I invite you to turn with me tonight to Matthew chapter 27. Matthew 27 as we read together verses 32 through 56. Matthew's account, a record of the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We consider for our text tonight verse 54. Hear now the Word of God as we begin at verse 32 of Matthew 27. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon. And they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall. But after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. Above His head, they placed the written charge against Him. This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. In the same way the chief priests and teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. He saved others, they said, but he can't save himself. He's the King of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him. For he said, I am the Son of God. In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? When some of those standing there heard this, they said, He's calling Elijah. Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs and after Jesus' resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. Verse 54 again. when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. Dear people of God, tonight we stand once again, as it were, at the foot of the cross of Jesus. Of course, we know that he is not still hanging on that cross. If he was, there would be no reason for us to gather together because we would have no hope. But His sacrifice was and is and ever shall be complete. We serve a risen Savior, and in that fact we rejoice each and every Lord's Day. Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death has been conquered for you and for me. But this is that one night in the year when we gather together to remember, to observe, and to indeed celebrate in a particular way the saving sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He accomplished through His crucifixion on the cross. We, at least most of us here, know the story of history very well. Many of us have heard this story over and over again our whole lives. It's so familiar that even many of the boys and girls here tonight can recite many of the details of the crucifixion that we find recorded in the Gospel accounts. And maybe even once in a while we are tempted to wonder, well, what else can I possibly learn from all of this? I mean, I really think I know it all already. What else is there to learn? Yet we still come back again and again every Good Friday to be reminded of this event apart from which there is no hope for you and for me. And we hear the story read each time and we consider the Word of God as He instructs us again and again that our hope is in nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. You see, beloved, the message of the cross is not new to many of us, is it? If it is new to you tonight, then may your ears tingle. And by God's grace, may that tingle reach all the way to the depth of your heart as you hear the good news of your only hope. And for those for whom this message is not new, may our ears also tingle once again with that good news. And may God, through His Holy Spirit, strengthen our faith and increase our assurance in such a great salvation. But tonight, for a few moments, we want to consider this message of the cross as it was proclaimed by the unlikely messenger who indeed proclaims the truth. Those are the two points that you find listed in the bulletin tonight. Again, the text says, When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. Now tonight I'd also like to do something a little bit different in that I would like us to also bring into this the parallel accounts that we find in Mark and in Luke. Mark 15, verse 39 says, And when the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, surely this man was the Son of God. And Luke 23, verse 47 says, the centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, surely this was a righteous man. Now, beloved, the unlikely messenger who speaks the message of the cross was this centurion, a Roman military leader who had charge of a hundred soldiers. This man did not know the true God. To him, Caesar was a god. Nor did he really care about this Jesus who was being crucified. At least, there's no evidence in Scripture to the contrary with regard to these two points that says that he did know the true God or that he did really care about this particular Jesus. He was simply doing his job. And on this day, it was his job to carry out the punishments of these three men, of these three criminals on these three separate crosses. He may have been in charge of these kinds of executions many times before because crucifixion, we know, was a common form of execution at that time. But this day would turn out to be different. Indeed, this time it was different. This centurion had a front row seat. Mark says he stood there in front of Jesus. The idea is that his position was basically right in front of the cross facing Jesus so he could see and observe and witness every detail. He was in charge. As the commanding officer, he had the responsibility of watching over every detail and therefore he didn't miss any of the details. And that means, beloved, that he heard all of the taunting by the Jews. Beginning in verse 39, we read, Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. In the same way, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders mocked Him. He saved others, they said, but He can't save Himself. He's the King of Israel. Let Him come down now from the cross and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him. For He said, I am the Son of God. In the same way, the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. And in Luke 23, verse 35, we read, He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One. The centurion heard all the taunts of the