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Communion Sermon · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Please turn with me in your Bibles back to Mark's Gospel, Mark 15.
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! We'll read again at verse 33.
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When the sixth hour had come, that's about midday, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
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And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
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Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means,
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My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
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Well, let's bow in prayer.
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Heavenly Father, we are conscious this morning, Lord, that we do come to one of the most solemn and indeed weighty verses of Scripture.
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It is, Lord, a mystery to us, the depths of which Christ experienced the forsakenness of God at the cross.
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And so we pray, Father, that you would help us today to tread carefully in these verses.
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That you would give us something today of an understanding of the love and the obedience that took the Messiah to this place.
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And that we would be able to find comfort there.
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To know that our sin has been dealt with decisively, conclusively, forever.
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And we ask this in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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The story of the gospel that Mark sets out to tell, you can read it at the beginning of Mark's gospel.
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He begins with these words, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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It is a story about this person, God the Son, Jesus, who is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity who is enfleshed and dwelt among us.
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And at the core of it, there is one of, I think, perhaps possibly the most perplexing moment in the whole of human history.
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That Jesus, who Mark has been at great pains to point out to us and to establish, is indeed the Son of God, utterly sinless.
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That he utters these remarkable words.
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That he takes on his lips the opening verse of Psalm 22.
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Words that he would have known since he was probably a child.
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And that he cries out at this moment, acknowledging that there is more going on in the darkness of the cross than does immediately meet the eye.
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You know, at the heart of this, there is the work of the atonement.
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The work of God setting us at peace with himself.
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And we therefore need to be sure of what is taking place here and what lies behind us.
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There's two simple points that I want to think about today.
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The first of these is simply to recognize the facts.
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We have to just establish in our minds the facts of what is taking place at this moment.
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And then alongside that, we also need to think about the reasons for this.
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And what is actually going on here?
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Why does Jesus suffer and cry out like this?
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The first of these things is to consider the facts.
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The first fact is to recognize just who this is.
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This is Jesus Christ.
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And as Marcus told us at the beginning of his gospel, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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And there's a lot of things that we can kind of derive from that, that we can take from that and understand with some certainty.
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The one who says this is the sinless one.
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And that's quite a remarkable statement for us to think about because nobody else in the whole of human history has been sinless.
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But the context here is really clear.
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Mark makes it very abundantly clear, in fact, that part of what's going on here is Pilate recognizes the guiltlessness of Jesus.
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The whole context is one of false accusation.
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The chief priests and the scribes and the Jewish rulers have concocted charges against Jesus.
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Charges of blasphemy.
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Charges of insurrection and rebellion against the legal authority of the Roman emperor.
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Charges that are mounted up and that they bring in false witnesses to testify to.
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They bring out a whole series of allegations against him.
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And yet Pilate is the one who has said, there's no truth in any of this.
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They're words that are echoed, in fact, by the centurion.
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Truly, this was the Son of God.
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It's recognizing the special character and the uniqueness of Jesus.
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And that uniqueness principally extends into his sinlessness.
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And so we can therefore be sure that the Bible's assertion that he was entirely without guilt,
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that he is entirely free under the law, that he has complied with the requirements of the law,
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is surely true.
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Because nobody could isolate and identify an allegation of sin that would stick.
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Were one of us in that position, we can all put our hands up and say,
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truly, that would not be the case with me.
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Were I to be tried before any form of authority and my life to be examined,
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people wouldn't have to concoct false charges against me.
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There are plenty things that are true and which condemn me.
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And I'm sure that today every one of us can say the same thing.
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So Christ, the one who cries out,
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my God, my God, why have you forsaken me,
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is sinless.
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Which deepens the perplexity of what we're seeing.
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Then there's also the fact that he is the Son of God.
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Again, the identity of Jesus as the Son of God has been the point of Mark's Gospel.
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Mark wants us to understand that this person who is the focus of this proclamation of good news
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is none other than God the Son.
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And Mark is interested in the way he goes about this.
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If you read through Mark's Gospel,
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you can find numerous places where Mark is establishing the identity of Jesus.
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And he builds up to the same conclusion that John presents much more clearly in his introduction.
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That the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
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That the Word was the one who was with God from all eternity
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and who came and dwelt among us.
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And for Mark, the way he establishes that is showing the authority of Jesus as a preacher.
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He does it in showing the miracles of Jesus and how that underscores that authority.
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How Jesus, on one occasion,
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says, in fact, what is easier to say to somebody,
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your sins are forgiven or take up your bed and walk.
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And the people around him are astonished by this.
