Greatest Death of All (Part A)

There they were staring at God on the cross again. John's gospel chapter 12 five. This time he sees me, sees him who sent me. Looking at God. That is the manifestation. There certainly was more to God than what they were looking at God. Nonetheless, God the son and they didn't get it.

They didn't want to get it and there are those today that they don't want the gospel to be true. It's hard to believe this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio.

Specifically, you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the gospel of Mark chapter 15 as he begins a new study called the greatest of all the gospel according to Mark chapter 15 verses 33 through 41 gospel according to Mark chapter 15 beginning at verse 33 when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying Eloi Eloy Lamont Suboxone E which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me some of those who stood by when they heard that said look, he is calling Elijah. Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a read and offered it to him to drink, saying, let him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to take him down. Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed his last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion who stood opposite him, saw that he cried out so that he cried out with his breath. His last, he said. Truly this man was the son of God. There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the less of Josie's and solemnly also followed him and ministered to him when he was in Galilee and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem, the greatest death of all is what we are considering we only have four gospels that give us the story of what happened.

The other is that of attempted to be gospels flunked because of the test of truth, integrity being absent. So we do not recognize other writings except the 27 New Testament writings we have for the New Testament.

Of course, 39 for the old prior to verse 33, as Christ has been crucified and he is there on the cross. They mocked him as a prophet as a savior and as the king and they had no idea those who were against him who he was who they were looking at whom they who they were abusing that we all die, but none of us die like this.

None of us die as the Christ died him. That's what we going to consider because of all the deaths of people. This is the greatest death of them all. Verse 33 now when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while in verse 32. They were asking him for a miracle. Show us a miracle that we can be impressed and still not believe you. Jesus said this was the case in John's Gospel, who John records this earlier and earlier events. Jesus said, but although John Rice, but although he had done so many signs before them. They did not believe in him the very thing the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 53, who has believed our report at this is what were up against.

As believers, this is what we are here to deal with. As believers we are to deal with unbelief not only in others but in ourselves to not dismiss it. There they were staring at God on the cross again in John's Gospel chapter 12 verse 45.

This time, and he who sees me sees him who sent me. They were looking at God. That is the manifestation of God.

There certainly was more to God than what they were looking at.

But God nonetheless, God the son, and they didn't get it. They didn't want to get it and there are those today that they don't want the gospel to be true. It's hard to believe.

I remind you if you are a Christian who is eager to share the gospel. Many times you have to do is Nehemiah had to do.

Remove the rubbish before you can start building and the work of removing all of the trash and junk and clutter that's in the way the ruins that are in the way can be nearly overwhelming at times. In fact, it was almost that way. In the days of Nehemiah. So be prepared for that. Don't be discouraged by it says here now.

When the sixth hour had come noontime halfway through the six hours on the cross that he would spend there was darkness over the whole land. It tells us this is a supernatural darkness and it had to have been disturbing to the people that were witnessing this, how would you record that, how could you capture how disturbing it was. If you weren't there words don't do it justice. We would say this time of darkness while he is on the cross. Parallels the cosmic signs that will accompany our Lord when he returns. We read about that in chapter 13 that they would be these supernatural events as he returns. Darkness is a mark of judgment in the Scripture Isaiah spoke of. And Joel spoke of in Amos and Zephaniah. The New Testament speaks of it and it is also the meaning here. It is divine judgment that is falling upon the son of God for us for sinners, one whom we love so much. Peter writes in his second letter.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment point is very serious. We are not to just pass over this lightly. This is something that the Wii helps us stay in touch with what's going on so that we don't become those who have heard the gospel story so much. It really doesn't move us anymore. It's a risk but you know that's how human beings are made darkness. This darkness that was they were experiencing.

It was the darkness that you you could feel darkness can be felt. The Bible teaches Exodus chapter 10 of this of course is when the Jews were still in Egypt and Moses was dealing with Farrell to get the Jews out of Egypt. The plagues were slamming into the Egyptian people because of the hard heartedness of Farrell, then the Lord said to Moses, stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt darkness which may even be felt. This is pretty serious darkness can be overwhelming and overwhelmed.

Abraham Genesis chapter 15 now when the sun had what when the sun was going down a deep sleep fell upon Abram and behold horror and great darkness fell on him. Here's the Holy Spirit keeping the moment alive for us. Thousands of years later, 2000 years later here we are reading and and he is saying to us, darkness fell on the land as your Savior hung on the cross work of creation was done in the light. God said in Genesis chapter 1 verse three then God said, let there be light, and then he began to create the story goes both on the neck of the six days of creation.

