Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.
A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here,
and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,
but because we're following Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced there's no one so good,
they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it,
which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word.
We are continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark.
In fact, we're getting very near to the end of the Gospel.
If you've been here for a while, you may remember we started back in 2021,
so it's taken us about two years, but now we are in the next to last chapter,
chapter 15 out of 16 chapters.
And if you took a look at my letter to the congregation this week,
you'll know that after this, starting in the month of August,
we'll be headed into the book of Judges,
because our practice is to trade off Old Testament and New Testament books.
But for a few more weeks, we are in the Gospel of Mark.
You'll remember that the Gospels tell the story of Jesus
and His life and His death and His resurrection,
and we've for some time now been slowly walking with Jesus
in the last hours before His death and His resurrection.
And now we're coming here to the very end.
And so we're going to look simply at two things this morning.
First of all, the forsaken Savior,
and second, the torn curtain.
The forsaken Savior and the torn curtain.
I'm going to invite you to turn with me in God's Word.
We're in Mark chapter 15, starting in verse 33.
And you can turn there in your Bible, you can turn on your phone,
and you can turn in your worship guide.
No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's Word.
And God tells us that His Word is more precious than gold,
even the finest gold, and it's sweeter than honey,
even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.
And so that's why we read now Mark chapter 15, starting 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, lama 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.
Verse 37.
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 Joseph 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.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for this time that you've given us.
You've called us and drawn us together to worship you.
And we thank you also that you've given us your word,
that you speak to us clearly, that you instruct us,
that you do what you do here.
You show us and tell us about your Son and our Savior, our Lord Jesus.
We ask that you would give us a clear vision of him this morning,
that we would see his great beauty and glory,
his love, his power, and his authority,
that you would grow our love for him,
our reverence for him, our obedience to him.
We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now we start this portion hearing about Jesus knowing that it is incredibly dark.
We're told, verse 33, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour.
To translate that into modern language,
we would say that's from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Or for some of you, 1,200 to 1,500.
The question here is, why is it so important?
Why does it matter that there's darkness over the land
as we begin Jesus' time here on the cross?
And to understand that, we actually have to go back in history,
in the story of God's people, of Israel,
to when they were in slavery in the land of Egypt.
When Israel was in slavery,
you'll remember they were in slavery for 400 years,
and then they were brought out,
they were rescued from Egypt by God.
We learn about this in the book of Exodus,
which is an Old Testament book.
Ex means out of, and the odos part means road.
So Exodus is just the road out of, the road out of Egypt.
And you'll remember that God delivers his people from Egypt,
from the hand of Pharaoh, who is unwilling to let them go.
His heart has been hardened.
And so God performs these 10 curses on the land of Egypt.
It starts out a little small, it gets worse and worse.
And one of the worst curses,
the ninth out of the 10th curse,
is the curse of darkness.
So over the whole land of Egypt,
no one can see their hand in front of their face.
And what happens then?
What's the 10th curse?
If you're familiar with the story,
you know that the 10th curse is the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt.
God's great act of redemption in the Old Testament is the Exodus.
It is God delivering his people out of slavery from Egypt.
The great act of redemption in the New Testament
is what we're looking at right here.
Jesus' death and resurrection,
delivering his people,
not from slavery to Egypt,
but delivering them from slavery to sin.
Why is it important then that there's darkness over the land?
In the first Exodus,
the curse of darkness preceded the death of the firstborn son.
In the second Exodus,
the same thing happens again.
Darkness precedes the death of God's son.
Exodus is being acted out all over again,
except it is even greater and more intense this time.
It is not the firstborn sons of Egypt who are dying.
It is God's own son who is dying.
Remember in the story of the Exodus,
God's people protected themselves
by painting the blood of a lamb on the frames of their doors.
That's where we get the term Passover.
God passed over the houses that were covered by the blood of the lamb.
Here we see that lamb die.
Jesus is the one,
the first Exodus pointed towards.
He is God's great and final act of redemption for his people.
And so it makes sense then that for three hours,
Jesus is hanging here on the cross under the curse of darkness.
It also helps us understand what the darkness means.
The darkness here is a sign of God's judgment.
And it's a sign of God's judgment specifically on the one who is hanging on the cross.
In other words,
Jesus for these three hours is experiencing complete separation from God.
Jesus during these three hours is receiving the punishment that we deserve.
Jesus during these three hours is under a curse.
The curse that was meant to be laid down on us.
Now I want us to pause here for a second
and understand the seriousness of what's happening to Jesus in this moment.
It is not just that he is separated from God,
that he's not experiencing the love and favor and smile of God that he's used to.
It is also that he is experiencing the wrath of God.
As darkness falls on the land,
Jesus is undergoing the purpose for which he came.
