WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.160 It would be great if you can keep your Bibles 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:07.179 open to Matthew 27. And let's pray, let's ask 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:15.619 God for help as we dig now into his word. Father, 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:20.339 as we look at your word, please minister to us, 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:26.699 comfort us, challenge us, change us. Help us 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:30.210 to see how good it is. to know and love the Lord 00:00:30.210 --> 00:00:37.310 Jesus. We ask this in his name. Amen. Well, as 00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:42.170 a pastor, I get to be part of the happiest times 00:00:42.170 --> 00:00:46.070 in people's life, as well as some of the worst 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:50.630 moments in people's lives. One of the happy times, 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:53.570 I once had to do a destination wedding in Margaret 00:00:53.570 --> 00:00:57.619 River. had to, you know. All expenses paid weekend 00:00:57.619 --> 00:01:00.659 away in Margs with my wife Laura. It's a tough 00:01:00.659 --> 00:01:04.260 gig being a pastor sometimes. Everyone had a 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:07.299 blast. It was an amazing celebration. So much 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:10.439 joy and delight. Happy moments like that can 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:13.879 be so fun and good, can't they? Great to be part 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:18.040 of that. But then there are the dark moments 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:24.510 in people's lives. I pastored a church at a university 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:29.090 campus in Perth where in the same week a dear 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:31.689 friend of mine in the church had his wife leave 00:01:31.689 --> 00:01:36.010 him and two sisters unexpectedly lost their mum. 00:01:38.030 --> 00:01:41.129 I remember when I was in Geraldton I saw a woman 00:01:41.129 --> 00:01:45.030 get sued by her own brother over their father's 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:50.480 inheritance. Also there I saw a woman get told 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:54.939 that she had cancer for the fifth time and she 00:01:54.939 --> 00:01:58.719 passed away. And it left her husband devastated 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:05.879 and in deep grief. Sadly, life is full of these 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:11.159 dark moments. And many of you here have had to 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.419 face extremely awful moments like these yourself. 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:19.080 And it's not just moments, is it? There's also 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:22.819 the chronic pain, the chronic darkness that can 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:24.780 consume our lives, things that have just been 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:26.620 going on for years and years and years with no 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:32.340 resolution. Well the Bible is no stranger to 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:38.699 such pain. Take for example Psalm 88. It's a 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:42.180 psalm of one suffering intense agony and the 00:02:42.180 --> 00:02:44.460 psalm, if you are suffering by the way, great 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:47.439 psalm to go to and express your pain to God. 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.960 But it ends like this. It says, your terrors 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:55.139 have destroyed me. All day long, they surround 00:02:55.139 --> 00:02:59.020 me like a flood. They have completely engulfed 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:02.240 me. You have taken from me friend and neighbour. 00:03:03.340 --> 00:03:09.900 Darkness is my closest friend. There are times 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:13.960 where we can feel that helpless and that hopeless 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:19.060 and that alone, aren't there? Where the only 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:22.979 friend left with us is the darkness, the very 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:27.879 thing we wish to be free from. So what do you 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:31.699 do during those times? Have a think about it. 00:03:31.699 --> 00:03:34.479 What would you do during those times? Who or 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:38.479 what would you turn to when life is all darkness? 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:46.080 Some people in things can be very good. Some 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:49.500 can just make it all so much worse, can't they? 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:53.840 For some people, family and friends are a great 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:58.539 support, for some times they just pile on. For 00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:01.560 some people it's escape, drugs, alcohol, endless 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:05.199 entertainment. Where would you turn when life 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.479 is all darkness? Have you got somewhere to turn? 