James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.
TEXT: MT. 27:45, 51-54
TOPIC: Calvary
THEME: The Deity Of Christ
ONLY ONE SAVIOR
INTRODUCTION:
1. On a skull shaped hill, outside a city wall, two thousands years ago, man murdered his maker. They had falsely accused him. They had given him a phony trial. They took him out to Calvary’s hill and nailed him to a cross of wood.
2. Someone would surely expect that if Jesus was who He claimed to be, the eternal, non-created, self-existing, second person of the God-head; there would have been some demonstrations of His deity at Calvary.
3. Since the New York City tragedy, people from all walks of life have been taking a long, hard, look at Christanity and Islam. Many people advocate that there are many ways to paradise or to eternal life. However, the Bible teaches that there is only one way to eternal life and that way is found only in Jesus Christ.
4. On the day that Jesus Christ died, there were many miracles that proved He was the Son of God. Each of these miracles teach lessons about who Jesus is and what He desire to do in our lives.
I. THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN: VICTORY OVER DARKNESS
Jesus reached out from Calvary and touched the sun. There was darkness over the land from the 12:00 pm until 3:00 pm. There was darkness from Dan to Beersheba.
The sun had gotten up that morning like it had done 12,235 times before since Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The sun got up that morning like it had done before and said, “ I wonder what Jesus will do today? I saw Him cleanse a leper yesterday. I saw Him raise a dead man a few days ago. I wonder what he will do today.”
Yet, on this day, when the sun gazed down from the sky, it saw man nailing Jesus to a tree. So, it hid it blushing face in shame. Indeed, this was a mighty miracle. As Jesus reached out from Calvary, he snuffed out the sun. The sun is a mighty burning star in space. The sun is two billion, billion, billion tons of mass. Jesus simply reached out a snuffed it out like a candle.
For three long hours, men and women crept around their homes with candles in their hands. They shook in their shoes. They thought the end of the world had come to them. It was darkness like the darkness that came over Egypt. It was a horrible darkness that could be felt. Throughout all of the country, men and women trembled in the dark.
People had said to Jesus, “Give us a sign from heaven and we will believe you.” When He was born, Jesus put a new star in the heavens; when He died he snuff out the sun. Then, when it was over, Jesus turned the light back on again.
Jesus said that He was the light of the world. If you kill him then you are snuffing out the light of the world. Jesus is like the light. Light can never be defiled. Light can fall on the most disease ridden object and still not be defiled. Light can expose but not be defiled.
Light is constant. Jesus never changes.
The law of Relativity: Einstein made the law of relativity famous with the formula: E=Mc2.
E= Energy
M= Mass in grams
C= Velocity of Light in Centimeters per second.
This simply means a small amount of mass can produce a great amount of energy. Nuclear Fusion is an example.
Einstein said light is the only thing in the universe that never changes. Everything is relative to light.
Light and Relativity: Two cars meet going 50 mph. The relativity is 100 mph. One car going 60 mph passes another car going 50mph. The relativity is 10 mph. Now suppose I saddle a light beam going the speed of light and meet your pastor riding a light beam going the speed of light. At this point, the speed is not doubled. Time stops. The faster ones gets to the speed of light, the slower time goes. At the the speed of light, time stops. In the future, we will achieve light speed and time will stop: That is called eternity.
Darknes can not overcome the light. How does one get darkness out of a room? Shovel it out? Vacuum it out? Sweep it out? Turn on the light. Darkness flees from the light. It will go under the bed or into the closet when the light is turned on in a darken room.
ILLUSTRATION: Five Planes in World War II
The captain of an aircraft carrier had ordered a total blackout on the ship. They were in enemy waters in the North Atlantic Sea. He was ensuring the safety of the ship and crew. The leading plane radioed to the ship asking for the lights to be turned on, so they could land safetly. The radio dispatcher said, “I can not give you light.” Then another pilot radioed in asking for just one light to save them from death. The radio dispatcher said, “No light will be given.” He turned of the radio. All five planes went down.
II. THE MIRACLE OF THE SANCTUARY: VICTORY OVER DIVISION
This was a significant miracle to the Jew. The rending of the veil, rendered obsolete a religion sanctified by divine inspiration for 1500 years. That veil was not rent by a human hand. It was rent by the hand of God. It was rent from top to bottom. The veil was as thick as a man’s hand. It span the temple from side to side.
The veil had hung in the tabernacle and temple, except for the brief period during the Babylonian captivity, it had hung there for 1500 years. It had formed impassable barrier between man and God. Beyond the temple veil was the Holy of Holies. It was as black as midnight in the Holy of Holies.
In the Holy Place, there was lamp stand that shed it’s light on the table, upon the golden altar of incense. Beyond the veil, there was no light in the Holy of Holies. Inside the Holy of Holies was a sacred piece of furniture called the Ark. It was a box covered with a solid slab of Gold. Out of the same slab of gold were the figures of the Cherubim. The faces of the Cherubim were turned inward and downward. Their wings were outstretched to overshadow the mercy seat. The Cherubim were watching the blood on the Mercy Seat.
