Good Friday 2022 | Ps. Keith Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

Hey church family.

I want to take a moment to thank you so much for joining us for our special edition of Celebration Church at Home, the Good Friday edition.

Our goal today is really to gather together with sobriety and sober-mindedness as a family and as a community to really enter into what this moment is really all about.

This moment where Jesus is preparing to go to the cross for all of mankind.

I hope and pray that you have some family members, some friends with you as we're going to just look at some scriptures that kind of set the tone and have some context as to what led us to this moment in preparation for what we know God's going to do on Easter Sunday.

I would love to take a moment to open us up in prayer and just dig into the Word of God and allow ourselves to really be centered and to experience what Jesus and the disciples walk through.

Lord, we thank you so much for this moment, this gathering, and this opportunity to really elevate the value of this solemn moment that Christ experienced over 2,000 years ago.

I pray for you to speak to us, to inspire us, to challenge us, and to bring us to that space of what it looks like to be in the waiting with expectation.

We believe this with an expectation that you're going to speak to us in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You know, I've been thinking a lot about what this season really does represent and understanding what Christ truly did on the cross.

But I think for us to really understand the significance of it, it requires us to back up a little bit to understand exactly how did we get here.

In the beginning, and that's what I mean.

I said literally in the beginning, in the beginning, we know that sin entered the world.

And when sinner entered the world as a result of Adam and Eve making the choice to do things on their own terms, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that God ultimately said that the consequence for that would be death.

That the consequence for doing things in a different direction than what God had intended, it was going to kind of activate this plan of death.

But the beautiful thing is that God always had a plan.

That God had a plan to redeem, to restore his man who had who had fallen away from him.

What it says here in Genesis chapter 3, verse number 14 and 15, and this is God speaking to the servant.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

To the serpent, rather, he says, And the Lord said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal.

You will move on your belly and eat dust for all the days of your life.

Verse number 15 is really important.

I will put hostility between you and woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he will strike your head and you will strike his heel.

This is a powerful prophetic moment that ultimately is activating God's redemptive plan, God's plan to redeem and to restore man back into his rightful place.

That we see that God is communicating that, yes, as a result of sin, there's going to be some difference and some distance between God and man.

But a woman's going to give birth to a child, and that child is going to silence and defeat the enemy.

He's going to crush his head, but it's going to come at the expense of his heel being striked.

As we move a little bit further into scripture, we see that then God looks at Adam and Eve, who's now naked and ashamed.

And what we see is that the Bible says that God covers them with animal skins.

We see this in Genesis chapter 3, verse number 21.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Here's what we have to recognize: that this is the first time that we see in Scripture that something had to die in order to cover man's sins.

This is a powerful and important moment to remember that from the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, that something died to cover their nakedness, to cover their shame.

And this activates the sacrificial system that we see play out all throughout the course of Scripture.

Fast forwarding now several thousand years, we now find ourselves on what we refer to as Passover night.

The children of Israel have been in bondage for over 430 years, and God has finally came to them to bring them redemption and to lead them to a place of wholeness and healing and allow them to be an example.

What does it mean to follow the true and living God?

As God has sent Moses to negotiate on behalf of him to free up the children of Israel, we see that Pharaoh continuously reneges on every offer that God has extended, and it brought us to this point where God was going to issue judgment.

What we find here in Exodus chapter number 12, looking at verses 12 and 14, is a crucial component that leads us to understanding exactly what we're talking about today.

God speaking to Moses, he says, I will pass through the land of Egypt, and on that night I will strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animal.

I, the Lord, will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt.

The blood on the houses that are staying will be have distinguishing marks for you.

And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

No plague will be among you.

You will not be destroyed when I strike the land of Egypt.

Verse number 14 This day is to be a memorial for you, for you to celebrate as a festival to the Lord, that you are to celebrate throughout all the generations as a permanent statue.

That God gives the Israelites very strict instructions on how they're supposed to position themselves for this Passover moment, this moment where they take this precious blood of a lamb, they apply it to the, they apply the blood to the doorposts of their homes, and as God's judgment is coming by, when he sees the blood, he passes over them.

He doesn't issue judgment.

I want you to mark this in your heart that when God sees the blood, he doesn't issue judgment.

Hold on to that because we're going to come back to that in just a few moments.

But I want us to understand that this is part of God's redemptive plan.

Here's the main theme that I want you to write down in your soul, and that I don't ever want you to forget.

Redemption is expensive.

The currency is always sacrifice.

God is showing us this in this powerful moment.

Now we move forward a little bit further into the scriptures.

Ever since God has spoken this idea about this man being born that's going to strike the enemy's heel while having his heel struck, it's been this idea of this Messiah that's going to come, this great savior who has these enigmatic, prophetic glimpses in scripture that somehow shows us a king, but he's also a servant.

Somehow shows us a lion, but he's also a lamb.

This character is the Messiah.

So when Jesus comes on the scene naturally, he's checking the boxes of many of these things, but but people don't fully understand who he is and what he's doing.

