What
is so good about Good Friday? That is the question many of us probably ask when
Good Friday comes around every year. After all, what is good about a day that
commemorates Jesus' horrible torture and execution on a Roman cross?
Good
Friday is a dark day in some respects because it commemorates the day that
Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but it is also a bright day in other ways
because Jesus' death and resurrection on Easter Sunday paved the way for our
relationship with God to be restored. This is the good news that Jesus has
asked us to spread, but in order to understand the good news, we have to
understand the bad news that is called our sinful, human nature. Once we see
that we are slaves to sin, the good news of deliverance makes sense.
The
book of Hebrews tells us to live by faith in God alone. The father of our faith
is Abraham. His faith in God made him "right" before God. As a result
of this righteousness, God protected his family as they grew into a nation, the
Israelites. Moses was their first official leader to establish their worship,
culture and laws. God spoke to Moses as he wrote down God's ways for the
people, including the Ten Commandments.
These
rules were given to teach the Israelites how to live. They were enforced to
protect the Israelites from walking away from God and to protect them from
destroying themselves and each other. These rules were not designed to replace
faith, but by the time Jesus came these rules were more important than faith,
mercy and kindness. The rules were more important than the people. Jesus did
not come to abolish the Law. He came to fulfill it so that we, like Abraham,
could be righteous through faith in God.
The
good news of salvation is the cornerstone of the joy of Easter. In order to
appreciate the joy of Easter, we have to appreciate what Jesus endured on Good
Friday. Sin had to be punished because God is a just god who demands justice
and hates sin. Because he hates sin, and because he wants to restore a loving relationship with us, someone had to pay the price for our
sins.
In
Old Testament times, sins were paid for by sacrificing animals. These animals
had to be prefect in the eyes of the priests, which led to the marketplace in
the temple where animals who were deemed to be perfect for sacrifices were
available for sale. That was the same marketplace where Jesus upset the tables
and drove out the moneychangers. When he laid his hands on the animal, the
priest symbolically transferred sins to the animal, and the animal's death
symbolically cleansed the people from their sins.
Unfortunately,
there was a problem. These sacrifices had to be repeated every time someone
sinned, and because the priests were human, they also had a sinful nature. God
wanted one ultimate sacrifice in order to complete his plan for our restoration
to him. The only perfect sacrifice that would fulfill his plan was Jesus
Christ, who was the perfect sacrifice because of his sinless nature.
We
can't underestimate the importance of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Before his death, we were separated from God. No one could approach God in the
Holy of Holies portion of the Temple except for the high priest, and even then
he could only enter it once a year on the Day of Atonement. Jesus' death destroyed
the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple, and
provided a way for us to be reconciled to him. Jesus removed the barriers for
anyone who wanted to know and worship God. We can serve the Lord and abide in
his presence.
When
we accept what Christ did for us on Good Friday, we can get out of the black
hole of our sinful, earthly life. That can be a struggle that we can't fight on
our own. The Holy Spirit will help us, but other Christians are also ready to
fight alongside us. The writer of Hebrews even states in Hebrews 10:24-25 that
we must "not neglect our meeting together, as some do, but encourage one
another, especially now that Christ's return is drawing near". Around
Jesus were a close knit group, but those who believe in Jesus as Lord and
Saviour were quickly shunned by non-believers. The writer of Hebrews encouraged
the early believers by reminding them that God will never abandon them. We as
believers today can also be confident in our hope because God will never abandon
us.
It
is important for believers to gather together on a regular basis to worship
God. We were not designed to "go it alone". Belonging to a church not
only protects our fellowship with God, but it is a vital part of how God
matures us and transforms us to his image. Part of that transformation includes
believing in Jesus in faith, especially in what he did for us on Good Friday.
