Good Friday Service

Well, please turn up Luke 23.

If you've closed your Bibles, Luke 23, 8, 8, 8, 3 in the Black Church.

in the Black Church Bibles.

And as it was read for us,

the sense of injustice and suffering

are two of the things that really stick out.

It starts with Pilate in verse 4.

I find no guilt in this man.

And it finishes with Centurion, verse 47.

Certainly this man was innocent.

And yet, between those two, he is beaten,

he's mocked, he's flogged, and he's murdered.

You can imagine the Newsnight segment.

They've managed to get his mother in.

She was there and they interview her.

Mary, thanks so much for joining us this evening.

Tell us, what happened on that night in question?

My son was brought by church leaders to the governor

who had the power to kill him.

Right, okay, and how did you feel?

It was terrifying.

Yes, go on, give us a bit more.

Well, the governor listened to their charges

and he threw them out straight away.

He said he was innocent.

That wasn't the end of it, was it?

No, the governor then turned my son over

to another jurisdiction

because he didn't actually come from the city

that they were in.

And what happened then?

Well, it's the same thing.

Innocent.

No charges.

So tell us, why did that not mean

that he was free to go?

Well, the religious guys got a crowd together

and they protested the government buildings

and they kept shouting,

I can hardly say it now,

crucify him, crucify him,

and they wouldn't stop.

They just kept going.

And the authorities in the end gave up

and gave in to the mob.

He's an innocent victim.

It is gross injustice.

If it was today, it would be in every paper.

Social media would light up.

No doubt there would be protests

all over the place.

And yet, look at verse 28.

The one at the center of it all

says, do not weep for me.

Don't weep for me.

Why not?

This is terrible suffering,

terrible injustice.

Why would we not make a huge fuss?

Write to our MPs.

Make sure that there's an inquiry.

Make someone pay for this.

Well, because actually,

when we look again,

we realize there's something bigger going on

in the midst of all of this chaos

on that first Good Friday.

Once the sentence is passed,

as he is led to the cross,

Luke records Jesus speaking four times.

There are lots of voices.

When you read this account,

it feels noisy.

It feels chaotic.

It feels like people are going here and there.

It feels like there are groups of people

that are trying to hatch plans over here

and push them off over there.

It feels like there's just a huge amount going on.

It feels noisy.

And yet,

on four occasions,

there is one voice that punctuates this melee.

And it is really the one voice

that matters in the whole story

because it reframes,

this voice reframes all that is happening.

So this morning for a few minutes,

let's listen in.

Here's the first word.

It is a word of assurance.

Verse 28.

Daughters of Jerusalem,

do not weep for me,

but weep for yourselves

and for your children.

For behold,

the days are coming

when they will say,

Blessed are the barren

and the wombs that never bore

and the breasts that never nursed.

Then they will begin to say to the mountains,

Fall on us

and to the hills,

cover us.

Jesus is warning

about coming judgment

for all that's going on here

and

what it will feel like

at the time.

People will say,

I want the mountain to fall on me.

That would be better than my experience here.

He's saying that those who are rejecting him,

the religious establishment,

those who are treating him in this way

are going to be a whole lot worse off

when the consequences of all of this

come back on them.

But the disciples shouldn't weep for him

because none of this surprises Jesus.

None of this is outside the plan.

All that is happening,

all that is going on

and these terrible events

has been on Jesus' mind

throughout his ministry.

It was crystallized back in Luke 9, 51

when he set his face for Jerusalem,

when he set his face to this moment.

He knew what awaited him there.

In fact, there are several places

where we get a glimpse in this narrative.

There are several places

where we get a glimpse

of just how far back

the plan actually stretches.

So when it says that he doesn't speak

in verse 9,

he's silent,

that is a fulfillment of Isaiah 53, 7 and 8.

The mention of the criminals alongside him

in verse 32

is a fulfillment of Isaiah 53, verse 12.

Isaiah 53:12

These events have been foretold

by God centuries before,

and here they are taking place.

