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Communion Sermon

Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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  1. Please turn with me in your Bibles back to Mark's Gospel, Mark 15.

  2. ! We'll read again at verse 33.

  3. When the sixth hour had come, that's about midday, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

  4. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,

  5. Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means,

  6. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

  7. Well, let's bow in prayer.

  8. Heavenly Father, we are conscious this morning, Lord, that we do come to one of the most solemn and indeed weighty verses of Scripture.

  9. It is, Lord, a mystery to us, the depths of which Christ experienced the forsakenness of God at the cross.

  10. And so we pray, Father, that you would help us today to tread carefully in these verses.

  11. That you would give us something today of an understanding of the love and the obedience that took the Messiah to this place.

  12. And that we would be able to find comfort there.

  13. To know that our sin has been dealt with decisively, conclusively, forever.

  14. And we ask this in Jesus' name.

  15. Amen.

  16. The story of the gospel that Mark sets out to tell, you can read it at the beginning of Mark's gospel.

  17. He begins with these words, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

  18. 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.

  19. And at the core of it, there is one of, I think, perhaps possibly the most perplexing moment in the whole of human history.

  20. 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.

  21. That he utters these remarkable words.

  22. That he takes on his lips the opening verse of Psalm 22.

  23. Words that he would have known since he was probably a child.

  24. 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.

  25. You know, at the heart of this, there is the work of the atonement.

  26. The work of God setting us at peace with himself.

  27. And we therefore need to be sure of what is taking place here and what lies behind us.

  28. There's two simple points that I want to think about today.

  29. The first of these is simply to recognize the facts.

  30. We have to just establish in our minds the facts of what is taking place at this moment.

  31. And then alongside that, we also need to think about the reasons for this.

  32. And what is actually going on here?

  33. Why does Jesus suffer and cry out like this?

  34. The first of these things is to consider the facts.

  35. The first fact is to recognize just who this is.

  36. This is Jesus Christ.

  37. And as Marcus told us at the beginning of his gospel, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

  38. 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.

  39. The one who says this is the sinless one.

  40. And that's quite a remarkable statement for us to think about because nobody else in the whole of human history has been sinless.

  41. But the context here is really clear.

  42. Mark makes it very abundantly clear, in fact, that part of what's going on here is Pilate recognizes the guiltlessness of Jesus.

  43. The whole context is one of false accusation.

  44. The chief priests and the scribes and the Jewish rulers have concocted charges against Jesus.

  45. Charges of blasphemy.

  46. Charges of insurrection and rebellion against the legal authority of the Roman emperor.

  47. Charges that are mounted up and that they bring in false witnesses to testify to.

  48. They bring out a whole series of allegations against him.

  49. And yet Pilate is the one who has said, there's no truth in any of this.

  50. They're words that are echoed, in fact, by the centurion.

  51. Truly, this was the Son of God.

  52. It's recognizing the special character and the uniqueness of Jesus.

  53. And that uniqueness principally extends into his sinlessness.

  54. And so we can therefore be sure that the Bible's assertion that he was entirely without guilt,

  55. that he is entirely free under the law, that he has complied with the requirements of the law,

  56. is surely true.

  57. Because nobody could isolate and identify an allegation of sin that would stick.

  58. Were one of us in that position, we can all put our hands up and say,

  59. truly, that would not be the case with me.

  60. Were I to be tried before any form of authority and my life to be examined,

  61. people wouldn't have to concoct false charges against me.

  62. There are plenty things that are true and which condemn me.

  63. And I'm sure that today every one of us can say the same thing.

  64. So Christ, the one who cries out,

  65. my God, my God, why have you forsaken me,

  66. is sinless.

  67. Which deepens the perplexity of what we're seeing.

  68. Then there's also the fact that he is the Son of God.

  69. Again, the identity of Jesus as the Son of God has been the point of Mark's Gospel.

  70. Mark wants us to understand that this person who is the focus of this proclamation of good news

  71. is none other than God the Son.

  72. And Mark is interested in the way he goes about this.

  73. If you read through Mark's Gospel,

  74. you can find numerous places where Mark is establishing the identity of Jesus.

  75. And he builds up to the same conclusion that John presents much more clearly in his introduction.

  76. That the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

  77. That the Word was the one who was with God from all eternity

  78. and who came and dwelt among us.

  79. And for Mark, the way he establishes that is showing the authority of Jesus as a preacher.

  80. He does it in showing the miracles of Jesus and how that underscores that authority.

  81. How Jesus, on one occasion,

  82. says, in fact, what is easier to say to somebody,

  83. your sins are forgiven or take up your bed and walk.

  84. And the people around him are astonished by this.

  85. Who can forgive sins but God?

  86. And Jesus has said to the man,

  87. your sins are forgiven.

