We come together as we have tonight
once more to observe the Lord's Supper. And I'm hesitant to state
it that way. We've come together as a family
of believers to celebrate our redemption by the Lord Jesus
Christ. And the Lord's Supper ought to
be a heart celebration of redemption. We will eat the bread, symbolizing
the body of our Savior, the incarnate God, crushed beneath the wrath
of God as our substitute. That body in which He fulfilled
all righteousness for us and then was put to death because
he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree. And we will drink
the wine in the cup, the wine that represents his blood, the
precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, the blood of the
new covenant. The covenant ordered in all things
ensure which is all our salvation and all our desire. We will do
these things in remembrance of Him. May God the Holy Spirit
now set our hearts on Him who loved us and gave Himself for
us. and set our hearts on one another
as He sets our hearts on Him. Because this is not just the
communion of thought. It is communion, Paul tells us
in 1 Corinthians 10, 16, of the body of Christ. And we are His
body. We come together as one body
in Christ. As one family. redeemed. Forever one. Made new in Jesus
Christ our Lord, anticipating a better day when all evil shall
be put from us and from this world forever. Now I can think of no better
way if God will enable me to speak His word and enable you
to hear it. I can think of no better way
to prepare our hearts for this blessed ordinance than for us
to look again at the death of our dear Savior. And we will
do so tonight as it is described in Luke chapter 23. We'll begin
with verse 44. Luke chapter 23, verse 44. And it was about the sixth hour, just about noon, and there was
darkness over all the earth until the
ninth hour. and the sun was darkened, and
the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with
a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,
and having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion
saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was
a righteous man. And all the people that came
together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote
their breast and returned. and all his acquaintance, and
the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding
these things. What great wonders attended the
death of God's darling son! Surely these wonders performed
in heaven and in earth by our God are intended to be meaningful
and instructive. Here the Holy Spirit speaks of
two, two great wonders. God put out the sun for three
hours in the middle of the day and God ripped open the veil
separating the holy place from the holy of holies in the temple
from top to bottom. First, God the Holy Spirit here
calls our attention to the fact that there was darkness over
all the earth for three hours. The sun was darkened. Our Savior, the true Passover,
is as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, sacrificed for us. Christ,
our Passover, is sacrificed for us. You may recall that when
The Lord God came down to deliver Israel out of Egypt. One of the
miracles He performed in that symbolic deliverance. Now when
I say it was a symbolic deliverance, don't misunderstand. I'm not
suggesting the deliverance wasn't real. I'm telling you that the
deliverance that Israel experienced was symbolic and intended by
God to be a picture of this deliverance. When God came down to deliver
Israel out of Egypt, He sent darkness in the land of Egypt
for three days. For three days. And now, when
Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us, God puts out the sun
and covers all the earth with darkness for three hours. Nothing
could be more proper and more fitting. When the great sacrifice
for sin was offered, when the Son of God was dying, darkness
covered the earth. This was done by the hand of
God in the sight of all men. When God gave His law at Sinai,
Moses was up in the mount, and God came down in darkness. clouds and thunder and terror
covered the mountain. And now he who gave the law to
Moses at Sinai, the Lord Jesus Christ our God, hangs upon Mount
Calvary bearing all the wrath and terror and justice of God's
holy law being made a curse for us because He bear our sins upon
the tree. Such a miracle ought to have
arrested the attention of every man in the world. Suddenly, at
noonday, the sun goes out. During those three hours of darkness,
our Redeemer was assaulted by all the powers of darkness. Assaulted
with the utmost might and malice of hell. But though he was assaulted
by dogs and the bulls of Bashan and men and by Satan himself,
he foiled them all and spoiled them all. Turn, if you will,
to Colossians chapter 2. Though he was assaulted by his
enemies and ours, our Savior made a show of them openly. I
remember when I was a boy, I used to watch those soldier movies
in Roman times, and I remember seeing the folks who would be
conquerors after a battle. Do you know what they did with
their enemies? The man who led the charge, the head of the army,
when he would return to Rome, would be riding in a magnificent
chariot. drawn by a team of white horses,
and he would ride into the city, and riding behind him, he was
dragging all his conquered enemies, making a triumphant show. Now
Paul seizes on just that kind of picture here in Colossians
chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2. Our Savior
comes, as it were, in his chariot of state into glory, dragging
his vanquished enemies and ours bound behind him. Verse 13. You being dead in sins, in your
sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, the filth of your
flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, made you alive together
with Him. Not just He made you alive. When
He ascended up into glory, He called you to live with Him.
