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well good morning everybody welcome to free grace Baptist Church it's good to see you it's a blessing to be in the house of our Lord this morning well if you'll turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 22 for our call to worship that's Psalm 22 Psalm 22 oral read verses 1 through 21 as our call to worship begin reading at verse 1 my God my God why have you forsaken me why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning oh my god I cry in the daytime but you do not hear and in the night season and I am NOT silent but you are wholly enthroned in the praises of Israel our fathers trusted in you they trusted and you delivered them they cried to you and were delivered they trusted in you and were not ashamed but I am a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised by the people all those who see me ridicule me they shoot out the lip they shake the head saying he trusted in the Lord let him rescue him let him deliver him since he delights in him but you are he who took me out of the womb you made me trust while on my mother's breasts I was cast upon you from Earth from my mother's womb you have been my God be not far from me for trouble is near for there is none to help many bowls have surrounded me strong bowls of bation have encircled me they gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint my heart is like laughs it has melted within me my strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue clings to my jaws you have brought me to the dust of death for dogs have surrounded me the congregation of the wicked hasn't closed me they pierced my hands in my feet I can count all my bones they look and stare at me they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots but you O Lord do not be far from me o my strength hasten to help me deliver me from the sword my precious life from the power of the dog saved me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me amen well our first though the first hymn you can turn with me to the back of your hymnal to the song and Tanit be we were going to sing and can it be it should be taped to the back of your Trinity him if you are able we'll stand and sing together [Music] well let us go to our great God in prayer well Heavenly Father we do thank you for this time that we come into your house we can come to hear your word preached and we pray O God that you would be with us by your Holy Spirit that we might learn more concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we might learn more concerning his great act of redemption your great plan of redemption Father Son and Holy Spirit we thank you that he lived died and rose again on behalf of his people and that he even now lives to make intercession for his people praying for us we thank you for this O God we pray that you be with the teacher be with our dear brother as he proclaims your word help him to preach your word O God that your word might go forth and that sinners might be saved Saints would be edified but you would be pleased and glorified O God we pray that you be with those who are hearing today be with us as heroes that we might hear your word you might work in it work in us by your Holy Spirit through your word that we might apply the things that we learn to our hearts and lives O God but we thank you ultimately that we we find our hope and salvation in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we think that even before the foundation of the world you chose us you predestined us in him in love O God we thank you for this love we thank you that we see love in that Jesus Christ died for his people we pray O God that this would cause us to love you cause us to sing your praises cause us to give honor and glory dude that is do unto you O God for you are the true in the Living God you're the one who is above all you're the one who is who is above all things O God you are the king over all the earth you're the creator or God you are the Redeemer you're the one who has made all things and made all things good and even as the heavens declare the glory of the Lord may your people declare the glory of our Lord as well Andy all the more through the because of our Redeemer because of our Lord because of our Savior Jesus Christ we pray that you would open the heavens and come down and dwell with your people we thank you O God that we can dwell with you the God of heaven and earth the one who is inaccessible light then we might have communion with you through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we thank you that you do this by your Holy Spirit of God so be with us by your Holy Spirit that you would dwell with your people helping us aiding us and strengthen us we might learn more concerning you that you would help us and aid us to give the praises and sing the praises that are due unto you we pray O God that you would be glorified now in the name of Christ amen well our second ham is also in the Trinity hymnal you can turn with me to Him 193 that's him 193 if you are able we'll stand and sing together [Music] [Music] or a consecutive scripture reading in the morning service you can turn with me to Luke one that's the Gospel of Luke chapter one that's the Gospel of Luke chapter one we will read verses 26 through 58 begin reading at Luke 1 verse 26 this is the word of the living and true God now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David the Virgin's name was Mary and having come in the angel said to her rejoice highly favored one the Lord is with you blessed are you among women and when she saw him she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was then the angel said to her do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God and behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus he would be great and will be called the son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end then Mary said to the angel how can this be since I do not know a man and the angel answered and said to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you therefore also that Holy One who was to be born will be called the son of God now indeed Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age and this and this is now the sixth month of her who was called barren for with God nothing will be impossible the Mary said Behold the maidservant of the Lord let it be to let it be to me according to your word and the angel departed from her now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth and it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary but the babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit then she spoke out with a loud voice and said blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb but why is this granted to me that the mother of my lord should come to me for indeed as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears the babe leaped in my womb for joy blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told from the Lord and Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit also rejoiced in God my Savior for he has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant for behold henceforth all generations will be caught will call me blessed for who is mighty has done he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name and his mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation he has shown strength with his arm he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts he has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty is all he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and to his seed forever and Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her house now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered and she brought forth a son when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her they rejoiced with her amen well let us go to our God in prayer once again Oh Lord God Almighty we do thank you for the Incarnation we thank you that this one that does Jesus who was did not consider it equality with God did something to be grasped took on the form of man took on human flesh O God that he might save sinners and he did that through being obedient even obedient to the point of death even death of the cross Oh God we thank you for your revelation concerning our Lord we thank you for your written word concerning the truth we thank you that we can read in your scriptures of how our Lord came lived I lived died and rose again we thank you God that we can learn this morning in detail about Christ's death on the cross we thank you God we can see what our Lord went through on behalf of his people his