Good Friday 2018

Luke 23:34                 

Audio Access Available Above

“Our Priest And Sacrifice” • 3.30.18 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Good Friday Service

Intro

- Every year, we gather together on this Friday before Resurrection Sunday to contemplate the meaning of the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ, Messiah of God.

- To set out to ponder the crucifixion of Christ will leave you in waters well above your head, which is why it's profitable to return to it year after year.

- This year, having just finished the book of Hebrews, I find myself beginning our contemplation with a thought that is framed in the ninth chapter. Allow me to read this to you.

• Hebrews 9:24-26 : "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." : Jesus Christ is described here in the role of Israel's High Priest.

- Once a year, the Aaronic High Priest would enter into the Holy Of Holies on a single day.

- The Day of Atonement was set up by God to point forward to a great single sacrifice that would fully and finally deal with the sins of God's believing nation.

- In that respect, what we contemplate on Good Friday is our Savior's entrance into a dual role.

- He is our High Priest and at the same time our sacrifice! How did this work out? The cross provides the answer and demonstration. Let us look to the gospel of Luke, chapter 23.

Text

• Luke 23:34 : "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.'" : Jesus is now positioned between heaven and earth, suspended upon a Roman cross, nails pierced through His wrists and feet. On either side of Him are two convicted criminals.

- The scene is extraordinary from any view that you take it from. From a human perspective, a truly innocent man is suffering the violence due to a person that had committed great crimes.

- It wasn't 48 hours earlier that He taught in the Temple and was not able to be accused!

- As far as cruficixion itself, this was not a rarity. The Romans used crucifixion liberally to send the message of the serious repercussions due to criminal behavior.

- What was rare in the Lord's case, was that He had been flogged and crucified! Usually, either one resulted in death!

- Add to the fact that this man was paraded through the gathered crowd dressed in royal looking robes, complete with a crown composed of thorns affixed to His head.

- Generally, an audience that would view a crucifixion would watch in silence, understanding psychologically that justice was being served and that life was soon to end.

- Usually, one also sought to quiet themselves so as to placate the Roman authorities.

- This scene however was fraught with a perverse pleasure that was almost celebrated among those that were on scene.

- Matthew 27:30,31 notes that the soldiers spat upon Jesus and mocked him. Mark 15:29 reports that strangers who were passing by shook their heads at Christ and insulted Him.

- Even the two criminals that were crucified on either side of the Lord joined in the chorus! They both hurled insults at Him at the beginning of the event. (Matthew 27:44)

- To some degree, this might all be within the realm of expectation. Roman soldiers, strong, proud Italian men, given the responsibility to guard Rome would not suffer a would be King.

- The people who had heard Jesus, who were skeptical of His claims, likely thought privately what they were now yelling publically. "I thought you were a King?"

- It even sort of makes sense for the criminals that were being crucified to mock Him, both in order to show Him that He wasn't superior to them or to divert attention from their own shame.

- But, the real shocker here was the fact that the religious elite came out to relentlessly mock Jesus! Matthew 27:41, Mark 15:31 and Luke 23:35 all mention this.

- Can you imagine seeing me or any other Christian Pastors, standing near an execution sight, jeering and gloating over someone that was about to die?

- The hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus was greater than their hypocritical need to appear holy before the people!

- This was happening while Jesus was on the cross, but understand that these were only the latest insults! In the last 12 hours of His life, Jesus endured multiplied human offenses.

- He's been betrayed by one of His own men. He's been wrongfully accused, experienced a travesty of justice and been paraded in front of heathen leaders like a trophy.

- Here he is, beaten beyond recognition, nailed to a cross, virtually without any clothing before a world that He created and He says, "Father, forgive them!"

- Are those the words that you would expect to say if you had experienced only one offense?

- No matter what the world has done, it has not removed His confidence from calling God His Father! The law says, "Cursed is He who is hung on a tree" and Jesus will take on that curse.

- But here, He is our High Priest, dispensing forgiveness to the very worst of our human brothers and sisters! Because of what He was doing, forgiveness of their sins was possible!

- Indeed for some that stood there on that day, forgiveness was dispensed! A few hours after mocking the Lord, the thief that stood to one side confessed his belief in the Lord. (Luke 23:43)

- "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." This man is about three hours from his own death. With his last act of grace, Jesus assured him that he would be with Him that very day!

- This is the work of our High Priest, fulfilling both the role and exposing the heart of the Messiah! Do you remember the words of the Angel that announced His birth?

• Matthew 1:21 : "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'" : There is no greater threat to you than the sin that you and I were born with and that we have allowed to reign in us.