  88. And then to show that he has the authority,

  89. he then says to the man,

  90. now you crippled man who cannot walk,

  91. take up your bed and go your way.

  92. And the crowds are astonished.

  93. You've got a situation another time

  94. where the disciples are with Jesus in the boat going across the Sea of Galilee.

  95. And a ferocious storm has swept up.

  96. And the disciples are panicked.

  97. They're fearing for their lives.

  98. They can't bail the water out of the boat fast enough.

  99. And so they waken Jesus in a panic and say,

  100. Lord, don't you care that we're perishing here?

  101. And Jesus, with just one softly spoken gentle word,

  102. commands the wind and the waves to cease.

  103. And instantly there is calm.

  104. And the disciples are left with the question,

  105. who else can do this but God?

  106. Jesus is, in fact, divine.

  107. He has that authority.

  108. He has that demeanor about him.

  109. And then you come to the cross.

  110. And you see that this figure who has spoken of God

  111. directly as his father,

  112. and that's one of the things that the scribes

  113. and the Pharisees found so offensive,

  114. was that he would claim this particular relationship with God

  115. to call him father,

  116. a relationship that he shares now with his disciples and followers like us.

  117. We can enter into that.

  118. But for them it's such a blasphemous thought

  119. that this, the Son of God,

  120. is now at the cross.

  121. And here at the cross,

  122. God the Son

  123. somehow becomes an outcast

  124. from his father.

  125. So much so that, in fact,

  126. the fatherhood of God

  127. is no longer visible to him.

  128. Where instead of father,

  129. he says for the first time,

  130. my God, my God,

  131. why have you forsaken me?

  132. In the darkness of the cross,

  133. the experience of Jesus

  134. is one where that relationship with the Father

  135. seems to have disappeared,

  136. vanished into the darkness,

  137. and we are left with something else.

  138. Which leads us, in fact,

  139. to another conclusion about what's actually going on here,

  140. the facts of this.

  141. And this is not merely

  142. a moment of great injustice.

  143. I think plenty of people,

  144. when they think about the story of Jesus,

  145. they would recognize the great injustice of it.

  146. There are plenty of people would recognize and say,

  147. well, Jesus was wrongly condemned.

  148. It was a sham of a trial.

  149. Clearly, as Pilate recognizes,

  150. there's envy and bitterness

  151. that leads the Jewish authorities

  152. to this place where they would say,

  153. crucify him, do away with him,

  154. we don't want him.

  155. But there is more going on.

  156. As the disciples note,

  157. particularly Peter, for example,

  158. on the day of Pentecost notes,

  159. although human hands are instrumental

  160. in driving the nails into his body,

  161. although human voices have called

  162. for his rejection

  163. and for the crucifixion to come,

  164. although he is rejected

  165. by both the civil magistrates

  166. and the religious authorities,

  167. although he's rejected

  168. by Jew and Gentile,

  169. rejected by the whole of humanity, really,

  170. yet still,

  171. behind all of this,

  172. the Father

  173. is in direct control.

  174. And we see that

  175. because of the way Jesus cries.

  176. There is a certainty

  177. that the Father is involved in this.

  178. The forsakenness

  179. that Jesus is experiencing

  180. is not merely the forsakenness

  181. of human comfort.

  182. He experiences,

  183. for the first time,

  184. in the totality of his existence

  185. as the eternal Son of God.

  186. He experiences forsakenness.

  187. He experiences an abandonment

  188. that is alien to his experience.

  189. And so the facts,

  190. in a way,

  191. speak for themselves.

  192. Not the mere facts

  193. of the form of his death

  194. and the brutality of it

  195. and the shame of that place.

  196. And it was all of these things.

  197. We'll come to that tonight.

  198. But the fact of what is going on here,

  199. the central cross of Golgotha

  200. is occupied

  201. by the sinless one.

  202. the sinless Son of God

  203. who is here

  204. because this is the culmination

  205. of his self-emptying

  206. to the point where the Father

  207. pours out upon him

  208. the wrath that sin deserves.

  209. the settled,

  210. established judgment

  211. of your sin

  212. and mine.

  213. And that's because we have to see

  214. the reasons for all

  215. that is taking place

  216. in this.

  217. The first of that is to recognize

  218. that this is

  219. the outworking

  220. of the covenant

  221. of redemption.

  222. The covenant

  223. of redemption.

  224. And by that,

  225. I would say that the Trinity

  226. is therefore at work

  227. in this moment.

  228. The Father

  229. is here.

  230. And as Calvin points out,

  231. I think it's a wonderful

  232. reminder to us,

  233. we should not insinuate

  234. hostility

  235. in these events.

  236. It's a useful reminder to us

  237. because the Father here

  238. does not stop

  239. loving the Son.

  240. The Father's love

  241. does not stop.

