Tag Archives: Good Friday

Forsaken – Sermon on Mark 15:33-35 for Good Friday

Mark 15:33-35

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

On Good Friday, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered in three distinct ways. And it’s helpful to distinguish and contrast them. The three kinds of suffering are 1) physical suffering, 2) suffering the shame, and 3) the suffering of forsakenness.

We know what it is to have physical pain. We’ve all experienced it. Maybe not to the extent that Jesus did, but we’ve all had physical pain. You scrape your knee, get your finger caught in a door, or just sleep or sit wrong. Physical pain is something we naturally try to avoid. The physical pain of the cross was, without a doubt, excruciating for Jesus. But His physical pain was not what won your redemption and salvation. Physical pain was not the price that Jesus had to pay.

If Jesus’ physical pain won your salvation, then you and I have the same capacity to suffer physically as Jesus did. Plenty of people were beaten, whipped, and crucified in Jesus’ day, but their physical suffering didn’t save them.

We also know what it is to experience shame. The shame Jesus endures in His Passion is also horrible. He was spit on. The soldiers placed robes on Him, put a crown of thorns on Him, and bowed down to Him as they mocked, “Hail, King of the Jews.”

He was blindfolded and punched as people asked Him to prophesy, “Who was it that hit you?” People walked by the cross wagging their heads, saying, “You saved others. You don’t seem to be able to do anything now. You trusted in God, where is He now?” That’s the shame of the cross. And yet, the shame Jesus suffered is also not what wins your salvation. Other people have suffered similar shame.

But there’s that third suffering. It’s a hidden suffering, but it is the one that’s most profound of all. We get a glimpse of it in this fourth word of Jesus, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” That’s the greatest suffering of the cross.

In that moment, Jesus is suffering all the wrath of God over sin. He’s suffering all of God’s anger that you and I deserve. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us, so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God.

In other words, all of the anger, all of the wrath, all of the punishment, and the separation from God that you and I deserve – it all falls on Jesus. He suffers all of that as our sins are laid on Him. In that moment, God is looking down at Jesus, and God does not see the Son whom He loves. Instead, God only sees sin and all the things that He hates and abhors.

In that moment, God the Father forsakes Jesus and pours out all of His wrath onto Christ. This why Isaiah says that Jesus is smitten, stricken by God, and afflicted (Is. 53:4). All of God’s righteous anger falls on Jesus. When Jesus says these words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” that is what is taking place.

The most profound word of that prayer from Jesus’ lips is, “Why?”Christ doesn’t pray, “My God, My God, You have forsaken Me.” Instead, it’s, “Why? Why have You forsaken Me?” And this is a real, honest question. Several times throughout His life Jesus denies using His divine knowledge and omnipotence. This is one of those times. For those moments, even the purpose of Jesus’ suffering is hidden from Him.

This wasn’t always the case. When He was nailed to the cross, Jesus knew what He was doing there. That’s why He said, “Father, forgive them.” God can’t forgive without the cross. Jesus knew what He was doing on the cross when He told the thief, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise.” And in just a few minutes Jesus shows that He knows again why He’s there when He says, “It is finished.”

But here, right in the middle of the crucifixion as Jesus cries out, “Why have You forsaken Me?” He temporarily denies His knowledge of what He is doing there. The point of it all is hidden from Him.

In that moment Jesus has nothing. Nothing to cling to. No hope. No comfort at all. He doesn’t have the comfort of knowing that He’ll be raised on the third day. He doesn’t have the comfort that this is happening for your salvation. In that moment, all Jesus knows is that He’s suffering all of God’s wrath against sin even though He’s done nothing wrong or sinful.

That is the suffering that wins your salvation. That suffering of being forsaken by God that Jesus is enduring here is beyond our comprehension.

We can see the beating and the whip. We can see the crown of thorns. We can see the shame and hear all the mockery. We can see the nails. But what you can’t see is the thing that matters most. The vengeance and wrath of God towards sinners is all poured out on Christ.

That’s the reason. That’s why Jesus goes to the cross. He goes there so that you will never see this wrath. So that you will never know this suffering under God’s righteous judgment. So that you will never know what it is to be forsaken by God. 

Jesus says, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” so that you never have to.

Dear saints, you will never have to say that because God will not forsake you. He has promised (Heb. 13:5-6). He will not leave you alone in your sin. He doesn’t let your sin and guilt remain because Jesus has taken it and has suffered for it in your place.

