LIVE | Remember the Cross | Good Friday Service

Devotional

Day 1: The Suffering Servant Who Carries Our Burdens

The prophet Isaiah foretold the immense suffering the Messiah would endure centuries before it occurred. This was not a random act of violence, but a deliberate, loving act of substitution. He willingly took upon Himself the griefs, sorrows, and iniquities that rightfully belonged to us. His pain was for our peace; His wounds were for our healing. In His suffering, we find our relief. [45:28]

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV)

Reflection: As you reflect on the suffering Jesus endured, what specific grief or sorrow in your own life are you most comforted to know He has carried for you?

Day 2: The Lamb Whose Blood Causes Death to Pass Over

The story of Passover provides a powerful foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate work. The blood of a spotless lamb, spread on the doorposts, caused the angel of death to pass over the homes of the Israelites. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, offered His own blood so that eternal death would pass over all who are covered by it. This is the foundation of our rescue and our hope. [50:16]

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV)

Reflection: In what ways does remembering Jesus as the Passover Lamb change your understanding of the security and freedom you have in Him?

Day 3: The Call to Remember and Proclaim His Sacrifice

Communion is far more than a ritual; it is a sacred act of remembrance and proclamation. When we take the bread and the cup, we are actively recalling the high cost of our salvation. We are also declaring to the world the Lord’s death and our hope in His promised return. This act connects us personally to the story of redemption. [53:01]

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
(1 Corinthians 11:25-26 ESV)

Reflection: What does "proclaiming the Lord's death" look like in your daily life, beyond the walls of the church building?

Day 4: The Invitation to Self-Examination Before Communion

Approaching the Lord's table is a serious and holy matter. We are invited to come, not because we are perfect, but because we are covered by His grace. This grace calls for a posture of humility and self-reflection. We are to examine our hearts, confess our need, and receive the elements with a renewed awareness of our dependence on His body and blood. [54:04]

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
(1 Corinthians 11:28-29 ESV)

Reflection: As you prepare your heart to remember His sacrifice, is there anything you need to confess or surrender to Him in order to receive this gift with a clear and thankful heart?

Day 5: The Hope That It Is Not Yet Finished

The crucifixion felt like a final, crushing end to Jesus' followers. They did not yet understand that Sunday was coming. In our own lives, we often face moments that feel like final, hopeless endings. The cross reminds us that God is not finished with our story. His work of redemption, both in us and through us, continues until the day He returns. [01:07:01]

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
(Romans 4:25 ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you currently tempted to believe that God's work is finished, and how does the truth of the resurrection bring you fresh hope?

Sermon Summary

Good Friday service centers on the suffering, sacrifice, and redemptive work of Christ. The narrative walks through the passion accounts and Isaiah’s prophetic portrait of the Suffering Servant, showing how Jesus bore grief, carried sorrows, and took on transgressions so that punishment that brings peace would fall on him. Scripture gets read aloud—Isaiah 53—and the theological claim stands plain: the cross makes right what sin made wrong, taking upon itself shame, death, and brokenness so that humanity might be healed.

The message frames five key reminders: God’s love expressed in giving his Son; sin’s reality as separation from God; the cross as payment for that sin; a call to decisive response; and the Spirit’s work as an inner flame empowering new life. Each point ties prophetic promise to historical action: the Lamb slain at Passover becomes the means by which death passes over those under the blood. The Last Supper and Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 11 surface as the institution and ongoing significance of communion—remembrance, proclamation, and disciplined self-examination.

Communion receives careful pastoral instruction: open to all, yet not to be received casually. Paul’s warning about unworthy participation prompts a call to discernment and repentance before taking the bread and cup. Practical details accompany the ordinance—elements distributed, gluten-free and nonalcoholic options available, and the congregation invited to receive together—so that remembrance becomes both corporate proclamation and private reckoning.

A time of silent reflection follows the sacrament, inviting the assembled to stand beneath the gravity of the cross: the piercing, the scourging, the poured-out blood and water. The silence presses the paradox of Christ’s apparent defeat and the promise of new life; those who came feeling finished receive an explicit invitation into resurrection hope. The gathering closes with a benediction and dismissal, leaving the realities of sacrifice, redemption, and the Spirit’s enlivening presence as the final impressions carried into the weekend.

