The Resurrection

Today on Renewing Your Mind so you would suspect that the last moment of Jesus life that whatever he would say would be hardly audible at all. But did you read what Luke said Jesus cried out with a loud voice in your eye commits my spirit would then cry Jesus the Easter Sunday is the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. Christ was crucified.

He died and was buried. But on Sunday morning. The grave lost its power over Jesus and he rose from the dead. We are grateful to be able to celebrate this glorious event with you by featuring this resurrection day service by Dr. RC Sproul were going to continue now with our study of the gospel site. Luke and were in chapter 23 and I will be reading from verse 44 through verse 49 and not ask the congregation place to stand for the reading of the word of God. It was now about the six hour there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour while the sun's light fail in the curtain of the temple was torn in two, and then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said, father, into your hands I commit my spirit and having said this, he breaks his last.

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place to be praised God, saying, certainly this man was innocent in all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle when they saw what had taken place returned home beating their breasts and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. If this course. Just a small portion of the biblical record of the death of our Savior and his atonement. These words are given to us by the superintendent's inspiration of the Holy Spirit was the spirit of truth. I pray that you will receive them as the truth of God himself in BC. Let us pray father and our God.

We marvel at what transpired that day in Jerusalem. Even with the light of your supernatural revelation given to us in sacred Scripture, we can hardly begin to comprehend.

So again will you plead for your help in understanding these things and embracing things thing's for our salvation, for we ask it in Jesus name, amen. Verse 44 in chapter 23 tells us what time it was. It was now about the sixth hour, and in antiquity the Jewish people counted the hours beginning at 6 AM so Luke is telling us that what took place at the sixth hour was at 12 noon something that's last until the ninth hour, or 3 o'clock in the afternoon before I comment on this text. Here in Luke 23. Let me go back for a moment in time to the first pay each of sacred Scripture, we call the whole Bible, the word of God. And indeed, it is what I want to look for a moment at the very first word that came from the lips of God. The Old Testament Scriptures begin as you all know what the words in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, because on to say that primordial situation that the earth was without form and void and dark was upon the face of the date you get the picture.

Formlessness emptiness and a total penetrable darkness in the spirit of God hovered on the water for the first time in recorded history cuts humility set the other commandments, a divine imperative a divine figure on where he spoken to this darkness. Then he said, let there be light of just hesitated, but there was no hesitation in that moment. No sooner had the words escape the lips of God, then the lights came on. Remember, beloved district before God made the sun before he made the moon. This is before there was a single star shining in the sky, but the power of the voice of God was enough to vanquish this in trouble, darkness, probably the source of that light of creation was the same that we are told of the book of Revelation, where we were told in. In the final chapters of the Revelation that they're in the new heaven and the new art there will be no chapel there will be no lamp. There will be no artificial lighting that we know son, no moon, no stars for the glory of God and of the line will be its light at the dawn of creation. The first act of the creator was to call nothing and out of the darkness, glorious and victorious white. I started there in the first's book of Genesis, on page 1 because now when we get to our text we see the polar opposite the exact antithesis of what took place at the dawn of creation. When the cycle was completely reversed were at noon day 12 o'clock when the sun was at its apogee, God sent P dark and this darkness came asked me out of nothing, not from an astronomical perturbation, not from an extended solar eclipse, but again by divine, supernatural fiat and command. The world was one again to outer darkness we read verse 44 now was about the sixth hour high noon and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, three hours, absolute darkness, while the sun's light fail.

This was the first day in the history of this planet's after God created the sun for specific task and for a specific purpose for bringing the warmth of the planet and light that this created or failed in its duty every day since the creation of the world. The sun has been shining in its strength. You don't always say it can be hidden by the darkness of the clouds are as I said temporarily by a solar eclipse.

Or you could live at the polar ice cap, and that you are in the north of the South and experience a perpetual winter in a perpetual time of darkness. And there's a reason why this is the most sparsely populated region of the world because of the absence of the normal function of the sun, but on the day Christ died.

The sun asked UN fail while the sun SON was victorious over heaven and over how beloved anytime we see the metaphor of darkness in sacred Scripture is associated with the judgment of God in all of the types and shadows of the Old Testament celebration of the day of atonement the scapegoat had the sins of the people transferred by the high priest of the back of the goat and then dismissed outside the borders of the encampment of the people of God and sent into the wilderness what was called the outer darkness. And so even now, when the full measure of the judgment of God against evil falls upon his beloved son when his beloved son is sent into the wilderness outside the camp outside the city being cursed entirely by the father, God turned out the light in this crowd that had been mocking him and taunting him, tormenting him saying if you are the Christ, get down off the cross to save others. Can you not save yourself and when this event took place. Every one of the taunts every one of the mockery's every one of these torments were spot instantly as every model was silenced as the people were plunged into total darkness. They were there to watch the spectacle to live for Jesus that I knew Sam expose humiliation when suddenly they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces to help, terrified.

This multitude was, it wasn't a moment to carry blotting out the sun. It lasted across the whole land and for three solid hours they trembled, they can hear them talk to couldn't see anymore, and then the curtain of the temple was torn in two, 30 feet high 45 feet wide. The temple curtain was the wall of partition between the holy place in the temple and the something Santorum the holy of holies where only the high priest could go once a year on the day of atonement, and even then only after going through elaborate rituals of cleansing. Again we go back to the early pages the dawn of creation. When God breathed into the dirt of Adam, and Adam became a living soul and then he created a helpmate suitable for Adam from his rib.

He made his wife the and the first foreboding tension that we encountered in chapter 3 of book of Genesis.