  242. but rather

  243. in the Father's eyes,

  244. this moment

  245. is in fact

  246. the pinnacle

  247. of the love

  248. of a triune God.

  249. We know that

  250. because much earlier on

  251. in the Gospels,

  252. Jesus aligns himself

  253. with this destiny.

  254. It's at the baptism

  255. of Jesus

  256. where John

  257. even recognized,

  258. John the Baptist

  259. recognizes and says,

  260. you don't need

  261. to be baptized.

  262. You have no sin

  263. that needs to be dealt with.

  264. You have no sin

  265. that needs to be recognized

  266. and washed away.

  267. You have no need

  268. of cleansing.

  269. In fact,

  270. I need cleansing from you.

  271. And John

  272. is

  273. obliged

  274. to baptize Jesus

  275. at his command.

  276. And so Jesus

  277. at that moment

  278. aligns himself

  279. with his people.

  280. He's putting himself

  281. in the position

  282. where he is saying

  283. the fate of my people

  284. and the punishment

  285. that they deserve

  286. for sin,

  287. their need of cleansing,

  288. I will take upon myself.

  289. And as he comes

  290. out of the water,

  291. you have that wonderful image

  292. of the Trinity

  293. being present.

  294. Here is the Son

  295. coming out of the water,

  296. the Spirit of God

  297. descending on him

  298. like a dove,

  299. and the voice of the Father

  300. saying,

  301. this is my beloved Son.

  302. It leads us

  303. to that conclusion,

  304. in fact,

  305. that what Jesus

  306. is doing at the cross

  307. is that moment

  308. where in the Father's purposes,

  309. his love for his Son

  310. is never going

  311. to be greater.

  312. Because here,

  313. the Son is obedient

  314. to something

  315. that was transacted

  316. long before

  317. this world

  318. was created.

  319. That before

  320. the foundation

  321. of the world,

  322. the Father and the Son

  323. have entered

  324. into a covenant together

  325. where they have agreed

  326. that the Son

  327. will come

  328. and bear

  329. the sins

  330. of his people,

  331. that the love of God

  332. for his people

  333. will be revealed

  334. and worked out

  335. and manifested

  336. in its fullness

  337. because the Son

  338. will take upon himself

  339. their guilt,

  340. their sin,

  341. that which has kept them

  342. apart from God,

  343. that which has led us

  344. away from God

  345. and left us

  346. alienated from God,

  347. that the Son comes

  348. and takes all of that

  349. alienation upon himself

  350. and carries

  351. our guilt.

  352. and you see that,

  353. the way that the Son

  354. comes to this moment.

  355. You see it in the

  356. Garden of Gethsemane.

  357. You see it as Jesus

  358. wrestles with the reality

  359. of the cup

  360. that is now before him

  361. as he begins

  362. to see more clearly

  363. perhaps than at any point

  364. previously in his life

  365. what is going to be

  366. involved here

  367. and he concedes

  368. and says,

  369. Father,

  370. not my will

  371. but yours be done.

  372. That recognition

  373. of the Father's will

  374. being enacted

  375. is Jesus

  376. keeping his side

  377. of the bargain.

  378. That God the Son

  379. agrees to complete

  380. what was agreed

  381. actually many,

  382. many, many years

  383. and millennia

  384. and aeons before.

  385. That he would come

  386. and bear the sin

  387. of his people.

  388. And in this,

  389. the Father

  390. then delivers

  391. this verdict

  392. on the Son

  393. condemns him.

  394. And somehow

  395. the Spirit

  396. is also at work

  397. because in the experience

  398. of Jesus

  399. despair does not

  400. set in.

  401. We should remember

  402. that,

  403. that Jesus

  404. as he goes

  405. to the cross

  406. he is not

  407. left

  408. in a position

  409. where his faith

  410. fails.

  411. this is not

  412. a cry

  413. of

  414. offense

  415. against God.

  416. This is not

  417. the cry

  418. even of an atheist

  419. who has come

  420. and curses

  421. God's existence.

  422. This is the words

  423. of David

  424. from Psalm 22

  425. that are words

  426. that are filled

  427. with faith

  428. because Psalm 22

  429. is a psalm

  430. that is full

  431. of the expectation

  432. of some future

  433. deliverance

  434. that are taken

  435. on the lips

  436. of Jesus.

  437. And so when he

  438. says,

  439. my God,

  440. my God,

  441. why have you

  442. forsaken me?

  443. He's not abandoned

  444. his confidence

  445. in the purposes

  446. of God.

  447. He hasn't abandoned

  448. his confidence

  449. in the reality

  450. of God's

  451. faithful outworking

  452. of his

  453. sovereign covenant

  454. towards his people.

  455. And so the faith

  456. of Jesus

  457. is very clearly

  458. on display.

  459. But the experience

  460. is different.

