Good Friday

Hey friends, I wanted to come to you live tonight because it's Good Friday. I don't want to take up too much of your time because I know everybody has things going on, but I've been thinking a lot today about three particular words. They've been kind of running through my mind really all week, but especially since I got up this morning. And it's those last three words that Jesus spoke from the cross.

As a matter of fact, in John's account of the gospel, as Jesus was hanging there on the cross, the very last words that he uttered before he gave up the ghost is what it tells us here in John chapter 19, verse 30. It says, Therefore, Jesus, having received the sour wine, he said, And he bowed his head and he gave up his spirit. So those words have really been running through my mind, partly because those words have always meant a lot to me. They're translated, it is finished in the English, but the Greek word is the word tetelestai.

The word tetelestai has a great deal of power to it because of exactly what the word tetelestai means. The word tetelestai means paid in full. It was actually a term that was used by the Romans that they would stamp on someone's bill after they had paid their debt. And so as they worked to pay off that debt, slowly but surely, that debt would be crossed off.

And once it was completely paid for, they would take a stamp that said tetelestai and they would stamp it across that debt, meaning that it was completely paid in full. And so as we think about those last words that Jesus uttered from the cross, tetelestai, finished or paid in full, I'm reminded of the fact that that's exactly what he did for us on that cross. I'm reminded that the debt that Jesus paid really kind of took on two forms, if you think about it. Jesus paid our debt in full in a very physical sort of way.

As a matter of fact, the death on the cross was one of the most heinous deaths that anyone could die. It was such a heinous death that Roman citizens were not allowed to be put to death on the cross if they had committed a crime that just wasn't allowed. It was illegal. Only slaves and foreigners could be put to death on the cross. I've often wondered why God chose that that would be the place where Jesus would ultimately pay the sacrifice for our sins.

And I have to believe that it was because it was such a heinous death on the cross. And so as Jesus paid that debt in full, I'm reminded of exactly everything that he went through, all of the physical suffering that he went through for us. I'm reminded of the stripes that he bore on his back as they, I'm reminded of the stripes that he bore on his back as they, who whipped him, hoping to elicit a confession out of him, but there was nothing to confess. And so as it tells us in the book of Isaiah, as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

And then I'm reminded of the physical beating that he went through as he sat there with those Roman soldiers and they clothed him in a purple robe and then they so mercilessly mocked him and hit him in the face and pulled out his beard and said, prophesy, who was it that hit you that day? I'm reminded of what they did when they put that crown of thorns on his head and they pounded those thorns in to where it pierced into his skull and blood began to flow down into his eyes. And as he stood there, blood dripping from him, standing there before Pilate, Pilate said, what do you want me to do with him? And they said, crucify him.

And I'm reminded of what exactly Jesus did on that cross as he was led out to Golgotha. A lot of us don't fully grasp exactly what took place there, what took place on the cross, because you and I have been spared having to see that in our lifetime. But what they would do is when they would lay them out on that cross, they would spread their arms all the way out and they would nail their arms down to the cross. And then, of course, they would take their feet, put one foot on top of the other and nail their feet to the cross.

And they would do so to where there was just a little bit of bend in their legs. Because while most of us would consider that blood loss or sheer shock from the pain would kill us, and for many of us it might, what actually happened to somebody on the cross is they would suffocate. Because as those arms were stretched out, it cut off the ability to take a full breath into your lungs. Now, you may not realize this, but Jesus made several statements from the cross and all of the other physical pain and exhaustion that he went through alone would have made that a difficult thing for him to do.

But the very fact that his arms were pulled apart like they were, making it hard for him to take a breath, gives us an indication of just how hard it would have been for him to say anything, from the very beginning. As a matter of fact, to take a breath, what they would have to do is they would have to push up on their legs. Remember I said there was a slight bend in their legs, so they would push up on those feet. And as they would push up, they would inhale enough to have some sort of a breath.

And so as Jesus would make these statements from the cross, he would push himself up and inhale, and then he would make that statement from the cross. And so as he breathed these last words, I want you to picture what that would have been. would have been like in your mind because what he would have done is he would have had to push down on those feet that bear in mind were pierced with a nail and he pushed himself up with all of his energy and remember what had happened to his back it was shredded from being whipped and as he pushed himself up on that on that cross inhaled for that very last time he uttered the words that make the biggest difference for you and I to tell us die and then he breathed his last and he gave

up the spirit you see it's such an amazing thing because of the physical sacrifice that Jesus made for us he bore in his own body all of the pain that goes along with sin all of the suffering that goes along with sin and he bore that physical sacrifice for you and I but you know the sacrifice we don't always think about is the sacrifice that he made for us spiritually because remember when Jesus was up on that cross he wasn't just facing a physical death we're told that all of the sin of humanity was laid upon him that all of the sins that you and I have committed were placed upon him by the father that means everything that we've ever done wrong all of the self-righteousness hypocrisy and pride

that can sometimes infiltrate our lives were all laid upon him you all of the murderous thoughts and actions that you and I have ever taken part in were laid upon him all of the lies that we have ever told have been laid upon him all of the pornographic thoughts and actions you and I have ever taken part in they were all laid upon him all of the hatred all of the hopelessness all of the everything that are a part of who we are as humans was laid upon him and because that was all laid upon him because he became sin who knew no sin the father had to turn his back on him he faced separation from God so that you and I wouldn't have to as a matter of fact you may

remember in the gospel accounts that what it says is that while Jesus was hanging on that cross that the sun became dark and it became like night time and he uttered one of those statements from the the cross as he pushed himself up and took another breath into his lungs, he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And so while Jesus bore in his own body the physical penalty for our sin, which is enough as it is, he also bore in his own body the spiritual suffering that rightly belongs to you and I, that separation from God that rightly belongs to you and I. This word became very real to me early on in my Christian walk as I began to recount all of the sins that I had

taken part in in my life apart from Christ, as the enemy continually reminded me of all of the things that I had done wrong, all of the failures that I had, all of the weaknesses and shortcomings that I had, and I began to live in a place of condemnation because as I saw all of those things, I thought, how could God ever love me? How can I ever overcome all of these things if that is who I am? And then God showed me the proof of the truth of that phrase, tetelestai, paid in full. You see, when Jesus carried his cross to the outside, to the outskirts of Jerusalem, he carried my sin to the uttermost parts of the earth. When he carried that cross to the outside

of Jerusalem, he took my sin outside of the camp and at that place, he made atonement for my sin and did away with it completely. And when he did, the sacrifice was sufficient. The sacrifice was enough to not only cover my sin, but to completely do away with my sin. That's why when Jesus yelled that statement from the cross, tetelestai, it's as if the debt that I owed, the debt that I owed because of the great sin that I had taken part in, the great sin that characterized the very person that I was, the very person that I can be apart from Christ, all of that sin had been placed upon him. The handwriting was on the wall. And yet Jesus, when he was on the wall, he was on the wall.

He was on that cross bearing all of that punishment for me, took that beautiful stamp and stamped it tetelestai, paid in full. And now brothers and sisters, we have hope. You see, it wasn't a very hopeful day that Friday. It wasn't a very hopeful day while Jesus cried out paid in full. I wonder what all of those people around him on the cross were thinking. Paid in full, what are you talking

about? You were our hero and you just got sacrificed. You were our hero and you just died. In our minds, our world just fell apart. But brothers and sisters, because he yelled out tetelestai, paid in full, the process of redemption had just fallen into place. You see, that's the beauty of what he did for us on the cross. That's the beauty of what he did for us there in that place. And while it may seem like Friday is a really bad day, just remember,

Sundays, love you guys, and may the Lord bless.