By George Huang
Initially given as a sermon at Chinatown Church of Christ
Scripture: Luke 23:32-43
This is a great Easter or pre-Easter message for both Christians and non-Christians. Depending on the audience, one can emphasize the portion targeted at either group.
There were four people who died on Good Friday — Judas who betrayed Jesus, the two criminals who were crucified along with Jesus, and Jesus. They represent the four paths human beings can take with respect to our eternal destiny. Then there’s one person who should have died but didn’t — Barabbas. He is the person we should all hope to be.
Interestingly, the name “Barabbas” should mean “The Son of The Father” in Hebrew. We are all children of our fathers so that name is a representation of all people. And we are all children of God the Heavenly Father. Let’s hope all people can come back to God and become His children.
Powerpoint presentation – both English and Chinese
Sermon in English (shown here so search engines can read it):
The Five People of Good Friday.
Scripture: Luke 23:32-43. Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One”. The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself”. There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”. But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong”. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”.
Sermon:
Easter is a time when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but there’s no resurrection without crucifixion. That weekend was bloody. Four people connected with Jesus died on what we call “Good Friday”. We will discuss five people today. Four of them represent different possible responses to Jesus. Their stories showed us the paths to salvation and the importance of staying on the right path. The Christian conception of salvation is very straightforward. First, mankind sinned against God and became separated from God. Mankind is unable to pay the price. Nothing we do can save us from our sins and pay the cost for our sins. To bring us back to Him, God sent Jesus to pay the price of our redemption – known as substitutionary atonement. Jesus is the only way to restore the relationship with God. It is not because of who we are. What we need to do is make a choice: to receive the gift of salvation or not. After we accept the gift, we need to yield to God and persevere until the end. We can choose to pursue God and get more blessings on Earth and true wealth in Heaven. Three of the dead people and the one lucky survivor of Good Friday showed us the paths people can take.
The first criminal clearly had heard about Jesus. He knew what Jesus claimed about being sent from God. But he refused and ridiculed Jesus even though he was about to die the same fate. Why are some people non-repentant till the very end?.
- Ignorance — Some are not informed of God’s salvation. This is the Christians’ fault. We failed to do the great commission.
- Bad experiences – Some people do not want to accept Jesus because they have seen bad Christians. This is again the Christians’ fault. We failed to live godly lives for people to see Jesus through us. People can’t see Jesus directly; they see Jesus through Christians. Matthew 5:16 — In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. We are not perfect, but people need to see us striving to be like Christ, and repent when we fail.
- Pride – Some people do not want to admit they are sinners who need salvation. Unfortunately, not all who have heard the gospel would yield. Pride has destroyed many lives, and in this case, it can destroy one’s eternal destiny. Many believe they can obtain salvation by being good people and doing good deeds. Bad news: we can never be good enough for God. We need help.
- Control – Some people do not want to give up control over their lives. What they don’t understand is that if they are not under God’s lordship, they are under the devil’s control.
- Self-identity – Some people do not want to adopt a “foreign” culture. Christianity is considered a Western religion. But is it really foreign if we are all from God?. Many Chinese cultural practices reflect things in the Bible. They are not coincidences.
So why did the first criminal reject Jesus? Probably due to pride. Why would he believe in a fellow criminal condemned to die the same way?. But the second criminal did!. He also heard about Jesus, but believed in Jesus even though he didn’t fully understand everything. He was repentant for what he had done and asked for God’s forgiveness. Honestly, what’s there to lose?. All he needed to do was to put down his pride, which was gone once he was condemned to die on the cross. He died soon after Jesus, but he will be reunited with Jesus very shortly. He is someone that we called “barely saved” because he found and accepted Jesus right before his death. Sadly, too many people come to God only at their deathbed. People like him don’t have a chance to live a blessed life under God’s love and guidance. They also don’t have time to earn more true wealth in Heaven. But at least they are not in hell. Some people say they want to become Christians right before they die so they can enjoy their earthly life. One big problem: they don’t know when and how they will die. They also miss the chance to live a meaningful life blessed by God, and to earn eternal rewards.