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Who can forgive sins but God?
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And Jesus has said to the man,
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your sins are forgiven.
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And then to show that he has the authority,
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he then says to the man,
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now you crippled man who cannot walk,
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take up your bed and go your way.
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And the crowds are astonished.
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You've got a situation another time
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where the disciples are with Jesus in the boat going across the Sea of Galilee.
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And a ferocious storm has swept up.
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And the disciples are panicked.
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They're fearing for their lives.
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They can't bail the water out of the boat fast enough.
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And so they waken Jesus in a panic and say,
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Lord, don't you care that we're perishing here?
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And Jesus, with just one softly spoken gentle word,
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commands the wind and the waves to cease.
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And instantly there is calm.
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And the disciples are left with the question,
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who else can do this but God?
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Jesus is, in fact, divine.
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He has that authority.
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He has that demeanor about him.
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And then you come to the cross.
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And you see that this figure who has spoken of God
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directly as his father,
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and that's one of the things that the scribes
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and the Pharisees found so offensive,
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was that he would claim this particular relationship with God
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to call him father,
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a relationship that he shares now with his disciples and followers like us.
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We can enter into that.
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But for them it's such a blasphemous thought
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that this, the Son of God,
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is now at the cross.
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And here at the cross,
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God the Son
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somehow becomes an outcast
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from his father.
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So much so that, in fact,
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the fatherhood of God
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is no longer visible to him.
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Where instead of father,
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he says for the first time,
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my God, my God,
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why have you forsaken me?
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In the darkness of the cross,
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the experience of Jesus
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is one where that relationship with the Father
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seems to have disappeared,
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vanished into the darkness,
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and we are left with something else.
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Which leads us, in fact,
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to another conclusion about what's actually going on here,
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the facts of this.
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And this is not merely
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a moment of great injustice.
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I think plenty of people,
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when they think about the story of Jesus,
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they would recognize the great injustice of it.
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There are plenty of people would recognize and say,
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well, Jesus was wrongly condemned.
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It was a sham of a trial.
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Clearly, as Pilate recognizes,
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there's envy and bitterness
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that leads the Jewish authorities
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to this place where they would say,
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crucify him, do away with him,
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we don't want him.
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But there is more going on.
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As the disciples note,
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particularly Peter, for example,
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on the day of Pentecost notes,
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although human hands are instrumental
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in driving the nails into his body,
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although human voices have called
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for his rejection
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and for the crucifixion to come,
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although he is rejected
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by both the civil magistrates
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and the religious authorities,
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although he's rejected
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by Jew and Gentile,
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rejected by the whole of humanity, really,
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yet still,
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behind all of this,
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the Father
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is in direct control.
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And we see that
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because of the way Jesus cries.
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There is a certainty
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that the Father is involved in this.
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The forsakenness
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that Jesus is experiencing
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is not merely the forsakenness
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of human comfort.
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He experiences,
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for the first time,
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in the totality of his existence
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as the eternal Son of God.
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He experiences forsakenness.
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He experiences an abandonment
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that is alien to his experience.
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And so the facts,
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in a way,
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speak for themselves.
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Not the mere facts
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of the form of his death
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and the brutality of it
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and the shame of that place.
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And it was all of these things.
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We'll come to that tonight.
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But the fact of what is going on here,
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the central cross of Golgotha
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is occupied
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by the sinless one.
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the sinless Son of God
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who is here
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because this is the culmination
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of his self-emptying
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to the point where the Father
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pours out upon him
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the wrath that sin deserves.
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the settled,
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established judgment
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of your sin
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and mine.
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And that's because we have to see
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the reasons for all
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that is taking place
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in this.
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The first of that is to recognize
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that this is
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the outworking
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of the covenant
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of redemption.
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The covenant
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of redemption.
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And by that,
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I would say that the Trinity
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is therefore at work
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in this moment.
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The Father
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is here.
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And as Calvin points out,
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I think it's a wonderful
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reminder to us,
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we should not insinuate
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hostility
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in these events.
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It's a useful reminder to us
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because the Father here
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does not stop
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loving the Son.
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The Father's love
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does not stop.
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but rather
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in the Father's eyes,
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this moment
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is in fact
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the pinnacle
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of the love
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of a triune God.
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We know that
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because much earlier on
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in the Gospels,
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Jesus aligns himself
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with this destiny.
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It's at the baptism
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of Jesus
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where John
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even recognized,
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John the Baptist
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recognizes and says,
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you don't need
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to be baptized.
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You have no sin
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that needs to be dealt with.
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You have no sin
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that needs to be recognized
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and washed away.
