Thank you, Brother Andy. And to all the musicians, we offer our gratitude. Let's take our Bibles this morning, please. And I'd invite you to turn to the 27th chapter of Matthew, Matthew chapter 27. And I would like to begin reading at the 45th verse and conclude with verse 54. Please follow the sacred text. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Lamas, Abothani, that is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there when they heard that said, this man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink. The rest said, let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, notice now verse 50, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent entwined from the top to the bottom, and the earth did shake and the rocks rent. And the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying, truly this was the son of God. May I extend to you an invitation this morning? In these initial moments, I'd like to invite you to join me as we walk from the ancient city of Jerusalem through the Damascus Gate for about a quarter mile to the place of the skull called Calvary or Golgotha. It was about the third hour, as we read in the Gospel of Mark, that Jesus was crucified. So when we leave the gate of the city and make our trek to Calvary, about a quarter of a mile, and there is much commotion and confusion. In fact, there is much taunting and mockery, blasphemy, Difficult really for you and me to hear, but there is a voice coming to us from the person on the center cross. So shall we listen intently? And you and I are familiar with that first saying or utterance of the Lord Jesus. as he looked at his enemies, the adversaries that really had nailed him to the tree. With concern and compassion, he said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Forgiveness, the extension and the expression of grace. But then, we continue to make our way just a little closer to the cross. And there it seems as if we find three individuals hanging on crosses. The Lord Jesus, as we know, is on the center cross, is he not? And then on both sides, either side, we find a malfactor or a thief. And as we continue to listen, we really hear them too, jeering and mocking and blaspheming. And such, if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross and save thyself and us. Then it seems as if there is a work of grace in the heart of one who said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Do you get the message? It's the message of redemption. Today, not tomorrow, or some time in the distant future, but today thou shalt be with me in paradise. And then with great affection and attention, hanging there in agony, intense pain and much suffering, the Lord Jesus speaks to his dear mother. Woman, behold thy son. And what does he really mean? Well, the disciple whom Jesus loved. the one who under inspiration penned for us the gospel of John and the three epistles of John and the book of the Revelation. Woman, behold thy son, John. And to John he said, behold thy mother. And we understand, do we not, that John took the mother of the Lord Jesus to his house and cared for her to her death. Jesus crucified at nine o'clock in the morning. The third hour. Let me say a word here of explanation. The day began at six. So the third hour would be nine, the time of his crucifixion. The sixth hour would be what class? Noon. And the ninth hour would be three o'clock in the afternoon. Now those times are significant to us because when we read the sacred text, you and I learn very clearly and succinctly that after those three utterances from the cross, there was supernatural darkness at noonday. The title of the message this morning is what? Miracles of Calvary. Naturally, we have the death of the Son of God, the God-man, God manifested in the flesh. But one of the accompanying miracles was darkness at noonday. Will you look at it with me, please? And Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. But I want you to see verse 45. Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land, until the ninth hour. So we have supernatural darkness over the entire land. Now connect that with the fourth utterance of Jesus from the cross. Now with this supernatural darkness over the land. And please take note, this is over all, A-L-L, over all the land. This is not a partial darkness. This is not a darkness that covered only a small portion of the earth. It is the entire earth that is clothed in darkness. The Bible says the sun failed. It was when Jesus cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, that suddenly the darkness enveloped the earth. So I suppose we could really ask the question, how did this happen? And why did it happen? Pertinent and legitimate questions. Number one, the liberals, the modernists, would say this was an eclipse of the moon. But it's my understanding from those who study the planets and those cellular bodies, then an eclipse only lasts briefly, maybe a few minutes or a bit more, but certainly not for three hours. Secondly, we know from scripture that the Passover was always celebrated at full moon, and there is never an eclipse at full moon. So, we recognize immediately this is supernatural. It is not natural. Now, notice the contrast. How the soldiers, the chief priests, the religious hierarchy had been mocking and taunting jeering and blaspheming the Savior. I said it was a time of chaos and confusion. But suddenly, there is silence at Calvary. May I say a holy hush? Now, why the darkness? Well, I believe that this is the very heart of the atonement. It seems to me as if God just pulled the curtain. and obstructed our vision from the great transformation. In other words, he who knew no sin became sin for us. