The Profound Goodness of Good Friday

 

Summary

On this Good Friday, I reflect on the profound significance of the day when Jesus Christ was crucified. A tweet I encountered questioned the irony of calling the day of such a horrific event "Good Friday." This sentiment is understandable, as the crucifixion was indeed a nightmare death, reserved for the lowest classes and marked by immense suffering. However, the essence of Good Friday lies in the deeper truths it reveals and the transformative power it holds for believers.

Firstly, Good Friday is good because it affirms the truthfulness of Jesus. He predicted His own death and resurrection, and His crucifixion fulfilled these prophecies, demonstrating His reliability and divine nature. Secondly, the cross exposes the depth of human sinfulness. While it is uncomfortable to confront, acknowledging humanity's capacity for evil is essential for genuine transformation. Thirdly, the cross is a testament to the immense love of Jesus. Despite being God, He willingly endured the cross, driven by love for humanity. It wasn't the nails that held Him there, but His love for us.

Moreover, Good Friday marks the institution of a new covenant between God and humanity. Unlike the old covenant based on law, this new covenant offers cleansing and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, made possible through Jesus' sacrifice. The cross also signifies Jesus as the sin-bearing sacrifice, taking upon Himself the sins of the world so that we might be made right with God. This act of substitution is something we could never achieve on our own.

Finally, Good Friday is good because it pleased God the Father. The crucifixion fulfilled God's eternal plan, making it the focal point of human history. While the message of the cross may seem foolish to some, it is the power of God for those who believe. It is a call to recognize the goodness of what Jesus accomplished and to respond with faith and gratitude.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Truthfulness of Jesus: Good Friday is a testament to Jesus' truthfulness, as He accurately predicted His death and resurrection. This fulfillment of prophecy affirms His divine nature and reliability, inviting us to trust in His words and promises. [07:54]

2. Humanity's Capacity for Evil: The crucifixion exposes the depth of human sinfulness, reminding us of the need for redemption. Acknowledging our capacity for evil is uncomfortable but necessary for genuine transformation and reconciliation with God. [08:28]

3. The Immense Love of Jesus: Jesus' willingness to endure the cross, despite being God, demonstrates His immense love for humanity. It wasn't the nails that held Him there, but His love, offering us a profound example of sacrificial love. [09:14]

4. The New Covenant: Good Friday marks the institution of a new covenant, offering cleansing and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This covenant, made possible through Jesus' sacrifice, invites us into a transformative relationship with God. [09:48]

5. The Sin-Bearing Sacrifice: Jesus' death on the cross signifies Him as the sin-bearing sacrifice, taking upon Himself the sins of the world. This act of substitution is something we could never achieve on our own, highlighting the depth of God's grace. [10:41]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Good Friday
- [00:28] - The Tweet and Its Irony
- [01:19] - The Sarcasm of Good Friday
- [01:52] - Reading from the Gospel of John
- [03:02] - The Horrific Nature of Crucifixion
- [04:10] - Responding to Mockery
- [05:08] - Why We Call It Good Friday
- [06:05] - The Foolishness of the Cross
- [07:25] - The Truthfulness of Jesus
- [08:14] - Humanity's Capacity for Evil
- [08:44] - The Immense Love of Jesus
- [09:29] - The New Covenant
- [10:11] - The Sin-Bearing Sacrifice
- [11:33] - The Pleasure of God the Father
- [13:38] - The Call to Recognize Goodness
- [15:27] - A Good Friday and Resurrection Hope

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Good Friday

Bible Reading:
1. John 19:16-30
2. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
3. Isaiah 53:10

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Observation Questions:

1. In John 19:16-30, what are the key events that take place during the crucifixion of Jesus? How do these events fulfill Jesus' predictions about His death? [02:09]

2. According to 1 Corinthians 1:18, how does Paul describe the message of the cross to those who are perishing versus those who are being saved? [06:24]

3. In Isaiah 53:10, what does it mean that it "pleased the Lord to bruise him"? How does this relate to the concept of Good Friday being "good"? [11:52]