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You have no need
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of cleansing.
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In fact,
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I need cleansing from you.
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And John
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is
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obliged
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to baptize Jesus
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at his command.
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And so Jesus
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at that moment
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aligns himself
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with his people.
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He's putting himself
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in the position
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where he is saying
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the fate of my people
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and the punishment
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that they deserve
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for sin,
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their need of cleansing,
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I will take upon myself.
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And as he comes
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out of the water,
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you have that wonderful image
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of the Trinity
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being present.
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Here is the Son
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coming out of the water,
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the Spirit of God
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descending on him
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like a dove,
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and the voice of the Father
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saying,
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this is my beloved Son.
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It leads us
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to that conclusion,
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in fact,
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that what Jesus
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is doing at the cross
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is that moment
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where in the Father's purposes,
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his love for his Son
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is never going
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to be greater.
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Because here,
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the Son is obedient
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to something
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that was transacted
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long before
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this world
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was created.
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That before
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the foundation
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of the world,
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the Father and the Son
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have entered
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into a covenant together
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where they have agreed
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that the Son
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will come
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and bear
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the sins
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of his people,
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that the love of God
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for his people
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will be revealed
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and worked out
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and manifested
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in its fullness
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because the Son
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will take upon himself
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their guilt,
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their sin,
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that which has kept them
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apart from God,
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that which has led us
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away from God
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and left us
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alienated from God,
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that the Son comes
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and takes all of that
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alienation upon himself
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and carries
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our guilt.
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and you see that,
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the way that the Son
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comes to this moment.
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You see it in the
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Garden of Gethsemane.
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You see it as Jesus
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wrestles with the reality
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of the cup
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that is now before him
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as he begins
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to see more clearly
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perhaps than at any point
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previously in his life
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what is going to be
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involved here
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and he concedes
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and says,
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Father,
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not my will
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but yours be done.
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That recognition
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of the Father's will
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being enacted
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is Jesus
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keeping his side
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of the bargain.
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That God the Son
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agrees to complete
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what was agreed
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actually many,
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many, many years
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and millennia
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and aeons before.
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That he would come
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and bear the sin
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of his people.
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And in this,
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the Father
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then delivers
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this verdict
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on the Son
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condemns him.
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And somehow
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the Spirit
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is also at work
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because in the experience
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of Jesus
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despair does not
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set in.
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We should remember
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that,
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that Jesus
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as he goes
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to the cross
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he is not
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left
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in a position
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where his faith
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fails.
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this is not
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a cry
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of
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offense
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against God.
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This is not
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the cry
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even of an atheist
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who has come
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and curses
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God's existence.
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This is the words
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of David
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from Psalm 22
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that are words
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that are filled
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with faith
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because Psalm 22
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is a psalm
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that is full
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of the expectation
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of some future
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deliverance
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that are taken
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on the lips
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of Jesus.
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And so when he
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says,
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my God,
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my God,
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why have you
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forsaken me?
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He's not abandoned
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his confidence
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in the purposes
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of God.
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He hasn't abandoned
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his confidence
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in the reality
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of God's
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faithful outworking
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of his
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sovereign covenant
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towards his people.
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And so the faith
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of Jesus
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is very clearly
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on display.
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But the experience
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is different.
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And that's where
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we learn as Christians,
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in fact,
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in our experience,
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when we go through
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times of suffering,
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we are learning,
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in fact,
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not merely something
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that will deepen
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our own faith
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and our dependence
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on God,
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but we are learning
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something of the
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experience of our
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Savior.
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That that's actually
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where our faith
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really is deepened
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and strengthened.
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That when we go
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through times
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of suffering
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and where we are
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perplexed and where
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we are confused
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by these experiences,
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we come to a place
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of settled confidence
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in our Father.
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And we remember
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just why that is so.
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Because although
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there may be nothing
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in Jesus' experience
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here that suggests
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the Father's love,
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all of the comforts
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are stripped away,
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the disciples are gone,
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they've abandoned him,
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the women are far off,
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when he needed God
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the most,
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there was no answer
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for him.
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In fact,
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there's this very clear
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sense that Jesus
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comes perhaps even
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to this place
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of utter realization
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of what it is
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to become sin
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and be abandoned
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by God.
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yet there is nothing
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to suggest
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that Jesus
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forgot his role.
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There is nothing
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here to suggest
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that Jesus
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forgot his people.
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There is nothing
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here to suggest
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that Jesus
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forgot us.
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That in the darkness
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we can say
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that the words
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that were cried out
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are not words
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of interrogation
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of God.
