Good
Friday 4/10/20 - 7 pm - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title:
“He Paid the Price For Us!”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 22
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 10:16-25
Gospel Lesson: John
18:1-19:42
Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the many
watching at home, we gather to worship on this Good Friday, as the Christian
Church has done for nearly two-thousand years. Nearly two-thousand years ago on
this day, Jesus Christ our Lord, was tried, beaten, scourged, mocked, spat
upon, and crucified. Since Fridays at sundown until Saturdays at sundown is the
Jewish Sabbath Day, or the day of rest, Jesus was taken off the cross at 3:00
pm, when he died. He was then buried before nightfall.
For years, before “Good Friday” became an official day of
worship or a holiday to remember and commemorate the events of this day, many
Christians gathered to remember this day. In some Christian faith traditions, these
churches and people have crucifixes. These crucifixes of course not only display
the cross of Christ, but they also display a depiction of Christ’s body nailed
to the cross. In churches like the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and
the Anglican Church, we see depictions of the crucified Christ, or crucifixes. I’m
sure we have all seen many of them, and some of us even have some. So seared into
our minds, our hearts, and our souls, is this day, Good Friday, that there are
depictions of this day’s events all over. In some Christian denominations,
churches also have what is called “Stations of the Cross.” These are often hung
and numbered around the churches’ sanctuary walls, as this day is literally chronicled
step by step. In these numbered pictures or paintings, the entire events of this
day are played out numerically. Everything from the whipping, to Christ falling
with his cross twice, to his crucifixion. Some Christian traditions also gather
during the season of Lent and on Good Friday to go through, as act of worship,
the “Stations of the Cross.” They retell this day’s events piece by piece.
Yes friends, it is fair to say that Good Friday, and the
events that occurred this day, that Jesus lived through, are seared into many
of our hearts, minds, and souls. Many of us know the story well of what
happened today. Some of us have seen movies like “The Passion of the Christ,”
or others that depict the events of this day that took place nearly two-thousand
years ago.
The reason that the Christian Church eventually created
this whole week that we call “Holy Week,” is that outside of Jesus’ post resurrection
appearances, this week is Jesus’ last week on earth until his return to earth.
Given this and the events of this week, this whole week is extra important in
the life of the Christian Church. So important in fact, that some churches have
Holy Week services every day during this our Holy Week.
Many of us kick off this Holy Week like we did this past
Sunday with Palm or Passion Sunday. We celebrate Jesus triumphantly coming into
the holy city of Jerusalem, humbly on a donkey, as a servant savior. Jesus will
remain in the holy city of Jerusalem until his crucifixion that we remember
today, this our Good Friday. The events of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this
week, are ones that people remember and celebrate in some Christian traditions.
In some Christian traditions like ours, yesterday we celebrated Maundy or Holy
Thursday, which includes the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. In this Last Supper
we are given the gift, the sacrament, of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, we
are given foot washing, and the mandate or the “Maundy” to love each other.
Today though, is the day that Jesus will suffer greatly.
In addition to the trial, the suffering, the pain, the
mockery, the crucifixion, and the death of Christ, what does it all mean? Why
is this day important? Further, if these horrific things happened to Jesus, how
can we call today “Good Friday?” Shouldn’t it be “Awful” or “Terrible” Friday?
Further, since we love Jesus, are we simply to remember the death of our friend
today, or his death more significant? For nearly two-thousand years the
Christian Church has argued as a vast majority that the events of this day are
central to the Christian faith. There are many reasons for this.
The Apostle Paul says it well in Romans 5:8 however, where
he says:
“But God proves his love
for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8, NRSV).
What
Christ accomplished today, is something that no other leader, no prophet, no pastor,
and no person can accomplish. On this, Jesus Christ our Lord, “Paid the Price For
Us!” On this day, Jesus died for the sins of the world, and for those who are
yet come. His death on the cross and our repentance of our sins and our acceptance
of him as our Lord and savior reconciles us to God. Through the blood of Jesus Christ,
and through the blood of Jesus Christ alone, we are healed.
So, the events of this
day are significant, as every year we retell this story, but the most significant
thing about this day is that Christ died for you, for me, and for the whole world.
Christ died for us, with love so great that if the nails didn’t hold him to the
cross his love for us would have.
Did
Christ die out of love for us, to show us the love of God? Sure, but since Christ
was fully God and fully human, he was the only one qualified to be an all
sufficient savior. Friends, on this day, “He Paid the Price For Us!”
Some
might ask, “But Pastor Paul what does the Bible Say about the crucifixion and
death of Jesus Christ?” Well let’s look at some scripture:
John 3:16 says:
“For God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not
perish but may have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16, NRSV).
John 1:29 says:
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward
him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).
1 Corinthians 15:3 says:
“For I handed on to you as of first
importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the scriptures,” (1 Cor. 15:3, NRSV).
