Why is Good Friday, Good?

We cannot look past the cross… and simply jump to the empty tomb

as wonderful as that is, as glorious and exciting as that may be

There is a tendency with us Pastors to attempt to make add things

What will I preach on… Well there are a few events that do not need pastors to become more creative

Good Friday and Easter are chief among those

My attempt is to focus on one verse…

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the LORD has punished him

for the iniquity of us all

What will I preach on… Well there are a few events that do not need pastors to become more creative

Good Friday and Easter are chief among those

My attempt is to focus on one verse… Isaiah 53:6

The focus will be on two words in this verse

Astray - to wander, or go our own way

We understand this word, we all have our own way of doing things

for most men, there are two ways of doing things… the wrong way or their way

This word is a little like that, but our way is the wrong way

we have spent the last 10 weeks going over the Ten Commandments

That is God’s way, His law that he has set in place for us to follow

review briefly what that is....

Love God and Love People

We have all gone astray, wandered our own way and the Bible calls this sin…

Sin literally means “miss the mark”

it comes from an archery term… if the shooter did not hit the target, somebody down by the target would yell, “sin!”

We normally think of hitting the target as if we are only off a little, that is ok

have you ever watched one of the people throw knives at somebody and their target is right next to the person. if they’re really good, they can even spin the wheel. If they are a little off there, it could mean life or death…

there is not a scale of which we are judged, as if we are only a little sinful, so we are ok

James tells us that one commits adultery, another murders, both are law breakers

both are sinners

The punishment is what we have to also understand

an eternal separation, a spiritual death and eternity in a real place called Hell

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This leads us to our next word… punishment = attack or bring down

this is the part that we celebrate today…

maybe not like other celebrations, with gifts and candy and loud festivities and parties

but somberly and prayerfully

We celebrate the punishment that we deserve being poured out on somebody else

Our text says that the Lord punished Him for the iniquity of us all!

that somebody else, is the very Son of God

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, will not perish but have ever lasting life.

The way that it was poured out, was the crucifixion of Christ

started at the last supper

arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane

Trial before Ciaphas

Trial before Pilate

flogged

crucified

When Jesus died, he cried out two things, Father why have you forsaken me? and it is finished!

as he died the earth shook, and the veil in the temple tore...

explain the OT tabernacle, only the High Priest could go into the presence of God

now, because of this brutal death of Jesus, we have access to a holy God.

this is the joy that Jesus had as he went to the cross

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The joy of you and I having access and an eternal life with God meant that he endured the cross with joy!

Can you celebrate that today?