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They are words
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rather of astonishment
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at what God's hand
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is doing
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upon him.
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And so today
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we come to the Lord's table
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and we're coming
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with this eternal security
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now worked out
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for us.
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And it's an eternal security
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that found its beginning
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in the ages
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before the foundation
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of the world.
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That the Father
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and the Son
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have already agreed
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to do this
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and the Son
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now has completed
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the task
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that was agreed
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before the foundation
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of the world
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and so therefore now
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we can have
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this absolute certainty
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about, for example,
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the Lamb's book of life.
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That that today
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is where our assurance
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is rooted.
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That our assurance
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today is now resolved
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in the obedience
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of Jesus
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at the cross.
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And today
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we might be sitting here
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coming to the Lord's table
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and thinking
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I am so unworthy.
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There may even be
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some of you
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sitting upstairs today
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who are not going to come down
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because you are a believer
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but you feel unworthy.
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Well stop.
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Because Jesus
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has done it all.
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Jesus is
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the worthy one.
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And that's the whole point
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of our faith.
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It's not for us
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ever to get to a point
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where we can say
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well now I'm worthy
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enough to come.
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Now I'm worthy enough
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to take the step
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in obedience of Jesus.
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No, the whole point
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is to recognize
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Jesus has done
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what he said
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with the Father
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before the foundation
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of the world
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that he would do.
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He has come
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and he's borne
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our sin.
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He's experienced
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the forsakenness
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that sin deserves.
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He's experienced
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the horror
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of hell.
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And that's how
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the Apostles' Creed
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puts it.
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That it wasn't
23:14
at his death
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that he descended
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into hell
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but that at the cross
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he experienced
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the hellishness
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of sin's curse
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poured out
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in its fullness
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upon him.
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And today
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therefore
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we have no business
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saying to ourselves
23:31
that we're not
23:32
yet good enough
23:33
to come to the Lord's table.
23:35
The Lord's table
23:36
is for those
23:37
who recognize
23:38
Jesus
23:39
is the one
23:40
who was.
23:43
Jesus is the one
23:44
who has satisfied
23:45
God's
23:47
requirements
23:48
that sin
23:49
be punished.
23:51
And he is
23:52
therefore worthy.
23:54
It leads us
23:55
into a daily security
23:56
in knowing that.
23:58
It leads us
23:58
into that place
23:59
of daily
23:59
having that comfort
24:01
of knowing
24:02
Christ has done
24:03
it for me
24:03
and therefore
24:04
I am safe
24:06
now.
24:09
There's another
24:10
reason as well
24:11
though.
24:11
There is in fact
24:12
in this
24:12
fully
24:13
not only
24:14
the eternal
24:15
consequences
24:16
of the eternal
24:17
covenant
24:18
between the Father
24:18
and the Son
24:19
but there is now
24:20
also the consequences
24:21
of the covenant
24:22
with Abraham.
24:24
This two-fold
24:25
outworking
24:26
of the purposes
24:27
of God.
24:28
So there's this
24:28
eternal perspective
24:29
to it that the
24:30
Father and the Son
24:31
have entered into
24:31
before the foundation
24:32
of the world
24:32
and then after the
24:34
world is created
24:34
and after Adam
24:35
has sinned
24:36
we begin to see
24:37
the outworking
24:38
of God's purposes
24:39
and that is
24:41
worked out
24:42
in the promise
24:43
given to Adam
24:44
that there would
24:45
be a redeemer
24:46
the seed of the woman
24:47
who would bruise
24:47
the head of the serpent
24:48
it's clear in the promises
24:50
given to Abraham
24:51
that he would have
24:51
an offspring
24:52
a seed
24:52
the promises given
24:54
to David
24:54
that one day
24:55
one of his descendants
24:56
would sit forever
24:57
upon his throne
24:58
the fullness
24:59
of that covenant
25:00
is now also
25:02
being worked
25:03
out
25:03
in full
25:04
and so Jesus
25:06
goes to the cross
25:09
as a sacrifice
25:10
for sin.
25:15
The Father here
25:16
is offering up
25:17
his Son
25:18
as a sacrifice
25:18
for sin.
25:20
I mentioned last night
25:21
that where Abraham
25:22
when he was tested
25:23
by God
25:24
was called out
25:25
upon to stop
25:26
to halt
25:28
the sacrifice
25:29
of Isaac
25:30
now
25:33
no such halt
25:34
is announced.
25:37
God the Father
25:38
offers
25:39
his
25:40
Son.
25:43
And what's actually
25:44
going on here
25:45
is that
25:45
sin
25:46
is now being
25:48
covered.
