Good Friday Service 2025
Glory Through the Cross
Welcome. Why are we here this Friday night when we can be in so many other places?
To remember. To reflect on the love of God that extends beyond human reasoning. To worship the Lamb of God who was slain for our sake. To see God’s glory in the most unexpected way, and to model what our Savior teaches us as we continue to live in this life.
Call to Worship:
John 3:16-17 "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."
“Undying love.” Today is the day when this cliché holds concrete truth for the followers of Christ. While it wasn’t as evident to those who stood beneath the cross on that Friday we now call “good,” it is clear to us today why it is GOOD. In the death of Christ, there is evidence of the undying love of God. A search of the true disciple’s heart will reveal the branding of God’s redeeming love. Christ was forsaken for love’s sake. Such love is for our benefit, calling us to draw near to the throne of God’s grace. This sacrificial love is unrelenting, irresistible, never-ending, and undying.
We will not be forsaken. God entered humanity and died for our sake. He left glory to willingly lay
His own life down to satisfy the wrath against sin. He became a man and lived on this earth in the flesh like you and me, so as a man, who lived without sin, He would qualify to be the sacrifice on heaven’s altar. As a man, He endured unbearable suffering at the hands of those He came to save. It was our sin that sent Him to the cross, and faithfully, He went as the spotless Lamb of God to be slain so that the Father might be glorified and bring glory in such an unexpected way-through the shame of the cross.
Jesus had entered Jerusalem. The parades were over, the palm leaves were set aside, and there was growing hostility from the religious leaders who were stirring up the crowds against Jesus. Hearts shifted from praise to contempt.
The time had come, and the cross was in Jesus’ sight. Let us hear His words as the Son of Man- what He wrestled with as this hour drew near and what He set His heart upon. Oh what a Savior!
Reading
John 12:23-24, 27-28
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
27-28 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Lord God You are worthy of all that we have and all that we are. Tonight we offer You our praise and our hearts. Show us anew the power of God that worked through the cross-show us personally, Lord what this means for our lives and our future. Let us see and feel Your heart, Lord Jesus- as we look to the cross- Open our eyes to see the wonders of Your love. Soften our hearts to understand the glory that came through Your obedience, Lord. Show us Your glory tonight.
Let’s lift praise reflecting on the heart of our Lord, the Lamb of God, who took every bit of shame and despised it through His death on the cross. He is worthy of our praise.
We read in the Gospel John, Jesus talking with His disciples as He knew the hour had come to fulfill the purpose for which He was sent. He was letting them know very soon you won’t see Me any longer but then you will see Me again. They of course were confused and didn’t understand what He was saying.
He told them in John 16: 20-22 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. The disciples thought as Jesus was explaining they were finally understanding. Jesus questioned them and said, “do you now believe?”
32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. But Jesus ended this conversation with this encouragement even knowing they would abandon Him in His time of greatest need.
John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Notice Jesus says this as if it had already happened, a fact and certainty IS FINISHED. He has to go through the suffering yet and He knows victory is His, because He will be faithful till the purpose for which He has been sent has been accomplished.
This is great encouragement for you and me yet today- Take Heart friend! Whatever you are enduring; whatever suffering is involved, it is not your end. It is not the end of your story-Jesus and His victory is says your story is not over! He has overcome the world-that means every bit of suffering and death we face; He has overcome. This is why He came! We endure suffering for a little while-we grieve for a little while-BUT JOY comes in the morning!
Amen!
We read in His Word that in Jesus’ time, before His descent to the cross began, He prayed to the Father for His disciples and for all believers who would come as He called them by name. That includes you and me!
Let’s look at what He prayed for:
John 17:1-4 “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
First note, Jesus has always existed-always part of the Trinity. He left glory to come to earth and be born of a woman, to live as a man, so that He could become our sacrifice. He has always been with God and is God.
His prayer was for God the Father to be glorified through Him because of His obedience to finish the work He was sent to do. He prays that we would all come to personally know the Godhead.
He prayed protection over the disciples, to sanctify them by the truth of His Word, and to send them out to share the
Good News. He says in v. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. Then Jesus, right on the cusp of being arrested, takes time to pray over all those who would come to believe- that includes you and me. Listen to His heart cry- Jesus, Son of Man, heading to the cross-taking the punishment of a rebellious people; and Son of God who willingly left glory for our sake:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I
have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
This is the heart of our Savior-always looking to us and our eternal salvation, we are able to share in His glory- the glory He gives to us. How beautiful is that?
Jesus and his disciples continued on and arrived at a garden and it was a place Jesus often met with his disciples. Judas, the disciple who betrayed him, also knew Jesus would be there, and shortly after their arrival, Judas appeared with soldiers with weapons, officials of the chief priests, and the Pharisees.
Jesus asked them who they wanted. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said, “I am he.” If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear.
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
Jesus fully knew what lay ahead for him and was also fully prepared to see through every bit of suffering, torture, mocking, and shame for the glory that would shine through. Father, glorify Your name!
They arrested Jesus, binding him like a criminal and marching him before Caiaphas, the high priest at the time. Jesus never resisted; He went willingly. Fear overtakes the disciples. How could this be happening? Why did Jesus let them arrest Him and lead Him away?
Why wasn’t He making it known who He is and using all His authority and power to crush those trying to come against Him? Were they going to condemn Jesus to death? They knew exactly what it meant to be lifted up, when someone was talking about that as a form of dying- it meant the most shameful, torturous way for a person to die. It was humiliating and excruciating-taking away all dignity within a person.
And so came the fulfillment of what Jesus had spoken to them just hours before- you will scatter and leave me alone. And they did.