Very few people had ever been in the Holy of Holies. Moses never went inside the veil. David, Solomon, Elijah, Daniel and the other prophets never went inside the Holy of Holies. Even the Lord Jesus Christ never went inside the Holy of Holies. In all the long history of the tabernacle and temple, in 1500 years, probably not more than 50 people had been inside the Holy of Holies.
The sole purpose of the veil was to keep people out of the Holy of Holies and the presence of God. Only one king ever tried to force his way into the Holy of Holies and God smote him with leprosy. For 1500 years, God had said in essence to man, if you come in here I will kill you. God said, “You are sinful. I am holy.”
As Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary, He reached out and put his hand on the veil and rent it into from the top to the bottom.
Can you imagine the priest who came to the Holy Place that day to trim the lamps and inspect the table of Incense? At first, he may not have noticed the veil rent into from top to bottom. Then, he noticed what had happen. The veil looked like a ruined rag. For the first time in history, man is now able to gaze upon the Mercy Seat. He no doubt told others what had happen to the veil.
For 1500 years, God had said stay out of the Holy of the Holies. On that day, however, God said, “Come on in and stay awhile.” God says we can come in everyday and stay as long as we want to because of Calvary. God is never to busy for us.
III. THE MIRACLE OF THE STONES: VICTORY OVER DEVASTATION
There was an earthquake. Just a few days before, Jesus had said, “If these should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out.”
People were holding their peace on the day Jesus died and the stones cried out. Where are you Bartameus? Did not Jesus give you sight. Where are Zecheus? Did not Jesus give you back your honor? Where are you Jarus? Where are you Malcus?
Jesus is the one who holds our lives together. Our lives come apart when Jesus is not the center of our lives. Moral earthquakes are the result of secret fault in our lives. Cracks in character can only be healed by Christ.
The simply reason that this world is spinning out of control is because people have chosen to ignore Jesus Christ as their personal saviour. He is the glue that keeps our lives together while the world is coming apart.
IV. THE MIRACLE OF THE SEPULCHER: VICTORY OVER DEATH
No doubt this had to be the greatest miracle of all at Calvary. The graves were open and many bodies of the saints arose after His resurrection and went into the Holy City and appeared unto many there. Matthew treats it like footnote. Yet, the news had to be outstanding to everyone. Just think about it: Miracles in the cemetery. People no doubt went out to look at empty sepulcher. It had to be the talk of the country. People from over came to Jerusalem who had been dead. It was a miracle over death.
People who had been dead for days and even centuries came back to life. They all headed to Jerusalem. Imagine the scene. As a man is returning from work, he sees a man coming out of the cemetery. The man says have a great evening, Shalom. The man coming from work says, do I know you.
Why did the patriarch want to be buried in Canaan? Abraham? Isaac? Jacob? Joseph? They all knew that one day something big was going to happen in Canaan. They did not want to miss it. They wanted to be there when it happened!
Indeed, Jesus had victory over death. In fact, every time Jesus shouted resurrection was the result. He shouted and Lazarus came out of the tomb. He shouted from the cross and graves open up and many came back into Jerusalem. In the future, Jesus will shout on more time. He will shout when He returns for the Church. This will be the greatest resurrection of all the ages.
V. THE MIRACLE OF THE SOLDIER: VICTORY OVER DISBELIEF
When the centurion and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying, “This was the Son of God.”
These were men who afraid of nothing in this life. They were the Iron of Legions of Rome. In a time of battle, they would take their great rectangular shields and would join them with the others and form a solid wall of steel. They would face the enemy. They did not know fear. Yet, the Bible says they feared greatly.
Let’s think about this centurion. He was trained to fight for the Roman Empire. He was a rough and tough man. His father had taken him to the circuses of his day. It was there he would see gladiators put to death. In the military, veterans trained him to fight, gamble, swear and be mean. He was promoted up the ranks. The centurions were the backbone of the Roman army.
One day he received his orders to go to Jerusalem. He hated Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the worst place for him to go because of their religion. Then on one day, he received his orders to carry out an execution on Golgotha hill. He takes Jesus to Calvary and nails Him on a cross of wood. They then sat down when their work was completed. Man’s sin could not go any further. They had finished their dreadful work at 9:00 am and at 3:00 pm said Jesus was the Son of God. Later, the centurion goes home and tells about what happened at Calvary. His family members could tell he was different.
He said, “I met a man who was dying on a cross. That man was God. And God changed my life forever.”
CONCLUSION:
1. Christ of creation became the Christ of Calvary to prove that He cares for you and me. The God of Genesis was also the Babe of Bethlehem.
2. If Christ can turn on and off the sun, then He help you to walk in the eternal light and bring the gospel light to the darken areas of your life.
3. If Christ can rend the veil into to bring you to God, the He can healing and harmony to your home now and forever.
4. If Christ controls the movements of the earth and universe, the He can move the heaven and earth if necessary to bring a miracle in your life.
5. If Christ can conqueror death, the he can bring healing to your physical body now.
6. If Christ can speak to the Roman Centurion and convince him that Jesus is the Son of God, then He can save you and your family members today.
7. Truly, there is only one savior and his name is Jesus Christ.