That’s the suffering that wins and accomplishes your salvation. It is a suffering that we can’t imagine. And, Christian, because of Jesus, you never will. Jesus is your substitute. He pushes you out of the way of God’s wrath so that wrath hits Him and not you.

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” As He said that, Jesus didn’t know. But, dear saints, you do. You know the answer. He was forsaken by God so that you will be not only accepted, but also loved as God’s redeemed child for all eternity. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

Father, into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit – Sermon on Luke 23:46 & Psalm 31:5 for Good Friday

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ’Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.’ And having said this [Jesus] breathed His last” (Lk. 23:46).

Hebrews 10:31 tells us, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The majority of times that the Bible talks about God stretching out His hand, it means destruction. This is why death is a fearful thing for us. The wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23). It is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Heb. 9:27). Deep down, everyone knows this (Ro. 1:18-21).

Even the most hardcore atheist who wrongly thinks we are nothing more than a glob of atoms who randomly evolved knows that death is something to be avoided. Over the past few years, we have watched the absurd and, even, the evil things people will do in an attempt to avoid death. But unless Jesus returns first, we will all die (1 Thess. 4:17). And Satan uses the fact that sinners die to his advantage. Hebrews 2:14-15 says that the devil is able to hold all of humanity in bondage and slavery using only one tool, the fear of death. People try to stay alive at all costs and put even the thought of death as far away as possible. Death reminds us that we are not in control and are not in charge.

So, we have to learn from Jesus how to die. Jesus does not go into death as though He is falling into the hands of an enemy, but safely into the hands of His Father. These words of Jesus, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit,” are a quote from Psalm 31:5, and by quoting it, Jesus wants us to consider the entire Psalm. Just like when you hear a line from a song or a movie and, so long as you are familiar with it, the whole song or scene comes to mind, this one line Psalm 31 would have brought the whole Psalm to the minds of those who were there at the cross.

I would encourage you to read all of Psalm 31 tonight with your family and have the crucifixion in mind. For now, hear the first five verses:

1 In You, O Lord, do I take refuge; 
let me never be put to shame; 
in Your righteousness deliver me! 
2 Incline Your ear to me; 
rescue me speedily! 
Be a rock of refuge for me, 
a strong fortress to save me! 
3 For You are my rock and my fortress; 
and for Your name’s sake You lead me and guide me; 
4 You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, 
for You are my refuge. 
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; 
You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. 

Psalm 31:1-5 ESV

With His dying breath, Jesus commits Himself into the hands of the Father, and Christ can do this because He knows God is not angry with Him. And you, when you come to the end of your life, when you are breathing your last, you need to know this as well.

God is not angry with you. His anger over your sin has been satisfied. He has redeemed you through Jesus’ death. He has purchased and won you. Christ has paid the price for your sins. Unless you stubbornly hold on to your sins and refuse to believe that Christ has taken your place, there is no wrath, no judgment from God for you. You, Christian, you are a child of God, a child of the heavenly Father because Jesus has paid the price for your sins. You are no longer a sinner, but a one who has been redeemed and purchased by Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God.

By His blood, Jesus has washed away all your sin. You stand before God in the robe of Christ’s righteousness (Is. 61:10). For you, Christian, it is no longer a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God because God’s hands were nailed to the cross for you. Those are the hands that you commit yourself to.

There is therefore now no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus (Ro. 8:1) because your condemnation is in the past. It has already happened as Jesus died on the cross for you.

Jesus died after praying Psalm 31:5a, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” And it is important to notice that Jesus only prays the first line because He could not pray the second line, “You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” Jesus couldn’t pray the second line because He was not redeemed; instead, He was redeeming. He was redeeming you. He was there on the cross paying the price; winning your salvation; forgiving your sins; overcoming sin, death, and the grave. He was doing all of that so you can pray all of Psalm 31:5. The entire thing. Because of what your Lord and Savior has done, you can rightly pray, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”

You belong to Jesus. He is your Brother and God is your Father. At the end of every day, take up these words, “Almighty God, my heavenly Father, like Jesus did before me, into Your hands I commit my spirit, for You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” And as you pray that, know that Jesus, who committed Himself into the hands of God the Father, has gone and prepared a place for you so that where Jesus is, you may be also (Jn. 14:3). Amen.[1]The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] This sermon was adapted from a sermon by Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller.

