Good Friday 2024 – Romans 5:6-11

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” (Charles Dickens)

1.    The ugly truth about…

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)

“The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man.” (John Stott)

2.    The shocking truth about…

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-4)

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

• He died so that we can live
• He was cursed so that we can be blessed
• He was wounded so that we can be healed
• He went into exile so that we can be at home
• He was crushed so that we could be made whole
• He carried our guilt so that we can be forgiven
• He bore our shame so that we can receive honor
• He experienced defeat so that we can have victory
• He was condemned so that we can be declared innocent
• He took our moral stains so that we can be washed clean
• He was plunged into darkness so that we can walk in the light

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

3.    The glorious truth about …

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:26-30)