The Heart Matters: Good Friday

SERMON BUMPER

It’s now about 6:25 pm.

The sun is slipping away. If you’re familiar with the timeline of events on this day — you’ll know that at about 3:00 pm — Jesus died. And around 6:00 — the tomb was sealed.

It’s now about 6:25 pm. The tomb has been closed for almost half an hour. It’s getting dark. And silence hangs in the air.

Not peaceful silence. Heavy silence. The kind of silence that always follows loss. The kind that settles into your chest when they are no words left to say.

It’s 6:25 pm — and that same silence fills the tomb where Jesus’ body now lays.

There’s nothing around but silence — and fear — in the hearts of Jesus’ followers — and perhaps quiet weeping from those who were close to Him. These are the sounds that now make up this evening.

It’s 6:25 pm — and these are the sounds that now fill the air on a day the Church has historically called “Good”.

And that’s hard to grasp, right? Because nothing about this evening feels good. Nothing feels resolved. Nothing feels hopeful.

And yet — the silence isn’t empty. It’s full.

Full of fulfilled prophecy.

Full of surrendered obedience.

Full of a Savior who chose suffering out of love.

For the last six weeks we’ve been walking through a series during Lent called “The Heart Matters” — and tonight — Good Friday invites us to see something clearly:

“THE CROSS REVEALS” GRAPHIC

The Cross reveals the heart of God toward us.

Not distant.

Not detached.

Not hardened.

But a heart willing to suffer so that we might live.

You see — in this silence — we find hope.

Tonight we’re reading in Luke Chapter 22 — verses 39 through 46. We’re reading an account that ends moments before Jesus is arrested. Take a listen:

Luke 22:39–46 CSB

39 He went out and made his way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he told them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” 41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. 44 Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

What a powerful account of Jesus’ final moments before being handed over to the authorities. What is the most stressful — or painful — or agonizing experience you’ve ever been through? Think about that for a moment. There are people here who have been through some awful and traumatic experiences. This isn’t just simply anxiety or sad feelings — it’s this deep sense of anguish — loss and pain — unimaginable hurt.

VERSE 39 (AGAIN)

And yet — Luke tells us in verse 39 that Jesus goes “as usual” to the Mount of Olives.

This isn’t panic — or avoidance. This is intentional. Jesus knows what’s coming — and He goes anyway.

VERSE 40 (AGAIN)

In Verse 40 — Jesus asked the disciples to pray that they wouldn’t fall into temptation — because He knew that He would soon be leaving them. And He knows the temptation ahead for them means they might believe that suffering means God has abandoned them. And haven’t we felt that too?

When pain lingers.

When prayers go unanswered.

When silence feels louder than God’s voice.

They were about to see Jesus die. Would they still think He was the Messiah?

And it’s easy to look at this situation and wonder how in the world these disciples could EVER doubt Jesus or deny Him, right? I mean — after everything they’ve seen and been a part of — how could they ever doubt He was the Son of God?

And yet — we’re the same way, aren’t we? We see Jesus make a way in a hopeless situation — and we still doubt His goodness. We see Him save someone who was bound for Hell — and we still don’t believe in His goodness.

And despite our unbelief — Jesus shows that His heart posture was still moving toward us.

Look at Verses 41 and 42 again:

Luke 22:41–42 CSB

41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

This isn’t Jesus trying to escape the Cross — it’s Jesus revealing His heart. Honest. Anguished. Submitted. The cup — it’s not just physical suffering. It’s separation. It’s sin-bearing. It’s the weight of the world placed on the Son of God.

And still — He chooses obedience.

“THE HEART OF GOD” GRAPHIC

Because the heart of God doesn’t retreat from pain when love is at stake.

Jesus Christ is going willingly to the Cross — something that was such a brutal form of torture — that Roman citizens weren’t even allowed to be put to death in this way. This form of punishment was reserved for the most despised and wicked people.

In fact — it was so awful and so painful that a word was created specifically for the agony that somebody faced on the Cross. The word “excruciating” — in the original language — it literally translates “from the Cross”.

Can you imagine?

But listen to the next verse:

Luke 22:43 CSB

43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.

This verse is easy to skip over if you’re not paying attention. An angel shows up to comfort Him. The King of Heaven receives help. The One who commands angels accepts comfort.

This isn’t weakness — it’s humility. He’s not ashamed of this comfort. The heart of God doesn’t reject support. It doesn’t deny pain. It doesn’t pretend suffering isn’t real.

Jesus receives strength — not to escape suffering — but to endure it. And that tells us something important:

“GOD’S HEART TOWARD US” GRAPHIC

God’s heart toward us is not ashamed of weakness. And this is a reminder that because of God’s heart toward us — He wants us to call out in times of trouble. In times of distress. And in times of pain.

