Good Friday: Broken for Our Brokenness

Broken Piggy Bank

I had a piggy bank when I was 5 years old.

It was a ceramic bear, full of change that I had collected for some time.

I was showing it to some visitors, but it slipped out of my hands and shattered on the ground.

It is the first time I remember feeling the weight of brokenness, but it sure wasn’t the last time.

Brokenness is all around us

We have all experienced brokenness

The brokenness of the sins of others

The brokenness of my own sin

The brokenness of death

The brokenness of addiction

The brokenness of anger and bitterness

The brokenness of sickness

Brokenness is IN US

We are angry

We are lustful

We are resentful

We are liars

We are lovers of money

We are haters

We are cheaters

We are slanders and gossips

We are lazy

We are addicts

We are anxious and fearful

We are prideful

We are selfish...

The cross of Christ points to OUR Brokenness

The reason Good Friday is GOOD is because we are broken

When we hide our brokenness we make events of good Friday worthless and meaningless.

If we aren’t broken then this is a tragic and sad day.

If we aren’t broken then Jesus was pierced and crushed for no reason and His life was only a good example of a life lived well.

Until we realize the DEPTH of our BROKENNESS we will never FULLY grasp or appreciate the cross of Christ.

We just think of it as a means to heaven

The Good Friday message is not: “Jesus died on the cross, and here’s what it means for us when we die.”

The real lesson is: “Jesus died on the cross, and here’s what it means for us right here and right now.”

If we aren’t broken then Jesus was pierced and crushed for no reason and His life was only a good example of a life lived well.

Jesus died for OUR Brokenness

Isaiah 53:4–7 ESV

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Surely he had bore our shame, our pain, our lostness, our sickness, our grief, our anxiety,

He was pierced for our lies, anger, bitterness, self indulgence, greed, pride...

He was crushed for our vanity, envy, slander, idolatry, addictions, selfishness...

He took on flesh, came in the likeness of men, took on our brokenness and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED....

He took on flesh, came in the likeness of men, took on our brokenness

He took on flesh, came in the likeness of men, took on our brokenness He was broken for our brokenness...

Jesus Gave us the Bread

Jesus have us a symbol to visualize his work in

luke 22 This bread represents our brokenness. His body was broken in order that we may be made whole. We all know we are broken, let's admit our brokenness that in Christ we might be made whole.

Luke 22:19 ESV

19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

USHERS BEGIN TO PASS OUT BREAD

This bread represents Jesus’ body.

Though the bible clearly says his bones were not broken

When we take the Lord’s supper, we are sharing in the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross

He was beaten in our place, pierced in our place, hung in our place.

God the Father turned His back on His own Son in our place.

He felt the full weight of our brokenness in His body in our place.

He was broken in order that we may be made whole.

We all know we are broken, let's admit our brokenness that in Christ we might be made whole.

Time to Say Goodbye

It is time to leave your brokenness at the cross of Christ.

Is it loneliness, pride, anger, resentfulness, lust, envy, despair?

Is it greed, anxiousness, addiction, selfishness, or control?

Jesus died for that, so it is time to say goodbye

You are invited to give up your brokenness at the Cross of Christ