Good Friday Service 2017

Well, good evening everyone, and it is lovely to see you. My name is Graham, I work here at the church,

and if this is your first time maybe at Brunswick, if you're a visitor, then it is lovely to welcome you to our church this Good Friday.

Thank you so much for everyone who's participated so far, for those who have read, for the band in leading us in singing.

It has been so helpful just to focus our minds on Jesus Christ crucified that we come here to remember.

But I want to start this evening by asking you to think about if there is anyone here that has a surname,

or who has had a surname, that reveals something about you.

Now, I'll give you an example. So, my wife's maiden name is Griffith Jones, and she wouldn't marry me until I could spell it, okay?

So, G-R-U-F-F-Y-D-D, Jones. Now, what does that reveal about her? Anybody?

She is Welsh. There's Welsh blood in her family. In fact, it's her dad who is mad Welsh.

And he phoned me a few months ago, and he said, Graham, he's got an English accent, but he is Welsh.

Graham, how do you fancy going to the rugby? Coming up to Edinburgh in a few weeks' time, how do you fancy going to rugby?

Now, I must admit, I'm not massively into rugby. I'm more into the sport with the proper round-shaped ball rather than the one that looks like an egg.

But he was paying, and I said, I'd love to go to the rugby.

And we come to match day, and we start walking to Murrayfield. We start walking to the ground, and I leave the house totally disinterested in the game.

But three hours later, I leave fully enthused about the game of rugby.

Now, why was that? Well, we won. That helped.

But what really got me into the game, what really got me into the game of rugby was the passion of the crowd.

A passionate crowd. They were there, cheering on their team. A passionate crowd.

When was the last time you found yourself amongst a passionate crowd?

Well, here's what I want to do this evening, just over the next 15 or so minutes, is just as we think about Jesus on the cross,

as we think about everything that happened that first Good Friday, I want us to think about two very passionate crowds.

And they're two very different crowds, in two very different places, who are shouting two very different things.

Now, why? Well, because they have two very different opinions on who Jesus Christ is.

And it's the Apostle John that tells us about these two very different and two very passionate crowds.

And if you've got your Bibles there, maybe you can track with me this evening.

And the first passionate crowd that I want us to think about is that angry crowd that we meet in John chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

Now, what is this crowd's take on Jesus?

Verse 4 of chapter 19.

John records this.

Pilate went out again and said to them,

See, I am bringing him, that is Jesus, out to you that you might know that I found no guilt in him.

So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

Pilate said to them,

Behold the man.

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out,

Crucify him!

Crucify him!

Now, what is the shout of this passionate crowd?

Crucify him!

In fact, it's interesting, if you've got John chapter 19 open there,

John 19 · chapter mention

that every time we meet this crowd and their interactions with Pilate,

we are told that they are shouting.

Three times, in fact, we are told that they shout.

This crowd, made up of chief priests and Jewish leaders,

now they are baying for Jesus' blood.

What do they demand is the fate of this man, Jesus Christ.

What do they want to happen?

Well, crucifixion.

That brutal Roman execution method,

this prolonged and agonizing form of death,

reserved for those of the lowest standing.

Now, we've got to ask, haven't we,

why are they baying for this man's blood?

Well, you read John's gospel.

He's been building up to it at this point.

We see that this crowd are passionate and angry

because they have concluded two truths about Jesus.

They've concluded in their minds two things about Jesus.

Firstly, that he is a liar.

This man,

this man who claimed not just to be from Galilee,

but this man who claimed to have come

from the very presence of the Father,

to have come from heaven itself.

This man who's been claiming to be the one

who was with God in the beginning.

This man who's come

and he's claiming to be the only one

who has come to show us the Father.

And this man who has the audacity to come

and to claim that he is the only way to the Father.

What absolute arrogance,

what utter blasphemy.

Jesus is a liar.

It's the first thing they've concluded.

Second thing they've concluded

is that Jesus is a threat.

This man who's come in here

and he's been flipping over tables

and calling our temple his Father's house.

This man who's strolled in to our lives

and who is calling us

to change our ways

and to examine our hearts.

This man who's calling us to repentance.

And this man who is associating

with the wrong kind of people.

