Good Friday (3)
Notes
Transcript
earthquakes - horror, fear, despair
[a photo]
The weekend Jesus died was a weekend of earthquakes (27:51; 28:2)
Why on earth would you want an earthquake?!
Why on earth would you want an earthquake?!
Yet,
16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
Something more terrifying than an earthquake. Not just more terrifying - an earthquake that destroys is the preferred option. What could make an earthquake the better option?
A fate worse than death.
The face of him who sits on the throne.
And the wrath of the Lamb.
Why the wrath and the cross anyway?
Jesus Shares God’s Wrath
Jesus Shares God’s Wrath
What does Jesus think about this wrath?
What is it?
Let’s hear from Jesus in just this biography from Matthew:
Some snippets:
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Contempt for other humans - made in God’s image
30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
sexual unfaithfulness
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Greed. Stuff in the place of God.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Unforgiveness.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Fake following of Jesus without my life being changed...
33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
You need an actual/public/noticable connection to Jesus.
38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Being prepared to die for Jesus.
36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Careless speech will condemn you.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Doing evil.
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
wrath for?
[the wrath of God is for ignoring our Maker - actively, passively - making gods of other things in life - treating the people he has made as objects for our own improvement - being disconnected from our maker - taking his good things and treating him as irrelevant.
what is the wrath?
the wrath is described as being condemned as a criminal in God’s sight, as permanent punishment of destruction, as horrific - the justice of God in finally purging his creation of disorder - as being cut off, disowned, weeded out.
God’s wrath is because God loves what is holy and good and pure and true - God’s wrath is his displeasure and correction of injustice and evil.
It is right. It is fearsome. It is worse than death by earthquake.
And on that list of reasons for wrath - we are all in trouble.
Back to the easter earthquake…
Why does Jesus cry on the cross?
46 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?”).
Jesus cried out. A different cry than the one of those wanting to avoid an earthquake. Jesus’ cries seem to actually bring on the earthquake.
Why is he crying out?
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
He’s forsaken and cries out because he’s enduring God’s wrath.
The wrath he’s been warning about. The wrath for mistreatment of others which is also mistreatment of God. The justice he himself will deal out at the end of time.
Jesus drinks the cup of God’s Wrath
Jesus drinks the cup of God’s Wrath
He’s called the Lamb because we need to remember he himself first faced God’s wrath as a swap. [Passover lamb’s death and blood saved the firstborn -
Another disaster - bushfire - backburning saved places…
Jesus the Lamb is the scorched earth where the wrath of God has already been poured out.
His earth-shattering, wrath of God facing death on the cross breaks death and sin:
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
We read about the frightful wrath of the Lamb at the end of time so that we’d know there’s safety in the lamb.
And life. And a new start.
All of us deserve the wrath of God.
Jesus has faced the wrath of God.
Nobody has to be crying out at the end of the world
Nobody has to be crying out at the end of the world
16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
Because Jesus has already faced that wrath for you -
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
That wrath of Jesus the lamb will come.
Are you safe?
You can be safe -
Jesus the lamb cries out ‘My God my God’ so that you do not have to cry out for the rocks to hide you from God.
If you have cried out to Jesus the lamb now you are safe.
[backburnt - another disaster - fire - scorched earth -
But to follow a crucified ruler means the definition of success changes - and our expectations of ‘now’ change. In a hateful and messed up world we will not only be caught in the crossfire but may be targeted. Jesus’ rescue comes through death and resurrection - Your rescue may not mean you escape suffering or death.
What you can know now for sure is that if you are hiding in Jesus, nothing happens as God’s anger toward you. Nothing happens as punishment from God to you. Not now, not ever.
But if you are not hiding in Jesus you are not safe and an earthquake is preferable to death by the wrath of God.
See the love of God for you - that he would endure and absorb his own wrath to protect you from it.
Jesus - Lamb of God - I see who you are - Holy Loving God of Justice and Mercy
I see that I am guilty of living seperately from you.
I see the wrath-absorbing death you endured and I want that safety.
Take me and hide me. Forgive me and save me. My life is yours.