We had a powerful service at the Crosspointe campus on Sunday May 22, 2011. We had a couple join in the morning and previewed Lifepointe Christian School. During the evening service we had the K-5 graduation. The powerful message during the morning series was a continuation on our God so Loved series entitled Substitution.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Matthew 27:45-46
What happened on the cross that day was a substitution.
What does this teach us?
We are all familiar with substitutions. We substitute splenda for sugar when we are on a diet. In sports, such as basketball, substitutions come in to replace tired or injured players. Another level of substitution is what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus was on the cross for six hours as a substitute for our punishment. Jesus hung on the cross from about 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. At 12:00 noon the brightest part of the day everything went dark for the final three hours. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? It is at this point when Jesus screams out in pain while being mocked. God stepped back as all the sin of the world was laid on the shoulders of Jesus. This is the epitome of mercy and justice. Mercy remained at the cross for you! You needed a substitute.
Nothing hurts more than being abandoned; Jesus took upon himself the punishment, the pain, and the perversions of the world and was abandoned by his father because God can not be in the presence of sin. God views all sin as equal. The bible says that there are none that are righteous. The bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All sin disserves justice.
God is holy.
Holiness cannot be tainted with sin. Revelation 4:8 says:
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
In Greek and Roman mythology gods are flawed, but our God, the one true God who created the heavens and earth is perfect and without sin. Because He is perfect He cannot stand in the presence of imperfection. Jesus paid the price so I could be forgiven, so I can stand in the presence of God. A loving God will not send anyone to hell. Jesus took every sin known to mankind. Jesus took the sins of the child molester, the bank robber, rapists, thieves, every sin! Jesus paid the price for them all. Every sin that has ever been committed, Jesus paid the price for them all. Jesus took upon himself every sin. That was the three hours of darkness as he died on the cross. Our sins brought darkness for three full hours. Every sin was brought and placed on the shoulders of our bloody savoir so that I might be saved. I am glad he would do that for a sinner like me. I am glad I can look at my children and say that there is hope. I am glad I can look at my neighbors and say that there is hope. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? And the trinity was broken and God hat do step away. God is holy.
Sin is Ugly.
Our culture makes sin look cool. People think sin is cool and sin is funny, They make a mockery of sin. That is satin’s strategy. He uses this to pull you in and make sin look “not that bad”. But that is the sin that put Jesus on the cross. Movies rarely show the consequences of sin. In culture people hide the consequences of sin. They pretend. Sin has consequences. Sin is ugly. Look at the cross that is the consequence of sin.
Sin Alienates.
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isaiah 59:2
Sin Distresses.
For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psalm 38:4
Sin Condemns.
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalm 7:11
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Even if I don’t accept Jeus into my heart he still died for my sins. First death is physical death. Second death is the soul.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:14
Jesus is in my heart so I will not die the second death.
Salvation is Costly.
Salvation is only free because someone paid a hefty price. I am guilty, so are you. I deserve hell, so do you. I am not righteous, neither are you. I deserve the cross, so do you. But God looked at us and said I will send my son to pay the price for your sin. As Jesus cries out “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” the separation demonstrates how costly our salvation is. He was on the cross because I put him there; Salvation is free because the price of our sin was put upon our savior. Salvation is costly.
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