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.620 Today I want to show you the best place to turn 00:04:14.810 --> 00:04:21.069 is the cross. I've seen people turn to the cross 00:04:21.069 --> 00:04:26.569 and find incredible strength, the richest comfort 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:32.430 and otherworldly peace. And this is for two reasons. 00:04:34.290 --> 00:04:36.689 The first reason is the cross is the darkest 00:04:36.689 --> 00:04:42.240 place ever. And so it shows that God is able 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.660 to help us in all situations, no matter how dark 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:50.420 they may be. But secondly, the cross gives people 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:54.319 a powerful hope in their pain that one day the 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:59.839 darkness will lift. Today we're going to look 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.899 at the cross and see why it's the best place 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.819 to turn when we're engulfed and drowning in the 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:11.230 darkness. And here's the one thing I hope you 00:05:11.230 --> 00:05:17.209 take away from our talk today. When life is at 00:05:17.209 --> 00:05:23.730 its darkness, the cross gives us hope. When life 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:27.170 is at its darkness, the cross gives us hope. 00:05:27.589 --> 00:05:30.370 I'm hoping that when you're in your darkest times 00:05:30.370 --> 00:05:33.389 that you'll turn to the cross because of the 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:37.860 great hope it gives. And there's two things that 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:40.459 Matthew, who wrote this Gospel, this chapter 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:43.459 that we're looking at, that he's showing us, 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:45.120 that we're going to look at, that will show us 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:47.579 when life is at its darkness, the cross gives 00:05:47.579 --> 00:05:51.860 us hope. Here are the two things. Firstly, Jesus 00:05:51.860 --> 00:05:56.660 suffers, yet is the glorious King. Jesus suffers, 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:00.839 yet is the glorious King. And secondly, Jesus 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:06.620 saves others by not saving himself. So let's 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:08.920 have a look at those two things. Firstly, Jesus 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:15.519 suffers yet is the glorious King. Now the suffering 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:19.360 that Jesus undergoes here is unparalleled in 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:24.980 human history. He's crucified because his disciples 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:29.899 abandoned him. One of them betrays him. It's 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:32.240 a deep wound that Jesus would have felt emotionally. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:35.699 Not only that, but his countrymen, who should 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:38.720 have welcomed him, rejected him and handed him 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:44.339 over to the Roman ruler Pilate. When he's before 00:06:44.339 --> 00:06:47.480 Pilate, he experiences profound injustice. Despite 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:51.480 being innocent, he's crucified. He's condemned. 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:56.459 And the physical pain of crucifixion was horrific. 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.540 They put nails through your wrists and in your 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:04.620 feet and ankles. He was beaten beforehand and 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:11.079 whipped. I mean, it's just awful. And this chapter 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:16.439 is littered with other pain, the mockery. Jesus 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:19.620 is given a crown of thorns to wear. We discovered 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:22.139 this one this morning. They're real thorns. It 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:26.220 actually hurts. That would have hurt to wear 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:29.660 something like that, wouldn't it? They have the 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:32.100 mockery of this sign above him. This is Jesus, 00:07:32.220 --> 00:07:34.459 the King of the Jews. Pilate, when he put that 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:36.720 up, he was in there going, well, yes, Jesus is 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:38.920 the King of the Jews. No, this is, oh, this is 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:41.540 your King. We're gonna make fun of you. Look 00:07:41.540 --> 00:07:46.019 how pathetic your King is. And people would walk 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:49.120 past him and say, you know, if you're so good, 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:51.120 Jesus, why don't you come down off the cross? 