Good Friday Meditation
(***Lord willing, we plan to gather tonight at 5:00 p.m. to meditate on the promised death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ)
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18)
Recently the brethren over at Reformation Heritage Trust sent the following wonderful quote from the early 19th century English Pastor Octavius Winslow:
"Little did they dream, as they bound the fatal wood upon His shoulder, by whose power that tree was made to grow, and from whom the beings who bore Him to the death drew their existence. So completely was Jesus bent upon saving sinners by the sacrifice of Himself, He created the tree upon which He was to die, and nurtured from infancy the men who were to nail Him to the accursed wood. Oh the depth of Jesus's love to sinners!"
- Octavius Winslow - The Foot of the Cross (Reformation Heritage Books may have more copies later but here is the free online version for now)
Yesterday, Pastor Dr. Robb Brunansky had an excellent Maundy Thursday meditation I urge you to read and be blessed by.
Today we consider Good Friday. What is good about Good Friday? So much! The death of Christ on the cross is the central point of all human history. Previous saints looked forward to it even as all saints now look back on it (1 Pet. 1:10). The coming of the Messiah and his death were prophesied, foreshadowed and alluded to in types repeatedly throughout the Old Testament (and in more ways than we often expect as Dr. MItch Chase points out). Of course in a very real sense we rightly anticipate the promised and glorious future return of our crucified, risen, ascended, seated, ruling Lord Jesus. For that is when the Lord Jesus will ultimately judge the living and the dead. In this, he will avenge wrongdoing, even as he vindicates his suffering people. In this, he will put all things right and make all things new. Yes let us live in light of this glorious return!
But friends, let us never ever forget or minimize the cross of Christ. Every day let us glory in the cross of Christ! In our day many of us quickly want to get to the resurrection and victory over death. Understandably we love the glorious realities of the hope of life everlasting Christ has accomplished. We love the theme of the defeat of death, the overthrow of its horrific tyranny and the risen Lord Jesus Christ's triumph over evil and demonic foes. Amen. Yet beloved the Lord's desire is for us as His people to be people of the cross just as much as we are people of the resurrection. It is not an either the cross or the resurrection proposition. It is a both the cross and the resurrection. True Christianity--the faith once delivered for all the saints glories in the cross. The only orthodox, historic Christianity worth having and with any power believes in, loves, preaches, teaches, disciples from, directs people towards the cross of Christ. The only God-centered, truth-driven, Spirit-honoring, whole-life transforming gospel is joyfully fixated on the crucifixion of our Lord. And yes we never separate Christ's cross-work from his resurrection because we are people of the book. We anchor every claim in the God-breathed Scriptures.
How can we glory in the cross on this good Friday? Let us consider a few biblical truths leading up to the cross and in the cross to glory more in who Christ is and what Christ did:
Jesus was rejected by his own people who should have most welcomed him (John 1:11)
People who claimed to be God's people (aka people of the Bible! people of faith who feared God) accused Jesus of being demon-possessed, insane and not worth listening to. They hated him and wanted to murder him (John 7:20;8:48;10:20).
Jesus' own family thought he was out of his mind and accused him of this publicly (Mark 3:21) and Jesus' own brothers initially rejected him (John 7:5)
Angels who often fascinate us find it fascinating to consider what Christ suffered to accomplish such a salvation and bring such good news of God's salvation (1 Peter 1:10-12).
Jesus gladly went to the cross which was a brutal merciless death experienced by criminals (many of whom unlike Jesus justly deserved to die). (Luke 23:38-48)
Jesus was perfectly obedient to all the law of God (John 14:31).
Jesus was the spotless lamb who was for sinners slain. (1 Pet. 1:19)
Jesus more than any other man was empowered by, anointed with and walked in step with the Holy Spirit and yet He suffered more than any other (Heb. 2:9)
Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law and became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13)
Jesus died on the cross for the earthly and eternal good of many (Mark 10:45)
Jesus in the final moments before his death graciously extended mercy and promised eternal life to a sinner next to him who deserved death (Luke 23:43)
Jesus did all he did according to the will of HIs heavenly Father and the praise of his heavenly Father. (Luke 22:42)
Jesus death is a leading theme all throughout the Scripture. No cross. No Christ. It is blasphemy to speak of Christ without the cross on which he suffered. It is to bear false witness to ignore what Scripture says concerning the significance of Christ's death on the cross in favor of what one feels or prefers to think. No true Christian will ever diminish the cross but will joyously meditate on it, glory in it, proclaim it with humble awe to the praise of God Almighty. In the very last book of the Bible--the apocalypse of John"(what we refer to as "Revelation") the death of Christ is a core theme throughout (Rev. 1:5, 1:7,1:18,2:8,5:6,9,12, etc.) and so must the cross of Christ be our anthem as followers of the Lord Jesus today.
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." (Revelation 5:11–12)
Tonight God willing we meditate on the cup and cost of the cross of Christ. Join us and may Christ be praised!