Good Friday
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We’ve heard Good Friday sermon’s before, but I can’t find a better way to preach it than I’m preaching tonight. Sunday we are going to start a sermon series called “In the Middle of a Miracle” where we are going to talk a lot about the idea that
You didn’t fail—you just didn’t finish
It’s a statement you’re going to hear a lot in the coming weeks. The issue with Good Friday and Easter is that a lot happens in this event. There is so much to consume and digest that it could take forever to fully figure out.
Tonight we are going to look at the cross from the perspective of a high priest
46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
In Leviticus 16 there is this event discribed called the day of atonementt. On this day the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies with the blood of a bull and a goat. The priests job was simple—go in with the blood and come out alive. If he died-something went terribly wrong.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come…
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
When Jesus was committing himself into God’s hands he was completing the sacrifice
But the ritual wasn’t complete until the priest came back out live.
The offering is done. The blood was shed, applied and released. The viel was torn—showing that the ark of the covenant wasn’t there which could only mean one thing—The religion of the Pharasees was a false and empty religion because God wasn’t there. He not only rescued his people from sin which was an amazing feat, but he rescued his people from religion. To do this he couldn’t step back out the way he came—He passed through death, purifying even that process, and then walks out of the grave on the third day.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
This is the final bloodshed sacrifice, but not the final sacrifice.
1 ... present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
First I love the term living sacrifice. This is how we see the truth and congruence within the bible. If it just said sacrifice one could assume death, but it specifies living sacrifice because If we are in Christ—He fulfilled death. The only death we experience is a death to self—of flesh.
So what is our holy and acceptable sacrifice. While there are many I want to focus on Jesus’ example on the cross.
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Just as Jesus entrusted his soul to God; we too have to entrust our souls to God. Now a few fire by nights ago we talked about God as Creator. When I preached that sermon I stated that we didn’t want to get caught up by suffering according to God’s will because God wanted to Focus on the idea of Him being the Creator.
Tonight we ask the question:
How is suffering a part of God’s will?
First, lets look at
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.W
We are a royal priesthood- which means we called to make sacrifices.
So what is the connection between suffering and sacrifices?
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Now this is the way my brain works. I read this verse and the question that pops in my head is: Why is son lowercase.
We can tell by context that the verse is clearly talking about Jesus and Son, when referring to Jesus, is typically capitalized.
It’s showing us the contrast between God and man.
Son is lowercase because it’s showing the man form. God wouldn’t have to learn obedience, but man does.
Obedience isn’t directly downloaded upon birth. This is why often times one of the first words people learn is no. At this moment even though Jesus held the priviliaged position of son—it’s showing us that obedience is learned through suffering.
Through suffering we draw closer to God and the initial suffering that made this happen was Jesus on the cross.
The second idea is this:
Sacrifice Cost Something
We see this with David- 2 Kings-David takes a census putting his trust in numbers instead of God— 70,000 people died.
Samuel tells David to go build and altar on the same spot where God’s mercy was birthed.
16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
So David goes to build an altar on that land and sacrifice for God. He tells Araunah that he wants to buy the land Aruanah tells David he can have it and David responds with
24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” …
Interesting Factoid- This location is where Solomon built his temple—the Same temple that Jesus rendered useless when he died on the cross.
But here’s what David and Jesus, and now we know
A heart truly after God doesn’t look for the cheapest way to obey…
Because it knows that obedience is the currency of redemption—and souls are worth the cost.
We see this back in our original scripture
47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
We don’t have enough info to for sure state that the centurion got saved that day, but he had a divine revelation. And we could safely assume
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
The product of a life sacrificed and surrendered to God is the salvation of others. When we obey, even at our own deficit, it becomes a testimony of Jesus. And that Testimony never comes back void.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross meant salvation and be cause of His sacrifice our sacrifice of obedience means the same thing.