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:54.399 You're the son of God, aren't you? Get off that 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:56.899 cross. Just another way to say, you know, you're 00:07:56.899 --> 00:08:01.939 the king, get off the cross. But the worst pain 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:07.480 for Jesus comes in verses 45 and 46. Have a look 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:13.920 with me there. From noon until three in the afternoon, 00:08:14.100 --> 00:08:17.879 darkness came over all the land. About three 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.720 in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 00:08:22.750 --> 00:08:27.449 which means, my God, my God, why have you forsaken 00:08:27.449 --> 00:08:34.929 me? There was literal darkness. And it's a sign 00:08:34.929 --> 00:08:39.649 of God's judgment. Something cosmic, something 00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:43.090 supernatural is happening here. It's gone dark 00:08:43.090 --> 00:08:46.950 when it should have been bright. Something is 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:51.649 going on. And what's going on we get a clue with 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:54.149 what Jesus cries out, my God, my God, why have 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:59.429 you forsaken me? Jesus is God forsaken as he 00:08:59.429 --> 00:09:04.009 dies on the cross. He's experiencing the full 00:09:04.009 --> 00:09:08.169 force of God's wrath and anger. I mean, earlier 00:09:08.169 --> 00:09:10.450 in the Matthew's gospel, Jesus would talk about 00:09:10.450 --> 00:09:13.350 it as the cup that he had to drink the cup, the 00:09:13.350 --> 00:09:19.649 cup of God's wrath down to the dregs. Jesus who 00:09:19.649 --> 00:09:23.590 had experienced bliss and joy with his father 00:09:23.590 --> 00:09:28.570 in eternity past is now experiencing some sort 00:09:28.570 --> 00:09:32.110 of cosmic forsakenness, some sort of cosmic separation. 00:09:34.789 --> 00:09:42.169 This is unimaginable pain in every sphere. Emotional, 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:50.289 physical, mental, relational, spiritual. It's 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:52.429 worth asking, what would it have been like to 00:09:52.429 --> 00:09:57.909 feel this pain? Years ago when we lived in Perth, 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:00.789 I went down to Albany, about four and a half 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:04.269 hours south of Perth, and in Albany they've got 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:09.090 this convict jail that you can go into. And in 00:10:09.090 --> 00:10:11.009 there they've got a little cell that was used 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:14.389 for solitary confinement. There's no light, there's 00:10:14.389 --> 00:10:17.529 no windows, it's just, they shut the door and 00:10:17.529 --> 00:10:23.259 it's completely dark. and it's quiet, unsettlingly 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:29.220 quiet, and you feel very alone. They've done 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:31.759 studies and they've found that actually solitary 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.980 confinement is one of the worst forms of torture. 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:39.940 I went into this little room, this solitary confinement 00:10:39.940 --> 00:10:42.220 room, shut the door just there on my own, and 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:44.019 I was like, after a few minutes, I'm like, this 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:46.659 is kind of disturbing. I'd hate to be in here 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:52.820 for very long. Well, as Jesus dies on the cross, 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:57.220 he is going through the most horrific, awful, 00:10:57.539 --> 00:11:03.759 solitary confinement on a cosmic level. But not 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:05.480 only that, think of the times you might have 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:10.139 burnt yourself or cut yourself or been humiliated 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:13.659 or pierced by guilt. Roll that all together and 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:15.440 add that to the worst pain you've ever felt. 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:19.639 Times it by a thousand. And we're still not even 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:25.980 close to what Jesus went through. That's the 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:34.139 pain Jesus experienced. Yet it's not random if 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:37.860 you have eyes to see it. Because this chapter 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:42.179 is full of clues as to what's going on. It's 00:11:42.179 --> 00:11:45.059 spelled out in the Old Testament, but especially 00:11:45.059 --> 00:11:47.639 in the place we had read to us earlier, in Psalm 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:53.379 22. A Psalm of David, the righteous king of Israel, 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:57.080 one who suffered awfully, yet eventually was 00:11:57.080 --> 00:12:00.360 glorified and vindicated. Here's what we see 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:04.539 in Psalm. Do you see how it matches? Clothes 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:08.200 are divided by lot, which is the same in Matthew. 