The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross-30

7. Here we see the destruction of the "larger hope".

This cry of the Saviour’s foretells the final condition of every lost soul - forsaken of God! Faithfulness compels us to warn the reader against the false teachings of the day. We are told that God loves everybody, and that he is too merciful to ever carry out the threatenings of his word. This is precisely how the old serpent argued with Eve. God had said, "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The serpent said, "Ye shall not surely die." But whose word proved true? Not the devil’s for he is a liar from the beginning. God’s threat was fulfilled, and our first parents died spiritually in the day that they disobeyed his command. Thus will it prove in a coming day.

God is merciful; the fact that he has provided a Saviour, reader, proves it. The fact that he invites you to receive Christ as your Saviour evidences his mercy. The fact that he has been so longsuffering with you, has borne with your stubborn rebellion till now, has prolonged your day of grace to this moment, proves it. But there is a limit to God’s mercy. The day of mercy will soon be ended. The door of hope will soon be closed fast. Death may speedily cut thee off, and after death is "the judgment". And in the Day of Judgment God will deal injustice and not in mercy. He will avenge the mercy you have scorned. He will execute the sentence of condemnation already passed upon you: "He that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).

We will not repeat again what has already been said at length; sufficient now to remind the reader once more how this cry of Christ’s witnesses to God’s hatred of sin. Because he is holy and just, God must judge sin wherever it is found. If then God spared not the Lord Jesus when sin was found upon him, what possible hope is there, unsaved reader, that he will spare thee when thou standest before him at the great white throne with sin upon thee? If God poured out his wrath on Christ while he hung as surety for his people, be assured that he will most certainly pour out his wrath on you if you die in your sins. The word of truth is explicit: "he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). God "spared not" his own Son when he took the sinner’s place, nor will he spare him who rejects the Saviour. Christ was separated from God for three hours, and if you finally reject him as your Saviour you will be separated from God for ever - "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9).

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Here was a Cry of Desolation -
Reader, may you never echo it.
Here was a Cry of Separation -
Reader, may you never experience it.
Here was a Cry of Expiation -
Reader, may you appropriate its saving virtues.