Before you ever experienced the life, He quickened you together
with Him. And now, having forgiven you all trespasses. Watch this. Blooding out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us. What's that talking about? The handwriting of the ordinances
that was against us. Now, I know folks say, well,
this is talking about the ceremonial law, that's what the Lord did
away. The ceremonial law is what gave us hope. The ceremonial
law portrayed who? No, no. He blots out the ordinances
of God's holy law represented in that ceremonial law by which
we were naturally condemned, exposing our sin. Watch this.
Which was contrary to us, took it out of the way, nailing it
to His cross. the whole of God's law, the whole
of God's justice, by which we naturally stand condemned, by
which our consciences are condemned by creation, for God has inscribed
it upon the heart of man. He nailed it to his cross. And having spoiled principalities
and powers, Somebody asked, well, what are
these principalities and powers? You know what? Whatever they
are, I'm not interested so much in identifying them as I am in
Him spoiling them. He spoiled principalities and
powers. He made a show of them openly. Triumphing over them in His cross. Verse 16. Now here's the conclusion
of that. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new
moon, or of Sabbath days. Don't let anybody talk you into
going back and pulling that law that was nailed to his cross
down off the cross, stick it in your pocket, and trying to
live by it again. That's exactly what verse 16
says. Now, turn to Psalm 68. Let me show you how it's prophesied. While you're turning, listen
carefully. The Apostle Paul seizes on what's written in Psalm 68
and says in Ephesians 4, Wherefore, he saith when he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now
let's look at where Paul got that. Psalm 68 verse 17. The chariots of God are twenty
thousand, even thousands of angels. The Lord is among them, look
at this, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Among the chariots
of God, the angels of God. Thou hast ascended on high. Thou hast led captivity captive. Thou hast received gifts The
Lord Jesus Christ, this mighty conqueror, this triumphant redeemer,
ascends up into glory with His own blood. He entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Thou
hast received gifts for men. What did he receive? All the
gifts of eternal grace and eternal salvation to bestow upon his
people as he will in time to come. Read on. I love this. I'm so thankful he didn't leave
this out. Yea, for the rebellious also. I might have read that and thought,
well, he received gifts for other men but not for me. But didn't
he describe me? Yea, for the rebellious also. What is this? How do you know
that's what it's talking about? That the Lord God might dwell
among them. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. As it is written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. That we might receive
the promise of the Spirit. That God might dwell in us. Verse
19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loatheth us. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who daily loatheth us. Who daily loatheth us with benefits. And you've heard me refer to
it often enough, you know that one of our favorite programs
on television is old one, Andy Griffith. I remember every time
Andy Griffith was getting ready to go on a trip, Aunt Bea, typical
North Carolina Aunt Bea, she would pack more than he could
possibly eat in 20 trips of that kind. Load him down, load him
down. That's the picture. Larry Brown,
every day you open your eyes. He who redeemed you piles up
your cart to overflowing with benefits. With benefits. The benefits of
redemption accomplished. He's constantly loading them
for us. Even the God of our salvation. Next time you get ready to grumble,
stop and think about that. Have a look at verse 20. He that is our God, this one
who ascended up on high, who led captivity captive, he who
is our God, is the God of salvation. And unto God the Lord, Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, belong the issues from death. Next we read
that the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. That huge,
thick veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies. That veil behind which once stood
the mercy seat, covering the Ark of the Covenant, covering
God's broken law, where the cherubim of glory were. Where the Lord
God said, this is where I'll meet you, between the cherubs,
and I'll commune with you there on the mercy seat. This Holy
of Holies, hidden from everyone except God and Israel's High
Priest. The Lord God. Ripped that veil
open. Ripped it open. From top to bottom. What an instructive picture.