00:12:08.350 --> 00:12:11.009 He's mocked for trusting God, which is the same 00:12:11.009 --> 00:12:14.450 as what happens to Jesus. He's forsaken by God. 00:12:14.610 --> 00:12:16.970 I mean, actually the Psalm 22 starts with, my 00:12:16.970 --> 00:12:19.350 God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And that's 00:12:19.350 --> 00:12:21.830 exactly what Jesus cries out on the cross. Jesus 00:12:21.830 --> 00:12:24.149 is there quoting it saying, hey, if you want 00:12:24.149 --> 00:12:26.929 to understand what's going on here and now, go 00:12:26.929 --> 00:12:32.990 back to Psalm 22. It's because Jesus' journey 00:12:32.990 --> 00:12:37.169 is patterned off King David's journey in Psalm 00:12:37.169 --> 00:12:43.169 22. the path to the throne will be filled with 00:12:43.169 --> 00:12:50.289 pain. And yet Jesus truly is the righteous King 00:12:50.289 --> 00:12:55.289 in the line of David, the one that God would 00:12:55.289 --> 00:13:01.730 vindicate and glorify. And that would become 00:13:01.730 --> 00:13:06.549 abundantly clear three days later. Do you remember 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:09.080 what they said to him? If you are the son of 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:13.179 God, come down and offer the cross. Well, we'll 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:16.460 see later why Jesus couldn't do that, but essentially 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:20.320 he did, didn't he? Three days later, he rose 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:25.879 again. He would be vindicated even though he 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:31.379 was in darkness now. When we look at Jesus, we 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:35.299 can see that the darkness will eventually lift. 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:42.860 John Newton, who's the author of Amazing Grace, 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:47.460 was a pastor as well as a prolific letter writer. 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:51.980 He wrote one letter to a Christian sister in 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:56.139 depressive darkness, and Newton takes her on 00:13:56.139 --> 00:14:00.919 a journey through the Easter story. Here's what 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:06.419 he says. Come, madam, let us leave our troubles 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:09.860 to themselves for a while. And let us walk to 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:16.139 Golgotha and there take a view of his. Now I 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:20.500 begin to see what sin has done. Now let me bring 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:23.820 my sorrows and compare, measure and weigh them 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:27.500 against the sorrows of my Saviour. Foolish attempt 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:30.379 to weigh a grain of dust against a mountain. 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:36.659 He then goes on to outline the whole Easter story 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:39.980 and And at the end, he asks her to get her scales 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:43.419 out metaphorically and to weigh Christ's sufferings 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:49.600 against hers, but also to weigh her pain against 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:53.919 the future glory that is to come. He says this, 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:58.379 let us put in our trials and griefs on one side 00:14:58.379 --> 00:15:00.179 of these scales, you know, and they're not like 00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:03.799 our scales that you stand on and go, oh dear, 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.210 it's gone up. It's the scales that balance out 00:15:07.210 --> 00:15:10.070 like that. They tip one side or another. Let 00:15:10.070 --> 00:15:12.649 us put in our trials and griefs on one side. 00:15:13.029 --> 00:15:16.710 What an alteration. I thought them lately very 00:15:16.710 --> 00:15:22.710 heavy. Now I find them light. The scale hardly 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:26.409 turns with them. But how shall we manage to put 00:15:26.409 --> 00:15:28.730 in the weight on the other side? It is heavy 00:15:28.730 --> 00:15:32.169 indeed. An exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:37.240 It is beyond my grasp and power. No matter. Comparison 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.700 is needless. I see with the glance of an eye, 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:47.000 there is no proportion. I am content. I am satisfied. 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:54.460 What's the net effect of all this? When immense 00:15:54.460 --> 00:15:59.840 darkness strikes us, we need to turn to the cross. 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:06.029 We need to see the Lord Jesus. Leave your troubles 00:16:06.029 --> 00:16:11.830 for a while and turn to His. Consider His trouble. 00:16:13.490 --> 00:16:16.409 He knows and empathises with everything that 00:16:16.409 --> 00:16:18.230 you're going through because He's gone through 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:25.330 that and worse. He gives us a new outlook. I 00:16:25.330 --> 00:16:26.950 thought what I was going through is bad. Look 00:16:26.950 --> 00:16:29.950 at what Jesus went through for you. How much 00:16:29.950 --> 00:16:36.409 He must love you. And best of all, look at the 00:16:36.409 --> 00:16:41.529 hope. The darkness will lift. It lifted for Jesus. 00:16:42.450 --> 00:16:46.049 God is good. He is a vindicator of his people. 00:16:46.309 --> 00:16:49.769 He will rescue them when the time is right. There 00:16:49.769 --> 00:16:56.610 is a glory to come. Christian, when the darkness 00:16:56.610 --> 00:17:01.009 is suffocating you, there's many things you can 00:17:01.009 --> 00:17:03.970 do. places you can turn, many that you need to, 00:17:03.970 --> 00:17:09.130 that are good for you. But also, actually most 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:13.450 of all, can I encourage you to pick up your Bible 00:17:13.450 --> 00:17:19.470 and read again the Easter story? Or in your mind's 00:17:19.470 --> 00:17:22.809 eye, remember the journey that Jesus went on. 00:17:25.089 --> 00:17:28.069 If you have a brother or sister in Christ struggling 00:17:28.069 --> 00:17:33.839 in the darkness, sensitively point them to what 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:39.099 Jesus went through like Newton did. Go to Christ's 00:17:39.099 --> 00:17:44.220 sufferings. See the promise of the resurrection 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:48.200 to come. Let those things minister to your heart. 