4. How does the sermon describe the irony or sarcasm perceived by some in calling the day of Jesus' crucifixion "Good Friday"? [01:35]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions about His death and resurrection in John 19:16-30 affirm His truthfulness and divine nature? [07:54]

2. What does the sermon suggest about humanity's capacity for evil as demonstrated by the crucifixion, and why is acknowledging this important for transformation? [08:28]

3. How does the sermon explain the immense love of Jesus as demonstrated on the cross, and why is this love significant for believers? [09:14]

4. What is the significance of the new covenant mentioned in the sermon, and how does it differ from the old covenant based on law? [09:48]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you doubted the truthfulness of Jesus' words or promises. How can the fulfillment of His predictions about His death and resurrection strengthen your faith today? [07:54]

2. The sermon highlights humanity's capacity for evil. How can acknowledging your own capacity for wrongdoing lead to personal transformation and reconciliation with God? [08:28]

3. Jesus' love kept Him on the cross, not the nails. How can you demonstrate sacrificial love in your relationships this week, even when it's challenging? [09:14]

4. The new covenant offers cleansing and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How can you actively seek a deeper relationship with God through this new covenant in your daily life? [09:48]

5. Jesus' death was a sin-bearing sacrifice. In what ways can you express gratitude for this act of grace in your personal worship or community service? [10:41]

6. The sermon mentions that Good Friday pleased God the Father. How can you align your actions and decisions with God's eternal plan, even when it seems counterintuitive? [11:33]

7. Reflect on the irony of calling the day of Jesus' crucifixion "Good Friday." How can you share the goodness of this day with someone who may not understand its significance? [01:35]

Devotional

Day 1: The Reliability of Jesus' Prophecies
The crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday is a profound testament to His truthfulness and divine nature. Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection, and these events unfolded exactly as He foretold. This fulfillment of prophecy not only affirms His reliability but also invites believers to trust in His words and promises. The accuracy of His predictions serves as a foundation for faith, encouraging us to rely on His teachings and the hope He offers. As we reflect on Good Friday, we are reminded that Jesus' words are trustworthy, and His promises are sure. [07:54]

Matthew 16:21 (ESV): "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

Reflection: What specific promise of Jesus do you find difficult to trust fully? How can you take a step today to deepen your trust in His words?


Day 2: Confronting Our Capacity for Sin
Good Friday exposes the depth of human sinfulness, as the crucifixion reveals humanity's capacity for evil. This uncomfortable truth is essential for genuine transformation and reconciliation with God. Acknowledging our own potential for wrongdoing is the first step toward redemption. By confronting our sinfulness, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God's grace. The cross serves as a mirror, reflecting our need for a Savior and the hope of being made new. [08:28]

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV): "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"

Reflection: Identify a specific area in your life where you struggle with sin. How can you invite God into this area to begin the process of transformation today?


Day 3: The Sacrificial Love of Jesus
The immense love of Jesus is powerfully demonstrated on Good Friday, as He willingly endured the cross for humanity's sake. Despite being God, it was not the nails that held Him there, but His profound love for us. This sacrificial love offers a profound example for believers, calling us to love others selflessly. Jesus' love is a model for how we are to live, inviting us to reflect His love in our relationships and actions. [09:14]

1 John 3:16 (ESV): "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to experience the love of Jesus through you today? What specific action can you take to demonstrate sacrificial love to them?


Day 4: Embracing the New Covenant
Good Friday marks the institution of a new covenant between God and humanity, offering cleansing and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This covenant, made possible through Jesus' sacrifice, invites us into a transformative relationship with God. Unlike the old covenant based on law, the new covenant is rooted in grace and empowers us to live in alignment with God's will. Embracing this covenant means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and transform us from within. [09:48]

Hebrews 8:10 (ESV): "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to invite the Holy Spirit to bring transformation? How can you actively seek His guidance today?


