My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?

Opening

(Put up Phones, Bibles, Notebooks)

Tonight we are going to do things a little different. If you have your phone or Bible, I would like you to put them away. If you have a notebook, put that up as well. I know, I know, I love taking my notes as well but tonight I want everyone to think and reflect on this passage. Ill have the scripture on screen and there will be plenty of time to write down notes in small group.

(Recap)

We are on to the 4th statement from the cross.

1. The first one emphassing the heart of Jesus as he forgave those who mocked and killed him.

2. The second statement illustrating our response to the gospel, which thief are we. Are we the one who trusted in Christ or are we the one who mocked him.

3. Last week, we look at Jesus commanding John to take care of his mom and the spiritual implications that has.

Tonight, we are looking at climax of the crucifixion and the totality of the weight of sin on Jesus. We are in the Gospel of Matthew and this one Jesus’ last statement he makes.

Matthew 27:45–46 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?”

Lets pray…

(Nightmare as a boy illusration)

When I was younger, in like 6th or 7th grade, a youth teacher told me that he thought the end times were coming with the years 2024-2028. This idea of the end times freaked me out. Night after night, I would wake up to this recurring nightmare, not the coming judgment of God, but being left behind by the raptured. I would quickly get up and check to see if my mom and dad, and brother and sister were still there. I was terrified of this idea of being abandoned by my family. I was only ten years old, i couldn’t go get a job and if my family was gone who would i turn too. I was helpless and abandoned. Luckily now i know that i would be called up with christ but for years that fear followed me.

(Mom who abandoned her baby illustration)

Last week, I had heard this heart wrenching news report. This mom got sick and tired of your baby. I dont know if it was the long hours awake. The consant need that the baby would require. Maybe it was annoyance or frustration, but she had enough. she left her newborn home alone for a week straight. For days, this child was stuck in their play-pin, stuck in the same diaper, with no food and water, entirely relying on the mom to come home. By the time the mom came home, the baby had died of dehydration, and their final hours were draining away, scared to death and all alone. The mom had abandoned her baby.

This story is horrific and gives you a glimpse into what our Lord Jesus felt and took upon the cross. He was totally abandoned by God on the cross.

Matthew 27:46 CSB

46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

(The world turned aganist Christ)

The world was revolting and throwing everything it had at the son of God.

We see a literal embodiment of the spiritual war being raged at the sky was darkened in the middle of the day. He was turned in to the roman authority by people who praised his name 5 days prior. One of his closest friend betrayd him. He was traded out for a murder, Barabas. He was beaten to a inch of his life and then forced to carry a cross. Nailed to that tree and but up, naked and humliated.

The son of God was suffering both physically, mentally, and spiritually. We see in the passage that Christ yelled out. He shout out this blood curdling cry for help.

In two out of the four gospels, these are the final words of Jesus before he dies. John ends with I am finished and Luke ends with “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Why does Mark and Matthew end with “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” I believe it was because as they were gathering eyewitness accounts, what people at cross remembered was the horror of a innocent man screaming agony of abandonment. They end with this because this simply sums up the total sacrifice the Lord Jesus underwent for our salvation.

The first thing this statement address is that our sin had a cost.

Cant you hear the cry of our savior. MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONEND ME?

Jesus on this cross is suffering a physical toll. I am not going rehash what Ben and Nate have already shared about the cruelty and torture the cross was. What I am going to share is that pain Jesus felt physically was not even close to the pain he felt of bear our sins on the cross and the wrath of God bearing down on him.

Everyone of our sins put on him. Everyone. There is not a single sin left off of the cross.

(All sins)

Sometimes I have to catch myself because quickly attribute sin to murder, aldultry, or lying. Jesus redifines these sins on the sermon on the mount. Its not just murder, but the anger in your heart. We are so quick to let things slide. I am.

How quick are we to justify our anger againist others, especially other christians. We are so quick to justify our pride and compare ourselves to others. We think we are better than others. We exclude others because we dont love them. Everyone of those sins was put on Jesus. All of them.

There is not one that goes unnoticed. Why do we think that God over looks are sin. He doesnt. In fact he payed such close attention to it, that every oz of sin was poured out on Jesus. Jesus bore our sin. All of it. He suffered for all of it.

