Broken Hearts (Good Friday)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Introduction
Imagine the disciples, filled with grief and confusion, as they saw their beloved teacher nailed to the cross. Their hopes and dreams shattered in an instant.
Just as we experience devastating losses in our own lives, the disciples were plunged into a darkness that seemed insurmountable when Jesus died on the cross.
But the reality of their broken hearts begs the question, why?
Did they not understand the point of the incarnation? Did they fail to hear the very words of Christ that He must be lifted up on the cross? Did they refuse to comprehend the seven hundred year old message from Isaiah 53 that the Messiah must be one who suffers in inconceivable ways?
The reality is we struggle to see what we are not looking for. They were not looking for a suffering servant. They were not looking for a world wide opportunity for redemption.
They were looking for a temporary fix to their seemingly insurmountable problem of Rome.
In a phrase, the disciple’s hopes were places on the wrong thing - a political, military king instead of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
They put their hope in the wrong place and because of this, their hearts were breaking!
Main Idea: Broken Hearts Come From Misplaced Hope
For reasons unknown to us, the disciples refused to hear the prior words of Jesus predicting His impending death on the cross.
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Although His disciples didn’t understand or believe the words of our Lord, His words came true.
Transition: God doesn’t always give us what we want, but He does offer what we need.
The disciples had a wrong perspective of the Christ and therefore lost all hope when He died on the cross.
There are three reasons why this is true from this passage. Do your best to put yourself
1. The Disciples Never Hoped for A Crucified King (vs. 26-38, 44-45)
And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Explanation - The King of the Jews was written over Jesus’ head as a derisive statement. The irony is it was absolutely 100% true!
He was their King, yet they rejected his offer of salvation and mediatorial reign.
The disciples idea of a King was one who would deliver them from a tyrannical government and lead Israel, once again, to be the super power of the world!
Honestly, I can understand why the average Jew of Jesus’ time would think this way, but these disciples walked with the Lord for three and a half years. You would think that after living with Jesus, hearing his teaching, and even hearing him predict his death that they would get it. But they missed it. And they were devastated!
Argumentation - Yet, here they were. Their Hope was pinned to a cross. He was dying before their eyes and they did not have faith enough to see what God was really up to. There was even miraculous events that took place proving the words and work of Christ.
For example…
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Noon until 3:00 pm.
This was a miracle in and of itself. Darkness in the bible represents lament.
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
And the earth was certainly lamenting the fact that her creator, the one who called her into existence was dying in her presence.
Not only the creation, but the temple was reeling as well. What an experience that must have been for those who witnessed it. In fact, Matthew gives an even more amazing depiction of the event.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
I mean folks, this is amazing stuff! Miraculous stuff, yet the disciples missed it all together.
Remember the prophecy about them?
Zechariah 13:7 (ESV)
…“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered…
Perhaps as they were hiding they were so withdrawn in grief that the one they admired. The one whom all their hopes rested, was not what they expected.
Their king, their messiah was dying and there was nothing they could do about it.
But if they would have had the right perspective, their hearts would not have been breaking, but instead, full of anticipation.
Illustration -
The footwashing was shocking to Jesus’ disciples, but not half as shocking as the notion of a Messiah who would die the hideous and shameful death of crucifixion, the death of the damned.
D. A. Carson
Application - ???
Review - Broken Hearts Come From Misplaced Hope
The Disciples Never Hoped for a Crucified King
2. The Disciples Never Hoped for a Dead Messiah (vs. 46-47)
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
Explanation -
This Friday, we celebrate the darkest day in history. Jesus Christ, the unique God/man, strategically and willingly went to the cross as payment for our sin. In other words, Jesus substituted himself for you and paid the sin debt you owe to God. God is obligated to punish you for your sin because He is just. His justice demands that He punish sin. His love demands He rescue you from His punishment. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:21 is so poignant.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The only truly innocent person who ever walked the earth died a criminal’s death – you being the criminal. This wrath-satisfying act is beyond our comprehension. His love defies our human limitations.
Consider the profound nature of R.C. Sproul’s words on this subject.
“The most violent expression of God's wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. If ever a person had room to complain for injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused.”― R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God
Are you astonished? This week, intentionally spend time worshiping a God who would satisfy his justified wrath by offering His sinless Son in your place.