What is it that separated God and man? What is it? Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy strength. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. God's law, Josh, separated us
from him. His law separated us from him. Seraphs with blazing flaming
swords guarding the way to the garden, guarding the way of the
tree of life. God's holy law with blazing sword
of justice separates us from God so that no man dare go into
that place signifying God's glorious holy throne in his glorious holy
being. No man dare go! except through
a blood sacrifice once a year, one man representing all men. And when the Lord Jesus had finished
His work, God ripped open the veil, and one man with his own
blood entered in as a high priest into the heavens, into the holy
place, not made with hands, and obtained eternal redemption for
us. When Abram went into that place,
all Israel went in with him. He represented them. And when
Christ ascended to glory and obtained eternal redemption,
all God's Israel went in with him. And this is what the rent
bail means. The law is over. Law days are done. Now I want
you to see it and see it clearly. Turn to Romans chapter 6. Romans
chapter 6. That law that once separated
us from God has been completely fulfilled by the death of our
substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm telling you this again because
I want you to see with such clarity that you won't be enticed to
think like you naturally do, or be enticed to think as the
religious world would teach you to do, that in order to attain
God's blessing, you must somehow or another revert to the law.
I listen to preachers, and we all have this tendency. We all
have this tendency. If I see Bobby Estes not Behaving
the way you ought to, doing what you ought to, worshiping God
like you ought to, the kind of commitment you ought to, you
tend to revert to the law. And it won't do any good. We're
not under the law. We're not under the law. Look
at this, Romans 6, verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion
over you. How come? For you're not under
the law, but under grace. Now to hear most fellows talk
about religion, they say the only way you can keep sin from
having dominion over folks is to keep them under law. But he
says sin shall not have dominion over you precisely because you're
not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin
because we're not under the law? Sound familiar? Oh, you don't
dare tell people that. It'll open the floodgates to
sin and iniquity and licentiousness. We are not under the law, but
under grace. That's not an excuse for sin.
Look at chapter 7, verse 4. Chapter 7. In chapter 6, Paul is dealing
clearly with the believer's life of faith in this world, telling
him how to walk in this world for the glory of God. He gets
to chapter 7, he says in verse 4, Wherefore, my brethren, ye
also are become D-E-A-D to the law. Dead to the law. Dead to the law. Jeffrey Dahmer
immediately comes to mind. That murderous pervert immediately
comes to mind. Everybody in the nation would
like to have pulled his life out a hair at a time. But you
know what? He's dead. He's dead. And the law has absolutely
nothing to do with the man. He's dead. That's exactly what
Paul says. What does the law have to do,
James? In what sense do we have a relationship with the law?
The same sense a man who's married to a woman still has a relationship
with a previous woman. If you're smart, you don't. We're
dead to the law. Dead to the law. By the body
of Christ that you should be married to another. even to him
who is raised from the dead for this purpose, that you should
bring forth fruit unto God. Chapter 8. There is therefore
now, since we are dead to the law, Since we're no longer under
the law, since we're married to Christ, there is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the law, but after the Spirit. And that's exactly
the way I meant to read it. Who walk not after the law, the
flesh, but after the Spirit. All who attempt to worship God
by obedience to law, all who attempt to serve God by obedience
to law, walk after the flesh, the carnal rudiments of this
world. We walk after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and because of sin, for sin, condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now there,
Brother Don, you see the The Lord's telling us there that
we fulfilled the righteousness of the law since we've been saved
by God's grace. Now we live in obedience to the
law. That is not at all what he's
saying. Since God gave you faith in Christ, looking to Christ
as your only righteousness, Bob Duff, the law's fulfilled in
you. That's it. That's exactly how
we fulfill the law. By faith we offer the law what
the law demands. Perfect righteousness and perfect
satisfaction. Let's look at another passage.