Well, the work of creation was done in the light, but the work of redemption is now being done in the dark all creation sympathizing with the creator as he suffered because, as will get to the earthquake. The rocks split the darkness was present the Temple veil was torn. There was a lot of spiritual activity taking place around these events and they would've been wasted had not somebody witnessed it and recorded it in these recordings are not to be wasted by us. I do believe that all the Bible is there for us to study to investigate, to learn from to grow from to use us.

What I'm saying. This darkness is not an eclipse is a miracle lunar eclipse would not happen on a full moon and the Passover group came at a full moon not a solar eclipse.

Because this lasted for three hours not for a few minutes. This was a divine act of God that asked for a miracle. Here it was, and they weren't getting it because unbelief is serious stuff. Maybe you're sitting in maybe you help whelming as he put it this way, how many people many children are in good churches across the planet than there are churches there is God's remnant at the very least, and the just, then unmoved by the things of God. There, the unbelief won't let them listen to what is being said and apply it to their lives so that they could learn to grow and live their lives pursue their future, but not without holiness. So the pursuit of the struggles that come with it. If anyone tells you that the Christian life is this beautifully wonderfully peaceful thing they don't know that talking about Christian life is full of conflict so and it is conflict on on multiple levels, inner and outer. There are those that we want to see saved. Once we have the knowledge of the of our Savior, but they don't get saved. Oftentimes, at least not very easily and in the wars on wood, so you I'm speaking to you younger Christians would you rather me, lie to you and tell you it's okay to dismiss things of God. It's okay for you to come to church and and wonder in your mind about other things not listen to what God might be saying to you personally think it's okay to be born in a place where you are being exposed to spiritual truths and you don't appreciate. I don't think that's okay.

I know you would not either.

I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. I'm saying this to stir you up keep you stirred back to this darkness, God saying something to mankind through this the ninth plague in Egypt as I already read about God brought three days of darkness. Darkness that you could feel on the Egyptians that was the last play was next-to-last followed by of course the death of the firstborn, which we are seeing here the only begotten son of the father and the Lamb of God was giving his life for the sins of the world is giving his life for my said is giving his life for me not only me, not only my sin but it is for me it is personal. It is supposed to be personal when you preach Christ you preach about what other people believe what you preach about what you believe. Hopefully it's what you believe. My thought is in sharing the gospel. The people that are listening to the gospel being shared are responding to your level of excitement and enthusiasm, your belief, how would it be if you said yeah Jesus is my Savior. And you know be good if you got saved anyway. What's for lunch but if you say of the Lord he is my Savior and I love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and I hate when I fail him. But I love that he does not toss me away when I fail and I fail a lot and I want this God to be your God. I want the Savior to be your Savior. I want your sins dealt with as he is dealt with my sins.

Not only has God passed over my sins, but he's willed amount of his existence that some serious stuff will he put it like that.

We even have a phrase and I just use one when you say it like that because people do respond to people. Otherwise, the gospel would be you couldn't preach it with any degree of success. This darkness was a sign and a warning that judgment was coming in men better be ready to receive the blessings received the curse. Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived in these days. He says that the lambs were killed from 3 PM to 5 PM 3 PM is when Christ, of course, gave up the spirit. Darkness lasted for three hours beginning at noon until three time of the evening sacrifice. Also, the Jews pray three times a day.

Daniel six we read and he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and were told as it was his custom, Peter the apostle we find him and John going into the temple in acts chapter 3 at 3 PM. The hour of prayer accept three verse one now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour from 3 PM to using a different standard. Using the wrong Gentile standard, rather than the Jewish time that would account for the discrepancy of the ninth hour versus the sixth of hour out when when you come across them different times in Scripture. Snow contradiction. The got confused everybody sufficiently. There we can move on now we find, incidentally, Peter in the book of acts, praying, at some point at each interval of prayer and at the next chapter 2, he said morning. He's praying in the morning 9 AM and 9 AM in the morning and and ask chapter 9 it's at 12 noon and as I just read in acts chapter 3 it is 3 PM those things mean something to us there supposed to verse 34 at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying you toilet Eloi Lamas about the name which is translated by God, my God, have why have you forsaken me. Now it's between him and his father really the first three hours of the cross was about Christ and the people around him in the last three hours and that darkness fell. It intensified and it became more about the Lord and his father and Jesus here is calling the father from darkness prayer at the time of prayer when it was dark.

We know about that don't we know about of you been a Christian any length of time when times are very at that when they're at their darkest, praying to God asking what you doing why are you leaving me why are you not with me.

