Twenty-Two” Mark 15:16-41 9 December 2018

“Twenty-two” Mark 15:16-41 9 December 2018

There’s an episode of The Twilight Zone called “Twenty-Two” about a woman who was overwhelmed by stress and work that she ended up in a hospital… and began having a recurring nightmare.

Here’s the opening narration by Rod Serling-

This is Miss Liz Powell. She's a professional dancer and she's in the hospital as a result of overwork and nervous fatigue. And at this moment we have just finished walking with her in a nightmare. In a moment she'll wake up and we'll remain at her side. The problem here is that both Miss Powell and you will reach a point where it might be difficult to decide which is reality and which is nightmare, a problem uncommon perhaps but rather peculiar to the Twilight Zone.

So this woman, Liz Powell, is hospitalized for exhaustion. And she keeps suffering a vivid, recurring nightmare in which she wakes up in her hospital room and takes the elevator down to the basement, to the hospital morgue, Room 22. A nurse then emerges from the room and says, “Room for one more, honey.”

* INSERT 22 MORGUE PIC

Liz screams, flees to the elevator, and the dream ends. And this keeps happening over and over. She goes to the basement of the hospital, and a nurse pops out of the hospital morgue, Room 22, and says, “Room for one more, honey.”

Liz is eventually discharged from the hospital and she goes to the airport, buys her ticket, and is told that she will be on Flight 22. This freaks her out, but she crosses the tarmac to board her plane and she climbs the boarding stairs. As she reaches the top, a stewardess, who the nurse from her nightmares, emerges from the cabin of the plane. Then the stewardess says, “Room for one more, honey.”

* INSERT 22 AIRPLANE PIC

Screaming, Liz stumbles down the stairs and races back to the terminal. Concerned airport staff try to calm her. And outside the window, Flight 22 taxis to the runway, takes off— and then explodes in midair.

Closing narration by Rod Serling-

Miss Elizabeth Powell, professional dancer. Hospital diagnosis: acute anxiety brought on by overwork and fatigue. Prognosis: with rest and care, she'll probably recover. But the cure to some nightmares is not to be found in known medical journals. You look for it under 'potions for bad dreams' - to be found in the Twilight Zone.

It may be today, it may be tomorrow, it may be next week, it may be next year, but at some point in the future, you are going to go through such immense trials and sufferings that you may begin to think that God has abandoned you. Acute anxiety brought on by your circumstances. Life will feel like a nightmare. Wave after wave of suffering. Life will feel like a bad dream. And you may even begin to entertain the thought that God has deserted you and doesn’t love you. And you may even begin to think that you are losing your mind.

Well, the truth that we’ll see today in God’s word rings true whatever we are going through in life, even if life feels like a recurring nightmare. We may not always know what is going on in our life, or why God is allowing what is going on in our life, especially when life feels like a bad dream, but can always have hope and say-

JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW.

Such a simple phrase. Such a simple song. But there is an ocean of meaning in those words. We celebrate Advent because of those words. We can come into God’s white-hot holy presence because of those words. Everything about the Christian life hangs on those words. Everything that we are hangs on those words. Everything that we love about God hangs on those words. Everything about Advent hangs on those words.

Listen, if you’re looking to get a tattoo some time in the near future, this would make some pretty sweet ink. Just get these words tatted on you:

JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to see in Mark’s gospel today. So turn in your Bibles to Mark 15. Jesus loves me, this I know. Why? Because the Bible tells me so! It’s all over the Bible. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. And that’s exactly where we need to turn our attention right now. To the Bible. To God’s word.

LOOK AT VERSE 16… And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

After Jesus endured the horrible scourging that we saw last week, He is led away and the Roman soldiers began mocking Him. They put a purple robe on Him and a crown made of thrones and began mocking Him. And then they began hitting Jesus with a reed and spitting on Him and bowing down before Him. Such a humiliating, degrading scene. And all done by people Jesus loved.

It’s one thing to be mocked and ridiculed, but to be mocked and ridiculed when you are dying man, that’s cold. And yet, Jesus, in this moment, is loving these people and giving His life for them. Who does that? What kind of God are we dealing with here? One who has mercy on and compassion for His enemies, even when they are laughing in His face as He dies for them. Incredible. I mean, if you cross me, my nature is to attack. I’m not gonna let you get away with hurting me. I’m not gonna let you hurl insults at me. I will fire back. But, Jesus? What does He do? He dies for His enemies, even when they mock Him as He is dying. This should make us bow in adoration.