Jesus came to this moment

for this injustice

and to embrace this plan of suffering.

It is all according to his design.

And that gives us confidence.

It reassures us.

Not just that we go away thinking,

ah, okay, good,

the Bible story,

I can see it all hangs together.

And not just,

well, I'm glad that the cross

wasn't just a terrible accident

in an out-of-control world.

But that when we see God's hand

in the innocent and unjust suffering

of Jesus,

it sheds light

on our own experiences

of suffering and injustice.

You see, what we have here,

what we have on Good Friday

in the punishment and death of Jesus

is the greatest act of evil

and suffering

the world has ever known.

Because of the infinite value

of the one who suffers,

but as we come to see

that what the religious leaders

and Pilate and Herod

and the soldiers meant for evil,

those very same actions

God meant for good,

namely the salvation

of billions of people,

look at verse 45,

the curtain is torn down,

the barrier between God

and humanity is removed.

When we come to see

that all of this,

the purpose of God

is being worked out,

it can reframe

and provide assurance

in our own suffering.

When you suffer,

it can really easily feel unfair

and meaningless,

and you can doubt

the goodness of God.

But if in His infinite wisdom,

God intended the greatest act

of evil and suffering

there has ever been for good,

He can then,

in principle,

use your lesser instance

of suffering for good as well.

Now it might not feel like that

at the time

when the darkness won't lift,

when the pain won't leave,

when the hurt seems to continue.

But if you bring your pain,

if you bring your suffering,

the injustice that you experience

to the cross of Christ,

that is,

if you stop in Good Friday,

don't rush past it

to Easter Sunday,

but stop in the suffering

and the injustice

and the darkness

and think deeply

about what is going on

as you look at the cross,

it will give you

the perspective

that you need

in your circumstances

to trust Him

and to endure.

Some of you know

suffering much better

than you'd like to.

Many of you know

suffering much better

than you'd like to.

We'll go again

to the cross.

Look at what is going on there.

Meditate deeply on that

and be assured

that your suffering

is not for nothing.

Well, Jesus speaks first

a word of assurance,

but He doesn't just speak

to the suffering.

If we keep listening,

we hear Him secondly

speak a word of mercy.

Number two,

mercy.

Verse 34,

Father,

forgive them

for they know not

what they do.

That is a prayer

for God to have mercy.

But the question

we have to ask is

who are the they

that Jesus has

in view here?

Father,

forgive them

for they know not

what they do.

Verse 32,

just go up a couple

of verses.

Two others

who were criminals

were led away

to be put to death

by Him.

And when they,

that is the soldiers,

came to the place

that is called,

sorry,

they were led away

to death with Him,

not by Him.

And when they,

that is the soldiers,

came to the place

that is called the skull,

they,

the soldiers,

crucified Him.

And the criminals,

one on His right

and one on His left.

And Jesus said,

Father,

forgive them

for they

know not

what they do.

And they,

the soldiers,

cast lots

to divide His garments

and the people

stood by watching

but the rulers

scoffed at Him

saying,

He saved others,

let Him save Himself

if He is the Christ of God,

His chosen one.

Who are the they

that Jesus is praying for?

Definitely the soldiers.

This is an astonishing thing

as they hammer the nails

through the tendons

and the nerves

and the bone

in His hands and feet.

He's saying,

Father,

forgive them.

It's astonishing mercy.

But it isn't clear

that it's only the soldiers

that are in view here.

It seems more open-ended.

C.H. Spurgeon said

he loved the indistinctness

of this prayer.

And I think we're supposed

to see this spirit of mercy

is extended

to everybody present.

The rulers

who are mentioned here,

Father,

they don't know

what they're doing.

Please forgive them

for their dreadful treason.

The criminals on either side,

the crowd who look on,

they're all mentioned

in this little section.

He's saying,

Father, forgive.

One scholar says this,

So the Savior prayed

for the priests

as well as the soldiers.

