His Darkness & Death

Let's all take your Bibles and let's go to Mark chapter 15 Mark chapter 15 were looking at a series entitled God's unrelenting love for his children were focusing on the last I guess. Three. Four days of our Lord's earthly life, that is before his death he was on the earth after his resurrection. Last week we looked at the section that I called the crucifixion and we noted from the text that it just doesn't give much of a description of what was happening to Jesus as he hung on the cross but the text narrative does give quad a description of those who were present and we learn from the different types of people there. The different types of unbelievers that were present, but today I want us to move forward to what I call his death. Now perhaps I should extend that out to say his darkness and death because I'm convinced all that I'm going to talk about today happened in those three hours when God turned darkness on the earth at 12 noon until three, at which point Jesus cries out with a loud voice and gives up his life and the will of the father, one think we know for certain.

This was God's work. This was in an accident. It would be something that just happened.

And God made the best of it.

God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit foreordained these things from before the foundation of the world God was at work. For example, in acts 223 Peter's preaching uses this man that's Jesus. Of course, delivered over by the predetermined plan and for knowledge of God, you nailed to the cross for the hands of godless men included man is fully responsible for his evil deed of crucifying Christ, but Peter says, but God ordained every bit of this, this was his work.

Isaiah 53 to in the first part but the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief if he would render himself as a guilt offering. It was God's work.

I preached a sermon some years ago, when actually it. Some people, not in our church family, but outside who heard it were were upset with me because I entitled the sermon why God killed his son. Well, if God wouldn't behind it didn't who was behind it you mean Jesus was just bushwhacked for more humans and couldn't get out of it know God was doing so is look at our text together. Mark chapter 16 verses 33 through 39 when the sixth hour came, that's noon, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. That's 3 PM arrived at our 3 PM at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice elegantly.

Alloway Lamas about the knee, which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken, or abandoned me with some of the bystanders heard they begin saying behold he's calling for Elijah and someone ran and filled a sponge with sour want wine and put it on a read and gave him a drink, saying, let us see whether Elijah will come and take him down. Verse 37 and Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who was standing right in front of him, saw the way he brings his last, he said. Truly this man was the son of God was to escape by running overview of the text and then I'm going to focus in on the great spiritual truths of what God was accomplishing in those three hours of his darkness in his death. First of all, in verse 33 we see this darkness. I believe it was a solar eclipse for three hours. Amos 89, prophesied of this will come about in that they declares the Lord, that I shall make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark and brawled daylight I believe it was an intense and unforgettable darkness. And it came at the least expected time at 12 noon Hendrickson in his commentary says the darkness submit judgment. The judgment of God for our sins's wrath, as it were burning itself out in the very heart of Jesus, so that he as our substitute suffered most intense agony indescribable willow terrible isolation and for sacredness hell came to Calvary that day and the Savior descended into it and bore its horrors in our stead. Verse 34, the ninth hour comes 3 PM and Jesus cries out with a loud voice, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, the psalmist prophesied this in Psalm 22 verse one, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me far from a deliverance of the words of my groaning. We can't really enter into the inter-sanctum of God the father and God the son in this holy work of redemption as literally the father in a sense abandons the sun as he becomes the sin bearer and then versus 35 and 36 again we see what some of the bystanders do at this point some of the Boston's hurt they begin to say, behold, he's calling for Elijah this just sort of a a course joke coming from the lips of perverse unbelievers. The Jews believe that Elijah course would lead in the company, the Messiah, and so just a course gesture and then they said let us and then they said they gave him one and put on a read and gave him a drink.

This was a cheap wind used by soldiers to quench their thirst.

Perhaps it was a genuine act of sympathy. We know Jesus in John 1928, said I thirst.

And that's one of the amazing things to me that Jesus is God of very God in human form, yet without sin. But he was thirsty at times but he was hungry at times but he was weary at times.

He he was heartbroken are our lease showed emotion. He wept, so we can't comprehend all that deity becoming humanity means, but some of that's going to come to play in what I want to preach to you this morning. How can one thing the truth the others to nothing. Sometimes theologians perhaps try to make everything fit very nicely in the little categories and it just didn't always fit as nicely as we would like them.

Verse 37 and Jesus uttered a loud cry. I think it's important to note that he didn't just allow his life to ebb away. He cries loudly and he died voluntarily. He gave his life. He reported out he laid it down. John said in John 1930 he literally cries it is finished, and I believe the great work of God the father through his son Jesus Christ, God the son happened in those three hours of darkness and in his death. The Bible says in verse 38 the Intervale that separates the holy place, from the holy of holies was torn into the veil was a symbol of God's in approachability. No man, no sinner can go into the presence of God.