In fact, he frustrates everyone because as everyone wanted to claim Jesus for themselves, he would do something that broke him out of the barriers that they tried to place upon him.

As he's done his three and a half years of ministry, he's now sitting at a table with his disciples on Passover night.

That same night that the Israelites had celebrated and that God said, I want you to celebrate this as a statute, that when I see the blood of the Lamb, I will pass over you.

That same celebration had gone on for generation to generation.

And now Jesus is sitting with his disciples about to celebrate that exact same moment.

Jesus then goes into providing what I believe to be the most powerful object lesson ever given.

See, these men had been raised celebrating and understanding the Passover their entire lives.

It was part of their Jewish tradition that they understood that this lamb had died and the blood represented redemption and that it helped them to bypass judgment.

Jesus then sitting with his disciples in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, verse 22 and 24, he says this as they were eating, he took the bread, he blessed it and broke it and gave it to them and said, Take it, this is my body.

Mark 14:22

The implications of this is substantial as they began to recognize that these behaviors that they had been engaging in all the way up to this point was all pointing to Jesus, that Jesus was the redemption.

He then gives them a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it, and he says this to them that this is my blood of the new covenant that is poured out for the many.

That Jesus takes the sacred moment of Passover that they had celebrated their entire lives and says, I am the Lamb whose blood is about to be poured.

And whenever you apply that blood to the doorpost of your heart, God's judgment is going to pass over you.

This is a powerful moment.

And I'm not sure if they understood the significance of it then, but we have the advantage of looking back and realizing that Jesus was furthering the redemptive story by pointing everything to him and from him.

Remember this redemption is expensive, the currency is always sacrifice.

After this dinner, they go out to this garden called Gethsemane.

Um, and this is a place that's filled with olive trees, and whose name literally translates to meaning the place of crushing.

And while Jesus is there, he's filled with anguish because now the reality of what he is about to do hits him.

We must remember that Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man.

And so as he's going into this garden, fully aware of what's about to happen next, there's there's anxiety, there's a weightiness that begins to come upon him.

And what the Bible tells us is that he begins to say, if there's another way, if there's any other way to bring about this redemptive plan, I would love for it to not be me.

In fact, he says it this way if this cup can be passed from me, and what it says in verse number 36, he says, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

Take this cup away from me, but nevertheless, not my will, your will be done.

This cup that Jesus is referring to is the cup of wrath.

And ultimately, what that meant, and and and I'll do my best to explain this to us, is that this cup contained the sins of mankind, it was bitter.

That this cup represented the justice and judgment of God, and it was bitter, that this cup would cost Christ his life, and it was bitter.

Jesus didn't want to drink it, but redemption is expensive and the currency is sacrifice.

While Jesus is praying and his his other disciples had fallen asleep, and he's literally carrying this burden all on his own.

He is talking with his disciples, and then one that he had served alongside of, one who had seen him in ministry, is also the one who betrayed him.

Scripture tells us that they approached Jesus with clubs and with a mob to attack this man who's known for peace as if he was a violent criminal.

The Bible tells us in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, verse number 50, they all deserted him and ran away.

Mark 14 · chapter mention

That this man who was used to having large crowds around him, this man who was used to serving and helping so many people, that when the pressure came, that they all deserted him and ran away.

Jesus is all alone.

And while he's alone, he's being pulled into one illegal trial after the other.

People lied on him, he was all alone.

People abandoned him, he was all alone.

Peter denied him three times.

He was all alone.

And he did all of this so that we could be restored.

Redemption is expensive, and the currency is sacrifice.

After Jesus is arrested and taken from one trial to the other, the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15, paints a very vivid picture of what takes place next.

Mark 15 · chapter mention

I would like for us all to read this together.

At the dawn's first light, the high priest with the religious leaders and scholars arranged a conference with the entire Jewish council after tying Jesus securely.

They took him out to present to Pilate.

Pilate asked, Are you the king of the Jews?

He answered, If you say so, the high priest loosed a barrage of accusations.

Pilate asked again, Aren't you going to answer anything?

This is quite a list of accusations.

Still he said nothing.

Pilate was impressed, really impressed.

It was a custom at the feast to release a prisoner, anyone that the people asked for.

There was a prisoner there called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during an uprising against Rome.

As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them.

But the high priests by then were worked up in the crowd and they asked for the release of Barabbas.

I want to pause here for a moment, because what we see happening here is that Jesus, this man who is innocent, this man who has served and is literally advancing the kingdom of God, he is betrayed.

He is left alone.

And then, even as Pilate is trying to figure out a way to not condemn Jesus to death, presents a man who was worthy of death, presents a man who was an insurrectionist, this man who rose up against the Roman government.

And Pilate ultimately says, Hey, you guys have a choice.

You can choose Jesus, this man of peace, this man of love, this man who's done nothing wrong, or you can choose this man of violence, this man who lacks character, this man who lacks anything that's connected to the things that you're so passionate about.

What do you choose?

And without blinking an eye, they chose Barabbas.

How often are we presented with an option to do things and choose Jesus?

But we find ourselves choosing Barabbas.