Today in Paradise – Sermon on Luke 23:39-43 for Good Friday

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The disciples, James and John, had asked Jesus if they could sit at His right and left when Jesus entered His glory, but Jesus told them that they didn’t know what they were asking. Besides that, Jesus said that it wasn’t His to grant, and the heavenly Father had already determined who would have those seats of honor (Mk. 10:35-40). In a few minutes, we will hear who gets those positions – two criminals one on Jesus’ right and another on His left (Mk. 15:27; Lk. 23:33).

At first, both of these condemned men mock Jesus as they hang there with Christ on their own crosses (Mk. 15:32). But something happens as the thief on the right watches Jesus suffer. This thief hears Jesus’ words as He hangs on the cross. Maybe, it was when he heard Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). And faith sprouts in that criminal’s heart. He is converted and is a Christian.

Now, instead of mocking Jesus, he prays to Jesus. And his prayer sounds absurd, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Here Jesus is beaten, bloodied, stricken, stripped, hanging, and dying on a cross. He is about as far from obtaining a kingdom as you could possibly be. But through faith this thief knows that Jesus isn’t done. He knows that the cross won’t be the end of Jesus. Somehow, and this can only be by the working of the Holy Spirit, this man believes that death won’t be the end of Jesus. He is a king who is coming into His kingdom. And even in that moment this thief believes that Jesus is a Savior who can save him from the condemnation that is the due reward for his deeds (Lk. 23:41).

Jesus looks at him and says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

And when Jesus dies, His body is run through with a spear, taken down from the cross, and laid in the grave. But Jesus’ soul goes to be with the Father in heaven, and the thief goes with Him. Jesus and this thief meet up that very day in Paradise. Scripture says that to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). 

The separation of body and soul that Jesus and this criminal experience when they die is the same separation that you and I will face unless Jesus returns first. Our body will go to the grave, and our soul will go to be with the Lord. But when Jesus returns, He will put you back together. Your body will be raised from the grave. Your soul will be rejoined to your body, and you will live forever. This is our hope and comfort.

But there is something more comforting to learn from the thief on the cross, and it is this: You are saved, not by your works, but by God’s grace. You are justified, not by your deeds, but by God’s promise. You are delivered, not by your efforts, but by God’s mercy. And this is only possible because Jesus takes all your sin and suffers in your place on the cross.

That thief’s story preaches this to you today. He lived a life that earned him capital punishment. But the Holy Spirit got a hold of him. He believed and was converted. And he’s right into heaven. 

The thief isn’t saved because of his works, deeds, or efforts! Even if he wanted to do a good work, he wouldn’t have been able because his hands and feet are nailed to a cross. All he had to face the judgment of God was the promise of Jesus, and that was enough for him. And it is enough for you.

When you stand before God’s holiness and perfection to be judged, there is nothing you can offer – no excuse, no self-justification, no good work. Nothing. 

You have nothing except the promise of Jesus. And, again, that is enough. Jesus says to this condemned criminal, “Truly, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” And Christ says the same to you, dear saint. “Truly, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

I Thirst – Sermon on John 19:28 for Good Friday

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In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In Hosea 11:1, God says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.” But it didn’t take long for that beloved child to start whining. Even though God had displayed His might and power to protect and deliver His people through the plagues He sent upon Egypt, three days after crossing the Red Sea the people came to the bitter waters of Marah (Ex. 15:22-26). They grumbled against Moses saying, “I thirst! What are we going to drink?”

Well, God acted for His son, Israel. God showed Moses a log and told him to toss it into those bitter waters. Moses did, the bitter water became sweet, and the thirst of Israel, God’s son, was quenched.

About one month later, God’s son, Israel, again said, “I thirst.” They had come to a place where there was no water. This time the whining was worse. The son grumbled again saying to Moses, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” But God, their loving Father, still provided. He told Moses to take his staff and strike a rock. And from that rock came water for God’s son, and his thirst was quenched again.

Tonight, Jesus, on the verge of death, cries out, “I thirst.” Jesus is God’s true, beloved, faithful, obedient Son. Jesus is the true Israel. Christ had never whined or complained no matter how hard or bitter things got for Him. He was everything that the nation of Israel wasn’t. Yet, when Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, cries out to His Father, “I thirst,” God doesn’t move a muscle. God doesn’t jump to action.

You remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31). As he is there in torment, the rich man begs for a drop of water from Lazarus’ finger. Like that rich man, Jesus gets nothing to drink. Not even one drop.

