Pastor John
Newton truly believed what he wrote in 1779, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind but
now I see.” Shortly before his death in 1807, Newton told a visiting friend,
“My memory is nearly gone but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner
and that Christ is a great Savior.” There are many things that we will forget
in our lifetime, but we must never forget those twin truths that we are great
sinners and Christ is a great Savior. John Newton wanted the world to always
remember his testimony so he wrote this to be inscribed on his tombstone,
Once
an Infidel and Libertine, A Servant of Slaves in Africa,Was, by the rich mercy
of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, Preserved, restored and pardoned, And
appointed to preach the faith, He had long laboured to destroy.
Due to the rich mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, John
Newton was transformed from an infidel, slave trader to a preacher of the
gospel of grace. How we understand the
death of Jesus Christ will have a dramatic impact on our lives. Tonight, let us
look at four testimonies about the Death of Jesus Christ so that we may never
forget of our great sin and our great Savior.
The Creation
Testifies to the Death of Christ
As Jesus hung
on the cross, creation testified to his death by bringing darkness upon the land.
Luke 23:44-45a, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over
the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed.” The sixth
hour to the ninth hour would have been 12 pm to 3 pm. This would be a very
unlikely time for darkness to cover the earth. This darkness was not
coincidence, but rather a divine act of God confirming his judgment against
sin. Amos 8:9, “‘And on that day,’ declares the Lord God, ‘I will make the sun
go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts
into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on
every waist and baldness on every heard; I will make it like the mourning for an
only son and the end of it like a bitter day.’” Creation testifies to the
judgment that fell upon the Son of God in his death.
Jesus was
experiencing the judgment that we rightly deserved. He was being judged in our
place bearing the wrath of God against the sinful rebellion of his people. This
was not a natural solar eclipse, but a supernatural act where creation is
testifying to the displeasure of God in the crucifixion of the only Son and
God’s hatred of sin. We have all experienced physical effects caused by
emotional issues. Whether it is anxiety or guilt, the physical effects are a
sign that something is wrong. The darkness that fell upon the land was a
physical effect as a sign that something was wrong. That darkness should always
be a reminder to us of God’s hatred towards sin, but also a reminder that the
night comes before the morning as the refrain from Genesis 1, “there was
evening and there was morning, the first day.”
The darkness comes so we can appreciate the light.
The Creator Testifies
to the Death of Christ
After the
whole land went dark and God judged Jesus for sin, Luke announces one of the
greatest sentences in history, “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”
This may not seem like an earth shattering statement, but it is beautiful. God’s presence always dwelt in the
temple. The temple was built as a
sanctuary for the Lord. Specifically, God’s presence was manifested in the Holy
of Holies. No one was able to enter the Holy of Holies except for the chief
priest and he was only able to enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. There
was a separation of God from the people. In Exodus, God said to Moses, “‘But,’
he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’”(Exodus
33:20) The curtain of the temple represented how God was inaccessible to the
people.
As Jesus took
God’s wrath on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. God is testifying to the
world that through the death of his Son the world now has access to Him. Jesus
Christ has reconciled the world to God by making peace through the blood of the
cross. Man no longer needs to go to the temple to worship, but now God is
looking for worshipers in spirit and in truth. The tearing of the curtain
ended the worship in the temple because Jesus Christ had fulfilled the law by
being obedient unto death. Beloved, we now have access through Jesus Christ.
The torn curtain was God’s declaration that we can come to Him through Christ.
I have always viewed the curtain being torn
from man’s perspective. I will never forget first hearing of the torn temple curtain
sitting in Anne Horsfall’s living room while my friend and mentor, Coach Pic,
told us that we could have access to God through Jesus Christ. It was Easter
weekend and it was one of the very first times I felt the Holy Spirit descend
upon a room. There was a weightiness of
God’s glory in that room. I have always thought of this from my perspective, “I
now can have access to God,” but only this past week have I viewed it from
God’s perspective. God no longer is bound to the temple, but he has torn to the
curtain so that He could have access to all people. God is pictured as coming
out of his temple to reach out to all people.[1]
God did not just open the door so I could come in, but He opened the door and
then came to get me to bring me to Him. It is far more than just opening the
door. Jesus death represents the
ultimate opening up of the way to God as he came to seek and save that which
was lost. God testified that through
death of Christ, we have access to Him and He has access to us.
Jesus remains
in control to the very end. Jesus said in John 10:18, “No one takes my life
from me, but I lay it down on my own accord.”
We see that true here as Jesus gave up his spirit. Luke 46, “Then Jesus,
calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit!” And having said this breathed his last.” The last words upon our
Lord’s lips were a direct quote from Psalm 31. Psalm 31 was written for God to
deliver the righteous sufferer. Jesus is testifying to his righteous perfection
and his faith in God to deliver him from death. Psalm 31:5, “Into your hand I
commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” Jesus placed his
spirit into the faithful hands of God and in three days God would redeem Him
from death.
In death,
Jesus placed his faith in the coming resurrection. Beloved, this must be where we place our
faith in death. Jesus entrusted his soul to God so you must entrust your soul
to God.
The Centurion
Testifies to the Death of Christ
The Roman Centurion, who
witnessed how Jesus was valiant and faithful unto to death, praised God and
confessed his innocence. Luke 23:47, “Now when the centurion saw what had taken
place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” Luke has been
highlighting Christ’s innocence over the last several chapters. Luke wanted
Jesus’ righteousness and moral perfection to be clear to the reader. By the
time Luke had been written there had been many stories going around about
Jesus. There were people who testified, like the Pharisees did, that he was a
rebel and stirred people up to violence.