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. The iniquity of us all was laid upon him. May I say, it even the wrath of God was placed upon our Savior. For I see in this darkness the horror of sin. The curse of sin is what, class? The curse of sin is really death. In other words, when you and I ride by a cemetery, or we walk through a cemetery, when one of our loved ones or one of our friends passes away, we call it death. That is the result of sin. The curse of sin is the law, I know, but what is the law? The law speaks to us of what? Death. So I see here the horror of sin, the suffering of Christ, the reality of death. for he went to the depths in order that you and I might be raised to the heights." So this supernatural, this non-natural darkness at midday speaks to us of the highlight of the major work of Calvary, namely his substitutionary atoning death for our eternal salvation. So one of the accompanying miracles of the cross was what? Darkness at midday. From noon till three o'clock. But let's look at the second miracle, shall we? I take note in verse 51, and behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain or two from the top to the bottom. Now, you'll recall that I said what? that Jesus Christ was crucified at 9 a.m. Now, let's ask ourselves the question, when was the time when the priest came into the holy place to offer the morning sacrifice for the children of Israel? Well, you know, and I know, 9 o'clock in the morning. That's the time of the morning sacrifice. And so the priest gathered every day at nine o'clock in the morning with the sacrificial lamb, offering it for their sins and for the sins of the nation. Now again, when was the evening sacrifice? What was the time when the priest gathered together in the holy place to offer the sacrificial lamb again for their sins and the sin of the nation. Three o'clock in the afternoon. So Christ, the sacrifice, remember what the Baptist said? Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. And so at nine o'clock in the morning, nailed to the tree, he was crucified. Secondly, three o'clock in the afternoon, he cried with a loud voice, here are the priest in the holy place and the veil of the temple. There are two veils in the temple. This is the second veil, the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies. And only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. But they're gathered here. Now this is a big veil. Ederschein says, Jewish historian in his book, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, that the veil of the tabernacle, similar to the veil of the temple, and vice versa. The veil of the temple here was 30 feet by 60 feet. And it was composed of 72 squares, like a patchwork quilt. And in the exaggerated language of the time, states Edersheim, it took 300 priests to hang it or to deal with it with arrangement. And furthermore, it was as thick as the palm of a man's hand. So while it was fine linen and embroidered with cherubims, it still was strong. And notice while they're there, offering the sacrificial lamb for self and for the nation, suddenly the veil of the temple, not from the bottom to the top, but from the top to the bottom, like to think of it the mighty omnipotent hand of the eternal one ripped rent tore that veil into I had a young woman married, who taught music in one of the public schools when I was in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. And she would often sing at my request, He hath torn the veil in two. And that's the story, friend. Can you imagine those priests? They must have been stunned. Sanctified imagination, I wonder if some of them maybe fell backwards. Maybe some of them passed out. Can you imagine? There they are. There. And suddenly the veil, the veil is wrenched or torn forcibly in two and there they, they have full vision and access to the Holy of Holies. What's in the Holy of Holies? You know, the Ark of the Covenant and the Shekinah glory. Remember that gold-plated top to the Ark of the Covenant? And then the cherubims with their outstretched wings? And for the nation of Israel, that Ark always symbolized the presence of God. And so, those priests who had been separated from the Holy of Holies, now free access into the very presence of God Himself. Don't you read, as I do in Ephesians, that the middle wall of partition has been removed? That's why we believe, do we not, in the priesthood of all believers? You and I don't need to go through a priest. or a rabbi, or a preacher, or pastor. We have free access. We come in the name of the Lord Jesus and speak boldly and confidently and assuredly to the Father. That's enough to make a staid Presbyterian say hallelujah, isn't it? Think of it. We are a blessed people. For the rending of the temple veil has given us free access into the presence of God. But I want to say this before I move on. This also symbolizes his rent body. That's important for us because not only was the veil rent in two, but his body, his flesh, nailed to the cross. When I graduated from Dickinson, I had a dear friend who was studying pre-law. That was very prevalent at the college because we had the Dickinson School of Law adjacent to the college. And his dad was an attorney in Camden at the time. And he did a special study on the trials from a legal point of view concerning the Lord Jesus. But you know something? And I had him to come and speak in my church, present it. But there are those who have studied the suffering and agony, the physical aspects of Calvary relative to Christ. Very moving. I think most of us don't really understand the depth of the suffering son of God who died that we might live. Well, we have the supernatural darkness at midday. We have the rending of the temple veil. Now, you know what one of my dear friends who works back there in the sound room said to me? He said, I could, you know, set this clock up here. I wouldn't tell you who it is, but his name's Ben. Yeah. Yeah. So Ben, you didn't set this up, did you, friend? Oh, good. Did you hear his confession? He said he didn't touch it today. I didn't really think he would. It was all in jest. We come now to the third. Do you notice what it says here? The rent, the temple was, the veil of the temple was rent entwined