Jesus is receiving the punishment,
the wrath of God that is due to us.
Of course,
the separation itself would feel like hell.
One pastor says this,
the longer the love,
the deeper the love,
the greater the torment of its loss.
Which gives us a principle here.
The deeper the relationship,
the greater the pain of separation.
And here is Jesus,
who has the deepest relationship,
one that we cannot even imagine with the Father.
And so,
a pain greater than you or I can fathom.
The deeper the relationship,
the greater the pain of separation.
Jesus has the deepest relationship with the Father.
Therefore,
he is experiencing the greatest pain.
We cannot
imagine
the level of pain and suffering
that Jesus is experiencing
at this moment.
We cannot imagine
the level of pain and suffering
that Jesus faces
for those three hours.
And so,
the point is this.
Here,
we see,
we watch
Jesus receiving
what we deserve.
and we get
a small glimpse
of how terrible
that is.
We see
for a moment
Jesus receives
what we deserve
and we get
just a glimpse
of how awful
it truly is.
We see Jesus
taking our punishment
and we get
a sense
of how bad
that punishment
actually is.
You may have noticed
in your worship guide
on page four,
one man says this,
it is in Jesus' cry
that we see
more than anywhere else
are given to see
the sinfulness
of sin.
What must sin be
if it took
the God forsakenness
of God's own Son
to atone for it?
How are we even
to begin to measure
the awfulness
of sin?
It is only really here
that we come
to have any sense
of the sheer
awfulness of sin.
The real horror
of sin
is that it is
rebellion
against
our maker.
Why does
the darkness
matter?
Because
it shows us
how bleak
life outside
of Christ is.
It shows us
how hopeless
it is.
Darkness
here gives
us a picture
of what it
actually means
to be separated
from God.
It also
helps us
understand
Jesus' words
here in verse
34.
And at the
ninth hour
Jesus cried
with a loud
voice,
Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani,
which means
my God,
why have you
forsaken me?
Jesus
here has been
cast into
darkness.
He's been
cast into
darkness
literally,
and he's
also been
cast into
darkness
spiritually.
God's
goodness,
God's
loving
presence
has been
fully
removed
from him.
And so
you'll see
also page
seven of
your worship
guide.
Same author
says this,
what is
hell?
It is
the absence
of the
gracious
presence
of God
and the
unending
experience
of his
holy
wrath.
All
support
has been
withdrawn
from Jesus,
the support
of his
father's
presence
and love
and the
support
of the
father's
common
grace.
There
was no
human
consolation
or support,
only
unrelieved
aloneness.
The
savior
of the
world,
the
Lord
of glory
is devoted
to
destruction.
Why
is Jesus
forsaken?
What
is the
answer
to
Jesus'
question?
Jesus
was
forsaken
for you
if
you're
in
Christ.
Jesus
was
forsaken
because
that's
what we
deserve.
In fact,
that's what
the prophet
Isaiah
tells us
in Isaiah
53.
All we
like sheep
have gone
astray.
We have
turned
everyone
to his
own
way
and the
Lord
has laid
on him
the
iniquity
of us
all.
Jesus
is forsaken
God
died
in the
way.
Jesus
died in
darkness
so that you
could walk
in the
light.
Jesus
had to be
rejected by
the Father
so that you
could be
accepted.
Jesus
experienced
hell
so that you
could be
with him
in heaven.
That's
why he
was forsaken.
And so
Christian,
the great
encouragement
for you
is this.
Are you
afraid
that God
will hold
your sins
against you?
remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
Are you
afraid
that God
will abandon
you?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
Are you
afraid that
God might
run out
of patience
with you?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
forsaken.
Are you
afraid
that God
might give
up on you?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
Do you
believe the
lie
that there's
no future
for you?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
forsaken.
Jesus
was forsaken
by the
Father
so that
you
could be
accepted.
On the
other hand,
while there
is encouragement,
the challenge
is also
this.
Are you
convinced
that your
sins
are not
really that
bad?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
are you
convinced
that it's
mostly
other people
who need
to be
saved?
Remember
that Jesus
was forsaken.
Do you
believe
that we
are powerful
enough as
humanity
to fix
this world?
Remember
that Jesus
had to
be
forsaken.
that's
the
encouragement
and the
challenge
that God
gives us
in this
passage.
If you
are
anything
like me,
one of
your
favorite
things
about
living in
Colorado
is getting
pelted by
hail at
unexpected
moments.
Just so
invigorating.
It keeps you
on your
toes.
You never
know what's
going to
hit you.
One of
the things
I enjoy
doing when
the hail
comes down
is I
like to
stand on
the porch
of my
house and
watch.
Because I
know as
long as
things don't
get too
bad and
as long as
I'm on
the porch
everything is
sort of at
a distance.
I am
protected by
the roof
of my
house.