people who are sinful or wretched who have rebelled against yo God and deserved the upon punishment that he bore upon himself we thank you for this O God we pray that this would cause us to think and ponder the great blessedness of the gospel the great mystery of the Incarnation and the great mystery of Christ's death on the cross we thank you for this we thank you that this mystery has been revealed that there is salvation in Christ our Lord and that this gospel goes out to all the Gentiles we thank you O God and pray that you would be magnified that you would be lifted high our God and our Savior that we would rejoice in you for this great truth that we would give you honor and glory that you would stir in our hearts and souls the blessed reality of Christ who died on behalf of his sinners we thank you O God and cause us to rejoice in this we thank you that you are with us we thank you that you help us we know that in this life there are many trials and tribulations that we still face the gospel give us hope and courage when we have spiritual battles of God when we have battles against the flesh as the spirit wars with the flesh help us to consider the gospel may we always look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we thank you for justification that we are righteous in their sight now but we thank you for sanctification o God that you work in the hearts of your people and we pray and trust that you will continue to work in the hearts of your people we pray that those who struggle physically that they would look to their Lord this one who suffered this one who has all the common firm knees that we face O God he is a great Savior a great High Priest one who is able to sympathize and empathize with his people for he is fully man he's also fully God as well as we step back and consider the scope of the Incarnation one person to nature is fully God and fully man we thank you for this mystery and for this truth whether we struggle physically spiritually emotionally and all these things our God we pray that you'd help us always to consider our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we always look to him for he is the author and finisher of our faith we pray that you'd help us now and be more awake and attentive concerning the truth O God again be with us by your spirit we pray that your saints would be edified sinners would be saved and you would be glorified O God when we pray this in the name of Christ amen well our final him before the preaching is also in the trendy hymnal we'll sing hymn 183 to a familiar tune that's him 183 in the larger Trinity hymnal if you are able we'll stand and sing together [Music] your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27 Matthew 27 as we continue to consider the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ our focus this morning will be on verses 45 to 46 but I will begin reading in Matthew 27 at verse 32 now as they came out they found a man of Cyrene Simon by name him they compelled to bear his cross and when they had come to a place called Golgotha that is to say place of a skull they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink when he tasted it he would not drink then they crucified Him and divided his garments casting Lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots sitting down they kept watch over him there and they put up over his head the accusation written against him this is Jesus the King of the Jews then two robbers were crucified with them one on the right and another on the left and those who passed by blaspheme him wagging their heads and saying you who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself if you are the son of God come down from the cross likewise the chief priests also mocking with the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save he is the king of Israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him he trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the son of God even the robbers who were crucified with them reviled him with the same thing now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying Ailee Ailee lama sabachthani that is my God my God why have you forsaken me some of those who stood there when they heard that said this man is calling for Elijah immediately one of them ran and took a sponge filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and offered it to him to drink the rest said let him alone let us see if Elijah will come to save em and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit then behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth quaked and the rocks were split and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the graves after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many so when the Centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened they feared greatly saying truly this was the son of God amen let us pray our Father in Heaven we come to scripture now and we pray for the Ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit we acknowledge that you are the Great and the living and the true God Father Son and spirit we acknowledge your handiwork in creation it's certainly beautiful days like this lead us to consider a God who who made this world and all things in it we acknowledge the fact that you govern all your creatures and all their actions that you are in the heavens and you do what you please and we acknowledge on the Sabbath in a special way your work of redemption how we praise you for Sovereign Grace how we praise you for election how we praise you for the work of redemption wrought out by our Lord Jesus in his life his death in his resurrection we thank you for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes that accomplished work and apart applies it to the hearts of your people and we pray that today as we look to the to the cross in a very specific way that we would appreciate afresh what the Savior went through on our behalf that we would see him there in our stead taking the wrath and the curse and the punishment of God Most High that was appropriate to us how we thank you that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him thank you that he was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification thank you for the glorious gospel of free and Sovereign Grace and do forgive us now for all of our sins and unrighteousness do cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb fill us with the Holy Spirit give us understanding into the scriptures and for any and all who have come here this morning that are not in Christ we pray that today would be the day of salvation we pray that they would see their own sin and the wrath and fury of the holy God and they would see the utter and complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him bless our time together we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well as I said our focus this morning will be on verses 45 and 46 and many respects were slowing down just a little bit because it's such a very important passage of Scripture and the narrative itself slows down matthew has not given a lot of concern or a lot of attention in terms of time and record-keeping or specifics with reference to time and record-keeping but here he indicates the sixth hour until the ninth hour this three hour period I think there's a at least an implied silence i darkness and silence come over the land as it were the clock begins to crawl as we come to the agonizing portion of our saviours cry of dereliction we see that the Lord God Most High has sent him forth in such a way for the glory of God and for the good of sinners as I said this is our third message concerning the crucifixion we noticed in beginning in chapters 27 from 32 on we have seen the crucifixion proper verses 32 to 38 secondly the mockery of the crucified one in verses 39 to 44 and this morning the cry of dereliction or what has been called the cry of derelict in verses 45 and 46 so there are two things that we want to consider this morning first the darkness over the land and then secondly the cry from the cross but in the first place note this darkness the time has given us in verse 45 now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour this would have been from noon to 3:00 p.m. so the brightest and hottest part of the day and yet it's darkness over the land and this was the time for the slaying 3:00 p.m. the time of the slaying of the of the daily sacrifice France suggests that it was the time the official slaughter of the Passover lambs begin or began so we see that consistency there in terms of our Lord's death and the slaughtering of those Passover