When Jesus cries, “I thirst,” it is because He is truly parched. Jesus is true God and also true Man. He actually was thirsty. But even more than needing water for His dehydrated mouth, Jesus’ thirst is to do His Father’s will (Jn. 4:34). Christ thirsted for your salvation so that you can be God’s child. Only Jesus can truly say, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1-2a). Jesus thirsted in your place.

We thirst for things that are momentary and trivial. We thirst for the attention and approval of others. We thirst for our own glory, our own wealth, our own safety, our own selfish desires. But no matter how much we drink from the cup of our sins, our thirst is never satisfied there. That is why Jesus went to the cross. He went there because of your sin. He went to the cross to atone for your sinful thirsts.

That is why, it pleased God to do nothing for Jesus as He thirsted on the cross. It was God’s will for Jesus to drink from the bitter cup of wrath so that you could drink the sweet, living waters that Jesus gives which well up to eternal life (Jn. 4:14).

There was no water from the rock for Jesus because He was the Rock. According to 1 Cor. 10:4, Christ was the Rock that was struck in the wilderness for God’s people to drink. It happened in the wilderness for Israel, God’s son, and it still happens for you today, believer. Jesus was struck with a spear and out of that dead Rock hanging on the cross came the water and blood which give eternal life.

Jesus thirsted. He died. He rose again. And He is ascended and is now seated at God’s right hand. But Christ still thirsts. Even today He thirsts, and His thirst is for your salvation. He thirsts for you to be forgiven and receive His righteousness. Jesus’ thirst is to eternally satisfy your thirst.

So, Jesus, your Savior, invites you, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (Jn. 7:37-38).

May we drink from Him, our crucified and risen Lord and Savior. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Father, Forgive Them – Sermon on Luke 23:34 for Good Friday

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Luke 23:34a

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Whenever I read the passages about the crucifixion, I get frustrated. There is a big part of me that wants to enter into the story, grab people by the shirt, and tell them, “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

But imagine saying, “You don’t know what you are doing,” to the chief priests and Pharisees when they put Jesus on trial. Likely, they would have responded, “We know exactly what we are doing.” They had intentionally sought out gathered people who they knew would give false testimony against Jesus (Mt. 26:59-60), so they could put Him to death. In fact, for the majority of Jesus’ ministry, they had been trying to find a way to destroy Jesus (Mk. 3:6; Jn. 5:18).

Imagine saying to the crowds, “You don’t know what you are doing.” They probably would have said, “That man, Jesus, is dangerous. The chief priests and elders told us just how dangerous He is. It’s better for us to have murderer Barabbas freed and wandering the streets than to have Jesus leading people astray. We want Him crucified.”

Imagine saying to the soldiers, “You don’t know what you are doing.” They would have likely said, “Yes we do. We are experts with whips and hammers and nails. We know how to whip, beat, and flog a prisoner. We have been trained to know exactly where to put the nails in the hands and feet to avoid the arteries and maximize the suffering to make death on a cross as excruciating as possible.”

It seems as though everyone responsible for putting Jesus on the cross knew exactly what they were doing. But Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Was Jesus wrong?

No. In His mercy, Jesus looks on them from His with compassion, and absolves them. He forgives their sins. And He blesses them. Because that is exactly why He is dying. He is dying to forgive them, and He is dying to forgive you.

When we see Jesus dying on the cross, we are sorry for our sins. We know our sins are bad, but when we see how Jesus suffers for our sins, we know just how bad they are. We see what the cost is for our sins. We know how angry God is at our sins.

We know that it was because of our sins that Jesus was dragged around all night to the different trials. We know that our sin caused Jesus to be spit upon, beaten, and whipped. Because of our sin, Jesus was pinned to that splintered piece of wood and lifted up to hang there and suffocate to death. Because of our sin, Jesus endured the wrath of God as He hung in darkness, abandoned and deserted by His Father. All of it is sad, and it should make us sorry. There is no more severe preaching of God’s Law than the cross of Jesus because on the cross of Jesus we see what we deserve (FOC. Ep. IV. 9).

But know this: Jesus is not just suffering because of you; He is suffering for you and in your place.

Jesus wants to be on the cross. Now, it isn’t as though Jesus enjoyed being on the cross. Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus despised the shame of the cross. He wants to be there. He wants to pay the price. He wants to rescue, redeem, save, and forgive you all your sins.

Yes, Jesus suffers because of you, but even more wonderfully Jesus suffers for you. And Christ would have it no other way.