25:49
Part of the whole
25:50
framework of the
25:51
dealing with sin
25:51
in the Old Testament
25:52
was that sin
25:53
needed a covering.
25:55
You find it
25:56
in a very interesting
25:56
way in the Garden
25:57
of Eden
25:58
as Adam and Eve
25:58
are cast out
25:59
of the Garden
25:59
and God has told
26:01
them that the seed
26:01
of the woman
26:02
will one day
26:02
bruise the head
26:03
of the serpent.
26:05
And then God
26:05
does something
26:06
very strange.
26:07
God covers
26:09
Adam and Eve
26:10
with new garments
26:13
that are made
26:14
of animal skins.
26:16
Animals there
26:17
have been sacrificed.
26:18
Blood has been shed.
26:19
Bodies have been broken
26:21
so that sin
26:22
would be covered.
26:24
And that narrative
26:25
in fact
26:25
continues
26:26
right the way
26:27
through the Old
26:28
Testament
26:28
through the entire
26:29
sacrificial system
26:31
that where sin
26:32
needs to be
26:33
covered over
26:33
where sin
26:34
needs to be
26:35
dealt with
26:35
there has to be
26:37
brokenness of a body
26:38
the shedding of blood.
26:41
And so the
26:41
animal sacrifices
26:43
of the Old Testament
26:43
are all there
26:44
teaching the children
26:45
of Israel
26:46
confirming
26:47
rather to them
26:48
that this is how
26:48
sin needs to be
26:49
dealt with.
26:50
And now Christ
26:54
is made
26:57
sin
26:58
in the darkness
27:01
of the cross
27:02
leading up to this
27:03
cry of dereliction
27:05
and the cry
27:06
of forsakenness.
27:09
What's leading up
27:11
to that
27:11
is the reality
27:12
of Christ
27:13
finally and fully
27:15
being made
27:16
sin
27:17
for his people.
27:21
The debt
27:22
of
27:22
the debt
27:25
of sin
27:25
is cast
27:27
against him
27:27
and he carries
27:29
it.
27:32
And in that
27:33
moment
27:33
as the sacrifice
27:34
he satisfies
27:35
divine justice
27:36
experiencing
27:38
the grief
27:38
and the sorrow
27:39
of hell itself.
27:42
Experiencing
27:43
the forsakenness
27:44
the abandonment
27:45
of God
27:45
and the lostness
27:48
of hell
27:49
all to cancel
27:53
our debt
27:54
of sin.
27:57
We should be
27:57
clear that
27:57
what's not
27:58
happening here
27:59
is that
27:59
Christ is
28:00
wrestling us
28:01
away from
28:01
an angry
28:02
God.
28:05
He's not
28:05
getting in the
28:06
way of a
28:06
God who
28:07
hates people.
28:10
What he's
28:10
doing is
28:11
he is acting
28:12
out the love
28:12
of God
28:13
for sinners
28:14
by dealing
28:16
with the
28:16
reality
28:17
of divine
28:18
wrath.
28:23
The fullness
28:23
of God's
28:24
hatred
28:25
of sin
28:26
becomes
28:29
his
28:30
experience.
28:34
And just
28:35
as with
28:36
a hyssop
28:37
rod
28:37
or a hyssop
28:38
brush
28:39
the high
28:39
priest
28:39
on the
28:39
day of
28:40
atonement
28:40
would have
28:40
gone into
28:41
the holy
28:42
of holies
28:42
in the
28:42
temple
28:43
or the
28:43
tabernacle
28:44
and there
28:44
sprinkled
28:45
the blood
28:45
of the
28:46
sacrifice
28:46
over the
28:47
mercy seat,
28:48
there is
28:48
a barrier
28:49
emerges.
28:52
The Ark
28:53
of the
28:53
Covenant
28:54
is the
28:55
box that
28:56
contains
28:56
the law
28:57
and the
28:58
covenant.
28:58
It contains
28:59
the box
28:59
of manna
29:00
that was
29:00
recorded from
29:01
the time
29:01
in the
29:02
wilderness.
29:02
It contains
29:02
Aaron's
29:03
rod that
29:03
had budded.
29:04
Symbols of
29:05
God's
29:05
people
29:06
provided for
29:07
by God.
29:07
God's
29:08
and over
29:09
this
29:09
there is
29:09
the
29:09
mercy
29:09
seat
29:10
where
29:10
God
29:10
sits
29:10
enthroned.