Then there is Judas, who betrayed Jesus. He was in charge of managing money – a dangerous position for any person. Honestly, we are all in charge of money. Most of us will have millions of dollars pass through our hands during our lives. Our lives on Earth are full of temptations. We may fail sometimes, but we need to get up and try again. With God’s help and power, we can eventually succeed. What matters is not how many times we fall and get up, but where our heart is and where we are at the end. We will never be perfect. Thankfully, our God is gracious, and He looks at our hearts, not our results. Judas symbolizes a Christian who abandoned God and returned to the world, possibly because of greed and maybe anger. In this world, there are three traps that we need to guard against: Wealth, Status and power, and Bodily desires.
How does the devil lead us into these traps? First, he makes us lose focus on eternity. For wealth, he makes us focus on wealth, not God. He makes us focus on the visible, temporary, earthly wealth instead of the invisible, eternal wealth. The traps are visible, thus easy to fall into. Many of us focus on wealth rather than becoming closer to God and doing His bidding. Some people renounce wealth and deliberately live a life deprived of possessions. We think they are “holy” that way. Instead, God wants us to confront wealth and use it to achieve His purposes – spreading the gospel and helping people. There’s no shame nor honor in being rich or poor. God will judge us based on how we use what we have been given. Second, he stirs up basic human nature, which includes bad emotions such as pride, greed, jealousy, selfishness, anger, and hatred. Do we allow reason and positive emotions to overrule negative ones?. Love for God and other people, respect, and self-control can help us overcome these negative emotions. 1Corinthians 13:4-8a – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. We are also influenced by our biological urges – hunger, appetite, sexual desires, etc.. Self-control and reason, combined with God’s power, can help us control our biological urges. We may fail sometimes, but learning to stand up again is part of our process of learning and growing.
Third, he makes us focus on what’s visible. As we learned from the Parable of the Minas, our eternal lives are far more important than our temporary earthly lives. It’s hard for us to see our eternity, but very easy to see the things around us on Earth. We need to be constantly reminded that our earthly lives are a test and a time for training. We need to focus on our destiny in eternity, which should help alter our focus on this Earth. Often, that means making difficult, even seemingly irrational, decisions. In Matthew 13:45-46, the Parable of the Precious Pearl tells us that we may need to change our focus in life to focus on God’s Kingdom. In Matthew 13:44, the Parable of the Treasure in the Field tells us that we may need to change our careers to focus on God’s Kingdom. These are constant battles we have to fight, so avoid dangerous places, companions, and temptations. In Matthew 26:14-16, it says Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver is the price of a servant or slave (Exodus 21:32). We don’t even know that we are slaves of the world. What’s our 30 pieces of silver?. What is luring us away from God?. Most of us are very unhappy slaves because we lost focus on God. We labor day and night to try to gain worldly possessions, and many times we lose sight of what’s really important. There is no moving truck behind the coffin; money cannot and must not be your legacy. The only way to send wealth to eternity is through using it for God’s purposes. We learned this in the Parable of the Shrewd Manager.
According to Matthew 27, Judas sort of repented. He tried to return the 30 pieces of silver. But did not come back to Jesus for forgiveness. There is no salvation except through Jesus. Judas was not saved. He could have been if he had repented, came back to Jesus, and asked for forgiveness. Peter also denied Jesus, but he returned to Jesus and served Him till he died. Salvation is not based on how bad you feel, but because of the salvation He provided for us. To be saved, we need to repent, ask for His forgiveness, and accept His grace. It’s a gift, but you have to accept it. To hold onto it, we need to yield ourselves to live for and be like Him the best we can for the rest of our remaining lives.