And this man who people are beginning to believe.

And this man who people are beginning to follow.

Well, we will not have this man as our king.

And so this crowd,

this passionate crowd,

this first passionate crowd that we meet

shout, crucify him.

Crucify him.

They reject him.

Fulfilling everything that John had said

at the beginning of his gospel

that Jesus, he came to his own

and his own did not receive him.

But as we were singing in one of those hymns

just a few moments ago,

it wasn't just his own who did not receive him.

The world did not receive him.

He came as the light

into our world of darkness.

And the darkness wanted nothing to do

with the light.

The creator, he stooped down

into creation

to deal

with his

creature's mess.

And yet we wanted nothing

to do with him.

As Charles Wesley famously said in this hymn,

"'Tis mystery all,

the immortal

dies."

And that's why,

as we hear this passionate shout

of this first crowd,

well, we can see ourselves

in this picture.

This rejection

was our

rejection of him.

The darkness

that drove

him to the cross

was,

it was our

darkness.

The sin

that he

came to deal with

and to die for

on the cross,

that was our

sin.

So this first

angry,

passionate crowd,

they look at Jesus

and they shout,

crucify

him.

And so Jesus

endures the most

hideous form of

torture

in all its

fullness

and ugliness.

Now I wonder if you've ever

asked yourself

why we call this day

Good Friday.

Have you ever

asked that?

I mean,

I was thinking on it

this week,

I've got an imagination

that kind of goes

from time to time.

I'm trying to imagine

that I was in,

had a time machine

and I somehow

managed to get back

to this day,

AD 33,

and I was able

to meet some of

the original

disciples.

And I'm asking them,

listen,

followers of Jesus,

centuries down the line,

generations later,

we're going to,

we're going to have

one adjective

that's going to describe

this day that we mark

Jesus' death

as we remember it.

Could you guess

what that adjective is?

Is it bleak Friday?

No, it's not bleak Friday.

Is it,

is it dark Friday?

No, it's not dark Friday.

Is it despondent Friday?

No, it's not despondent Friday.

Is it ghastly Friday?

No, it's not ghastly Friday.

Come on,

just put me out of my misery.

What is the word?

What is the adjective?

Well, it's good Friday.

Okay.

Good Friday.

Good Friday.

I imagine that they would

have been perplexed

and they would have

most likely been

massively offended

because of the suffering,

shame and rejection

that they had just witnessed.

The man that they thought

who had come to save

their nation

and their world

had just endured.

Have you ever asked

that question?

Why do we call this day

Good Friday?

Well, let me take you

to the second passionate crowd

that John tells us about.

And it's this crowd

that we read of

in Revelation chapter 5.

Revelation 5 · chapter mention

Verse 6,

John tells us about this crowd

as he describes

what he sees

in the courts of heaven.

Revelation 5

and beginning at verse 6,

this is what he sees.

And between the throne

and the four living creatures

and among the elders,

I saw

a lamb

standing

as though it had been slain

with seven horns

and

with seven eyes

which are the seven spirits

of God

sent out into all the earth.

And he went

and took the scroll

from the right hand

of him

who was seated

on the throne.

And when he had taken

the scroll,

the four living creatures

and the twenty-four elders

fell down

before the lamb,

each holding a harp

and golden bowls

full of incense

which are the prayers

of the saints.

You see this crowd?

This heavenly crowd

of elders

and creatures.

Now,

John goes on

and he records

what he hears.

So what is the shout

of this passionate crowd?

Well,

here's the amazing thing.

The shout of this crowd

is not one of accusation.

The shout of this crowd

is one of adoration.

Look what he records

and this crowd,

they sang a new song

saying,

worthy are you

to take the scroll

and to open its seals

for you were slain

and by your blood

you ransomed people

for God

from every tribe

and language

and people

and nation

and you

have made them

a kingdom

and priest

to our God

and they shall reign

on the earth.

Now,

what is this crowd's

take on Jesus?

What is their

passionate shout?

Well,

the first crowd's

shout was crucify him.

This crowd's shout

is worship him.

Worship him.

And would you track

with me,

would you notice

just a few things

about this shout?

What do they

declare

the slain lamb

to be?

What do they

declare Jesus

to be?

