Text: John 19:28, Matthew 27:46, Title: God Forsaking God, Date/Place: NRBC, 4/5/09, AM
A. Opening illustration: “Now again we approach the cross and hear the cry of Jesus. Here all the forces of the universe converge: Man did his work by killing the Son of God and revealing the evil of his heart; Satan did his work by bruising the see of the woman, and displaying his foolish hostility; Jesus did a work, for He died “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God (1 Pet 3:18); and finally God did a work by exhibiting His justice and love when His wrath was poured out on His Son.” –Lutzer, It is said that 16th c. theologian Martin Luther once sat in his study for hours to meditate on this passage. For hours he sat oblivious to the world around him. Finally, someone heard him say, “God forsaking God . . . no one can understand that” and he went on about his business. The great 19th c. preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, preached a message on this passage and said, “I think I can understand the words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as they are written by David in the 22nd Psalm; but the same words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" when uttered by Jesus on the cross, I cannot comprehend, so I shall not pretend to be able to explain them.”
B. Background to passage: The next two statements from the cross that we will look at are found in these two texts. Both of them are cries of anguish and pain. This morning we will look at a truth which still mystifies theologians today…God forsaking God.
C. Main thought: Jesus endured an incomprehensible amount of suffering on the cross for us.
A. Physically Forsaken
1. Crucifixion is said to be one of the most painful and slow ways to die known to man. In fact, it was devised to be exactly that. The actual mode of death is dehydration and asphyxiation as breathing is made incredibly difficult, as the pericardium around the heart begins to fill with fluid compressing the heart. Of course all of this was after a night in a pit unable to sleep or sit, a beating that would usually eviscerate men, having his beard plucked out, a crown of thorns twisted into his brow, and then made to carry at least the cross beam possibly weighing more than 200 lbs a half mile or so to Golgotha. And so it is no surprise that he was thirsty. The loss of fluids would have produced a cotton mouth sensation.
2. Ps 22:14-21, Heb 12:3, Isa 53:3-12
3. Illustration: “he compressed an eternity of hell (times millions of believers) into three hours,” the medical description of the cross—ill file, “I believe every Christian should hang on a cross for at least thirty seconds. Their lives will never be the same.”
4. Christ gave every last bit of strength that he had. He held back nothing for you. He knew what the end of the day held. And he did it as a man. He was fully human. He felt every little pain in its entirety. He did it alone. He knows what it is like to be alone, totally misunderstood, and forced to bear the load by yourself. He knows what it is like to have constant pain, for those of you who endure that. He knows what it is like to cry out, beg, plead, and implore God for deliverance and answers to prayer and hear no answer in return. And he did this for you, because the justice of God demands your death. Picture your sin adorning Christ on the cross.
B. Spiritually Forsaken
1. But worse than the physical pain by far was the separation from His Father. Never had there ever been a break in the fellowship of the Father and His Son. But both Matthew and Mark note His loud clear cry, addressing God for the only time as anything other than “Father.” The word translated “forsake” means to abandon, to leave behind, or turn away from. The Father turned his face from His Son because of the guilt transferred to him. John Stott wrote: “Our sins blotted out the sunshine of the Father’s face.” But this had to be for the Father cannot look upon sin. And at this moment in time, Jesus became sin for us. Our sin and guilt was legally transferred to his account, and God’s infinite wrath was poured out upon Jesus. Jesus became guilty of murder, rape, gossip, pride, envy, hatred, rebellion, witchcraft, idolatry, fornication, pornography, gambling, failure, everything! Whatever the physical pain was, it does not compare to bearing millions of eternal punishments in the span of a few hours, and doing it utterly alone; all the favor and resources of His father having been stripped away at the most needed hour.
