"Seeing God's Hand in the Events at Calvary"
Matthew 27: 45-54

The miracles at Calvary send us some momentous messages!

I. Three Hours of Darkness

A. God was drawing attention to what was taking place at Calvary.

B. Jesus was bearing the judgment of God upon Himself.

C. The darkness was a picture of the despair and desolation of sin.

II. The Curtain of the Temple was Rent in Two.

A. The Holy of Holies is where the special presence of God resided.

B. The way into the presence of God was opened by the shedding of Christ's blood.

C. No matter how badly we have sinned, we have access into the presence of God through faith in Christ.

III. The Earthquake

A. Earthquakes are sometimes associated with the judgment of God, e.g., see Rev. 6, 8, 11, 16.

B. The earthquake showed God's displeasure against sin.

IV. The Tombs Opened

A. Glorified bodies do not need help in getting our of graves, e.g., Jesus.

B. The opened tombs showed Jesus' victory over sin and death.

V. The Resurrected Saints

A. The saints probably did not resurrect until Jesus' resurrection on Sunday morning (1 Cor. 15:23).

B. These saints are a picture of what will take place when Jesus come again. Living believers will receive transformed bodies. Deceased believers will receive glorified resurrection bodies (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

Conclusion

A. As the Roman centurion and those who were guarding Jesus saw what happened at the cross, they exclaimed, "Surely He was the Son of God (Mt. 27:54)."

B. God was reaching out to us through His miracles in seeking to bring us to salvation (John 20:30-31).

C. Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and we must trust in Him if we are to be forgiven and have eternal life.

D. Have you trusted in Christ? If not, do not delay! Come to the cross and invite Christ into your life.