But in praying

for these Jews

and Gentiles,

Jesus was showing

on the cross

how He prays

for us all.

Even if He were

only praying

exclusively for the people

who actually crucified Him,

it would still give us

hope for our own forgiveness

because here we see

the heart of the mercy

of God.

The open-ended nature

of the prayer

is supposed to draw us

all in.

You see,

although we weren't

physically present

on that day,

it is our sin

that put Jesus

on the cross.

One author speaks

about us carrying

His nails around

in our pockets.

He's not there

for His own sin.

We know that.

He's there for your sin

and for mine.

Now, we don't like

to think of ourselves

in that way.

We don't like to think

when we're forced

to confront

the reality of our sin

as we see it

on the cross.

And it is true

that I suspect

not many of us

have perpetrated

innocent suffering

and injustice.

But our nature,

our nature

is to turn our back

on God

and His world.

That is the essence

of sin.

And so,

the wonder of Jesus'

prayer here

is that this

indistinctness,

as Spurgeon says,

invites everyone

who hears these words

to receive

that forgiveness.

That is the

Good Friday appeal.

Come to Jesus

for mercy

and forgiveness.

Come and find rest

for your soul.

Come and find

a restoration

to the God

you were created

to serve

and enjoy.

Listen to Spurgeon

again,

plead with you.

Here he is.

Now into that

pronoun them,

I feel I can crawl.

Can you get in there?

Oh, by humble faith,

appropriate the cross

of Christ

by trusting in it

and get into

that little big word

them.

That's what it means

to be a Christian.

To hear that promise

of mercy from Jesus

and come to faith

in Him.

Put your faith

in Him.

In fact,

it even happened

that same day

as one of the criminals

crucified beside Him

trusted in Jesus.

One of them

railed against Him.

You saw that.

If you're the Christ,

save yourself.

Of course,

in order to save others,

He couldn't save Himself.

But the other criminal,

He shut Him up.

Verse 40,

do you see?

Do you not fear God?

Don't talk like that.

We're the guilty ones here.

We're here

and we deserve to be here

for what we've done,

but He's innocent.

And then,

verse 42,

He cries out,

Jesus,

remember me

when you come

into your kingdom.

It's said that

true wisdom

consists

in two parts,

knowledge of God

and knowledge

of ourselves.

And it is obvious

that therefore

this is a wise man.

He sees Jesus

and He sees Himself

clearly.

And when you see

Jesus clearly

and when you see

yourself clearly,

when you see Jesus

as your Savior

and yourself

as a sinner

with no hope

apart from Him,

you do what He did.

You turn

and you plead

and you find forgiveness.

Here is Christ's enemies

putting their faith

in Him.

Here is Jesus' prayer

for mercy

being answered

and God has been

answering it

across continents

and nations

ever since.

We can see that

here this morning.

Look around

and see

the diversity,

the backgrounds,

the ethnicities

being brought in

under the mercy

of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus brings mercy

for you.

But that's not all.

We go back,

we listen again.

This time,

verse 43,

can you see?

Here,

the Lord Jesus

speaks a word

of grace,

assurance,

mercy,

thirdly,

grace.

Truly,

I say to you,

today you will be

with me

in paradise.

Truly,

literally,

I am putting

my word on this.

I will bring you

to paradise.

If mercy

is not getting

what we do deserve,

grace is getting

what we don't deserve.

And we've seen

that this guy knows,

he knows what he deserves.

He deserves

to be crucified.

It's the worst

form of execution,

due reward

for his deeds.

And yet,

from the agony

of the cross,

this is about

to become

the best day

of his life.

Jesus,

remember me

when you come

into your kingdom.

This might be

the only time

in Luke's gospel

that anyone

calls Jesus

by his name.

But at this point,

it makes perfect sense

that that would be

the case.

Why were Mary

and Joseph,

do you remember,

told to give

their baby

the name Jesus?

Because he will

save his people

from their sins.

The name Jesus

means God saves.

And that is exactly

what this thief

discovers.

