Good Friday 2018

Introduction

The truth is we don’t have to say goodbye. We know the ending of the story, we know the victory that we now have. And we know that this Sunday we are going to celebrate the ressurection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The truth is that we would never be able to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus if he had never gone to the cross in the first place. We would not be able to celebreate the victory over death without Jesus first embracing the sting of death. And so today we look at this picture of Jesus on the cross. We look and remember how our Savior and our King was beaten and bruised. He was tortured and killed for us, for you and me.

So today we remember. We don’t remember in sadness, but we remember in Victory. We remember in celebration.

IT IS FINISHED!

Today what I want to do is look at one of the last phrases Jesus spoke from the cross. A phrase that has shifted both heaven and earth for all eternity. The phrase is “IT IS FINISHED!”

John 19:28–30 NIV

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

-It was three o’clock. Jesus called for water. He could hardly speak. A soldier fixed a sponge on a spear and held it up to his lips. It was terribly bitter but it was enough. He strained to raise his head and look up to heaven. "It is finished," he cried and then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

-It was three o’clock. Jesus called for water. He could hardly speak. A soldier fixed a sponge on a spear and held it up to his lips. It was terribly bitter but it was enough. He strained to raise his head and look up to heaven. "It is finished," he cried and then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

At the time the moment would have been filled with too much emotion to think about what the words Jesus spoke may have meant. Later on as Christians heard those words again it would have dawned on them just how powerful thse dying words were.

John wrote his Gospel in Greek so he used the word tetelestai . This expression would have been very well known to them.

A servant who was given a difficult job.

A priest when brought a sacrifice.

A merchant who would have been paid

An artist after his painting

Children to their parents.

When Jesus spoke those words he wasn’t saying this is the end of me. It was not a surrender to the power of Satan saying “You have won I am done for”. They weren’t words that said Jesus was dead now and so was all of his work.

All those who heard these words would have known he was saying he had accomplished something. Whether they believed him or not. He had finished the task and nothing can be added or taken away. HE had paid the price in full and cancelled ALL debt. The sacrifice was a perfect one. The Father was looking down at his only Son hanging there lifelessly on the cross and sayin “Well done, this is my dear son and in Him I am pleased.”

What does that mean for us?

What is finished?

Reconciliation is finished.

Example of people seperated and reconciled.

There had been a seperation of relationship with us and God. By the Sin in our lives and the evil of the world we no longer had relationship with God. Think of a time when you may have hurt someone and the uneasyness you felt. It damaged your friendship and put a gap between you. Maybe you ignored them altogether. All of those feelings aren’t put away until the friendship is restored and reconciled.

In the movie Grand Canyon, a tow truck driver is threatened by five troublemakers as he attempts to rescue a terrified motorist. He says, "Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this. Maybe you don’t know that, but this ain’t the way it’s supposed to be. I’m supposed to be able to do my job without askin’ if I can. And that dude is supposed to able to wait with his car without you rippin’ him off. Everything’s supposed to be different than what it is here.

The man is right Sin had a devastating effect on our relationship with God. It seperated us altogether from relationship.

Good Friday

I always thought to myself why do they call today “Good Friday” and I was thinking about that this week this revelation hit me.

Luke 18:19 NIV

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

It was God who chose the cross on this day 2000 years ago. It was God who chose to die at the hands of his creation. It was not by pride but by humility that he went to the cross. It was not foolishness but wisdom. It was not by being powerless that he went to the cross but by being powerful. It wasn’t by anger but by love.

He wasn’t somehow moved from wrath to love because Jesus died that day. He is moved by love. From the moment sin entered the heart of man, unfailing love set out on a mission.

It is why we call today “Good Friday” because the love of God was put on full display.

We have seen love do some pretty incredible things in the lives of people.

There is a story of a young soldier who had been condemned to death by Oliver Cromwell. He was to be shot at the ringing of the curfew bell. His fiancée climbed the bell tower and tied herself to the clapper of the giant bell so that it would not ring. When the bell did not ring, soldiers went to investigate and found the girl battered and bleeding from being bashed against the sides of the bell. Cromwell was so impressed by her love for the young man that he was pardoned.

Because of love people do extraordinary things. They give us just a glimpse of the kind of love that God displayed that day. God the Father sent God the Son to earth. He stood by and watched His Son nailed to a cross hang there in Agony and die. The weight of all Sin upon Jesus at that moment. He did it all out of love.

“It is finished” “It is done” illustration.