How can we remember his death without sorrowing over the sin which made that death necessary?

Christ’s Crowning Glory, Volume 50, Sermon #2876 - Psalm 21:5

Charles Spurgeon

Are you sorry for the sin you committed? Because it put him on the cross. The one perfect person. THe one person who loved me perfectly, selflessly and i consistantly sin as if his sacrifice doesnt matter to me.

The second thing this statement clearly addresses is the sin of our apathy.

The dictionary defines apathy as having or showing little or no interest, concern, or emotion

. Isnt this true how we talk about our faith. We have become num to the sacrifice of Jesus. We have become uncaring about cost of salvation.

I have to confess that when i first read this verse I was unphased. I couldnt figure out what the whole point was. Yes, jesus died for me but how does that affect us today with what we need to do tomorrow. It wasnt untill yesterday, after prayer after prayer that he unveiled some of the hidden truth of this statement. I was apathetic. I was showing little to no intrest, concern or emotion to the cross of my savior.

Arent we all like that?

How many times do we sit down and get annoyed because the pastor went to long in a sermon. How about when someone at the dinner table has the audacity to pray a prayer longer than 7 words. We sing songs of the resurrection and freedom we have in Jesus and many of us have better things to do. We dont listen because we are bored.

Whats worse, is that all the examples I am describing is when we are with the body of Christ. When we are on our best behavior.

If we act this num to his sacrifice here than we have no hope when we go out into the dark, wicked world. Lord, knows how I have fallen for this trap of apathy towards him and the power of the spirit.

I am ashamed of the amount of times that I go days without a thought towards him. Somedays its like i pretend it doesn't matter. I talk with friends and we act like it doesn't matter. We pray like it doesn't matter. We sing like it doesnt matter. We refuse to share the gospel with friends who are on the road to hell because we believe it doesn't matter.

We have grown apathetic to his love. God, forgive us for forsaking you.

God does not play with sin. It is very serious.

The apostle Paul in Romans expresses that “the wages of Sin is Death.” Death. Not a time out, Not a grounding, but eternal damnation. Eternal seperation from God. Hell.

This is why Jesus crys out. This is torture. OUR sin did that.

How great a friend we have in Jesus, that he sacrificed himself for us. He willingly died on our behalf. I pray that we never lose sight of the weight of our sin. We can not afford to turn a blind eye to any sin.

This phrase, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me is a direct quotation from the 22nd Psalm. In this psalm, David is crying out for God. It is a very deeply rich psalm, where in the end, David triumphs in the Lords goodness. The context here is a little more scary. For the first time in all of existent, the son of God experienced the abandonment from the father?

Why did God abandoned his Son?

Like many of us at this point. You may have begun to question the goodness of God.

Like the story of the mom abandoning her baby, you may begin to look at God with that same contemptment. Why would God abandon his child.

The child that brought love and joy to so many. The only innocent man to have ever existant. A son he said in Mark that he was well pleased with. Why would God forsake christ in the most painful and horrific time in history. It was because of me. It was because of you. For this first time in all of eternity, God all mighty turned his back on Jesus as he took on our sins on the cross. Unlike the mom being frustrated with her baby, God sacrificed his son out of love for us.

This statement from the cross is cause for celebration. Jesus bore our sin! He took it all. Every last bit of it. He paid our debt. Every last penny. Jesus saved us. Praise God for his love. He loves you. His desire is to know you. To walk with you. To be apart of your life. You want proof. Look to the cross. Look at his sacrifice for you. For me. Scripture is screaming of his love.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

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.

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Philippians 2:7–8 ESV

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Matthew 27:46 ESV

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?”

Jesus took my sin. Now i am washed white as snow. I am a new creation, the old is gone. Born-again. My only hope is Jesus. Thank God he was forsaken for my sake. Oh what a savior I have in Jesus

Who could imagine so great a mercy?

What heart could fathom such boundless grace?

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin, and bear my shame.

I need everyone to look at me. Do you know Jesus. Not about him. Not facts and bits of information but do you have a relationship with the living God of the universe. Is he your savior and is he your Lord?

As the band comes up….