[0:00] which I'm going to read from 1 John 4 speak about love. There are many uses of the word love, and in these passages that love is a special kind of love. It's agape, which is the love that originates in God's own heart, and the love that he shares with all who believe in him and trust in the Lord Jesus. So it's a very special kind of love, unique to God and his people.
[0:34] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
[0:55] This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world, that we might live through him. This is love. Not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Let's take up our hymn books and sing to the glory of God.
[1:34] Hymn number 58. Number 58. What was it? Oh my God, led thee to give your Son. Let us pray.
[2:00] We turn to God's word now into the New Testament and the gospel record of Matthew chapter 27. Matthew chapter 27 and beginning to read at verse 27.
[2:23] This is the word of God. Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.
[2:39] They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and then wove a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his head.
[3:18] They led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon and they forced him to carry the cross.
[3:33] They came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. There they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall.
[3:46] But after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
[3:58] And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head, they placed the written charge against him. This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
[4:15] Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by, Herod hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself.
[4:36] Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. In the same way, the chief priests, the teachers of the Jews and the elders mocked him.
[4:50] He saved others, they said. But he can't save himself. He's the King of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him.
[5:02] He trusts in God. Let God rescue him. If he wants him. For he said, I am the Son of God.
[5:15] In the same way, the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insult on him. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over all the land.
[5:31] About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani. Which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
[5:52] One of the questions that regularly comes to us from people who are surrounding outdoor preaching or receiving a tract or being spoken to about the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the questions that frequently comes is why is there so much suffering in the world?
[6:33] And people will say things like, If God is love, as you say, from the Bible, Why doesn't he do something about it?
[6:49] If God is almighty, why can't he do something about it? I can't believe in a God who allows all this suffering throughout the world.
[7:04] Men, women, young people, children. Suffering in many, many parts of the country, many, many parts of the world in horrific ways. There are natural disasters, tsunamis, hurricanes, devastations of one kind and another.
[7:31] Why doesn't God do something? There's wickedness. People being rotten and horrid and vile to other human beings.
[7:49] Why doesn't God do something? You'll hear a lot of talk about God being love. God is love.
[8:01] God is love. But the Bible has more to say about his holiness. His utter purity.
[8:20] His wrath. Which is just another word for anger. God is angry. God is angry. With this world.
[8:34] Don't allow that thought that God is love to overrule the fact that the Bible says time and time and time again, God is wrathful at sinners.
[8:46] God's wrath has been revealed against the ungodly and unrighteous in this world. Already revealed in some ways. And yet to be revealed in far more serious ways.
[9:02] C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis. Who was highly regarded internationally as a Christian.
[9:16] He wrote a book called The Problem of Pain. He had quite some experience. His wife died very painfully.
[9:31] And it really ripped him apart. And in that problem of pain, he says, God whispers to us in our pleasures.
[9:52] He speaks to us through our consciences. He shouts at us through pain.
[10:05] Trying to awaken a deaf world. Pain. Pain. Is the result of God's righteous anger with us.
[10:23] Suffering. Is what we brought. We human beings have brought upon ourselves. Some suffering. Is directly related to our own wrongdoing.
[10:38] Other suffering. Is directly related to our parents' wrongdoing. And still other suffering.
[10:49] Is due to humanity's. Suffering. Under the wrath of God. We must be very, very careful.
[11:00] That we don't. Judge. Other people. When they suffer. I fell off the roof of a church building years ago.
[11:15] And broke my back. I can't wash up now. It's the angle. But I've managed to play squash since.
[11:27] Sometime after. It didn't work. When we moved home. My wife designed the kitchen. So that the sink. Would be higher up for me. Someone came to see me.
[11:43] I learned a lot. In those three months. On my back. Not being able to move. And get away. People coming to see me. I learned a lot about pastoral visiting.
[11:55] I've been a pastor for 53 years. And I learned a lot more. From that. Being on the receiving end. And one man came.
[12:06] A deacon of a church locally. What have you done? What have you sinned? How have you sinned? That God pushed you off that roof. Now you know the problem.
[12:21] When you know the scriptures. As soon as you start thinking. Well I don't think. There's that. You start thinking. Am I being Leodicean?
[12:33] Thinking all's well. And it isn't. And then you feel. All sorts of guilt. Oh dear. Did I feel guilty for ages. I couldn't think of anything.
