Good Friday 2012

Without stretched hands, precious sight I love to gaze. Remembering the salvation's day, remembering the salvation's day. Though my eyes linger on the scene, may passing time and years not steal. The power with which it impacts me, the freshness of its mystery. The freshness of its mystery. May I never learn the wonder, the wonder of the past. May I see it like the first time, standing as a cinema's. Under my mercy and left speechless, watching wide-eyed at the cost. May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the past.

Behold the God-man crucified, the perfect sin, their sacrifice. As blood ran down those nails and wood, history was split in two. Yes, history was split in two. Behold the empty wooden tree, his body gone alive and free. We sing with everlasting joy, for sin and death have been destroyed. Yes, sin and death have been destroyed. May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the past. May I see it like the first time, standing as a cinema's. Under my mercy and left speechless, watching wide-eyed at the cost. May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the past.

May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the cross. May I see it like the first time, standing as a cinema's. Under my mercy and left speechless, watching wide-eyed at the cost. May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the cross. May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the cross.

As we begin this Good Friday service tonight, will you read with me the Lord's Prayer? Let's read together. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

In peace we have come to pray, and to seek the Lord today. For salvation from his hand, and the healing of our land. Let us pray. Let us pray. Mercy, all we have placed, all our hopes in thee. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, for we have placed, all our hopes in thee. For our sins we repent, O Lord, we believe your holy word. Have mercy, Lord, we pray, and take all our sins away.

Keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air. Keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air, keep the air. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, for we have placed, all our hopes in thee. All our hopes in thee, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, for we have placed, all our hopes in thee.

If you would mark in equinee, O Lord, who will stand? Mercy like a fountain, draws from thy hand. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, for we have placed, all our hopes in thee. O my heart is in distress, and my soul molds within me. For we have placed, all our hopes in thee.

Would you bow your heads with me in prayer right now? Lord, the song we just heard contained those ancient words from Christian liturgy, Lord have mercy. And so now in the silence of our own hearts, we now confess to you our sin. Lord, we lay upon you the iniquity of us all. Thank you for the grace we celebrate that is available through Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.

Well, welcome to the Twin Lakes Church Good Friday service. My name is René, I'm one of the pastors here, and tonight we have one aim, and one aim only, to remember in music and in words the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. I don't know if you're aware of this, but this particular Good Friday is a very special one. You know, on the first Good Friday it was also the Jewish Passover. The two do not always coincide. Well, again, almost 2,000 years later, it is also Passover tonight.

And on Passover, the question is always asked, why is this night different from all other nights? And part of the answer is, we were once slaves, but now we are free. Well, that Passover, the night that Christ was crucified, those very words were fulfilled in a surprising way. And that's the object of all of our meditation tonight, in a way that was summarized by the Apostle Paul perfectly in Romans 5:6–8. He says, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." That's you and me. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Lord, tonight, I just have been overwhelmed by the love of Jesus Christ on the cross, the love of Christ to every single heart here tonight. And so, God, I pray that we would all be increasingly astounded by the wonder of Your divine love. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

O love divine, a facing love that brought you earth from heaven above. The sun of our four houses to die, that we might dwell on. In the Lord our Lord, He died for me, and shed his blood to bring us here. Upon the cross of Calvary, the Savior died for me. O love divine, a face we mourn. For us alone, God's holy more. We conquer death and rest away, and live again in our souls to save.

O mountain, God, we believe His praise, God, may we see, be seen. O wind, O mountain, where is God, the face is spread. O home, O home, in God our Lord, may we see, be seen. O mountain, God, we mourn. O Savior, God, the Savior died, the Savior died for me. O Savior, God, the Savior died for me.

Would you stand with me? The words for the next couple songs are going to be on the screen, so I encourage you, sing with us as we think about the amazing love and grace of Jesus on the cross. Sing together, I hear. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness watch and pray, finding me, Thine all in all, 'cause Jesus paid it all, all to Him my own. Sin had left her crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord now, indeed I find, Thy power and thine alone, can change the leper's smile, and melt the heart of stone. 'Cause Jesus paid it all, all to Him my own. Sin had left her crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. He washed away all our sin, all our shame, oh Lord. And when, and when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, Jesus died my soul and soul. My lips shall stand in me.

