| Series | Location | Subjects | Takeaways | Sermon Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church | - | - | - |
đź’ˇBig Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
đź“–Bible Passage
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, were terrified, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” [[Matt-27#v46|]][[Matt-27#v47|]][[Matt-27#v48|]][[Matt-27#v49|]][[Matt-27#v50|]][[Matt-27#v51|]][[Matt-27#v52|]][[Matt-27#v53|]][[Matt-27#v54|]]
Points
- The four gospel accounts are not biographies. They are narrative accounts of Jesus’ suffering and passion for us.
- These are Gospels. The Good News of Jesus work of salvation.
- The heart of the story lies not in:
- the teaching that preceeds
- or the many miracles by Christ
- The heart of the story lies in Jesus’ work on the cross.
- Each Gospel makes intentional differences of what details they emphasize, in order to highlight specific parts of the story
- Matthews Gospel highlights:
- Three dramatic events
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- The darkness covering the land from the 6th hour to the ninth hour1
- the timing of this darkness is significant. It shows that this darkness is not ordinary. It was a supernatural intervention of God.
- In scripture there are many significant moments where God works in the midst of darkness.
- Genesis 1.2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
- Genesis 15.12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
- The Plague of Darkness
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- The curtain in the temple was torn
- Matthew points out that it was torn from top to bottom which makes clear that this tear was from God above.
- God was desecrating His own temple.
- This was the very day and moment when everything that the temple symbolized was finally fulfilled.
- There was only one use of the temple left: the courtyard in front of the temple. Here, Christians gathered in front of the temple, not to sacrifice but simply to praise and pray to God.
- Now the temple has been destroyed, and Christians gather and pray to God all around the world. God no longer needs the temple.
- Likewise, one day our church buildings will also no longer be needed. How glorious that will be.
- This was the very day and moment when everything that the temple symbolized was finally fulfilled.
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- The dead were raised from the dead, immediately that day.
- Matthew 27:51-53 Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. [[Matt-27#v52|]][[Matt-27#v53|]]
- Are not the dead raised only when the Day of the LORD comes? Yes. That is the point.
- Why aren’t all the dead raised? It is because while the Day of the LORD was indeed that day, it was not fully consummated that day.
- Why were these dead raised?
- God raised these dead, this day:
- to give us a preview, a foretaste of the coming day of resurrection
- to show us evidence that it is Jesus who is Lord.
- God raised these dead, this day:
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- Three dramatic events
Matthew Highlights Three Shouts
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- Then Jesus cried out “My God, my God why have you forsaken me.”
- Jesus is quoting Psalm 22:
- Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent. [[Ps-22#v2|]]
- This is not a cry of doubt in God.
- By reading the full Psalm 22 we see the full context of what Jesus is saying and it is quite clear that this is not a cry of doubt but a cry of triumph over sin and death.
- But this is a cry of anguish, pain, and torment.
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In this moment, Jesus is in the darkness. He is under the curse of the Father.
- In this moment, Jesus is not able to say (Psalm 23) “Lord, your rod and your staff comfort me.”
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- Then Jesus gave out a loud cry and lifted up His spirit:
- Matthew 27.50 Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
- This is not a shout of defeat. This is a shout of triumph.
- Notice here, that Jesus decided His time and place of death.
- This is utterly unlike any of us. None of us have the ability to choose our time and place of death.
- Even in suicide, we do not really choose our time of death, we simply hurt ourselves in a way that we are not likely to live. (This is why there are so many failed suicides.)
- But Jesus voluntarily died, and sovereignly chose His exact moment of death.
- And Jesus meticulously orchestrated every detail around His death.
- This is utterly unlike any of us. None of us have the ability to choose our time and place of death.
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- The people said about Jesus “Truly this was the Son of God”.
- Matthew 27.54 Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, were terrified, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
- Luke’s Gospel highlights the innocence of Jesus, but Matthew highlights the identity of Jesus as the Son of God.
- Matthew highlights that Jesus was sentenced to death because of blasphemy and treason against God. Christ was charged with these crimes and yet He was innocent.
- Matthew highlighting this shows us this irony: It is you and I who have committed blasphemy and treason against God. It is our crime not His that Jesus was punished for.
Hymn: He stood before the court 1 He stood before the court
On trial instead of us;
He met its pow’r to hurt,
Condemned to face the cross —
Our King, accused of treachery;
Our God, abused for blasphemy!2 These are the crimes that tell
The tale of human guilt;
Our sins, our death, our hell —
On these the case is built.
To this world’s pow’rs the Lord stays dumb.
The guilt is ours, no answers come.3 The sentence must be passed,
The unknown pris’ner killed;
The price is paid at last,
The law of God fulfilled.
He takes our blame, and from that day
Th’ accuser’s claim is wiped away.4 Shall we be judged and tried?
In Christ our trial is done;
We live, for he has died,
Our condemnation gone.
In Christ are we both dead and raised,
Alive and free — his name be praised!
Application
Further Study
đź’¬Discussion Questions
Footnotes
Footnotes
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