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This Lord’s Day is Reformation Sunday, a day that remembers the hard-fought gains achieved by men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and a host of others. All Protestant churches—even those that are not technically Reformed—owe a debt to these men who suffered, and sometimes laid down their lives, to purify the doctrine of the churches. They recovered the core of the gospel, usually encapsulated in “five solas” (sola meaning “alone”): Scripture alone is our authority; justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. And all of this is for the glory of God alone. This is the gospel.

 

I. The foundation of our mission: Scripture Alone

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

II. The Message of our mission: Justification…

By Grace Alone,

       Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Through Faith Alone,

      Scripture: Galatians 2:15-16

Because of Christ Alone.

      Scripture: Acts 4:10-12

III. The purpose of our mission: The Glory of God Alone

Scripture: Acts 4:10-12

Luke 23:50-56 has a somber tone. Jesus, now dead, was buried in a borrowed tomb. The Lord’s body was prepared with both respect and haste. Luke singled out two groups who participated in this grim act of love. First, a man named Joseph played a cameo role—his only appearance in the gospels. Second, the women who followed Jesus, ever-present and ever-faithful, observed the details and prepared to return to complete the task after the Sabbath had passed. We may well ask, what made the burial significant? Why did all four of the Gospel writers give attention to the details of Jesus’ burial? The answer to this question will be the focus of the sermon this Lord’s Day.

In Luke 23:39-43, one of the two thieves condemned to die with Jesus joins in the ridicule, blaspheming the crucified Messiah. The other thief challenges and rebukes him for his failure to fear God. He reminded the first thief that, unlike them, Jesus had done nothing wrong. Turning to Jesus, he asked Jesus to remember him when he entered his kingdom.

In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 23:32-38), Jesus is led the place of his execution. The injustice continued as he was crucified between two thieves, scoffed and mocked. Some onlookers thought it amusing that the placard above Jesus’ head declared that he was the King of the Jews. But we know that the crown follows the cross.

In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 23:26-31), Jesus leaves Pilate’s judgment hall and moves toward the cross. The focal point is Jesus’ conversation is his interaction with a group of women who followed him through the streets of Jerusalem, weeping as they went. He told them that their tears were misplaced. Instead of crying for him, they should weep for themselves and for their children. It was a warning of coming judgment on those who rejected him. In the midst of these dark circumstances, we find evidence of God’s gracious providence at work.

At the conclusion of Luke 22, the Jewish leadership of Israel conducted an illegal trial and determined that Jesus must die. However, they lacked the authority to execute him. They had to convince the civil authority (the Roman governor) that Jesus was a threat and deserved to die. In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day, we follow Jesus through the three phases of his Roman trial (Luke 23:1-25). Several elements of the story display the injustice of the proceedings and thus unveil the depth of God’s indescribable love for us.

Last week, we “watched” as Peter denied his Lord (Luke 22:54-62). The text for this Lord’s Day tells us what Jesus was enduring inside while Peter was denying him outside (Luke 22:63-71). It summarizes Jesus’ trial before the Jewish leaders and exposes the gross perversion of justice that took place that night. His adversaries pressed him, seeking an excuse to justify the verdict they had already reached. The irony is that they presumed to sit in judgment on the One who is both King and Judge.

In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 22:54-62), Luke shifts the focus of the story from Jesus to Peter. The one disciple who declared his undying allegiance to Jesus and who was ready to defend Jesus with his life now cowers in fear while Jesus is interrogated and sorely abused. As Jesus foretold, Peter denied his Master three times before the night was over. But Jesus was not through with Peter; he had work for the apostle to do after he repented.

As Jesus chided the disciples for their failure to pray in Gethsemane, a crowd of armed men made their way into the garden. Judas, one of the Twelve, led the way and betrayed his Master with a kiss of friendship. This moment marked the beginning of what Jesus called the hour of “the power of darkness.” Truly, dark forces were at work that night. The evil one imagined that he was in control. But Jesus would soon clarify whose hand really wielded the power that night.

Jesus and the disciples left the upper room in the early hours of Friday morning. They moved across the Kidron Valley and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. There Jesus instructed his disciples to pray so that Satan would not “sift” them. He withdrew to pray by himself. He poured out his soul in great agony as he anticipated the injustice and suffering that would soon come upon him.