Jesus paid it all, all to Him my own. Sin had left her crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. He washed it white as snow. Oh praise the one who paid my debt, and raised his life far from the dead. Oh praise the one who paid my debt, and raised his life far from the dead. Because Jesus paid it all, all to Him, all to Him my own. Sin had left her crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. He washed, He washed it white as snow. Amen.

Continue standing as we sing about His grace, His amazing, His amazing grace that flows down. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, amazing love, now flowing down. From hands and feet that were nailed to the tree, His grace flows down and covers me. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, amazing love, now flowing down. From hands and feet that were nailed to the tree, His grace flows down and covers me.

It covers me, it covers me. It covers me, it covers me. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, amazing love, now flowing down.

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."

You may be seated. Lead me to Gethsemane, where all alone You pray. Let me see Your family kiss, and where You are, be drank. Then before the angry mob, You stood condemned to die. So take the bitter cup, and breathe the mortal sigh. Hallelujah! Lead me to the wondrous cross, where You are crucified. Stay, see Your hands and feet, and touch Your wounded side. Show me where the piercing thoughts were thrust upon Your head. Cruel were the fatal blows You suffered in my stead. Hallelujah!

Lead me to the empty tomb, where on that glorious day You declare the victory, and can't release His prey. God the Father, raise Him up to any hidden heart. Give me a living hope, that I shall never die. Hallelujah!

Jesus replied, "Do what you came for, friend." Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and they slapped Him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, "Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man."

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw Him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified Him and with Him two others, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Jesus grew up in a world accustomed to crosses. They didn't adorn churches and they certainly weren't worn around people's necks. Instead, they dotted the landscape wherever the Romans carried out their most brutal form of execution. For instance, about 70 years before Jesus was born, a runaway slave named Spartacus gathered an army of 120,000 fellow slaves in a revolt against Rome. Spartacus and his troops were eventually defeated by a Roman general named Marcus Crassus. In the last battle, 6,000 slaves were captured alive and Crassus had all of them crucified. Their crosses lined the Appian Way, the road that ran in and out of Rome, for over 100 miles. And Crassus even gave strict orders. None of their bodies were to be removed. The message was horribly clear. This is what happens to Rome's enemies. They get nailed to a cross.

Jesus knew this even as a young child. When he was perhaps 4 or 5 years old growing up in an area called Galilee, there was an uprising over taxes. Can you imagine people getting all worked up over taxes? Well, they did. And their leader was a guy named Judas the Galilean. He's mentioned in Acts 5, but we learn even more about him from the Roman historian Josephus. Josephus tells us that Judas and his fellow Galileans took up arms against Rome. 2,000 of them, including Judas, were captured and subsequently crucified. This is where Jesus grew up. This was surely the talk in every Galilean household. It's quite possible that as a young boy, Jesus even looked upon the place in Galilee where those crosses formed a forest.

Far from being a symbol of love and grace, the cross epitomized horror, humiliation, and the worst death imaginable. But of all of those crosses, thousands upon thousands of them that existed in Jesus' day, the Bible only talks about three of them, just three. And all four gospels mention them. For example, in Luke 23, starting at verse 32, it says, "Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with Jesus to be executed. When they came to the place called the skull, there they crucified Him along with the criminals, one on His right, the other on His left." So Jesus was crucified between two criminals. Why is this detail so important that it's mentioned in all four of the gospels? I mean, bear in mind, many of the miracles that Jesus performed aren't mentioned in all four gospels.

In fact, His longest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, it's in Matthew. We get kind of the Reader's Digest version in Luke, and then there's just little soundbites of it in Mark and in John. But these three crosses mentioned in every single gospel. What's so special about these three crosses? Why does their legacy remain long after all the others have been forgotten? I believe it's because they still have something very important to say to us. It's because they still stand for something.

Take, for instance, this first cross traditionally on the left side of Jesus. You could call this the cross of rebellion because the man who hung on that cross died the very same way he lived as a rebel. He was angry, cynical, bitter, defiant to the very end. Luke 39 says, "One of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at Him, 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us.'" I mean, this guy's heart is so hard that he can't even find friendship among his fellow sufferers. Instead, he's hurling insults at Jesus, railing at Him. And that's the sad truth about sin and rebellion. Eventually, we end up alienating everyone, including those who would help us, or in the case of Jesus, the one who could save us.