[12:44] That God would want to. Punish me directly for. At that particular point. Though I've given him lots of reasons. We must be very very careful.
[12:56] Not. To think we know. Why somebody's suffering. There's general suffering. That hits all of us.
[13:06] At some point. In our lives. Why does God. Allow it? Why does God.
[13:17] Will it? It's to waken us up. To the fact that we have. Offended him. Every one of us.
[13:29] From the youngest. To the oldest. Whether you're rich or poor. Male or female. Whatever you've done with your life.
[13:40] Whether you've been religious or not religious. Whether you've kicked over the trace or not. To one degree or another. All of us. Have sinned. And fall short.
[13:50] Of the glory of God. And we deserve pain. We deserve more than we're getting. Because we've offended him so much.
[14:06] God's. Wrath. God is angry. God is angry. At sinners. At us. In our sin.
[14:20] God is love. God is holy. God is almighty. Why doesn't he do something. The amazing thing is.
[14:36] He has. He has. Done something. Something. Quite remarkable. Quite staggering.
[14:49] Quite amazing. He sentenced. Every human being. To death. Under his judgment. And then.
[15:04] He commissions his son. To become a human being. And to live out. A perfect.
[15:16] Righteous life. A good. Clean. Holy. God honoring. Life. From start. To finish. And then.
[15:27] To die. As we read. Earlier. From the Bible. To die. In excruciating. Circumstances.
[15:42] There was darkness. Over the land. When Jesus. When Jesus was crucified. There was darkness. Before God created.
[15:56] As recorded in Genesis. Chapter 1. And verse 2. Darkness. With the face of the deep. There was darkness. In Exodus.
[16:07] Recorded. As the Israelites. Were in Egypt. Egypt. And God came to deliver. The Israelites. From their slavery. From that bondage.
[16:18] From that cruelty. In Egypt. He came to deliver them. And there was a darkness. And it's described as a darkness.
[16:29] That could be felt. In fact. And there was a darkness. When Jesus Christ died.
[16:41] He was crucified. The third hour. Of the day. According to Mark's record. That's. Our. Nine o'clock. Nine o'clock in the morning.
[16:53] Roughly. He'd been hanging. On that cross. For three hours. When the darkness fell.
[17:06] Over all the land. Can you imagine. What people were thinking. When the. That darkness fell. In the middle of the day.
[17:19] Can you imagine. The fear. And the terror. Wondering. Why it was happening. Can you imagine. How many people. Would be crying out.
[17:29] To God. As they do now. In tragedies. And circumstances. That they can't. Do anything about. The interrupted sins.
[17:48] The guilt. That people would feel. People. People. People. Don't like. To be. Told. That they're sinners.
[18:00] They think. It's a word. Invented. By preachers. To keep them in a job. That's what I've been told. That it's a reality. Filled with all unrighteousness.
[18:16] Sexual immorality. Wickedness. Covetousness. Maliciousness. Full of envy. Murder. Strife. Deceit. Evil mindedness.
[18:28] They are whisperers. Backbiters. Haters of God. Violent. Proud. Boasters. Inventors of evil things. Disobedient to parents. Undiscerning.
[18:39] Untrustworthy. Unloving. Unforgiving. Unmerciful. That's the record. And it's added to. In a number of other places. And not one of us.
[18:53] Not one of us. Can honestly say. It doesn't. Include. Me. In that list. The wrath of God.
[19:06] Is a reality. The sentence of God. Is a reality. He's passed the sentence. On death. Of death. On every human being. But.
[19:20] But. But God. God. God who is rich in mercy. And a great love with which he has loved us. That's how Paul speaks to the Ephesians.
[19:32] When he's telling them. About the amazing transformation. Here it is. We read it earlier. They nail him to the cross. They drive in the metal. Into his hands and his feet.
[19:42] To pin him to the wood. They raise him up. As though. He's between. Heaven. And earth. For so he is.
[19:53] Nailed to that cross. Hangs there. With the agony. For three hours. Then darkness falls.
[20:05] Darkness falls for three more hours. Were they all silent there around that cross.
[20:18] Afraid. Wondering. What was happening. Happened. Until. They heard a cry.
[20:32] Eloi. Eloi. Lama. Sabachthani. My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? God.