lambs and then with reference to the darkness from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land now Matthew doesn't explain the theological significance for this he doesn't tell us why it was dark he doesn't tell us why these things occurred in the way that they did and so it's best for us to consider other portions of Scripture other themes other things other other reasons or reasons from other places as to why there would have been darkness here well I think in the first place it is the appropriate setting for the events unfolding it's a dark situation it's an unfortunate situation it's a wretched situation describing the coming crucifixion our Lord Jesus in Luke 22 53 says when I was with you daily in the temple you did not try to seize me but this is your hour and the power of darkness a darkness has flooded the land at this particular instance this shows the the reality that what our Lord is undergoing is indeed a dark event but as well we see the sympathy of nature here the sympathy of the created order the mourning of nature itself and many commentators have observed this I'll just cite Thomas Manton I think he describes it well he says that the Passion of Christ the earth tremble the Sun seemed to be struck blind with astonishment and the frame of nature to put itself into a funeral garb and habit as if the creatures dare not show their glory while God was manifesting his anger for sin and Christ was suffering I said why not go ahead and cite Spurgeon too he says this darkness was supernatural it was not an eclipse the Sun could no longer look upon his maker surrounded by those who mocked him the Sun covered his face and traveled on in 10-fold night in very shame that the great Sun of righteousness should himself be in such terrible darkness I think that gets at the the the the creature shielding his eyes from the situation at hand but I think the darkness is an expression of divine judgment the darkness is an expression of divine judgment and I think if you think back perhaps to the exodus at the time of the first Passover just prior to the death of the firstborn there was a darkness that came over the entire land of Egypt it was a darkness that could be felt what was that suggestive of it was suggestive of God's wrath and his fury and his anger displayed toward sinners we also have a passage in the Prophet Amos and you can turn there serves as a helpful background for our our darkness here but in the Prophet Amos which is targeting the Northern Kingdom specifically for the rebellion against God and the judgment that is to come upon them in Amos the prophet verse or chapter 8 verse 9 God says it shall come to pass in that day says the Lord God that I will make the Sun go down at noon and I will darken the earth in broad daylight I will turn your feasts in the morning and all your songs into lamentation I will bring sackcloth on every waste and baldness on every head I will make it like the mourning for an only Son and it's end like a bitter day and then turned to Matthew's Gospel back to Matthew's Gospel of passages that highlight the consistency of darkness with the judgment and the fury of God specifically in Matthew 22 Matthew 22 speaking of the exclusion of the wicked from the holy people of God Matthew 22 verse 13 that man found without the righteous are the wedding garment the King says bind him hand and foot take him away and cast him into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and then again in chapter 25 specifically in verse 30 and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as we go back to Matthew 27 this darkness over the land reveals divine displeasure and wrath and judgment due to sin and here specifically it is targeted against the son of God's love and this is a very difficult portion of Scripture specifically verse 46 this cry from the cross I want to spend some time here first to consider the cry of the Son of God secondly some theological considerations because there's a lot of problems when we get to a passage like this that can result itself in just bad theology this idea that there might have been a division between the father and the son there's a popular contemporary Christian song where it says the father turned away from the son that really needs to be qualified it really needs to be understood what is happening here and in this cry of dereliction so after these theological considerations we'll look thirdly at the scriptural background to this cry fourthly the various views of the passage and then fifth try to get at the meaning of verse 46 note first the words of Christ they are a combination of Aramaic and Hebrew and it's probably this cry that pierces the darkness and the silence and it is interesting that when Jesus calls out it's not upon his per Secours it's not upon his mockers it's not upon his tormenters it's not upon those who have hung him there but it's to the father he cries to the father and if we ask the question why matthew gives us the aramaic / hebrew rendering and then translates it for us I think Davies and Alison are on the right track they say the answer is presumably to ful first the words were Jesus last and therefore seemed especially important now last in terms of his life with reference to this post resurrection there are words to be sure but in Matthews description of the crucifixion this was the final statement that our Savior uttered so it was important for him to give us that Aramaic in Hebrew and then he says without them the misunderstanding about Elijah would be unintelligible in other words when he cries this forth they interpreters some interpret I'm gonna argue that it was a deliberate misinterpretation that he was calling upon a lie job and then with reference to the translation that is my God my God why have you forsaken me this is the fourth saying of the Savior from the cross it's the only one that Matthew records but in total there were seven sayings from the Savior when he was on the cross the first was Father forgive them in Luke 23 the second was today you will be with me in paradise Luke 23 the third is when he says woman behold your saw and he says to two John behold Your Mother that's in John 19 this one is the fourth saying of the Savior the fifth is I thirst in John 19 vi vi is it is finished in John 19 and then the seventh is again found in Luke 23 father into your hands I commit my spirit so the seven sayings of the Savior from the cross it's important that we understand those things and their significance so that's the cry again just barely or just on the surface consider secondly I mentioned some theological can considerations it's important again we MOT we must understand what this tax does not teach some of the stuff is just bizarre out there and we need to be on guard the first place the cry of Jesus here does not indicate any division among the persons of the Trinity the cry of Jesus here does not indicate any division among the persons of the Trinity that is heresy and we're not to imbibe that for a moment in fact one very popular commentator asks or he says if we ask in what ontological sense now kids I don't want to confuse anybody this morning but ontology refers to being or another term that's really going to help define it metaphysics oh now I know what ontology means pastor thank you because I often use metaphysics when we refer to ontological Trinity we mean God as God is God in himself father saw in spirit three persons one God had the same and substance equal in power and glory they have always existed and they will never not exist that is our God he is triune he is Father Son and spirit and so this particular commentator says if we ask in what ontological sense the father and the son are here divided the answer must be that we do not know because we are not told that's terrible there is no ontological division the rest of the Bible tells us that it never gives us the idea that there could be any breach division rupture or a cessation of unity between the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit so whatever 27:46 means or 27:46 describes it must not be understood as to imply a division among the persons of the Trinity secondly the cry of geez does not indicate a dissolution of the hypostatic Union again dissolution means a dissolving of a removal off and the hypostatic Union means the person of Christ he is one person in two natures he is truly man he is truly God not to Christ's one Christ but one Christ that possesses two natures divinity and humanity the hypostatic union is not dissolved at the cross the hypostatic union does not cease at the cross there's not a time when Christ isn't what