Good Friday - Hebrews 10:19-25

There is a commonly known story that comes from the life of Martin Luther. ‌ ‌

It is said that the devil approached Luther one day and tried to use the fact that every person is fallible. ‌ ‌

He presented the Reformer with a long list of sins of which he was guilty.

When he had finished reading, Luther said to Satan, “Think a little harder; you must have forgotten some.”

This the devil did and added other sins to the list.

After all of his sins were laying in front of him, Martin Luther simply said, “That’s fine.’ Now write across that list in red ink, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

There was nothing the devil could say to that.

Today is Good Friday a day for careful surveying, humble reflection, and grateful adoration.

On that first “Good Friday”, there were three cries that came from Christ’s heart.

First, “Father forgive them!”

Then, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The first cry required the second, and the second secured the first.

Together, they silence our hearts, and ignite our cry: “Amazing love! how can it be that Thou (Jesus), my God, shouldst die for me?”

Our Lord Jesus—eternally full of grace and truth, gave himself for us—we who were desperately full of need and void of all hope.

Then came Christ’s third and final cry. “It is finished!”

His last words are our first and forever words of freedom, peace, and joy.

Jesus accomplished everything necessary to save us from our sin, and reconcile us to God once-and-for-all.

Now and forever, we cry out: “No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine!”

Because Jesus was fully forsaken, we never will be.

He took our sin, and gave us his righteousness.

Hallelujah, what a Savior, we have in the Lord Jesus!

Hallelujah, what a salvation we have been given.

The author of Hebrews spends all of chapter 10 gushing about the sacrifice of Christ.

In verse 19 he transitions to give us some exhortations.

I want to look at these three exhortations briefly.

We have been shown the new and living way because of Christ’s brutal death in our place.

1. Draw Near (v. 22)

Good Friday shows us what Christ endured that we could know God.

That we who were far off have recieved welcome.

That we no longer have to carry the weight of shame for all of the wicked and evil things we have done.

We have been made new washed clean.

So on this Good Friday examine your life…are you drawing near to the Lord?

We should not draw near lukewarmly, or indifferently.

Even when we feel dull and lifeless, we should say, "O God, I am dull and lifeless, and there is only one hope for me, nearness to you.

I come. Have mercy on me and touch me with your flame and set me on fire again. Give me life in your presence. Open my eyes to your glory and make me live again."

This text is calling for to look the cross of calvary and have zeal - a zeal for nearness to God.

So first Draw Near

2. Hold Fast (v. 23)

Are you holding fast to the Lord?

Picture a small lake in the north when winter has just made itself at home.

A wooden dock juts out into the thin shell of ice on the pond.

Over the whole scene lies a cotton cushion of snow.

A young boy walks out onto the dock, long familiar to him from lazy summer days of fishing.

He daydreams at the end of the dock, but suddenly his sister’s call from shore gets his attention.

As he turns around to see her, he loses his balance, one of his feet lands on the ice, and he crashes into the icy water.

You see, as long as both his feet were solidly planted on the wooden dock, the boy stood securely.

But as soon as he shifted one foot to the ice, even though by mistake, he toppled into the water.

As long as we keep our trust totally on Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross, we stand assured of God’s promise of eternal life.

But as soon as we rest any weight on the thin ice of our own efforts, we will topple into the icy waters of insecurity.

Good Friday is a invitation to be anchored in Christ holding fast to him.

Charles Spurgeon use to say that he was so sure of his salvation that he could grab on to a cornstalk and swing out over the fires of hell, look into the face of the devil, and sing, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!”

When the storms of life, the winds of trouble, and the sea of discomfort and emotional agony seem to overwhelm, we have to say with the songwriter,

“Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.… We dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

And Finally

3. Stir One Another Up (24-25)

Good Friday tells us that Jesus’ blood not only reconciled us to God but to one another.

The cross of Christ is a call to community.

To push each other to deeper hope in the gospel of Jesus.

"How are you doing?" "Fine, you?"

How many times a week do you have some variation of this conversation?

Maybe you answer with "Good" or "Better than I deserve" (if you are particularly pious) or "Tired" (if you are a modern adult).

Whichever it is, to call it a conversation is a bit generous.

It's more like an instinctive polite social ritual.

We aren’t really answering the question because truly answering the question, "How are you doing?" can be terrifying. (And to receive an honest answer would be jarring, to say the least.)

Honest answers would often look more like "Lonely," "Struggling with lust," "Depressed," "Aimless and not really sure where my life is going," "Frustrated in my marriage," "Distant from God," or "Ashamed."

But how could you ever look someone in the eye and reveal such things about yourself? To be that honest would be terrifying.

It would expose the darkest, most sensitive parts of your life.

Exactly.

And that is precisely how Christ calls you and me to relate to others in our church.

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

These words from Jesus in Mark 2:17 are an invitation to bring our need.

Jesus is not excluding people from his care and from salvation.

He is pointing out that some people exclude themselves.

Who is so righteous that they do not need Christ? Nobody.

But some people think they are.

They hide their sins and failures and needs, or they deny them altogether.

So Jesus can do nothing for them.

But if we bring those needs to Jesus in the way a sick person lays out their pain and symptoms to a doctor, he can heal us.

Jesus is inviting us to total honesty-to humbly expose what is really going on in our lives.

It is a distinct line Jesus is asking us to cross.

On a night we remember that all of Jesus’ friends scattered and left him would we see the cost he paid that we would be better friends rooted in a blood bought commitment to one another.

Good Friday is a call to see all the Christ has given us.

We are invited to draw near, hold fast, and to stir one another up.

To hear the brokenness of sin from a brother or sister and say, “me too” because we know that it was our sin that held him there until it was accomplished.

So tonight reflect on the horror and holiness of our crucified Lord.

Sing loudly and wait and anticipate gathering together this Sunday.

Let’s pray.