29:12
It's
29:12
interesting
29:13
that where
29:13
the blood
29:13
lands is
29:14
between the
29:15
presence of
29:15
God seated
29:16
above the
29:16
mercy seat
29:17
and the
29:17
people of
29:18
God
29:18
represented
29:19
within the
29:19
Ark of
29:19
the
29:19
Covenant
29:20
underneath.
29:20
the
29:22
shelter of
29:23
the
29:23
blood
29:24
over the
29:25
mercy
29:25
seat
29:25
shields
29:27
the
29:27
people
29:27
under
29:28
it
29:28
from
29:29
God's
29:29
wrath.
29:31
And that
29:32
is what
29:32
Jesus is
29:33
enacting
29:34
at the
29:34
cross.
29:36
He is
29:36
paying that
29:37
final
29:38
sacrifice
29:38
to satisfy
29:40
the
29:40
just
29:41
and
29:41
righteous
29:42
requirements
29:43
of God's
29:44
anger
29:45
towards sin.
29:47
And why
29:47
is he
29:47
doing it?
29:48
Because
29:48
God
29:49
loved
29:50
us.
29:53
He already
29:54
loved us.
29:58
But his
29:59
sin needs
30:00
still to be
30:01
dealt with.
30:01
Our sin
30:02
rather still
30:02
needs to be
30:03
dealt with.
30:06
And so
30:07
for us as
30:07
Christians
30:07
today we
30:09
have this
30:10
comfort
30:11
that we
30:15
are justified
30:16
because
30:18
God
30:20
has kept
30:21
the
30:23
requirements
30:24
of the
30:24
covenant.
30:29
He's
30:30
kept the
30:30
requirements.
30:32
So God's
30:34
punishment for
30:34
sin has
30:35
now been
30:35
meted out.
30:37
I mean the
30:38
covenant has
30:38
consequences.
30:39
A covenant
30:39
is a legal
30:41
framework that
30:41
has consequences
30:42
for breaking
30:43
it.
30:43
God's
30:45
and the
30:46
reality is
30:46
we're not
30:46
able to
30:47
be true
30:47
worshippers
30:48
of God
30:48
in our
30:48
own
30:49
strength.
30:49
We could
30:49
never keep
30:50
the terms
30:50
of this
30:50
covenant.
30:52
But what
30:52
God has
30:53
done in
30:53
Christ is
30:54
he has
30:55
found a
30:56
way for
30:56
that to
30:57
take place.
30:59
The
31:00
stipulations
31:00
of the
31:01
covenant are
31:01
now fully
31:02
met.
31:03
The price
31:03
is fully
31:04
paid.
31:05
And we
31:06
as the
31:06
beneficiaries
31:07
of Christ's
31:08
covenant
31:09
keeping for
31:10
us are
31:11
now welcomed
31:12
into the
31:14
fullness of
31:14
the experience
31:15
of the
31:16
love of
31:16
God.
31:18
We're
31:19
welcome
31:19
into
31:19
heaven
31:20
because of
31:22
this.
31:24
Because of
31:24
what he
31:25
has done.
31:28
There is
31:28
one last
31:29
point I
31:29
want to
31:29
make as
31:30
well.
31:30
One last
31:30
reason for
31:31
this.
31:31
And it
31:31
is to
31:31
explain the
31:32
totality
31:33
of this.
31:36
The
31:36
simple
31:36
truth I
31:37
suppose is
31:38
this.
31:38
That not
31:41
everyone agrees
31:41
with what I've
31:42
said today.
31:46
Some
31:46
people think
31:46
that the
31:47
death of
31:47
Jesus is
31:49
solidarity
31:50
with us.
31:53
That the
31:54
death of
31:54
Jesus is
31:55
not
31:55
substitutionary.
31:57
It is
31:57
one where
31:58
he stands
31:59
alongside
31:59
us and
32:01
enters
32:01
into
32:01
our
32:02
experience.
32:04
But that
32:05
somehow
32:05
something on
32:08
our part
32:08
is still
32:08
needed.
32:09
do you
32:35
that for most Christians, purgatory awaits.
32:41
There's some extra work that you have to do to make up
32:44
for the sins that you have committed
32:46
that needs to be cleansed and washed away.
32:51
And we need to remember that there is actually another cry
32:55
after Eloi, Eloi, Labah, Samachdani.
33:00
And the second cry is the one that comes
33:02
after Jesus has drunk the sour wine that was offered to him.
33:05
It's a moment at the cross where he's liberated,
33:08
he's free to cry out.
33:10
And he wants his disciples to have no doubt
33:13
about what's in the loud cry that Mark mentions
33:15
and which is spelled out for us more fully
33:17
in the other Gospels.
