The One Thing God Can't Look At

There are many Christians believers who when they go through some trying circumstances and some hard times.

Many of them attempted to think that God had forsaken them that somehow God has done the back on them that they been abandoned by God that he is not protecting them like he promised. Most of them would know probably intellectually and they know biblical in the spiritually that is not true that God never leave us nor forsake us. But the temptation is there nonetheless is the temptation.

In fact, that some Christians some Christian teachers and some denominations actually said that this fourth statement from the cross was Jesus's imagination that the father had forsaken him. The father really has not forsaken him at all.

It's a sort of their way of making God to look nice, but he did not forsake Jesus that he was thinking that he forsake him just like we do know, of course, this humankind gesture is a contradiction of the Scripture and is contradiction of the truth contradiction of the very core of our faith, for in that moment when Jesus cried out daily Italy limits about the knee, God the father did actually turn his back on God the son. This fourth statement from the cross is the very core of our redemption. This is probably the most important message in this series of messages been preaching on the seven statements from the cross because it is the very core it's the very essence of the Christian faith. To miss this, you miss everything. This cry is the basis on which every person who had ever come will ever come to Jesus and say to God, forgive me will find forgiveness and eternal life. This cry is the very basis for every believer to be assured that he or she is redeemed eternally.

This cry is the basis on which every true Christian can be assured of the forgiveness of their sins, and that they have peace with God, and they will have maternity with him in heaven.

Please listen carefully had the father not turned his back on the son had the father not abandon the sun at that moment you and I could never be sure that the sun actually carried our sin and carried our judgment on his holy body on the cross. We have been seeing how that time of the crucifixion, the government of the day committed a miscarriage of justice. We saw how the organized religion of the day repudiated Jesus, how the crowd revile Jesus, how even his friends and disciples fled and forsook Jesus and today would come to this fourth statement from the cross where were going to see the ultimate in abandonment.

The ultimate abandonment of all in the past three messages we've examined. The first three statements from the cross in about 9 AM right after our Lord was nailed to the tree and the tree was lifted up and fixed on the ground around 9 o'clock in the morning. He exercising his high priestly role and forgave his transgressions and that is not really surprising, but then about midmorning. He looked over to a repentant criminal hanging on the cross next to him and gave him the assurance of salvation is that today you shall be with me in paradise, and thus he was exercising his kingly role receiving prayer that is not surprising either. Then about close to noon before noon. He looks at his mother, Mary, and then he looks at the disciple whom he loved John and he made provision for John to take care of his mother and that is not surprising. But when you come to this fourth statement, which was about noon day now noon time is with the brightness of the sun is at its zenith, but it turned out to the darkness of midnight.

At that moment Jesus cried out daily Italy limits about the my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. When Jesus said forgive them for they know not what they're doing is not surprising when he said today you shall be with me in paradise. That is not surprising when he said's mother or woman behold your son and son. Behold your mother is not surprising, but my God, my God, why have you forsaken me that is very surprising. In fact, it is downright confusing to many people. It causes millions of people around the world to deny the very divinity of Christ and the said scene. He just called him my God not you want to follow with me. By the way, turn to Matthew chapter 27 versus 45 to 50 in order to grasp this incredible, incomprehensible statement. The fourth statement from the cross and put it under two headings. First, the three hours that led up the world and secondly the moment of desertion that redeemed the world. The three hours of darkness that led up the world. You remember when Jesus was born and we all celebrate Christmas in all its wonderful feelings and retell the story of Christmas and Jesus, born in Bethlehem and how the light shone in the middle of the night to the shepherds in the field. Luke chapter 2 verse nine says the glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds in the field. In fact, John said that Jesus is the light twin lights. Everyone Jesus said of himself. I am the light of the world, but here at the cross, you find that the brightness of noon day sun turned into outer darkness. Now, if you've ever visited the Middle East.

You understand that the noon time. Our dog brightness is very very glaring at noontime. It's so dazzling. In fact, I can tell you it's, it can be blinding to imagine what they're experiencing now the brightness of noon day is turning into midnight darkness, and not for a moment or two, not just for an hour or two, but for three hours in the Bible said that Jesus is the light that came to the world but people preferred the darkness of sin than the light of his forgiveness, as if God is saying to everyone who rejects Jesus Christ you love darkness. That's what judgment is going to be like you love darkness you prefer your own way and not my way. That's where your destiny is at the darkness all the time. In fact, the Bible describes Hell as a place of perpetual darkness, no light at all, but that's not all. The three hours of darkness is the fulfillment of the Old Testament when the high priest would once a year enter into the holy of holies. And there he make a sacrifice and atone for the sins of God's people. That place where he enters is a place of utter darkness. Nobody can see what's going on and when Jesus our great high priest was ready to take his own blood into the heavenly tabernacle nature dark and so unsympathetic eyes could not see when God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The Bible said there was a thick cloud dark cloud, and people had to stand so far away at a distance and that darkness was symbolic of our inability to keep the law and when Christ into that darkness.