he is described in Scripture as in fact John Gill says when he is said to be forsaken of God the meaning is not that the hypostatic union was dissolved which was not even by death itself the fullness of the Godhead still dwelt bodily in him again just trying to get at what's going on here and not end up heretical a third theological consideration is that the cry of Jesus does indicate that the three persons of the Trinity did not suffer on the cross rather the second person according to his humanity suffered on the cross now you may not realize how important each of these three confessional three considerations are but they're very important not because I came up with them but because it under attack the church has a problem today with what's called theology proper theology proper is the doctrine of God it concerns who God is it considers what God does it considers who Christ is and is in his blessed person and there's all kinds of suggestions out there from otherwise good man have angelical brothers that are teaching things at the Bible and church or the churches all has never held to whatsoever in fact listen to one of them he says with reference to the suffering on the cross the three then are at Calvary suffering not only from the sin of the world but suffering for in the sons fashion cannot be external to the Father and the Holy Spirit they are in it as they embrace and include the son the pain of the Cross is the pain of the triune God the church has never taught that the Bible doesn't teach that it is Christ according to his humanity that bears the wrath and fury of God on the cross this may sound good it may sound sappy it may fill the heart with emotionalism but it is a betrayal of the written word brethren and we cannot allow that emotionalism and sentiment and warn feelings can never trump sound theology we must maintain truth at all costs and for this particular person to suggest that it was the three persons of the Trinity suffering on the cross is to go against the Bible it is to go against the teaching of the church one man a good man says with reference to what I call the add extra what God does outside of himself at intra describes who God is in himself at extra is what God does - those are outside of himself the add extra works are willed and affected by father son and spirit but the work of incarnation and mediation and specifically the cross work is ascribed to the Lord Jesus it's not given to the father it's not given to this to the spirit but it's Christ as covenant mediator that goes through this suffering and that according to his humanity let's consider thirdly the scriptural background to the statement notice in verse 46 my God my God why have you forsaken me this is straight out of the Psalms isn't it brother Mike read Psalm 22 this is Psalm 22 verse 1 you need to understand what's happening in Psalm 22 if Jesus is going to take this as the last statement recorded by Matthew and and and pray it up to the Father it is important that we get Psalm 22 well Psalm 22 is David Psalm crying out for the intervention of God and David cries out for the intervention of God with a couple of particular arguments from verses 1 to 10 he cries out that God will intervene based on God's past faithfulness the words you are holy you've delivered our fathers you were there with me from the womb based on that reality of your proven faithfulness and your proven fidelity God deliver me vindicate me help me and then in the second section he cries out for God's a because of the present calamity that he's undergoing the words in verses 11 to 21 a he's describing the sorts of things that he is suffering under and based on that difficulty he is asking the father to help him to aid him and then from 21 be to the end it is praise to God for his having heard David and having answered David now before we move on it is important to make this final observation concerning Psalm 22 it was written by David but it isn't about David David had a lot of suffering David had a lot of trials David had a lot of agony in his life in fact you go back to 1st Samuel 16 when David is anointed what happens his troubles begin he's about the most perfect example of the anti health wealth prosperity gospel you could ever imagine what happened David when when Samuel anointed you with oil and the Holy Spirit comes upon you with power to separate you for kingly office was life just one big ball of happiness no he was hunted like a dog he was tried he was afflicted he was desperate not only from external enemies but from Saul himself but what he described specifically in Psalm 22 verses 11 to 21 he describes torture he describes execution and if you go back in the history of 1st and 2nd Samuel if you go back into those prophetic books you will not find that as having been David's experience he not tortured and he was not executed David is writing about David's greater son in fact Alec Moe tear makes this observation we are listening to David the prophet looking forward to the suffering Messiah on the one hand David wrote it but it's not about David it's about David's greater son David's Lord in the 3rd or 4th Lee we ought to consider the various views of saw Matthew 27 verse 46 now some of you might be saying well we're spending what 20 minutes now telling me what the tax does not mean I hope to tell you what the tax does mean but again in theology we need to understand not only what passages mean but we need to make sure we understand what they don't mean we don't want to be heretics we don't want to be so Cine ins we don't want to be those who would have been classically or who would have been who would have been excised or removed or excommunicated from the church for views that unfortunately find themselves on on blogs today are openly promoted in heaven Jellicle seminaries so I said there is a problem with theological with theology proper and I you know far as I'm able I don't want you guys to duplicate that so forth the various views of the passage we'll run through these at least a couple of them quickly first the view that he was expressing the opinion of others and not his own the view that he was expressing the opinion of others and not his own Calvin deals with this briefly in his Institute's it's probably not what's happening here secondly the view that it only seemed like Jesus was being forsaken the view that it only seemed like Jesus was being forsaken but there's a common theme in Matthew's Gospel that shows opposition to Jesus opposition by his countrymen in Matthew 13 opposition by his disciples in Matthew 26 and opposition by all the people of Israel according to Matthew chapter 27 so it's not just a statement where in Jesus thinks or seemingly has been forsaken whatever the impact of forsaken nass means it wasn't a seeming thing but it actually occurred to the Son of God now there is a third suggestion that the view is our view that Christ prayed the entirety of Psalm 22 Matthew didn't record the rest he only recorded twenty to one but Jesus did having known the Psalter having sung the Psalms having been schooled in their use would have taken the entirety of Psalm 22 and he would have prayed that as well now I will not dismiss or disagree with the reality that Psalm 22 is fulfilled in Matthew 27 and 28 it most certainly is fulfilled because when the psalmist cries out for deliverance in Psalm 22 21 B he says very specifically and you have answered me and the remainder of the Psalm is the psalmist praising God for having answered him calling upon God to be exalted to be believed it to be feared so if you compare the movement in Matthew 27 and 28 you've got Matthew 27 reflecting the first half half of the psalm where the psalmist is crying out for deliverance and he is not being granted deliverance that's Matthew 27 but in Matthew 28 is resurrection it is exaltation it is triumph and that's the latter half of Psalm 22 all that to say there is definite movement in Matthew 27 and 28 in terms of reflecting the application of the psalm but I suspect that this was the only portion of the psalm that Jesus cited here on the cross and then the view that the father abandoned the son the view that the father abandoned the son again that's a strain of song the father turns his face away if we're gonna sing that song we need to understand it qualified we need to understand distinguished we need to understand it in its biblical setting the idea that God the Father abandoned the son is contrary to Psalm 22 I mean Psalm 22 21 B couldn't be and be clear you have answered me the idea that the father abandoned the son without qualification now this is popular language I'm sure