Many of us live a large part of our life living just like the man on that cross, rebelling against God's mercy, refusing to repent. It's impossible, in fact, it's quite possible to live your entire life this way, preferring to die rather than to ask for help. And the tragedy of the cross of rebellion is not only that it ends in death, but in doing so, it refuses the life that Christ alone offers. That man lived as a rebel, he died as one, and his cross will always point to that sad fact.

Now, on the other side of Jesus, you could call this the cross of repentance. This criminal was just as bad as that one, just as deserving as punishment, and yet this man in his last hour gains paradise. I mean, what made the difference? Well, for starters, repentance. And you can hear it in how he reacts to the insults that the other criminal is hurling at Jesus. The first guy keeps saying, "Hey, aren't you the Christ? I mean, come on, Savior, save us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?" "We are punished justly for getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong."

Perhaps repentance seems like an old-fashioned term. However that word hits you, this is what's so key about repentance. You see, because until we recognize our sin, we'll never recognize our need for a Savior. I mean, the first guy, it was like Jesus had nothing to offer him. But when repentance happens, it's like we're able to see reality the way that it is. They have this saying in recovery groups that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Crazy, right? And yet this is exactly what we're doing when we turn a blind eye to the thing that's dragging us down. That's why repentance is essential, because otherwise the insanity, it just goes on and on and on.

I'll give you an off-the-wall example of this kind of insanity. I have a dog that could really benefit from a little repentance. Now, this is true. Stick with me. Just last week, our dog Roxy chased after a skunk and just got royally sprayed. And this is not the first time. This is like the fourth or the fifth time. So she seems to have like zero capacity to learn from experience. And this last time, it was just the worst because it was Tuesday night a week ago, and it's just pouring. I just pulled into the church parking lot to pick up my son at the junior high group, and I get a text from my wife, Laura, saying, "Roxy went after a skunk and got sprayed again." I'm thinking, "Oh my goodness, not again."

Well, there's this concoction that we've learned about that involves hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and dish soap, but some chemist made it up, and it's surprisingly effective at removing the smell of skunk from your dog. So I stop it safely on the way home, pick up a couple of quarts of peroxide, and 20 minutes later, I'm in the backyard with Laura scrubbing down the dog in the pouring rain. And meanwhile, I'm just mumbling under my breath, "Stupid dog, what are you going to learn?" And it's not only just drag to be washing the dog at night in the rain, but we've got guests from out of town on their way to stay with us. It's like, "Welcome to the skunk motel. Enjoy your stay."

Well, we give her a couple of treatments with this stuff and tell her off as best we can. And I actually, as we're bringing her into the house, I sniff her coat, you know, just to make sure. The smell is just like wet dog. I'm like, "Okay, we can handle this. Now lay down, Roxy, just stay nice, clean doggy bed all ready for her. All right, just stay out of trouble, okay?" She doesn't have been down there five seconds, and she just throws up all over her bed and the floor. And when the smell hits me, I say, "Oh my goodness, Laura, did she get sprayed by that skunk or did she eat it?" Now, she didn't actually eat it, but she apparently had her mouth wide open when that thing just let go. So now, our precious dog has managed to fill the house with like the three worst smells on the planet. Wet dog, barf, and skunk. It was a veritable trifecta.

Well, the sad thing, at least for us, is that the next time Roxy sees a skunk, you think she's going to do anything different? Not a chance. She'll go right after it. She is incapable of repentance, much like you and I are, apart from the grace of God. So while we tend to think of repentance as kind of a downer, it's actually a gift. Just yesterday, local music star Chris René was featured in the Sentinel. Did you see this? Remember how Chris made it on the X Factor right into the finals a year ago? He talks about in this article about just two months before landing a spot on the show, he entered recovery over at Janice here in town, and he talks about his experience. He says, "It helped me look at my life and look at what I was doing to my family and my sons. It's a place where you go to open your eyes."