The roof
might not
be safe.
And some
of us
have learned
the hard
way.
But I
will be.
Natural
disasters
are a
reminder to
us, a
small picture
of God's
wrath and
judgment.
And there
are times we
get to watch
it from a
distance,
right?
God's
judgment.
This
passage is
a chance
for us
to see
God's
judgment
from a
distance.
It's a
chance for
us to see
God's
judgment from
a place
of safety.
All
people
are able
to watch
and see
God's
ultimate
judgment
from a
distance
for a
time.
All
people
are able
to watch
and see
God's
ultimate
judgment
from a
distance
for a
time.
What I
mean by
that is
we have
passages
like this
that give
us a
sense of
what God's
judgment
is like
and we
are not
experiencing
it right
now.
That is
not to
say we
will not
experience
it one
day.
Christian,
the good
news for
you is
this.
As we
see God's
judgment
in this
passage,
we take
shelter
in Christ.
You
will only
see God's
ultimate
judgment
from a
distance.
you are
covered,
you're
protected
by Christ.
That's
the good
news.
The bad
news is
this.
If you
are not
a Christian,
God's
judgment
is worse
than anything
you can
imagine.
God's
judgment
is worse
than anything
you've ever
experienced.
Christ.
And the
reason is
this.
You
don't
know
what
complete
darkness
is
like.
You
don't
know
what
complete
darkness
is
like.
And what
I mean
by that
is explained
on page
eight of
your
worship
guide.
Even
those who
do not
know
Jesus
in the
world
today
cannot
fully
imagine
an
existence
without
some
experience
of God's
grace
and
presence.
Life
on this
earth
is full
of God's
grace
every
day.
Even
the fact
that we
have
breath
and
life
is an
example
of God's
common
grace
which he
gives
to all
people.
Hell
though
will be
the full
experience
of God's
wrath
without
his
gracious
and
kind
presence.
It
will be
eternal
torment.
In
other
words
whether
you
believe
in God
or not
you
experience
his
gracious
and
kind
presence
every
day.
Jesus
tells us
in Matthew
chapter 5
that God
makes the
sun and
the rain
to fall
on the
just
and the
unjust.
God
gives
his
goodness
to all
people
on the
earth
now.
There
will
come a
time
when that
is not
true
anymore.
There
will
come a
time
when
those
who
have
rejected
Christ
will
experience
what we
see
pictured
for a
little
bit
in
this
passage
which
is
complete
and
utter
darkness.
Removed
completely
from all
of God's
goodness
and his
grace.
Hide
in
Jesus.
Jesus
is the
only
place
where
it's
safe
and
where
you
can
see
judgment
from
a
distance.
Jesus
is the
only
place
that's
safe
from
God's
judgment
on
the
evil
in
this
world.
He's
the
only
place
that's
safe
from
God's
judgment
on
the
evil
in
our
hearts.
we
see
Jesus
receive
God's
judgment
in
this
passage
so
that
we
could
hide
under
the
shelter
of
his
wing.
We
see
Jesus
receive
God's
judgment
so
that
when
the
hail
of
wrath
falls
we
are
covered.
I
told
you
two
weeks
ago
and
I'll
tell
you
again
the
greater
the
love
the
greater
the
loyalty.
The
greater
the
love
the
greater
the
loyalty
the
one
who
loves
you
the
most
is
worth
following
the
most
no
matter
what.
No
one
loves
you
more
than
Jesus.
no
one
is
worth
following
therefore
more
than
Jesus.
No
one
deserves
greater
loyalty
than
Jesus.
Jesus
was in
darkness
for
three
hours
so
that
you
could
walk
in
the
light.
Jesus
was
forsaken
by the
Father
so
that
you
could
be
accepted.
Jesus
experienced
hell
so
that
you
could
join
him
in
heaven.
Now
there's
a lot
of other
things
going
on
in
this
passage
but
I
want
to
call
your
attention
to
this
in
verse
38.
Remember
I
told
you
we
were
going
to
talk
about
two
things
the
forsaken
Savior
and
the
torn
curtain.
And
these
are
in
fact
two
sides
of
the
same
coin.
Jesus
receives
God's
punishment
the
wrath
that we
deserve.
He
dies
verse 37
Jesus
uttered
a loud
cry
and breathed
his last
and then
the next
thing we
heard
here
verse
38
and
the
curtain
of
the
temple
was
torn
in
two
from
top
to
bottom.
Now
why does
it matter
that the
curtain
of the
temple
was
torn
in
two
from
top
to
bottom?
To
understand
the
significance
of this
you have
to know
a little
bit about
the Old
Testament
temple.
First
of all
the Old
Testament
temple
was
understood
to be
the
place
where
God's
presence
was
in a
special
way.