I've said it before the father turned his face away from the Sun and if I said it without qualification I was wrong we need to understand what's happening this passage itself shows us that he's not abandoned without qualification he's not forsaken without qualification why because he's buried and he's raised the 3rd day obviously the father didn't forsake him or abandon him we ought to remember as well the fact that the cross was the plan of the Father be a rotten thing to do for the father to develop or to purpose a particular plan and the son to willingly comply with that plan and then the father abandoned him according to scripture the cross was no afterthought according to Scripture the cross was no well it's a plan B to try to redeem those who rejected the kingdom as old-school dispensationalism taught it's not a plan B sort of a convention by which the father enacts a new plan or new phase of the plan to try to rescue sinners no it was always the plan of the Father we from the very beginning Genesis chapter 3 often said before when God made those garments or got those garments from the animals for Adam and Eve he didn't unzip a bear suit it was a bloody sacrifice and God removed the skin and covered Adam and Eve when Abraham takes Isaac to Mount Moriah the site of the future temple and Isaac says where is the the lamb for offering and Abraham says Yahweh will provide as we move throughout the Old Testament Scriptures I mean it comes into more clarity at Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to be sure but it was always the purpose in the plan of the Father for the son to undergo what the son is undergoing here so the idea that he forced sake more abandon him in an unqualified manner doesn't make sense of the text and then we ought to appreciate the fact that the father never wavered in his love for the son he doesn't love him less at this particular time some of the Puritans went so far as to say he loved him more he never loved him more than when he was at the cross now I love that sentiment and I think it expresses well the reality behind the scene but it's not altogether true God's love doesn't increase and it doesn't diminish she can't love Jesus any more than he's ever loved Jesus the same is true for us some people don't like that doctrine of impassibility it sounds threatening and menacing and it reduces God to a static and inert being no impossibility secures the reality of our confession he is most loving you realize believer that when you by grace have come to the Lord God's love for you doesn't increase and it doesn't diminish because it can't you got this idea on a Thursday well God doesn't love me as much today God's love you can't grow say well that doesn't seem right but it can't diminish either why because he's most loving how do you get more most you can't heap up any other modifiers to make most loving better honey I love you the most that I'm ever gonna love you that's a good thing if your spouse is able to say that to you but even that it's not altogether true because it can't increase and unfortunately it can't diminish but when God says or when the Scriptures tell us that God is love you ever consider John see it saying there we love but it's not true that we are love is it I mean if somebody said I want you to you know describe yourself for me would you say I am love if you would you've got problems you've neglected the doctor to total depravity and you need to study your Bible we don't describe ourselves like that because it's not essential to us but God is his attributes all that is in God is God he doesn't diminish he doesn't increase and if that is true for us the adopted sons of God it is true of the eternally begotten son of God Flavel speaks to this suggestion that the father stopped loving the son he says that is impossible he can no more cease to love Christ than to love himself his love was not turned into wrath though his wrath only was now manifested to him as our surety and that brings us finally to the meaning of the words two things here we ought to consider first the reality that the father did not deliver the son from the agony of the Cross that's the cry of dereliction that's the cry of forsaken estat s' the cry of abandonment that in this present distress in this current suffering in this agony that Christ was undergoing the father didn't deliver him did he the father doesn't rain down a ladder so that Christ can ascend back into heaven no in fact the parallel line in Psalm 22 at verse 1 after the psalmist writes why have you forsaken me he goes on to say why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning abandonment and forsaken nest does not mean the father stopped loving the son abandonment and forsaken nest does not mean that the father would no longer have dealings with the son brethren it doesn't even mean the father turned his face from the sign it means that he didn't proffer help at this particular instance to deal with this particular distress this is the same thing that Isaiah the prophet teaches in eyes 53 at verse 10 it tells us there yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him he has put him to grief you see what Christ is crying out here is legit it is true it is the reality but it's not the father turned his face from the son the father abandoned the son forever the father forsook the son no it's with this present crisis Christ on the cross suffering on our behalf is feeling the full weight and fury of God's wrath and he cries to him why hast thou forsaken me I think what is in view if there was anything removed it was the remove Mamu ville of God's favor in terms of his smile God's close Ness in terms of intimacy and communion and we'll explain why in just a moment but a few of the men in the in the past helped us Poole says it must be understood with respect to God's consolatory manifestations not an utter forsaken that's not an abandonment not a turning of the face away but that it was with respect to God's consolatory manifestations john gill says but he was now without a sense of the gracious presence of God and was filled as the surety of his people with a sense of divine wrath which their iniquities he now bore so you see it's not God abandoned him God forsook him in an unqualified way it means that the smile of God if we can use that sort of popular language was not Christ at that particular moment and again we'll explain why in just a moment Frances turret in gives probably the most specific answer and I'll just quote a portion but as to a participation of joy and felicity God suspending for a little while the favorable presence of grace and influx of consolation and happiness that he might be able to suffer all the punishment due to us that's what it is if we argue or we sing or we speak of gods forsaking the Sun we need to understand what it doesn't mean we need to appreciate what it does mean and when we do we can appreciate the work of the Savior on our behalf because of the reason the reasons for that withdrawal you know why first and foremost this happened it's because of us right why hast thou forsaken me I mean strictly speaking it's not a real quest for knowledge by the Saviour he knows his task he knows his mission he doesn't shrink back from it he announces it in Matthew 16 Matthew 17 and Matthew 20 when he says why hast thou forsaken me it's not a search for information but an expression of his agony an expression of his grief an expression of his distress at undergoing not the mockery not the spitting not the physical abuse but the withdrawal of the smile of his father and he undergoes this not because he was sinful not because he was a criminal not because he was an insurrectionist but because we are consider Matthew 1:21 he will save his people from their sins consider Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many and then second Corinthians 5:21 really illustrates this this idea of substitution Christ taking our place God made him the Father made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him or Galatians 3:13 what does it tell us Christ became a curse for us see that's why the cry of dereliction that's why why hast thou forsaken me it's because he identifies with us it's because he is our covenant head it is because he is our representative it is because he is our priest fact one of the early fathers Hillary said this he said name it was we who were forsaken and disregarded so that it was as appropriating our personality that he offered these prayers he says elsewhere appropriating than our person and ranking himself with us he used these words for we are bound in the fetters of sin and the curse as