Finally, the last person to die was Jesus. Of the four dead people, he is the only one who did not deserve to die. He was sinless, but he bore our sins and died for us to pay for our sins. On Easter, we consider Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. He died for our sins and resurrected to give us eternal life. He persevered to the very end because he knew who his Father is and that He can rely on His Father, and He had to complete our redemption on the cross. We also need to persevere till the end so we can be with Him in eternity. If we give up like Judas did, we will lose our destiny in eternity. It’s not an easy journey, but we can persevere by remembering that we are the children of God and we are only temporary travelers on this Earth. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, He showed us that He has conquered death. We will also do the same. Resurrection represents a life without death. That’s the eternal life that we are promised.
Finally, there was one person who should have died that day but didn’t. When Pilate tried to release Jesus using their Passover custom, the people asked that Barabbas be released instead. Pilate gave in to the people and released Barabbas instead of Jesus. Barabbas should have died that day, but Jesus died for him instead. This represents the substitutionary atonement Jesus did for all of us. We can live forever because Jesus died for our sins and paid the price for us. All we need to do is accept His sacrifice for us and accept Him as our “Lord and Savior”. Lord: yielding our control to Him. Savior: saving people from sin and eternal death. Salvation is a byproduct of our yielding to Him, not a lure to a religion. And when we yield, we can live a life with meaning and purpose guided and blessed by God. It’s a new focus for this earthly life — now it has meaning and purpose. And by coming to God early, we can get comfort and support for this life. It’s also a chance for us to earn eternal rewards and responsibilities.