And note,

it's personal.

Jesus is asked

to remember this man

and his reply,

he says,

I say to you,

today you

will be with me.

He's so personal,

Jesus may as well

have used the man's name.

It's not just personal,

it's also immediate.

The moment this man's

life gave out,

the second he breathed

his last breath,

he would find himself

with Jesus in paradise.

Here's J.C. Ryle.

That word,

today,

tells us that

the very moment

a believer dies,

his soul is in happiness

and safekeeping.

His full redemption

has not yet come.

His perfect bliss

will not begin

before resurrection morning.

But there is

no mysterious delay,

no season of suspense,

no purgatory

between his death

and a state of reward.

In the day

that he breathes his last,

he goes to paradise.

Any hour that he departs,

he is with Christ.

And you know that paradise

is paradise for that reason.

Psalm 16 verse 11

Psalms 16:11

tells us that it is

at the Lord's right hand

where there are pleasures

forevermore.

The believer who dies

trusting Christ

goes to paradise

because they go to be

with the Lord

who is at the place

of eternal pleasure.

This is the wonder

of the gospel.

One for us

through the mercy

and grace

of Christ.

And we can stand firm

on this

because of the last time

he speaks

in this narrative.

Jesus lifts his voice

one last time.

Verse 46,

one final shout

with a word

of hope.

Father,

into your hands

I commit

my spirit.

He gives up

his life.

It isn't taken

from him.

He's in control

the whole way through.

But the point is

his work

at this point

is done.

He kept

the law of God

perfectly.

He bore

the wrath of God

sufficiently

and so he can give

himself to the Father

finally.

And as we hear

these words,

they are words

that assure us

that the mercy

and grace

that he has purchased

for us

through all of this

injustice,

they're not just

a nice idea

but they are real

and they are really ours

if we put our faith

in the Lord Jesus.

This is a cry

of completion

and a cry

of victory

and therefore

it gives all of us

who put our faith

in him

hope.

Assurance,

mercy,

grace

and hope.

The question

for us

this morning

is

as Jesus

calls out

how will you

respond?

The truth

of the matter

is that

we will all

of us

respond

we'll follow

the example

of one of these

two dying thieves.

We will either

on the one hand

focus on our

circumstances

and refuse

to trust God

when life is hard

and we'll rail

against Christ

as a result.

Why are you not

doing what I want

you to do?

If you were

really good

as you say

you are

if you were

really loving

as you say

you are

you would

do things

differently.

You wouldn't

put me

through this.

That's one

option.

We keep

them at a

distance.

We focus

on our

circumstances.

We keep

ourselves

at the

center

of everything.

The other

thing gives us

a better

model

and that is

that we see

ourselves

as sinners

in need

of a

savior

and we

cast

ourselves

on the

mercy

and grace

of

Jesus

who is

the only

one

who can

save us.

Only one

of those

options

will take

you to

paradise.

Luke is

urging us

to trust

our lives

and our

circumstances

and our

hardships

to a God

who is in

complete

control of

history.

He's a

God who

has made

us for

himself and

he has made

a way for

our deepest

problem to

be put

right.

Through the

death of

his son

there is

mercy and

grace for

all who

will receive

it.

One thief

was saved

that no one

should think

that they are

beyond this

mercy and

grace.

Whatever

your life

has looked

like up

to now

you can

find the

same favor

that this

man found

even today.

one thief

was saved

that none

of us would

think that we

are beyond

this mercy

and grace

but only

one thief

was saved

that no one

might presume.

It is only

those who

trust themselves

to the mercy

and grace

of Christ

who will

be saved.

So here

is hope.

Here is the

hope of

Good Friday

for a world

that feels

very thin

on hope

at the

minute.

Jesus

Christ the

innocent

Son of

God

suffered

gross

injustice

in order

to bring

any

who

trust

Him

in order

to bring

you

if you

will

trust

Him

to

paradise.

So come

and welcome

to the

Lord Jesus.