The Bridge Church
Final Words - "Why Have You Forsaken Me?"
March 26, 2023
Locations & Times
Englewood SKY Academy
871 S River Rd, Englewood, FL 34223, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
"My theology has been four very simple words: Jesus died for me."
C.H. Spurgeon
C.H. Spurgeon
1. Jesus suffered the darkness of God's judgement over sin, so we never will
“Nature bowed in sympathy as its Creator was put to death. It was as though the light dimmed across the universe as the darkness of death descended upon the earth. How strange it must have seemed to those who stood and stared. From noon until three in the afternoon two things were present: darkness and silence.” – Charles Swindoll
2. Jesus was our substitute so we would never be separated from God
3. Jesus bore our sin so we could be made righteous
MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS:
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
Dig Deeper:
1. Why are the final words of Jesus some of the most important words He ever spoke? Why is the fact that they are final words important?
2. Read Matthew 27:45-46. The crucifixion of Jesus began at 9 AM. The “darkness over the land began at noon and lasted until 3 PM.” Discuss what it must have been like to be a spectator on that scene, including the drastic difference when it became dark.
3. Read Amos 8:9. Do you think anyone in the crowd would have thought about this prophecy at this time?
4. The word for darkness in the scripture is “pitch black.” Have you ever been in complete darkness before? Explain that experience.
5. How was the physical darkness related to the spiritual darkness that was happening at this moment?
6. Read Psalm 22:1-2,7-8,16,19. Similar to Amos 8:9, do you think that the Jewish people in the crowd would have remembered, or possibly began reciting, this Psalm? What significance would that have had to those who would have made that connection?
7. Describe a time when you have felt forsaken by another person. What must have Jesus felt in this moment to not only feel forsaken by others, like his disciples, but also by God?
8. Read Isaiah 53:6. Jesus lived a perfect life but was punished for our sins on the cross. Discuss the impact of that moment when He felt the loss of fellowship with His Father.
9. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. How does the cross reveal that our God is a just God who cannot overlook sin?
10. Read 1 Peter 2:24. Not only did Jesus take all of our sin, but He gives us all of His righteousness. What does it mean to “live for righteousness”?
11. Read Psalm 22:22-24. What is the good news that is to come after the crucifixion?
12. Have you ever prayed to God and felt like He was distant? Describe that time in your life.
13. How do we rest in the assurance that God has not forgotten you and that he will never leave or forsake you?
Live It Out:
1. Jesus was our substitute so that we will never be separated from God. If you feel separated from God today, spend time in the Word and in prayer. Pray even though it might feel redundant. Read and memorize scripture that reminds you of God’s love (Romans 8:37-39, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8). Be reminded that those who are in Christ Jesus can never be separated from the love of Jesus.
2. Jesus bore our sin so we could be made righteous. He took on all of our shame, and He gives us grace. How are you currently living “for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24)? Today, pursue righteousness by repenting and confessing to God anything that is making you feel distant from Him. Turn to Christ, for if “we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
3. We live in a community that is desperately in need of the love of Jesus Christ. Who do you need to reach out to and pray for? Decide today who you would like to invite to Easter and extend that invitation this week!
Reading Plan:
Monday: Matthew 27:45-46; Amos 8
Tuesday: Psalm 22: 1-15
Wednesday: Psalm 22:16-31
Thursday: Psalm 23
Friday: Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Saturday: 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 8:31-39
1. Why are the final words of Jesus some of the most important words He ever spoke? Why is the fact that they are final words important?
2. Read Matthew 27:45-46. The crucifixion of Jesus began at 9 AM. The “darkness over the land began at noon and lasted until 3 PM.” Discuss what it must have been like to be a spectator on that scene, including the drastic difference when it became dark.
3. Read Amos 8:9. Do you think anyone in the crowd would have thought about this prophecy at this time?
4. The word for darkness in the scripture is “pitch black.” Have you ever been in complete darkness before? Explain that experience.
5. How was the physical darkness related to the spiritual darkness that was happening at this moment?
6. Read Psalm 22:1-2,7-8,16,19. Similar to Amos 8:9, do you think that the Jewish people in the crowd would have remembered, or possibly began reciting, this Psalm? What significance would that have had to those who would have made that connection?
7. Describe a time when you have felt forsaken by another person. What must have Jesus felt in this moment to not only feel forsaken by others, like his disciples, but also by God?
8. Read Isaiah 53:6. Jesus lived a perfect life but was punished for our sins on the cross. Discuss the impact of that moment when He felt the loss of fellowship with His Father.
9. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. How does the cross reveal that our God is a just God who cannot overlook sin?
10. Read 1 Peter 2:24. Not only did Jesus take all of our sin, but He gives us all of His righteousness. What does it mean to “live for righteousness”?
11. Read Psalm 22:22-24. What is the good news that is to come after the crucifixion?
12. Have you ever prayed to God and felt like He was distant? Describe that time in your life.
13. How do we rest in the assurance that God has not forgotten you and that he will never leave or forsake you?
Live It Out:
1. Jesus was our substitute so that we will never be separated from God. If you feel separated from God today, spend time in the Word and in prayer. Pray even though it might feel redundant. Read and memorize scripture that reminds you of God’s love (Romans 8:37-39, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8). Be reminded that those who are in Christ Jesus can never be separated from the love of Jesus.
2. Jesus bore our sin so we could be made righteous. He took on all of our shame, and He gives us grace. How are you currently living “for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24)? Today, pursue righteousness by repenting and confessing to God anything that is making you feel distant from Him. Turn to Christ, for if “we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
3. We live in a community that is desperately in need of the love of Jesus Christ. Who do you need to reach out to and pray for? Decide today who you would like to invite to Easter and extend that invitation this week!
Reading Plan:
Monday: Matthew 27:45-46; Amos 8
Tuesday: Psalm 22: 1-15
Wednesday: Psalm 22:16-31
Thursday: Psalm 23
Friday: Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Saturday: 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 8:31-39