What kind of God are we dealing with here? Not one that we would create. Not one that acts like we do.

So they led Jesus away to crucify Him and by this point, He was too weak to carry the crossbeam of His cross. And they compel Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Jesus. And notice that they offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh, likely to dull the pain, but Jesus refused. And then they crucified Jesus along with 2 robbers, who were on His right and left.

And that’s when the mocking and ridicule commenced. It’s been nothing but mocking and ridicule and accusation for the past 12 hours or so for Jesus. His last day on earth was non-stop mocking. People laughing in his face. People spitting in His face. Ridicule. Insult. Accusations. People saying mean things like, “He saved others, but He can’t save Himself. You’re no Savior. BOOM. ROASTED. He said He could tear down and rebuild the temple in 3 days and yet He can’t get off the cross. BOOM. ROASTED.”

Everyone that passed by made of fun of Jesus. They roasted Him. They would wag their heads and mock Him. The crowds mocked Jesus, the chief priests mocked Jesus, the soldiers mocked Jesus, even the 2 thieves on either side of Him mocked Jesus. All of this, of course, is Jesus fulfilling Psalm 22. Everything that is happening in this chapter was already recorded by David in Psalm 22. Listen to David and see how Jesus is fulfilling Psalm 22 as He is mocked and then crucified-

Psalm 22:12–18 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Jesus was surrounded by people mocking him. His hands and feet were pierced. They even cast lots for His clothing, just as David predicted in Psalm 22. The nightmare that David was experiencing in Psalm 22, Jesus is fulfilling at an even deeper level. So all that is happening here in Mark’s gospel is Jesus fulfilling Psalm 22. And it continues.

LOOK AT VERSE 33… And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

So around noon, darkness came over the whole land. For 3 hours, from noon until 3:00, there was darkness over the land as Jesus hung on the cross. And when Jesus uttered His last cry and breathed His last breath, the curtain in the temple was torn in two signifying that they way was made open for sinners once and for all to come into God’s presence. We now have access to God’s presence. Amazing. I love how Tim Keller puts it:

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”

This is the kind of access we have: 3:00-AM-in-the-morning-I’m-thirsty-can-you-get-me-a-cup-of-water- please-Daddy- kind of access. That’s what Mark means when he tells us in verse 38 that the veil to the temple was torn from top to bottom. The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, the veil that was only touched by a priest and moved out of the way so he could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year, that veil was torn in two and we now have access to our Heavenly Father any time we want! We can wake Him up, if you will, at 3 AM in the morning and He won’t be grumpy!

Because of Jesus we don’t have to approach God like the floors were recently waxed and we’re wearing socks. No. We can approach Him confidently! Why? Because of Jesus. Because we have been declared righteous by God. That’s what gives us access into God’s presence. We are covered with Jesus’ righteousness when we approach Him. This should make us bow in adoration!

Jesus was stripped naked so we could be clothed with His righteousness. And now, clothed with His righteousness, we are safe around His throne. We don’t belong there on our own. We have no right to be there on our own. Our own works do not gain us access. We are there because He was stripped bare and suffered crucifixion for us. His public shame frees us to approach God with no shame.

Understand this, Grace: You have nothing to fear because you are safe before the Father, in the Son.

And that’s why Jesus is a great high priest. Because He is the holy Son of God and He offers mercy and grace to sinners like us. You would expect Him to offer lightning bolts. You would expect Him offer a sword and strike us down. You would expect Him to obliterate us with His white-hot holiness and glory but instead what does He offer us? Mercy and grace. Mercy and grace. Imagine that!

Listen, God is really, really slow to anger. He is not touchy and explosive like us. He is not trigger-happy nor is He itching to bring the hammer down on us. We have to drive him to that. Instead, His spontaneous heart is to love us. The Bible is very clear about this: God is not slow to love; He’s slow to anger. It is His never-stopping, never giving up, un-breaking, always and forever love that has the engine running- always ready to go at a moment’s notice. In contrast, His anger has to be worked up within Him.

The good news of the Gospel is that there's mercy when you blow it; there's grace when you need it most. There's mercy when you've sinned for the umpteenth time; there's grace when you feel like you just can't go on. There’s mercy when you break your promises; there’s grace when you are at your worst. Advent is all about the Son of God coming to people like us, so that people like us can come to God. The curtain tore so that people like us could approach God like a child approaches their father.