33:19
The loud cry that comes after Eloi, Eloi, Labah, Samachdani
33:22
is not a cry that says, well, now you go on
33:24
and you have to finish this off yourselves.
33:26
It is a statement that says, no, it is finished.
33:29
So the last point that we need to recognize
33:34
is that there is a finality to the death of Jesus.
33:40
There is a finality here that says, no,
33:43
the full price has been paid in its totality.
33:47
There is nothing more to pay.
33:53
There is nothing more left for your justification.
33:58
There is nothing more left for your sanctification.
34:01
He has done it.
34:03
It's finished.
34:05
And it's all because of his experience of forsakenness.
34:09
It's because he was forsaken,
34:12
we can say we will never, ever, ever, ever, ever
34:16
taste of any of that at all.
34:22
There will be no experience, therefore,
34:25
of real forsakenness in the life of the Christian.
34:31
God will not abandon us
34:33
even to a temporary hellish experience.
34:39
He will be faithful
34:40
and he will be true
34:43
and he will complete
34:45
in us
34:48
the fullness of our salvation.
34:52
And when we die,
34:54
we will go to be with him.
34:58
And I think that's part of why
34:59
the experience of the Lord's table
35:01
is one that belongs on the Sabbath day.
35:05
You can't separate out
35:07
the death of Jesus on the one hand
35:09
from the resurrection of Jesus on another.
35:12
The death of Jesus
35:13
fully unlocks for believers
35:14
the hope of the resurrection.
35:17
And so today,
35:18
that's how we will rise
35:19
from the Lord's table
35:20
reflecting on the fullness
35:22
of the resurrection of Jesus
35:23
and the hope of that life
35:25
that is given to us.
35:26
Because he has experienced
35:28
the fullness
35:29
of the forsakenness of God
35:32
for you and for me.
35:34
and we rest
35:37
in that
35:38
finished
35:40
work.
35:42
Let's pray.
35:47
Heavenly Father,
35:48
we bow before you today
35:49
and we thank you for
35:50
the cross.
35:52
we thank you for the one
35:56
who went to the cross
35:57
in our place.
35:59
And we thank you
36:00
that he went there
36:01
with all of this
36:02
incredible purpose.
36:04
Something, Lord,
36:05
from before the foundation
36:06
of the world,
36:07
something from the depths
36:08
of that mysterious time
36:11
where the Trinity exists
36:13
and agrees
36:14
a purpose
36:15
and a plan
36:16
to be worked out
36:16
in the fullness of time.
36:17
We thank you for
36:18
what Christ has done
36:19
for that temporal
36:21
expression of the covenant
36:22
that the covenant
36:23
made with Abraham
36:25
has been worked out
36:26
in its fullness.
36:27
The stipulations
36:28
of that covenant
36:28
are met
36:29
and we are now secure.
36:31
And we thank you
36:31
for what that means
36:32
for the endless
36:33
ages of eternity
36:35
before us.
36:38
That you have a people
36:39
who will be
36:41
forever yours
36:42
and you will be
36:44
forever
36:45
our God.
36:47
And so give us, Lord,
36:49
that perspective
36:50
on what Christ
36:50
has done today
36:51
that we may know him
36:53
and be blessed in him.
36:55
And we ask this
36:56
for his namesake.
36:57
Amen.
37:04
We are going to come
37:05
in just a moment
37:05
to sit at the Lord's table.
37:09
I know in our tradition
37:10
it's normal
37:10
that most people
37:11
are already literally
37:12
seated in the right places.
37:14
But figuratively
37:15
we would still come.
37:16
As I was saying last night
37:18
there is an obedience
37:19
of our whole bodies
37:20
in coming to the Lord's table.
37:22
We use
37:23
not only our lips
37:24
to praise God
37:25
but sometimes we use our feet
37:26
and we do that
37:27
by coming to the Lord's table.
37:28
So some of you
37:29
might still be sitting upstairs
37:30
maybe want to come down
37:31
and take your place
37:32
at the Lord's table as well.
37:34
And so in just a moment
37:34
we'll sing Psalm 118
37:36
as we do that.
37:37
But
37:38
the question then
37:40
ought to always be asked
37:41
who and how should we come?
37:43
And the answer to that
37:44
is found in
37:44
in this passage
37:46
that we call our warrant
37:46
in how we take
37:48
the Lord's supper
37:48
that
37:49
we read in
37:50
1 Corinthians 11
37:52
For I received
37:54
from the Lord
37:55
what I also deliver to you
37:56
that the Lord Jesus
37:57
on the night
37:58
when he was betrayed
37:58
took bread
37:59
and when he had given thanks
38:01
he broke it
38:01
and said
38:02
this is my body
38:02
which is for you
38:03
do this in remembrance
38:04
of me.
