The Good Friday sermon preached in the North Peace 2024


Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When sin first entered the world God made three promises. He promised all humanity that life would involve suffering and would end in death. He promised all women that new life would come through suffering but a promised child would be born to them. And God promised the serpent that though he would make war against the children of men and woman a child would be born who would crush the serpent’s head under his heel.

When sin’s offense to God was manifest he showed who he was, how his holiness could not endure wickedness and tyranny forever. He sent a flood upon the earth, through his mercy preserving Noah. And he promised his just wrath would be dealt with in a different way. Upon the cross the full just wrath of God against all the evil, oppression, depravity, weakness, unfitness, utter sinfulness of humanity is unleashed. The sky turns black as the Father turns his face away. In despair Jesus cries out, abandoned to the spit and shame cruelty and mockery of being made a curse upon a tree. Roman citizens were forbidden to ever see or think of a crucifixion such was the embarrassment and detestability of it. To this God handed over his Son, his only Son. In this the justice and the mercy of God kiss each other, righteousness and peace are met together. God’s just wrath is satisfied in the perfect offering of his only beloved Son, the lamb without blemish. And so from his side pours water and blood. And he has become the full perfect and sufficient sacrifice and oblation for the sins of the whole world. In this sacrifice is the wrath of God dealt with, rather than the utter destruction and ruin we deserve. In the cross is the rainbow finished.

When Abraham was called from the nations, in the blood of sacrifice he and his descendants were set apart to be a people for God who would live by faith, God would make them a great nation and through them every family of the earth would be blessed. Jesus this Son of Abraham is the sacrifice provided by God. In him the faith of Abraham can become the faith of the nations. For Abraham hoped in the promise and Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise. In Jesus, son of Abraham, King of the Jews, every family of the earth may be blessed and enter into the hope of Abraham that they may be God’s and God may be theirs. In the cross the purpose of Abraham’s line is finished.

When Moses called God’s people out of slavery and taught them to be holy as God is holy he knew, he said, they could not do it. He said a time would come when God would dwell among them and establish in them circumcised hearts, hearts made new that may love what God would have them love and might become pleasing to God not in their perfectness but in God’s working through them. Jesus has united himself to us in the flesh to make of us a new creation. Moses outlined a covenant of works, the law, how to be holy. We are all saved only by the covenant of works, but not our works. The works of Christ fulfilled the holiness demanded of God, a holiness offered in the face of God’s wrath. The Passover lamb was sacrificed to set Israel free from slavery. Christ the Passover has been sacrificed for all Israel’s children, and the children of the nations, so that we may be free from the accusations of the devil and the power of death. The curtain is torn in two. Upon the cross the covenant of the law is finished.

When David went to build God a house, God said he would build him a house and establish his throne forever. That a son would be born of his line who would be called the Son of God, and he would suffer to atone for sin, but he would be loved with an everlasting love. Through the prophets this suffering servant king is clarified and signs are given that we may know who he would be. Jesus was the Messiah. That’s what we mean when we say Christ, he was this promised Son of David. He taught throughout his life what the reign of his kingdom would be like and how it would break forth as we await his return. Pilate asks if he is a king, he is, but his kingdom is not of this world. He wears a crown of thorns. It is written in many languages above him that he is the King of the Jews. We see him whipped and suffering, atoning for sin as God promised David. We know that this is not the end of the story, that an everlasting love will prevail. Upon the Cross the Kingdom of God breaks forth and Jesus as King is revealed to us. Upon the Cross God’s promise to David is fulfilled.

When all seemed lost in the days of Jeremiah, when the line of David ceased to sit upon an earthly throne, God promised through him that a day would come when a new covenant would be established. God would write his law not on stones but on burning hearts made new. On the night before Jesus is handed over to suffering and death he took bread and he said this is my body broken for you. He took wine and said this is my blood given for you. This is the new covenant promised in my blood for the forgiveness of sins. I give my life for those God will gather to me. And the very next day we see this. Jesus the promised King, the Holy Man, the Son of God, nailed to a cross, though Pilate knows he is innocent, though the chief priests know they are doing it because it is better for one man to die than for the whole nation to perish. A new covenant he offered, his body here he offers broken for us. Forgiveness of sins he offered, his blood here is poured out for those who look upon him and trust him. Upon the cross the new covenant hoped for by Jeremiah is fulfilled.

Behold that man upon a cross, your sin upon his shoulder. Behold that man born of woman. Jesus Christ the Lamb of God entering into the depths of the suffering promised by God. The record of the debt that stood against us he takes on the cross and it is nailed with him to it. We were destined for death are made alive by Jesus’s triumph here. See his suffering, the throne of our king. The promise to the man finished in the suffering and the death of this God-man. The promise of the serpent finished he cannot go on accusing humanity of debts here paid in full. The promise of the woman was fulfilled in a child born of her crushing the serpent’s head. In the cross it is finished.

Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.