Don’t think for a moment that the cross ‘happened to Jesus.’ No, not at all. God planned for Jesus to be there. Jesus willingly gave His life; no one took it from Him (John 10:17-18). Every decision Jesus made led Him to the cross. He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). What God was planning was the greatest moment in all of history since the creation of the world. It would never be repeated!

We make choices every day. Some are pretty small. I was at the store recently choosing to buy chicken noodle soup or chicken tortilla soup that night for dinner. It’s was very inconsequential when compared with ‘where you are going to go to college after your graduate from high school, right?’

If we could see the future, some our choices would be different. In one sense we do know a little of the future. The Bible pulls back the curtain of time and gives us some glimpses. We make decisions every day that can radically affect our future. I wish I could change some of the decisions I have made; but I can’t. How about you?

God is giving us time to make the most of every opportunity we have. The Bible reveals to us the lives of many people, good and bad. Their stories are there for us. God’s grace allows us to learn from them. Consider this verse:

In other words, we can see the good and bad choices people made and learn from them. In this message we are going to look at two types of Divine Moments and what happened to the people in those kairos moments.

I. When the Moment Seizes You Luke 23:26

What would you say about Simon of Cyrene? Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was he going to watch the spectacle? I don’t think so. The Scripture says that he was simply ‘coming out of the country.’ Mark records that he was merely ‘passing by’ and that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21). The events of Jesus’ crucifixion were set in motion; nothing could stop it. Simon was there at just the precise moment of history when Jesus was going to be crucified. Simon couldn’t have planned it. He didn’t seize the moment; the moment seized him!

It would be insightful to hear him tell his story. “I was going to cut through the place where they crucified people. I was hoping that there would be too many people there”...his voice trails off. When Simon woke up that morning he had no idea of the events that would unfold. It’s that way in our lives too. We try to write our own script but it doesn’t always turn out the way we would like.

But the Bible says that they ‘laid hold’ of Simon (Luke 23:26). The Roman soldiers seized him!! It’s the word used when Jesus grabs Peter as he doubted and was sinking into the water as he walked to the boat!

There are somethings that seem to sweep us up into the moment. We are carried along and there is not much we can do about it. Simon could have resisted. The Bible says they seized him and compelled him to carry the cross.

But let’s talk about the moments that you can seize. Moments that you have some control over. Let’s look at some other Bible characters that were present at this God Moment.

1. We are going to have times when the moment seizes us. There is nothing we can do about it. How we respond in those times reveals our character and faith. Maybe you feel like you are in one of those kairos moments. What can you do?

+Step out in faith and determine to go forward!
+Tell God you are trusting Him in spite of how bleak it looks on the outside!

2. Right now, in this invitation you can seize the moment.

+What you do in this moment has a direct relationship to what will happen in your future. Your choice now can radically affect everything after this point. This is especially true if you repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That decision is the most important decision anyone can make!

+This exact moment will not be repeated. You are living it right now. Perhaps you will have another opportunity to receive Jesus. We have no guarantees on tomorrow.
+ Take a risk this week to share Jesus with someone and change their future forever!

II. When You Seize the Moment Luke 23:27-31

There was a multitude of people following this spectacle! Some no doubt were there for the ‘show.’ Others were hurting. The Bible mentions woman who were crying and beating their chests in grief. All these people had made a choice to be there. We don’t know their motives but we do know part of their story. Jesus says that they were crying for the wrong reasons (Luke 23:28-31). They were concerned about Jesus. They should have been concerned about themselves. They were seizing a moment that they didn’t really understand!

But there are two other people in this drama. They were also caught up in this Divine Moment. The two thieves.

We could say that the two thieves had made many wrong choices. Their sins had caught up with them and they were sentenced to die by the most horrific death possible-crucifixion. They had made the choices that had brought them to this point. They had no one to blame but themselves. But the moment of their crucifixion was far different from any one else suffering for their crimes. They were in a moment never to be repeated in human history! The Savior of the world was in between them. They didn’t know it at the start of the day but there was still hope! We know this story. Every year at Easter it is re-told. Luke 23:39-43

These two thieves have two very different responses in this ‘divine moment.’ The Bible says that both of the thieves reviled Jesus at the beginning; they were both hostile to Him. But during this moment something happened to the thieves that changed their eternity forever. One seized the moment for good. The other thief went from pain to unspeakable pain, torment and a horrific future.

What about you? What is happening to you that you can’t control? How will you respond? Or is this the time for you to seize the moment?

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