But now in Jesus death is been ripped apart and now we can move toward God, and know God through the new veil which is Jesus Christ. John 14, five and six Thomas asked Jesus how do we know the way Jesus did sound will show you the way he said I am the way, I'm not going to put you the Sunday philosophy or send a check off list or some some new rulebook assume the book of laws and the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father but by me. Hebrews 1019 and 26. Therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.

Listen this by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the veil that ESE is flesh. Then we come to verse 39 and I believe this man was converted when the centurion who was standing right in front of him, saw the way he break this last he said truly this man was the son of God. What was God doing in the three hours of darkness and death as Jesus hangs on the cross, redeeming his children. I will organize it this way. Well, let me say this. First of all because you're dealing with the whole body is so teleology in some ways here. The whole aspect of the doctrine of salvation. So there's so much I could preach the rest of my life on all the spiritual truths, but for us today. I want to mention three things I.

First of all, he was contaminated with our sin contaminated with our sin. Second Corinthians 521 says he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The scholars tell us the two words to be is not in the original text so literally it could read he made him who knew no sin. Sin. Now most of the men that your consult will say at that point what God is saying is he view Jesus as if he were a sinner. I'm not against that is just the text didn't really spell that out is, how can he be gotten thirsty. I can he be God and literally become the contamination sin. I don't know the very least, he becomes our sin bearer in our place. I use the word contamination because I will not only emphasize the vileness the lonesomeness. The defilement that came upon Christ as he takes our place on the cross is a good illustration. In the Old Testament, and that is the disease of leprosy.

Leprosy was the scourge of the ancient world.

Nothing evoked more fear, more dread are more revulsion than this disease. The leprous were called the walking dead. Vile sores would cover the body. Horrid older of rotten fruit flesh would be present. Fingers would rot off toes would fall off. It would even spread outside the body to clothing and furniture. Sometimes in the not time you would often smell a leper before you saw them but Levitical law taught that this was a spiritual uncleanness, and I believe that's because there's a picture of Sia near it's it's an illustration of our sin need. We are the walking dead were dead in our trespasses and sins of the leprosy went beyond the skid it went deep into the body. In our sin problem is not just the surface behavior thing.

We have a heart in the nature of sin is the file link gets revolves since, in the presence of a holy God. It's a vivid picture of our condition spiritually before a holy God. So the Levitical priest when he found someone in the tribe of Israel who had leprosy would could determine him to be unclean and he would declare that he had to spend his life now outside the camp and that's where we are outside the Fellowship of God, brothers and sisters.

The great plague is not the coronavirus and the great plague is not leprosy.

The great plague is sin. Sin is the great plague of mankind is the plague of all plagues all of us have it. We are all born with it and we all manifest among others.

The Old Testament defines an end view CN as a defilement and impurity uncleanness. Thus all be extensive, exhaustive purification and cleansing rights that God gave Israel what was that for is to make them aware that you have a staying that needs washing away course, the rites and rituals could never do that. It was a picture that they needed one to wash their sins away.

Then you come over to the New Testament, and again, among other terms.

The New Testament speaks of sin as a defilement as a staying is something that is vile file. Rather, or lewd of a blemish, then I'm reminded of Isaiah 53 were we have that powerful picture of the suffering servant. The picture Jesus suffering for our sins, just listen to these phrases from Isaiah 53. Our iniquity was laid on him as a 53 six 5311. He will bear their iniquity 5312. He will bear the sins of many.

I did over to the New Testament, Hebrews 928 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many on the cross. Jesus became the contaminated want defilement. The unclean one if he didn't literally become that before the father. At least he stood before the father and the father viewed him as the defiled one unclean impure blemished in all the defilement of all of our CN. The Bible says was laid on him.

It's interesting if you were to ask someone today is the most defiled center or someone may say, Satan or maybe Hitler or someone like that. That's not true. When Jesus went to the cross.

He was the most defiled center that ever lived, though he himself did not see he was not a sinner in the sense that we are, but he became that defiled greater than any human had ever known.

He was taking on the defilement of the seasons of the world.

If you and I could grasp his inherent nature of unapproachable holiness.

It's really impossible to imagine the son of God becoming sin is easier to imagine the sun ceasing to shine water ceasing to be moister birds ceasing to fly Jesus, the sinless one, the one who never committed sin become sin for us becomes defiled in the eyes of his father and in doing so he frees us from the defilement of sin. Romans 39 reminds us that all Jews and Gentiles are under sin. Galatians 322 reminds us that we are shut up in CN. It says all men are shut up under sin where in this hopelessly reversible condition where locked up under sins were in the. The bonds in the stocks of sin were enclosed in the big steel prisons sale of CN with a door with steel rivets enclosed on us and then sealed by the. The change enough the padlocks of sin and that's where we are. Jesus since he died for us became the corrupted one, the contaminated one, the defiled one in our place.

