Our scripture tonight will be
from the book of Matthew. So I'll give you a moment to
get your Bibles open to Matthew and your tablets set up. We'll
be reading Matthew 27, verse 33 through 50. Matthew 27, verse
33 through 50. I'll give you another moment. Here we go, verse 33. And when they were come unto
a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of skull,
they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall, and when he
had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified
him and parted his garments, casting lots that it might be
fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments
among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting
down they watched him there. and set up over his head his
accusation written, this is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then were
two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and the
other on the left. And they that passed by reviled
him, wagging their heads, and saying, thou that destroyest
the temple and built it on three days, save thyself, if thou be
the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise, also the
chief priest mocking him with the scribes and the elders said,
he saved others himself cannot save. He be the king of Israel,
let him now come down off from the cross and we will then believe
him. He trusted in God, let him deliver
him now. If he will have him for he said,
I am the son of God. The thieves also, which were
crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the
sixth hour, there was darkness all over the land until the ninth
hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Some of them that stood there,
when they heard that said, this man calleth for Elias. and straightway
one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and
put it on a reed and gave to him to drink. The rest said,
let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus,
when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as our world
continues to grow in turmoil, we also must grow in strength
in the return to your gospel. Continue to give us the strength
and the wisdom, Lord, to bear what is upon us. We need your
advice, your calm. We need our doctors and our responders
and our scientists to continue to grow to combat this virus. You are an almighty Lord, one
with no boundaries, limitless powers. Cast those powers upon
us along with your mercy and your forgiveness, your wisdom
and your grace. We ask this in your name, amen. And now Pastor Clark. Thank you, Mark. Good evening, church. What an awesome time this is
for us to come together in this manner and to enter into the
gospel and rejoice in it. I know that the news this week
and probably into next week, if you watch the news, isn't
going to be good. This epidemic is to peak in Oakland
County and Macomb County within the next 10 days. And literally
hundreds of people are going to die, according to the news
folks. As you watch that, there'll probably
be a tendency toward fear and panic. I want to call to your
attention that this is Easter week for the most of us, and
we're rejoicing in the fact that on the third day, he got up out
of the grave. and we have a living Savior. And I hope you'll be
comforted by that. Always when I think of Good Friday,
I often say this to folks I'm talking with, today's Friday,
but remember Sunday's coming, resurrection day, new life. I want you to know that God has
blessed this place. I want you to think about this,
that God so far has put a real shield of protection around you,
our residents and the membership of this congregation, not one
of our members. here at Grace Gospel Fellowship
that I know of has the virus. Not one of our program people
has the virus so far. And so we can say, and at least
I say, what a wonder that is. I feel like we're under the direct
protection of our God. And even if one of us got it,
we know who the great physician is. And so I hope that you will
stay strong and be encouraged in knowing him. Also, I want
to encourage you to do the things that we are asked to do, to wash
your hands, to stay away from those that are sick, to stay
in place and not be a part of spreading this epidemic. And I want to commend you. It's just been absolutely wonderful
the way this church has behaved itself and what is happening
here. All right, this is Wednesday
evening, and of course, Good Friday's coming, and then Easter
Sunday, we will not be meeting here in this building, but you'll
be hearing a great message of the good news of the gospel of
Jesus Christ on Sunday. And even with the epidemic raging,
we will rejoice in we serve a living savior. He's in the world today,
and we know that he is living whatever men may say. On Wednesday
evening, we've been talking about the seven sayings from the cross
of Christ. We have gone to Calvary. I was thinking this morning,
coming over to this building, What an awful place Calvary was. Galgatha, it is called, or the
place of the skull. a dark, dreary, forbidding place. Not a pleasant place to visit. It was there on that mount that
the Romans crucified the criminals of that day. It's a place of
death. And we have already heard several
sayings from the cross of the Lord. Forgive them, for they
know not what they do. Today thou shalt be with me in
paradise. Woman, behold thy son, and son,
behold thy mother. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? And it is finished. I want to
mention three things tonight to you, and I trust that you
will be able to enter in and rejoice in this so great salvation. First of all, I thirst. This was the fifth saying from
the cross. What caused Christ to cry from
the cross, I thirst? Probably many of you have never
really thought about that particularly, but let me give you a little
insight. What was taking place at this time when Christ cried,
I thirst, was monumentous. It was an awesome time. It was Christ in battle, God
in human flesh. You see, Jesus went to the cross