Remember when Peter says that he doesn’t want Jesus to go to the cross (Mt. 16:21-22), but Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Jesus is determined to be up there on the cross because it is the only way for you to have the gifts that He will win. To be on that cross is what Jesus wants.

Jesus wants to be crucified for you so that you can have His joy and His peace.

And this is why we call it “Good Friday” because Jesus is dying for you.

And He isn’t mad about it. Jesus isn’t upset or angry at you. He loves you and prays from the cross for you, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Easter in October – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

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Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Resurrection of the Widow's Son at NainIf Menards can have Christmas decorations out already and if the Hallmark Channel can do nonstop Christmas movies in July, then the Church can certainly have Easter in October. In fact, we have to celebrate Easter because this text screams Easter – loud and clear. But always before Easter, there is Good Friday. Before resurrection, there must be death. Good Friday sadness is a prerequisite to Easter joy. We have to see that first.

Yes, Easter joy is the climax of this text, but Good Friday sadness gets more words. Yes, the young son of this woman is raised, but Luke spends much more time telling us about the sad estate of his mother. She was a widow, but now she is really alone. This son of hers that has died is her only-begotten (μονογενής same word used in Jn. 3:16) son. A great crowd follows her sharing in her grief. Jesus sees her and speaks to her first. This woman is drowning in Good Friday grief. But Jesus He won’t allow it.

Jesus isn’t very good at funerals. He always ruins them. Remember when Jairus’ little girl died (Mt. 9:18-26; Mk. 5:22-43; Lk. 8:41-56), Jesus sees all the mourners weeping and wailing and tells them, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping,” and everyone laughs at Him. But then Jesus goes into the house, takes the girl by the hand, and says, “Little girl, get up” (Mk. 541:). And she does. Or, remember when Lazarus died. Jesus came when Lazarus’ corpse would have been ripe and stinky. Then, Christ tells them to roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb and says, “Lazarus, come out” (Jn. 11:43). And out He comes. Finally, remember Jesus’ own funeral. Our Lord didn’t behave properly then either. Jesus leaves before His funeral is finished. He didn’t stick around in the grave long enough to have a proper burial.

Well, here in this text, Jesus ruins another funeral. Jesus is leading a great crowd. And as they reach the city of Nain, they meet another crowd who were going out of the city to bury the boy. These two throngs of people meet at the gate. Imagine this. One crowd is leaving the city and following death, and another crowd is entering the city lead by the Life of the world (Jn. 11:25, 14:6). And these two crowds get mixed up together in this bottle neck.

Proper etiquette and manners would dictate that Jesus and His crowd would step aside and allow the funeral procession to pass by. But, remember, Jesus is no good at funerals. Instead, Jesus marches right up to the front of the funeral procession. He does this, Luke tells us, because when He saw the mother He had compassion on her. Literally, Jesus’ guts were being wrenched and all twisted up inside.

He walks up to the woman and says, “Do not weep.” This sounds absolutely callous. Weeping is the right thing for this woman to be doing – her son has died. When you are saddened by the death of someone and find yourself weeping, you are doing what is right. Your actions line up with how God feels about death. Jesus, who never sinned, Himself cried when He was at the tomb of Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). Now, the text doesn’t tell us this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus had tears in His eyes as He approached the widow. Remember His guts are wrenched. But He tells her to stop crying because He is about to intervene. Jesus could have reversed the order. He could have raised the young man first, then told the mother to stop crying. But He doesn’t. He tells her to stop crying because it isn’t going to be necessary in a moment. This command to stop crying is a call for her to trust in Him.

H-70 Trinity 16 (Lu 7.11-17)Then, Jesus walks past the pallbearers, straight up to the bier, touches it, and says, “Young man, I say to you, arise,” as though He was waking up a sleepy teenager late on a Saturday morning. The boy gets up and begins to speak. I wonder what he said.

Jesus gives the boy back to his mother and everyone glorifies God saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” And, “God has visited His people!” They were right. God had visited His people. God had taken on flesh to deliver His people from death and sin, the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:54-56).

Dear saints, today is October 6th, but today we celebrate Easter; we celebrate the resurrection. Yes, we await the resurrection on the final day when Christ returns and raises up the dead and grants eternal life to all who believe in Him. But the resurrection has already begun. Jesus, your Savior died, but He lives. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:20). Whenever Jesus contends with death, death looses.

