“At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken ME?’”
Matthew 27: 45-46
WHAT HAPPENED?
Jesus became my substitute.
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:2
“God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!” 2 Corinthians 2: 21
WHAT DOES IT TEACH US?
God is holy.
“Holy, holy, holy, it the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.” Habakkuk 1:13
Sin is ugly.
Sin alienates me from God.
“Your evil has separated you from your God and your sins have caused him to turn away from you, so he does not hear you.” Isaiah 59:2
Sin distresses me.
“My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” Psalm 38:4
Sin condemns me.
“God is a righteous judge and always condemns the wicked.” Psalm 7:11
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
Salvation is costly.
“God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.” Romans 3:25
“Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” Galatians 3:13
WHAT SHOULD BE MY RESPONSE?
Turn from my sin and trust Jesus to save me.
“We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” Romans 3:22
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for our sins is left.” Hebrews 10:26
Live in a state of gratitude.
“Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.” Romans 5:11
When tempted, remember what my sin cost Jesus.
“God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. The ransom he paid was not mere gold and silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” 1 Peter 1:18-19
Tell others the good news.
“God is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they thing and act.” 2 Peter 3:9