to save his people from their sins. And in order to do that,
he had to do battle with hell, with the demons, with the devil
himself who was there at Calvary. Do you know that the greatest
battle that has ever been fought was fought at Calvary 2000 years
ago, Christ on the cross. Do you understand that the devil
there at Calvary did his very best to kill Jesus, to take his
life? from him to stop the crucifixion
from being a successful redemption. And if Christ had have died in
that battle, certainly we would not have been enjoying the victory
that we're enjoying today. Think about this, hell emptied
itself that day on Galgatha. Every demon in hell attacked
Jesus Christ. Satan himself leading the way
to take his life from him. And so when we hear the cry,
I thirst, it's a cry in the middle of this battle. In the heat of
the battle, someone has said there is no thirst like the thirst
when one is dying or very, very sick. Christ was experiencing
tremendous pain in body and soul and spirit during this time. And he cried, I thirst. What
an amazing thing it is. They went and got vinegar and
touched his lips. There is another cry from the
cross Jesus is about to expire, and he says this with a loud
voice. I love the way the King James
Version says this. With a loud voice, he cried. In other words, in mighty power. As you read the story of the
crucifixion, you watch as if Christ is getting weaker and
weaker. And you're kind of wondering, everybody deserted him. No one's
there seemingly for him. And you wonder, will this battle
be won? Will redemption be bought and
paid for? Will he be victorious? The truth is at the end of the
crucifixion, He looked up into heaven and he cried with a loud,
strong voice, Father into thy hands, I commend my spirit. In other words, his life was
not taken from him. Satan was not successful in killing
him. We've heard previous to this,
the cry of it is finished, it is accomplished. So Christ on
the cross, knew that he had bought and paid for his people's sins,
that he was victorious. I have often said over these
55 years of preaching the gospel that I don't like to go to Calvary.
It's a It's a dark place. It's a dreary place. It's a place
of death. It's a place of agony. It's a
place where a soul is dying. It's a place where God in human
flesh is taking my sins upon his own body on the tree. place
where God is imputing my transgressions to his only son and tremendous
suffering going on. Actually, Jesus suffering my
hell, paying my debt. And so often I don't go there. Although in the beginning of
my ministry, my very first message, I preach from this text, the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I thirst, remember there's a
battle going on, a real war. There's never been a battle like
this in the history and there never will be another battle
like this where God against demonic forces and human forces was bearing
our sins in his own body on the tree. There's something else
that happened there. The Three Hours of Darkness.
When I was a young man, actually in high school, all through high
school, I worked at Van Dyke Clothing. Some of you probably
know about Van Dyke Clothing. It's not open, I believe, now. But at that time, it was at Nine
Mile in Van Dyke. I was attending Lincoln High
School. And every Easter, that clothing store, men's clothing
store, would close on Good Friday at 12 o'clock to three o'clock. I never understood that for many,
many years, even working there. I thought it was good Friday,
got off work, that was a great thing. But Mark has read today
to you from the scripture where there was a very definite event
that took place. Actually, three hours of darkness. from 12 o'clock to three o'clock. And I remember us closing the
store and it was owned by the Ross family who were Jewish,
but they closed the store. Many stores closed back in 1963
and 1964. I can remember those stores closing. And the reason they closed is
because of this three hours of darkness from, 12 o'clock to
three o'clock, everything shut down. Well, here in the scriptures,
we're told that there was a midnight darkness that came over all of
the earth. Think about that. Right in the
middle of the crucifixion of Christ, there was a midnight
darkness. Let's talk about that for a few
moments. From nine till noon, the usual decree of light was
present. So there was time enough for
our Lord's adversaries to behold and insult his sufferings. There could be no mistake about
his being nailed to the cross or his crucifixion, because it
all happened in broad daylight. For three long hours, they sat
and watched him there. Then came the closing of the
eye of day at high noon. Think about it. He who walked
on water, raised the dead, healed the sick, now comes to his lowest
place in life. He is faint, the fever is on
him. He's thirsty, but still has power
in this weakest time on earth to darken the sun and the moon
at noon. What power causes the sun to
set at noon? He will surely exercise this
power in the salvation of his people. Think about this darkness. The greatest day in history seemed
likely to pass by unheeded when suddenly night hastened from
his chambers and usurped the day. Business stood still. The plow stopped in mid furrow. The axe paused, uplifted. Jerusalem was a city by night. Only people were not in their
beds. Around the Savior's death, there
was an appropriate quiet secured. The cattle herded up as if a
storm was coming. In fact, it's recorded in history
at this time of Christ's crucifixion, a philosopher said, either the
world has come to an end or God has died. He was right on that
second message. The songwriter writing at the
cross penned these words, well might the sun in darkness hide,
and shut his glories in, when God the mighty maker died, for
man the creature's sin. Now I would ask this question,
why this darkness? Well, first of all, it was a
veil to stop the mocking. If you want to see human depravity,
go to Calvary. Christ is hanging on the tree.