And that is what you need because this morning, you were part of a funeral procession. Because you are a sinner, the stink of death hangs around you. Young and old – man, woman, and child – we all dragged some dead thing here with us today.

Is it your relationship with your spouse that is slowly dying? Is it the skeleton of disobedience to parents? What dead thing have you brought with you?

Is it the rotting remains of your finances that cause you to worry and doubt, or simply discontentment with what God has given you? Is it the cadaver of lust that flames within you? Is it the carcass of pride that is so inwardly focused that you do not notice the needs of others? What dead thing have you brought here with you?

Maybe it isn’t even your fault. Maybe it is just the fear of what might happen in the future. Maybe it is anger for how you have been wronged in the past. Maybe your dead thing is your own sick, crumbling body. What dead thing have you brought here with you?

Body of Christ CommunionJesus marches toward your funeral procession, and He does not stop or yield. Jesus does not give way or defer to death. Instead, Jesus defeats death with His death and resurrection, each and every time He meets it. Jesus meets you here today as you plod along in your personal funeral procession and gives you life. Jesus meets you at this altar to give you His living Body and His life-giving Blood.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

It Is Finished – Sermon on John 19:30 for Good Friday

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John 19:30

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear saints, Jesus says, “It is finished.”

Jesus isn’t talking about His suffering. He doesn’t mean His agony or pain. These words do not refer to the darkness over the whole land while Jesus hung on the cross between noon and three. Yes, those things are coming to an end when Jesus says,“It is finished.”But Jesus is talking about something much bigger.

He is saying that the war between God and man is over. “It is finished.”

All of creation was plunged into sin and rebellion when Adam and the woman ate from the tree of which God commanded them not to eat. In that moment, all of humanity declared war against God. But God would not let mankind, the crown of His creation, be at war against Him. God would not fight against us though we fight against Him. Instead, He would fight for us.

Right after we fell into sin, God came down to the Garden and said that He would put enmity between Himself and the devil promising that the Seed of the woman would come and crush Satan’s head even as the devil crushed His heel. Then and there, God declared war – not against us – but against the devil, against death, and against your sin.

The Scriptures are the record of that war. Throughout the Bible, you read of the devil claiming people as his own, putting his name on them, making them his servants and followers, and dragging them with him into destruction.

But all the while God was fighting back. He kept rescuing His people from the devil and his armies. He rescued Adam and Eve. He delivered Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. God ransomed His people from slavery in Egypt. He saved Joshua, Samuel, Samson, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and countless others – both named and unnamed. God was fighting back, calling His people back to Himself. Promising that one day the battles would cease. The war would end. And there on the Cross, Jesus proclaims the victory when He says, “It is finished.”

The victory was costly – more costly than we can ever fathom. And the victory did not appear to be glorious. The victory, in fact, looked like defeat as the eternal Son of God hung there, dead on the cross. It is much easier for us to see Jesus’ heel being crushed than to see the devil’s head being crushed because that heel crushing is overwhelming.

But, dear saints, if the crushing of Jesus’ heel appears to be that devastating, how much more annihilating is the crushing of the devil’s head?

Today especially, but whenever you consider Jesus’ suffering, see what God is doing. He is ending the war. The war is ended not with a ceasefire or a peace treaty, but with total and complete victory. “It is finished.”

Consider what God says the crucifixion of our Lord means. It means that everything that was ever demanded of you in the Law (Col. 2:14), Jesus says, “It is finished.”

All the prophecies about Christ’s suffering that were recorded for us in the books of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms (Lk. 18, 24), Jesus says, “It is finished.”

Everything that was necessary for the Christ to suffer so you could be forgiven and adopted as God’s child (Php. 2:5-15), Jesus says, “It is finished.”

Everything that was necessary for you to be saved and have eternal life (1 Pet. 1:10-12), Jesus says, “It is finished.”

Remember that God calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:19-20). It is God’s loving and gracious will for you to believe in Him. Everything that weighs on your soul, every sin that troubles your conscience, every burden of doubt, every fear, every worry, and every guilt is taken off of you and placed on Jesus. And Christ bears it away and buries it in the depths of the sea (Pr. Preus). “It is finished.”

Today is not bad Friday or sad Friday or black Friday. Today is Good Friday, the day that our Lord restored the original goodness to His creation, and that is most certainly good for us (Petersen).

The death of Christ is your redemption, your victory. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain, but now lives forever and ever. Christ has suffered and died in order that you might be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Christian, just as Christ is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, you will too. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.