April 18th, 2003, Friday Evening Easter Weekend "Good Friday" Why the death of God's Son is a "good" day OPENING: Genesis 3:17-21; Romans 5:9-11, KJV

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INTRODUCTION: Adam and Eve, when first created, were perfect in the eyes of God, and thus had perfect fellowship with Him because they had never sinned against God. While it cannot be proven, it is a plausible belief God put the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in the garden of Adam and Eve and told them not to eat of it in order to test their free-will obedience to Him. God would rather fellowship with a free-thinking, free-willed humankind that makes its own decisions so that God can see for sure if His creation loves Him, as opposed to creating a race of pre-programmed "yes-men."

However, by disobeying (transgressing or sinning against) God, Adam and Eve had now become enemies of God.

Romans 6:23: As the cost of sin is clearly death, we already see God's grace at work by abolishing Adam and Eve from the garden rather than killing them

• God sent them out of the garden because if Adam and Eve had then eaten of the Tree of Life, they would've lived forever in sin--not dying from it. God didn't want to be enemies with His creation for eternity
  
  
• Genesis 3:21: While God spared their lives, somebody had to die for the sin. So while Adam and Eve unsuccessfully tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, God made their clothes from "skins"; skins from, perhaps, an animal God had to kill for atonement of Adam and Eve's sin

No other religion in the world celebrates the death of one of their own prophets. However, our celebration is for more than a prophet but the Savior of the world.

• This Friday is labeled "good" because the death of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, was the only way God could redeem us (purchase us back from sin) and make us friends with Him again--to be acceptable in His sight.
  
  
• The death of Christ is God's covering for us where we unsuccessfully tried to fig leaf our own nakedness and shame
  
  
• Man, being a sinner, can never do anything perfect or "work off" his debt (sin) to God. Therefore, the only acceptable, perfect sacrifice had to come from God and that sacrifice was willingly chosen by His Son, Jesus Christ

TIMELINE OF EVENTS BETWEEN MAUNDY THURSDAY AND GOOD FRIDAY MORNING

• On Maundy Thursday evening, while you were sitting down to dinner with the family, Jesus and disciples were having their "Last Supper"
  
  
• As you were getting ready for bed, they were departing for the garden of Gethsemane
  
  
• As you were falling asleep, the disciples were sitting watch while Jesus went to pray about the events He knew were to soon happen to Him
  
  
• As you enter your deep sleep, the disciples--exhausted from the day's activities--also fell asleep while Jesus prayed so intensely, He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44)
  
  
  • Now the crowd begins to arrive--lights of torches flickering, commotion rising. They take Jesus and the disciples, in a panic of fear, scatter
  
  
• About 2AM, Jesus is being read the charges against Him by the Pharisees
  
  
• Matthew 27:2: About 6AM, the Roman governor Pilate is requested to conduct the trial; Jesus is scourged, flogged and found unjustly guilty with the sentence of crucifixion
  
  
• By 9AM, Jesus already carried the cross to the place of crucifixion, was nailed to the cross and began his six hours of unspeakable pain--hanging alive on it
  
  
  • For those six hours, not only did He hang but took very intense anger and hostility from the crowd and those passing by--mocking Him
    
    
  • For the last three hours, the land became totally dark so that you could not see your hand in front of your face
    
    
  • Just before 3PM, moments before Jesus' death, when everyone (His disciples and now all people) had forsaken Him, now His Father, God, left Him. (Matthew 27:46)
    
    
    • God had to turn away from His Son because God is so holy and perfect, He cannot even look upon sin. In order for Jesus to take and pay for all the sins of the world through His death, God had to turn away. This makes Jesus the only man on earth who truly knows what it means to be alone
    
    
  • At 3PM, Jesus dies and is buried; He is in the grave until the Sabbath, Sunday.

THREE POINTS OF REASON TODAY IS CALLED "GOOD" FRIDAY AND NOT BLACK FRIDAY (considering the Son of God had just died)

#1: Those whom believe in Jesus will not suffer God's wrath on Judgment Day


• God's wrath will be poured out just as man's was poured out upon Jesus at His crucifixion
  
  
  • Ephesians 2:3
  • Romans 1:18
  • Romans 2:5-6
  
  
• What is it like to experience God's wrath?
  
  
  • Revelation 20:11: Even Heaven cannot stand the intense sight of God--how much less can man?
    
    
  • Exodus 20:18-19: Even when God was not dispensing justice, the Israelites, under Moses, feared they would die just listening to God and asked not to come into His presence again
    
    
  • ANALOGY: Consider being one of the Iraqi military on the front lines of battle as God was dispensing justice on Iraq through the United States military; one U.S. soldier at his front lines, miles away, said even from that distance, it was scary to see B-52's carpet-bombing Iraqi positions--the ground would turn orange and tremble all the way to where U.S. troops were
  
  
• "Good Friday" symbolizes the beginning of no more condemnation/judgment by God of those whom believe Jesus' death was meant to save them

#2: Humankind has gone from being enemies of God to being friends again


• In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve for fellowship and they were perfect--thus they and God were friends; when Adam and Eve sinned, humankind and God became enemies. The quality of the sacrifice to atone for the sins of all the world until the end of time could only come from a product of God--His Son
  
  
• Romans 6:23: A sinful, imperfect, unrighteous heart cannot be "cleaned up." A price must be paid for sin and the price always has been death

#3: Paul says we should have joy and not sadness for this atonement (sacrifice) (Romans 5:11)


• Do you thank God for this every day? Just on Easter weekend? At all?
  
  
• Are you excited about this to where you boast about it to others or do you go to church those evenings just to say you went?
  
  
  • Consider the excitement of a basketball (Spurs) game:
    
    
    • People arrive, find their place, and sit in an orderly, quiet fashion--children, parents, casual dressers, business-suiters, etc.
      
      
    • The game builds excitement within people as the home team closes in on the win
      
      
    • When the final basket is made at the last second that causes the home team to win, spectators act in ways they normally wouldn't in public: jumping up and down in public, displaying their approval and joy
      
      
      • This doesn't mean God's people should do the same thing in public--but they should be doing it in their heart


• The annuls of time records Christ's death as one of the worst moments in the history of the world. But only God could shine through that with the resulting sacrifice of Christ being the atonement of mankind's sins--for in the midst of death, God brought life

CLOSER

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Christ has been in the grave for a few hours now. The family is heartbroken and His disciples scattered; Jesus will remain there until your Sunday morning service when He will have risen

Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself...

• Because He's the only one Who could have done it
• Because we're His friend (John 15:13)
• Because He wants to share His eternal glory with us