HOPE THROUGH THE CROSS
Area-wide Good Friday Service 2004
A. It is certainly great to see everyone here today for this area-wide combined Good Friday Service. Have
you been BLESSED by being here TODAY?
COMMENT:
Our community has been through a lot lately with the devastating fire that destroyed half of downtown and the future closing of our high school. It is good to see our townspeople coming together, even for an hour, to focus on the HOPE that we have through Christ.
B. GOOD FRIDAY commemorates the day that Jesus our Lord and Savior was EXECUTED almost 2,000 years ago.
COMMENT:
That day appeared rather HOPELESS to the followers of Christ who was looking to Jesus to be their EARTHLY KING. When He DIED on that cruel CROSS their HOPE was DASHED. Little did they realize that DARK, GLOOMY Friday would bring GLIMMERING HOPE for all mankind.
I. LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO THAT FRIDAY LONG AGO – (recorded in Matthew 26 and 27)
A. Jesus comes to the Garden of Gethsemane with his closest friends Peter, James, & John, to PRAY.
COMMENT:
Agonizing over His impending execution He tells His friends, “My soul is overwhelmed with SORROW to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Jesus is deeply DEPRESSED. LONELINESS, TORTURE, SORROW, and HUMILIATION await Him. He knows at this very moment that Judas is on his way with a mob of SOLDIERS to take Him by FORCE to Caiaphas, the High Priest, for TRIAL. He desperately needs this QUIET TIME with His Father.
1. Walking a short distance into the garden, Jesus falls face down to the ground, and begins His heart-felt request: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me . . .”
COMMENT:
IF IT IS POSSIBLE? How many times has He told His disciples that EVERYTHING is POSSIBLE for God? In Mark’s account Jesus affirms, “Father, everything is possible for you”- Mark 14:36.
Jesus is saying, “Father, if there is any other way, don’t let me go through this HORRIBLE ORDEAL.” He knows that with God everything is POSSIBLE, and if God WILLED it He wouldn’t have to be CRUCIFIED. Yet, Jesus says, “Father, it’s not what I want, but what you want that matters.”
2. Three times He PRAYS this prayer with such INTENSITY that SWEAT from his BROW falls to the ground as great DROPS of BLOOD.
B. As Jesus leaves the GARDEN, Judas comes with a band of ARMED SOLDIERS to take Jesus to the High Priest.
COMMENT:
Can you imagine an ARMY with WEAPONS in hand being sent to arrest one ITINERANT PREACHER? Judas knew that Jesus wouldn’t HURT anyone, yet he leads an ARMY into the garden where he knew Jesus was praying. He walks casually up to Jesus and says, “Greetings teacher,” and then KISSES Him. Jesus says
softly, “Friend, do what you came for.”
Friend? Jesus calls him a FRIEND! Doesn’t He know what the KISS is for? Doesn’t He know that Judas has just SOLD Him out for a few bucks. Oh, yes, He knew all of that, but, not even BETRAYAL could LESSEN the LOVE that Jesus had for Judas.
C. Jesus is taken to be TRIED by Caiphas the acting High Priest.
1. Talk about a KANGAROO COURT, this is it.
a. The JUSTICES are not looking for the TRUTH. They’re not out to set an INNOCENT man FREE. They are out to HANG Jesus.
COMMENT:
They can’t find any EVIDENCE against Him, although there were many FALSE WITNESSES eager to TESTIFY. So they take the words that Jesus meant SPIRITUALLY referring to His physical body, and make it sound like He is a MADMAN out to DESTROY the TEMPLE that took YEARS to build and rebuild it in just THREE days.
To think that somebody would set out to DESTROY the SACRED TEMPLE of God, would cause greater fury among the Jews than has the destruction of the TWIN TOWERS in New York City among the American people.
b. Jesus didn’t give an answer to the charges at first, not until the “High Priest made Him swear on the name of God if He was the Christ.” “Yes,” He said emphatically, “it is as you say.”
COMMENT:
Now, Caiaphas had the EVIDENCE he needed. This ITINERANT PREACHER—this lowly CARPENTER—this BLASPHEMER claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Caiaphas asks, “What shall we do with Him?” And the people cry out, “He’s worthy of DEATH!”