There
is strength in numbers. Getting together with other Christians strengthens our
faith and provokes us to do more for God. All of us can encourage someone,
whether it is a family member, friend, co-worker, casual acquaintance or a
stranger. We can encourage others to keep going in times of difficulty. By
worshipping with other Christians, we can celebrate the Eucharist and remember
the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We can't keep our faith strong unless we have
encouragement from fellow Christians, just like Jesus encouraged his disciples
and the early followers. True believers will not look the other way when we
sin, just like God can't and doesn't ignore sin. Because of what Jesus did for
us, we can have eternal life. We have direct access to God, unlike the
Israelites in the Old Testament. Jesus' sacrifice means that we do not have to
feel guilty about sinning against God, provided that we confess our sins and
ask God to forgive us.
Belonging
to a good church is so beneficial for both individuals and families that it is
well worth finding a church where leaders and members not only love God and
believe and teach his Word, but also where they are loving, accepting and
non-judgmental; where they present grace with truth; and where they are
committed to ministering to each other's needs. That's why God designed the
church, and that's why people such as
Pope Francis I are trying to bring the church back to its roots just like Jesus
brought the church back to its roots by his sacrifice on the cross. That, my
friends, is one reason why Good Friday is good for us.
The
Christian life is based on God's promises. These promises fall into two
categories:
1.
Unconditional: These
are promises made without exceptions. A good example is the promise God made to
Abraham to bless all the families on earth through him. Jesus, a descendant of
Abraham, fulfills this promise because salvation is made available to all
believers because of what he did on Good Friday.
2.
Conditional: These
are promises that are subject to certain conditions. A good example is the
promise that Jesus made to the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to
them if they waited in Jerusalem. We as humans can only make this type of
promise because we can't control every circumstance.
The
truth of the cross is that God remembered every single sin that every believer
has committed or will commit (no matter how small) and punished Jesus for each
and every one of them as our substitute. Jesus' righteousness is imparted to us
so that we stand before God completely spotless. God forgets our sins because
Jesus took them upon himself for us. The penalty has been paid, and so our sin
debt has been forgiven.
I
want to close my message with a story about a little boy who was visiting his
grandparents. He
was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods,
but he could never hit the target. And getting a little discouraged; he headed
back to dinner.
As he was walking back, he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it.
He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile,
only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally,
let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he
wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn't you, Johnny?" And then she
whispered to him, "Remember, the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." But Sally smiled and said, "Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." And she whispered again, "Remember, the duck?" So Sally went fishing, and Johnny stayed.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores
and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and
confessed that he killed the duck. She knelt down, gave him a hug and said,
"Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window, and I saw the
whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. But I was just wondering
how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Jesus Christ is like the Grandma, standing at the
window. He sees all our sins, but because he had made the ultimate sacrifice
with his blood, we can have forgiveness. Christ is the sin eater who has taken
care of all our sins, and that is another reason why Good Friday is good for
us.
1.
Stanley,
C.F., The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)
2.
Justin
Holcomb, "What's So Good About Good Friday?" Retrieved from
www.christianity.com
3.
Gwen Smith,
"Through the Veil". Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmil.com
4.
Steve
Preston, "Assembly Together". Retrieved from bibletalk@freegroups.net
5.
Elizabeth
Cole, "Friends Don't Let Friends…". Retrieved from
Homeword_with_Jim_Burns@crosswalkmail.com
6.
Robert A.
Schuller, "Live Guilt Free". Retrieved from
positiveminute@hourofpower.cc
7.
Amy Carroll,
"Drawing Near". Retrieved from
Encouragement_for_Today@crosswalkmail.com
8.
Dick Inness,
"What a Good Church Can Do For You, Part III". Retrieved from
www.actsweb.org
9.
Dr. Charles
Stanley, "The Promises of God, Part I: Our God of Promise". Retrieved
from www.intouch.org
10.
Rev. Ken
Klaus, "NO Forgiveness". Retrieved from www.lhm.org
11.
Rick Renner,
"True Profession is Form the Heart". Retrieved from
Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
12.
Dr. Keith
Wagner, "Our Faith in Action". Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
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