From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). —Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)

What does it teach me?

1. God is holy.

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. —Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV)

2. Sin is bad.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23 (NLT)

3. Salvation is costly.

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. —Romans 3:25 (NLT)

What should be my response?

1. I turn from my sin and trust Jesus to save me.

We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. —Romans 3:22 (NLT)

2. I live in a continuous state of gratitude.

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. —Romans 5:11 (NLT)

3. I tell others the good news.

God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost. —2 Peter 3:9 (CEV)

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! —2 Corinthians 5:21 (TLB)

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think the holiness of God is a hard concept to grasp? Why?

2. Do you think the sinfulness of humanity is a hard concept to grasp? Why?

3. Why did Jesus have to die to be our substitute? Was there any other way we could be saved?

4. How do you share the message of salvation with others?

5. How do you reconcile the fact that salvation is free, but following Jesus costs you everything?