Matthew Chapter 27

Matthew 27:1-10 ~ Profession of Judas

"It is important to understand the difference between being sorry and regretting what one has done, versus repentance. Repentance means to make a decision for change. Recognizing I can only make the decision to change, and surrender my life to Christ, and let Him change the direction of my life.  But regretting (the word in our text) means to be sorry for the consequences or the effects of the sin, not the sin itself. You cannot just be remorseful.  You cannot just be sorry.  There must be repentance for salvation."

Matthew 27:11-31 ~ Consider Jesus

"I do not know how many times I have seen these verses being taken out of context. He is talking to people who are weary because they have grown discouraged in their souls. We can get so discouraged that we turn out of the way and our path will no longer walk with the Lord. Because of discouragement, because life is so hard. He says, 'You think life is hard?' Turn back to Matthew chapter 27 and read and realize what Jesus did for you. Jesus suffered and He did not do anything wrong. He did this so that he would identify with us. We suffer so that the Lord can discipline us. And the discipline is for us to be able to partake of His holiness. 

"So, what are we to do with all these accounts of the suffering Jesus went through? Consider Him. Analyze Him. Especially in the days when life is very difficult and very hard. Consider Jesus who despised the shame and endured the cross. That is what they ask us to do, consider Jesus."

Matthew 27:32-49 ~ The Process of the Crucifixion

"Jesus saying, 'My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?' has perplexed many people. Is He saying that God gave up on Him? What exactly is He saying? Well, in experiencing the judgment on the cross, experiencing the punishment for sins, it was not just symbolism. It was not just Jesus hanging on the cross that you hang on your wall and it symbolizes forgiveness of sins. He actually experienced what it would be like to be separate from God throughout eternity. So while He was hanging on the cross, yes, He suffered the sufferings of the cross, but He literally experienced the punishments of sin for the world."

Matthew 27:50-66 ~ The Death of Christ

"Jesus has authority over His own spirit and His own body. He can dismiss or release His spirit and call it back again as He sees fit. He is in charge. So what actually happened is that Jesus dismissed His own spirit voluntarily from out of His body. He died when His spirit left His physical body. Nobody killed Him."