April 21st 2019
It Is A Good Friday, Because, “Whoever Lives And Believes In Me Will Never Die.”
John 11:23-26 (NIV)
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
If you are reading this, you are still alive. Do you fear dying? Most people will answer such a question with a positive answer. Jesus told Martha and you, “whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?" Jesus is also asking His disciples this same question, “Do you believe this?" Can you accept the perfect sacrifice Jesus made for you, thus through grace, you are one of His disciples! Therefore, you, “will never die.” This may be why we chose to call today Good Friday! We are observing the day that Jesus Christ chose to die for your sins, so that through His grace you “will never die.” In this story Jesus raised His friend Lazarus form his grave after he had been there for four days. Therefore, showing us that the resurrection from the dead of a normal human being is possible.
While Jesus still walked this earth as a member of mankind, He told His disciples that He would be the Way for them (us) to follow Him into the great reward of heaven, when they (we) die. Following His in this lifetime give us the directions to follow Him to heaven when we die. “You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-6). Yes, I know I’m ahead of the story here, but today could not be called Good Friday, unless you (we) know and believe that because of His sacrifice you (we) “will never die.”
Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave as part of the evidence that He was who He said He was. And in this story Martha professes who she believed Jesus is. Profession of such a faith is necessary for you to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Martha answered Jesus’ questions by stating who she believed He was. "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (John 11:27). She believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and thus by believing in Him and following Him would lead her and her brother to heaven when they (we) leave this mortal lifetime. We read one of the prophecies about how to identify this Messiah from the Old Testament writer Isaiah. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:8-9)
Here we read this strange language about this Messiah who would be “cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.” So, He would be stricken not because of some personal fault, but because of “the transgression of my people.” So, Isaiah’s people caused His demise because their transgressions! Then this story continues with some confusing report about where this Messiah would be buried when He died, as it says, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. In the terminology of that day-in-time the wicked and the rich were not usually buried in the same site.
Although Jesus was executed as a criminal He was buried in a rich man’s tomb, as had been prophesied. A rich man who had become a follower of Jesus asked for His body, so he could bury Jesus in a tomb where he had planned to be buried, when he died. Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no-one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was near by, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42).
What makes this be a Good Friday for us is written by John for us. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). We look back and remember what Jesus did for us and offers to the whole world. Paul writes about how Jesus took upon Himself all the sins of this world. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14). As Paul wrote, “He forgave us all our sins”, “he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Yes, your sins were in effect nailed to the cross of Jesus!
We celebrate another Good Friday, because we believe as Jesus told us who He is. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”. Then Jesus asked you, “Do you believe this?" If you do believe it then you know your salvation is assured, because Jesus’ death has assured it! Looking ahead, we know that His resurrection will occur, but in this week, we must await this event until Easter morning.
Paul wrote about this lifetime of waiting and assurance. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18). Good Friday is the beginning of a weekend that starts with death, as a temporary time of waiting for the renewal of life everlasting! That certainly sounds like a very Good Friday, as we believe it ends with a risen Christ on Easter Sunday!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
John 11:23-26 (NIV)
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
If you are reading this, you are still alive. Do you fear dying? Most people will answer such a question with a positive answer. Jesus told Martha and you, “whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?" Jesus is also asking His disciples this same question, “Do you believe this?" Can you accept the perfect sacrifice Jesus made for you, thus through grace, you are one of His disciples! Therefore, you, “will never die.” This may be why we chose to call today Good Friday! We are observing the day that Jesus Christ chose to die for your sins, so that through His grace you “will never die.” In this story Jesus raised His friend Lazarus form his grave after he had been there for four days. Therefore, showing us that the resurrection from the dead of a normal human being is possible.
While Jesus still walked this earth as a member of mankind, He told His disciples that He would be the Way for them (us) to follow Him into the great reward of heaven, when they (we) die. Following His in this lifetime give us the directions to follow Him to heaven when we die. “You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-6). Yes, I know I’m ahead of the story here, but today could not be called Good Friday, unless you (we) know and believe that because of His sacrifice you (we) “will never die.”
Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave as part of the evidence that He was who He said He was. And in this story Martha professes who she believed Jesus is. Profession of such a faith is necessary for you to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Martha answered Jesus’ questions by stating who she believed He was. "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (John 11:27). She believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and thus by believing in Him and following Him would lead her and her brother to heaven when they (we) leave this mortal lifetime. We read one of the prophecies about how to identify this Messiah from the Old Testament writer Isaiah. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:8-9)
Here we read this strange language about this Messiah who would be “cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.” So, He would be stricken not because of some personal fault, but because of “the transgression of my people.” So, Isaiah’s people caused His demise because their transgressions! Then this story continues with some confusing report about where this Messiah would be buried when He died, as it says, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. In the terminology of that day-in-time the wicked and the rich were not usually buried in the same site.
Although Jesus was executed as a criminal He was buried in a rich man’s tomb, as had been prophesied. A rich man who had become a follower of Jesus asked for His body, so he could bury Jesus in a tomb where he had planned to be buried, when he died. Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no-one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was near by, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42).
What makes this be a Good Friday for us is written by John for us. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). We look back and remember what Jesus did for us and offers to the whole world. Paul writes about how Jesus took upon Himself all the sins of this world. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14). As Paul wrote, “He forgave us all our sins”, “he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Yes, your sins were in effect nailed to the cross of Jesus!
We celebrate another Good Friday, because we believe as Jesus told us who He is. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”. Then Jesus asked you, “Do you believe this?" If you do believe it then you know your salvation is assured, because Jesus’ death has assured it! Looking ahead, we know that His resurrection will occur, but in this week, we must await this event until Easter morning.
Paul wrote about this lifetime of waiting and assurance. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18). Good Friday is the beginning of a weekend that starts with death, as a temporary time of waiting for the renewal of life everlasting! That certainly sounds like a very Good Friday, as we believe it ends with a risen Christ on Easter Sunday!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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