Confidence in Christ

The signs and wonders of Jesus… Jesus’s ministry was accompanied by so many signs and wonders. If we asked those here to name the miracles that we remember, we would probably list things like feeding the 5 thousand, turning water to wine, healing the sick, walking on water.

The signs were a testimony… The miracles that accompanied Jesus were supernatural testimonies the Jesus Christ was in fact Gods chosen Son, sent to deliver humanity from sin.

Even those who opposed Jesus admitted his signs and wonders… Arguments about who Jesus was are plenty but the signs that accompanied Him were undeniable. Both His followers to His enemies recognized them. Miracles He preformed are even historically written about outside the bible from the time periods near it

What do we do with the information about them… The question is, once you recognize them, how do you explain them and what do you do about them. The implications are enormous, He is either the Son of God or a charlatan. The hope of humanity or a mad man who thinks He is someone He is not.

Today I want to draw your attention to miracles you may have missed in the bible narrative. I want to show you the connection between them and God.

I also want to draw your attention to the those present to see them and how they responded to what they saw.

English Standard Version Chapter 23

The Death of Jesus

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Sixth hour to the ninth hour… I spoke last weekend about the darkness that fell over the land while Jesus was on the cross. Noon to 3pm. The brightest part of the day.

Darkness over the whole land… This event has always fascinated me. It just went dark. I had always imagined an eclipse. Why not? God who hung the sun and the moon and the stars and created time it’s self could easily co-ordinate this event to coincide with a solar eclipse.

Creation pursure God’s design from the begining… It just made sense to me for Him to do something He has already set creation in motion to do. The laws of physics we call science is creation itself pursuing God’s design from the beginning. It’s fascinating to think that He spoke and and creation continues to act upon what He spoke so long ago.

Passover and the Full Moon… Every Passover meal (seder) takes place under a full moon. This is built into the structure of the Hebrew calendar. In the Hebrew system, months begin at the new moon. By the 15th of the month, the moon has waxed to its fullest. Since Passover starts on 15 Nisan, the first seder night always falls on or very near a full moon.

Nisan… Is the first month of the Hebrew calendar. It is spring time for them. It would be either March or April on our calendar.

Show Moon and Sun slide

Impossible for a solar eclipse… Since the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun during a full moon it can’t get between the sun and the earth. That means during Christ’s crucifixion the moon was not in position to cover the sun.

Darkness… So if the darkness that fell over the land was not the moon obscuring the sun what was it.

Ultimately I went back to scripture to explain this phenomenon. Scripture should be the highest authority in our lives. Above any opinions, experiences even sciences we believe to understand, scripture should govern our understanding of the world around us.

English Standard Version Psalm 97

97 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;

let the many coastlands be glad!

2  Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;

And

English Standard Version Chapter 20

Exodus 20:20-21

God Himself… I believe based on scripture God the Father was there during Christ’s crucifixion. Observing His Son pay the price for the sins of mankind. Pleased that His Son was fulfilling His will, and yet at the same time turning His back on the sins of mankind that were being judged.

The verse that convinced me… If the two verses above are not enough to convince you, this next piece of scripture was the last piece of the puzzle that solidified my position.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

The Transfiguration

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold,

The Father in both clouds… God the Father surrounds Himself with clouds of both light and darkness in scripture. The Father Himself during the Transfiguration looked down on His son from Heaven and spoke over His Son from a bright and shining cloud.

The Father blocked the light that day… I believe it was the Father Himself obscuring the light of the sun that day. The awesomeness and power of who He is blotted out the light.

The curtain torn… Luke records the curtain of the temple was torn in two in addition to the light failing. What he does not record is what happening when the curtain tore. If we reference the gospel of Matthew we see what was happening.

English Standard Version Chapter 27

51 And behold, the

Earthquake… There was an earthquake that shook the area. An earthquake could easily explain the veil tearing from top to bottom as its anchor points are pulled apart from one another.

The veil and its location…

The connection to Earthquakes… Earthquakes have interesting connection’s to the presence of God and judgement in scripture.

Christ’s prophetic warning… Jesus gives a prophecy in Matthew about His return which will be accompanied by darkness and what appear to be a earthquake.

Matthew 24:29–30 ““Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

John and the sixth seal… The Apostle John records a vision that God gave Him in the book of Revelation. Jesus, Lord and King of Kings, opens the seals of the scroll only He is worthy to open. Each seal brings about judgement to earth. The sixth seal He opens is accompanied by an earthquake and the sun going dark.

