Lessons: God's Attitude Towards Sin

In this part of the sermon: Martin highlights the radical shift in emphasis from men's actions to God's actions, specifically the darkness and Christ's cry of abandonment, which he interprets as a temporary…

The darkness at the crucifixion is compared to the darkness God sent upon Egypt, signifying God coming forth for an unusual work of judgment.

and the vocal expression of the abandonment, the cry of dereliction, which is now our nearsightedness. And in setting forth the biblical explanation, we saw from the analogy of Scripture, that is the overall teaching of Scripture. That the darkness signified that God was coming forth for an unusual work of judgment when He shrouded the brightness of noonday in the darkness of that miracle that He did in Egypt. Amen.

7:33 - 8:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon establishes the logical necessity of considering God's attitude toward sin, based on the focus of Mark 15:33-34 being God's activity (the darkness) and God's dealing…

God is depicted as 'turning out the light' on the scene around the cross, shrouding it in darkness to direct attention away from men's activity and towards His own dealings with His Son.

Darkness came upon the whole land. And though there is reason to believe that some may have lit torches, so that certain activities could yet be discerned, I say it is that though God is so determined to direct the attention to what He is now doing in the events of the cross, that He turns out the light on the whole scene surrounding the cross.

14:09 - 14:40 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin presents the core assertions: God takes sin seriously and judges it severely. He argues that the darkness and Christ's agony on the cross are undeniable evidence of God's…

Martin argues that if God did not take sin seriously, the darkness and Christ's agony would make God a 'cruel jokester' performing a capricious miracle, which is contrary to His character.

If God does not take sin seriously, why the unexplained and the unparalleled agony for three hours, which finally toward the end of those three hours burst the dam of our Lord and issues forth in a lie? Did you abandon me? You see God is not a cruel jokester A folkster who performs a capricious miracle to confuse us. Everything he has said throughout his word about the symbolism of darkness is true. When the servant of Jehovah is being made sin, the sinless one being charged in the court of heaven with all the sins of all of his people of all the ages, God says, I take it seriously. I'll envel...

27:00 - 28:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin presents the core assertions: God takes sin seriously and judges it severely. He argues that the darkness and Christ's agony on the cross are undeniable evidence of God's…

He argues that if Christ's cry of abandonment was not due to bearing sin, it would make Him an 'effeminate, unbelieving coward' compared to martyrs, which is contrary to His character.

If God does not take sin seriously, why the unexplained and the unparalleled agony for three hours, which finally toward the end of those three hours burst the dam of our Lord and issues forth in a lie? Did you abandon me? You see God is not a cruel jokester A folkster who performs a capricious miracle to confuse us. Everything he has said throughout his word about the symbolism of darkness is true. When the servant of Jehovah is being made sin, the sinless one being charged in the court of heaven with all the sins of all of his people of all the ages, God says, I take it seriously. I'll envel...

27:00 - 28:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If ever God was going to show any softness, any laxity, any laxity, any leniency in the face of human sin, would it not be when his sinless well-beloved was bearing sin, not committed by him, but bearing that sin vicario…

Martin describes Christ's perfect life, free from any sinful motion, envy, jealousy, disobedience, or illicit desire, to highlight the profound severity of God's judgment when this sinless one bore sin.

until the birth, never once felt a motion in the deepest springs of his own human soul that was contrary to the strictest standards of God's law, never once entertained the first motions of envy to his brothers, jealousy to his sisters, disobedience to his parents, retaliation to his classmates and playmates and schoolmates, who came, who came up through the years of pre- and into puberty and into young manhood, never once illicit desire toward those of the opposite sex. On principle, they came through all of the struggles leading to this very hour, amidst all the concentrated spewing forth of...

34:58 - 36:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If ever God was going to show any softness, any laxity, any laxity, any leniency in the face of human sin, would it not be when his sinless well-beloved was bearing sin, not committed by him, but bearing that sin vicario…

Quoting Isaiah, Martin emphasizes Christ's silent submission during His suffering, contrasting it with His later cry of abandonment to underscore the intensity of God's wrath.

A lamb before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

36:43 - 36:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If ever God was going to show any softness, any laxity, any laxity, any leniency in the face of human sin, would it not be when his sinless well-beloved was bearing sin, not committed by him, but bearing that sin vicario…

The external darkness is described as a picture of the 'darkness that was hurled into the soul of the Son of God,' where He experienced the agonies of hell itself.

The smile of his estimation of his son in the physical universe! He would have turned the brightness of the sun up a hundredfold and concentrated its light upon his well-beloved to show that he was the darling of his heart. But rather than turn up the light of the sun a hundredfold, he pulls down the curtain, shrouds the whole scene from his cry. The external darkness in the physical, visible world was but a picture of the darkness that was hurled into the soul of the man. He was not a man. He was not a man. He was not a man Look at the soul of the Son of God when all the pangs and realities o...

37:54 - 38:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Take sin seriously now, knowing that unless you enter into the virtue and benefits of what Jesus did as the sin-bearer, you dare not face God with unforgiven sins.

The desire of the unpardoned sinner to have mountains cave in upon them rather than face God's judgment illustrates the terror of God's wrath.

The Christian is one who takes it seriously now. So seriously that he knows unless he can somehow enter in to the virtue and to the benefits of what Jesus did as the sin bearer, he dare not of his own sins and unforgiven sins, to sin. He'd rather have mountains cave in upon him and crush him to powder. You who think you're pretty smart, some of you kids, that you withstand all the overtures of mom and dad and preacher and Sunday school teacher and all the rest.

55:10 - 55:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Listen to the warning against the devil's deception and take your sin seriously, knowing God takes every lie, every theft, every disobedience seriously.

Specific examples of children's sins (disobedience, lies, snitching) are used to illustrate that God takes even 'little' sins seriously.

Oh, kids, listen. It's the devil deceiving you because he wants to drag you into hell. Take your sin seriously. God takes every one of those lies against mom and dad seriously.

55:52 - 56:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Listen to the warning against the devil's deception and take your sin seriously, knowing God takes every lie, every theft, every disobedience seriously.

The image of God opening books and reading out all deeds on the Day of Judgment illustrates the meticulous record God keeps of every sin.

Every time you snitched a nickel from mama's pocketbook, God takes it seriously. Every time you told a quote, little white lie to your teacher, God takes it seriously. And if the day comes, you will know God took every one of them seriously. For Revelation 20 pictures the same scene in terms of God opening up a big bunch of books.

56:07 - 56:35 Read in full sermon

The point: In temptation's hour, remember the blackened heavens and Christ's cry of dereliction, allowing the thought of sin to turn sour and make you want to vomit out the temptation.

The metaphor of sin, once appearing delicious, turning 'sour in your stomach' in the light of the cross, illustrates the Christian's detestation of temptation.

Voluntarily caught with our sins upon the cross. And the wrath of God was poured out upon him. And in temptations hour when we think of the blackened heavens, when we think of the cry of dereliction, that sin that had begun to appear, so delicious and so delectable, in the light of the darkness and the cry, turns sour in your stomach and you want to vomit out the very temptation, let alone not to speak of the actual commission of the sin.

59:43 - 60:22 Read in full sermon