So
when the
people of
Israel
were in
the
desert
where
would
the
temple
be
when
they
set
up
camp?
Temple
would
be in
the
very
middle.
And
they
would
set
up
camp
all
around
the
temple.
Inside
the
temple
there
was
the
holy
place
and
then
there
was
the
most
holy
place.
And
the
most
holy
place
was
the
place
that
contained
the
Ark
of
the
Covenant
and
it
was
the
place
where
no
one
was
ever
supposed
to
go
except
one
person
once
a
year.
So
once
a
year
the
high
priest
was
allowed
to
go
bringing
a
sacrifice
to
atone
for
the
sins
of
the
people
doing
all
sorts
of
preparations
to
make
sure
he
had
cleansed
himself
in
the
way
that
God
had
commanded
to
be
able
to
go
into
the
holy
of
holies.
And
there
was
a
curtain.
this
thick
curtain
that
is
torn
from
top
to
bottom.
Which
is a
way
of
saying
God's
presence
is now
something
his
people
can
access.
God's
presence
is now
fully
available
to
his
people.
God's
says
this
in the
back
of
your
worship
guide.
At
the
moment
Jesus
Christ
died,
this
massive
curtain
was
ripped
open.
This
was
God's
way
of
saying
this
is
the
sacrifice
that
ends
all
sacrifices.
The
way
is
now
open
to
approach
me.
Now
that
Jesus
has
died,
anyone
who
believes
in
him
can
see
God
and
connect
to
God.
God's
presence
is
finally
available
to
his
people.
Jesus
was
forsaken
so
that
you
could
be
accepted.
Jesus
was
forsaken
by
God
so
that
you
could
enter
his
presence.
In
fact,
that's
what
the
author
of
Hebrews
tells
us.
In
Hebrews
chapter
10,
he
talks
about
this
tearing
of
the
temple
curtain
and
he
says
this,
we
have
confidence
to
enter
the
holy
places
by
the
blood
of
Jesus,
by
the
new
and
living
way
that
he
opened
for
us
through
the
curtain,
that
is
through
his
flesh.
Don't
miss
what
he
said
there.
Now
we
have
confidence
to
enter
the
holy
places.
So that
we're not
left
wondering
what that
means,
he goes
on to
tell us
two verses
later
exactly
what we're
supposed
to do
with
that.
Let
us
draw
near
with
a
true
heart
in
full
assurance
of
faith,
with
our
hearts
sprinkled
clean
from
an
evil
conscience
and
our
bodies
washed
with
pure
water.
what are
we
supposed
to
do?
Now
that
Jesus
has
died
and
the
curtain
has
been
torn,
we
are
supposed
to
draw
near.
Jesus
was
forsaken
by God
so that
we
could
enter
in
to
his
presence.
He was
forsaken
for a
purpose
so that
you
could
draw
near.
And so
Christian,
that is
true
of you.
Jesus
experienced
darkness
so that
you could
experience
God's
light.
Jesus
was
forsaken
so that
you could
draw
near.
And so
for you,
the command
is this,
draw
near
to
God.
draw
near
to
God
as
you
confess
your
sins,
knowing
that
it's
safe
because
Jesus
has
suffered
in
your
place.
Draw
near
to
God
looking
for
the
wisdom
that
you
don't
have,
knowing
that
God
promises
to
give
it
to
those
who
ask.
Draw
near
to
God
and
ask
him
for
your
needs
because
it
is
safe.
Jesus
died
in
darkness
so that
you could
walk
in the
light.
Jesus
was
forsaken
by the
Father
so that
you could
be
accepted.
Jesus
experienced
hell
so that
you
could
join
with
him
in
heaven.
And
that's
why
we're
going
to
sing
bearing
shame
and
scoffing
rude
in
my
place
condemned
he
stood
sealed
my
pardon
with
his
blood
hallelujah
what a
savior.
Let's
pray.
Our
Father
in
heaven
we
praise
you
and
thank
you
for
letting
us
only
see
your
judgment
from
a
distance.
We
thank
you
that
Jesus
lived
the
life
that
we
should
have
lived
but
didn't
and
died
the
death
that
we
should
have
died
saving
us
from
your
punishment
and
wrath.
We
thank
you
that
we
don't
have
to
be
afraid
of
darkness
because
we
know
that
we
walk
in
the
light.
We
don't
have
to
be
afraid
of
hell
because
Jesus
took
it
for
us.
We
don't
have
to
be
afraid
that
you'll
reject
us
because
Jesus
was
forsaken.
We
ask
that
you
would
grow
our
hope
and
our
faith
and
our
confidence
in
you
knowing
that
we
have
a
hope
that
is
firm
and
steadfast.
We
ask
these
things
in the
mighty
name
of
Jesus
Christ.
Amen.