Chapel 10.20

The Death of Jesus

We pick up the story, Jesus is on the cross, bystanders and the religious leaders are taunting Jesus, challenging Him to come down from the cross so they can believe in Him.

But again, we need Jesus on that cross, He comes down and we are screwed, hopeless with no way of ever making ourselves right with God.

Let’s read in , verses 45-50

Matthew 27:45-

Matthew 27:45–50 ESV

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 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?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 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. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

The 6th hour is 12 noon and the 9th hour is 3 in the afternoon, there was an unexplained darkness from 12 to 3.

Jesus, the light of the world is dying, the light is going out .

Jesus cries out with a loud voice, a scream and a cry, “My God My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Forsaken or abandoned, God, why have you abandoned me?

This is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus calls God, God and not Father.

As the representative of all sinful humanity, He is bearing God’s judgement, His wrath, He calls Him God, not feeling the closeness to call Him daddy, rather feeling abandoned by God.

Jesus is abandoned by God so we never will be if we are His.

This is the only time in Jesus life that He and the Father are not 1, not in perfect communion, this is part of the agony of the cross for Jesus.

Not only that, this is the first time for Jesus to experience what sin feels like, the guilt, the shame,

We’ve been desensitized to it, we’ve been sinning for so long we are used to the guilt and the shame, .

Not Jesus, this is all brand new for Him, and it’s not even His sin.

In fact, how overwhelming must it be to have never experienced sin, and then bear and feel all the sins, of all mankind, of all time.

He is bearing the sins of the world, the bible says He actually became sin for us, so we could become forgiven and right with God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God is just, sin deserves to be punished, but rather than punish humanity for their sins, He takes the punishment Himself.

John 3:17 ESV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Saved, rescued from this, from God’s just judgement and wrath.

Verse 50 says, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit.

The gospel of John says, Jesus said a little more than that.

John 19:30 ESV

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:

Three massive words, “It is finished”

All has been done, all has been acomplished

All the righteous requirements of the law, Jesus did, He accomplished all that God required of humanity that we are unable to do.

The Jesus dies the sinners death, taking the full punishment and wrath of God, so we don’t have to.

He absorbed it all, and in that final moment, cries out it is finished, He’s done it all.

Matthew 27:51–54 ESV

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 also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 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!”

Matthew 27:51-

This is a sign, the temple curtain was the separator between man and God, the barrier, God roped off, man unable because of sin to enter into His presence, but not any longer.

With Jesus death, His payment for sin, the barrier is removed, man can now approach God and be in His presence.

And now here, a pagan Roman centurion, comes to the realization that so many that witnessed the same events did not see or come to realize, that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

He says was, Jesus is the Son of God, and His death here on cross can’t change that.

We’ll fast forward to chapter 28 verses 1-7

Matthew 28:1–7 ESV

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

He is not here, for He has risen

This is the difference maker, the separator from all other religions.

Jesus, God in the flesh, the author and perfecter of our faith, dies for us, but also rises from the dead, He’s alive.

No other world religion can claim this. All other founders of all the other religions in the from the beginning of time until now, are dead and buried, but not Christianity, our God is alive, He is risen.

Ephesians 1:19–23 ESV

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:19-

Our God became man, lived the life we are unable to live and then died the death we deserve.

Was buried and rose again on the 3rd day and is seated at the right hand of the Father ruling and reining from heaven.

The Bible says that Jesus is coming back, not to bear judgment but to bring it.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord,

I choose to do it now, because when He comes back it will not be confessing Jesus is Lord because you love Him and are worshipping Him, it’ll be because you have to.

Those that don’t confess and live with Jesus as Lord will be in line for His judgment.

Jesus death on the cross only covers those who place their faith and trust in Jesus, who receive the free gift of His death on their behalf,

Those that reject it will not be covered, and will be in line for His future judgment, and it will be deserved.

I want that for no one.

I pray you’ve come to know Jesus, you’ve placed your trust in Him and have made Jesus the Lord of your life.

Let’s pray.