SPEAKER_00 0:01

Well, good evening, guys. We're glad that you're here and uh thankful that you took some time uh on this good Friday to come and reflect with us on the cross. Um if you're like me, you already sense some of uh the tension, or should I say, even the anticipation of what's beyond uh what we know happened on a Friday, you know, roughly 2,000 years ago. Uh even in the songs we have sung tonight, we're already anticipating uh that Christ didn't stay dead. But I want us just for a moment tonight to stop and to reflect on the cross. Before we move ahead to that empty tomb on Sunday, I want us to stop tonight in the chaos and the busyness of our of our week to reflect on the beauty of the cross. Can we do that? And I want to start by simply reading a section of the text from the Gospel of Matthew, and here's what it says, Matthew chapter 27, verse 27. This isn't the entire story, it's just a section of the Passion of the Christ story, but I think it's the meat of the storyline of what happened to our Savior Jesus Christ there so many years ago. Here's what it says. Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into headquarters and gathered the whole company around him. They stripped him and dressed him in a scarlet military robe. They twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and they placed a reed in his right hand, and they knelt down before him and they mocked him. Hell the King of the Jews. Then they spit on him, they took the reed, and they kept hitting him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, they put his clothes on him, and they led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they found a Syrenian man named Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross, and when they came to a place called Galgatha, which means skull place, they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when he tasted it, he would not drink it. After crucifying him, they divided his clothes by casting lots, and then they sat down and were guarding him there. Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing. Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left, and those who passed by were yelling insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, The one who would demolish the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. In the same way, the priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, He saved others, but he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He has put his trust in God. Let God rescue him now, if he wants him. For he said, I am God's son. In the same way, even the criminals who were crucified with him kept taunting him. From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land. And about three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, Lama Sabakhtini. That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And when some of those standing there heard this, they said, He's calling for Elijah. Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, fixed on a reed, offered him a drink. But the rest said, Let's see if Elijah comes to save him. Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. And suddenly the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom. The earthquakes and the rocks were split. What thoughts do you have? It's good to meditate on the cross, isn't it? It's good to stop and to reflect. We call this Good Friday, which seems a little odd in light of what took place. But when we stop and we reflect on this cross, this horrific act in human history, there are some who say absolute foolishness. That's what that is. Absolute foolishness. That is silly, that is pointless, that has no meaning whatsoever. In fact, the way that the Apostle Paul wrote it in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 18, he said, the message of the cross is foolishness. That's what some people say. There are many driving down the roads right now, living in our city, completely clueless as to why we would even be sitting here reflecting on this cross tonight. It's foolishness. It's a myth. It's a fairy tale. And it's a waste of our time. And many believe that tonight. But you and I, like the Apostle Paul who wrote those words, we actually believe the rest of that passage, the rest of that scripture, don't we? He says, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. And in fact, in Galatians 6.14, Paul writes these words. Different book, same focus on the cross, when he says this, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world. Really, Paul? Boast in nothing but the cross? Really? And when you've meditated on the cross, and as a believer, you start to really understand the depth of what happened on the cross, you start to get it, don't you? You start to realize why Paul could say such a foolish thing to the world, but a wise thing in the scope of God's plan. That the cross is not foolishness, but it is the power of God into salvation for all who believe. In fact, I want to give you three reasons tonight why we can boast and brag on the cross. That might sound odd, but even in this room, we can celebrate what Christ did when he suffered. Because we have been secured in Christ. There's things that he has secured for us. In the last part of chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians, verses 28 through 31, it reads this way: God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world. Foolishness, right? To the world. What is viewed as nothing, to bring to nothing what is viewed as something. All the ways that the world thinks that life is found in something outside of Jesus was brought to nothing in the cross, so that no one can boast in his presence. Nobody can boast in God's presence. But it is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us. And I want you to notice these three words our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. In order that, as it is written, the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. I would submit to you tonight that there's three reasons, adults and kids in the room, that we can boast in the cross tonight. And these are the ones that we see throughout the entire New Testament. And even in the Old Testament, it's foreshadowed in what Christ is going to do when he comes on that cross. Did you notice them? Three words. Really simple. I encourage you to go back and review this when you get home tonight, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 30. He says three things to us. That in Christ and in the cross, the God-given wisdom is this that we can boast in the cross because through the cross we are made righteous. We're made righteous. Now that sounds like a really churchy word, but let me explain to you really quickly what that means. That we are no longer rejected by God because of our sinfulness, but now we are acceptable to God. We are acceptable to God. And here's why. Because now when God looks at you and he looks at me, he doesn't see us in our sinfulness and our rebellion. He sees Christ in his perfection. And it is because of the cross that we have been made righteousness. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5.21 says it this way: that God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. Tonight, the reason we can boast and brag on the cross is because we have been made right before a holy God. And it's awesome news. It's worth bragging and boasting about. Not in ourselves, but what Christ has done. What the world sees as foolishness is actually God's wisdom to make us righteous. Not only that, but we will boast in the cross tonight because through the cross we have been sanctified. Again, another big churchy word. But let me just break it down and say we are no longer powerless towards sin, but have access to God's throne of grace to become who He has declared we already are. Are you with me? In Hebrews chapter 4, we're reminded that while we are uncovered, we are laid bare before the eyes of God to whom we must give an account. That already in Christ we have been made perfect, but now we are learning how to live out in light of that perfection in Christ. And in fact, he says that we can now approach God's throne of grace with confidence. That's good news tonight. Because before the cross, we couldn't come into the presence of God. We couldn't. We were kept outside. We were kept away from God's presence and away from God's power. But it's through the cross tonight that we have access to God Himself. That's why we can boast in the cross. Because through the cross we now have access to God. And thirdly, Paul uses the word redemption. He says that we have redemption. We will boast in the cross because through the cross we have been redeemed. Catch this. We are no longer slaves to sin and to the enemy who tempts us with sin, but we are adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God because of the cross. The cross was the price to pay for our adoption into God's family. The reason we boast in the cross is because without the cross, we would not be adopted into God's family. Do you see it? The cross paid the penalty for our sin. The cross breaks the power of sin in our lives today. And the cross ensures that one day we will be free from the very presence of sin. That's why we boast in the cross. That's why we brag on what Christ did on that horrible day. You see, we boast in the cross because what many see as a senseless tragedy has now become our eternal victory. Yes, we reflect tonight with sadness in our hearts. We'll take communion in a moment with a somberness. But the truth of the matter is, we celebrate because he willingly laid down his life so that we could find it. So that we could be made righteous, we could be sanctified, and we could be redeemed. And we need the Spirit of God to refresh our hearts in those truths tonight. Because those truths are everything to us. Without that, we are headed towards an eternal destruction apart from God, our Creator. But with the cross, we now have the opportunity to be with God forever. The cross itself is a hideous instrument of death. But because of what Christ did on it, it's now a beautiful symbol of the life that we have in God. Isn't that awesome tonight? So we brag and we boast in the cross because in it we find the life that we were made for, the life that God intended us to have. I want to end tonight before we take communion by simply reading the words of Isaiah chapter 53. It's a very familiar passage to many of you in the room, but I want you to hear these words with fresh eyes. And if it helps you, you can close your eyes unless you're keeping an eye on your kid. But let's read these words together. Who has believed what we have heard? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to? He grew up before him like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He didn't have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from. He was despised, and we didn't value him. Catch these words. Yet he himself bore our sickness, and he carried our pains. But in turn we regarded him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities, punished for our peace was on him. And we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep, and we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth, like a lamb led to slaughter, and like a sheep silent before his shears, he did not open his mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgment, and can who and who considered his fate? He was cut off from the land of the living, he was struck because of my people's rebellion. They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man at his death, and although he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully, yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. And when you make him a restitution offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand the Lord's pleasure will be accomplished. I'll stop there. The cross is beautiful tonight to reflect on. Praise the one who paid our debt and raised our life up from the grave. Love so amazing, love so divine, right? It demands our lives, our soul, our all. The cross is beautiful. And we want to brag about that, we want to boast in that tonight. Not in ourselves. None of us are righteous apart from God. None of us are good enough to earn God's favor, but through the cross we have access to our God. Let me pray for us. Father, tonight we just stop in this moment and we reflect, even in a room where our minds are busy and have been most of the day, an unusual rhythm for our week to come on a Friday evening at the end of the long week and try to seek to let our hearts and minds settle in on the truth of who you are and what you've done for us, Jesus. I pray that even in this moment and even in these coming moments, as we reflect through taking communion together, God, that we would be reminded of the greatness of your love, that your cross declares to all humanity for all time that you are a God who loves, not just in word, but in action. And we thank you tonight that we can boast in the cross. We do not boast in ourselves. We are weak. We are frail. We are sinners and we are rebellious apart from your grace, apart from your spirit. We thank you tonight that we have life in you. I pray, Father, that for every person in this room, they would know that they have access to you through the person and work of Jesus. And I pray it's in your name. Amen. Tonight, as we continue, we're gonna close out with communion. And uh the way it's gonna work is something that we've done for the last few years together. And it's just a way that we can take communion in a uh a little bit different than our normal Sunday morning. Uh first off, I'm gonna have Alex and the team here just play for a few minutes and give us a second to settle our hearts in. And specifically, I would ask that you would consider is there anything in my life right now where I'm disobeying God and I'm deliberately disobeying God, I'm rebelling against God, because the scripture warns us that we shouldn't take communion when our heart is not in the right place. When we're walking in sinfulness. Um, it says that we should first consider like, where are we in that? Is there anything that God is putting his finger on tonight, anything he's pointing out to you that you know I need to make this right before I go and take communion? I would encourage you to do that. I also would remind you if you're not a believer, if you're not a follower in Jesus, if you've never put your trust in Jesus, we would ask that you not take communion tonight. But if you have, we will invite you to come up in just a few moments when Alex lets you guys know. And we're gonna have three stations here. And at each station, we'll have a couple of men who will serve you the elements. And we're gonna do a little different because we're gonna we're gonna serve it by intinction tonight. That means we're gonna ask you to take a piece of bread, we're gonna ask you to dip it in the cup, and then receive it. Um, and then the elders, uh, the men that'll be at those tables will pray over you as a family. And we want you to come as families. And if you're here tonight as a single or as an individual, um, we would encourage you to join up with another family. Families, if you look around and see someone who's by themselves, just uh to ask them, invite them to come and join you for this. But let's take this together as family units tonight. And let's remember, as Jesus said, the body that was broken, the blood that was shed so that we could have forgiveness of our sins, okay? So as uh as Alex and these guys begin to play, take a minute and reflect on your own heart and ask God is there anything in me that I need to make right before I take communion tonight and celebrate Christ's sacrifice?