Notice too that this is a section of names: Simon, Alexander, Rufus, Elijah, Mary Magdalene, Mary, James, Joses, Salome. This should remind us that God saves people. These are individuals who have families. People who seem to be known by Mark’s audience, people who all most likely had become Christians. So these are some of the names that Jesus took to the cross!

Paul Tripp says, “Jesus took names to the cross.” He took your name, He took mine to the cross. And we all know people by name who don’t know Jesus. And we want nothing more for them than that they repent and trust in Jesus. You no doubt know people who are not Christians. And you have been praying for them. You have been taking their names to Jesus, praying for them by name that they would repent and trust in Jesus. We want to join you as you pray for these people by name.

So here’s what we’re going to do as a church, starting today, and into the New Year. We’re going to be praying for people, by name. I’m sure y’all have seen our wall out there where we put Post-It notes on the wall of all the ways that we have seen evidence of God’s grace here at Grace. And perhaps you saw this morning that the Post-It notes are now gone.

Here’s what I want you to do. Take a Post-It note and write down the name of someone that you know is not a Christian. Just put their first name. No last names. God knows. So just write down the first name of someone that you have been praying for to come to Jesus and stick it on the wall. And whenever any of us walk by the wall, let’s pray for one of the names. It’s that simple.

Write down just a first name on a Post-It note, stick it on the wall, and then every time you walk by, pick a name and take that name to Jesus in prayer. Every time you walk by, pray for one of the names. Pick a name- Bill, Sally, Bertha, Darkon- and pray that Darkon will come to know Jesus.

Jesus took names to the cross. And we want to take names to Jesus and ask Him to save them. So pray for one of these people each time you pass and take their name to Jesus in prayer. And maybe one day they too will be able to say-

JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW.

And the reason any sinner can say that is because of what Jesus endured on the cross. Jesus breathed His last breath so that you and I could breathe and exhale and relax. So that we could let out one giant exhale that it is finished. So that we could say, “Whew!” Sins forgiven. Righteousness imputed. Burden lifted. Whew.

Mark briefly tells us in verse 37 that Jesus breathed His last breath. In John’s gospel, John tells us that Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The phrase “It is finished” is just one Greek word, tetelestai, in the original language. Here’s what Charles Spurgeon said about this word tetelestai:

An ocean of meaning in a drop of language, a mere drop, for that is all that we can call one word! “tetelestai.” Yet it would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word. It is altogether immeasurable! ... “Finished.” It was a Conqueror’s cry – it was uttered with a loud voice! There is nothing of anguish about it, there is no wailing in it. It is the cry of One who has completed a tremendous labor and is about to die – and before He utters His death-prayer, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit,” He shouts His life’s last hymn in that one word, “tetelestai.” (Sermon: Christ’s Dying Word for His Church)

An ocean of meaning in that one word. Jesus accomplished all that He came to do. And as soon as He shouted, “It is finished!” the curtain in the temple was torn in two, thus opening the way for people like us to be welcome into God’s presence. Jesus said “It is finished” and that’s exactly how David ended Psalm 22! Did you know that? Psalm 22, which is all about Jesus, ends with the Old Testament version of “It is finished.”

Psalm 22:31 …they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Psalm 22 ends with the Old Testament version of “It is finished.” Verse 31 is telling us that the Gospel will go forth to the nations and they will testify to the fact that Yahweh has “accomplished it.” In other words, Jesus has accomplished redemption. He has done it. Jesus finished it. Jesus accomplished the redemption of His people. Psalm 22 cried out “It is finished” and Jesus took these words as His own on the cross. He accomplished redemption for His people as He was nailed on the cross. And that means that Jesus will never forget you. As the prophet Isaiah tells us-

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Isaiah 49:15-16

God will never abandon us. But sometimes it feels like God has abandoned us, right? Jesus felt this too on the cross. And that’s why Jesus cries out in a loud voice in verse 34 and quotes Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus is not questioning His Father as to why He is being forsaken. He is quoting Psalm 22 and fulfilling it. In His humanity, Jesus is feeling what David felt in Psalm 22. It feels like He is being abandoned by His Father, but He isn’t. Jesus is quoting Psalm 22 and fulfilling it. It feels to Him as if His Father is abandoning Him, but God isn’t abandoning Him.

Jesus felt like- in His humanity- He felt like He lost His grip on His Father’s hand on the cross, if you will, when He died in our place. He didn’t. He wasn’t abandoned by His Father, but it felt like it, which is why He quotes David in Psalm 22. And when Jesus quotes Psalm 22, He is letting us know that ultimately Psalm 22 is about Him. Yes, at the beginning of Psalm 22, David says that he feels abandoned. But we have to read the rest of Psalm 22. Psalm 22 starts with David feeling abandoned, but it doesn’t end there! We have to keep reading the rest of the verses! Many theological questions can be answered by simply reading the next verse or paragraph!