faithless and disobedient and therefore forsaken Lord's Christ is our substitute here at the cross why hast thou forsaken me because he stood in our place we sing that don't we bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned he stood that's the rationale behind this particular statement of our Lord Jesus Christ not that the father turned away from the son not that the father abandoned the son in some unqualified way not that the father shielded himself from the son the father is pleased in the altogether lovely altogether always he doesn't leave the Sonny doesn't forsake the son continually the father undergirds the son the father sustains the son who by the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God according to Hebrews 9th Hebrews 9 all three persons are present in terms of the Cross not suffering like MacLeod suggests but they're all three they're the father's wrath being appeased the son being the appeaser and the spirit sustaining the son while he undertakes that glorious work and then matthew henry makes it this observation he says christ was made sin for us a curse for us and therefore though god loved him as a son he frowned upon him as our surety you see the text makes perfect sense he's not forsaken and some unqualified turned his face from him though he never stops loving the Sun but he frowns upon the Sun as the Sun is our surety as the Sun bears our wrath as the Sun bears our curse as the Sun who is made sin for us and as the Sun who has made a curse for us this is the means by which God would save his people from their sins Christ knew it from the outset Christ was always embracing of it and Christ underwent it willingly that's another thing we ought to appreciate the doctrine of penal suffering you know I've often said before you may not have heard it that doesn't mean I haven't said it but the Puritans especially Boston in his human nature and it's fourfold sense spoke of a two-fold punishment with reference to God's wrath toward sinners and if you're a nun redeemed sinner today perhaps you ought to pay attention here because I think this passage teaches us something of the wrath of God that will draw out in just a few moments but this twofold sense of the punishment of God of the punishment of God in terms of sinners there's a punishment of sense Sen s sense our senses are involved the Scriptures declare that there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth there's that punishment of sense and remember that Christ on the cross is bearing hell Christ on the cross is suffering he'll often probably one of the biggest questions or repetitive questions that I think reform pastors get asked is how do you explain that an apostle screen where where Jesus descended into hell there's a lot of ways to explain that that's not the purpose here but suffice it to say that Christ suffered L on the cross so there's this punishment of sense but there's also a punishment of loss you see sinners on this side of judgment get to enjoy something of God don't they I mean just look outside today it's in it beautiful so warm and toasty and all the colors are bright and beautiful everybody gets to enjoy that you may go home today and have a nice steak that's something you get to enjoy from God ladies were said none of us make steak on a Sunday it's too busy are you crazy they'll get soup and don't like it sinners on this side of judgment get to enjoy something of God on the day of judgment there is that punishment of loss the deprivation of any good from God it's a terrifying situation punishment of sin cast into the lake of fire weeping wailing gnashing of teeth and this punishment of loss where the goodness of God is taken from us this answers to the suffering of the Savior there is a punishment of sense to be sure but it's this punishment of loss that evokes the cry my God my God why hast thou forsaken me again Flavel says it was a penal desertion that has to do with penalty inflicted on him for satisfaction for those sins of ours which deserved that God should forsake us forever as the Damned are forsaken by him to understand the significance of this because Christ says my God my God why hast thou forsaken me those in Christ will never utter that I mean there may be the daily trials and turmoils and hardships of the Christian life there may be that time where we we sense that God is not smiling upon us what confession speaks to that we we fall under God's fatherly displeasure you see that in first John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness that doesn't mean that that each and every day if we don't fetch forgiveness from God if we die that day we're gonna go to hell no justification answers to that reality justification is an act of God's free grace wherein he pardons all our sins and accept us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone we are forgiven it's not contingent upon us asking for forgiveness now we should and in the language of first John 1:9 it's to maintain that fatherly smile it's to maintain that sweet fellowship and communion with the father it's not to fetch forgiveness by which we are forgiven and are going to be go to heaven that's secured by Christ and in that we ought to rejoice the idea that we fetch our own forgiveness because of something good in us or because we remembered what if we forgot a sin yesterday morning that we didn't confess does that mean we're going to hell if that's a gospel that ain't good news brethren that is not good news the good news is is that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself the good news is that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him now of course try to confess your sins definitely cough them up vomit them out ask God for mercy ask him for grace ask him for forgiveness but in that context the first on 1:9 it's not to fetch a justifying forgiveness it is to fetch the smile of God if we confess our sins he's faithful he's just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so there may be that turmoil in our lives there may be those seasons there might be those times there might be what some call spiritual depression the psalmist mentions it in psalm 42 so I'm 43 why art thou discount a stole my sole hope thou in God there are seasons to be sure where it may seem like God has forsaken because we don't know his nearness and we don't see those consolatory smiles but in terms of our eternal standing in terms of our heaven or hell in terms of the real that we will be with Christ where he is because he said why has thou forsaken me you and I will never have to do it will never ever have to say why have you forsaken me it's that good news that that's just enough to make one jump up in the air and kick his heels together and do a bit of a holy jig actually so we see the reality that the father did not deliver the son from the agony of the Cross in terms of the meaning of the words but we ought to appreciate finally the reality that the son did not shrink back from fulfilling the will of the Father we see in this the manifestation of his distress it's real it's felt it is his experience it is what he is undergoing and as I said in terms of the question Jesus isn't seeking information from the father he's not seeking a response from the father he is expressing his grief and agony at having been forsaken by the father again that qualified forsaken nets not delivered from this present distress again Flavel says the Godhead restrained and cut back for this time all its joys comforts and sense of love from the manhood yielding it nothing but support he did not feign but feel the burdensomeness of it it's not faking it here this is a reality for the son of God but as well this cry of distress or this cry of dereliction again we need to qualify and to find dereliction but we don't have the time for that it evidences his continual faith in God doesn't it isn't this the mock of the religious leaders in verse 43 he trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the son of God remember last week I said we oftentimes focus on Matthew 4 as the temptation of the Savior and certainly Matthew 4 is the temptation of the Savior but he is in our humanity he is suffering according to his humanity he identifies with us he takes on our human our humanity with all the essential properties in the common infirmities thereof he's in the most extenuating a grievous situation in terms of suffering and trial and difficulty and he hears people saying this well he trusted in the father let's see if the father will deliver him how about you brethren but if I was in the most difficult straits and somebody came along and said