  461. And that's where

  462. we learn as Christians,

  463. in fact,

  464. in our experience,

  465. when we go through

  466. times of suffering,

  467. we are learning,

  468. in fact,

  469. not merely something

  470. that will deepen

  471. our own faith

  472. and our dependence

  473. on God,

  474. but we are learning

  475. something of the

  476. experience of our

  477. Savior.

  478. That that's actually

  479. where our faith

  480. really is deepened

  481. and strengthened.

  482. That when we go

  483. through times

  484. of suffering

  485. and where we are

  486. perplexed and where

  487. we are confused

  488. by these experiences,

  489. we come to a place

  490. of settled confidence

  491. in our Father.

  492. And we remember

  493. just why that is so.

  494. Because although

  495. there may be nothing

  496. in Jesus' experience

  497. here that suggests

  498. the Father's love,

  499. all of the comforts

  500. are stripped away,

  501. the disciples are gone,

  502. they've abandoned him,

  503. the women are far off,

  504. when he needed God

  505. the most,

  506. there was no answer

  507. for him.

  508. In fact,

  509. there's this very clear

  510. sense that Jesus

  511. comes perhaps even

  512. to this place

  513. of utter realization

  514. of what it is

  515. to become sin

  516. and be abandoned

  517. by God.

  518. yet there is nothing

  519. to suggest

  520. that Jesus

  521. forgot his role.

  522. There is nothing

  523. here to suggest

  524. that Jesus

  525. forgot his people.

  526. There is nothing

  527. here to suggest

  528. that Jesus

  529. forgot us.

  530. That in the darkness

  531. we can say

  532. that the words

  533. that were cried out

  534. are not words

  535. of interrogation

  536. of God.

  537. They are words

  538. rather of astonishment

  539. at what God's hand

  540. is doing

  541. upon him.

  542. And so today

  543. we come to the Lord's table

  544. and we're coming

  545. with this eternal security

  546. now worked out

  547. for us.

  548. And it's an eternal security

  549. that found its beginning

  550. in the ages

  551. before the foundation

  552. of the world.

  553. That the Father

  554. and the Son

  555. have already agreed

  556. to do this

  557. and the Son

  558. now has completed

  559. the task

  560. that was agreed

  561. before the foundation

  562. of the world

  563. and so therefore now

  564. we can have

  565. this absolute certainty

  566. about, for example,

  567. the Lamb's book of life.

  568. That that today

  569. is where our assurance

  570. is rooted.

  571. That our assurance

  572. today is now resolved

  573. in the obedience

  574. of Jesus

  575. at the cross.

  576. And today

  577. we might be sitting here

  578. coming to the Lord's table

  579. and thinking

  580. I am so unworthy.

  581. There may even be

  582. some of you

  583. sitting upstairs today

  584. who are not going to come down

  585. because you are a believer

  586. but you feel unworthy.

  587. Well stop.

  588. Because Jesus

  589. has done it all.

  590. Jesus is

  591. the worthy one.

  592. And that's the whole point

  593. of our faith.

  594. It's not for us

  595. ever to get to a point

  596. where we can say

  597. well now I'm worthy

  598. enough to come.

  599. Now I'm worthy enough

  600. to take the step

  601. in obedience of Jesus.

  602. No, the whole point

  603. is to recognize

  604. Jesus has done

  605. what he said

  606. with the Father

  607. before the foundation

  608. of the world

  609. that he would do.

  610. He has come

  611. and he's borne

  612. our sin.

  613. He's experienced

  614. the forsakenness

  615. that sin deserves.

  616. He's experienced

  617. the horror

  618. of hell.

  619. And that's how

  620. the Apostles' Creed

  621. puts it.

  622. That it wasn't

  623. at his death

  624. that he descended

  625. into hell

  626. but that at the cross

  627. he experienced

  628. the hellishness

  629. of sin's curse

  630. poured out

  631. in its fullness

  632. upon him.

  633. And today

  634. therefore

  635. we have no business

  636. saying to ourselves

  637. that we're not

  638. yet good enough

  639. to come to the Lord's table.

  640. The Lord's table

  641. is for those

  642. who recognize

  643. Jesus

  644. is the one

  645. who was.

  646. Jesus is the one

  647. who has satisfied

  648. God's

  649. requirements

  650. that sin

  651. be punished.

  652. And he is

  653. therefore worthy.

  654. It leads us

  655. into a daily security

  656. in knowing that.

  657. It leads us

  658. into that place

  659. of daily

  660. having that comfort

  661. of knowing

  662. Christ has done

  663. it for me

  664. and therefore

  665. I am safe

  666. now.

  667. There's another

  668. reason as well

  669. though.

  670. There is in fact

  671. in this

  672. fully

  673. not only

  674. the eternal

  675. consequences

  676. of the eternal

  677. covenant

  678. between the Father

  679. and the Son

  680. but there is now

  681. also the consequences

  682. of the covenant

  683. with Abraham.