What does David go on to say after he questions Yahweh about being abandoned?

Psalm 22:21–24 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!... For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

When Jesus asks, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He’s not saying that He has been forsaken by His Father. He’s saying that in his humanity it felt like He was being forsaken because He was bearing the penalty for our sins. The Father did not turn His face away. Let me say that again, because that’s what Psalm 22:24 says: “…he has not hidden his face from him.” The Father did not turn His face away. Psalm 22 tells us that God the Father did not turn His face away, rather, He heard Jesus’ cry. He did not despise Him, Psalm 22 says. He did not abhor Him, Psalm 22 says. God the Father did not hide His face from Jesus, according to Psalm 22.

And here’s why: The Father was never more pleased with Jesus than at the cross! The cross was in fact Jesus’ ultimate act of obedience. So if ever God the Father could say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” it was at the cross- the crowning point of His life. Not to mention, the Old Testament sacrifices were a “sweet smelling aroma” to God, so how much more was Christ’s sacrifice a delight to God? What does Paul say in Ephesians?

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Far from being something that God the Father looked away from, Jesus’ death was a fragrant, sweet smelling sacrifice. There is far more evidence in Scripture that Jesus’ death brought pleasure to God the Father than God the Father looking away. God was thrilled to see Jesus bearing the curse and paying the penalty for our sin. Why? Because it was the Father’s eternal plan and will to bruise and crush Jesus, as Isaiah says, “Yet, it was the will of the Lord to crush Him…”

In fact, the word for “will” in Isaiah 53 is chaphets, which means “pleasure, delight.” As the New King James Translation captures it: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.” This was the moment in Jesus’ life where God the Father was, if you will, proud of Him, proud of His Son. Everything that Jesus did pleased His Father, but this moment is what every other moment in His life was preparing Him for.

And if you read John Calvin, he goes out of his way to comment that this was Jesus in His humanity that felt abandoned. He felt as if God the Father had turned His face away. But if we’re honest, the Bible never tells us this! And that’s kind of important! The Bible never says that God turned away. There is no Scripture that directly says that God the Father turned His face away from Jesus. We have learned that from evangelical culture, not the Bible. Psalm 22 tells us that God did not hide His face from Jesus. Of course, we have a song that we sing that says it. And it’s a great song! I love it. How Deep the Father’s Love for Us has this line:

How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory

The song says that God the Father turned His face away, but the Bible doesn’t! That’s kind of a big deal! So, what do we do with this great song? Here’s what I think as I sing this song, which I really love, except for that one line. I think, “How great the pain of searing loss. It felt as if the Father turned His face away.” That’s what I think as I sing it. In His humanity, Jesus felt that God had abandoned Him.

Jared Hood says this-

There is no clear statement in Scripture that the Father turned His face away. If the Father-Son relationship was separated at the Cross, that would be huge. It would be the core meaning of the Cross. You would expect it to be everywhere in Scripture. But of course it’s not.

Does ‘The Father turn His face away’? ‘The Father gives His Son to die’, yes. ‘He prays, “Please take this cup from me”,’ yes. ‘He bears the full weight of my sin’, yes. But ‘He has not hidden His face from Him’ (Ps 22:24). Townend’s song is beautiful, and the metaphor admits to other meanings. I can sing it with a bit of double think: ‘The Father appears to turn His face away, by giving His Son over to execution, but actually sustains Him through His suffering’. As Jesus bore the full weight of sin, He was sustained by His God; and the Father was never more pleased with the Son. (https://www.theaquilareport.com/10- reasons-father-didnt-turn-face-away-cross/)

If God turned away from Jesus, He couldn’t look on His sacrifice and be pleased! If there’s any turning away at the cross, it’s Jesus turning away God’s anger at our sin. The Biblical word is “propitiation.”

"Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. In relation to soteriology, propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ." Charles C. Ryrie (1999-01-11). Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth(Kindle Locations 5503-5504). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

You look UPON a sacrifice and your justice is satisfied and your wrath appeased. This happened at the cross. God LOOKED UPON JESUS, He did not turn away, and His justice was satisfied and His wrath appeased, His wrath turned away.