The father looks upon him and lets us go free. All of our CN all of our plague.

All of our defilement. All of our uncleanness was laid on him. First Peter 224 reminds us, he bore our CN in his body on the cross.

Scholars tell us that word board means he carried and held it up as if he just came to all of his children. He collected all of the defilement and all the uncleanness and he puts it on his own shoulders, and he cares that the father had visited children's wickedness and defilement, uncleanness and father will take care of I'll take it on myself. I buried up before you in those three hours of darkness and death. Jesus was contaminated by our sin.

Also, he was II cursed, cursed for our sin is another aspect of what God was accomplishing through our redemption in his darkness and death on the cross. Galatians 313 tells us Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

The concept of being cursed in biblical times, literally meant set apart by God to be an object of great lonesomeness and worthy of divine vengeance it's it's as if there's nothing that can be done with you. You're just set apart and only destined for lonesomeness and vengeance by God. That's what a curse is in the Bible says Jesus became a curse in Old Testament times, criminals of various countries might be executed in various ways, but it was quite common when I though the most violent criminals were executed they would take them out and hang them on the pole because they were accursed day. It was a public spectacle signifying that they are the objects of divine justice disapproval. Reminds me of the incident over in the Old Testament with the children of Israel were rebelling against God. They were grumbling, but if at least read it together. Numbers 21 verses five through nine. The people spoke against God and Moses why you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness for there's no food and no water. We loathe this miserable food might remind you of a Christian today.

He says I'm serving Jesus and things got harder. Why is it like this, verse six, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so that the people of Israel.

God so Moses came some people are the came to Moses and said, we have sinned, because we spoken against the Lord and you intercede with the Lord that he may remove the serpents from us.

And Moses interceded for the people. This is unusual.

Look what happened. Verse eight then the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent, and set on a standard a pole.

This should come about that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it he will live. Moses made a bronze serpent and you send on the standard and it came about that if a serpent bit any man, then he would look to the bronze serpent and he lived ill from the very beginning the serpent has been the object of loathing and and and and and just rejection if you will, in the garden Eve in the Garden of Eve. It was the serpent who comes to even deceive*then she deceives Adam and then in its judgment, God calls the serpent 40s are driven to eat dust all the days of your life.

You're gonna crawl on your belly and I'll put enmity between the woman's seed in between you and now we have Moses and the people rebelling and God sent fiery poisonous serpents among them, and God said Moses here's what your to do these things mean something.

Folks, this is just a story, Moses, snake on a pole and if anyone would look to the snake will be healed of the disease friends that snake represents Jesus and accursed thing because when he hung on the cross.

The curse fell on him instead of falling on us became as because he was saving about the snakes one who was an accursed one.

The father looked upon him with the lonesomeness and accursed Miss that should've been pointed toward us. You see, just as the holiness of God is infinitely beyond our comprehension. The listen so the demand of God for justice against sin is infinitely beyond our comprehension. God is absolutely just, and man is absolutely depraved and thoroughly sold by sin were the accursed ones were dead in trespasses and sins, and there's no greater antithesis is no better opposite than the holy God and accursed men. When God's punitive righteousness was thrust upon the son of God, it must've been a gruesome scene. I think that's part of the reason watch dark is more gruesome than any of human history. I believe anything we could conceive. Can't compare to it.

Perhaps Jesus body twisted and strained and convulsed under the spiritual way than the agony far beyond the physical pain as he endured the wrath and punishment on that day he endured the force of omnipotence in wrath in the heart of eternal hell.

At the same time because while he was becoming an accursed thing serpent is our sin fell on him. III contaminated or sin because of our sin cursed our sin and now cast away because of our sin.

A castaway this really comes out vividly in the narrative does not.

Jesus is hanging on the cross and says my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me God, why, why, cast me away why the separation. I don't know all this going on there. In Luke chapter 12 verse five. Luke warns that we don't just to fear the God who can destroy the body in the next restore the body cast into hell. The spotty speaks of those cast out of the kingdom of God in the final judgment on things we need to remind ourselves that the horror of being cast into hell, is not so much what you're cast into, that's awful, but who your castaway from you never know God's loving God's peace and God's joy and all the beauties and glories of being in God's present. You only know God's wrath and God's retribution for eternity.

God is holy and must cast us from his present again in the coming judgment.

The Bible tells us in the Gospels that he will cast those away from himself into eternal fire. Now, as we talked about the leper earlier.

The leper was required to be taken out and cast out from the rip from the rest of the people.