where is your God where is the father where is the one whom you claim allegiance to again we we saw that last week and in not just one song but a few of the Psalms David David's enemies challenged him that way they come and they say where is your God if you're so in tune with this living God if you're so in tune with the God of Israel why are you such in a bad situation you might hear it today what good is it being a believer you live in poverty or your suffering or your your your castigated or you're rejected talking about everybody else I mean we got a pretty good here in Canada so but but you hear that complaint where's your God if you serve the true and living God why is your life so terrible that's why the the contrariness of this prosperity gospel it's just so not anywhere near the Bible anywhere near the truth that people get sucked into that is a pathetic testimony on how do I don't know how foolish man is but you see that right you might feel that it don't know why do you serve God you lie you're a loser your life is terrible would you ever be tempted to go oh yeah maybe maybe maybe I'm on the losing team here I'm not saying this went through the mind of the Savior I don't know what went through the mind of the Savior at this particular instance but he's got all this external pressure all these people say well he trusted in God absolutely he trusted in God notice what he says my God my God he never renounce his faith in the Father he never forsakes the father in any way whatsoever he never turns back he never shrinks back in this it or in this confession or in this ascription he is declaring his purpose to go to the very end typically Jesus praise Father here the father and a real sentence has stopped smiling upon the son the son nevertheless lays hold of God Matthew Henry said it this way he said that our Lord Jesus even when he was thus forsaken of his father kept hold of him as his God notwithstanding and then a final thing before we leave and apply there's an analogy here with Gethsemane isn't there there has to be what's Gethsemane Christ agonizing at the prospect of the cup and he told his disciples that my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death doesn't he go to the Father and he says father if it is possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless father not my will but thine be done brethren I submit that if the prospect of the cup caused the Son of God to cry to the father that if it is possible let this cup pass from me the actual drinking of the cup here in Matthew 27 it is absolutely consistent to hear him say why hast thou forsaken me it is absolutely positively consistent with his humanity with the Old Testament specifically Psalm 22 and the suffering servant passages in the prophet Isaiah to hear him cry these things forth but all the while resigned to do the will of the father never shrinking back never stopping never deceasing never ending until he fulfills all that the father had given him well brethren there we go verses 45 and 46 I realized that there might have been a little more doctrinal stuff involved in this but as I said at the outset you can't be wrong on theology proper I was talking to Shane in the parking lot about how young men and older men not old men but young men and older man differ when you're a young pastor you're willing to die for like 20 things not every chapter in the confession but just about all of them older men say yeah I'll die for the Trinity justification by faith alone person and work of the Lord Jesus person to work of the Holy Spirit beyond that you know what fatal Baptists are my brethren and I love them and I hope God blesses them and prospers them I'm gonna die for baptism by immersion now some of the old Baptist brothers are probably turning over in their grave you're betraying us now I'll fight tooth and nail for the truth of believers baptism by going to die for it you got to be willing to die for theology proper so that means you got a no theology proper you got to understand who God is in himself you got to understand how God relates to the creature how everything that is not God is creature when the scripture is an ala gives us these an analogous God is light and there isn't him no dark no darkness in it at all even that's an analogy brethren because light is creature it's made it's built by God ultimately creature can never tell us specifically about creator we argue by analogy we understand things by what's called analogical predication again you might say well I don't want to hear all this before my super my steak but I'm telling you at some point in your Christian life you need to meditate upon chapter 2 in our confession of faith you need to get the the doctrine of chapter 2 of our confession of faith in your mind's and in your hearts so that you will not fall prey to every wind of doctrine and every new evangelical that departs from the path these are days in which the Prophet Jeremiah is absolutely right we need old paths Christianity one of the best reprints of an old Puritan work was that one of Obadiah Sedgwick which what a great name Obadiah Sedgwick what a great name pregnant ladies there you go Obadiah Sedgwick whatever your your last name happens to be the title that they've given this reprint is the old perspective on Paul music to one's ears because the new perspective on Paul sounds a whole lot like Roman Catholicism the new perspective on Paul seems a or sounds a whole lot like there was never a Reformation the new perspective on Paul doesn't sound like anything Paul ever said in fact one of the sort of academic critics of the of the the new perspective on Paul one of its chief adherence is a man by the name of NT Wright he wrote a book called what st. Paul really said and one man said he ought to it entitled the book what st. Paul never said I can't even begin to describe how that has infiltrated evangelicalism and reformed I had an interesting discussion one time with another reformed minister and he was saying how he was going to preach on a particular book and as I want to do I'll say what what commentators are you using on that particular book and all the ones that he named right actually he asked first and I named my list of guys and he didn't like any of them that didn't offend me at a personal level I could care less at a personal level if he doesn't like Kelvin or Luther Johnny D or John Brown or or John Gill or John Calvin it's all with John it's got John you got it got a good name as a Bible commentator but everybody mentions seem connected to new perspective on Paul I thought this is reformed you're supposed to preach justification by faith alone you're not supposed to conflate justification and sanctification you're not supposed to do that that's what Rome does that's why people are swimming the Tiber they get a bit of that in them they get a bit of a flattening out of the way of salvation there's no distinction between justification and sanctification it's all one conglomerate my faith in my works endears me to heaven o brethren this comes even closer than new perspective on Paul there's a debate within with forum circles right now on the place of good works in terms of final salvation or final justification those two finals don't even need to be there in my estimation were justified there's no two stages to justification you don't get more justified it's the beauty of it isn't it God takes wretches like us and he washes us and he gives us a righteousness which avails with him that's why it's good news if it was the other way it would be good advice believe on Jesus Plus do good things and then hopefully God will accept you so a lot of this stuff is happening right before our eyes blogs you know Twitter you can you know it's an amazing thing that 140 characters on Twitter you can pack a lot of heresy in 140 Twitter characters on Twitter you can pack a lot of heresy into a blog entry my point brethren is that you ought not to say oh no it's gonna be all docking all this Trinity type of static Union you gotta know this and dare I say it you should want to know it I often ponder the statement of the psalmist he says great are the works of the Lord they are studied by all who have pleasure in that and I music on the fact that there's people out there that actually like to study weird things they like to study bats or they like to study you know not necessarily that's probably a good thing to study it's okay they like to study stamps or coins they like to study you know history which that's not bad but to get a Christian to actually delight in the work of creative redemption and study it or study the God who has saved