from top to bottom and the earth did shake and the rocks rent. So I want us, I want us to notice this miraculous earthquake. And you know, it's a interesting earthquake because we read no properties were destroyed. No lives were lost. there was great strength, not merely cracks, but literally open rocky graves and left them unrestricted to see. Now, I want to describe these graves. You know, when we go over here to the Gloucester County Veterans Cemetery, and we've been there on a number of occasions, we've had internments and inernments. Just this past Wednesday, our brother Bill's internment, we were at the Salem County Veterans Cemetery. What I'm saying to you, when you go there, those graves, are in the ground. Although there are some, and I've had them, where either their ashes or their bodies have been placed in museums. I shouldn't say museums, in mausoleums. Now these graves, these graves were like caves or niches in the stone. Some of it, probably some of them were the result of natural phenomena. Others probably were chiseled or made by human hands. So this earthquake is not a normal earthquake. No property damage, no lives lost. And yet these graves were wrenched open by this earthquake. And in such a way that you could see the bodies of the saints in those graves. Very, very important for us. Because this was associated with his death and the shout of victory. I thought this was quite interesting. I was reading that this was a death cry. He cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. But in addition, it was more than that. Don't stop there, because that's only half of the picture. It is not only a death cry, it is a victory cry. because death cannot hold its sting. When he came, let's look at it, and rose again from the dead, he did what? He conquered sin, hell, death, and the grave, and Satan himself. I preached a sermon here some years ago. Why did Jesus come? And one of those reasons, biblically speaking, he came to destroy the works of the devil. So we have this earthquake. And to me, this quake at Calvary is the answer to Sinai. Now stay with me for a moment, will you please? When you think of Mount Sinai, Moses was called the mount. to what? To receive the law. And remember when he was coming down, I reviewed this again and refreshed my mind about it. When he was coming down, there was, in a sense, a great storm. Zook and Walvoord say, thunder and lightning. demonstration of condemnation and judgment. So when I think of Sinai, I think of what? I think of sin and condemnation and judgment and alienation. But Calvary is the answer to Sinai because Calvary reminds me of what? Forgiveness and salvation and grace Think of grace. Grace has produced our savior. Grace has given us salvation. And grace has guaranteed us security now and forever. So Calvary is the answer to Sinai. The law brings death and judgment. But oh, Calvary covers it all. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. who walk or live after, no, there's no more condemnation in Christ. It was taken care of at the cross. But I want to move on because we have looked at the earthquake. They opened graves. Do you see that now in the text? Verse 52, and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. Now notice, this is a very selective opening of the graves. Only the saints came forth. See that in the text? We read it. Here's the shout of victory. The moment he died, there was an earthquake which opened the graves. Now let's get the picture. I made reference to this earlier, but I want to develop it. Here are these open graves when Jesus Christ cried out with a loud voice. Remember? My God, my God, hast thou forsaken me? That was the beginning of the darkness. And then he said, I thirst, and then it is finished. Not he is finished. What is finished? The great redemptive plan for the ages. It was for this reason Jesus came. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. That's you. He came to seek you and he came to seek me. What we could have never done for ourselves, he did for us. Praise his name. but I want you to see this here, the open graves. There they are, the saints, the bodies of the saints. Now, it doesn't say they died yesterday. Compare this with Lazarus. Remember how Jesus deliberately delayed for his glory. And when they got to the grave, they said, oh my, He stinketh. He's been there four days already. Four days already. Now look, some of these doesn't tell us in scripture. But I would dare say some of them have been there quite a while. What they looked like, the Bible doesn't describe them. But there they are. And some of you may be saying, Terry, why were not they raised when the graves were open? Think with me for a moment. When did Christ die? Friday. And when did the Sabbath begin? Why did Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus anxiously and with haste desire his body that they may take it and place it in the rock-hewn tomb of the garden that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea in which no body, B-O-D-Y, had ever lain? It was the Sabbath. So people walking by saw these open graves and the bodies in them, but they dare not touch them. Why? They would have been defiled. You don't touch a dead body on the Sabbath. That's serious business. Or you would have, or in addition, I should say, you would have desecrated the Sabbath. So it wasn't until Jesus came out of the tomb that these bodies of the saints were resurrected. And notice what it said. It said they went into the holy city. Now let me make this clear. They're not in resurrection bodies. Their old body has been simply restored. Now they have come where when they died, Prior to the resurrection of Christ, they went to paradise. So they have come back from paradise and they are in their natural bodies. Like Lazarus, you understand that, right? Remember what we read in the great resurrection chapter of the New Testament? First Corinthians 15, right? Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are his at his coming. So he's the first fruits. When he is resurrected, these others come forth in natural bodies. And later on, they died and were once again buried. But what I want you to see here is that Christ has destroyed the power of death. I like to think he took the stinger out of it. and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. That's why we read, for the believer, it's the shadow of death. You and I as Christians never say goodbye to one another. It's farewell, I'll meet you in the morning. believe that? Do you? Let me have a witness. Amen. That's important. It's biblical. It brings hope and blessing and peace and joy to our hearts. It tells me that I have hope and peace and joy and confidence because as those graves were opened and those bodies came out of the grave. That's a picture of the rapture, isn't it? Have you ever thought about it? If you've been with me at a graveside service, I usually mention it. Wouldn't it be an experience to be standing in a cemetery the moment of the rapture and see all these, yeah, all these folks come, the believers now, not all of them, the unsaved, they're still there, but all of the redeemed The blood-bought and blood-washed ones coming out of the graves. Wow. Hey, there's my wife. There's my husband. Hey, there's my daughter. There's my son. Hey, there's my grandmother. Look at my grand... Oh my, isn't that a blessing? Think of it. There's that preacher that I love and respect. I got saved under him. There he is. What a meeting in the air. I think of that when I go out here to the seminary here, here. Pastor Franklin's on that end of the same row. And I'm down here on this end. And right next to me, Pastor Haynes. Yeah, boy, we're gonna, we'll have a little conference before we ever get there. You get the point, what I'm trying to say? And I'm not making light of this, people. I think it'd be wonderful to be able to see, hey, and those who are still living in Christ will be raised. Those of you, if you're living, is as a believer in Christ, you're gonna be raised. And those who've come out of the graves will have glorified bodies, will meet in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That is a teaching, a truth from this miracle of Calvary. Now the last one. All right, the last one. And that's the undisturbed grave clothes of Christ. We could turn to John chapter 20 verses 6 to 8, but let me just sort of recapitulate it. All right? Remember Mary Magdalene, the first to arrive at the tomb, the garden tomb? And she gives news to the disciples, Peter and John. He's not there. He must be stolen. What's ever happened? She was grieved, heart sick and broken. And then they take off with haste. And remember, one got there ahead of the other. And then Peter And John, one just simply looked in. And the other went in and he saw the grave clothes. One was younger than the other. Maybe we ought to turn there for a moment. Turn with me. I think we got a moment here. John chapter 20. Let's go there, shall we? The 20th chapter of the Gospel of John. This is what I want you to see. Verses six through eight. Let's back up for just a minute. They both ran together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down, that would be John, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulcher, or the tomb, and seeth the linen clothes lie. and the napkin, which was about his head, not lined with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed." Now what I want you to see is this. The clothes are in the form and shape of the body and head of the Lord Jesus. Now that answers the critics. And I've heard this mentioned from our pulpit, by some of our pastors and speakers. There are those who believe that Jesus never died. I'm not saying we believe that, of course not. We're saying there are those who believe Jesus never died. And once he was placed in the cool atmosphere of the tomb, he revived. That is what's known in theology as the swoon theory. In other words, he didn't actually die. But when you read the text, you have the biblical answer. Because the Lord, if anybody had been revived and hurried out of the tomb, do you think they would have fussed with the grave clothes? In fact, I don't think it would have been possible for them to have vacated the premises and had the grave clothes in the form of their body and head. Impossible. It's ludicrous to even think such, isn't it? So the Lord Jesus, remember now, the stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to allow the disciples in. So, when they get in the tomb, it's just like a cocoon. Here are the grave clothes in the shape of the body of the Son of God. And over here, by itself, is the napkin. Now, you've been in funerals, haven't you? Where they put the little covering over the face before they close the casket. Not so much now, but in the earlier days of my ministry, That was always done, without exception. Now this napkin, I think it was more of a total covering of his face. There they are, the grave closed for his body, and then the napkin over by itself. Now that tells me something. It tells me not only that he really died and was actually buried, but it tells me too that he came forth from the tomb. Alive. Nevermore to die. Alive forevermore. That's why we can gather together here today and realize that we are, what? Worshipping, following, serving a living Savior. We don't come here every week to remember His death, do we? We sure think about it, and we appreciate it, and we know that without His death, burial and resurrection there would be no redemption or regeneration for us. And you hear Pastor Turner and we all say the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I've told this story before. Hey, I went to school with the son of a Methodist pastor who pastored the Ocean City Methodist Church. It's now called St. Peter's United Methodist. He was district superintendent in the Southern Conference twice. And I remember he and his wife were dinner guests