Good Friday, 2024

Opening Scripture

David Ricketts

How Deep the Fathers Love

Worship Team

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance

Brad Veitch

Scripture & Responsive Reading

Brad Veitch

How He Loves

Worship Team

Scripture Reading

Mark 15:16–41 NIV

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

Sermon

Good evening! Thank you for joining us for our Good Friday service.

This year we’ve made the decision to pause for a few moments to prepare our hearts before Easter, and one of the best ways to do that, one of the best ways to amplify the work of what Jesus has done in His resurrection, it to labor — if even for just an evening — over what happened at the cross.

I think it’s in the nature of the church to bypass the suffering to go straight to the celebrating.

Pastor Louie Giglio says, “The unfinished work of the Church is to make sure every person on earth hears about the finished work of the cross.”

Before we get to the finished work though, we have to stay on the work.

Good Friday is the commemoration of that work: Jesus’ work on the cross. It’s a day we have to remember to get the fullest picture and understanding of the gospel.

There’s a major turning point in our passage today that pulls out the robust nature of the gospel for us. It’s Jesus’ line in verse 34, where Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

This moment of rejection by Jesus was the only way we could be accepted — which is what we’re trying to tell the whole world about.

Jesus experiences an unthinkable moment of darkness at the cross so that you might know and be known by God.

This evening I want to spend a little bit of time on that unthinkable moment of darkness — because I think in spending the time there, we’ll appreciate — even more than we already know, our acceptance through what Jesus has done.

I want to walk us through that scene together where Jesus is mocked, abused, crucified, where He experiences His rejection, and is buried.

Our acceptance and redemption, made possible by Jesus, first starts in His humiliation.

He has been given over to the authorities who have already flogged Him, they have pushed a crown of thorns into His head, and they mock Jesus in verses 18-19. Mark 15:18-19

Mark 15:18–19 NIV

And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.

They make fun of Jesus who they see as some kind of royal pretender… We see the irony here, where they mock and bow their knee to the King of Kings.

And yet in the middle of all of this, JEsus remains resolute. He has come to forgive sinners, to win enemies of God as the family of God. He does not flinch. The cross is right before Him, it will have to be carried — He has chosen the way of suffering so that we might receive salvation.

Isaiah talked about this moment years earlier in Isaiah 50:6

Isaiah 50:6 (NIV)

I offered my back to those who beat me,

my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from mocking and spitting.

It would have been unthinkable that royalty would have been treated that way. He is humiliated by evil men.

The way of acceptance in the Kingdom of God has first come through humiliation, and then moves to crucifixion.

If we are to fulfill our unfinished work as a people, we cannot leave out the place where the work was accomplished.

Jesus is taken to Golgotha, a hill outside of Jerusalem; He is nailed to wooden posts and soldiers offer Him a sedative in His pain, and gamble for His clothes; and His final charge is given as He is killed between two criminals.

Golgotha was a site for regular executions. It was off of the main road coming into Jerusalem and kind of serves as a message to anyone and everyone: you don’t mess with the Roman empire, and if you do, you’ll wind up like these guys.

Jesus exhibits to us what can happen with the Kingdom of God tries to stand up to the powers of the world… it’s what happens when Love and Power collide with each other.

Power dominates, it wants to control the masses by way of fear. But we know what John says in 1 John 4:18

1 John 4:18 (NIV)

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.

This is the kind of irony of this moment. Jesus is about to murdered in the fashion that the government used to deal with insurrectionists, as a way to keep people in line; but the sacrificial love of God cannot be cowered, it cannot be manipulated, it will not be silenced. The thing that was meant to silence the church was the thing that caused its explosion.

The powers of the world will always try to subdue love — and it does so at its own cost.

Golgotha means the “place of the skull,” this beast of power will be crushed under the foot of love.

This is Genesis 3:15 finally playing out.

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

The powers of the world occasionally get a shot in on us, but we know that love prevails… God’s love for humanity, to save and reconcile the world, cannot, and will not be beaten. Love crushes power.

But in this moment — we can’t see that yet.

It feels as if power wins.

In verse 33, Darkness covers the land. There are three hours of uninterrupted darkness.

The darkness in this moment symbolizes the wrath of God.

And in that moment of darkness, the Son of God, the Savior of the World, bears on Him the wrath of God.

Jesus suffers the judgment for sin that we deserve… in this moment He is the sin offering that was offered at the altar for the forgiveness of sins.

But sin… cannot, not then, not now, nor will it ever be, welcomed in the presence of a Holy and Sinless God — and so God turns away from Jesus.

In Mark 10, we heard this. Mark 10:45

Mark 10:45 NIV

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The line just before that, the disciples were arguing that they would be willing to endure what Jesus would have to endure. And Jesus says, “you cannot drink from the cup that I have to drink from.”

Jesus has to drink the full cup of the wrath of God — this is the ransom for sinners.

They did not know then what it would cost Him now.

On Him — every sin is layed.

This is Isaiah 53:4… which I love in the English Standard Version.

Isaiah 53:4 (ESV)

Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

On Him — every sin is layed.

The cost to bear my every grief, to carry my every sorry — was the death of Jesus.

And Mark writes in verse 37, “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.”

On Sunday, our cry will match the centurion, who, as he stood in front of Jesus as He died say, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

Surely, this is the Son of God who has given us perfect love and cast out fear.

Surely, this is the Son of God who has crushed the head of the serpent.

Surely, this is the Son of God who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Surely, this is the Son of God who on Him, every sin was layed.

Surely, this is the Son of God who withstood rejection of the Father — so that I might be accepted.

We could not have gotten the fullest expression of the good news of God, had it not been for the rejection of the Son of God, so that we might become children of God.

We could not have gotten the greatest understanding of our acceptance if we did not remember His suffering and sacrifice.

Good Friday is the opportunity for the church, that to remember in the moment of silence and darkness, Jesus has won our joy and victory!

We invite you, as we prepare our hearts for this last song… to reflect on what Jesus endured for you. How His rejection has guaranteed your acceptance.

We invite you to sing, pray, wait in silence — but as we end our service, we ask that help us leave this place in a moment of silence and reflection. We want us to leave remembering what Jesus endured so that Sunday morning will be a sweet celebration for all us.

Let me pray.

Prayer of Commitment

Brandon Morrow

Almighty God, we come before you with humble hearts on this Good Friday. We have just heard again the account of the suffering and death of your Son, Jesus Christ. His willing sacrifice to endure mockery, scourging, and crucifixion is staggering to comprehend.

We confess that too often we take for granted this tremendous gift of love. We fail to fully grasp the enormity of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Forgive us when our praise is empty, our thanksgiving is lacking, and our obedience is half-hearted.

This day, we re-commit ourselves to live as disciples who bear witness to the cross. May the Gospel message of Christ's death for our sins never grow stale to us, but burn within our hearts with awe and gratitude.

Strengthen us to take up our own crosses and follow in the steps of the Suffering Servant. As Christ was obedient, even unto death, may we obey you at any cost. As he drank the bitter cup, may we embrace any circumstance you ordain for us.

We cling to the hope that just as Christ was raised to life, we too will be resurrected through his power over death. With eternity set before us, may we live as people set free from sin and destined for glory.

We pray in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our crucified Lord and coming King. Amen.

Jesus Paid it All

Worship Team

Benediction

David Ricketts