As we read in the serpent was more crafty and more subtle than all of the base of the fee you you know the story.

The serpent slithered into the garden of Eden asked a simple question. Did God say that you should not eat of the trade of any tree in the garden and that if you did, you would surely die, not what he said. The server knew that was what he said Adam and Eve know what he said but they were correct and tempted and succumbed to the temptation as we all know, and suddenly their eyes were opened and they were naked and ashamed.

This was the first time in human history.

The man and woman sought out the darkness.

They look for a place to hide a place where the gaze of God would not penetrate and so because of their nakedness are because of their shame themselves, and when the creator came in the cool of the evening he called to his creatures saying Adam where are you and the voice replied where hiding because were Shane were ashamed of our nakedness. How do you know your naked to Julie that three of course they had in the first act of God's redeeming grace was the cover is shamed. Creatures with skins that he made from animals to hide their guilt. That was an act of mercy.

But what followed was an act of judgment were got expelled and banished Adam and Eve out of paradise made them believe in the go live east of Eden. And on that for the first time in human history. God appointed earthly government.

He upside a sentinel on Angel with a flaming sword to guard the entrance to paradise lest Adam and Eve would try to sneak their way sign was posted on paradise, no admission, no entrance here because they were expelled into the dark and throughout Jewish history, expulsion of Adam and Eve from the immediate presence of God was symbolized through the pages of the Old Testament is a construction first of the tabernacle then of the temple where this wall of partition made out of several layers of cloth, not that made out of wood or gold that could be smashed by sledgehammers, but anybody wanted to go in and destroy that wall of separation. If they sent close against that the applied cloth would just simply give this day on the day of atonement. The temple was torn by an earthquake, not from the ground up. But again, by the hand of God from the top down the serve the Lord God omnipotent, reached down because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ, that he took the veil of the temple that they tore down the sign that said no admit that all of those who were covered by the righteousness of Christ were justified by life and death would have the result of the apostle Paul declared that being justified, we use with God and what success access into his present the sentinel that stood the gates of paradise had his sword extinguished and put back in his scabbard as he was dismissed from service. As for the first time since the fall we could go home without shame and without fear to the presence of God.

I love the shame that we saying that they never mind that I wrote the words I love in any way, if for no other reason than the music was composed to go along with it.

Lutes Wilson Piper's play when we see him face-to-face like your days is experiencing on the Sabbath morning and so the temple was torn in the bar. Remove and we once again had access to our God finally tells us then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said, father, into your hands I commit my spirit seven times. Jesus said that leases recorded that he spoke from the cross. No one gospel writer mentions all of them but this presumably was the last one with his last breath. He made a commitment to the father.

I remember when my father died I was there I heard the death rattles in the midst of this, and I listen to his breathing as it became shallower and shallower and shallower so you would suspect that the last moment of Jesus life that whatever he would say would be hardly audible at all as he was speaking with his last breath.

But did you read what said Jesus cried out with a loud voice you are I commit my spirit in the hands of the one it would just board out every drop of wrath upon them in the hands of the father who put this curse upon like Joe impotently magnified Job it said though all kill me, yet will I trust you here Jesus said never mind the torture.

Never mind the wrath father I commit my soul to you and he preaches last almost as if concluding unscientific footnote look at now when the centurion saw what had taken place. He praised God not Caesar but Zeus but he prays the God of heaven and earth. And since certainly this man was innocent, not I think he was innocent not. I hope he was innocent. No, maybe he was innocent.

Now we set certainly echoing the very judgment of Pontius Pilate. I find no fault in this man and all the crowds that had assembled a big huge crowds for the spectacle when they saw what it taken place. Listen to what looked they went home not licking their chops. They want all reading their breasts, which was an indication of fear and trembling among what they witness. When the lights came back on what they heard the commitment of Jesus when it was over they went home himself torment beating their breasts and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these now I believe 11 in the inerrancy of sacred Scripture you know that I know their money scholars and theologians are down but I do categorically and unequivocally one might quibble about a possible error that is found here in the text, because Luke recorded Jesus brings to/and he didn't breathe his last before he died.

The rest of the story says he did not break his ass because he breathe again and he is risen, but a beautiful telling of the Easter story from our teacher Dr. RC scroll you're listening to Renewing Your Mind on this resurrection day, thank you for being with us. The narrative of Christ's arrest, trial, death and resurrection is familiar to us, but it's important to return to it often. Dr. scroll sermon today is from his verse by verse series through the gospel of Luke. Over the course of five years. He preached the entire gospel. As you know, when you're studying Scripture context and historical background are critical for understanding the meaning of the text. You'll find that same context and insight in Dr. scroll's commentary on Luke's gospel, we invite you to contact us today with a donation of any amount and we will provide you with a digital download of this nearly 600 page commentary you can give your gift online@renewingyourmind.org we heard from someone recently told us that he listens to his many sermons as he can. He carries a cell phone with him wherever he goes, so that he can catch bits of sermons and moments of downtime is a great way to be diligent in your study of God's word is one of the reasons we establish roughneck that's her 24 hour Internet radio station, we had a desire to bring together teachers and preachers who would build up the body of Christ with sound biblical teaching today riff that provides sermons from trusted teachers including Alastair bag Dr. John MacArthur Dr. Steven Lawson and of course Dr. RC scroll. You can listen to riff that right now.

When you go to roughneck.FM or when you download the free roughneck out to your phone or tablet one on behalf of all of the series leader ministries. I hope that you're celebrating the true meaning of Easter this year and God bless you and your family hope you make plans to join us for the next edition of Renewing Your Mind