Perhaps you came here tonight out of habit, tradition, obligation, curiosity, I don't know, whatever the expectations are, perhaps God has all of us here to open our eyes, open our eyes to the wonder of Christ dying for us on the cross, open our eyes to the width and depth of his love in a way we've never seen it before, or perhaps open it to our need of repentance. For the criminal on the second cross, it was like the greatest gift of his life to basically say, "You know what? We're guilty. We deserve this." He can see reality now, the reality that while he was living as a criminal and a rebel, he was actually a slave to sin. So the second criminal, he turns to Jesus and simply says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth. Today you will be with me in paradise." Wow. That's all it took. No background music, no time for church membership, or even getting baptized. "Today you will be with me in paradise." Incredible, the difference between these two men.

Now, how was it possible for that guy on that cross? It was possible because right in the middle, there's Jesus dying on what you might call the cross of redemption. The cross is God's absolute indictment of sin and rebellion, and at the same time, it's his complete affirmation of his love. I mean, the good news, remember what we heard earlier this evening from Romans 5? But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You know, repentance would be futile if Jesus didn't die on his cross, on the center cross. I mean, repentance is good and necessary, but it doesn't take away the reality of our sin. It doesn't take away the consequences.

You know, I could have smashed into your car out in the parking lot tonight. Don't worry, I didn't, so you can relax. I could admit it to you. I could tell you that I was sorry, but nothing's going to change unless somebody pays for it, right? Well, sin comes with a price tag that none of us can afford to pay, except for Jesus. Jesus is the only one with that kind of currency. That's why Jesus is the only one who could bear the cross of redemption. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

In just a moment, we're going to remember what Jesus did for us. But before we do, I want to invite you to look at these three crosses. We all started out on that one, didn't we? And maybe if you're honest, you would say, "Well, I think you're pretty much still there." Maybe it's because of defiance or indifference, whatever it is, that's the case. I would just humbly ask you to consider, do you want to ride that cross out to the very end? Or maybe you came here tonight and you are only so aware of your need for forgiveness. I mean, you're desperate for it. And you know that no matter what you do, you can't scrub off your guilt. But all the while, you long to be clean. And if that's you, I just want to remind you again tonight to just keep looking to this cross, because that's where all your debts were paid. That's where you are washed clean. That's where you are redeemed on the cross of Jesus.

Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for giving your Son to us. And Father, as we prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate by giving of His body and His blood on the cross, Lord, I pray that that would impact us in a profound way, that it would change our lives, renew our hearts. We would know that everything that we needed to be forgiven, to be clean, it's been done by Jesus. And so we thank you for this reality. And it's in His name that we pray. Amen.

As the ushers make their way forward with the bread and the cup, I'm going to invite you, if you've placed your trust in Jesus Christ, to take one of each. And then let's just wait until everyone's been served, and then we'll partake together. As the elements are being passed around, we're going to sing again about the Father's great love for each one of us. How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father tells His face away, as wounds which mar the chosen one, in essence to glory.

Behold, the man upon a cross, my guilt upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the snufflers. It was my sin that held Him there, until He was accomplished. His dark breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom.

I want you to look at the piece of bread and the cup in your hand. You are holding elements from that Passover meal that our Lord had with His disciples the night before He was crucified. The Bible says that He took elements of that meal and explained them to His disciples in a way that helped them to understand later what He did on that cross of redemption. Look at that bread. The Bible says that at the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and when He had given thanks, broke it and said, "Take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Let's partake together."

And then He took the cup and when He had given thanks, gave it to them saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the New Covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." We're going to conclude tonight with a musical prayer. It's the same prayer that we recited at the beginning of the service, the Lord's Prayer. Because when you think about it, every line of the Lord's Prayer was fulfilled at that Middle Cross because He made His name holy. His will was done on earth as in heaven. He gave us His bread, the living bread. He forgave us our sin. He delivered us from the evil one and now, Lord, we in gratitude with the saints in heaven can say, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

Would you stand with me? And I would like you to say out loud with me tonight those last lines from the Lord's Prayer, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." And now say it with me as you look at that cross and you think of the Lamb of God in heaven glorified, the one who bore all of your sins, the one on whom we have laid our iniquities. And say it with me one more time, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Thank you for coming tonight. We hope that we see you at our Easter services all the times around the back of your bullet tonight. God bless you. Have a good evening.