00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:54.680 But that's not all we must see at the cross. 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.019 When the darkness won't lift, we don't just need 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:02.099 to see that Jesus suffers horribly and yet is 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:05.900 God's King. We also must see that Jesus saves 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:11.619 others by not saving himself. Jesus saves others 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:15.859 and that includes us who believe in him by not 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:19.859 saving himself. Have a look with me at verses 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:25.339 33 to 34. They came to a place called Golgotha 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:28.740 which means the place of the skull. There they 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:31.319 offered Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall but 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:36.220 after tasting it he refused to drink it. Now 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:40.839 the reference about gall here is I think a reference 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:43.980 back to Psalm 69 and another Psalm like Psalm 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:47.519 22 that has this righteous sufferer going on 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:51.890 a journey through to vindication. But why did 00:18:51.890 --> 00:18:54.930 Jesus refuse this drink? It's wine, and we see 00:18:54.930 --> 00:18:57.150 in Mark's Gospel it's actually got myrrh mixed 00:18:57.150 --> 00:19:01.450 with it, a mild narcotic to dull the pain. Why 00:19:01.450 --> 00:19:06.250 does Jesus refuse this drink? It's because he 00:19:06.250 --> 00:19:10.130 would not anesthetise himself as he died on the 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:14.390 cross. That awful pain we talked about earlier, 00:19:14.509 --> 00:19:20.470 he chose to experience all of it. Nor would he 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:25.190 save himself. Look at verses 41 and 42. In the 00:19:25.190 --> 00:19:26.970 same way, the chief priests, the teachers of 00:19:26.970 --> 00:19:29.950 the law and the elders mocked him. He saved others, 00:19:29.950 --> 00:19:33.750 they said. But he can't save himself. He's the 00:19:33.750 --> 00:19:36.029 king of Israel. Let him come down now from the 00:19:36.029 --> 00:19:42.049 cross and we will believe in him. During his 00:19:42.049 --> 00:19:46.750 earthly ministry, Jesus did save people from 00:19:46.750 --> 00:19:51.490 life's darkness, didn't he? He healed the sick. 00:19:53.569 --> 00:19:56.730 The wind and the waves obeyed him in the most 00:19:56.730 --> 00:20:00.809 horrible of storms and he saved his disciples 00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:05.009 from that. Actually demons were scared of Jesus 00:20:05.009 --> 00:20:07.210 and they obeyed him when he told them to leave 00:20:07.210 --> 00:20:13.970 people. Jesus even raised the dead back to life. 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:22.400 He had divine supernatural power. When people 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:24.859 came to arrest him, he could have saved himself. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:27.640 As he hung there on the cross, he could have 00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:30.960 saved himself. Why didn't he? Why wouldn't he? 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:37.599 In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter strikes the 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:42.660 ear of the servant of the high priest. Not the 00:20:42.660 --> 00:20:46.140 most militaristically impressive of feats, is 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:52.440 it? But Jesus says to him this, put your sword 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:55.400 back into its place for all who take the sword 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.640 will perish by the sword. Do you think that I 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:01.140 cannot appeal to my father and he will at once 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:06.460 send me more than 12 legions of angels? But how 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:08.359 then should the scriptures be fulfilled that 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:14.470 it must be so? Again, Jesus sees there's a plan, 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:18.789 a plan that the Old Testament scriptures spoke 00:21:18.789 --> 00:21:22.910 of clearly, but in a way that was subtle and 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:27.549 hidden. The plan was that David's son, the Messiah, 00:21:28.230 --> 00:21:33.250 was also the suffering servant, the one that 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:36.910 God promised in Isaiah who would save his people, 00:21:37.529 --> 00:21:40.490 that he would save his people by sacrificing 00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:43.839 himself. Here's what it says of the suffering 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:48.839 servant in Isaiah. But he was pierced for our 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:52.640 transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:56.559 The punishment that brought us peace was on him, 00:21:57.240 --> 00:22:01.859 and by his wounds we are healed. We all like 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:05.339 sheep have gone astray. Each of us turn to our 00:22:05.339 --> 00:22:07.740 own way. If you've ever seen sheep, they're crazy, 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:10.180 aren't they? They just go here, there, and everywhere. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:15.000 It's saying that's what we're like. When it comes 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.099 to God, we've sinned and sinned and sinned in 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:20.960 so many ways, transgressions, iniquities. We're 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:26.079 at war with God. And what has Jesus done? He's 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.880 healed us. He's brought peace. He's taken the 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:33.799 punishment for us. And the Lord has laid on him 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.839 the iniquity of us. All the sin that was meant 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:42.319 to be ours, that is ours, went on to Jesus. The 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:46.799 righteous anger of God for our sin then got poured 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:53.980 out onto Jesus. It reminds me of a soldier named 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:59.900 Private McGuinness. During the 2006 Iraq War, 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:03.299 Private McGuinness was stationed in Baghdad. 00:23:05.079 --> 00:23:07.339 McGuinness was travelling with his unit in a 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:11.849 Humvee. And as they were travelling, enemy forces 00:23:11.849 --> 00:23:16.809 threw a grenade into the Humvee. Rather than 00:23:16.809 --> 00:23:21.130 jump out and save himself, McGuinness chose to 00:23:21.130 --> 00:23:26.150 jump on the grenade. He saved his entire unit. 00:23:26.269 --> 00:23:30.190 He shielded them all by absorbing the full blast 00:23:30.190 --> 00:23:36.809 of the grenade. That's what Jesus did at the 00:23:36.809 --> 00:23:42.910 cross. He jumped on the grenade of God's righteous 00:23:42.910 --> 00:23:50.089 and holy anger for our sins. He chose not to 00:23:50.089 --> 00:23:56.670 save himself in order to save us. He absorbed 00:23:56.670 --> 00:24:00.349 the full blast of God's righteous, holy anger 00:24:00.349 --> 00:24:10.480 to shield us. Christian, when you're experiencing 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:16.460 life's awful darkness, and I know it can be so 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:22.359 painful and ugly and horrible, but even then, 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:24.119 there's still things you've got to remember. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:30.619 Remember there was an eternal darkness awaiting 00:24:30.619 --> 00:24:35.940 you for the wrong things, for the sins, for the 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:41.460 evil that you've done in your life. And you were 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:45.220 so loved by Jesus that He saved you from that 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:51.700 by experiencing literal hell on the cross. In 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:56.700 the darkness, look to the cross. See again how 00:24:56.700 --> 00:25:01.599 loved you are. See what you've been saved from. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:06.220 See what you've been saved for. That the darkness 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:08.980 will lift, that there's an eternal paradise coming. 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:16.460 Let that comfort you when it feels like it's 00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:22.099 darkness all around. When tears are pouring down 00:25:22.099 --> 00:25:26.839 your face, feel the sadness. Feel it. It's right 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:30.539 to feel it. Don't hide from it. Don't avoid it. 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:36.339 Don't suppress it. Feel it. But then cast your 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:42.039 mind to the cross and remember, the wonderful 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:45.900 truths of what the Lord Jesus has done for you. 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:54.000 Well, let's draw some threads together. We started 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:58.680 by asking, where will you turn when life is darkness? 00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:03.440 And we looked at the darkest moment in all human 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:06.819 history, where the author of life, God's loving, 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:13.309 righteous King, was murdered crucified. We saw 00:26:13.309 --> 00:26:18.490 that Jesus suffers, yet is the glorious King. 00:26:19.730 --> 00:26:23.410 We saw that Jesus saves others by not saving 00:26:23.410 --> 00:26:28.410 himself. And the big takeaway from all this is 00:26:28.410 --> 00:26:32.609 when life is at its darkest, the cross gives 00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:38.710 us hope. In those moments, turn to the cross. 