It tells us that he is the only one who has been able to keep the law perfectly all the time and it is impossible for anyone to become righteous. Other than through his righteousness.

The three hours of darkness that lit up the world. Secondly, the moment of desertion that redeemed the world.

After hanging on the cross for six hours. Around 3 PM the Lord cried out Illinois Illinois La Mancha botany depend with these automaker Hebrew the word forsaken here actually literally the word means to leave someone in the lurch. It literally means to abandon someone completely. That's why I told her this fourth statement from the cross is the most surprising of all, how come the father abandon his Stern who coexisted with him in unity since before eternity. How come the father and the son were always one unit. How come now, he abandons his son and make no mistake about it, please listen carefully abandoning him.

He did, he did abandon him. Why it was for you was for me it was for our redemption is for our salvation that he did that. It is for our forgiveness study did that it was that you and I may live forever. He did that is a how come. In fact, I can tell you one of the 10 most memorable moments in my life was my first visit to Israel where we went down into a dungeon in the basement of Caiaphas is home outside of Jerusalem. It's a dark place.

Hard walls so dungeon in their supposedly our Lord Jesus Christ spent his last night before the cross, reciting Psalm 22.

This Psalm is a review and a preview of the cross.

It was written 1000 years before the cross, but there you will find the cross in all of its details. There you'll find that the region of the cross.

There you find the dislocation of the cross value find the dehydration of the cross and there you'll find the disruption of the cross.

Psalm 22 in verse seven it says all who see me mock me and Harold very insult shaking their heads saying he trusted in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him.

That's the derision of the cross. In verse 14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. That's the dislocation of the cross.

In verse 15. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth that is the dehydration of the cross. In verse 16. They have pierced my hands and my feet. That is the physical disruption of the cross. 1000 years before the cross and people want evidence to believe. Give me a break yet all the evidence you need.

The Bible proclaimed in details the cross of Christ 1000 years before the cross but the question remains, why, why did the father desert the sun in the most desperate moments because of your sin and mine. That's why he did it because Jesus was carrying the judgment of your sin upon the cross and the father could not look upon sin. Habakkuk tells us that the father could not look on his son as he was carrying our sin and therefore he turned his back, my beloved, listen, this is the greatest mystery in all of world history as far as I'm concerned this is the most incomprehensible part of the Christian life and I'm convinced that we going to be spending eternity in heaven just comprehending what that was like. Let me explain something to how many of you remember Jesus in Gethsemane, praying with all the other disciples went to sleep over that part when he was in Gethsemane. He was not sweating sweaty was sweating blood.

The intensity of his prayer in his intercession in his prayer to the father was so incredible that physically blood was coming out of the pores of his body. That's not because Jesus was afraid of the physical pain of the cross that was not because Jesus was afraid of the torture of the cross. There were martyrs who died on the cross, or even worse death and Jesus is no more coward than they were the was not afraid of that that was not the biggest concern, but his biggest concern was that moment, that moment of separation from the father. Something has never ever ever happen since eternity that moment when you cry. It was a moment that he carried the sin of the world upon his sinless body, but are something else. I don't want you to miss darkness in the Bible is always associated with the day of judgment always sit in the Scripture, and many many passages. Isaiah 530 speaks of the darkness of judgment. Isaiah 1310 in the day of the sun will darken Joel 22 it says that the judgment will be a day of darkness.

Amos 520 is that the day of the Lord will be darkness.

Zephaniah 114 and 15 is said to be out of darkness.

In second Peter chapter 2 verse four is said that the pits of darkness, reserved for judgment. In Matthew chapter 8 chapter 22 in chapter 25 you hear the Lord Jesus saying it again and again and again the judgment is going to be a day of darkness and so when the judgment of God upon your sin upon my sin fell on him when the judgment was taking place on his holy body darkness fell, darkness fell, don't ever forget that it was our judgment that he carried on the cross is our judgment is our punishment is our wages of sin and Habakkuk said in chapter 1 verse 13.

Is it your eyes talking to the Lord are too pure to approve evil and you cannot look at wickedness with favor please listen carefully. Jesus did not just die a martyr's death for a righteous cause.

As some people teach. Jesus did not just die as an innocent man wrongly accused as some churches believe Jesus did not just die as a heroic gesture against man's inhumanity to man as some teach that this is not a child abuse as some modern evangelicals have been writing and saying Jesus chose to go to the cross he had authority to take if you have authority to lie about this it, but I lied down voluntarily. This was not Jesus imagination that the father forsook him, as some people teach what happened at that moment of separation is that the sin of humanity rained on Jesus like a funnel of a tornado. So much so that Jesus experienced the very hell itself, this moment of desertion was the moment when you're still in my were up on his holy upon his sinless body and for the first time since before eternity. Jesus looked up to heaven and he saw his father as a judge, and that is why he did not call him, but he called him Ely, my God, the sovereign God, the judge God also filled one beloved.