Why do I feel like you have abandoned me, here is Christ, he never sinned, and yet he is made sin according to second Corinthians chapter 5 the ultimate horror that he is experiencing that we we cannot understand this in its entirety. We can just accept the what's on the surface about it, but we really cannot enter into this. This is beyond us when he says, Eloi, Eloi, Lamas about the name that is the Aramaic language which was the vernacular of the people at that time he speaking in the common language, but he still quoting Scripture what a lesson to us.

Christ is saying here I am on the cross, dying for the sins of others. I am innocent. They're guilty. I'm taking their sin father. His left me to feel that he is abandoned because the sin is on me, and yet he still quoting Scripture he still praying he may feel that God has abandoned him. That's what he is expressing and yet he is not abandoning God that Job said it very simply, though he slay me, I will trust in him. Psalm 22 is what is quoting my God, my God, why have you forsaken me why are you so far from helping me from the words of my groanings so the psalmist knew what it was like to feel that God had turned his back on him and instead of turning you know being bitter and Rivera and eventually turning his back on God which would be foolish as the Proverbs teachers harden themselves against God and prospered the answer of course is no one instead of turning his back on God, he throws out more faith as we say doubles. He doubles down my God my God why have you forsaken me. Why are you so far from helping me, and yet I'm still calling to you is what the righteous do. We can't live without prayer as frustrated as we might be with having to wait for God's processes to unfold. We cannot live without prayer because we cannot live without God, because we have seen God in our spirit, heart Mark has been connecting these messianic prophecies and showing their fulfillment in Jesus Messiah the others to Marcus doing that here when he is recording for us to crisis quoting Scripture from the cross as he is dying. These are the last recorded words of our Lord in Mark's gospel. The others give us more so, let's review the seven statements of Christ from the cross in sequence as compiled in the Gospels, there was the first word from the cross, and this was concerning those who had nailed him to the cross, father forgive them for they do not know what they do. We going to see that come back into the story. Then he said to Shirley, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Of course he saying that to one of the two outlaws who had asked to be with him who had repented while dying on the cross.

A deathbed confession God not only honors those he values them the world and would say what you mean you live a holy life and then elected deathbed. You get to have it all washed away. That's not fair. This easy responses that are you kidding me was fair about God getting you in heaven. And you want to talk fairness you need to go to hell when I talking fairness were talking love talking the grace and mercy of God talking about a God who understands what's going on. I want you to get it to and if you don't get it you move forward without you.

There are some very serious things that belong to interacting with God are some very serious things that belong to being born and this is the gospel story. The third word from the cross is Christ on behalf of Mary his mother to John, his disciple woman behold your son and then he said to John, behold your mother and from that day forward she began to live in the house of John. He was looking at out for her knees preaching to us.

Even though I am dying, still things to do still work is still this care for others who are not at the moment dying is not making it all about him when he could. Then the fourth word from the cross, which now takes it away from the interaction so much with the humans. He denies dealing with the father, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. That's the fourth word from the cross. And then there was the last word of his humanity. I thirst and then he said it is finished. It's done is complete and the last word from the cross.

The seventh one is father, into your hands I commit my spirit. He gave up the spirit. So again, the first three hours. He agonized before men in the last three hours in darkness, he agonized before God. His father, there are lessons all over this for us when we go through darkness in this life and we are going to face darkness from time to time in this life. Of course, of course, the bottom line is there is a resurrection of the righteous. There is a resurrection of those made just because of what Jesus did John Mark. He translates this Aramaic word into the Greek, which we have translated now into the English and was maybe rereading the Bible in a different languages quite possible he says, which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. This was important to get into the Scripture Peter he's going to feel this way all of them felt this way you do good to know what happened. Just a short while ago they were there dining with him, and hadn't even been 24 hours, yet just washing their feet. Suddenly he's on the cross and all their whole life changed just like that he now felt that darkness of being unloved by the one he loved, he felt what it was like to be a sinner without hope.

He was taking it all for us. One of our greatest needs is as people as human beings is to feel loved by the one we love God himself seeks our love. The Bible is about loving God, loving each other. We can live without love. But we cannot live well without love and those who are not being love know they can become quite a problem in life for others immunogenicity and decent people becoming savage love is a big deal and where it is absent, there is trouble in its place become Satan's playground and as you growing up in life you don't know these things, yet you have to learn them and this would account for sometimes our youth being just absolute knuckleheads in their youth. They've not yet figured these things out. Give them some time and some instruction and love and patience and that's ministry.

This is how it is done.

You don't have to like it, or approve of it is how it is done. You do have to face it and you know the feeling of wanting to retaliate against somebody.

It's a natural feeling is spiritual is the flash and we Christians we know when we get like that were wrong with work, we scramble fixing because we believe it's worth because we believe Christ is worth move. Thanks for tuning into cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com what you there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio you could search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time.

As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Reiki on cross reference radio