Key Takeaways

1. God's love enacted on the cross God’s love does not remain abstract; it takes on concrete vulnerability in the giving of the Son. Love here is costly and substitutionary—another’s wound accepted so that justice and mercy meet. This move redefines divine affection as restorative action toward the grieving and the guilty. [46:59]
2. Sin separates from God's presence Sin functions as real estrangement, not merely moral failing; it blocks access to holiness and communion with God. That separation demands a remedy that neither minimizes guilt nor evades grace, showing the necessity of an atonement that addresses alienation at its root. Recognizing separation clarifies the seriousness of reconciliation and the depth of the remedy provided. [47:17]
3. The cross pays sin's penalty The crucifixion stands as substitutionary payment—what humanity owed, Christ accepted. This transaction repairs the moral order by transferring culpability and bearing punishment so that peace and healing become possible. Understanding payment prevents sentimental readings and invites sober gratitude rooted in costly justice. [47:41]
4. Communion requires self-examination Communion serves as corporate remembrance and personal scrutiny; it proclaims the Lord’s death and warns against casual reception. Paul’s charge to examine oneself affirms that the sacrament disciplines conscience and calls for repentance before participation. This practice preserves the sacrament’s integrity and leads to healing rather than judgment. [54:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:14] - Good Friday Focus
[02:29] - Opening Video
[43:17] - Time and Christ
[44:27] - Isaiah's Prophecy
[45:28] - Suffering Servant Read
[46:41] - Five Reminders
[47:41] - Cross Paid for Sin
[49:00] - Holy Spirit Promise
[49:42] - Passover Background
[50:51] - Communion Institution
[54:04] - Examine Yourself
[55:25] - Communion Distributed
[65:34] - Moment of Silent Reflection
[68:10] - Dismissal and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Isaiah 53:4-6 (ESV)
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Observation questions

According to Isaiah 53:4-5, what specific things did the servant bear for us?
What does the passage say was the result of the chastisement that fell upon him?
In the sermon, what was the fifth reminder about the Holy Spirit's role for those who say yes to Jesus? [48:32]
How was the cup used in the Passover Seder meal described, and what did Jesus say about it when he took it? [52:17]

Interpretation questions

The passage says "we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." Why do you think people at the time viewed his suffering this way, and how does the prophet's message correct this view?
The sermon stated that "sin functions as real estrangement, not merely moral failing." [47:17] How does this understanding of sin as separation help explain the necessity of the cross as a payment?
Paul gives a serious warning about taking communion in an unworthy manner. What does it mean to "examine" oneself before participating, and what might "discerning the body" look like in practice? [54:04]
The sermon described the cross as making "right what we made wrong." [46:24] How does the concept of substitutionary payment accomplish this, and why is a "costly justice" required for peace and healing?

Application questions

The love of God was demonstrated in the giving of his Son. [46:59] In what practical ways can you reflect this same costly, self-giving love to someone in your life this week?
The call to "say yes" to God's love was presented as a decisive response. [48:13] If you have already said yes, what does continuing to say yes look like in your daily walk? If you haven't, what is holding you back from receiving the reconciliation offered to you?
Communion is a time for corporate remembrance and personal scrutiny. [54:04] What is one area of your life that requires repentance and realignment with God that you can bring to him before your next opportunity to take communion?
The Holy Spirit is given as an inner flame to help us live for God. [48:32] In what specific situation do you currently need the Spirit's power to overcome a struggle or to live in a way that honors the sacrifice made for you?
The moment of silent reflection was meant to help us grasp the gravity of the cross. [01:05:34] How can you create regular moments of quiet in your own life to stand beneath the weight of what Christ endured and let it reshape your perspective on your own challenges?
The sermon closed with the idea that the story isn't finished for those who feel broken or beaten. [01:07:18] How does the truth of the resurrection hope, even in the midst of a Good Friday service, change how you face your own feelings of failure or despair?

Sermon Clips

But be careful, Paul says. There's a warning that comes with remembering and proclaiming. Scripture says, you shouldn't just take communion willy nilly. Somebody tell the kids what willy nilly means. Scripture tells us to take it seriously. Now ascend is an open communion church. That means you don't need special permission. You don't need the punches in your rewards card to add up so that you can get permission to receive communion. You don't need an app on your phone that scans you in so that you have permission to get communion. [00:53:16] (45 seconds) #CommunionWithRespect

You see, it was two thousand twenty six years ago that God split time. Up till that moment, people counted years based on their own lives. But when he came, he was the way, the truth, and the life. And seven hundred years before that, there was a prophet named Isaiah who heard from God, and he foretold of the life Jesus would live and the suffering he would endure. That prophet's name was Isaiah, and he warns us, he tells us about the cross seven hundred years before it happened. [00:43:52] (44 seconds) #ChristSplitTime

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What five truths summarize Good Friday?

How does Isaiah 53 describe Jesus' suffering?

Why must believers examine themselves before communion?

LIVE | Remember the Cross | Good Friday Service | Ascend Church