That is why the pain of separation that cause Jesus to sweat blood when he prayed in Gethsemane can never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never be compared to any physical pain any of us can ever experience is just incomparably cannot compare it to anything else. There was a Danish doctor by the name of Dr. Rector, RIC, HTR, he dedicated himself to the studying the torture of the crucifixion. After years of study, he concluded the Jesus died of a broken heart and that is why the Bible from cover to cover tells us that on the cross, Jesus took upon himself the judgment of everyone who would believe in him. Everyone who would follow him. Everyone who would obey him.

Listen carefully, because this is important.

Every human being that has ever lived than ever we live is going to face the judgment of God. The only ones who will escape it are those who have accepted the fact that Jesus took very judgment upon himself on his body on the cross. In fact, anywhere in the world. Many of the city anywhere you go. There are basically two types of people. There are those who have accepted God's judgment upon Jesus to be for them and those who refuse and there will face God's judgment.

In the last day all by themselves. If that does not make you go on your knees every waking moment in gratitude.

I don't know what will that I will not have to face God is my judge is because of Jesus and because of that moment of separation enough cross in the something else about that. I thank God for everything we do, but is only one message. The church of Jesus Christ for 2000 years has only one message and that's it. It is that moment of separation on the cross. When Jesus carried our sin and the judgment of our sins upon his body. That's the message of the check that is the only message.

Any other message is not the church of Jesus Christ. We spent all of our live obeying him, serving him by serving others. We spent all of our life in gratitude and in thanksgiving for that moment. The moment of desertion that redeemed the world. Let me show you why it is our only message. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament look forward by faith of that moment of separation and declared by faith than those who accepted by faith were saved just like Abraham by faith. He was saved. There was no law was 400 years before the law was given. He was saved by faith. Romans 425 tells us that Jesus was forsaken by the father because of our transgressions in first Corinthians 15 three. He died for our sins. In second Corinthians 521 it says he who knew no sin becomes sin on our behalf. Galatians 313 is is that he became a curse for us in first Peter 224 says he himself bore our sins in his holy body on the cross in first Peter one 318 says Jesus died for sin once and for all, the just for the unjust first John chapter 4 verse 10 tells us that he became an atoning sacrifice for our sins, just like that song the old song said we might not know we cannot tell what pain he had to bear, but we believe it was for us. He hung and suffered their follow Jesus Christ not only bore our sin, he actually became sin. Listen to me not as sooner, but sin was never a sinner but he became sin so that he may save everyone who would come to him and say forgive me, forgive me, so that he may save everyone would come to him you say save them from what save them from that final day of judgment. When Jesus was separated from the father for that moment when you carried your judgment on mine.

He was not separated from the father in nature. He was not separated. In essence, he was not separated and substance.

Jesus never ceased to exist as God the son and the second member of the Trinity, but for that moment. That moment he ceased to know the familiar intimacy and the fellowship with his father.

I was thinking about that not even thought some stories that I've used in the past to illustrate what it means. There are lots of stories that try to explain what it means for a person to sacrifice for another, but there's really honestly, truthfully there is not a single human illustration that can illustrate what it means for God the son to carry your judgment and monolith cross. Nothing can illustrate how the perfect carried the judgment of every confessing sooner.

Nothing can explain the truth that he died in darkness so that we may live in light that he died in silence so that we may forever have a word from the Lord. He died forsaken, so that we may be accepted, he God rejected so that we might be received. There may be a person here today who would say I've never understood, never comprehended what that means. I'm never really come to Christ and asked forgive me and receive them as my Savior and accepted the fact what he did was for me you can do that today we pray for those of you know the watermarking of the Lord. He took the cross for granted us in the IAI were saved by grace and get on with life and I pray to God that moment be absolutely imprinted in our hearts. When face temptations imprinted in our hearts when we feel sorry for ourselves and imprinted in our hearts when we are tempted to think that God has forsaken you the one who paid the price will never leave you nor forsake. Shall we pray together. Father, we can never comprehend anywhere near as we should.

What took place at that moment of separation and I'm thankful that I'm going to spend eternity trying to just comprehend what father we live in this world. This fallen world we live in this flash this fall. Inflation we come to you for strength and for power not to just comprehend without intellect, but will comprehend without totality of our being that all of our lives be spent in gratitude and thanksgiving and in serving and in sharing the message.

Father, we have so much focus on our problems as a nation in the last couple of years we've been focusing on what we don't have and what could happen and what this and who, what, where, and the devil used it to divert our attention from the fact that we are redeemed in our homes haven't and we need to take as many people with us this weekend and father for that person who has never made that commitment operate today will be the day to come to you receive.

You walk with you value serving in Jesus name, amen.

Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org@LTW.Ward