The second criminal is saved by grace, but he missed the joy of walking with Christ in this life. Non-Christians: Which path would you pick?. Best: pick the path of Barabbas and live a good life in Christ. The name “Barabbas” means “the son of the father”. Let’s all become children of our Heavenly Father. Judas shows us the danger of a heart that turns away from Christ. Persevere till the end. Use your time, talent, and treasure to get talents and wealth in Heaven. We discussed four regular people today. Each one represents a possible response to Jesus. Which one are you?. The best choice is to be Barabbas – receive Jesus’s substitutionary atonement and live a blessed life. Let Jesus be the Lord of your life so you can live a blessed life. God bless you all.
Sermon in Chinese:
受難日的五個人
經文：路加 23:32-43 到了一個地方，名叫髑髏地，就在那裡把耶穌釘在十字架上，又釘了兩個犯人，一個在左邊，一個在右邊。當下耶穌說：「父啊，赦免他們！因為他們所做的他們不曉得。」兵丁就拈鬮分他的衣服。 百姓站在那裡觀看。官府也嗤笑他，說：「他救了別人，他若是基督，神所揀選的，可以救自己吧！」 兵丁也戲弄他，上前拿醋送給他喝， 說：「你若是猶太人的王，可以救自己吧！」 在耶穌以上有一個牌子，寫著：「這是猶太人的王。」 那同釘的兩個犯人，有一個譏誚他說：「你不是基督嗎？可以救自己和我們吧！」 那一個就應聲責備他說：「你既是一樣受刑的，還不怕神嗎？ 我們是應該的，因我們所受的與我們所做的相稱，但這個人沒有做過一件不好的事。」 就說：「耶穌啊，你得國降臨的時候，求你記念我！」 耶穌對他說：「我實在告訴你：今日你要同我在樂園裡了！」
當下耶穌說:「父啊，赦免他們！因為他們所做的他們不曉得。」兵丁就拈鬮分他的衣服。百姓站在那裡觀看。官府也嗤笑他, 說：「他救了別人, 他若是基督, 神所揀選的,可以救自己吧！」 兵丁也戲弄他, 上前拿醋送給他喝, 說:「你若是猶太人的王，可以救自己吧！」 在耶穌以上有一個牌子, 寫著:「這是猶太人的王。」 那同釘的兩個犯人，有一個譏誚他說:「你不是基督嗎？ 可以救自己和我們吧！」 那一個就應聲責備他說:「你既是一樣受刑的，還不怕神嗎？ 我們是應該的，因我們所受的與我們所做的相稱， 但這個人沒有做過一件不好的事。」 就說：「耶穌啊，你得國降臨的時候，求你記念我！」 耶穌對他說：「我實在告訴你：今日你要同我在樂園裡了！」
受難日的五個人 復活節是我們慶祝耶穌復活的時候，但祂若沒有被釘十字架就沒有復活。那週末是一個血腥的週末。與耶穌有關的四個人死在我們所說的「受難日」。今天我們將討論五個人。其中四人代表了人們對耶穌可能做出的不同反應。他們的故事向我們展示了通往救贖的道路，以及堅持正確道路的重要性。基督教的救恩概念實際上非常的簡單。首先，人類得罪了神，與神隔絕了。人類無法為此付出代價。我們所做的任何事情都不能拯救我們脫離罪孽，並為我們的罪付出代價。為了使我們回到祂身邊，神差遣耶穌來償還我們的贖罪代價。這被稱為「替代贖罪」。耶穌是恢復與神關係的唯一途徑。這不是取決於我們是誰。我們需要做的是做出選擇 – 是否接受救恩的這個免費禮物。接受禮物後，我們需要降服於神並堅持到最後。我們可以選擇追求神，並為自己得到在地上的祝福和天上的資產。