We don’t have time to unpack this, so if you’re interested, I can send you some links that you can read about this. Or, read some commentaries. Scholars and theologians debate this. The bottom line when we look at the cross is this simple, yet wonderful truth-

JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW.

And when you suffer and it feels like God has abandoned you, you can still say, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” When life feels like a nightmare and you’re so confused as to why what is happening is happening, you can still say, “Jesus loves me, this I know.”

You will reach a point at some time in your life where it might be difficult to decide which is reality and which is nightmare. But the cure to some nightmares is not to be found in known medical journals. You look for it under Psalm 22- to be found in God’s word. You look for it at the cross. Psalm 22 is as real and raw as it gets. There’s no “Christian veneer” here. There’s no super Christianity. There’s no “I am blessed, brother” business in this psalm. It’s real; it’s raw. There’s pain. There’s doubt. There’s questioning. There’s fear. There’s sorrow. There’s darkness. There’s sadness. There’s agony. And it’s no wonder why Jesus quoted this psalm while on the cross.

And we don’t know all that was happening at the cross. There’s a lot of mystery. There are layers and depths that we will never scratch, but we do know this: God loves sinners. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. God made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jerry Bridges says, “However, as we contemplate with wonder Christ being made sin for us, we must always keep in mind the distinction between Christ’s sinlessness in His personal being and His sin-bearing in His official liability to God’s wrath. He was the sinless sin-bearer. Though He was officially guilty as our representative, He was personally the object of the Father’s everlasting love and delight. Even as Jesus hung on the cross bearing our sins and enduring the full fury of God’s wrath, He was at the same time the object of His Father’s infinite, eternal love. Should this not make us bow in adoration at such matchless love, that the Father would subject the object of His supreme delight to His unmitigated wrath for our sake?” (The Gospel For Real Life, p.52-53).

We should bow in adoration because what Jesus did on the cross for us moved us to the place where we too become the objects of God’s supreme delight. Because of Jesus, God loves us with the same love that He loves Jesus. God loves us just like He loves His own Son. And so now, we have every right to be in God’s presence as Jesus does now. We have every right to be in God’s presence as Jesus does. Amazing.

If God gave His Son up for you and let Him die a horrific death for you, then He will never give up on you. Even though it may seem like He has abandoned you, He hasn’t. Even when it feels like He is not listening, He is. If God gave up His Son for you, He will not give up on you, even if it feels like He has. God will finish what He started. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” on the cross, He was saying that He loves you and will never be finished with you- no matter what you do, or how far you run, or what you’re feeling.

Jesus will never abandon you. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. Even if your life feels like a nightmare, God has not abandoned you. He doesn’t abandon His children. He didn’t abandon Jesus and He’ll never abandon you. God will never forget you. Again, as the prophet Isaiah tells us-

Your name has been engraved in the palms of Jesus’ hands. Your name has forever been tattooed on Jesus. Forever tattooed on His heart. He will never forget you. Bow in adoration today and then let’s go share this good news with others.

“Twenty-two” Mark 15:16-41 Sermon Study Questions

1. Read Psalm 22:1. Describe a time when you felt that God had abandoned you. Did you feel like He wasn’t listening to your prayers? How do you course-correct your heart when life is so overwhelming and you begin to entertain thoughts that Jesus doesn’t care? What verses would you turn to?

2. How did Jesus respond to mocking, ridicule, accusations, etc? How do you typically respond?

3. Tim Keller said, “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.” Read Hebrews 4:14-16. When you really blow it or return to your favorite sin, do you feel like you can immediately rush into God’s presence and ask for help, or do you think you have to be on a “probationary” period?

4. Discuss what it meant when Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

5. Discuss these thoughts from the sermon:

Jared Hood There is no clear statement in Scripture that the Father turned His face away. If the Father-Son relationship was separated at the Cross, that would be huge. It would be the core meaning of the Cross. You would expect it to be everywhere in Scripture. But of course it’s not.

Jerry Bridges However, as we contemplate with wonder Christ being made sin for us, we must always keep in mind the distinction between Christ’s sinlessness in His personal being and His sin-bearing in His official liability to God’s wrath. He was the sinless sin-bearer. Though He was officially guilty as our representative, He was personally the object of the Father’s everlasting love and delight. Even as Jesus hung on the cross bearing our sins and enduring the full fury of God’s wrath, He was at the same time the object of His Father’s infinite, eternal love. Should this not make us bow in adoration at such matchless love, that the Father would subject the object of His supreme delight to His unmitigated wrath for our sake?” (The Gospel For Real Life, p.52-53).