J. Dwight Pentecost writes, “The scene that should have
been illuminated by the brightness of the noonday sun was shrouded in darkness.
It was as though nature itself was cognizant of the suffering of its Creator.”1
As Jesus Christ fulfills the purpose of taking on flesh all the way to the
cross, certain additional phenomena accompany His death. The temple veil that
separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was supernaturally
split from top to bottom. The was noted to be as thick as the width of a man’s
palm and was sixty feel tall and thirty feet across. It was as God telling
humanity that through the Atonement, He was now accessible to all. An earthquake
timed after the rending of the temple veil coincided with the death of Jesus
and it not only split rocks but also shook open many of the tombs around Jerusalem.
Scripture also notes that after Christ’s resurrection, Christian believers
who had died prior to our Lord were raised from the dead and appeared to many
in town. What a powerful sight that this must have been for priests in the
Temple and those on the hill of Golgotha. It is not surprising that the centurion
would exclaim, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54).
There are other items of which we must take note as Jesus completes the spiritual transaction that reopens that doorway of relationship with our Holy God. The normal two to three day process of dying on a cross is completed in about six hours. Jesus gives up His life with a shout, not a whimper as He sees the light of glory at the end of His task. He is still fully God and obviously fully man. His death was confirmed by His captors, by the evidence from His pierced side, and saw no need to break His legs. Christ truly gave himself for all humanity. Knowing the resurrection will soon take place gives us great comfort, but knowing that Christ’s mission had been powerfully completed provides every person with hope and every believer the power to complete Christ’s calling upon his or her life. Our path to a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father had been opened once again.
We really do need one another. We really do need a personal
relationship with our Creator God. We really do need a purpose for being and
the opportunity to fulfill that purpose. We really do need a sinless substitute
to bring this all about because we are unable to accomplish this on our own.
We messed this up terribly in the garden. We really do understand broken relationship
better today than we even have in our society. We long for restoration and
healthy, deep, and genuine relationship. In the midst of our worship and prayer,
could we possible sense afresh the presence of the Almighty?
God’s answer is a deeply moving “I love you!”
in the form of the statement, “It is finished.” The original Greek
term of commercial transactions, tetelestai, is used. It was significant in
that it referred to the full payment of a price completing the business transaction
or the paying of a debt to its complete satisfaction. Christ did for us what
we could not do on our own. Christ did for us what the Law could not. The
intricacies of Judaism were insufficient. The one true Messiah was necessary
and came out of love in the form of humanity. We have now a God who not only
loves us, but understands us and has gone through life just like us. He is
truly a God who can be touched. God’s love response also sets the standard
for the type of relationship within the Church, our homes, and between one
another. It is a truly sacrificial and limitless love.
God’s love is also a commissioning love that gives us
a purpose and calling to which to respond. We are also provided with the peace
that we are in His hands and are under His spiritual protection and lead.
Ultimately, when our earthly lives are complete or when Christ returns to
establish His kingdom, we have the comfort of knowing that we are in Him and
in Him are peace, purpose and contentment forever. Thus, we can experience
lasting joy and completeness through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
What allows us to experience true joy in every relationship?
Christ’s full payment of our sin debt allows us to recapture our understanding
of our real worth to our Creator God. Choosing to reestablish our love relationship
with Him allows us to accept ourselves and others. By choosing a healthy relationship
with Christ, we can now experience health in our connection to others and
see them as Jesus does. We can accept the comfort and connection that the
Lord desires to have with us and the peace that brings. We must be compelled
to share this hope with others and to have our community of believers reflect
the community of heaven. We must strive for vibrancy in the midst of our community.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
As we complete this series of messages of our response to the
words of Christ on the cross, we must preach, pray and plan for decision.
Though we have covered the issue of forgiveness, even for oneself, this is
an opportunity to preach for acceptance of the work of Jesus Christ and for
a time of repentance and salvation. The subject of Jesus’ completed
work on the cross also provides us with the opportunity for full surrender
for entire sanctification and service. Some in our midst may truly be wrestling
with a call into full-time Christian service or to a deeper commitment in
service. We, as part of the church, also have the ability to extend the call
of hope for restoration in our walk with God and with one another and to a
role of greater service.
There is also a call for unity of purpose in the local church
as we experience the fullness of our restored state in Jesus and as we walk
with Him under the guidance of His Holy Spirit. We need to define our vision
and goals to reach a community and world in real need. Christ’s payment
in full allows us embrace our heritage and move toward those in need of Christ.
What a great time to discover the real needs in our community, make them know
to our church family, and present some vision goals to be reached. We have
an opportunity to affirm the priesthood of believers through the temple veil
that our Heavenly Father tore from the top down to eliminate the division
that once existed between us.
It would also be appropriate to recap Christ’s sayings
on the cross and our responses to Him. These messages could also form the
basis for starting a recovery ministry in our local church.
Note:
1. Pentecost, J. Dwight, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 485.
