THE CRUCIFIXION: THE SEPERATION OF SIN
MATTHEW 27: 45-56
MARCH 28, 2004
INTRODUCTION: If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you’d be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.
Source Unknown.
TRANSITION THOUGHT: We too should be painted into Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses. I just wonder if we really get this. Jesus would not have been crucified if not for our sin. Today we are going to continue to look at the Crucifixion. To often we breeze by this horrible death of our Lord and do not take the time we should to appreciate His great gift of Salvation that came through the cross alone. Let us hear once more His cry from the Cross and realize anew the separation Jesus felt from the Father as He paid for the sin of the world!
THESIS SENTENCE: SIN SEPERATED JESUS FROM HIS FATHER, BUT BROUGHT US BACK TO THE FATHER!
I. THE SEPERATION OF SIN IS PROPHECY FULFILLED ISAIAH 53: 3-10
A. Prophecy fulfilled is the “Suffering Servant”!
1. Isaiah foretold of one who is to come who would suffer immensely!
2. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (53:3).”
3. Isaiah will go on to say, “Surely he took up or infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted (verse 4).”
5. Isaiah is making something very clear here, God was sending His Servant to rescue us, but it would not be a pretty picture. This would not be the king on a white stallion.
6. What seems so interesting to me was that the Jews knew what was to come, but when He came that knew Him not.
B. Prophecy fulfilled is the sacrifice to come!
1. Things aren’t looking good for this “Suffering Servant” as it is and they aren’t going to get any better!
2. BUT why all this suffering, what is the cause of this sacrifice that must come.
3. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (53:5-6).”
4. Our sin caused His punishment. Bottom line, He suffered because we sinned. Sin must be paid for!
ILLUSTRATION: He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. Anonymous.
POEM: In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp’d my wild career:
I saw One hanging on a Tree
In agonies and blood,
Who fix’d His languid eyes on me.
As near His Cross I stood.
Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look:
It seem’d to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke:
My conscience felt and own’d the guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,
And help’d to nail Him there.
Alas! I knew not what I did!
But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain!
A second look He gave, which said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou may’st live."
Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,
My spirit now if fill’d,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I kill’d!
John Newton, 1725-1807.
TRUTH: Prophecy taught that sin would be atoned for by the death of God’s servant.
QUESTION: Can we see the price of our sin that took Jesus to the cross?
II. THE SEPERATION OF SIN IS THE PSALMIST CRY PSALM 22: 1FF
A. The Psalmist cry is one of Faith
1. We don’t know why David wrote Psalm 22. We do know that David had seen many struggles in his life.
2. One thing we do see in this Psalm is that David began it with an understanding that God belonged to him.
3. I am not saying that David owned God, but that David knew he belonged to God.
4. This is why his cry begins with “My God, My God.”
5. It is within this context that we can be honest with God!!
B. The Psalmist cry is one of Separation
1. Verses 1-8 tell a surprisingly familiar story. You may think you are at the crucifixion as I read these verses to you. READ VV. 1-8!
2. Do you feel the separation expressed in these words. Can you feel the distance?
Verse 1, “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Verse 2, “I cry out by day, but you do not answer.”
Verse 6, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.”
Verse 7, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:”
Verse 8, “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
3. Hear verses 12-18: Read text! Do you hear the separation here?
Verse 12, “Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.”
Verse 13, “Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.”
Verse 14, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.”
Verse 15, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”
Verse 16, “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”
Verse 17, “I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.”
Verse 18, “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”
4. Did you see something in these verses? Were you at the crucifixion? Did you feel the separation and anguish that it caused?
C. The Psalmist cry is one of Victory
1. The greatest thing about this Psalm is the way it ends!
2. Throughout this Psalm there have been glimmers of light:
Verse 9, “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mothers breast.”
Verse 10, “From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”
Verse 19, “But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.”
3. Those were glimmers of light, now hear the good news!!
Verse 22, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.”
Verse 23, “You who fear the Lord, Praise him! All you DESCENDANTS OF Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
4. Are you starting to get the picture? What started as a faithful cry became a cry of separation. BUT, faith and separation led to praise! It doesn’t seem to make sense, but OUR GOD has HIS own way of working with us and He knows how to handle what is happening in our lives! God’s economy is it’s own!
5. Hear these remaining verses of VICTORY (24 –31):
“For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him – may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him – those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.”
6. Do you get it? GOD HAS DONE IT! HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED WHAT HE DESIRED TO DO!
ILLUSTRATION: There are no victories at discount prices.
General Dwight Eisenhower.
Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency, pp. 149-150. Writes:
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ’s triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds the city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons. Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil -- disease, injustice, oppression, and death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over.
TRUTH: THE PSALMIST REVEALS THE BIG PICTURE OF GOD AT WORK!
QUESTON: DO WE TRUST GOD TO THE END OF OUR PSALM?
III. THE SEPERATION OF SIN IS THE GIFT OF GOD
Jesus knew the Word of God! In the darkest hour of His life He quoted scripture (Psalm 22)!
A. The Gift of God is Christ Jesus our Lord vv. 45-50
1. Jesus cried out, “My God, My God…”
2. From 12 to 3 PM darkness came over all the Land.
3. About 3 PM Jesus Cries out.
4. Where did He turn when the weight of our Sin was fully upon HIM? 5. MY God, MY God. Jesus in Faith understood that God was still God and that God was still His.
6. He knew the prophecy of Isaiah. He knew why he was on the Cross. He knew that sin must be atoned for: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).” These are Jesus own words!
7. Paul would write, “God made him who has no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).”
8. Verses 46 through 50 tell the story!
9. The Crucifixion of Jesus was God’s gift to us SINNERS!
B. The Gift of God is Access vv. 51-53
1. “Why have you forsaken me...” Jesus cries out. God had placed on Jesus the sin of the world so that the Access, which had been lost through sin, to God the Father, could be regained!
2. Verses 51-53 speak to us of renewed ACCESS:
• VERSE 51, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”
3. At that moment, the holy of holies was opened and no longer separated men from God. Access had been granted through the death of Jesus!
• VERSE 52 and 53, “The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.”
4. Death would no longer separate us from God. Access has been granted. Death no longer has power over us! In Christ, the holy ones are raised to life immortal!
5. Jesus’ sacrificial death opened the holy of holies and the grave!
C. The Gift of God is Belief vv. 54
1. Wow, could it get any better! God has done it! Miraculous signs and wonders are taking place, but the Son of God is hanging dead upon the cross!
2. Sin had to be atoned for, But at what cost? Is it enough that the temple curtain is torn in to? Is it enough that the grave has been rendered powerless? Is there anything left undone?
3. YES! WHY did Jesus die? Do we see the big picture? What was God up to? What was HIS END GOAL??
4. “When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God (verse 54)!”
5. What if Jesus had died and no one got it? What if Jesus died for all our sin and no one understood what had happened? What if Jesus died that horrible cruel death on the cross and everyone left without saying a word?
6. The centurion and the guards GOT IT!!
ILLUSTRATION: All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell is terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning.
Oswald Chambers.
TRUTH: JESUS’ DEATH ON THE CROSS BROUGHT US ACCESS TO GOD! THIS WAS HIS GIFT TO US!
QUESTION: HOW DO WE RESPOND? DO WE GET IT?
CONCLUSION: Prophecy told that he would die for our sin! The Psalmist had known separation from God but had experienced the power and presence of God. Jesus knew what He had to do. He was willing to pay the price that sin cost! “For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Have we accepted the gift of God, the separation of Sin Jesus was willing to endure? If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, I invite you to receive Him today as the payment for your sin!
BENEDICTION: Revelation 1: 5-6