Romans chapter 10, verse 4. Christ is the end. End. Oh, what does that mean? Well, just in case somebody might
hear me say that little word E-N-D, who doesn't understand
what E-N-D means, when you get to the end of the sentence, what
do you put? A period. That's the end. You're sending a message. When
you get to the end of the sentence, you say, full stop. Period. That's
the end. Termination. That's the end. Stopping point. That's the end. Fulfillment. That's the end.
Completion. That's the end. Now that's what
Christ is of the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. Whatever righteousness is, you
can't get it by the law. You get it by Christ who got
it by law. By fulfilling the law. to everyone
that believeth. How do you hope for acceptance with God? Well,
I believe in Jesus and you know I've tried to live a good life. I believe in Jesus and I've tried
to do good to my neighbor. I believe in Jesus and I read
my Bible, I've read my Bible thirty times. I believe in Jesus
and I spend a lot of time in prayer. I believe in Jesus, and
I've never missed a sinner who says, you're going to hell. You don't have any righteousness.
You don't have any. Oh, where do you find righteousness? I trust Him. He's the end of the law for righteousness. to everyone that believeth. In
Galatians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul, you don't need to turn
there, he compares the law to a schoolmaster. He says the law
was our schoolmaster unto Christ. But now, since faith has come,
we are no longer under schoolmaster. Do you know I used to be terrified
of God's law? I mean, I was terrified. I was
terrified. The law, just that condemning
law inscribed upon my heart by nature, sent me to bed at night
trembling, horrified at the thought of death. Horrified. Either I'm lying or I'm telling
you the truth. And I've been put at the laws of the dearest
friend I've got now. Because the law satisfied demands
my everlasting salvation. Do you understand that? Dear
friend, justice satisfied, righteousness brought in, says Don Fortner,
goes to glory. You've met my friend, Brother
Bob Spencer, a sixth grade school teacher. I used to be a little
terrified of him, but I grew up. And there were days when
he inflicted pain on me that was well deserved because I had
been disobedient. But should that fellow, when
he walked in my house next time, take a notion that he was going
to do so? I said, buddy, have you forgotten who you are? You don't have any authority
over me anymore. None whatever. But that ain't
going to happen. Because he knows his place, and
I know my place, and they are both the same. We're friends. And in Christ, God's righteousness,
justice, and truth. is the friend to every believer. And that is our motive. That is our inspiration. That's
what moves us. This rent veil means that everything
separating God and man is gold. Iniquity. Transgression and sin. And it means everything that
naturally separates God's elect among the fallen races of men
in the human race is gone. Read Ephesians chapter 2. He
is our peace, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition
that separated us. And in his flesh he is made of
two, Jew and Gentile, one new man, so make him peace. The only place in this world
where it doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, black or
white, Jew or Gentile, male or female, educated or illiterate,
young or old, strong or feeble, is in Christ. He made us one. In the church of God, we never
think about saying this is a church where everybody is somebody.
No, no, no. This is a place where everybody
is nobody and Christ is all. Christ is all. Christ is all. And if Christ really is all,
and we're in Him, we're one in Him. If He really is. And the reddening of the veil. declares that we now have access. I would read them again today.
Did you ever notice how often in the scripture, the scriptures
speak like this, wherein we stand and have access, have access,
not Just the way is open, though that clearly stated, we stand
here in grace and have presently and forever access to God in
all the glory of His being. We can turn to our Heavenly Father
and call Him our Father and never dread standing before Him. Constantly
standing before Him with full assurance of faith in Jesus Christ
our Lord. Alright, look at the next line
in our text. Back here in verse 46. Listen to our Savior's cry. As He left this world, having
finished everything he came into this world to do, the Lord Jesus
cried with a loud voice. I'm so thankful the Spirit of
God inspired the writers to include that. He didn't just kind of
wear out. Finally, it was just about over.
Father, into my hands. I commend my spirit. Oh, no, no, no. Father, into
thy hands I commend, I trust, I commit my spirit. And having said thus, In the full vigor of one who
has conquered death, he commends himself to his Father and dismissed
his life in this body. Our Savior didn't die as we soon
shall. I'm soon going to die because
I have to. You too. You too. He didn't have to. He wanted
to. I'm the good shepherd. I came
here to give my life for the sheep. Other sheep I have which
are of this fold, them also I must break. There shall be one fold
and one shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.
