Three Hours
Jesus' selfless love and willingness to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of others is the core message of this sermon.
G. Campbell Morgan emphasizes the profound sacrifice of Jesus, who, despite the mockery and temptation to save Himself, chose to endure the cross for the sake of humanity. He highlights the significance of the three hours of darkness, during which Jesus could not save Himself, illustrating His unwavering commitment to saving others. This moment reflects the depth of His love and the fulfillment of His mission, as He willingly bore the weight of sin and separation from God. Morgan invites listeners to grasp the gravity of this sacrifice and the implications it has for their own lives.
Text
"He saved others; Himself He cannot." So they laughed at Him. Hear it again as a truth sublime and awful: because He saved others, He cannot save Himself. In order to save others He will not save Himself. Said the rabble, and said the rabbis joining in the unholy chorus, "Let Him come down from the cross"--27:42. He did not come down from the cross, He went up from the cross. The great Priest who already had burned the incense in the holiest place bore the symbolic mystery of His own shed blood into the holy place, but before He could do so, He passed into the darkness and abode in the silence three hours--a human measurement in order that we may somehow understand--and in those three hours He could not save Himself. That was because His heart was set upon saving others.
Sermon Outline
- The Unsaved Savior
- The Price of Salvation
- The Heart of the Savior
- Set upon saving others
- Could not save Himself
Key Quotes
“He saved others; Himself He cannot.” — G. Campbell Morgan
“In order to save others He will not save Himself.” — G. Campbell Morgan
“He did not come down from the cross, He went up from the cross.” — G. Campbell Morgan
Application Points
- We must be willing to sacrifice our own interests for the sake of others, just as Jesus did.
- Jesus' selfless love is a model for how we should live our lives, prioritizing the needs of others over our own.
- The price of salvation is not just a historical event, but a reality that we must confront in our own lives.