Luke 23:34

1. Jesus had come to dwell among men, but He was not wanted

1. at His birth there was no room for Him in the inn
2. shortly after His birth Herod sought to kill Him
3. throughout His life, His enemies tried to destroy Him
4. the cross was the climax of man’s hatred

1. Jesus had yielded Himself into their hands
2. there was a mock trial, and the judges found no fault
3. nevertheless, the will of those that hated Him was granted

5. no ordinary death would satisfy His foes
1. His death was to be with intense suffering and shame

2. these words are the first words spoken by Jesus on the cross

1. did He cry for pity? No
2. did He pronounce a curse upon these that crucified Him? No
3. the first words He uttered were a prayer for His enemies

1. He no longer could minister to the sick with His hands
2. His feet could no longer carry Him on errands of mercy
3. He could no longer instruct His disciples, for they had forsaken Him

4. surely Jesus has given us an example in that He prayed and that He prayed for His enemies

3. a careful consideration of our text will teach us many other Biblical truths

1. here Jesus identifies Himself with His people
1. never before had Jesus made such a request of the Father
1. He had always done the forgiving Himself
2. to the man sick of the palsy He said, "be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee"
3. to the woman who washed His feet He said, "thy sins are forgiven"
4. why does He now ask the Father to forgive, rather than forgiving them Himself
2. forgiveness of sin is a divine privilege - Mark 2:7
1. Christ was both God and man (Son of God & Son of Man)
2. on the cross He could not exercise the divine privilege; He was fulfilling His part as Son of Man
1. on the cross He was acting as our substitute
2. hanging on the cross as our representative He was no longer in the place of authority where He could exercise His divine privilege
3. as the Son of God He can forgive, as the Son of Man He can only intercede (intercedes for sinners)
2. here we see the divine estimation of sin and its guilt
1. sin is always sin in the sight of God whether we are conscious of it or not
1. sins of ignorance need forgiveness, just like conscious sins do
2. God is Holy, and will not lower His standard of righteousness to the level of our ignorance
3. ignorance is not innocence
2. we are more responsible today than ever before because we have the Bible in our hands
1. we cannot plead ignorance of its content unless we condemn our laziness
2. the fact remains that we are ignorant of many things, and the fault is ours
3. sins of ignorance need divine forgiveness
3. things to learn
1. God’s standards are high
2. our need is great
3. God should be praised for the atonement that is infinitely sufficient, which cleanseth from all sin
3. here we see the blindness of the human heart - "they know not what they do"
1. this does not mean that they were ignorant of the event that was taking place
2. Jesus was saying that they were ignorant of the greatness of their crime
1. they did not know that they were crucifying the Lord of Glory
2. they should of known, and their blindness was inexcusable
1. OT prophecies clearly identify Him as the Holy One of God
2. His critics admitted that "never man spake like this man"
3. He lived a life of self-sacrifice from beginning to end
4. their was no excuse for their ignorance, but it did demonstrate the blindness of their heart
5. their actions revealed, once and for all, that man by nature hates God
3. this terrible tragedy is still being repeated today
1. sinners little know what they do when they neglect God’s great salvation
2. sinners little know how awful is their sin of rejecting the mercy of God
3. sinners little know how great their guilt is when they reject Jesus Christ as their Savior
4. they know not what they do, but they are without excuse
4. here we see a lovely example of His own teaching - Matthew 5:44
1. Jesus practiced what He preached, and in all things He has left us an example
2. notice that Jesus did not personally forgive His enemies - "Father forgive them"
3. Jesus did not tell His disciples to forgive their enemies - Matthew 5:44
1. He does tell us to love them and to pray for them
2. does the Bible teach that we are to forgive under all circumstances?
1. repentance first, then forgiveness - Luke 17:3-4
1. there is a condition to be met before we pronounce forgiveness
2. the offender must acknowledge his wrong before there is forgiveness
2. God does not forgive without repentance - I John 1:9
3. we may not forgive, but we can pray for the God to forgive
5. here we see man’s great and most important need - "forgive them"
1. it is important for us to know that we are all sinners
1. as sinners we are unfit for the presence of a Holy God
2. all the good resolution and excellent rules we make are vain, until the sin-question has been settled
3. to develop a beautiful character is of no value, when there is sin between us and God
4. it matters not if we are highly respected, and yet in our sin
5. that which matters most in the hour of death is, have my sins been forgiven
2. how does a Holy God forgive sin?
1. there is a big difference between divine forgiveness and human forgiveness
1. human forgiveness is usually a matter of leniency (forgiveness at the expense of justice)
2. God does not exercise mercy at the expense of justice (He is a Holy God)
3. God does not set aside the demands of His holy law, just to show mercy
2. someone had to pay the price of sin, if God was to show mercy (Jesus died for us) - Acts 13:38-39
3. in praying for the forgiveness of His enemies, He touched the greatest need of all mankind
6. here we see the triumph of redeeming love - "then" - Luke23:34
1. in the preceding verse we find man doing his worst, "then" Jesus ask the Father to forgive - Luke 23:33
1. when the vileness of the human heart was displayed, "then" He ask for their forgiveness
2. He could have let loose the thunderbolts of righteous wrath, but instead He as for forgiveness
3. though He was subjected to unspeakable shame and excruciating pain, He cries "Father, forgive them"
2. this is the triumph of redeeming love
1. love suffers long, and is kind, ..beareth all things, … endureth all things - I Corinthians 13
2. this was the love that Christ had shown on the cross
3. the Perfect One, exhibited the strength of His love by praying for the forgiveness of His enemies

Conclusion: have your sins been forgiven; if not, be warned that your danger is great