The Bleakest Of The Bleak Series

The Bleakest of the Bleak

(Matt. 27:45-55, John 19:30, Luke 23:47-48)

Intro

1. I am into spot removing and solvents---at least a little bit.

2. Here are some common spot or stain treatments:

(show removers, bleach, ammonia, etc.)

3. Some solvents will remove only some stains

4. Sometimes two cleaning agents mixed together can be lethal (ammonia and bleach)

5. Today as we continue studying the life of Christ, and His death on the cross in particular, remember that His sacrifical death…the shedding of His blood is the only solvent that can remove the stain from your soul…

6. Also note that if you tinker with it--try to mix two solvents, something deadly results; Jesus is the Savior, not one contributor toward our salvation…no one or nothing else can make us right with God….

Main Idea: The Work Christ accomplished on the Cross is more than we can know, but we can at least understand a few of the most important accomplishments.

TS------ Let’s discuss these this morning.

I. Darkness: On the Cross, Jesus Became Sin for Us (45-49)

1. This is perhaps the most “holy” time of all history…

--------was this an eclipse? A completely supernatural phenomenon? Worldwide or local?….The whole land…the sun stopped shining….3 hours, 12pm to 3pm

2. Jesus quotes Psalm 22 in Aramaic… Eloi, eloi, lama sabacthanai “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me.”

3. The difference is that in Psalm 22, David went on to express that He really was not forsaken….he just felt that way…but Jesus does not go on; He stops here….

4. The great mystery: The Son Forsaken by the Father

5. Did this darkness imply the “Great Exchange” of 2 Cor. 5:21? The awfulness of it all, that the sinless Lamb of God should be identified with our sin…

6. Was it particularly at this time that Jesus had to “drink the cup given Him by the Father?” Many people, including myself, have concluded, “yes.”

II. It is Finished: The Debt Had Been Paid (John 19:30)

1. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” the question is “what is finished?”

2. The answer: The purpose of His death had been accomplished…

3. The Greek word tetelesthai was a commercial term meaning “Paid in full.”

4. The concept of Atonement is the idea of covering a sin through the paying of a penalty…(Lev. 5:5-6)

5. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life….(Rom. 6:23)

6. According to Hebrews 2:9, Jesus tasted this spiritual death for every man…Through His death, Jesus made peace with God for all who will receive it!

III. The Torn Curtain: In Christ, We Have Direct Access to God (51)

1. It was 4 inches thick, 60 feet long, 30 feet wide….torn from top to bottom…hand of God

2. This tearing of the veil meant a change in approaching God…

(1) no more Yom Kippur coverings of sin (goat ribbon…)

(2) no more mediators besides Jesus (I Tim. 2:5)

(3) the sin which separates us from God has potentially been removed…

IV. Supernatural Signs: A Call to Repent (Matt. 27:51-53; Luke 23:47-48)

1. The signs themselves (51-53)

(1) darnkness now lifts, right when Jesus dies

(2) land shook

(3) tombs opened, some temporary resurrections…

2. The response of the Centurion and onlookers (Luke 23:47-48)

(1) surely this was the Son of God

(2) people “beat their breasts” as they were leaving….

3. Could this explain the quotation in the Talmud?

4. This prepared the way for the conversion of 3,000 folks on Pentecost, and also explains why the Jewish leaders were so mild in their persecutions of the early church….and why Saul of Tarsus took the lead here because these enemies of Christ had been traumatized…

5. It wasn’t too late for these people….and it is not too late for you!

Conclusion

1. Have you received the gift of God which is eternal life through Christ our Lord?

2. How do we receive it? Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ!

3. Jesus finished the work on your behalf! Don’t let His