[20:48] Sent his son. To die. God's son. Came himself. To die.
[21:02] He. Willed it. The Lord Jesus Christ. Came from heaven. Fully knowing. What was expected.
[21:13] Of him. And. Glad. Yes. Delighted. To go through. With it all. For he.
[21:25] Took it. As a marvelous. Opportunity. To show. How much. He loved. His heavenly father. And to show.
[21:36] How much. He loved. His people. His people. Are all those. Who have turned.
[21:46] To God. Before. Jesus came. Who apologized. To God. For their sinfulness.
[21:57] And wrongdoing. And asked. His forgiveness. His people. Are all those. Since his coming.
[22:08] Who have turned. In repentance. And sorrow. For their sins. And put their whole. Trust in Jesus. His people. Are those. Who love. Jesus.
[22:18] Now. And who will. Love Jesus. In the future. Because God. Hasn't finished. His work yet. And the Lord Jesus. Is still seeking. Searching.
[22:29] For those. Who are lost. Who are going to be drawn. In repentance. And faith. To him. My God.
[22:42] My God. Why have you forsaken me? It's because God made him. Who knew no sin. To be sin for us.
[22:54] That we might in him. Become the righteousness of God. God. An exchange was going on. There at that cross. A monumental exchange.
[23:05] Was taking place. That man. That holy. Pure. Good man. That man. Who had never done a wrong thing.
[23:16] In his life. Never thought a wrong thought. In his head. Never spoken a wrong word. With his mouth. That man. Who was loved by God. His heavenly father.
[23:26] Father. Was treated. By. His heavenly father. As though. He. Had.
[23:37] Personally. Committed. Every vile. Act. And had every vile. Thought. And uttered every vile. Word. That his people. From beginning to end.
[23:48] Had ever uttered. Or done. Or said. It was all. Drawn together. The punishment. That his people.
[24:00] Deserve. The punishment. That we had every reason. To expect. Was laid. On him. It's no wonder.
[24:14] He cried out. After three hours. Of darkness. And six hours. Of torment. On that cross. It's no wonder. He cried out. My God. My God.
[24:24] Why have you forsaken me? Because. Jesus Christ. Had to taste. Death. And hell.
[24:34] He had to know. In his own sense. What it feels like. If he is to be. Our representative. If he is to die.
[24:45] Our death. If he is to fulfill. Our sentence. He must feel it. And know it. In his own being. He felt.
[24:58] Abandoned. Forsaken. But he still says.
[25:10] My. God. He can't say. My father. That awareness. Has gone from him.
[25:21] In the horror. Of that moment. My God. Why? God.
[25:34] The father. Had not. Forsaken him. But he. Had to go through. The experience. Of feeling. That he had.
[25:47] To experience. Our hell. Jesus did not. Descend into hell. After he died. He experienced. Hell. While he was alive.
[25:57] There. On that cross. My God. My God. Why have you.
[26:09] Forsaken me? He wasn't. Quoting David. In Psalm 22. David. Quoted him.
[26:21] One thousand years. Before the event. Jesus knew. He knew. From his earliest days. Here on earth. As a man. Boy. He understood things.
[26:33] Very early. He was able to talk. Intelligently. And spiritually. To Jewish leadership. At the age of 12. He would know.
[26:45] As a man. Psalm 22. And he would know. That those words. Would come from his heart. My God.
[26:55] My God. My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? The answer.
[27:08] Friends. The answer. Why? Is for people like you and me. People like you and me.
[27:20] For when we read lists of sins. Sadly could tick off. Quite a number.
[27:32] That are ours. And have been ours. When it comes to undeservedness. We would rank high.
[27:44] On the list. Why? For his people. For the ones he loves.
[27:57] And who are they? All who will come to him. And say thank you. I don't deserve it.
[28:11] Forgive me. I've caused that. Along with others. Have mercy upon me.
[28:23] And enable me to walk. In newness of life. To live for you. And honor you. And please you.
[28:34] And to live. As I've been designed to live. In happy relationship. With my God. And creator.
[28:46] Let's pray together. One said of old.
[28:58] Search me. Oh God. And know my heart. Try me. And know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me.
[29:11] And lead me. And lead me. In the way everlasting. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
[29:23] Amen. Amen.him Amen. Oh God.
[29:33] photography ejercits hitting and being there. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[29:43] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.