Jews, but he also heard all that Jesus said. For example, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Or I tell you the truth, as he said to the thief beside him, Today you will be with me in paradise. Or my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? For it is finished. And then finally, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. He saw all the cruelty against Jesus on the way to the cross as well as his suffering on the cross. And along with all of this, you see, he witnessed those things that no doubt had never happened before during a previous crucifixion that he conducted. There were those cosmic and those unexplainable events. For example, the three hours of deep darkness in the middle of the day. But at the moment of Christ's death, after when Matthew says, and when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, pointing to his phrase, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. After he cried out in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. Then Matthew says in verses 51 to 53. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs and after Jesus' resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. And then the text, when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified. You see, Matthew highlights in a particular way the earthquake. But notice what Mark highlights again. And when the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry, Father, into your hands, and saw how he died, he said, Surely this man was the Son of God. Something about Christ's death, the manner of His death struck the centurion. The centurion witnessed the confidence of Jesus in His death. His confidence in His Heavenly Father. And he witnessed the truth that Jesus didn't enter into and face death like many people do, kicking and screaming. And death didn't leap out and come out and attack Him and grab Him like a surprise. But as Jesus faced that last enemy, it was He, not death. He who was in control. In John 10, verse 18, Jesus said of His life, No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. The love of Jesus Christ gave Himself willingly over to death because His work on the cross was indeed finished. And God used all of this. All of this. And in a special way, Christ's Word and the way in which He died, He used all of this to use not one of His chosen people to proclaim the truth of the message of the cross, but to use this one who had no clue about true religion or the true God. God moved this centurion to connect the dots, if you will. This could be no ordinary man. The way this Jesus seemed to be in command, even in death, along with the whole violent upheaval of nature, the earthquake, the rocks splitting, surely there was a higher divine power involved. And the centurion was then moved to proclaim the truth of that message. Again, the text along with Mark's account records the centurion's words as, Surely he or surely this man was the Son of God. And again, Luke says, Surely this was a righteous man. Through this Gentile centurion, God speaks a word of indictment against the taunting and the unbelief of the Jews as well as he speaks a word of indictment against the injustice of the verdict and the punishment of Christ. But first of all, the question we must consider is, did this centurion really understand what he was saying? I mean fully? Did he become a believer beneath the cross of Jesus? There are some who believe he did. But you see, there's no evidence that he did. And we need to notice that in the Greek, there is no definite article. And therefore, the most common translation would be, surely he was a son of God or a son of the gods. Yet as some Greek scholars say, it is permissible at times to translate something as definite even without a definite article. I believe that most likely this Roman centurion did not understand what he was saying in terms of the Old Testament Messiah. Nor did he understand that he was talking about the eternal Son of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But in his mind, he was talking in terms of the Greek philosophy of his day that this was a human being who was favored by the gods. And therefore, this centurion in his own mind was not talking about the deity of Christ, but simply that he was a divine man like the Emperor Caesar who himself was called a son of God. Yet I also believe this is a situation in which God uses a beautiful, profound statement which the speaker did not fully understand. Kind of like Caiaphas, remember, in the plot to kill Jesus? He said it's better that one man die for the people instead of all the people dying. He didn't understand what he was saying. Yet what a beautiful, profound statement. It's the same thing here. God uses such a beautiful statement which the speaker did not fully understand to proclaim the most beautiful truth preserved for you and me today through the gospel testimony. And the gospel writers make it clear that we know what the Holy Spirit is talking about. And again, what a powerful testimony. Now on the one hand, the centurion was putting his life on the line by making a public statement that could put his life in danger with Caesar. You see, through his words, he was saying that this Jesus who was despised and rejected of men was at least equal with Caesar. But we know again that his words reflect so much more than even that. As we said a moment ago, this message was an indictment against the taunting of the Jews. You see, those who rejected him were finally getting what they wanted. They were getting rid of Jesus. They were getting rid of this troublemaker. Now He was suffering, even as He had made them suffer with His truth, which only angered them and which they refused to believe. Yet it's sadly ironic, isn't it, that they rejoiced to see the suffering and death of the One they