Divine design in disaster: Understanding God's purpose's in life's earthquakes.
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
well Good Morning church, my name is Zach Honnen and I'm a student here at The River Church is Pastors Academy and I'm also The student Director here at the Davison location
Over the past couple months, it's been such a blessing to be able to become a part of the Davidson location and to serve each and every Wednesday with your students
I just want to thank each and everyone of you for welcoming me helping me to connect and truly feel like Davison is my home location
But without any further talk, let's go ahead and go to God's word today
Today we will be in Matthew 27:51 for context we will begin reading in verse 45
But if you are here this morning and you don't have a Bible, I would encourage you to download The River Church app or a Bible app. We have a Bible feature available on there.
Matthew 27:45-51 (ESV)
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
And with that lets go to the lord in prayer
And with that lets go to the lord in prayer
over the past few weeks we have been looking at the different miracles at the cross
In week one we looked at the darkness that lasted for a span of 3 hours. day became night
and last week we looked at the The veil and the temple being torn into from top to bottom.
And I want to encourage you, if you haven't been keeping up with our series, if this is your first Sunday here, we have our sermons available online in different areas. Please check them out. This has been such any incredible
But today we're gonna be talking about the earthquake. The 3rd miracle we see at the cross.
But before we get into that, I wanna give us a little bit more context for what's
been happening.
You see Jesus was with his disciples the night before. And he. was betrayed by Judas Iscariot.
Jesus was sold into the hands of the religious leaders for 30 pieces of silver.
He was beaten. He was put on trial. He was accused falsely.
He was whipped. and abused and beaten beyond recognition.
And he has been marched out of the city to the place known as Golgotha which means place of the skull
Where he is now hanging on a cross, a wooden beam suspended by nails in his wrists and in his feet.
And above his head is written a sign that says the king of the Jews.
And throughout crucifixion, throughout this time of Him hanging on the cross, He has been mocked and ridiculed by those around him.
And if you never been in church, this is a brutal experience, and this is unjust. Jesus has done nothing wrong. He has done nothing to deserve this punishment that he is taking.
So during this event, we see several miracles. As I've mentioned, the darkness that lasted for three hours, and the veil being torn within the temple. But today we're looking at the earthquake.
at the moment of the death of Jesus we see a devastating earthquake hit Jerusalem and the surrounding area
And this brings us to the question of why the earthquake whats the significance or purpose?
Why the Earthquake.
Why the Earthquake.
To understand the significance of the earthquake, I think we first need to understand the significance of the audience
Who were the people standing around the cross at the time of the earthquake?
At the cross, we have a mixture of Jesus's followers and enemies.
There are Romans soldiers who were sent to carryout the Execution and watch over Jesus, and there were Jewish religious leaders who stayed and mocked Jesus.
We see a mixture of Jews and pagans or Greeks
The jewish people had a full understanding of scripture of prophecies for the Messiah and biblical history
The Romans didn't have that, but they have the ability to see and perceive that miracles don't happen for no reason, and that there is purpose for them.
I think it's important for us to keep our mind open to the fact that this was a mixed audience, but the majority here came to mock and killed, Jesus
So what would the significance of the earthquake be for the jews?
In order to understand and grasp what may have been going in in the Jewish mind during this earthquake, I want to look at the biblical history
Throughout the old testament we see God working and use earthquakes in His plan and for His glory.
Go a head and turn your bible to Exodus 19:16-19
In this passage, God is establishing his people. He has just brought them out of Egypt and lead them to Mount Sinai by cloud at day and fire by night and now God is about to give the law to his people.
Exodus 19:16–19 (ESV)
16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
In this passage, we see the power of God on display for all to see.
And why is God doing this? What is he trying to accomplish with his people? lets look a verse 9
English Standard Version Chapter 19
9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”
GOD IS USING HIS POWER TO SHAKE THE EARTH, AND SET A MOUNTAIN ON FIRE TO VALIDATE THE WORDS THAT HE GIVES TO MOSES
God is using his power and authority to Leave the people with no doubt about what he tells. Moses is true.
And furthermore, God verbally affirmed his law by speaking, the 10 Commandments to the people
And receive a response in 20 verse 18 through 19
18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
In the Jewish mind during this earthquake at the Cross, their minds may have gone back to the giving of the law, the establishment of old or the first covenant
And throughout Jesus's ministry, we see God, affirm Jesus through miracles, and even through verbal affirmation just like we saw with Moses and the 10 Commandments
which we see early in jesus’ ministry in Matthew 3:17
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
In the Jewish in mind, the earthquake could've been a confirmation of God's power, or an affirmation of the authority of the figure in question
So what were some of the things that Jesus claimed on the cross what was something that Jesus said that God may have affirmed?
Early in the passage, we see Jesus say “my god, my god why have you forsaken me?”
there is much debate on the meaning of the statement, whether Jesus was fully shunned by God or not, but I don't want to get into that today
Something that is clear is that Jesus is making a reference to Psalm 22
I'd like to just take a few moments focus on the to the significance of that so lets turn to psalm 22
And while you are turning there Within the Jewish tradition, the memorization of music and Psalms and songs always begin with the very first verse, and from that the whole congregation would remember the whole song, and sing it together aloud
And when Jesus said “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” every religious Jew in that area would have remembered this song
English Standard Version Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
English Standard Version (Psalm 22)
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
and in Psalm 22:18 we see it more fulfillment of prophecy
English Standard Version Psalm 22
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots
35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
In Quoting Psalm 22 Jesus is Highlighting that prophecy is being fulfilled in that very moment
Jesus claims to be the Messiah through the statements he made throughout his ministry, and the statements he made on the cross
By quoting Psalm 22. He has made the statement that HE is the fulfillment of that prophecy, and he is the son of God.