2. 2 Cor 5:21, Rom 3:24-26, 8:3; Gal 3:13; Eph 5:2; 1 Pet 2:24, 3:18; 1 John 2:1-2
3. Illustration: An English doctor conducted an experiment to study the effects of isolation on people. He built a soundproof room 9’ x 9’ - in size and suspended it by nylon rope. Each participant wore padded fur gloves and heavy woolen socks to eliminate the sensations of touch. Special translucent goggles limited their vision. After Just 1 hour of isolation, some people found it impossible to concentrate. This was followed by feelings of anxiety and panic. Many could not stay in the room more than 5 hours. Imagine the aloneness experienced by the Lord In the awfulness of those hours, Jesus endured a suffering worse than even the agonizing physical pain of crucifixion: He was forsaken by the Father, “the suffering of the Son was intolerable enough, but to endure it without the Father’s presence magnified the horror,”-Lutzer, Macarthur said, “the real problem, as it were, with salvation was not the matter of getting sinful men to a holy God, but getting a holy God to accept sinful men without violating His justice.” “God must either inflict punishment or assume it, He chose the latter.” It is hard to understand how God the Father could abandon his only begotten Son, but “the only solution of the mystery is this, Jesus Christ was forsaken of God because we deserved to be forsaken of God.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon
4. Picture all your sin draped upon Christ as He hung naked and beaten between the heavens and the earth. Realize that this is the ultimate testimony to God’s disgust at every little sin in your life. It must be punished. A holy God must not let sin slide. Every offense will be recompensed for. Because Christ was forsaken, you don’t have to be! Choose Christ, surrender to Him, love Him, be born again! And if you do not receive Christ’s work as your punishment, you will be saying to God that you will bear your wrath yourself. If the Father turned His face from His Son, surely He will do the same to humans who reject his provision. The substitutionary death of Christ is the only way to pay your debt without going to hell. This also testifies to the sufficiency of the cross of Christ. Next wee we will look at the fact that “It IS finished!”
A. Closing illustration: It’s the memory Gajowniczek has of Maximilian Kolbe. In February 1941 Kolbe was incarcerated at Auschwitz. He was a Franciscan priest. In the harshness of the slaughterhouse he maintained the gentleness of Christ. He shared his food. He gave up his bunk. He prayed for his captors. He was soon given the nickname “Saint of Auschwitz”. In July of that same year there was an escape from the prison. It was the custom at Auschwitz to kill ten prisoners for every one who escaped. All the prisoners would be gathered in the courtyard, and the commandant would randomly select ten names from the roll book. These victims would be immediately taken to a cell where they would receive no food or water until they died. The commandant begins calling the names. At each selection another prisoner steps forward to fill the sinister quota. The tenth name he calls is Gajowniczek. As the SS officers check the numbers of the condemned, one of the condemned begins to sob. “My wife and my children,” he weeps. The officers turn as they hear movement among the prisoners. The guards raise their rifles. The dogs tense, anticipating a command to attack. A prisoner has left his row and is pushing his way to the front. It’s Kolbe. No fear on his face. No hesitancy in his step. The capo shouts at him to stop or be shot. “ I want to talk to the commander,” he says calmly. For some reason the officer doesn’t club or kill him. Kolbe stops a few paces from the commandant, removes his hat, and looks the German officer in the eye. “Herr Commandant, I wish to make a request, please.” That no one shot him is a miracle. “I want to die in the place of this prisoner.” He points at the sobbing Gajowniczek. The audacious request is presented without stammer. “I have no wife and children. Besides, I am old and not good for anything. He’s in better condition.” Kolbe knew well the Nazi mentality. “Who are you?” the officer asks. “A Catholic priest.” The block is stunned. The commandant, uncharacteristically speechless. After a moment, he barks, “Request granted.” Prisoners were never allowed to speak. Gajowniczek says, “I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me-a stranger. Is this some dream?” The Saint of Auschwitz outlived the other nine. In fact, he didn’t die of thirst or of starvation. He died only after the camp doctor injected phenol into his heart. It was August 14,1941. Gajowniczek survived the Holocaust. He made his way back to his hometown. Every year, however, he goes back to Auschwitz. Every August 14 he goes back to say thank you to the man who died in his place. In his backyard there is a plaque. A plaque he carved with his own hands. A tribute to Maximilian Kolbe – the man who died so he could live. “At the cross, God’s inflexible holiness and boundless love collided, and with a cry of anguish, we were redeemed.” –Erwin Lutzer, “the central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the purpose—the meaning!” –Piper, 50 Reasons,
B. And the meaning is that He was crushed for our transgressions! Know that He will justify many!
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