耶穌受難日的三個死者及一個幸存者向我們展示了人們可以選擇的道路。第一個罪犯顯然聽說過耶穌。他知道耶穌說祂的是被神差遣來傳揚神的話語的。但他拒絕並嘲笑耶穌，即使他即將死於同樣的命運。為什麼有些人直到最後都不悔改呢？
- 無知: 有些人不知道神的救恩。這是基督徒的錯。我們沒能完成祂所託付我們的大使命。
- 不好的經歷: 有些人不想接受耶穌，因為他們看到了糟糕的基督徒。這又是基督徒的錯。我們沒過敬虔的生活, 讓人們通過我們看到耶穌。人們不能直接看到耶穌。他們大部分時間只能通過基督徒來看到耶穌。馬太福音 5:16 — 你們的光也當這樣照在人前,叫他們看見你們的好行為, 便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。我們並不完美，但人們需要看到我們努力的去試著像基督一樣，並在我們失敗時悔改。
- 驕傲: 有些人不想承認他們是需要救恩的罪人。並不是所有聽過福音的人都會接受及屈服於神。驕傲摧毀了許多生命, 在這情況下，它可以摧毀一個人永恆的命運。許多人相信他們可以通過做好人或積功德來獲得救贖。給你一個壞消息：我們對神來說永遠不夠好。我們需要協助。
- 控制: 有些人不想放棄對自己生活的控制。他們不明白的是，如果他們不在神的統治之下，他們就是在魔鬼的控制之下。
- 排外: 有些人不想接受「外國」文化。基督教被認為是西方的宗教。如果我們都是從神而來的，這真的是「外國」文化嗎？ 很多的中國文化習俗都反映了聖經中的事情，它們不是巧合。
所以為什麼第一個罪犯會拒絕耶穌呢？可能是因為驕傲。他為什麼要相信一個被判和要以自己同樣方式死去的罪犯？ 但是第二個罪犯接受了耶穌！他也聽說過耶穌並相信耶穌，即使他並不完全理解一切。他對自己所做的事悔改，他請求神的饒恕。老實說，他有什麼可失的？他需要做的就是放下他的驕傲，一旦他被釘死在十字架上，所有的自尊就沒了。他在耶穌死後不久就死了，但他很快就會與耶穌在天上團聚。他是一個我們稱之為「僅僅得救」的人，因為他在死前才找到並接受了耶穌。可悲的是，太多人在臨終前才來到神面前。像他這樣的人沒有機會在神的愛與及帶領下過上幸福的生活。他們也沒有時間為永生多賺取獎賞及地位。但至少他們不在地獄里。有些人說他們只是想在死前才成為基督徒，這樣他們就可以享受塵世的生活。有一個大問題：他們不知道自己何時以及如何死亡。他們也錯過了在神的愛及帶領下過有意義的生命和獲得永生獎賞的機會。
下一個死人是出賣耶穌的猶大。他負責管理金錢。這對任何人來說是一個危險的職位。老實說，我們都負責管理錢。我們大多數人一生中都會有數百萬美元通過我們的手。我們在地球上的生活充滿了誘惑。我們有時可能會失敗，但我們需要站起來再試一次。在神的帶領和能力下，我們最終可以成功。重要的不是我們跌倒和爬起來多少次，而是我們的心在哪裡，還有我們最後在哪裡。我們永遠不會成為完美的。但感謝神，我們的神是憐憫的，祂看我們的心，而不是我們的結果。猶大象徵著一個基督徒又放棄神而回歸於這個世界，他可能是因為貪婪，也許是因為憤怒。
在這個世界上，我們需要防範三個陷阱：財富、權威、肉體的慾望 魔鬼如何引誘我們進入這些陷阱呢？ 首先，魔鬼讓我們失去對永生的焦點及注意。對於財富，他讓我們專注於財富，而不是神。他讓我們專注於看得見的、暫時的、塵世的財富，而不是看不見的、永恆的財富。這陷阱是可看見的，因此很容易掉進去。我們許多人專注於財富，而不是更接近神並遵行祂的命令。有人放棄財富，故意過沒有財產的生活。我們一般人認為他們這樣是「神聖的」。相反的，神希望我們面對財富並用地上的財富來實現祂的目的 — 傳播福音和幫助人們。我們不要為貧富而感到羞恥或光榮。神會根據你如何使用我們所有的來審判我們。
其次，魔鬼會激起基本的人性，包括驕傲、貪婪、嫉妒、自私、憤怒和仇恨等不良情緒。我們允許理性和積極的情緒去壓倒那些負面的情緒嗎？ 對神和他人的愛、尊重、和自制可以幫助我們克服這些負面情緒。 哥林多前書 13:4-8a – 愛是恆久忍耐, 又有恩慈, 愛是不嫉妒, 愛是不自誇, 不張狂, 不做害羞的事, 不求自己的益處, 不輕易發怒, 不計算人的惡, 不喜歡不義, 只喜歡真理; 凡事包容,凡事相信,凡事盼望,凡事忍耐。 愛是永不止息。我們也受到生理衝動的影響 — 飢餓、食慾、性慾等。自我控制和理性再加上神的能力可以幫助我們控制我們的生理的衝動。我們有時可能會失敗，但學會重新站起來是我們學習和成長過程的一部分。