So Leviticus 16 verses 20 through 22, we see another powerful commentary. Another powerful picture if you will, of all that is being accomplished for us on the cross, that is, that Jesus became the scapegoat the scapegoat carrying our sin away. We might carry it no longer. Leviticus 16 verses 20 and 21 when he finishes atoning for the holy place in the tent of meeting, the altar, he shall offer the live goat. Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to their sins, and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of the man who stands in readiness scapegoat was the picture of the sands falling on another a substitute the goat and then taken away being a castaway and that's what Jesus became for us as he hung on the cross and across my God, my God, why have you forsaken me a course. I think Christ understood why, but it's in the moment of the experience that I think that he cries out in this anguish I'm being castaway from you Vanessa a powerful thing to think about is the most incredible of paradigm paradoxes for the first time the only time in the last time God the father was separated from God the son from eternity past, they enjoyed perfect union and perfect unity. I won this beyond any in the human economy.

When Jesus became sin. There erupted a giant chasm between himself and the heavenly father. The father turned his back on the sun despising our sin, the great gulf fixed between heaven and hell was experienced between the father and the son. The separation we feel is unforgiven centers toward God was transferred to Jesus there in the darkness on the cross. He felt the tearing piercing. Rather, the tearing piercing agony of separation.

He was separated from the love and the joy and the beauty of his glorious heavenly father. He felt for all people of all ages. The pain of being eternal fraternally forsaken of God so that now we might draw near to God because he took our place. He was contaminated by our sin, he became an accursed thing he was cursed for our sin and then castaway from God because of our sin.

All that is involved in being a sinner and all that is required by a holy God to just sleep punish bring retribution against the center was accomplished by Jesus when he hung on the cross again. There so many dimensions on this on and on and on we could go there component.

I want to mention in concluding this morning. One other work you might say that we need to add as is hanging there is one last segment is what happened after he gave the loud cry. In effect he saying I've been contaminated with sin. I am accursed with this sin. I'm castaway because of sin, though I never see and I'm not a sinner and now one last thing to do.

He must walk through the door of death and we walked to the door of death, he will endure the full blow of best thing for us.

Death is a consequence of sin and it is his desire to die for us and to die in our place. John 1011 I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. It required his death. His death is not symbolic. His death is not just an illustration of sacrifice. Literally he tasted death and did it for us. John 1017 and 18.

For this reason, the father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down. I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my father. He gave up his life really that we might live. As victors over death free from the fear of death. Hebrews 29 we do see him. He was been made for little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus. Because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God by this unmerited favor told us we don't deserve this. The grace of God he might taste death for everyone. So for the child of God. Death is really not a problem that is on the side to some degree, is it not, but in reality is not a problem. Essentially, promotion that it is not AIA really a fearful thing for the child of God is actually a fortunate thing absent from the body's presence with the Lord. As I've said many times death is now a cod messenger that takes us to a better home verse 37 and 38. The Bible talks about Jesus hanging on the cross. At the end of the three hours of darkness. He cries out with a loud voice Johnson as part of that cry was it is finished. It is finished. When Jesus cried out with a loud voice that thunders cry. It must or should the glory bales of heaven because heaven understood more fully.

All that redemption meant that's the bells of heaven rang the unseen hand of God reaches down through the outer court through the holy place in the holy of holies and rips open the way into the holy of providing us access to God one final thought. Second Corinthians 521, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. We been talking about that a lot.

Heavenly look. The rest of that that we might become the righteousness of God in him because he willingly became contaminated with our sin became a cut accursed one standing in our place because of our sin castaway from God because of our sin. He did this for two main reasons. First of all, the pay redemptions cost listen. Secondly to pistole redemptions crown. He said I took all of this on me.

So the great exchange could take place. I've taken all of your contamination. Your curse in your being castaway on me now. Got something for you here take the crown of righteousness you get my crown of righteousness, brothers and sisters. You don't get to heaven on your righteousness. You get his righteousness relates that crown on your head.

One of the songwriter said hallelujah what a Savior. Second Timothy 4/8 were Paul talks about how there's a crown of righteousness awaiting you didn't mean just in these and all look forward his appearing.

I found this some time ago and that in one of the Chinese dialects know they use symbols in their language, there's the character are the symbol for righteousness and has a unique story behind the story goes to the boy. He was a shepherd, had a little lamb the love that lamb so dearly but the lambs mother died. So the little lamb had no mother from which the nursing unit was going to die. So we went and found another mother lamb with the sheep with the baby lamb, and he killed that baby lamb and took its wool off of it and went and put it on the orphan lamb and now that the lot but that that wool was on the orphan lamb. Now that new mother would receive the orphan as her own living nurse. That's exactly what Jesus has done for us.

He clothed himself in our contamination are cursed and are being castaway so we can close on us his righteousness. He purchased our redemption and he purchased our crown, the crown of righteousness, that and much, much, much more God accomplished for us in those three hours of darkness and death on the cross