This points us to what the author of Hebrews says in Chapter 2:

Hebrews 2:9 CSB

9 We do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.

Jesus hadn’t done anything to deserve death — and yet he suffered and an angel came. It reminds us — again and again — His heart toward us — that it was for our sake — in our place — that He suffered.

Then Luke tells us that He prayed more fervently. Back in Verse 44 of our passage tonight:

Luke 22:44 CSB

44 Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Sweating drops of blood.

This isn’t a metaphor. This is anguish. Jesus was literally so grieved — in such agony — He was sweating blood. It’s a medical condition called hematohidrosis. It’s a rare condition that happens in somebody who is suffering from extreme distress.

Extreme agony and pain.

His body is reacting to the weight of what He knows is coming. Jesus literally strains so hard — cries so hard — that He is rupturing the blood vessels that surround His sweat glands and blood is pouring from His skin. Can you imagine?

In other Gospel accounts, Jesus talks about this grief and anguish. In the Gospel of Matthew — He said, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death.”

Jesus knows everything that’s going to happen to Him. He knows in painstaking detail the events that are about to unfold. He knows Hes was about to undergo several trials where all of the witnesses against Him will lie.

He knows many of the people who cheered for Him just a few days earlier on Palm Sunday shouting out “Messiah!” will now be screaming for His Crucifixion. He knows He will be flogged before they pound metal spikes into His flesh. He knows the prophetic words of Isaiah spoken seven hundred years before, saying He will be beaten so badly that He would be “disfigured beyond that of any man” and “beyond human likeness”.

And still — He doesn’t turn away.

Why?

“THE HEART OF GOD CHOOSES LOVE” GRAPHIC

Because the heart of God choose loves — even when it costs everything.

And even in the midst of all this pain — and heartache — and suffering. There is silence.

From the time of His arrest in the garden until the time our Lord said “It is finished” on the Cross — Scripture records only one instance where Jesus “cried out in a loud voice”.

As our sinless Savior bore the weight of the world’s sin on His shoulders, the suffering Servant cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The spiritual pain of knowing what will come exceeds even the physical pain He will suffer on our behalf.

And so in the silence of the Crucifixion — the only sounds heard are the screams of agony — and the nails striking the wood of the Cross — in that silence — you were on His mind.

Sometimes in the deafening silence of our lives, the only sounds we hear are our own screams of agony. Waiting for God. Praying for this to be over. And yet — the heart of God shows us that we’re never alone in that silence — or that suffering.

Paul says in Galatians 2:20—

Galatians 2:20 CSB

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Jesus returns and finds the disciples — look at verses 44 and 45:

Luke 22:45–46 CSB

45 When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

These disciples aren’t being rebellious or indifferent. They’re exhausted from their grief. And still — Jesus stays.

He doesn’t shame them — He doesn’t abandon them — He just reminds them to pray.

Jesus knows how frail His disciples are. Yet He reminds them a second time — go pray so you don’t fall into temptation. Despite their weakness — Jesus still calls on His disciples. He still serves them. He still loves them.

And the same is true for us. Even in all our failures — and mess ups — He still loves you too, Christian.

Because even in weakness — God’s heart remains near.

In Colossians, Paul tells us —

Colossians 2:14 CSB

14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

He’s taken it all for you. And all of it was taken to the Cross.

Every sin. Every shame. Every regret. Taken.

Not minimized. Or excused. But nailed.

And tonight — we’re invited to respond. Not because we’ve earned it — but because God’s heart moved toward us in love.

(Ad-lib, nail to crosses.)

He has taken every awful thing you’ve ever done — and nailed it to the Cross.

He’s taken the hurt — and the pain — and the regret — and nailed it to the Cross.

The bitterness and the anger that you just can’t seem to let go of — nailed to the Cross.

He’s even taken everything that’s been done to you — and nailed that too.

And tonight — you’re invited to bring whatever you’ve been carrying — and hang those on the Cross as well.

Not to be exposed. Not to be explained. But to be surrendered.

Because the heart of God isn’t repelled by your brokenness. His heart moves toward us.

You’ll notice there are several Crosses down here tonight at the altar — and they’re waiting for you. They already have nails placed in them for you — but there are notecards and pens.

44 days ago we gathered as a church family on Ash Wednesday — committing to pray — and fast — and to seek God during this season of Lent. Tonight — we have the opportunity to write down whatever it is we need God to take — and place it on the Cross.

Maybe it’s shame — or guilt — or anger — or lust — or control — or addiction — or anything that keeps you from experiencing a relationship with God fully. Whatever it is — you can do it silently.

He suffers with you in your silence — but you don’t have to live in the silence of that suffering — because His heart is for you — and it is toward you.

On this day that the Church calls “Good” — will you make your Good Friday one where you come back to Him — and be reminded — that The Heart Matters?

There are plenty of notecards here for everybody. As we play a final worship song — come down if you will.

Crosses