Revelation 6:12 “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,”

Isaiah’s prophecy… Isaiah all the way back in the old Testament records earthquakes accompany the Lord when He returns.

Isaiah 29:6 “you will be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.”

Gods presence + Darkness/Quaking… Throughout the bible the presence of God is accompanied by great clouds of light and darkness and the earthquaking.

Both signs during the crucifixion… And the signs that accompanied Christ during His crucifixion were both the sunlight failing and the earthquaking.

Unproduceable… These are things that cannot be produced. No man cerate's earthquake’s. No man darkens the light of the sun.

A false claim of supernatural darkness or an earthquake would be easy to disprove… Not only are these signs unproduceable, they are the kind of things you don’t testify too unless they actually happened. Think about it. If I told you the Walnut Grove fell under darkness yesterday between the hours of noon and three PM and it wasn’t true would you even hesitate to argue with me? No. It’s something you can easily prove is false. No one sane is going to make that claim if it were not true.

Add in the Earthquake… Now let’s throw an earthquake in the mix. Now there was no light from the sun for three hours and earthquake occurred. And not just a little one, it was big enough to shake the foundation of the temple, the enormous foundation of the temple, and cause damage.

The publicness of the event… You have to remember that this was a very public event, held inside Isreal the Day before their annual Passover Celebration, one of if not the biggest holiday they celebrate every year.

English Standard Version Chapter 23

48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

There are crowds of people watching this take place. There are ton’s of witnesses. Any number of them could refute these supernatural claims. Yet there are no records of even one of them arguing these things did not happen.

It gets even more extraordinary… And as if that were not extraordinary enough Matthew records something else amazing happening.

English Standard Version Chapter 27

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.

The tombs were opened… We are talking about the dead raising from the grave. I can’t think of a much easier argument to win, than a dead man or woman is now alive, if it is not true. You simply travel to the grave of the deceased person and wa-la, there is your evidence. Argument won.

Not the kind of thing to record if untrue… No sane person makes this false claim when it is so easy to disprove. They certainly don’t record it for mass consumption as a founding document to their belief system.

Each Gospel account recorded the extraordinary that could have dismantled Christianity … The authors of the Gospel’s recorded miracles there was no coming back from if they were untrue. They were so extraordinary anyone one of them could have completely dismantled Christian faith if it were false. Yet you don’t hear scholars debate the miracles surrounding Jesus. They make many other arguments, but rarely do they attack the signs and wonders that followed Him.

Who else’s testimony could we examine... If we were to examine those who could refute the things that happened that day, who could we examine. Many who were present during Christ’ crucifixion are unnamed. The faceless crowds of people who showed up to watch the Roman soldiers torture three men to death.

Jesus’s followers… Jesus followers were also present

English Standard Version Chapter 23

49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Jesus followers would not be expected to be independent… We probably wouldn’t examine them if we were unsure of the truth. Their testimony might be motivated by their loyalty to Jesus and their cause. An independent witness or at least someone who wasn’t motivated to testify on Christ’s behalf would be the person you would want to speak with.

Who else could we examine?

The Roman soldiers… How about the Roman soldiers who were present to do the dirty task of crucifying Jesus? If anyone present can be expected to disagree with the signs and wonders described in Luke or any of the other gospels I would expect it to be the Roman soldiers.

One in particular is noted… There is one particular Roman soldier present during Christ’s crucifixion. The Centurion.

A Centurion… A centurion in general holds the military rank of a Captain in the Roman Army. They are the highest ranking non-commissioned officers. Their positions are gained through battle experience, commitment and loyalty. They are trusted, battled hardened men capable of getting jobs done. Their position held a lot of influence.

This Centurion… This Centurion was likely present from the very moment Jesus was brought before Pilate. He would have been the highest ranking soldier present to ensure Pilates safety and preform the will of the Roman Empire when a sword was the prescribed method.

The gathering of the cohort… He is likely the soldier who called together the cohort, the 600 men, who dressed and beat and mocked and spit on Jesus in the governors quarters in Matthew 27.

He witnessed Jesus’s trial… He would have heard the accusations brought against Jesus. He would have heard Jesus’s answer to Pilate. He would have seen Jesus’s humble and righteous demeanor in face of outlandish lies and attacks. He

He witnessed Jesus being crucified… He would have witnessed Jesus’s character remain the same as they nailed Him to the cross. He would have heard Jesus pray for the men crucifying Him

Luke 23:34 “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”

Mary given to John… He would have heard Jesus entrust His mother Mary to John while He hung on the cross.