  684. This two-fold

  685. outworking

  686. of the purposes

  687. of God.

  688. So there's this

  689. eternal perspective

  690. to it that the

  691. Father and the Son

  692. have entered into

  693. before the foundation

  694. of the world

  695. and then after the

  696. world is created

  697. and after Adam

  698. has sinned

  699. we begin to see

  700. the outworking

  701. of God's purposes

  702. and that is

  703. worked out

  704. in the promise

  705. given to Adam

  706. that there would

  707. be a redeemer

  708. the seed of the woman

  709. who would bruise

  710. the head of the serpent

  711. it's clear in the promises

  712. given to Abraham

  713. that he would have

  714. an offspring

  715. a seed

  716. the promises given

  717. to David

  718. that one day

  719. one of his descendants

  720. would sit forever

  721. upon his throne

  722. the fullness

  723. of that covenant

  724. is now also

  725. being worked

  726. out

  727. in full

  728. and so Jesus

  729. goes to the cross

  730. as a sacrifice

  731. for sin.

  732. The Father here

  733. is offering up

  734. his Son

  735. as a sacrifice

  736. for sin.

  737. I mentioned last night

  738. that where Abraham

  739. when he was tested

  740. by God

  741. was called out

  742. upon to stop

  743. to halt

  744. the sacrifice

  745. of Isaac

  746. now

  747. no such halt

  748. is announced.

  749. God the Father

  750. offers

  751. his

  752. Son.

  753. And what's actually

  754. going on here

  755. is that

  756. sin

  757. is now being

  758. covered.

  759. Part of the whole

  760. framework of the

  761. dealing with sin

  762. in the Old Testament

  763. was that sin

  764. needed a covering.

  765. You find it

  766. in a very interesting

  767. way in the Garden

  768. of Eden

  769. as Adam and Eve

  770. are cast out

  771. of the Garden

  772. and God has told

  773. them that the seed

  774. of the woman

  775. will one day

  776. bruise the head

  777. of the serpent.

  778. And then God

  779. does something

  780. very strange.

  781. God covers

  782. Adam and Eve

  783. with new garments

  784. that are made

  785. of animal skins.

  786. Animals there

  787. have been sacrificed.

  788. Blood has been shed.

  789. Bodies have been broken

  790. so that sin

  791. would be covered.

  792. And that narrative

  793. in fact

  794. continues

  795. right the way

  796. through the Old

  797. Testament

  798. through the entire

  799. sacrificial system

  800. that where sin

  801. needs to be

  802. covered over

  803. where sin

  804. needs to be

  805. dealt with

  806. there has to be

  807. brokenness of a body

  808. the shedding of blood.

  809. And so the

  810. animal sacrifices

  811. of the Old Testament

  812. are all there

  813. teaching the children

  814. of Israel

  815. confirming

  816. rather to them

  817. that this is how

  818. sin needs to be

  819. dealt with.

  820. And now Christ

  821. is made

  822. sin

  823. in the darkness

  824. of the cross

  825. leading up to this

  826. cry of dereliction

  827. and the cry

  828. of forsakenness.

  829. What's leading up

  830. to that

  831. is the reality

  832. of Christ

  833. finally and fully

  834. being made

  835. sin

  836. for his people.

  837. The debt

  838. of

  839. the debt

  840. of sin

  841. is cast

  842. against him

  843. and he carries

  844. it.

  845. And in that

  846. moment

  847. as the sacrifice

  848. he satisfies

  849. divine justice

  850. experiencing

  851. the grief

  852. and the sorrow

  853. of hell itself.

  854. Experiencing

  855. the forsakenness

  856. the abandonment

  857. of God

  858. and the lostness

  859. of hell

  860. all to cancel

  861. our debt

  862. of sin.

  863. We should be

  864. clear that

  865. what's not

  866. happening here

  867. is that

  868. Christ is

  869. wrestling us

  870. away from

  871. an angry

  872. God.

  873. He's not

  874. getting in the

  875. way of a

  876. God who

  877. hates people.

  878. What he's

  879. doing is

  880. he is acting

  881. out the love

  882. of God

  883. for sinners

  884. by dealing

  885. with the

  886. reality

  887. of divine

  888. wrath.

  889. The fullness

  890. of God's

  891. hatred

  892. of sin

  893. becomes

  894. his

  895. experience.

  896. And just

  897. as with

  898. a hyssop

  899. rod

  900. or a hyssop

  901. brush

  902. the high

  903. priest

  904. on the

  905. day of

  906. atonement

  907. would have

  908. gone into

  909. the holy

  910. of holies

  911. in the

  912. temple

  913. or the

  914. tabernacle

  915. and there

  916. sprinkled

  917. the blood

  918. of the

  919. sacrifice

  920. over the

  921. mercy seat,

  922. there is

  923. a barrier

  924. emerges.