I see the dreadful cross. I see the thieves on either side.
I look around and see that motley crew of scribes and religious
people, priests and Pharisees and strangers from different
countries. And there are Roman soldiers.
They turn their eyes on him and gaze with cruel scorn upon the
Holy One who is in the center. In truth, it is an awful sight. They all unite to dishonor the
meek and lowly one, the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot read this
story of the master's death, knowing the pain of crucifixion,
without deep anguish in my own soul. The pain involved was immeasurable,
but there was more than pain upon Calvary. There was ridicule
and contempt. These jests, these mockers, grown
adult people sticking out their tongue as Christ hung on the
cross. It was too terrible a sight.
The pain of the victim was grievous enough, but the abominable wickedness
of the mockers to mock Him in His death. In the middle of the
crime, there came down a darkness which rendered it impossible
for them to go further with it. Jesus must die. There must be
no alleviation. And from death, there must be
for him no deliverance. But the scoffers must be silenced. Their mouths were closed by the
dense darkness which shut them in. Why this darkness? It was a concealment for the
blessed person of our divine Lord. The angels found for him,
their king, a thick covering into which his majesty might
be sheltered in its hour of misery. It was too much for the wicked
eyes to gaze so rudely on that immaculous person. His enemies
stripped him naked and cast lots for his clothes. His manhood
must have suitable concealment. It would seem that in infinite
tenderness, God wrapped the land in darkness in the hour of his
son's supreme shame. Secondly, what does this darkness
tell us? It tells us that here are matters
too profound for words. Here are things that cannot be
fully apprehended by our finite minds. Here is the central mystery
of our faith. I tried to explain it as substitution. And I'm explicit about Christ
dying in our stead, in our room, and in our place. And yet, I
feel that the idea of substitution doesn't come close to covering
the whole matter. No human conception can completely
grasp the whole of this dread mystery of Christ dying in the
sinner's stead. It was wrought in darkness because
the full far-reaching meaning and result cannot be beheld in
finite minds. You tell me that the death of
the Lord was a grand example of self-sacrifice, and I can
see that and much more. You tell me that it was a wondrous
obedience to the will of God, and I can see that and much more. You tell me it was bearing the
sin of a number that no man can number as the chastisement of
our peace for our sins. And I can see that and have found
my rest and hope on that truth. But don't tell me that is all
that is in the cross. There is much more in the Redeemer's
death. God only knows the love of God. Christ only knows what He accomplished
when He gave up the ghost. Who knows all that was accomplished
in that darkness? This we all know. God was manifest
in the flesh, and in that human flesh, He put away sin by His
own sacrifice. But without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. To the inner heart of the mystery,
exposition cannot penetrate. Thirdly, what does this darkness
represent? It represents the night of the
Savior's soul. And now I'm way over my head.