No man takes it from me. I lay it down in myself. I have
the power to take it again. Therefore does my Father love
me because I lay down my life for the sheep. This commandment
have I received of my Father. And the Lord Jesus went with
His face set like a flint to Jerusalem to die in our room
instead. More anxious to accomplish redemption for
us in His death than that with which a thirsty man drinks cold
water. He laid down His life for us,
having accomplished everything He came here to accomplish, having
redeemed us with His blood. And He set us an example. You
can look at it later in 1 Peter chapter 2. Our Lord Jesus died as our sin
atoning sacrifice. But also, Peter says, he gave
us an example that we should follow in his steps. He committed
himself to God that judges righteously. That's the way to live in this
world. Commit yourself to God. Father, into thy hands I commend
my life, oh my God, into your hands, in whose hands are my
times, in whose hands are the issues of death, into your hands
I commend and commit my life. Look back here at verse 47. Now when the centurion saw what
was done, he worshipped God, he glorified God, saying, certainly
this was a righteous man. This centurion is converted. This man, this Roman soldier, who must have been by now absolutely
drenched in blood. He said, as he bows to worship
God, in the language Matthew and Mark use, put it together
what Luke uses here, he said, this was the righteous man. This man was the Son of God. Just imagine. what it must have been like to worship Him in the free, full
forgiveness of sin that He heard the Master speak to that penitent
thief while the blood still on His
hands. That's how I worship Him tonight.
Look at the next line, verse 48. And all the people that came
together to that sight, beholding the things which were
done, smote their breast and returned. They'd been out here
all day long, making the party. Now they couldn't resist the
voice of God in Providence, and their hearts are pricked. Did you feel that earthquake? Did you hear Him cry? Did you
hear that piercing cry as the sun began to shine after those
three hours of darkness? My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Is it true? And this is He who
saved others and therefore Himself cannot save. Did you see the
dead who got out of the grave? I'm told that there was dead
folks who got up and walked the streets of Jerusalem. Didn't
you feel that earthquake? It's been reported. Folks are
running around saying the bell in the temple has been run into! And this soldier, he confesses. that this is the righteous man,
the Christ, the Son of God. Oh! What have I done? They smote
on their breast. But that was all. And then they went right back
where they were. Look at verse 49. Here's a different
crowd. Those in verse 48 had a repentance
to be repented of. Here in verse 49, you'll remember
all the Lord's disciples, earlier the night before, sometime through
the night, had forsaken Him. Every one of them. Every one
of them. All of them had forsaken Him. But they couldn't stay away. He said, I'll give them one heart
and one way, and they shall not depart from Me. They had forsaken
Him, but He wouldn't let them forsake Him. They came back.
And all His acquaintance, and the women that followed Him from
Galilee, stood far off, beholding these things. the Redeemer. Beholding Him as He fulfilled
every word He had taught. Beholding Him as He finished
the work. Beholding Him as God their Savior
and their King. Beholding Him with joy and grief. Beholding Him with broken heart and confident faith. And they stood beholding Him
afar off. Far off from any danger. Far off from any curse. Far off from any terror. Far off from any harm, from God's
law, from Satan himself, from any foe, from heaven above, stood
afar off in perfect, complete security, because Christ The surety took away all their
sin and took away all the fury of divine justice. And that's
just where we stand by faith in this grace in Jesus Christ
our Lord. Sons of peace, redeemed by blood,
raise your songs to Zion's God. Made from condemnation free,
grace triumphant, sing with me. Calvary's wonders let us trace,
justice magnified in grace. Mark the purple streams and say,
thus my sins were washed away. Wrath divine, no more we dread. Vengeance smote our surety's
head. Legal claims were fully met.
Jesus paid the dreadful debt. Sin is lost beneath the flood,
drowned in our Redeemer's blood. Zion, O how blessed art thou! Justified from all things now. Amen.