“MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”
Mark 15:34
Here are three things which
I see in these words of lamentation, which fell from the lips of the Son of
God, when he was made to be sin for us.
WHAT AN INFINITELY EVIL THING SIN IS! Sin
is such a horrid thing that the holy Lord God cannot tolerate it, even when it
was found upon his darling Son. Whenever God sees sin, he will punish it
without mercy. When the angels fell, God cast them out of heaven and holds them
in chains of darkness until the day of judgment (II Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). When
Adam sinned, he was cursed of God and driven from the presence of the Lord
(Gen. 3). When God looked upon the wickedness of Noah’s generation, he
destroyed the whole world in the flood of his wrath (Gen. 6). Upon the twin
cities of perverseness, Sodom and Gomorrah, God poured out fire and brimstone
(Gen. 19). And when God saw sin upon his darling Son, his only-begotten,
well-beloved Son, he forsook him! Be
warned - If God finds sin on you, he will destroy you forever in hell,
without mercy! Flee to Christ, who alone can cleanse you of all sin!
HOW THOROUGH AND COMPLETE WAS CHRIST’S
OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER AS OUR SURETY! We could never obey God perfectly.
We could never fulfill the demands of the law or the gospel. But Christ met and
satisfied perfectly all the demands of God for his elect. This cry, “My God, my God,” was made at the zenith
of our Lord’s obedience. Christ was obedient even unto death. Our salvation was accomplished both by
his doing and by his dying. His doing is imputed to us for righteousness (Rom.
5:19). His dying made atonement for our sins (Rom. 5:11). Even when he was
forsaken of God, our Surety remained obedient. This cry is an expression of
Christ’s perfect faith in God. As
a man he believed God and showed us what it is to believe him. “Faith is
believing the Word of God, not because we see it to be true, or feel it to be
true, but because God said it” (M’Cheyne). We are often unbelieving. But our
Surety never doubted God, even when he was forsaken of God! And
this cry is an expression of exemplary love and devotion. Here is love and devotion unrivaled!
Hanging upon the cursed tree, without one drop of mercy, one smile from heaven,
or one comfort for his soul, Christ loved the very God who forsook him!
THE INFINITE DEPTH OF HELL OUR SAVIOR
ENDURED! What is hell if it is not being abandoned totally by God? Why was
Christ forsaken? Because there was no other way for us to be accepted. Justice
had to be satisfied. When the Son of God was made to be sin for us, when our
sins were imputed to him, God forsook him and poured out upon him all the
fullness of his wrath (Lam. 1:12). God gave him everything our sins deserve.
And now, the holy Lord God, accepts all who trust his Son, imputes to us his
perfect righteousness, and rewards us with eternal glory for Christ’s sake,
giving us all that he deserves.
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor - Grace For Today Radio Message
#563
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438