English Standard Version Chapter 19

26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

The thief… He would have watched the strength slowly leach out of the Lord. He would have watched Jesus use the little remaining strength He had encourage the thief on the cross that He would be accepted into Heaven.

English Standard Version Chapter 23

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus’s last words… He would have watched as Jesus gave His life up and uttered His last words.

English Standard Version Chapter 23

Luke 23:46

The Centurion examined Jesus’s life and words… The Centurion who was present for all these things examined the purity Jesus’s word’s. He examined purity of Jesus’s life being lived right before His eyes. Under the most extortionary circumstances.

The Centurion witnessed the signs and wonders… For three hours he waited through dark in the middle of the day. He was there beside the cross after Jesus gave His spirit up and the ground shook.

The Centurions conclusion… The conclusion the Centurion reached after just few hours in the presence of Jesus Christ was that He was the innocent Son of God.

English Standard Version Chapter 27

Matthew 27:54

The Centurions reasons to refuse to believe… This Centurion had every reason to deny Jesus as the Son of God. Remember, He is not a Jew. He is Roman Soldier. The military He has served under concurred the Jewish people. The Roman’s largely practiced Polytheism, the worship of many Gods, not the singular God of the Bible. The Emperor of Rome was Tiberius Caesar Augustus, who willing took on the title Divi filius (“son of a god”). He could be seen to be at odds with Caesar.

They put Jesus to death, they could put Him to death as well… The Centurion has watched the Roman Governor condemn the man to death He just had crucified because the Jewish leaders who worship God have rejected Him as a Heretic. Choosing to recognize Jesus could be a very unhealthy decision. He is not even a disciple of Christ’s, He has only just met Him.

He has every reason to refuse to acknowledge who Christ is and despite all that His confession if Jesus Christ is the innocent Son of God.

Closing

Church if somebody was going to be motivated enough to deny Christ and all the accompanying signs and wonders of that fateful day surely the Centurion would have been.

Church this is the kind of testimony we can rest our assurances on that Jesus Christ is who He said He was. The He preformed the miracles gospels say He preformed. That He lived the life of sinlessness the gospel’s say He lived.

Church this is the kind of testimony that should give birth to a deeper confidence in our faith.

It’s been 2,000 years. If somebody was going to come up with the gotcha argument by now, they would have. The enemies of Christ have had plenty of time to do it.

Why?... Why did Luke, Matthew and Mark all record the confession’s of the Centurion? I will answer that question but first I want to point you to something within the US legal code for reference.

Miranda warning… In the court of Law in the United States defendants are protected from making potentially self incrimination statements unless they are first aware that the statements the make are voluntarily given on their part and can be used against them in a court of law. We have probably all watched the Cop shows in which the defendant gets off on technicality because the Cop didn’t read the perpetrator his Miranda warning. Essentially what that means is the testimony given to the officer cannot be used in court.

The one speech Miranda does not protect… There is a classification of free will speech from a perpetrator that every court will accept, weather or not the perpetrator is read their Miranda warning or not. That classification is Excited Utterance.

Excited Utterance... An excited utterance under U.S. law’s of evidence applies when a person makes a statement relating to a startling event while still under the stress or excitement caused by that event. Courts consider such statements more trustworthy because the speaker has not had time to fabricate or reflect.

Examples of Excited utterance moments… These are spontaneous statements made in moments of great emotional states or surprise. If drop something really heavy on my foot, you will probably hear an excited utterance come out of my mouth. If speak to the driver of auto accident just moments after it occured, what they tell me is likely to be an excited utterance. What they just went through was sudden, unexpected and caused a great deal of emotion’s all at once.

The Centurions Statement… How would you classify the Centurions statement ?

English Standard Version Chapter 27

Matthew 27:54

The tension of the moment… Darkness falls over the land for three hours, at the end Jesus cries out before dying and then and earthquake begins. Do you think that this might have been a sudden, unexpected moment that caused a great deal of emotions all at once?

I do.

Included to build our confidence in Jesus Christ… The reason that Luke, Matthew and Mark recorded these details was to give evidence of the truth. So that the evidence you considered would build you confidence in the truth that Jesus Christ, the Sinless man, died at the cross for the sin’s of humanity, accompanied by great signs and wonders and we even confessed as the Son of God by soldiers that carried out execution.

Church we can have great confidence in Jesus Christ. We so much testimony. We do not have blind faith, we have a faith supported by a great deal of evidence and what we have reviewed today is just a small sample.

Church we can have a great confidence in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.