of my parents in Quinton. And I said to him, I said, Dr. Guffey, do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ? And this is what he said to me. He said, I believe the spirit of God permeates the universe. In other words, that was a fancy way to say to me, I don't believe in the bodily resurrection. I've come to tell you this morning, friend, as graciously but as emphatically as possible, if you do not believe in the bodily resurrection of God's precious Son, you don't believe in the Christ of the Bible. And if you don't believe in the Christ of the Bible, you are lost in your sin. You are condemned already, and you are prepared to spend eternity in the lake of fire. Make sure the Christ that you know and love and serve is the Christ who was born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, who died for you at the cross, who was buried and rose again and is alive forevermore. He really died, he was really buried, and his resurrection is the consummation of his incarnation. And let me finish on this note. We have a tremendous promise because we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Over the years, I've had many people to ask me, and they still do. And you know, I visited Debbie, and she's here, Debbie, great to see you. You didn't ask this question, but we talked about it when I visited you a week ago yesterday. I said, think of it. We're gonna be like the Lord Jesus. Now that's not guesswork, that's not just hope so, that's Bible. Go to 1 John chapter three. does not yet appear unto us what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. So people have asked me across the years. In fact, talked about this yesterday. I spoke over in West Berlin last evening. shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. And then I think it's in Philippians chapter three and verse twenty-five. Looking for our savior who will change or transform our vile body, our lowly body into the glorious likeness or like unto the glorious body of Christ. So people, in fact, somebody said, do you think there'll be babies in heaven? Now I wouldn't split a church over this, but I really don't think so. I think we will be like the Lord Jesus in our resurrection. And he died at what, 33 years of age, which we would say is the prime of life. And so I think, I don't think when I see my grandma, I'm gonna say, look at all those wrinkles. No, I don't think that at all. And you see me struggling around trying to walk and sometimes I have a cane and somebody has to help me. You're not going to say, hey, look at Terry Smith. Look at his bald head and he can hardly walk around. No, that's not going to be it at all. I believe that we are going to have, hey, you're not going to have cancer and you're not going to have a bad back. And you're not gonna have digestive problems. And you're not gonna have a heart that's not in rhythm. Talked to somebody yesterday, he said, I've had two ablations and I'm still out of sync. Hey, we have a deacon in this church that had three before he got back into rhythm properly. Hey, we won't have that. There won't be any ambulance. There won't be any hearse. There won't be any ER. Hey, we're going to have a perfect body and it's going to be like the Lord Jesus. So look, you want to know what you're going to look like? What you're going to be like, I should say. I believe there'll be resemblances. When I go to Matthew 17. What's that, the Greek transfiguration? My friend Layman Strauss calls that the preview of eternity. There's a picture. Do you see anybody introducing anybody, Peter, James, and John, Moses, and Elijah? I don't see it. Do you? I don't see Moses say, hey, I want you to meet my friend, Peter, James, and John. This is Elijah. No, do you think you're gonna have less intelligence there than you do here? Not at all. I think I will know you and you will know me. We won't need the introduction. But most importantly, we're gonna have the glorified body likened to the Lord Jesus. There'll be no time in heaven always in the eternal presence, no past, no future. So I believe we will all be not aged folks, not all these aborted babies. Personally, I think we shall be like unto him, for we shall see him as he is. So the undisturbed grave clothes of Jesus, reminds me that I shall be like him and with him forever. The miracles of Calvary. Yes, the message of the cross is not only salvation, but free access to God, a display of his power in creation and redemption, the assurance of our resurrection, and the hope that we shall be like him and with him forever. Now, if you're here as a Christian, Rejoice in your salvation and God's great design and eternal plan for the ages. But if you're here and you're lost, I want to tell you God loves you. Christ died for you. We care about you. Make your seat right now a little altar. Bow your head and tell the Lord Jesus you're sorry for your sin. You appreciate, you're grateful for his gift of love and grace in the person of Christ. And tell him that you want to take him into your heart and receive him and trust him as your Savior. Do it before you leave. You know what the late M.R.D. Hahn said? Those who prepare to repent at midnight die at 1130. Don't put it off. You have no guarantee for tonight or tomorrow. Do it now. Today is the day of salvation. And then speak to one of our pastors or one of our deacons. We'd be happy to talk to you, pray with you, so you can leave with sweet assurance, knowing your name is inscribed in the book of life. Christ is your savior, and heaven is your home. Let's pray. Father, we thank thee. We thank thee so much for the truth of your word, for the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and for the hope and confidence of our faith. We thank thee for these miracles of Calvary and for all that you have accomplished for your beloved. And oh, loving Lord, if there should be one here today apart from Christ, I pray that they will trust thee before they leave and share it with us in Jesus' name.