  925. The Ark

  926. of the

  927. Covenant

  928. is the

  929. box that

  930. contains

  931. the law

  932. and the

  933. covenant.

  934. It contains

  935. the box

  936. of manna

  937. that was

  938. recorded from

  939. the time

  940. in the

  941. wilderness.

  942. It contains

  943. Aaron's

  944. rod that

  945. had budded.

  946. Symbols of

  947. God's

  948. people

  949. provided for

  950. by God.

  951. God's

  952. and over

  953. this

  954. there is

  955. the

  956. mercy

  957. seat

  958. where

  959. God

  960. sits

  961. enthroned.

  962. It's

  963. interesting

  964. that where

  965. the blood

  966. lands is

  967. between the

  968. presence of

  969. God seated

  970. above the

  971. mercy seat

  972. and the

  973. people of

  974. God

  975. represented

  976. within the

  977. Ark of

  978. the

  979. Covenant

  980. underneath.

  981. the

  982. shelter of

  983. the

  984. blood

  985. over the

  986. mercy

  987. seat

  988. shields

  989. the

  990. people

  991. under

  992. it

  993. from

  994. God's

  995. wrath.

  996. And that

  997. is what

  998. Jesus is

  999. enacting

  1000. at the

  1001. cross.

  1002. He is

  1003. paying that

  1004. final

  1005. sacrifice

  1006. to satisfy

  1007. the

  1008. just

  1009. and

  1010. righteous

  1011. requirements

  1012. of God's

  1013. anger

  1014. towards sin.

  1015. And why

  1016. is he

  1017. doing it?

  1018. Because

  1019. God

  1020. loved

  1021. us.

  1022. He already

  1023. loved us.

  1024. But his

  1025. sin needs

  1026. still to be

  1027. dealt with.

  1028. Our sin

  1029. rather still

  1030. needs to be

  1031. dealt with.

  1032. And so

  1033. for us as

  1034. Christians

  1035. today we

  1036. have this

  1037. comfort

  1038. that we

  1039. are justified

  1040. because

  1041. God

  1042. has kept

  1043. the

  1044. requirements

  1045. of the

  1046. covenant.

  1047. He's

  1048. kept the

  1049. requirements.

  1050. So God's

  1051. punishment for

  1052. sin has

  1053. now been

  1054. meted out.

  1055. I mean the

  1056. covenant has

  1057. consequences.

  1058. A covenant

  1059. is a legal

  1060. framework that

  1061. has consequences

  1062. for breaking

  1063. it.

  1064. God's

  1065. and the

  1066. reality is

  1067. we're not

  1068. able to

  1069. be true

  1070. worshippers

  1071. of God

  1072. in our

  1073. own

  1074. strength.

  1075. We could

  1076. never keep

  1077. the terms

  1078. of this

  1079. covenant.

  1080. But what

  1081. God has

  1082. done in

  1083. Christ is

  1084. he has

  1085. found a

  1086. way for

  1087. that to

  1088. take place.

  1089. The

  1090. stipulations

  1091. of the

  1092. covenant are

  1093. now fully

  1094. met.

  1095. The price

  1096. is fully

  1097. paid.

  1098. And we

  1099. as the

  1100. beneficiaries

  1101. of Christ's

  1102. covenant

  1103. keeping for

  1104. us are

  1105. now welcomed

  1106. into the

  1107. fullness of

  1108. the experience

  1109. of the

  1110. love of

  1111. God.

  1112. We're

  1113. welcome

  1114. into

  1115. heaven

  1116. because of

  1117. this.

  1118. Because of

  1119. what he

  1120. has done.

  1121. There is

  1122. one last

  1123. point I

  1124. want to

  1125. make as

  1126. well.

  1127. One last

  1128. reason for

  1129. this.

  1130. And it

  1131. is to

  1132. explain the

  1133. totality

  1134. of this.

  1135. The

  1136. simple

  1137. truth I

  1138. suppose is

  1139. this.

  1140. That not

  1141. everyone agrees

  1142. with what I've

  1143. said today.

  1144. Some

  1145. people think

  1146. that the

  1147. death of

  1148. Jesus is

  1149. solidarity

  1150. with us.

  1151. That the

  1152. death of

  1153. Jesus is

  1154. not

  1155. substitutionary.

  1156. It is

  1157. one where

  1158. he stands

  1159. alongside

  1160. us and

  1161. enters

  1162. into

  1163. our

  1164. experience.

  1165. But that

  1166. somehow

  1167. something on

  1168. our part

  1169. is still

  1170. needed.

  1171. do you

  1172. that for most Christians, purgatory awaits.

  1173. There's some extra work that you have to do to make up

  1174. for the sins that you have committed

  1175. that needs to be cleansed and washed away.

