This sermon delves into the profound events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion, highlighting his obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and the depth of his suffering on the cross. It emphasizes the importance of living by the leading of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life, just as Jesus did, and the significance of recognizing God's specific plan for each individual. The sermon also draws lessons from Jesus' behavior towards those who ridicule him, his submission to God's will even in moments of deep suffering, and the restoration of his relationship with the Father. It concludes with the powerful impact of Jesus' sacrifice, symbolized by the tearing of the temple veil and the resurrection of saints, leading even a Roman centurion to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.

We turn once again to continue our study in all that Jesus taught to Matthew chapter 27 and verse 33. They came to a place called Golgotha which means the place of a skull. They gave him wine to drink mingled with gall and after tasting it he was unwilling to drink. We considered that in our last study as to why he did not take that anesthetic drink because he wanted to be alert in the last moments on the cross to pray father forgive them and to encourage that thief on the right side to assure him that he would be with him in paradise to provide for his mother and to tell John to take care of his mother and also to cry out those words, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? And that's why later on when he had finished all that and they gave him something to drink later on as we read in verse 48 he was willing to take it. So we see there a sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit even when he was hanging on the cross. I mean it's normal for a man to take some type of anesthetic when it's offered to relieve the pain but as soon as it was offered Jesus heard the voice of the Spirit saying don't take it. It's wonderful to live like this. All through his life we've seen it again and again and again. This is the Christian life. What we learn from Jesus is not to live by certain laws but to live by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in every little thing from the time we are born again right up to the moment we die even on our deathbed. To listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit because so much is missed if we don't listen to the Holy Spirit. God has called us on earth to be a blessing to other people and if we listen to the voice of the Spirit as we have seen in our study of the Gospel of Matthew we can complete our earthly task fully. We move now to verse 35. When they had crucified him they divided up his garments among themselves, costing lots. Now we noticed earlier in the Gospel of Matthew as we were studying it that many times we find this phrase as the scripture so that the scripture might be fulfilled. For example we saw that in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 22 that so that the scripture might be fulfilled the virgin shall be with child. His birth in Bethlehem was so that the scripture might be fulfilled in Micah that he should be born in Bethlehem. And in chapter 2 verse 6 so that the scripture might be fulfilled as it was written by the prophet Matthew 2 verse 5 and 6 about Bethlehem being the place he was to be born and when he went to Egypt and came out of Egypt it was written in chapter 2 verse 15 so that the words of the prophet might be fulfilled out of Egypt I call my son that's from Hosea and then even his staying in Nazareth Matthew 2 verse 23 when we were studying that we saw he resided in Nazareth so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled he shall be called a Nazarene and all through even when he moved to Capernaum from Nazareth chapter 4 verse 13 it was so that verse 14 what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled and like that we could go through the whole gospel of Matthew in chapter 12 verse 17 just to take a few here and there that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled right through to the end and now we come to his time when he's hanging on the cross and it says there they divided up his garments among themselves costing lots now this is not what Jesus was doing it's what those Roman soldiers were doing and even that was in order to fulfill scripture in the Old Testament we all know that or probably you don't that Psalm 22 is the Psalm of the cross it begins with my God my God why is thou forsaken me it's a prophetic reference to how Jesus would be forsaken on the cross by the father for our sins now in Psalm 22 it's a mixture of prophecy plus David's own experiences so all of it is not prophetic here and there you find something that is prophetic but not all of it but it says here that dogs have surrounded me Psalm 22 16 a hand of evildoers a band of evildoers has encompassed me they pierced my hands and my feet this is a clear reference to the cross it was not David's experience nobody pierced his hands and feet I can count all my bones they look they stare at me that's hanging on the cross and then they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots so you see this is exactly what happened in Matthew 27 verse 35 so even the Roman soldiers were unconsciously fulfilling a prophecy that was written by David 1,000 years earlier what we see in this repeated reference to as so that the scripture might be fulfilled not only did Jesus do certain things but even others you know later on for example when he did drink that sponge as I said in verse 48 if you compare that with John chapter 19 where this same thing is mentioned it says in John 19 28 that was also so that the scripture might be fulfilled he said I'm thirsty and then they gave him this jar full of sour wine brought it up to his mouth so what we learn from this is that this specific plan that God had made for Jesus life right from the time of his birth in Bethlehem all the way to the time when he was hanging on the cross and even his resurrection and even what others would do would be fulfilling scripture related to Christ he's being taken as a baby to Egypt he's being brought back he's living in Nazareth he's moving to Capernaum everything was written down his movements and concerning his preaching and things like that like we saw in Matthew 12 now what can we learn from this Jesus recognized that God the father had a plan for his life in fact that's something that applies to all of God's children if you really understand it it says in Psalm 139 that I was unformed verse 16 in my mother's womb he's talking about the time when I was in my mother's womb verse 13 you wove me in my mother's womb David says and your eyes saw verse 16 Psalm 139 verse 16 my unformed substance and in your book that is the book in which God's plan for David was written at what age he should be anointed maybe around 19, 20 at what age he should be king 30 at what age he should be king over all Israel 37 or so and at what age he should die around 70 so that was