had looked forward to and waited for for so very long. But you know, this was their day in the sun. This Jesus was hanging on the cross helpless. What could He do to them now? And they could say whatever they wanted. He claimed to be the Son of God, so now go ahead and prove it. Even as we read in the last part of verse 40, Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. Or verse 43, He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him. For He said, I am the Son of God. Yet the truth is it really didn't matter to them what He would say or do because they didn't believe Jesus was the Son of God. They said, in essence, surely He is not the Son of God. While the centurion, in complete opposition to them, says, surely, without a doubt, He was the Son of God. The centurion reveals their hard-hearted ignorance and really their stupidity. They had witnessed the very same signs that the centurion had witnessed, yet they were blinded. But as Luke records, the centurion also states a truth that was an indictment against the injustice of the verdict against and the punishment of Christ. Surely, he was a righteous man. Even though Pilate had said, I find no fault in him, the Jews condemned Jesus as guilty. Why? In Matthew chapter 26, verses 63 to 65, we read, The high priest said to him, I charge you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Yes, it is as you say, Jesus replied. But I say to all of you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, He has spoken blasphemy. Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. You see, with that testimony that he is the Son of God, Jesus was at the very same time testifying to his righteousness. You cannot separate the two. But they found him guilty. And he was punished unjustly as a guilty man. You see, beloved, this centurion, in his ignorance, proclaimed the message of the truth of Jesus Christ, and in doing so, he condemns the ignorance of those who rejected the truth of the One they had been waiting for. Yet this centurion's message said even more. You see, his words point to the truth that indeed this was no ordinary man that hung on that center cross that day. This was the God-man himself who suffered the punishment and rejection of God the Father in place of his people. This righteous one took upon Himself all of the unrighteousness for those for whom He substituted Himself. You see, beloved, that the work of the cross was and is effective only because it was none other than the Son of God who accomplished that work. The Son of God. That work was and is perfect because the only one who could do it did it. And we are to be reminded once again that we couldn't do it. We could not fix our sinful mess. You see, we may be talented in this life. We may have one success and one achievement after the other. And we might have all kinds of accomplishments in this life. Yet the truth is, each and every one of us is a failure in the saving department. Each one of us is a failure when it comes to saving ourselves, let alone anyone else. Sometimes, of course, we don't feel so worthless, do we? But we must not be deceived when it comes to this. Because it took God Himself to satisfy His eternal wrath against our sin. And the beauty is that He did it. He did it. And after paying the redemption price as only the righteous one could, after it was finished, He gave Himself over to face the last enemy, death, so that on the third day He might conquer that enemy too. So that you and I who believe by the grace of God never have to face death with fear. You see, the hope of all saved sinners, each and every one, for time and eternity, depends on the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But notice one more thing here. The centurion was wrong about one thing. Did you catch it? He was wrong about something. He said, surely this was the Son of God. Surely this was a righteous man. When in fact he still is. And you see, when so many well-meaning Christians on this night think only of the gloom and doom of the cross and think that we must pity poor, poor Jesus, we rejoice. We celebrate. Not out of arrogance. Or not because we have no feelings. But we rejoice and we celebrate as we remember the One who took our place. We remember and we celebrate and we worship a risen Savior who lives today. And that's the message of the Lord's table as well. The risen Savior nourishes the faith of His people with His very own body and blood by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, beloved, we ought to be humbled and we must understand how great was our sin and misery that was laid upon the shoulders of the very Son of God. But in truth, Good Friday is not to be sad. It's not to be filled with pity. But boys and girls, it is good. It is very good. Because Christ's work was very good. It is finished. It was perfect and complete for you and for me for time and eternity and for every single last person who repents of their sins and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the message of the cross can only be understood and accepted and believed by those in whom the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, that comforter given by Jesus Christ himself, only when he plants that seed of new life. Do you believe? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one whose blood was shed on Calvary's cross? It's a simple question. Yet it's a very profound question. The message of the cross is a simple message which we have heard over and over again, but we must be content, beloved, to hear this message over and over and over again until the day He comes to take us to our eternal home. As we come to the Lord's table tonight, may we remember that the message of the cross is that the body of the Son of God was given and His blood was shed unto a complete remission of all of our sins.