2. Then the PHYSICAL ABUSE and TORTURE began.
ILLUSTRATION:
How many of you saw the movie The Passion of the Christ? If Jesus went through even half of what that MOVIE depicts, I just don’t know how He could have withstood it.
Jesus stands HELPLESSLY with His hands BOUND behind Him as the MOB of people begin to MOCK and SPIT upon Him. Unsuspectingly, someone HITS Him from BEHIND--it’s one of the GUARDS. Jesus falls to the ground, and the guard stands Him on His feet again and then PUNCHES Him in the STOMACH. A VOICE from the crowd cries out, “He says He is the Christ. See if He can PROPHESY.” Another guard takes a KERCHIEF and roughly BLINDFOLDS Jesus. Then someone starts BEATING Jesus about the face with his FISTS. Another SLAPS Him. “PROPHESY to us Christ, who HIT you?” ROARING LAUGHTER can be heard from the CROWD as Jesus is STRUCK with a few more BLOWS to the FACE.
D. Having been found GUILTY as a BLASPHEMER, Jesus is then taken to PILATE to be EXECUTED.
1. “Are you the King of the Jews,” Pilate asks Jesus.
COMMENT:
This charge might have been important to the Jews, but it didn’t matter to Pilate if Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. He looks at him as being
HARMLESS. Jesus affirmed that He was the King of the Jews. But then the Chief Priest and Elders began presenting other ACCUSATIONS against Jesus.
2. Pilate thinks he has the solution. He doesn’t want to see Jesus put to death, so he presents them with an option: BARRABAS or JESUS?
COMMENT:
The gospels record that Barrabas was a “THIEF, a MURDERER, and one who caused RIOTS.” I don’t know who he STOLE from, who he MURDERED, or what the RIOTS were about, but this is a man you normally wouldn’t want back in your NEIGHBORHOOD.
a. “Let Barrabas go,” they said. (These people were so set on KILLING Jesus, it didn’t matter how WICKED Barrabas was.)
b. Pilate then asked the question, “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ.” The people cried out: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
3. After more BRUTAL BEATINGS, Jesus is led to
the “Place of the Skull” carrying his own Cross.
COMMENT:
In His WEAKENED condition He is unable to CARRY it very far, so the soldiers took hold of a man named Simon visiting the city during the PASSOVER and forced him to carry Jesus’CROSS the rest of the way. (The song: Watch The Lamb is based upon this event.)
As they arrive at Galgotha, they STRIP Jesus of His clothing, lay Him on that CROSS and begin NAILING nine inch Roman SPIKES into His HANDS and FEET. They then lift Jesus up DANGLING NAKED on the CROSS between two THIEVES.
C. As Jesus HUNG on that CROSS for six long hours, it is recorded that He uttered seven different phrases--two of which had to PRICK someone’s HEAT.
1. The very first statement that came out of Jesus’ mouth was: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
ILLUSTRATION:
Can you picture Jesus looking down at the very people who had been TORTURING Him that night, those who had been INSULTING Him and LYING about Him and HUMILIATING Him, and say, “Father, forgive them?” As difficult as that might be for us, we can PICTURE our LOVING, MERCIFUL, Savior saying that, can’t we?
But what about the people who HEARD those words--how do you think they REACTED? I’m sure that some INSULTED Him even more. Others might have SHOOK their HEADS thinking, “That man is CRAZY. He still believes He’s the Son of God.” But there might have been some who thought, “Have we made a MISTAKE? Could He really be the Messiah? Are we actually KILLING the Son of God?”
2. Another statement that must have pricked was, “My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?”
COMMENT:
Imagine what Jesus is going through. His HEART is broken. He had DEVOTED His life to His Father, and now he is hanging on the CROSS because it’s His Father’s will. But now God has turned his back on his Son. Looking upon Jesus all that God can see is SIN. “Jesus became SIN upon that CROSS”- II Corinthians 5:21. And God cannot fellowship with SIN.
Do the people who are watching Jesus writhing in PAIN and AGONY understand those heart-felt words? Apparently not. They think Jesus is asking for Elijah. One SOLDIER, however, must have felt for Jesus because he quickly gets a SPONGE, fills it with WINE and OFFERS it to Jesus to drink. Another forbade him saying, “Leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to SAVE Him.” Shortly after, Jesus cries with a LOUD VOICE, “IT IS FINISHED!” and DIES.