  1176. And we need to remember that there is actually another cry

  1177. after Eloi, Eloi, Labah, Samachdani.

  1178. And the second cry is the one that comes

  1179. after Jesus has drunk the sour wine that was offered to him.

  1180. It's a moment at the cross where he's liberated,

  1181. he's free to cry out.

  1182. And he wants his disciples to have no doubt

  1183. about what's in the loud cry that Mark mentions

  1184. and which is spelled out for us more fully

  1185. in the other Gospels.

  1186. The loud cry that comes after Eloi, Eloi, Labah, Samachdani

  1187. is not a cry that says, well, now you go on

  1188. and you have to finish this off yourselves.

  1189. It is a statement that says, no, it is finished.

  1190. So the last point that we need to recognize

  1191. is that there is a finality to the death of Jesus.

  1192. There is a finality here that says, no,

  1193. the full price has been paid in its totality.

  1194. There is nothing more to pay.

  1195. There is nothing more left for your justification.

  1196. There is nothing more left for your sanctification.

  1197. He has done it.

  1198. It's finished.

  1199. And it's all because of his experience of forsakenness.

  1200. It's because he was forsaken,

  1201. we can say we will never, ever, ever, ever, ever

  1202. taste of any of that at all.

  1203. There will be no experience, therefore,

  1204. of real forsakenness in the life of the Christian.

  1205. God will not abandon us

  1206. even to a temporary hellish experience.

  1207. He will be faithful

  1208. and he will be true

  1209. and he will complete

  1210. in us

  1211. the fullness of our salvation.

  1212. And when we die,

  1213. we will go to be with him.

  1214. And I think that's part of why

  1215. the experience of the Lord's table

  1216. is one that belongs on the Sabbath day.

  1217. You can't separate out

  1218. the death of Jesus on the one hand

  1219. from the resurrection of Jesus on another.

  1220. The death of Jesus

  1221. fully unlocks for believers

  1222. the hope of the resurrection.

  1223. And so today,

  1224. that's how we will rise

  1225. from the Lord's table

  1226. reflecting on the fullness

  1227. of the resurrection of Jesus

  1228. and the hope of that life

  1229. that is given to us.

  1230. Because he has experienced

  1231. the fullness

  1232. of the forsakenness of God

  1233. for you and for me.

  1234. and we rest

  1235. in that

  1236. finished

  1237. work.

  1238. Let's pray.

  1239. Heavenly Father,

  1240. we bow before you today

  1241. and we thank you for

  1242. the cross.

  1243. we thank you for the one

  1244. who went to the cross

  1245. in our place.

  1246. And we thank you

  1247. that he went there

  1248. with all of this

  1249. incredible purpose.

  1250. Something, Lord,

  1251. from before the foundation

  1252. of the world,

  1253. something from the depths

  1254. of that mysterious time

  1255. where the Trinity exists

  1256. and agrees

  1257. a purpose

  1258. and a plan

  1259. to be worked out

  1260. in the fullness of time.

  1261. We thank you for

  1262. what Christ has done

  1263. for that temporal

  1264. expression of the covenant

  1265. that the covenant

  1266. made with Abraham

  1267. has been worked out

  1268. in its fullness.

  1269. The stipulations

  1270. of that covenant

  1271. are met

  1272. and we are now secure.

  1273. And we thank you

  1274. for what that means

  1275. for the endless

  1276. ages of eternity

  1277. before us.

  1278. That you have a people

  1279. who will be

  1280. forever yours

  1281. and you will be

  1282. forever

  1283. our God.

  1284. And so give us, Lord,

  1285. that perspective

  1286. on what Christ

  1287. has done today

  1288. that we may know him

  1289. and be blessed in him.

  1290. And we ask this

  1291. for his namesake.

  1292. Amen.

  1293. We are going to come

  1294. in just a moment

  1295. to sit at the Lord's table.

  1296. I know in our tradition

  1297. it's normal

  1298. that most people

  1299. are already literally

  1300. seated in the right places.

  1301. But figuratively

  1302. we would still come.

  1303. As I was saying last night

  1304. there is an obedience

  1305. of our whole bodies

  1306. in coming to the Lord's table.

  1307. We use

  1308. not only our lips

  1309. to praise God

  1310. but sometimes we use our feet

  1311. and we do that

  1312. by coming to the Lord's table.

  1313. So some of you

  1314. might still be sitting upstairs

  1315. maybe want to come down

  1316. and take your place

  1317. at the Lord's table as well.

  1318. And so in just a moment

  1319. we'll sing Psalm 118

  1320. as we do that.

  1321. But

  1322. the question then

  1323. ought to always be asked

  1324. who and how should we come?

