It Was A Good Friday After All

"IT WAS A GOOD FRIDAY AFTER ALL"

INTRODUCTION: THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST

I remember as a child growing up being out of school on Good Friday. I thought it was awesome to get that extra day away from school and books and studying. I certainly thought any day without school was good.

Probably about 9 or 10 yrs old, I became very confused about this so called "Good Friday". I remember sitting in church and my pastor describing what happened to Jesus on that day.

* How Jesus was arrested and taken away to be tried illegally throughout the night. How He was mistreated and beaten and humiliated throughout the night.

* How on Friday morning, He was taken to Pilate.

* How He was beaten and whipped. How the whips with the metal and bone weaved into it would leave deep gashes as the flesh was ripped away from His skin and His blood flowed on the pavement.

* How a crown of thorns was pressed upon His head and pierced His head and the blood flowed down His face.

* How He was given the robe of a king and mocked and humiliated further.

* How they placed the cross on His back for Him to drag up to the Place of the Skull-- Golgotha.

* How they stripped Him of His garments and laid Him on the cross and drove nails in His hands and in His feet.

* How He hung on that cross bearing our sins, our guilt, our shame-- paying the price for all.

* How He died there on that cross that day for me..... for me, you, and the whole world.

And, I remember crying the first time I realized how terrible the suffering that Jesus went through that day.

And I remember asking myself, "How can we call that day 'Good Friday' when such an awful thing happened? How can we call it 'Good Friday' when the Lord Jesus Christ died such a terrible way?"

As I got older, I came to realize what that day was all about. What Jesus accomplished on that day. I realized that, even though it was a painful day for Jesus, He accomplished some very good things for us that day.

WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED ON THAT DAY?

1. PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS WAS ACCOMPLISHED.

“Propitiation”- to satisfy the anger and wrath of Almighty God.

* If you have never repented and are living in sin, you need to realize that God’s wrath and anger are upon you. You are either His baptized, born again child or you are His enemy– it’s as simple as that.

* Why did Jesus come and die such a horrible death? Because eons ago sin destroyed the relationship that man enjoyed with Holy God.

Rom 6:23 “the wages of sin is death.”

Satan tempts man into sin, blinding him to the Truth. Sin destroys the relationship with God and brings the curse of sin upon man– DEATH.

* Where are you spiritually today? John gives us a simple test.

1 Jn 3:7-8 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

* Notice that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil– SIN.

* What drove God to sacrifice His Beloved Son on the Cross?

1 Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In order for sin to be destroyed, Jesus died in our place so that the penalty of sin could be paid.

* Who did Jesus die for?

1 Jn 2:2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

* Maybe this morning you think you’ve messed up so badly that God could never forgive you— the Good News is that you are wrong.

Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world...

And you are part of “the world”. He loves you and Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and every person that has ever or will ever live.

* But until and unless you repent, you still live under the curse of sin. You are still the enemy of God and you are still an object to His wrath. Won’t you come to Him and be forgiven today?

2. REDEMPTION FROM OUR SIN WAS MADE AVAILABLE.

“Redemption”- to repurchase, to buy back, to free from captivity by the payment of a ransom.

Jn 8:34 "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.