all written and that applies to much more to every child of God if you believe it and the earlier in your life you believe it now we've often considered this great truth which is what I believe the greatest truth in the whole Bible which is written in John 17, 23 that God loves us as he loved Jesus Christ there are many verses that tell us that God loves us but there's one verse that tells us how much God loves us and that's John 17, 23 God loves us as much as he loved Jesus Christ and if that be true from birth to death then we can be absolutely sure that God has made a specific plan for us but that won't be fulfilled unless you believe it and you seek it Jesus was always seeking to find that will that's why he prayed often and sought, cried out and kept himself from sin so that his mind would be clear so he'd be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in little, little things he would walk down a road and the Spirit of God would say stop, look up into the tree and he would do that and there's a man up there ask him to come down go and stay in his house this is how the Holy Spirit led him he would be by the Sea of Galilee and the Spirit of God would say go to Tyre and Sidon which is a 70 kilometer walk and he'd walk there and come back this is how he lived his life God directing our life you know we have a destination to become like Christ completely the Bible says God has predestined us Romans 8.29 to become like Jesus Christ and like the GPS that we have in cars nowadays that guides the driver where to turn left and where to turn right the Holy Spirit is there to guide us all through our life right up to the last day if we will listen the car may not listen to the GPS usually they do but if they don't listen the GPS doesn't get upset it says well I'll recalculate I'll bring you back to the right path and that's how the Holy Spirit is if you've gone astray somewhere and we don't listen he doesn't get upset with us but he guides us back to the right path he always desires to bring us into God's perfect plan for our life and that's what we learn from this incident that we must fulfill as the scripture is written or as written in the scripture so that the scripture might be fulfilled we must come to the end of our life also with numerous instances in our life as the Holy Spirit led him he walked and as the spirit told him to go he walked and as it was written in the book God's plan for his life he went here, he went there he did this, he did that and you'll find if you walk like that it says God overlooks the times of ignorance but from the time we get light he wants us to repent and turn around from that independent way of life and seek him all the time and not decide on our own this is where Jesus lived so differently what can we learn from Jesus what did Jesus teach us we would say not to live like Adam Adam had the choice of two ways of life the two trees symbolized one is where you take the knowledge of good and evil within you and you don't have to consult God anymore you just use your reason go where you like decide what is best and use your mind to find out what is the best and do it this is how every human being lives and many Christians live like that too the other is the tree of life where we seek for the power of the Holy Spirit seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow the spirit of God to lead us every single day God wants to lead us every single day and this is pictured in the Old Testament with the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that led Israel day by day God didn't give a map to the Israelites to go from Egypt, Canaan no, then they wouldn't have depended on God that would have been like the tree of knowledge of good and evil I've got it all before me I don't need to consult God but God gave them a pillar of cloud they wouldn't even know where they're going to be in the evening the pillar of cloud may get up may move up and move on and there's a beautiful verse in the book of Numbers that tells us about this in Numbers chapter 9 it says here in verse 18 beautiful words that should be fulfilled in our life Numbers chapter 9 verse 17 whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent the sons of Israel would set out and as long as the cloud settled down the sons of Israel would camp think of this as the leading of the Holy Spirit and when the cloud and the command of the Lord they would set out at the command of the Lord they would camp and as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle they remained camped and when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days they would stay there many days sometimes the cloud remained just a few days and according to the command of the Lord they remained camped then according to the command of the Lord they set out if sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning then when this cloud is lifted in the morning they would move out or if it remained in the daytime and at night whenever the cloud is lifted they would set out whether it was two days or a month or a year the cloud lingered over the tabernacle they stayed over it sons of Israel remained camped did not set out this is how they reached Canaan it's an amazing passage Numbers 9 verse 15 to 23 that means sometimes the cloud would remain there from evening until morning that means the cloud stopped in the evening and now remember what they got to do they got to pitch their tents now okay, it takes quite a while to pitch their tents and all these two million people pitch their tents and settle down and lo and behold it's just the night is over and the clouds are moving and they got to pack up their tents again roll it up, it was just pitched last night and sometimes it says it would be a whole year, verse 22 they'd go to some place, they'd pitch their tents look up in the morning, are we going today? No, next day no, next day no 365 days they'd be there God did not show them where they were going to go next and this is a beautiful picture of how the Holy Spirit leads us He doesn't give us a plan for our future but He leads us step by step and this is what Jesus taught us we're not to live like Adam by the knowledge of good and evil we're to live depending on the Holy Spirit as many as are led by the Holy Spirit they are the sons of God and coming back to Matthew 27 it says they put above him, his head the charge against him which was read this is Jesus, the king of the Jews and at that time two robbers were crucified with him one on the right and one on the left and those passing by were hurling abuse at him they were whipping their heads this also is fulfilling of scripture if you read in Psalm 22 we read there in Psalm 22 verse 7 all who see me sneer at me they separate at the lip they wag their head saying commit yourself to the Lord let him deliver him, let him rescue him and that's exactly what they said also they said in verse 43 he trusts in God, let him deliver him if he takes pleasure in God's plan for us are just fulfilling God's plan for our life God knows exactly what they're going to say what they're