An Unintentional Tribute
The sermon highlights the central truth of the gospel, that Christ's selflessness and sacrifice are the keys to saving others.
Selwyn Hughes delves into the profound truth that Jesus, despite being able to save Himself, chose to endure the humiliation and suffering of the cross to save others. This act of selflessness and sacrifice exemplifies the core message of the gospel - that true goodness conquers through self-giving and bleeding for others. Hughes reflects on how this principle of saving others by sacrificing oneself is a universal law that even applies to God, revealing the depth of divine nature and the ultimate expression of love.
Text
"'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can't save himself!' " (v. 42)
For reading & meditation:
Matthew 27:32-44
What humiliation and shame our Lord endured for us on the cross of Calvary. Cicero, a Roman philosopher, said of crucifixion: "Far be the very name of a cross not only from the bodies of Roman citizens, but from their imaginations, eyes and ears." But He, our Lord, though sinless, was crucified on a cross. Although His blood was flowing freely from wounds inflicted by the crown of thorns on His head, from His back that had been lacerated by cruel thongs, from His hands and feet through which He was skewered to the tree, yet He refused the deadening drug offered Him. He underwent the ordeal with brain unclouded and with nerves unsoothed. The crowd who watched Him cried: "He saved others, but he can't save himself!" But strange as it seems, that mocking phrase became the central truth of the gospel. He was saving others and therefore He could not save Himself. That is one of the greatest truths of life -if we are to save others we cannot save ourselves. To quote Spencer again: "It is a great mystery," he says, "yet an everlasting fact, that goodness in all moral natures has the doom of bleeding upon it, allowing it to conquer only as it bleeds. All goodness conquers by a cross." This law of saving by self-giving runs through life. Those who save themselves cannot save others, and those who save others cannot save themselves - cannot save themselves trouble, sorrow, hurts, disappointments, pain, and sometimes even death. This is a law of the universe, and it applies to God as much as it does to us.
O God, I have seen this law at work in human nature but I never thought it was part of the divine nature. But where could it have come from other than You? The highest in mankind is the deepest in You. I am staggered by it, but I know it to be true. Thank You, dear Father. Amen.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Humiliation of Christ
- A. The shame and suffering He endured on the cross
- 'B. The mocking words of the crowd: ''He saved others, but he can''t save himself!'''
- II. The Central Truth of the Gospel
- A. He was saving others and therefore He could not save Himself
- B. This law of saving by self-giving runs through life
- III. The Law of Saving by Self-Giving
- A. Those who save themselves cannot save others
- B. Those who save others cannot save themselves
Key Quotes
“He was saving others and therefore He could not save Himself.” — Selwyn Hughes
“It is a great mystery, yet an everlasting fact, that goodness in all moral natures has the doom of bleeding upon it, allowing it to conquer only as it bleeds.” — Selwyn Hughes
“Those who save others cannot save themselves - cannot save themselves trouble, sorrow, hurts, disappointments, pain, and sometimes even death.” — Selwyn Hughes
Application Points
- We must be willing to give up our own lives to save others, just as Christ did.
- Selflessness is a key principle in life, and it requires us to put others before ourselves.
- The law of saving by self-giving applies to all of us, and it is a reminder of the depth of God's goodness and sacrifice.