It is that time in which the brightest star disappears. It is that hour of the King in
loneliness, forsaken. Imagine to yourself a man free
from sin, holy, of divine nature, who calls the Almighty his light,
God's nearness his paradise, and God's love his bliss. Imagine
to yourself this One who was the perfection of human nature,
this One who carried out to its limits all which God intended
in the creation of man. He, the spotless Lamb of God,
as a boy He never spoke an impatient or disrespectful word, never
manifested an unkind or selfish feeling. never disobeyed, never
failed his duty. As a man, his mind was never
allured away by folly, or impeded by idleness, or deranged by passion. The glory of God was seen in
the face of Jesus Christ. Behold the man, his back all
furrowed with stripes, the brow pierced with thorns, the parched
lips, the bleeding of the nails. See this sinless Savior, Instead
of tears and the sweet sympathy of friends, he hears nothing
but scoffing of the crowd beneath the cross. Instead of the hands,
tender hands to close his dying eyes, there is a spear to pierce
his side. But this was all outward. There
was an inward suffering, which we cannot see. Oh, the grief,
which we could not see, which could not be seen. Imagine him
deprived of all the experiences of the gracious presence, which
refreshed him. Those communions with his heavenly
father, of whom he explained, whom have I in heaven, but thee. You see, at Calvary there was
a soul dying. Who can guess what must be the
pains of a soul dying? A soul never died on earth, yet
for hell is the place of dying souls. where they die everlastingly,
the second death. Oh, there was within the ribs
of Christ's body, hell itself poured out. Death is the entail
of sin. Had there been no sin, there
would have been no death. Sin separates from God, who is
the fount of all life. The wages of sin is death. Romans 6.23. Sin excludes God's
presence. Spiritual death is separation
of soul and spirit from God. 2 Thessalonians 1, 9, who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord. And so you see, I speak not merely
tonight of our Lord's mere bodily pain, but his darkness is expressive
of the real pressure on the Savior's soul. In those three hours of
darkness, he experienced eternally more than the pricking of the
crown of thorns, or the scourge, or the cross. He died a penal
death. Now hear this, for this is the
heart of the gospel. He died a penal death, not only
a physical death, This awful darkness was the darkness of
desertion, shut out from God in His time of sorrow. There
was no help, no comfort, no hope, no peace. All comfort was withdrawn. All that could distress Him was
upon Him and filled Him. The Savior's spirit was wounded.
His distress was utter and entire, banished to dreadful and horrifying
visions of hell, surrounded by nothing but images of sin and
death. It was all about Him, around
Him, above Him, within Him. He experienced an overwhelming
horror of sin. An unknown sense of wrath crept
over him like midnight gloom. Here is Christ, three darkened
hours. He's in the most holy place.
He stands at the altar of God Almighty. He performs his sacrificial
functions. He is both the priest and the
lamb. Behind this veil of darkness,
he was engaged in the conflict of the ages. He was made sin
for us, 2 Corinthians 5, 21. He was bearing our sins, 1 Peter
2, 24. He was dying the just for the
unjust, 1 Peter 3, 18. He was bearing the chastisement
of our peace, Isaiah 53. He was receiving the wages of
my sin. This is the heart of it, the
center of it, the soul of it, the marvel of it, and the mystery
of it. He was arraigned in spirit before
the bar of God under the imputation of human guilt. The high court
of heaven descended, as it were, to Mount Calvary, and the sentence
was pronounced. Let the law take its course,
and the eternal judge of the ages turns his back as if to
leave the throne of justice. Christ then took hold of the
most awful wail of agony that ever escaped the human heart. Here was a soul at the utmost
of sin, having lost the vision of God. Ila, ila lama sebastiana,
which is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It pleased the Father, you see,
to bruise him, we're told in Scripture. God hath put him to
grief. he hath made his soul a sacrifice
for sin. Oh, I know I'm failing to describe
it. I can only weep over it and enter
into it of how great a Savior he is and what was the cost and
price of my redemption. Let his sufferings be an encouragement
to you, my sinner friend, to trust him, to believe on him,
Here is found no vague evidence that Christ's sufferings on the
cross were vicarious. He truly, literally was our substitute. He was made sin for us, a curse
for us. Our sin was laid on him. He is clearly seen in the passages
that Mark read as our mighty substitute, our representative,
our head, our surety, our proxy, the divine friend of sinners
who undertook to stand in our stead, and by the priceless merit
of his own sufferings, to purchase our redemption. He was condemned,
though innocent, that he might acquit, though guilty. He wore a crown of thorns, that
we might wear a crown of glory. He was stripped of his raiment
that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness. He was mocked
and reviled that we might be honored and blessed. He was reckoned
a male factor and numbered among the transgressors that we might
be reckoned innocent and justified from all sin. He saved not himself
that he might save us. He died that we might live. How this should stir us to hate
sin, sin in ourselves, as we see him dying in our stead, room
and place. Three hours of darkness. How
will we ever grasp it? Throughout eternity, when we've
been there 10,000 years, He's going to be making known the
riches of His grace to us. We will understand to a greater
extent as the ages pile themselves one on top of another, the exceeding
riches of his grace. To God be the glory, great things
he has done. I urge you, my friend, my sinner
friend, trust Jesus Christ. Your good works are not going
to save you. Turning over a new leaf, starting
over this Easter Sunday. No, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. and thou shalt be saved." What
a glorious God, what a wonderful Savior. God bless.