and not
  according to mans dictates (John 1910-11)

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Jesus gave Himself up when all the work was
  done, the prophecies were fulfilled and the
  schedule completed

• The death of Jesus was not an accident but an
  appointment made long ago by the Father and the
  Son (Acts 223)

• Jesus committed His spirit to the Father when
  the time was right and all things were finished
  on the earth

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Notice how Jesus said into Your hands and
  think of the hands He had been in (Matt.
  2645-46 Acts 223)

• The hands of sinners had done the following
  (See Psalm 3115)
• -formed a crown of thorns
  -lacerated His back
  -slapped Him
  -put nails through His hands and feet
  -pierced His sideetc.

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• Jesus voluntarily gave Himself to die, and He
  willingly gave Himself to the Father for eternal
  life in glory

• Regardless of what becomes of our physical
  body, our spirit can return to the Father safely
  (Ecc. 126-7)

• We must have the confidence of the Son in the
  Father when our day of death arrives (II Tim.
  18-14)

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Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit

• If we commit our spirit to the Father, we are
  committing it to the Son as well (John 1027-30)

• You can also take comfort in knowing that in
  the hand of the Son are the keys of death and
  Hades (Rev. 117f)

• One way or another your spirit will end up in
  the hands of Godeither in judgment or in
  salvation(Heb. 1031)

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Application

• God never promised a safe passage through life
  into death, but He promised a safe landing

• May we like the early saints be able to say
  receive my spirit when we die (See Acts 755,
  59)

• May we remember always the suffering that Jesus
  had to bear for us before He could return to the
  Father (I Pet. 221-25)

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Commit yourself to God today until death

• Hear (John 1248)

• Believe (John 824)

• Repent (Luke 133, 5)

• Confess (Matt. 1032-33)

• Baptized (Mark 1616)

• Faithful (Rev. 210)

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TAKING THE CROSS INTO THE WORLD

• It has been said that, It may take a crucified
  church to bring a crucified Christ before the
  eyes of the world

• An atheist by the name of Nietzche, once said,
  I might believe in their redeemer if they were
  to look more redeemed

• If we are not living the message of a crucified
  and risen Lord, our preaching is vain

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TAKING THE CROSS INTO THE WORLD

• What did Jesus mean when He asked us to carry
  our cross?

• To walk in the footsteps of Jesus, may require
  us to bear up under some difficult times

• Since Jesus suffered so much for us shouldnt
  we at least live our lives to His glory no
  matter the cost?

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TAKING THE CROSS INTO THE WORLD

• Since the cross was a difficult thing to bear
  for Jesus, why should we expect any less for
  ourselves

• Jesus changed the world through suffering for
  the redemption of man

• Christianity calls us to rearrange our values
  and live a life of dedication to the Lord on a
  daily basis.

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TAKING THE CROSS INTO THE WORLD

• For us the cross could mean

-The unborn child and the teenager who does
not know where to go -The homosexual who is
overcome with guilt, contemplating suicide
and in need of help -The inmates in a local
prison -The people in our inner cities -The
sick and hospitalized
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TAKING THE CROSS INTO THE WORLD

• If we are going to be truly redeemed we will
  have to follow the redeemer into eternity

• Let us not embrace the cross solely for
  salvation, but also for a way of living

• This is the only way to bring the hope of the
  cross to a dying world