Good Friday (2026)

“Look Up, To Find the Source of Salvation”

Text: Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9

Goal

That we would look up to Jesus crucified as our great High Priest and trust Him as the only source of our salvation, drawing near to God with confidence in His mercy and grace.

Malady

We look within ourselves or around us for relief from sin and guilt, but find only weakness, fear, and uncertainty. Our conscience accuses us, and we question whether we can stand before a holy God. Left to ourselves, we have no place to turn and no source of salvation.

Means

Jesus, our great High Priest, has accomplished our salvation through His perfect obedience, suffering, and death on the cross. As our substitute, He endured our guilt and became the source of eternal salvation. Through Him, we now draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, receiving mercy, forgiveness, and peace with God.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Introduction (Hook)

There are moments when something goes wrong…

…and for many of us the first instinct is to fix it.

So you look around for a solution. You look inside yourself for strength. You try to figure out what to do next.

But sometimes the problem is too big. Too deep. Too final.

And then the question becomes: Where do I go now?

That is the question of Good Friday.

Because today we are confronted with what we cannot fix:

Sin. Guilt. Death.

Good Friday is the day the church stops pretending we can fix ourselves.

And so the question is:

Where will you look for salvation?

Good Friday answers that question through a picture you might not expect: not just a suffering man, but a High Priest at work.

Hebrews 4 and 5 show us Jesus as our great High Priest—both in His life and His death.

No Place to Stand

Hebrews speaks directly to this question:

“Let us hold fast our confession…”

Why?

Because everything in us wants to let go.

When guilt presses in— We look inside.

We try to justify ourselves. Excuse ourselves. Improve ourselves.

But the more we look— The more we see our failure.

When life feels uncertain— We look around. To circumstances. To control. To anything that might steady us.

But nothing holds.

And when we finally look up—

We expect judgment.

Because we know what Isaiah says is true:

“All we like sheep have gone astray.”

We know what we deserve.

Which means the question becomes terrifying:

How can I stand before God?

Because sinners do not belong in His presence.

And left to ourselves— We have no answer.

But we are not left to ourselves. Into that fear and uncertainty, God gives you Someone.

The High Priest Who Brings You In

Hebrews gives the answer:

“We have a great High Priest… Jesus, the Son of God.”

And notice— We have Him.

He has been given to us.

He Has Gone Where You Could Not Go

Hebrews says:

He has

“gone through the heavens.”

Like the high priest entering the Holy of Holies— But greater.

He has entered the very presence of God. He has gone where you could never go on your own . And He did not go there to leave you behind. He went there— for you. To open the way.

And the One who has gone so high is not far away from you.

He Knows Your Weakness

And yet— He is not distant.

Hebrews says:

He sympathizes with our weakness.

He has been tempted in every way— Yet without sin.

Which means: He knows your struggle. He knows your weakness. He knows your suffering.

But unlike you— He did not fail.

He remained perfectly obedient. And Hebrews shows us what that obedience means for you.

His Active Obedience: He Lived for You

Hebrews 5 says:

He

“learned obedience.”

Not because He lacked it— But because He fulfilled it completely.

He “learned obedience” not by moving from disobedient to obedient, but by living out obedience in the real suffering and trials of this life, all the way to death.

Every command—kept. Every temptation—resisted.

Everything you have failed to do— Jesus did. For you.

But His obedience did not end with a perfect life. It carried Him all the way into suffering and death.

His Passive Obedience: He Died for You

And then—

He suffers.

Hebrews says:

He offered prayers with loud cries and tears.

Especially in Gethsemane, but also through the agony of the cross— that’s Jesus stepping fully into your place.

Isaiah says:

“He was pierced for our transgressions.”

“The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Your sin.

Your guilt.

Placed on Him.

And He carries it— All the way to the cross.

And at the cross, we see what all of this was for.

The Cross: The Source of Salvation

John tells us what happens.

They lift a sponge of sour wine to His lips on a hyssop branch—

The same plant used to paint the blood of the Passover lamb on Israel’s doorposts.

The true Passover Lamb now hangs on the cross. And then Jesus says:

“It is finished.”

And John tells us that from His pierced side came blood and water— the blood of sacrifice, the water of cleansing. Your High Priest has offered Himself.

That is the moment when He is revealed as:

The source of eternal salvation.

Hebrews 5:9 says it plainly:

“He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.”

That “obey” is the obedience of faith— trusting in what He has done. At the cross, He made full atonement for your sin. There God declares you righteous in Him. Not partial salvation. Not possible salvation. But finished salvation.

Jesus fulfilled every act of righteousness we needed and suffered every bit of judgment we deserved .

And in His death— He wins.

And because this is true, your entire relationship with God is different.

Now You Draw Near with Confidence

And now— Everything changes.

Hebrews says:

“Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.”

Confidence? Yes.

Because the throne is no longer a throne of judgment— It is a throne of grace.

Through Jesus— You now have access.

This “drawing near” is not just an idea—it is real access to God’s presence through Christ .

You come— To receive mercy. To find grace. To be helped— Right when you need it most.

That is what Good Friday is for you today.

Climax

So today— Do not look within. Do not look around. Look up.

And see: Not just a wounded man— But your High Priest. Your substitute. Your source of salvation.

And because where you look changes everything— let’s be specific.

Application: Where You Look Matters

Look up— When your conscience accuses you.

Look up— When your sin feels overwhelming.

Look up— When you wonder where you stand with God.

Look up— When the old sins you thought were buried come back to haunt you again.

And look up— When your body is failing and death feels close.

Because your answer is not in you. Your answer— Is on the cross.

And when you look there— you see more than the world sees.

Conclusion

Others see a man suffering.

But you— See more.

You see:

A Savior obeying. A substitute dying. A High Priest interceding, even now, for you.

You see:

The source of your salvation.

So today— Do not turn away. Do not look down. Look up.

And see the One lifted up— For you.

In the name of Jesus. Amen