Day 5: The Depth of God's Grace
The crucifixion of Jesus signifies Him as the sin-bearing sacrifice, taking upon Himself the sins of the world. This act of substitution is something we could never achieve on our own, highlighting the depth of God's grace. Through Jesus' sacrifice, we are offered the opportunity to be made right with God. This grace is a gift that calls us to respond with gratitude and a life committed to following Him. [10:41]

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Reflection: How can you express gratitude for the grace you've received through Jesus' sacrifice? What is one way you can live out this gratitude in your daily life today?

Quotes


Firstly, it's good because it shows that Jesus is true. You know the fact, don't you, that many times Jesus predicted his own death. He said that he would be crucified. He also said that he would raise the 3rd day, and he made good on that promise as well. But Jesus did promise that he would die, and the fact that he died this death on a cross shows that Jesus was true in his predictions, and that's a good thing. [00:07:25]

Secondly, it was good, and I know this is counterintuitive. The cross was good because it showed the evil of humanity. Look, it's not pleasant to see how evil humanity can be, but it's true. There was humanity gathered together in the plan to put Jesus on the cross, and they did it. They succeeded, and it was a terrible thing that they did. But listen, we're never gonna deal with the real problem of humanity until we realize it for what it is. [00:08:14]

Thirdly, it was good because it shows the great love of Jesus. The Bible tells us, now you can choose to believe it or reject it. I'm sure the man who wrote that tweet, he would be likely to reject this, but the Bible tells us that Jesus was more than a man, that Jesus was and is God, and that Jesus didn't have to go to the cross, that he wasn't there as a victim of circumstances. [00:08:44]

It was and this is sort of a poetic way that preachers speak, but it's true nevertheless that it wasn't nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was his love, his love for lost and needy humanity. The cross is good because it shows us the great love of Jesus. That was his motive, and when we preach the cross, well, we preach it full of the love of Jesus Christ. [00:09:14]

Next, we understand that Good Friday is good because it institutes a new covenant. This new covenant that God has offered to humanity, not like the Old Covenant based on law and rule keeping, but a new covenant where God promises to cleanse his people and to fill them with his spirit. With God's great new covenant that he promises to us was instituted by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. [00:09:48]

It was good because Jesus was the sin-bearing sacrifice, that Jesus, he actually came and bore the sin of humanity. Now again, nobody could see this happening at the cross. They could see that Jesus died a death like none other. They could see, according to the record of the Roman centurion who observed Jesus's death on the cross, who said, surely this man was the son of God. [00:10:11]

They could see that there was something different, but they couldn't see what the Bible says happened spiritually at the cross, that Jesus bore our sin, our shame. He became lost so that we could be found. He became dirty so that we could become clean. He became dishonored so that we could be honored. He became guilty so that we could be innocent. [00:10:41]

He was in all these dimensions and many more the sin-bearing sacrifice, and that's a good thing. It was good as well because at the cross, Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Not in a thousand years could we make ourselves right with God the way that Jesus made us right with God by the work that he did on the cross for all those who will put their trust in who he is. [00:11:33]

Good Friday's good. We don't look at this as some sarcastic bizarre statement that we call it Good Friday because it pleased God the Father. I can't get away from that verse in Isaiah chapter 53. The pastor read it at the Good Friday service that I went to tonight. What a fine service that was, really drawn our hearts and minds for the remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross. [00:11:33]

It pleased the Lord to bruise him, and because the work of Jesus on the cross, his horrible death, his tortured, humiliating, painful death on the cross, we are bold enough, we are, if you want to say, we are foolish enough to call it good and to call this day Good Friday because it fulfilled the eternal plan of God the Father. [00:11:33]

All that plan, everything leading up to the cross, looks forward to what Jesus would be and what he would do at the cross, and everything back from the cross since the cross looks back to who Jesus is and what he did on the cross. It's the focal point of all human history. We've got a great message. We aren't fools, even though sometimes in the regard of many, the message we preach is foolishness. [00:11:33]

We get the irony. We get why somebody may raise their eyebrows. I get why this fella made this tweet, Good Friday. What's good about that? Your leader was tortured and humiliated on a cross, but listen, it is good. It's good and what it shows about Jesus. It's good about what it accomplished for all those who will put their faith in him. It's a very good thing. [00:11:33]

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Transcript
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