38:06
In the same way also
38:07
he took the cup
38:07
after supper
38:08
saying this cup
38:09
is the new covenant
38:09
in my blood.
38:11
Do this
38:11
as often as you drink it
38:12
in remembrance of me
38:14
for as often as you eat
38:16
this bread
38:17
and drink the cup
38:18
you proclaim
38:19
the Lord's death
38:21
until he comes.
38:23
And so this is really
38:24
telling us
38:25
who the Lord's supper
38:26
is for
38:26
and how we should come.
38:29
It is for those
38:30
who would remember
38:31
the sufficiency
38:32
of Jesus.
38:36
At no point there
38:37
is the Lord's table
38:39
presented as for those
38:40
who are righteous.
38:45
There is a concern
38:47
that you would come
38:47
having not acknowledged
38:48
your sin
38:49
but the problem
38:50
with not acknowledging
38:51
your sin
38:51
is that you're saying
38:51
I don't need Jesus
38:52
to cover this.
38:54
I don't need the covering
38:55
of Christ
38:56
for my sin.
38:59
And that is a terrible
39:00
way to come
39:01
to the Lord's table.
39:02
It's a blasphemous way
39:03
in fact to come
39:03
because you're denying
39:05
the need for Jesus.
39:06
The Lord's table
39:08
is rather
39:09
for those who need
39:10
Christ.
39:12
And those who come
39:13
to sit at the Lord's table
39:14
are those who come
39:15
saying we need
39:17
the sacrifice
39:18
of Jesus.
39:21
Perhaps even saying
39:22
more than that
39:22
saying I need
39:23
the obedience
39:26
of Jesus
39:26
to the Father's
39:29
eternal covenant.
39:31
What you're really saying
39:32
is I can't position
39:33
myself before God
39:34
and say now I'm ready
39:35
to be saved.
39:37
I cast myself
39:38
upon the sufficiency
39:39
of what the Father
39:41
and the Son
39:41
have agreed
39:41
about my salvation
39:42
from before the
39:44
foundation of the world.
39:48
It's a bold assertion.
39:51
It's an assertion
39:52
of faith and obedience
39:53
that we would come
39:55
because we trust
39:56
in Christ
39:57
and we lean
39:59
wholly and fully
40:00
upon him.
40:02
and so let's
40:05
rise to the Lord's table
40:07
singing these words
40:09
from Psalm 118.
40:10
from verse 15.
40:17
In dwellings
40:19
of the righteous
40:20
is heard
40:21
the melody
40:22
of joy and health
40:23
the Lord's right hand
40:25
doth ever valiantly.
40:26
The right hand
40:27
of the mighty Lord
40:28
exalted
40:29
is on high
40:30
the right hand
40:31
of the mighty Lord
40:32
doth ever valiantly.
40:34
I shall not die
40:34
but live
40:35
and shall the works
40:36
of God discover.
40:37
the Lord has made
40:38
chastised sore
40:39
but not to death
40:42
given over.
40:44
That certainty
40:45
of being not given
40:46
over to death
40:47
arises
40:47
out of
40:49
the person of Jesus
40:50
who was given
40:52
over to death
40:53
for us
40:53
but who rose to life.
40:58
So let's
40:58
sing to God's praise
41:00
in these verses.
41:00
Amen.
41:01
Amen.
41:07
Play for things
41:10
of the righteous
41:14
Play for things
41:18
The Lord's Son of God
41:48
The Lord's Son of God
42:18
The Lord's Son of God
42:20
The Lord's Son of God
42:24
The Lord's Son of God
42:28
The Lord's Son of God
42:34
The Lord's Son of God
42:36
The Lord's Son of God
42:38
The Lord's Son of God
42:44
The Lord's Son of God
42:50
The Lord's Son of God
42:56
The Lord's Son of God
43:02
The Lord's Son of God
43:08
The Lord's Son of God
43:14
The Lord's Son of God
43:16
The Lord's Son of God
43:20
The Lord's Son of God
43:22
The Lord's Son of God
43:26
The Lord's Son of God
43:28
The Lord's Son of God
43:32
The Lord's Son of God
43:34
The Lord's Son of God
43:36
The Lord's Son of God
43:38
The Son of Son
43:40
Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play
44:10
Which do those victims do,
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This do those do, do those do,
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Thank you.