- While that is true, the thief on the cross reveals to us that God's grace in His Savior is greater than our sin!

- This is our High Priest, standing before God, announcing His intention to forgive our sin. But what is the basis for that forgiveness?

- Without the shedding of blood, the High Priest can call for forgiveness and beg for mercy, but God cannot dispense it! This is now the time for Christ to become the sacrifice. Look at Luke 23:44.

• Luke 23:44 : "Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour." : Consider the experience of the Aaronic High Priest, who entered the Holy Of Holies on the Day of Atonement.

- Recall to mind that the only light source in the Tabernacle was the lampstand that stood near the entrance to the Holy Place.

- As the High Priest walked closer to the second partition, the light became increasingly less luminous. As the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, the light was out completely.

- The Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God's throne, stood near the back of the room and the Priest was to sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat. It was God and the High Priest alone.

- This is what is happening right here in history! The lights have gone out and our High Priest is bringing the blood of the sacrifice to the true altar!

- However, He's not bringing the blood of a lamb. He's offering the blood of THE LAMB of God, who was sent, not to cover sins as the average lamb did, but to take them away!

- We can't imagine what this moment was like for our Lord! Certainly, everything to this moment had been horrifying, but what happened here in the darkness even topped that!

- In those hours, nothing is said. All is quiet. There is disquiet and a divine silence that occurs.

- It was the same experience that the Aaronic Priest faced when the curtain closed behind him on the Day of Atonement. Jesus stood alone in the very presence of God.

- At the cross, the next sound that the world heard came in the form of a profound shriek from the middle cross. Matthew records this moment for us.

• Matthew 27:45,46 : "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" : Can you imagine this? Living in an area such as I do, sometimes the silence can be deafening. When it is most silent, any noise serves to startle the entire house!

- This had to be blood curtling! All of a sudden, out of the darkness, the shrill, plaintive voice of Jesus Christ pierces the air. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"

- In that moment, Christ having fulfilled His role as the High Priest, now takes on the role of being the vicarious substitute, the sacrifice whose blood cleanses the sins of His believing nation!

- For the first time in all of eternity, the Son stood alone, separated from the Godhead. We cannot fathom the mystery of what occurred here or the loneliness that is expressed in His words.

- This was indeed the moment that Christ must have dreaded the most. When an Israelite brought their sacrifice to the Tabernacle, they were to extend their hand to touch the animal.

- In that way, they expressed an identification with the animal and faith that their sins were now transferred to the animal.

- At least symbolically, when you believe upon Christ, you have done the same thing: You have extended your hand toward Christ, identifying yourself as a sinner and Christ as your substitute!

- When Christ called out in the darkness this exchange had fully taken place. Your past, present and future sin was placed upon the Son of God. He bore it upon His shoulders!

- Every wretched act of sin, every horrific crime, every heinous action of every person who has ever believed or will ever believe upon Christ, was accounted to Him.

- Sometimes, it's needful to say this as well: It wasn't just our wretched sins, but our accepted sins as well. Our impatience at having to wait. Our petty disagreements that interrupt fellowship.

- Our godless priorities which reveal our idolatrous hearts. Our unwillingness to forego our fantasy lives. All of this was placed upon Him as well!

- He became the federal representative for all of believing mankind and God, whose holiness does not allow Him to look upon sin, turned His proverbial back upon Christ!

• "Ye who think of sin but lightly Nor suppose the evil great / Here may view its nature rightly, Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the Sacrifice appointed, See who bears the awful load; 'Tis the WORD, the LORD'S ANOINTED, Son of Man and Son of God."            Thomas Kelly, "Stricken Smitten And Afflicted," 1804

- The Apostle Paul will later say that Jesus "became sin" for us. (2 Corinthians 5:21) In that moment, He faced the very full expenditure of the wrath of Father God against our sins.

- At the end of the 6th hour on the cross, Jesus completed the sacrifice.

• John 19:28-30 : "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." : Jesus did not remain upon the Cross for a single second more than was necessary.

- All was complete. Everything with the exception of two scriptures, had been fulfilled. Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21 both speak of the Messiah receiving this bitter wine.

- And then, in perfect tone for all to hear, He cried out "It is finished!" The work is complete. The debt is paid. The business is fully transacted! He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Conclusion
- As we come to the communion table, your High Priest, Jesus, offers a right relationship with God through Himself! He alone offers forgiveness and the promise of paradise to those that believe.

- He is able to offer this to you and deliver it because He is the sacrifice! His righteous life is the basis for God's ability to treat you graciously!

- "It is finished!" All that remains is for us to take Him at His Word, to thank Him and remember that this life is His to live through! Let's pray.  

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