Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Friday comments:

Good evening!

We would like to welcome you to our Good Friday Service, as we celebrate and focus on the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.

As we gather tonight, we have a couple of purposes that may seem like paradox—do you know what I mean by that? 2 things that don’t seem to go together—like when people say “Less is more.”

“You have to go backwards to go forward.”

so with our service tonight—we hope to strike 2 purposes:

one purpose is to be serious—it is is to focus on what Jesus Christ endured and did for us! when Jesus was on the cross—look at this.

His physical suffering, relational suffering, emotional suffering, and most of all bearing the wrath of God for our sins in our place, taking the punishment we deserve.

There is a somber and serious note we want to have tonight.

that it took the death of the eternal son of God for our sins.

That what took place was the worst day in human history—that we killed Jesus Christ.

but at the same time we want to be joyful—we call it GOOD Friday—because what Jesus did—He did willingly!

He did for the joy set before Him.

He knew the cost, yet He did it anyway for us—and because of this—our sins are really paid for; we can be right with God—we have hope eternal all because of the horrible suffering of Jesus.

It’s Good Friday—both horrible yet awesome.

both sorrowful yet joyful.

both serious yet happy.

With that in mind—let’s pray.

TEACHING TIME 1.

we have been looking at the last words of Jesus as He hung on the cross.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, record 7 statements as Jesus hung on the cross

So far, we have seen - 3

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

to the criminal on the cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

and then to his mom—Mary and the apostle John, “Woman, here is your son.” and to the disciple John, “here is your mother.”

we have learned a lot about Jesus from these.

The next one we are going to look at is John 19:28-29

John 19:28–29 (NIV)

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

29 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.

so Thirst (nail it to the cross)

Why would Scripture record that Jesus uttered these words--

4 reasons

it shows the agony and physical suffering Jesus endured. in some ways this statement is the biggest understatement ever—through everything Jesus went through, getting whipped, beaten, crown of thorns on his head, nails in his hands and feet…the lost off blood, the lack of sleep, the shock to his system, not being able to breathe—you would think Jesus might say “I am in pain.”

“I am tired.”

“This really hurts.”

but no—I thirst…it reminds of us the physical agony of Jesus. of all he endured.

have you ever been thirsty?

really thirsty?

Jesus was overwhelmingly thirsty

(note — the wine vinegar offered was Probably not the “wine mixed with myrrh” that charitable people offered Jesus on the way to the cross to function as a mild sedative and pain reliever (see Mark 15:23 and note).

The incident here concerning the wine parallels Matt 27:34; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36.

Far from being a sedative, this thirst-quenching drink would prolong life and therefore prolong pain.)

he really is human - Jesus Christ is not a superhero in a human body.

He is not 90% divine and 10% human, or even 50/50.

He is 100% human and 100% god and this statement shows it, and he had to be both.

b/c if he was only 100% god and not human in any way—then his death (first of all couldn’t really happen) but 2nd it wouldn’t apply to us—because he wasn’t human

and if he was only 100% human and not god—then his death would only be like any other death in human history.

no he is both—and we are reminded of the humanity of Jesus—that his death was really in our place.

that he really was our representative because He was fully human—he thirsted.

he fulfills Scripture—this language of I am thirsty-

Jesus is completely obedient to His Father—God is completely in control of all these events.

finally—it reminds us of the cup that Jesus drank on the cross.

what is the cup?

When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane right before he went to the cross,

He prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible take this cup from me...” the cup in Scripture was an image of God’s wrath.

Jesus drank the very depths of God’s wrath against sin in our place—so that we could drink the cup of communion with Jesus.

He drank it down to its very bottom, and yet still thirsted…so that we could be full and not thirst.

I thirst...

let me invite the worship team as we continue to praise God for his goodness and let’s pray.

TEACHING TIME 2

the next last words we are going to look at are in Mark 15:33-34

so the next words are “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

What does this continue to show about Jesus:

First of all, it again fulfills Scripture—Jesus is actually quoting from Psalm 22.

King David uttered these words—and Jesus is in the line of King David—Jesus is the perfect, ultimate King...

It shows what Jesus went through on the cross.

Many of us assume that the worst thing Jesus faced was physical pain—and let’s face it—it was horrible…dying on a cross would have been a slow, agonizing painful death that the Roman Empire perfected to prolong death as much as possible.

but the worst pain that Jesus felt—was more than physical—it was emotional, relational, spiritual.

In that moment on the cross—Jesus became sin for us.

He bore the wrath of God against sin.

in that moment, Jesus who has always been in perfect communion, perfect fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit—was utterly alone and cut off from his Father.

If hell is the absence of fellowship with God,He experienced a hell on earth for us.

in a finite moment, he endured an infinite weight of sin—paying for all our sin, past, present, and future for those who trust in Christ.

and it was so stark that people remember Jesus saying it in the original Aramaic---

and yet still—Jesus still says, “My God, My God...”

He hadn’t abandoned trust in his Father…

Jesus Christ said, “My God My God why have you forsaken me.”

He did it to glorify His Father and for us...

because Jesus went through the worst we have an incredible freedom

I want to invite the worship team forward again, and would you pray for me.

song: Free, Amen--

TEACHING TIME 3

one more statement of Jesus is found in Luke 23:46

(nail to the cross)

again this is teaching us that Jesus is fulfilling Scripture.

Jesus knowing he is about to die—says this.

amazing!

it is remarkable how much Scripture Jesus quoted...

when you and I go through pain—even if you hit your finger with a hammer—what do you say?

You don’t even think about it—it is instinctive.

in fact, pain and suffering often show you what is really inside you—out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

it is amazing that Jesus said this because despite all the pain and the worst suffering in the world—He is utterly trusting His Father to the end.

He is quoting Scripture...

and He trusted that God would deliver Him

and because He trusted to the end—we can too, because one has gone before us.

and if you are facing death now or one day you will—you can utter these same words as Jesus— “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit---” because of what Jesus said on the cross.

In the book of Acts, the first recorded martyr—was Stephen, and he prayed this similar prayer…b/c Jesus went before Him, and you can too.

COMMUNION

we are going to celebrate what Jesus did by taking communion together.