Mark 15:16 – 41
How important is time? Most of us would agree that we feel like we don’t have enough time.
In the “Purpose Driven Life” Rick Warren says that time is our most valuable resource. We cannot make more time, earn more time or buy more time.
Each of us is given a certain amount of time on this earth by our Creator and nothing we can do will change that.
We all have 60 second minutes, 60 minute hours, 24 hour days and 7 day weeks.
It is what we do with our time that makes it of great value or simply wasted away like an uneaten sandwich.
Jesus did not waste any time. Even in His final few hours on earth He made each moment count.
What were you doing at 9 am last Friday?
What were you doing at noon?
What will you be doing at 3?
Time is well recorded at the cross. Almost moment by moment. His suffering is detailed for us, like few other places in the Bible.
We know where Jesus was. He was on the cross – He was dying. His location can be nailed down.
9 a.m. till noon
“Father, forgive them” – praying for His executioners
“Today you will
be with me” – assurance to a new believer
“Woman he is
your son – she is your mother” – providing for
the
needs of those who are hurting
Noon – Great darkness fell and great silence for 3 hours
I am reminded of the 400 years of prophetic silence between the periods we know as Old Testament and New.
What is going on now?
The sin of all time and all places being focused on one place in time.
This is indeed “The time of YOUR life”
Think of the pain our Holy Savior must be experiencing as everything that is sin and depravity – all the darkness of humanity is focused on Him like the sun through a magnifying glass onto a frying ant.
He had done nothing wrong – and certainly did not deserve what was happening; yet He freely accepted it – from us and for us – the ones who had done everything wrong and deserved to be there suffering this pain.
What does it mean to be lost? It means to still be living in this darkness.
[***turn out the lights] – allow the darkness to settle onto everyone – Cry out LOST – I am lost and don’t know where to turn. Lost.
Lost coin/lost sheep. Thankfully, Jesus wants you to be saved from your lost and searching condition.
Jesus is silent until 3 p.m. – 3 hours
I know that I cannot show you 3
hours of silence here this morning – but I can do 3 minutes – [set an egg
timer. Fro 3 minutes then allow church to set in dark for 3 more minutes]
Suddenly it’s three p.m. (Egg timer goes off - BING – it is 3 pm)
“MY God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
[***Turn lights back on]
What can we do with this silence? Darkness – solar eclipse – complete darkness
This is a most sacred time
· God covering His Son so we could not see what He was going through
· Covering His Sons pain
Darkness
- necessary because what was to happen was a private transaction between
Father & Son
·
Consider
Type of Abraham & Isaac - (Gen 22:5) - 2 must go on alone
·
During
those hours of Darkness God turns that cross - instrument of death - into an
Altar
·
Jesus
Does NOT atone for sin at the hands of sinful men - But at the Holy
Hands of God the Father (Is 53:10)
·
A
tough thought but true - Man cannot provide for his own salvation even by
Crucifying Christ.
Jesus quote scripture from Psalm 22 – just the first few words
He would have been to weak physically to say any more. He was dying – hanging on the cross – every breath a major effort – weak and quickly fading into deaths icy cold grip.
He chose a psalm they would all be familiar with and recognize immediately, much like you might if I were to say:
·
“I pledge allegiance….
·
“Four score and seven years ago”
· “I have a dream”
He gave them the beginning – they would know the rest.
He is telling them EXACTLY what is going on before their very eyes.
I believe this psalm had been rolling in His Heart and Mind for these three hours as He quietly yielded His life to the cup God had poured out for Him to drink.
This Psalm that begins: “My God, my God! Why have you
forsaken me? Why do you remain so
distant? Why do you ignore my cries for
help?”
This is a clear reference to the TRUE PAIN Christ was
experiencing at that moment – The truth of Isaiah 59 shown to us by Jesus as
His own Father turned His back on sin.
“Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not
becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem—your
sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and
will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your
fingers are filthy with sin. Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are
tainted with corruption.
How did God turn His back from His Son? How could He? How could He not – all of our sin covered and indwelled Him.
For that moment Jesus WAS sin. – ALL SIN OF ALL TIME
But this is not the end of the text – this Psalm that begins with a tone of defeat, ends with strong chorus of VICTORY:
Psalm 22:23-28 “Praise the LORD, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help. I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. People from every nation will bow down before him. For the LORD is king! He rules all the nations.” (NLT)
Jesus have felt much like a convict who has been on death row for many years and today is the day. He has had his last meal, said his last prayer and just heard the warden shout “dead man walking” before he leaves his cell and heads for the execution chamber.
Jesus is going into the prison of death – and He has a song on His heart - Just like Paul and Silas
o Not a weak – gushy song
o A powerful strong and upbeat song. A song of victory
Jesus was indeed experiencing the “Time of YOUR life” as He died on the Cross for your sins.
The TIME OF YOUR LIFE - Your eternal life depends on your faith in the time He spent dying for you.
Romans 3:23 –25 “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious
standard. 24Yet now God in his
gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ
Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25For
God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger
against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his
blood, sacrificing his life for us.”