Ephesians 1:7 says:
“In him we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his
grace” (Eph. 1:7, NRSV).
1 John 2:2 says:
“and he is the atoning sacrifice for
our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2, NRSV).
One of my favorites, 1 Peter 2:24 says:
“He
himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we
might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed”
(1 Pt. 2:24,
NRSV).
In the prophetic
scripture of an angel of Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream that foretold
Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:21 it says:
“She
will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people
from their sins” (Mt. 1:21, NRSV).
In
Galatians 1:4 it says:
“who gave himself for our sins to set us free from
the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,” (Gal.
1:4, NRSV).
In
Revelation 1:5 it says:
“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful
witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To
him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,” (Rev. 1:5, NRSV).
In 1 John 3:5 is says:
“You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him
there is no sin” (1 Jn. 3:5, NRSV).
Here is one more of many others, as
Hebrews 9:26 says:
“for then he would have
had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is,
he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the
sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26, NRSV).
Further, today’s events of Christ’s death and crucifixion
are also prophesied in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible scriptures, as well. For
example, in our reading for tonight from Psalm 22, we hear once again in 22:1a:
“My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1a, NSRV).
According
to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said these prophetic words in 27:46, shortly
before he died on his cross.
Psalm
22 from tonight, then says once again in 22:18:
“they
divide my clothes among themselves, and
for my clothing they cast lots” (Ps. 22:18, NRSV).
As our gospel of John reading for tonight says once again
about the crucifixion of Jesus in 19:23-25a:
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his
clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took
his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,
“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to
fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and
for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is what the soldiers did” (Jn. 19:23-25a, NRSV).
So, the fact that Jesus Christ “Paid
the Price For Us,” was not only foretold in the Old Testament, but it is also crystal
clear in the New Testament, as I have just read to you, but some of these scriptures.
In
our scripture reading for tonight from Hebrews 10:16-25, once again we hear more
claims that Jesus died for our sins on this day, and for the sins of the world.
This scripture says once again in 10:19-22:
“Therefore, my
friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is,
through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let
us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts
sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:16-25, NRSV).
The Apostle Paul says that we can approach
God, and the “Holy of Holies,” only through the broken body and shed blood of
Jesus Christ. In part then, when we have communion, we break the bread and
share the cup. This is symbolic of what Christ taught us about his body and
blood, and what he actually went through on this today.
It’s truly troubling to me as a
Christian pastor though that some no longer teach or believe that Jesus Christ died
for our sins, despite nearly two-thousands years of massive consensus and
immense scriptural support on this topic. There are different ways of viewing Christ
dying for us, such as Christ dying for us as a ransom for our sins, Christ
dying in our place, etc., but all of those are beliefs about Jesus dying for
our sins. So why would some deny that Jesus died for our sins, on this our Good
Friday?
Well to say that Jesus was fully God
and fully human on earth, and that he died for our sins, shows us that salvation
and eternity is uniquely offered through Christ, and through Christ alone. Some
find this teaching to be too “exclusive” for them. Some also don’t believe in
the authority of the biblical texts, and what they say.
Some also reject that Christ died for
our sins this day, as they find the events of this day to be too graphic and
violent. I have heard questions such as, “If God could just forgive us, why
would God require a human sacrifice for our sins?” This is certainly a good question.
The best way that I can answer this scripturally, is that this was God’s plan
to redeem all of humanity from day one. God did not “require” Christ’s
crucifixion, God planned this to redeem His humanity before time itself. God
sent prophet after prophet in the Old Testament to call us to repentance and
holiness. Finally, in act of unspeakable love God sent his only son to die for
us.
I
can’t imagine if we were asked to give up one of our children. Would we do it?
For most of us, the answer would be no. Today was brutal for Jesus, but this
happened, as it was planned before the foundations of this world itself. God
planned this to redeem us, and it certainly got our attention didn’t?
Since this is true, we
don’t have to feel awful and terrible about ourselves on this day. It’s true
that we don’t deserve what Christ did for us this day, but he didn’t do it so
that we would feel awful. Instead, he went to the cross and died for our sins,
so that through him we would have new life in him, and that we would be able to
transform the world in his name. Today was the ultimate act of love, sacrifice,
and humility, and on this day, Jesus Christ our Lord, “Paid the Price For Us!”
So,
we don’t need to feel guilt and shame, instead let us repent of our sin, come to
Christ, and live lives of victory, proclaiming Christ, and living for him. We
can never earn what he did for us today, but we can embrace it, because through
him, we will be offered new life.
On
this day though, on that first Good Friday, the disciples didn’t yet know how this
would all turn out. We now know though, that this Sunday morning, our crucified
savior will rise to new life, and as he rises to new life we rise to new life!
Friends, this is why “He Paid the Price For Us!” Amen.
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