them who of you has fallen into a relationship with you woman or young man or an old woman or an old man and has it wanted to get to know them and the church it's like pulling teeth to get people to read their Bibles or a decent theology book you know I have the time I'm sorry but if you have the time to study stamps you probably have the time to study your Bible if you have the time to perfect a new souffle you have the time to study chapter 2 in our confession of faith you see it's a matter of what is it that pleases us greater the works of Yahweh they are studied by all who take pleasure in them in my estimation churches that preach the truth ought to be packed every Sunday churches that preach the truth ought to be packed every Wednesday night I'm not saying our church because I'm here I'm just suggesting that if the people of God have an appetite for God and there is actual preaching presenting God and why in the world would we not be there what is more important in our lives isn't this the essence of eternal life according to Jesus in John 17:3 and this is eternal life that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent if you have an aversion to reading your Bible here if you have an aversion to studying theology here man heaven may not be the best idea for you because guess what you're going to be doing in heaven taking in the glory of God if the works of the Lord are great and they are studied by all who find pleasure therein how are you with the scriptures how are you with the confession let me just make a quick plug for the confession we don't do that because there's some somehow something holy or about the 17th century they just got it right why we would try to reinvent the wheel well we hear that a lot people that adhere to a historic confession oh you think it's like the but no we don't it's not the Bible it's not authoritative not inspired it's not infallible dare I say it is inerrant in fact in the sense that when it's right it's in Aaron two plus two equals four is an inerrant statement that should not bother anybody that's a statement without error our confession teaches certain biblical truth we could say don't do this cuz on Facebook they'll tell you you're a horrible person but we could say that it is an area so far as it is expressing in unerring truth it is an arrant your birth certificate is inerrant that's not a unless somebody lie I guess somebody could have lied you could be five years old or younger than you are we don't hold it because it's old we hold it because it's right I've often mused thankfully that God caused the early church to hammer out the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the person and work of Christ I don't think we could today I just I'm sure we could if God so was pleased but those guys did Herculean work now I'm not saying we agree with everybody back there and everything they ever thought or everything they ever wrote but imagine feeling your way on the doctrine of the Trinity and on the person in the work of Christ in the first few hundred years of the church you've got the Bible to be sure the Bible calls us causes us or callenge as us or expects us rather is the best word to theologies to contemplate to consider to compare Scripture with Scripture to come up with Doctorate doctrinal formula formulations that's what we're expected to do thankfully the early church did it with the doctrine of Christ and the Trinity and the Reformation period church did it with the doctrine of justification by faith if they did it well why would we want to redo it again our attitude ought to be Charles Hodge with reference to old Princeton you will never hear a new thought here you will never hear a new development in theology here would have been great if that actually had come to pass but I like the sentiment what's Hodge suggesting there's no need to redevelop the theological wheel that's been rolling fine through the history of the church a confession of faith that we adhere to as a church is most beneficial and helpful when it comes to doctrine at the point of the Trinity and who Jesus is well in conclusion in terms of the obvious applications we see here the depravity of man the depravity of man the darkness displayed the divine displeasure and judgment for man's sin the fact that our Savior went through this for us highlights the depravity of man and then the language of the psalmist in Psalm 22 he refers to his enemies as bolts lion dogs Lions mouths and from the horns of the wild oxen we have been in this section of scripture for just a few weeks now but we would agree wouldn't we these people are acting like beasts these people are acting like animals these people are acting worse than some thing that's not an image-bearer of God that is acting instinctually to try and destroy prey now when we consider that we see the sinfulness of man and is not just the religious leaders though we know they are complicit Matthew 26 3 to 5 Matthew 26 14 to 16 Matthew 27 when they testify against Jesus we know it's not just the Roman governor he gave the death order with reference to Christ his you know hand washing ceremony notwithstanding Pilate was culpable in guilty and not just all the land of Israel according to Matthew 26 they say may his blood be on us in our children so I reminded us last week Romans 4:25 puts the this on us he was delivered because of our offenses he doesn't highlight the religious leaders there he doesn't highlight Roman the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and he doesn't mention the unbelievers in Israel he mentions us he was delivered up because of our offenses and we ought to see not appreciate in a right way but appreciate in a correct way just how bad we really are you know when we think that we're really good and yeah you know I'm not like those guys we get that Luke 18 sort of prayer posture thank you God that I'm not like other man boy before you do that go to this passage go stand at the foot of the cross and ask yourself er are you really good you know we're not secondly as I mentioned earlier we ought to appreciate the wrath of God again not appreciate it like wow I can't wait for it but appreciate it in terms of the truthfulness of it wrath is revealed in Matthew 27 here at the cross you who think of sin but lightly here it's guilt may estimate mark the sacrifice appointed see who bears the awful load his the word the Lord's anointed son of man son of God Flavel again makes this observation he says if he had not cried my God my God why hast thou forsaken me we must have how howled out this hideous complaint in the lowest hell forever o righteous God o dreadful o terrible God thou hast ever forsaken me it's a missing element in gospel preaching today we like to hear of the love of God we like to hear of the grace of God we like to hear of the goodness of God we like to hear of the mercy of God do you know why those particular attributes please us because of the backdrop because of the alternative because of the contrary God's wrath his fury his curse his judgment the fact that he must punish sin and sinners the fact that he is a holy God you ever consider why would men make up this God and understand why the Canaanites made up bail who doesn't want to storm God that when you copulate he gives you rain and and and fertilizes your crotch I mean that that seems designed with our proclivities in mind but who develops a thrice holy God who will punish his creatures for their violations of his law that's what the Scriptures tell us God is holy God is just and God will visit with vengeance all those who rebel against him but praise God Almighty for Matthew 27 and verse 46 because God sent his son into this world to live to die to be raised on the third day so that all who look to him in faith isn't this John 3:16 all those who believe will have everlasting life so look to the Savior look to the one who stood on that cross look to the one in whom alone there is forgiveness there is mercy there is grace and run flee hide find your refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for what our Savior went through on our behalf and truly it is an amazing testimony that Paul gives us and interpreting for us the events of the Cross that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him I pray that you would encourage our hearts as we see again the Savior and his great love for us and I pray for those outside of Christ that you would draw them by grace to the one in whom there is forgiveness we ask that you would go with us now bring us together tonight that we may worship you in spirit and truth and we pray through Christ the Lord amen you