Review - Broken Hearts Come From Misplaced Hope
The Disciples Never Hoped for a Crucified King
The Disciples Never Hoped for a Dead Messiah
3. The Disciples Never Wanted Any of This - But Needed All of it! (vs. 48-49)
And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
Explanation - Broken hearts. Can you hear them beating? Can you sense their breaking? Dashed hopes. A bloody, hopeless, dead reality hung on the cross before there very eyes.
This is NOT what they signed up for. This is NOT how they imagined their Rabbi’s ministry would end.
As they watched the soldier pierce His side and blood and water flowed proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was dead, they beat their chests in abject lament and despair.
Frankly, I don’t even know where the Apostles were at this point. The text says “all his acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee (this is a reference to the band of Passover Pilgrims whom Jesus walked with prior to the Triumphal entry) stood at a distance watching these things” (vs. 49).
Jesus’ death is NOT what they wanted, but it was EVERYTHING they needed.
Argumentation - Can I make the point for you as well?
Many in the church and perhaps outside the church try to conform Jesus to their image and expectations. They want Jesus to grant their every wish and whim for this life.
This is not the purpose of Jesus’ life/incarnation. Jesus did not come to give you “Your Best Life Now.”
Because of sin, this life is wrought with pain, suffering, division, anger, strife, wars, and even sickness and death.
Not only this, because of sin we face the stark reality of eternal separation from God. When Adam and Eve at of the tree, in that day, they died - they were spiritually separated from God.
Jesus came as the second Adam to repair that separation and create a restored relationship with God.
This is what John says…
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
This is the point of the cross. Jesus climbed that cross and died as the one and only possible sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath of God on your behalf. Remember, God wrath is on you if you refuse God’s Son…
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Stop trying to make Jesus your divine “good luck charm” hoping He will give you your every wish and desire. Stop trying to change the Jesus of the bible to be your personal genie.
Instead recognize your terrible state before God. That you have offended Him over and over by breaking His law, by living your life devoid of His will and desire, and that His just wrath is on you. Recognize that God loves you so much He sent Jesus Christ to give His life in place of yours. In other words Jesus died in your place so you could have a right relationship with God.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Friends, YOU NEED ALL OF THIS!
I want you to ask yourself this question right now.
“Am I reconciled to God?”
This is why Jesus came - not to judge you, but to receive God’s judgment for you! Not to condemn you but to rescue you from condemnation!
Our Father does not afflict to destroy or ruin us, but rather to deliver us from the condemnation of the world.
John Calvin
You are on a sinking ship, and God has provided a means of salvation from that ship. Christ Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is the only means by which you can be rescued.
And you NEED ALL of His rescue!
If you find yourself right now, outside of the family of God - repent of your sins and reach out to Christ for rescue. Trust that He can deliver your from the wrath of God. Ask Him to and He will!
2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)
…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Don’t be like the disciples who got the point of Jesus all wrong. He didn’t come to give you a better life, He came to give you eternal life!
Review - Broken Hearts Come From Misplaced Hope
The Disciples Never Hoped for a Crucified King
The Disciples Never Hoped for a Dead Messiah
The Disciples Never Wanted Any of This - But Needed all of it!
Conclusion
As I previously said, today we celebrate the darkest day in history. The day that we killed the only truly innocent man who ever walked the face of this earth.
Yet, this act perpetrated against Christ was part of God’s sweet providential plan.
Isaiah 53:10 (ESV)
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief…
God willed for Jesus to die so you could live!
My friend, Dr. Tony Beckett said this…
“Everything done by death is undone by Jesus.” - Tony Beckett
The hearts of the disciples were broken in large part because they refused to understand Jesus’ purpose in coming to this earth.
Don’t you misunderstand too!
Jesus came to rescue you.
If you have been rescued by Christ, today is not a day of broken hearts, but one of thankful hearts!
Connection Group Reflection Questions
1. What did we learn about God from the text or Sunday’s message?
2. What did we learn about true hope from the text or Sunday’s message?
3. What can you do to improve in helping others understand the importance of hope?
4. What does God desire from us at ABC, or you personally as an individual in the area of biblical hope?
5. If you or we as a church were to practically apply what we learned from this passage or message, what would that look like? What changes will we or you make this week?
6. Summarize what you learned in one sentence, and how does God want you to respond in obedience?
7. This week, who would benefit from this truth, and who will you share it with?
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