Worthy.

Why is he worthy?

Two reasons.

Firstly,

because he was slain.

What did Jesus do?

Do you see the language

there?

We've already sang it.

He purchased.

That is,

he paid a price

to buy something.

Now,

who did he purchase?

Well,

do you see it there?

He purchased

a people

a people

from

every tribe

and tongue

and language

and nation.

This is a global people,

a universal people.

And with what

did he purchase them?

With his precious blood.

And here's

the million dollar question.

It's one that my two-year-old

at the minute

is always asking,

why?

Why did he purchase them?

Why did he purchase them?

Well,

would you see that this purchase

wasn't purposeless?

As Jesus died on the cross,

if I can put it ever so reverently,

it was no act of meaningless martyrdom.

His death was not a symbolic gesture

of goodwill.

Why did he purchase a people?

For what end?

Well,

do you see it there?

encapsulated in those two

most beautiful

and potent words.

Why did he purchase them?

For God.

For God.

That is the purpose

of the cross.

That Jesus defeated,

as we've been singing,

the power,

he defeated the power of sin.

That Jesus crushed

the stronghold

of Satan.

He is the serpent crusher

that we're reading about

in Genesis 3.

Not so that his people

could be simply forgiven,

but so that they could be

restored and adopted.

He purchased his people

for God.

The God who created

all things.

The God who made us

in his image.

Who made us male and female

in his image.

The God who created us.

Humanity for our relationship

with him.

And this holy God

from whom

we were separated

because of our sin.

Is this God

that Jesus came

to reconcile us to.

And so what does that mean?

Well, it means

today as we remember

that first Good Fridays,

we remember

as we picture Jesus

on the cross,

what do we see there?

Well, we see

the throbbing heart

of a loving

heavenly father

who is desperate

to win his people

to himself.

Now, here's the incredible thing.

Said earlier

that as we thought

about that first

passionate shouting crowd,

he shouted,

crucify him,

that we could see ourselves

in that picture.

Well, here's the amazing thing.

The incredible news

is that by God's

quite staggering

and amazing grace,

that as we look

at this passionate

and adoring crowd,

that we can see ourselves

in this picture.

We are part,

get your heads around this,

we are part of this people

that Jesus Christ

has purchased for God.

And is it not incredible

to think today

that as we sit here,

that we are part

of a people,

not only numerous

around our city

and around our nation

and around our continent,

but we are part

of a people

numerous around the globe

that God has won

to himself,

celebrating,

we celebrate

the life that we have

with God

through Jesus Christ

because of this

slain lamb.

That's what's good

about Good Friday.

It was Pastor

Frederick Leahy

who said this

as he thought

about the cross

and let's finish

with these words.

As we stand

in thought

before that cross,

our emotions

are mixed.

And this is what he says.

Oh, how dreadful

and yet how wondrous

is this place.

Two very passionate crowds,

two very different crowds

in two very different places

with two very different shouts

about Jesus.

Let me leave you

with this question.

What is the shout

of your heart

this evening

as you remember

Jesus on the cross?

Does Good Friday

find your heart

in good form?

Does Good Friday

find your heart

in good spirits

and good voice?

Why?

Because the lamb

was slain

to buy us,

to purchase us,

to reconcile us

for God.

Just before we

just close

with a reading

from Romans 5,

why don't we just take

just a few moments

just to be quiet

and let's still

ourselves

and just reflect

on what we've heard

from God's word

this evening.

Romans 5,

Romans 5:6–11

verses 6 to 11.

for while

we were still

weak

at the right time

Christ died

for the ungodly.

For one

will scarcely

die for a righteous

person,

though perhaps

for a good person

one would dare

even to die.

But God

shows his love

for us

in this

that while

we were still

sinners,

Christ died

for us.

Father,

we thank you

so much

for your

amazing grace

to us.

Oh,

this,

the power

of the cross

that Christ

became sin

for us.

He took the blame,

he bore the wrath.

We stand

forgiven at the cross.

Lord,

what a great

and awesome

God you are.

Father,

help us never

to lose the wonder

of Good Friday.

Lord,

be with us

the rest of our

time together,

we ask in Jesus'

name.

Amen.