II. GOOD FRIDAY? WE MAY ASK THE QUESTION: “WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT?”
A. The answer is: “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!” if not for the Sunday that followed the FRIDAY of Jesus’ crucifixion.
1. Tony Compolo wrote a book a few years ago entitled: "It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.” It speaks to the HOPE that we have through Christ because of His RESURRECTION that Sunday morning.
a. On Friday, Jesus merely looked like a PATHETIC, HELPLESS, DEFEATED Jew hanging NAKED on a CROSS. BUT THAT WAS FRIDAY, SUNDAY WAS COMING!
b. On Friday, Jesus was NAILED DEAD on a CROSS, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
c. On Friday, Mary is crying her HEART out because her baby Jesus is DEAD, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
d. On Friday, the DISCIPLES are RUNNING every direction like SHEEP without a SHEPHERD, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
e. On Friday, Pilate’s strutting around washing his hands thinking that he has the POWER and VICTORY, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
f. On Friday, King Herod wanted to see MIRACLES and then MOCKED the one called Christ, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
g. On Friday, Caiaphas SNEERED, the people JEERED, and the women FEARED, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
h. On Friday, the earth CONVULSED, the sun DARKENED, and the tombs were CRACKED OPEN, but SUNDAY’S COMING.
i. On Friday, Satan danced a JIG saying, “I won! I won! I killed the Son of God,” but SUNDAY’S COMING.
j. That SUNDAY, the ANGELS like dazzling lightening rolled the STONE away exclaiming, “HE’S NOT HERE, HE IS RISEN.”
B. The Village of Rossville has gone through a major TRAGEDY.
ILLUSTRATION:
HOMES and BUSINESSES are destroyed, FAMILIES are displaced, IRREPLACEABLE family HEIRLOOMS and MEMORABILIA are all gone, and the FINANCIAL LOSS is
MOUNTING.
In addition to those FAMILIES and BUSINESS OWNERS who are DIRECTLY AFFECTED by this TRAGEDY are the residents of Rossville who also WEEP as they DRIVE past the RUINS of STORES and BUSINESS that they PATRONIZED all these many years. Their HISTORY is in those buildings, too.
Questions are raised: “What’s going to happen to Rossville?” “Are we going to REBUILD?” “Will these BUSINESSES reopen?” “Will this tragedy FINANCIALLY DEVASTATE our little COMMUNITY?”
COMMENT:
I don’t know the ANSWERS, but one thing I do know is this PROMISE: “…that in all things God works for the GOOD of those who LOVE Him…”- Romans 8:28. I don’t know what all God is going to do, but He can take what seems to be a HOPELESS SITUATION and produce GOOD. RESURRECTION POWER it is called!
And we, as citizens of Rossville, should step back and be AMAZED at what God will DO!
CONCLUSION:
A. When the FIRE was raging on that cold Friday night in February, I stood with our Youth Minister and my wife out in the ally in total disbelief of what was happening. THERE WAS NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THAT FRIDAY!
1. I am sure many of you WERE THERE, too, witnessing that HORRIBLE event—feeling so HELPLESS and HOPELESS.
2. But do you realize we were also there that HORRIBLE FRIDAY Jesus was CRUCIFIED?
ILLUSTRATION:
Rembrandt, the famous Dutch artist, painted his famous “Three Crosses” in 1653. The painting presents a harsh DEPICTION of the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus hanging lifeless between two thieves. At the foot of the cross are SOLDIERS and ONLOOKERS. As you scan the CROWD gathered at the FOOT of the CROSS, you’d notice how the Dutch Artist had captured various FACIAL EXPRESSIONS and ACTIONS of the PEOPLE. Some are LAUGHING, some CRYING, others are BEWILDERED.
What is most fascinating about the PAINTING, is a lone FIGURE standing in the SHADOWS. It is representation of Rembrandt himself. This was Rembrandt’s way of saying, “I was there, too. My sins helped NAIL Jesus to the CROSS, too.”
COMMENT:
I am there too, and so are you. It was all of our SINS that NAILED Jesus to the CROSS. But thank God that the SHED BLOOD of His Son WASHES away all of our SINS, so that we can STAND RIGHTEOUS before our Father in HEAVEN! Now, that is GOOD NEWS.