  1325. And the answer to that

  1326. is found in

  1327. in this passage

  1328. that we call our warrant

  1329. in how we take

  1330. the Lord's supper

  1331. that

  1332. we read in

  1333. 1 Corinthians 11

  1334. For I received

  1335. from the Lord

  1336. what I also deliver to you

  1337. that the Lord Jesus

  1338. on the night

  1339. when he was betrayed

  1340. took bread

  1341. and when he had given thanks

  1342. he broke it

  1343. and said

  1344. this is my body

  1345. which is for you

  1346. do this in remembrance

  1347. of me.

  1348. In the same way also

  1349. he took the cup

  1350. after supper

  1351. saying this cup

  1352. is the new covenant

  1353. in my blood.

  1354. Do this

  1355. as often as you drink it

  1356. in remembrance of me

  1357. for as often as you eat

  1358. this bread

  1359. and drink the cup

  1360. you proclaim

  1361. the Lord's death

  1362. until he comes.

  1363. And so this is really

  1364. telling us

  1365. who the Lord's supper

  1366. is for

  1367. and how we should come.

  1368. It is for those

  1369. who would remember

  1370. the sufficiency

  1371. of Jesus.

  1372. At no point there

  1373. is the Lord's table

  1374. presented as for those

  1375. who are righteous.

  1376. There is a concern

  1377. that you would come

  1378. having not acknowledged

  1379. your sin

  1380. but the problem

  1381. with not acknowledging

  1382. your sin

  1383. is that you're saying

  1384. I don't need Jesus

  1385. to cover this.

  1386. I don't need the covering

  1387. of Christ

  1388. for my sin.

  1389. And that is a terrible

  1390. way to come

  1391. to the Lord's table.

  1392. It's a blasphemous way

  1393. in fact to come

  1394. because you're denying

  1395. the need for Jesus.

  1396. The Lord's table

  1397. is rather

  1398. for those who need

  1399. Christ.

  1400. And those who come

  1401. to sit at the Lord's table

  1402. are those who come

  1403. saying we need

  1404. the sacrifice

  1405. of Jesus.

  1406. Perhaps even saying

  1407. more than that

  1408. saying I need

  1409. the obedience

  1410. of Jesus

  1411. to the Father's

  1412. eternal covenant.

  1413. What you're really saying

  1414. is I can't position

  1415. myself before God

  1416. and say now I'm ready

  1417. to be saved.

  1418. I cast myself

  1419. upon the sufficiency

  1420. of what the Father

  1421. and the Son

  1422. have agreed

  1423. about my salvation

  1424. from before the

  1425. foundation of the world.

  1426. It's a bold assertion.

  1427. It's an assertion

  1428. of faith and obedience

  1429. that we would come

  1430. because we trust

  1431. in Christ

  1432. and we lean

  1433. wholly and fully

  1434. upon him.

  1435. and so let's

  1436. rise to the Lord's table

  1437. singing these words

  1438. from Psalm 118.

  1439. from verse 15.

  1440. In dwellings

  1441. of the righteous

  1442. is heard

  1443. the melody

  1444. of joy and health

  1445. the Lord's right hand

  1446. doth ever valiantly.

  1447. The right hand

  1448. of the mighty Lord

  1449. exalted

  1450. is on high

  1451. the right hand

  1452. of the mighty Lord

  1453. doth ever valiantly.

  1454. I shall not die

  1455. but live

  1456. and shall the works

  1457. of God discover.

  1458. the Lord has made

  1459. chastised sore

  1460. but not to death

  1461. given over.

  1462. That certainty

  1463. of being not given

  1464. over to death

  1465. arises

  1466. out of

  1467. the person of Jesus

  1468. who was given

  1469. over to death

  1470. for us

  1471. but who rose to life.

  1472. So let's

  1473. sing to God's praise

  1474. in these verses.

  1475. Amen.

  1476. Amen.

  1477. Play for things

  1478. of the righteous

  1479. Play for things

  1480. The Lord's Son of God

  1481. The Lord's Son of God

  1482. The Lord's Son of God

  1483. The Lord's Son of God

  1484. The Lord's Son of God

  1485. The Lord's Son of God

  1486. The Lord's Son of God

  1487. The Lord's Son of God

  1488. The Lord's Son of God

  1489. The Lord's Son of God

  1490. The Lord's Son of God

  1491. The Lord's Son of God

  1492. The Lord's Son of God

  1493. The Lord's Son of God

  1494. The Lord's Son of God

  1495. The Lord's Son of God

  1496. The Lord's Son of God

  1497. The Lord's Son of God

  1498. The Lord's Son of God

  1499. The Lord's Son of God

  1500. The Lord's Son of God

  1501. The Lord's Son of God

  1502. The Lord's Son of God

  1503. The Son of Son

  1504. 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

  1505. Which do those victims do,

  1506. This do those do, do those do,

  1507. Thank you.