Psalm 22 was written 1,000 years before Jesus's death on the cross
jesus is fulfilling a 1,000 year old prophecy
And the very last statement we hear Jesus make before he breathes. His last was,
John 19:30 (ESV)
It is finished,”
And immediately the earthquake immediately we see God affirm what happened, and the Earth lash out for the injustice that had taken place on the cross
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus had done nothing wrong, but he payed the penalty for our sins. He had fulfilled scripture and finished the fulfillment of the law.
In the Old Testament at Mount Sinai, God gave the law and validated it through his miracles and the people trembled
But All the law could do was condemn the people because no one could live to the perfect standards of the law
Each and everyone of the people had failed one of the 10 Commandments a
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and according to James
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
But Jesus Came to not abolish the law, but to fulfill the law
Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
In Jesus's death on the cross, he paid the penalty for the sins of the world.
When God gave the law, there was an earthquake,
and when Jesus fulfilled the law, there was a massive earthquake.
So the For the Jewish perspective, Jesus has quoted scripture AND fulfilled that scripture in that very moment,
and then He gave up His spirit and died and immediately there was an earthquake of massive proportions,
For any person there it would be undeniable to say that Jesus is just like any other man who died on a cross
The only way for any person there, to deny Jesus as the Lord and king and God would be, for their hearts to be harder than the stones that broke open beneath her feet
We've seen confirmation after confirmation through the things that Jesus said and fulfilled, and then the miracles that happened around them
But What would have the Roman soldiers thought ? What would the non-Jews have thought about this whole situation?
They didn’t memorize Psalm 22
They didn’t know, prophecy or scripture
But but they could see the miracles that happen before their eyes
According to ancient superstitions ancient beliefs even for the Romans They would have seen the sun going black and earth, shaking and breaking apart as a sign of God's judgment, or displeasure with a situation.
At the cross, we see the total judgment poured out upon CHRIST and we Gods authority over nature, and even nature's response to the death of its creator through the earthquake
John MacArthur says, “therefore, when God shook the Earth at the death of his son, he gave the world a for taste of what he would do When one day he shakes the Earth in judgment, at the coming of the king of kings.”
that is the second coming of Christ Jesus
God used this earthquake, not only to shake the Earth and break the rocks. I believe he used this earthquake to break through the stones for hearts that people had.
He Used this earthquake to break through to the hearts that have been hardened toward Jesus and his message, and the truth of the gospel
we see this in our text in Matthew 27:54
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
The men who were overseeing the death of Christ, had their hearts of Stone, turned to hearts of flesh by the power of God through this earth quake, and the death of his son
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God used this earthquake the circumstance, the situation, the things these men saw to give them a heart of flesh, and a spirit of understanding of who Jesus was
We see the same thing for the thief on the cross
You see there were two thieves on the cross, and both mocked Jesus and ridiculed Jesus, and then throughout the time on the cross at the end, one believed in Jesus, and asked him to remember him when Jesus enters into His kingdom
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Both In the life of the Roman centurion
and the life of the thief on the cross,
God used crazy circumstances, painful circumstances, and dangerous circumstances, and even earthquakes to open their eyes to the truth
and I believe God uses the same things in our lives today
God will use suffering, earthquakes and painful situation's to grab our attention to show that we need him and to remind us of how weak we actually are
In this Room I don't know what's going on in your life, but I can imagine that not everything is sunshine and roses
If you are in this room and you are suffering, Or at the breaking point
you don't know what to do anymore
And I want to encourage you that God may be trying to get your attention. Maybe you've been running from God and chasing after sin
Maybe you grew up in church, but you've abandon your faith PAUSE
God may be using the circumstances in your life to bring attention to your need for him, and bring you back to himself
In the Bible, the prodigal son ran away from his father, and enjoyed his life for a little while
but eventually he was impoverished, poor, and in desperate need for his father
Beautiful part of that story is The father, who represents God in the story, was waiting for his son with open arms
And if this is you today, please come back to Christ. Please come back to God please don't abandon your faith, but embrace it God may be trying to get your attention.
God is waiting for you with open arms
Maybe you're here and you've never known the Lord
you like the Roman centurion have been an enemy of God up until this point
And maybe God is trying to grab your attention today trying to show you your need for Him today.
God has allowed you to go through some awful circumstances so that you may come to a place of realization that you can't do this life on your own
Without God, it is impossible to please him, but with Christ with Jesus,
with God,
all things are possible
you see , Romans 10:9-10
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Please don't harden you heart towards God. Please don't harden your heart towards Jesus
he loves you.
He wants a relationship with you,
and he has died to pay the penalty for our sins
If you don't know, Jesus today, please believe in him today, repent of your sins,
which means to have a change of mind and believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose again to give you and I newness of life
And finally if you're a believer here this morning, and you also feel like your world is shaking and falling apart
If you feel like you're going through suffering and crazy times, remember that God can use suffering for his glory, and for our benefit, we see that demonstrated by the miracle of the earthquake
God used a destructive and bleak situation to bring people to faith
and when we go through destructive and bleak situation, God can use our response as gospel opportunities with those around us
When the Earth shakes, and the rocks split, God is trying to grab attention, so when your world shakes
that is God reminding us That this world isn't our firm foundation
Jesus is the only firm foundation that we have
He is king, he is Lord he is risen, and he is unshakable, PAUSE
and we can step out in confidence, no matter the circumstance, knowing that he has conquered death and the grave
And one day he will return to earth and the Earth will shake again, but we will not be shaken because he is our foundation and our hope
Let's live out of this truth for the rest of our lives
whether we are at church work, or just out in the world
let us know that we have a firm foundation in Christ, and that he is coming one day to shake the Earth once again
Lets pray…