3 hours of darkness

Sermon notes from Sunday 26 January 2020 pm

Matthew 27 verses 39 - 46

"from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice." verse 45

3 hours of darkness - from the sixth hour (midday) to 3 pm in the afternoon darkness covered the earth over all the land.  In those 3 hours of darkness the Lord was bearing and enduring the wrath of God for your sins and mine.  We cannot properly penetrate those hours of darkness, do not know the depth of waters that he crossed.  There are 3 things about those hours of darkness.  What a challenge they bring to us.

Hours of confrontation.  In Luke`s gospel the Saviour is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus says to them "this is your hour and the power of darkness." (Luke 22 verse 53)  His hour to suffer, to go through the agonies of the cross.  For such he came into the world.  What did this mean?  What he was about to endure and suffer on the cross would be hours of confrontation.  The powers of darkness would be let loose on the Saviour.  Satanic power, demonic power would be unleashed on him.  He triumphed over them Paul said but he came to confront him.  "Many bulls have compassed me strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round." (Psalm 22 verse 12)).  The powers of demonic flee from him.  When Jesus was born Satan endeavoured to thwart and overthrow God`s salvation.   Caesar ordered all the children to be killed under a certain age.  Thank God they failed, they did not achieve what set out to achieve.  Through those hours of confrontation Jesus overcame all of them.  Jesus is Lord over all the powers of hell and darkness.  The lifestyles people are getting ensnared in shows that Satan is present on planet earth.  Jesus is Lord over demons.  3 hours of confrontation.

Hours of expedition - God took your sins and mine.  He placed your sins and mine on his son, bore them away.  Remember when John said "behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world."  In those 3 hours of darkness God who knew no sin was placing it on his son that he might bear those sins away.  That is the gospel.  In the Old Testament Leviticus the sins of Israel were confessed over the head of the scapegoat.  The priests would confess the sins and they would be transferred over.  The love God had.  The priests led the goat into the wilderness, carried the sin away.  The Lord did that on the cross of Calvary.  The sins of the world were placed on him.  He bore them all away in those hours of darkness.  Have your sins been cast away?  Behold the Lamb tonight who takes away your sin.

Hours of desolation  At the ninth hour Jesus cries with a loud voice.  "Eli Eli lama sabacthani? or my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me."  Jesus suffered those hours of desolation when the father turned his face away.  He had enjoyed the presence of the father.  For so long, now on is withdrawn, left desolated.  His disciples have fled.  Human comfort, sympathy all fled from him.  Now the father has fled.  That humbles you to think he did it for you and I.  Hours of desolation.  Whenever you have a loved one in hospital suffering and in pain what do they do in the hospital drawn around the screens to give them privacy and dignity is the family.  THat is what God did in those 3 hours of darkness, he drew across the drapes of darkness so no one could see the desolation his son was facing.  All the earth fell silent because those 3 hours were hours of desolation.  When the darkness passes the son of God cries out.  Then it is in triumph.  It is finished, bowed his head and gave up the ghost as if he was bowing his head in the bosom of his father.  The work is done.  3 hours of darkness, confrontation, expediation, desolation.  When it is finished it is jubiliation.