第三，魔鬼讓我們專注於可見的東西。我們從十碇銀子的比喻中學到我們的永生遠比我們暫時的塵世生活重要得多。但我們很難看到我們的永生，卻很容易看到地球上我們周圍的事物。我們需要不斷被提醒:我們的塵世生命是一次考驗和訓練的時間。我們需要專注於我們在永恆的生命，這應該有助於改變我們對這個塵世生命的關注。通常，這意味著做出對其他人來說很困難且是看似不合理的決定。在馬太福音13:45-46中, 貴重珍珠的比喻告訴我們，我們可能需要改變生活命中的焦點，去專注於神的國度。在馬太福音13:44中，田間財寶的比喻告訴我們，我們可能需要改變我們的職業，以便我們能專注於神的國度。這些是我們必須不斷的爭戰，所以要避開危險的地方、同伴、和誘惑。
在馬太福音 26:14-16 中,猶大為了 30 塊銀子出賣了耶穌。30 塊銀子是僕人或奴隸的價格 (出21:32)。我們甚至都不知道我們是世界的奴隸。我們的 30 塊銀子是什麼？是什麼引誘我們遠離神？ 我們大多數都是非常不快樂的奴隸，因為我們沒有將我們的焦點放在神身上。我們日以繼夜地工作， 試圖獲得世俗的財產， 因為很多時候我們忽略了真正重要的東西。棺材車後面沒有搬家卡車。金錢不能也不應該成為你唯一的遺產。將財富送入永生的唯一方法是將其用於神的目的並幫助人們。我們在聰明的管家比喻中學到了這一點。
根據馬太福音 27 章，猶大有後悔。他試圖歸還那 30 塊銀子。但他沒有回到耶穌面前尋求饒恕。除了通過耶穌基督，沒有救恩。猶大沒有得救。如果他悔改，回到耶穌面前，請求神饒恕，他是可以得到赦免的。彼得也否認過耶穌，但他歸回到耶穌這裡，服侍祂直到命終。救恩不是基於你的感覺有多糟糕，而是因為耶穌為我們提供的救恩。為了得救，我們需要悔改，請求祂的饒恕，接受祂的恩典。這是一份免費的禮物，但你必須接受它。為了堅持下去，我們需要屈服於祂，在餘生中盡我們所能為他祂而活，並盡可能地更像祂。
最後一個死去的人是耶穌。在四個死者中，祂是唯一不該死的人。祂是無罪的，但祂承擔了我們的罪孽，為我們犧牲了。在復活節，我們記念耶穌被釘十字架和復活。他為我們的罪付出了足夠的代價，並復活給了我們永生。耶穌堅持到底，因為祂知道祂的父是誰，祂可以依靠天父，祂必須在十字架上完成我們的救贖。我們還需要堅持到最後，這樣我們才能永遠與祂同在。如果我們像猶大那樣放棄，我們將失去永生。這不是一個容易的旅程,但我們可以堅持下去。要記住我們是神的孩子,我們只是地球上的暫時的客旅。當耶穌在復活節主日復活時，祂向我們展示祂已戰勝了死亡。我們也將這樣做。復活代表著沒有死亡的生命。這就是已應許給我們的永生。
最後，有一個人應該在那天死去，但沒有死。當彼拉多試圖通過逾越節的習俗釋放耶穌時，人們要求釋放一名叫巴拿巴的強盜。彼拉多最後屈服了，釋放了巴拿巴而不是耶穌。巴拿巴本應該那天死，但耶穌卻代替他而死。這代表了耶穌為我們所有人所做的替代贖罪。我們可以得永生，因為耶穌為我們的罪而死，為我們付出了代價。我們需要做的就是接受祂為我們的犧牲，接受祂為我們的主宰和救主 (“Lord and Savior”)。主宰 (Lord): 把我們的控制權交給他。救主 (Savior): 祂將人從罪惡和永恆的死亡中拯救出來。
救恩是我們順服祂的副產品，而不是引你入基督教的誘惑。當我們屈服於耶穌時，我們就可以過一個有意義和目的的生活，由神引導和祝福。這是這個塵世生活的新的焦點。現在它有了意義和目的。若我們早點來到神面前，我們今生可以得到神的安慰和扶助。這也是我們獲得在永生的獎賞和責任的機會。第二位罪犯因恩典得救了，但他錯過了今生與基督同行的喜樂。
非基督徒啊：你會選擇哪條罪犯的道路？ 最好的選擇是巴拿巴的道路，在基督里過上美好的生活。「巴拿巴」這名字的意思是「父親的兒子」。讓我們都成為天父的孩子。猶大向我們展示了背離基督的心所帶來的危險。要堅持到底。要利用你的時間、才能和財富來獲得天上的才能和財富。
今天我們討論了四個凡人。每個人都代表了人對耶穌可能做出的不同反應。您要當哪一位呢？ 最好的選擇是成為巴拿巴 — 接受耶穌為我們的替代贖罪，過著蒙福的生活。讓耶穌成為您生命的主, 讓您過上有福的生活。
願神保佑及祝福各位。
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