Verse number 12 says that Pilate came back and says, What do you want me to do with this man that is called the king of the Jews?

They yelled, nail him to the cross.

Another translation may say, crucify him.

I want you to be reminded that just a week before, they were saying, Hosanna, save us.

This statement that was meant to represent that you are the coming king, and then in less than a week, those chants went from Hosanna to crucify.

Isn't it interesting how quickly culture can cancel somebody if it doesn't fit with their agenda?

Pilate's objective.

But they yelled louder, nail him to the cross.

Pilate gave the crowd what they wanted.

He set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.

The soldiers took Jesus into a place called Praetorium and called together an entire brigade.

They dressed him up in purple and put a crown palated from thorn on his head.

They began their mockery.

Bravo to the king of the Jews.

They banged his head with a club, they spit on him and nailed down to mock, worship him.

After they had their fun, they took off the purple cape, they put his clothes back on him, then they marched him out and they nailed him to the cross.

This journey was a very public journey.

This road was a road that was filled with twists and turns.

And when I went to Israel, I had an opportunity to see the journey that Jesus was on as he was carrying the top portion of this cross, which many believe may have been as heavy as 300 pounds.

This was a very public humiliation that he was being led on.

Verse 21 says, There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Sarene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and they made him carry the cross of Jesus because he was just too exhausted.

The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning skull hill.

They offered him painkiller, wine mixed with myrrh, but he wouldn't take it.

He wouldn't take the shortcut out of it.

And they nailed him to the cross.

They divided his clothes and they threw dice to see who would get them.

They nailed him up at nine o'clock in the morning.

They charged against him.

The king of the Jews was printed on the posters.

The people passed along the road, jeered, shaking their heads, and mock lament.

You bragged that you were going to tear down a temple and build it up in three days.

So show us your stuff.

Save yourself.

If you're really God's son, come down from that cross.

Imagine Jesus, who simply came here to provide salvation and redemption, restoration, is being mocked by the very people that he's trying to help.

That he's being crucified by the very people that he came to redeem.

The high priests, along with the religious scholars, were right in there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him.

He saved others, but he himself, he cannot save.

The Messiah is he, King of Israel.

Then let him climb down from that cross.

We all become believers, then.

Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.

At noon, the sky became extremely dark.

The darkness lasted for three hours.

At three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of its depths, crying out loudly, Eloi, Eloi, la basanatal, which means, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

What many scholars believe was taking place at this moment, is that up until this moment, Jesus experienced what we call unbroken fellowship with God.

That from the time he was born, that he never experienced a moment where the presence of God wasn't there.

But the moment that Jesus became sin, that he became the full embodiment, the representation for all of the sins of the world, that Jesus experienced the very thing that Adam experienced when he was removed from the garden.

There was a barrier put up, and for the first time ever, Jesus didn't feel the presence of God.

He felt the weight of sin.

And in his humanity, he cried out, I feel God forsaken.

I feel alone, I feel isolated.

Imagine Jesus after all that he's done, all that he's experienced, all that he's done to advance the kingdom and help people.

He's been rejected, he's been lied on, he's been made fun of, he's been mocked.

And now the presence of God isn't even there.

Some of the bystanders heard him.

Listen, he's calling for Elijah, so someone ran off and soaked a sponge and sour wine and put it on a stick to give him a drink.

Let's see if Elijah comes down to take him down.

But Jesus cried out loudly and gave his last breath.

At that moment, the temple curtain ripped down the middle.

When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, This has to be the Son of God.

There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James the Younger, and John and Salome.

When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him and had come up with him to Jerusalem.

Late that afternoon, since it was the day of preparation, that is Sabbath Eve.

Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish council, came.

He was one who lived expectantly looking for the kingdom of God.

Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

That this man who had a very comfortable life, but at the same time had an expectation for the things of God to be materialized, he went public with his faith and begged for the body of Christ.

Man, imagine what it would look like for us if we wanted to be associated with the death of Christ and we begged for the body of Christ.

Pilate questioned whether he could be dead so soon, and he called for the captain to verify that he was dead.

Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.

Having already purchased linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut out from a rock, and rolled across the stone access.

The shroud was placed in front of him.

Verse number 47.

Mary, Magdalene, and the Mary, the mother of John, watched the burial.

I want us to recall for a moment that statement that was made in John or in the Gospel of John, and we also see in all the rest of the Gospels this idea of Jesus being the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

Then I also want us to recall back to Genesis chapter 3, 15, where it says that he will strike your head and you will strike his heel.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

This is the moment that it was referring to.

Redemption is expensive, and the currency is sacrifice.

You know, the definition of sacrifice is the act of giving up something of value.

Value for something you deem as important.

Christ gave up his life to save your soul because he views you, he views it as important.

The tomb entrance was sealed shut.

And what the scripture tells us is that the two Marys were there and they were watching from the distance.

In their mind, this story has just come to an end.

So the question that gets presented is what happens now?

Redemption is expensive, and the currency is sacrifice.

What happens now?

We'll discuss that this Sunday for resurrection.

God bless you.

We'll see you then.org.

We hope you join us next time.