Luke wanted his audience, the most excellent Theophilus, to see that
nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus Christ was the Righteous One who
suffered in the place of the unrighteous as 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also
suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring
us to God.” This centurion saw the trust and hope that Jesus had in God and
testified to the truth that Jesus was the innocent, Righteous One. Mark records
him as saying, “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” This Roman soldier praised
God and testified to the truth as he watched how Jesus died.
In 320 AD, another Roman soldier was impacted as he
watched disciples of Christ entrust themselves to God in death. Emperor
Licinius sent out an edict that all soldiers had to send out all of the
soldiers had to make sacrifices to pagan God. The Roman 12th legion
of Imperial Army had a choice, they could either bow to the edict of man or
entrust their souls to Jesus. These 40
soldiers replied, “You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts'
allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ.”
The General and the Emperor made repeated pleas with
the men to renounce Christ. They first tried prison, but the men were staunch
their trust in Jesus. Finally, the
Captain decided they had enough time and their defiance of the emperor had to
be punished in death. It was the middle of winter and the men were marched to a
nearby frozen lake outside Sebaste. The Captain stripped these 40 men of their
clothes giving them the choice to freeze to death or renounce Christ. Every man
disrobed exposing their bodies to the frigid temperatures. They held onto to
one another singing their victory song they had wrote during their imprisonment,
"Forty martyrs for Christ."
These men believed that it was important for all 40 men to remain
faithful as forty was a number of testing, Israel was tested for 40 years in
the wilderness and Jesus was test for 40 days in the desert. They knew they
this was their time of testing and wanted to be proven faithful. This prayer
was heard by the Roman guard as these men stood together on the frozen lake,
“Lord, we are forty who are engaged in this combat; grant that we may be forty
crowned, and that not one be wanting to this sacred number.”
Men slowly
started to succumb to the elements. In the middle of the night, one of the 40, fell
to his flesh, losing courage stumbled to the shore and renounced Christ. The
Lord heard their prayer and answered their plea for one of the Roman soldiers
who watched these men die with such courage and faith. He heard their prayer.
He heard them joyfully sing. Their faith caused him to repent and to give his
life to Christ. This new Christian disrobed and walked onto the frozen lake. It
has been recorded that as he ran out to the lake, he shouted, “There are still
40!! There are still 40!! He died with his brothers ensuring that not one would
be wanting from the sacred number.
Beloved, Jesus
Christ died so others may live. We are called to die so that others may live.
Jesus was innocent and suffered unjustly, but continued to put his faith in
God. We are called to follow his example. We are called to live righteous lives
and may be called to suffer unjustly. Saints throughout history have suffered
unjustly at the hands of the world. Eleven of the twelve apostles were killed
for their faith in Jesus. Paul was beheaded for his faith. Early church father
Tertullian wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Everyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
We cannot avoid persecution, but we can hold fast to Christ.
We live to
carry the testimony of Jesus death with us every day so that others would
experience his life. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12,
But
we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power
belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck
down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so
that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live
are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life
in you.
Jesus’ death was not only our atoning sacrifice, but also
our example to follow. We live with hope in the midst of suffering so that
others will have life. Is that you? Do you rejoice in your sufferings so others
can see Christ? Beloved, it is a privilege to believe in Christ and a privilege
to suffer for him. If we are poured out for the sacrifice and service of
others, we should be glad and rejoice. Jesus’ suffering was not in vain, but it
leads us to eternal hope and reconciled us to God. Our suffering is not in vain
for it leads others to the eternal hope in Christ and reconciliation with God.
Carry the testimony of Jesus death with you every day so others may see Christ
in you.
The Crowd Testifies
to the Death of Christ
It became
evident not only to the soldier that Jesus was the Righteous One, but to the
crowd as well. Luke continues,
And all the crowds
that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place,
returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women
who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
(Luke 23:48-49)
We do not know the exact thoughts of the crowd, but we can see that they
realized that Jesus death was different.
The crowd probably were second guessing their pleas to
have Jesus crucified. Luke says the crowd returned home, “beating their
breasts.” This is a sign of mourning. Luke uses the same language in the
parable Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the tax collector’s plea for
mercy. Luke 18:13, “But the tax
collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but
beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” The death of Jesus
affected the crowd. They were mourning his death showing that they did not
believe that he deserved to die with the two men that hung to his right and
left.
The crowd had changed their tune. They witnessed the
death of Christ and were deeply affected by it. The death of Christ demands a
response. Peter stood up at the day of Pentecost and testified to this death,
Let all the house of
Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the
heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we
do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:36-38)
We are to know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ.
We like the crowd who witnessed his death and the crowd who heard of his death,
should be cut to the heart knowing that Jesus died for us. It was our sin that
nailed him to the cross. It was our transgression that had to be punished.
Does the death of
Christ still affect you? We must pray that we never get over the death of
Christ. We must pray that we will be like John Newton that at the end of our
lives, if we can remember nothing else, we will remember that we are great
sinners and Christ is a great Savior. Our sin led Christ to the cross, but His
love for us kept him on the cross.
My sin—oh, the bliss
of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the
cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Our shame, not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross. Our guilt,
not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross. Our condemnation, not in
part, but the whole is nailed to the cross. Our evil, not in part, but the
whole is nailed to the cross.
When Satan tempts me to despair, And tells me
of the guilt within, Upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end of all my
sin. Because the sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free. For God
the just is satisfied, To look on Him and pardon me.
Do not despair, Christ died for
the ungodly.
Creation testified to the death of Christ.
The centurion testified to the death of Christ. The crowd testified to the
death of Christ. How will you testify to the death of Christ? What will his
death mean for you? Will his death mean your salvation or your condemnation?
Beloved, we are great sinners, and we need a great Savior!! Let your life
testify to death of Christ. Let us always carry in our bodies the death of
Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we
who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life
of Jesus also may be manifested in us. Let His death be at work in us so that life
may be at work in others.
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