LENTEN SERMON SERIES: "The Seven Last Words"
"LOVE THAT QUESTIONS"
Matthew 27:45-50
I. THE QUESTION OF "WHY"
A. Recorded by Matthew and Mark
B. Recorded in the original Aramaic form.
II. THERE WAS DARKNESS
A. Mysterious darkness from noon to 3:00 pm.
B. Darkness was the evidence of God's judgment on sin.
III. THREE MATTERS TO CONSIDER
A. Consider the physical causes of such a cry.
B. Consider the timing of the 4th Word.
1. 4th word came at the close, in past tense.
2. The experience was now past.
C. Consider the Prophetic Fulfillment.
1. Prophets had predicted it.
2. Actually a quote from Psalm 22:1.
IV. "MY GOD, MY GOD..."
A. Jesus still affirms God was still his God.
B. Suffering has one of two effects on our souls.
V. "MY GOD MY GOD..."WHY?"
A. There are basically two kinds of "why?"
B. Jesus shows us that it is not wrong to ask "why."
VI. "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
A. Why have YOU?
B. Jesus, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
VII. "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
A. In what sense was Jesus forsaken of God?
1. Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity, can never be separated.
2. In the 3 dark hours, Jesus carried the guilt of all.
2. During this time, sins were being judged.
B. The Prophet Habakkuk wrote, "Your eyes are too pure to behold
evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing..."
C. The face of God not turned from Jesus, but from the sins Jesus carried.
D. A hiding of the consciousness of God's presence.
VIII. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken ME?
IX. LEARNING FROM THE FOURTH WORD
A. Fact: there will be periods of darkness in our lives.
B. We will never know the answers to our "why" questions.
C. Some considerations.
D. Asking "why" from a searching heart and not a clinched fist.
E. God is with us in all suffering, tragedy and evil.
F. Grateful there was a "why" on Jesus lips!