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:48.299 Now, what's this mean practically for us? If 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:52.339 you're new to Christian things, I want to ask 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:57.079 you, where will you turn in the darkness? Some 00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:59.519 things may be good for you, some may take you 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:02.480 into deeper darkness, but do you have anything 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:05.140 as good as the Lord Jesus? Do you have anything 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:12.690 as good as the cross? I think for many of us 00:27:12.690 --> 00:27:15.769 when we're new to Christian things, we're like 00:27:15.769 --> 00:27:19.630 this guy. Did you see the centurion? He was there 00:27:19.630 --> 00:27:24.430 at the foot of the cross. And he sees all that's 00:27:24.430 --> 00:27:31.490 happened. And he says, surely he was the son 00:27:31.490 --> 00:27:37.329 of God. Check these things out. Check out who 00:27:37.329 --> 00:27:41.220 Jesus is. dig into the Bible and see if this 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:44.700 really is God's King. See if he really can offer 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:48.519 the comfort, the hope, the peace, the joy that 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:53.539 we've spoken about today. Consider if there's 00:27:53.539 --> 00:28:00.000 more to Jesus than what meets the eye. If you 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.660 think this is worth checking out, we've got copies 00:28:02.660 --> 00:28:07.420 of Mark's Gospel up the back. They're free. Feel 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:11.680 free to take one and read through it. See if 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:18.599 Jesus is the Son of God. And feel free to come 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:20.720 chat with me after church. If you've got questions, 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:28.500 I'd love to talk to you about those. But if you're 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:32.640 a Christian, and especially if you're in anguish 00:28:32.640 --> 00:28:37.940 this Easter, I hope you've been reminded to turn 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:42.799 to the cross again. I hope you'll let Jesus' 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:47.960 sufferings comfort and heal you. If you've got 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:49.880 a fellow brother or sister who's struggling, 00:28:50.380 --> 00:28:53.200 I hope you'll sensitively point them to the hope 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:58.400 and the love that Christ gives. The cross is 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:02.900 such sweet comfort when we sit at its feet deeply, 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:08.779 thoughtfully, reflectively. And I hope you can 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:14.160 and will this Easter. And even if right now you're 00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:18.099 not in darkness, you'd know that there are times 00:29:18.099 --> 00:29:20.539 where the darkness may come. I hope you prepare 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:26.200 yourself for that. But also, there is immense 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:29.880 joy to be had here. Whatever you're going through 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:33.839 right now, whether life is good or bad, to see 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:37.440 the riches of what Jesus has done for us is a 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:42.660 sweet blessing. Remember the cross, turn to the 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:50.339 cross. As a pastor, you often need to be there 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:56.339 for people in their darkest moments. Those stories 00:29:56.339 --> 00:30:00.240 I mentioned at the start, many of those folk 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:03.519 who went through these horrible things, found 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:10.380 comfort, peace, joy and hope at the cross. I 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:12.940 remember one of them, the guy who lost his wife. 00:30:13.799 --> 00:30:19.720 Dear friend of mine, such a great guy. It was 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:21.900 a struggle. It was so painful to lose someone 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:26.700 that he'd loved for so long. But he found such 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:30.700 great comfort. in turning to the cross, in going 00:30:30.700 --> 00:30:35.819 back to Jesus and seeing again the hope that 00:30:35.819 --> 00:30:41.680 is found in him. I've seen the cross impact people 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:48.599 time and time and time again. Where will you 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:53.460 turn when the darkness sets in? I hope it will 00:30:53.460 --> 00:31:02.039 be the cross. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:05.579 we want to thank you for what the Lord Jesus 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:10.319 has done for us. Thank you that he jumped on 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:13.059 the grenade of your holy and righteous anger. 00:31:15.339 --> 00:31:18.519 The anger that should have gone on to us for 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:25.200 our sin. Thank you that Jesus absorbed that anger, 00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:31.049 absorbed that punishment. so that we'd be spared 00:31:31.049 --> 00:31:35.829 of an eternity in hell. And thank you that through 00:31:35.829 --> 00:31:40.410 His death, we can experience eternity in paradise. 00:31:43.150 --> 00:31:47.710 When the darkness hits, Father, please help us 00:31:47.710 --> 00:31:54.710 to see how much we have in Jesus. Be with us, 00:31:54.710 --> 00:31:58.210 Father, we pray. Amen.