going to do they're going to cast lots for our garments they're going to say he trusts in God let him deliver him so many words in Psalm 22 literally being fulfilled here and they made fun of him saying you who are going to destroy the temple rebuild it, let's see if you're the son of God come down from the cross the chief priests, verse 41 and the scribes and elders he's the king of Israel let him come down and the robbers also who had been crucified with him were casting the same insults at him initially both robbers were making fun of him just along with the crowd and what is it that made one robber finally change and said Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom I believe it was this that with all this sneering and mocking and ridiculing he was absolutely silent just like he was silent before Pilate and silent in the charges that were made before him when he was in front of the chief priests in those courts he was silent on the cross and one thief got convicted he probably never knew much about Jesus but when he saw this man hanging on the cross completely silent not replying to any of the charges people mocking, sneering and doing all types of things and he hears him saying Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing he sees him caring for his mother saying John will take care of you John please take care of your mother and he sees all this and he's convicted he says this is no ordinary man and that's why he said on the cross he turns around to the other thief on the other side and tells him don't you fear God verse Luke 23-41 we are receiving our sentence justly but this man has done nothing wrong and he was saying Jesus remember me when you come in your kingdom this man has done nothing wrong how in the world did he know that see when a person is quiet and does not reply to numerous charges made against him and instead he says Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing the Holy Spirit gave revelation to that thief this is the son of God and that is how any true son of child of God behaves when other people accuse him and ridicule him he only says Father forgive them he does not respond and retaliate is that how you behave this is what we learn from Jesus all that Jesus taught he's taught us hanging on the cross also how to behave towards those who ridicule us and make fun of us and then from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out my God my God why have you forsaken me that period of darkness was when Jesus suffered the pangs of hell in three hours the concentrated punishment of an eternal hell that human beings would suffer in eternity was experienced by him because he was an infinite being he could experience it in three hours what finite beings experience in eternity it was awesome it was truly terrible the depth of that suffering till we see Jesus face to face one day and if you see it you will realize how much he loved you and when he cried out my God my God why has thou forsaken me I want you to see this in his entire life he had never called God God he always called him father father father this is the only time that he called him God why was that because now he was standing before one as a convicted criminal for the sins of others before the judge of the universe he had voluntarily decided to take the sin of humanity upon himself so he was like a criminal as it were and he was standing before the judge of the universe so he addresses him as God but there is no rebellion there he doesn't say oh God oh God why have you forsaken me that would sound rebellious oh God my God which means well I can't understand why you have forsaken me because at that moment when God forsakes a person thinking is not clear at all he was literally forsaken but there in the midst of it he says you are still my God I don't know why you have forsaken me but you are still my God you see the submission of the son of God there that even when he can't understand something why have you forsaken me but we know now why he was forsaken because it was for our sin he was experiencing hell and there we learn something from Jesus what can we learn from here from this example of Jesus that is there are times in our life when we can't understand why God is dealing with us in a certain way and that's the time we say you are still my God you are still my father and we know that his relationship with the father was restored it says here that some were thinking he was calling for Elijah he wasn't, he was saying Eli somebody ran with a sponge and gave it to him, he drank and the rest of them said let's see whether Elijah will come to him and save him and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit what did he say at that moment with a loud voice that we know from one of the other gospels we read father into your hands first of all he said it is finished the work of salvation was over the work of redemption was over and then that's from John 19 and verse 30 and we also know from Luke 23 and verse 46 that he also cried out saying father now it was not God the relationship had been restored by the end of the three hours father into thy hands I commit my spirit it's very beautiful to see comparing scripture with scripture the different gospels what happened on the cross the relationship with the father was restored and as he cried out it is finished the veil of the temple verse 51 is torn from top to bottom the veil was the thing that blocked off the presence of God from people in the Old Testament times the place of the tabernacle when it was rent it showed that the way into the most holy place was now open you could go right into God's presence man could come into God's presence now and call him father something that they could not experience that was the price that had to be paid and we read in Luke's gospel in Hebrews chapter 10 that this veil symbolizes verse 20 the flesh of Jesus it was the flesh of Jesus that symbolized that veil was torn and the way was open into the most holy place and it was torn from the top to the bottom it says in verse 51 signifying that it was God who did it not man God did it and then the tombs were opened at that very moment the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised after the resurrection of Christ they came out of the tombs the tombs were opened but the saints could not come out until Christ was raised from the dead because he had to be the first first Christ and then the others so even though the tombs were opened at that time the bodies came out only after his resurrection saints who had died in the past came out in the resurrection bodies there are people in heaven now with the resurrection body and they appeared to many of the people in the city and the centurion who saw all this the earthquake he said truly this is the son of God imagine a Roman soldier who didn't know anything about the Bible sees that this is the son of God it's wonderful to see what all events took place at the cross that even heathen military people will recognize that we are children of God we will continue our study in the next episode