Peter watched from a distance, but when asked personally if he was with Jesus, he denied even knowing him three times. His friend, master, and the one He called Lord- out of fear- in Jesus’ hour needing support- Peter said, “I don’t know the man!” Heartbreaking for both Jesus and Peter-because Jesus told Peter this was going to happen and
Peter couldn’t fathom he would ever do that, and then he did the unthinkable.
Caiaphas didn’t extend a sentence to Jesus so the Jewish leaders, set on having Jesus put to death to stop the threat of his growing ministry, took Jesus over to the Roman governor, Pilate. None of this was how the proper hearings should go- they were done in secret overnight.
In John 18 we read: By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
Note, they were set on having Jesus put to death, but they didn’t want to be inconvenienced from sharing in their
Passover meal by setting foot into the house of a Gentile. They cared most about glory for self.
They tried to say to Pilate that Jesus is a criminal, and Pilate said Judge him by your own law.
They objected and made their intentions clear: “We have no right to execute anyone.”
Pilate then asked Jesus, “Are you king of the Jews?” “They have handed you over, what have you done?”
Jesus responded vs. 36-37 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Pilate said, “What is truth?” He told the people he had no basis for any charges against him. Note this. Not one charge against Jesus was found. Spotless. Innocent. Without blame is the Lamb of God.
Pilate then reminded the crowd that he could release one prisoner back to them at the time of Passover. Shall he release the king of the Jews? They shouted, No give us Barrabus! Now he had taken part in an uprising against the government and was a criminal, rightly convicted. But they wanted to ensure Jesus was sentenced, the man who was innocent, to release one who was a criminal.
John 19: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on
his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the
Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
Horrible torture, mocking, humiliating, degrading treatment. Jesus took it all.
Pilate presented Jesus before the crowd and said again, “I find no basis of charges.”
The crowd shouted “crucify him!” These were some of the same people who days before shouted, “Hosanna!
Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Pilate stated again, you take him and do what you wish but I find no basis to charge him.
7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the
Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come
from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you
realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one
who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
This was the hour Jesus was praying about “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may
glorify you.” Jesus knew who truly has authority and does not need to answer to an earthly leader’s over inflated
ego.
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are
no friend of Caesar.
Ultimately, Pilate was more concerned with upsetting Caesar and getting on his bad side then he was sparing an
innocent man’s execution. The crowds would not relent and finally Pilate gave Jesus over to be crucified, even
though he found no basis for any charge. Let’s not forget this critical truth. Nothing valid to charge Jesus who was
then sent to be executed in the manner the very worst criminals were executed-the unrelenting cross.
They made him carry his own cross the long path to the place of Golgatha , or the place of the Skull. There they
crucified Him.
Throughout all of this, most of His disciples fled in fear. They didn’t want the disgrace, the shame, or the absolute
rejection of their people and of the Gentiles. Jesus took all of it.
The physical torture was more than anyone can bear, but what Jesus the Son of Man felt as an even deeper pain was
that of betrayal, abandonment by those who loved Him. As a man, He experienced all these deep hurts.
Many of the psalms and the books of Isaiah and Hebrews focus on the suffering that comes through disgrace and
betrayal.
Isaiah 50: 5-7 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 “For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And
I know that I will not be ashamed.
These were all carried out in Jesus’ final hours. This means that Jesus Christ identifies with us in our shame and our
betrayal by others. He even felt the turning away from the Father as our sin was put upon Him. In His final
moments He cried out in brokenness, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?”
Let us not ever think Jesus doesn’t understand our situation or our pain. He knows better than anyone the suffering
of humanity, the great pain caused by those who turn away from us. He knows- and willingly and obediently
experienced shame to the utmost, so He could despise it and the great imprisonment it holds over His beloved
people.
You see what the religious leaders didn’t know was their ruthless and unwarranted condemnation of Jesus just
positioned Him for victory through the very thing meant to destroy Him.
Hours later as Jesus was in His final moments He said, “I am thirsty.” There was wine vinegar there and soldiers
soaked a sponge attached to a hyssop plant and they lifted it to Jesus’ lips. He drank from that sponge and after He
said, “It is finished.”
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
But hold on because Glory is coming! The earth quaked, the sky went dark in the middle of the day, the veil in the
temple was torn right down the middle and the glory of God shone through something meant to deliver the harshest
cruelty-His glory was there in an undeniable way.
What the enemy meant for evil, God turns it for GOOD!
This is exactly what God ordained to happen so that we as sinners could be reconciled to our holy God. The enemy
thought he won and that we were all a lost bunch, never to share in God’s love and holiness. But God made a way
by coming down from heaven Himself to lay His own life down on Heaven’s altar. This spotless blood atoned for
all the sins of humanity. We were bought back from a life of condemnation through the blood of Jesus! We were
redeemed through His death. We live reconciled to our Holy God.
The cross was no longer a symbol of shame, but one of love and hope! There was death in the cross yes-and
through the cross there is life-everlasting! There is unspeakable joy! The name of Jesus is glorified forevermore!
The Lion of Judah rose up from the grave and reigns supreme for all eternity! Praise be to God for His mysterious
and wonderous ways to bring glory through an instrument of death. Praise be to Christ, the Lamb of God who gave
his life, so we might have victory over death and share in eternal life with Him!
What is the invitation to all tonight on this Good Friday? What is our response to what we
hear?
2 Corinthians 5:21 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through
us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
What are we to do in light of Jesus’ gift of salvation offered to all who will believe and receive it? We are to
consider Him-look to Him, learn from Him, study His ways and come to know His heart. We are to follow Him.
Hebrews 12: 1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from
sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Prayer: Lord Jesus help us persevere and remain steadfast in our faith and to remain obedient to You O God. We
are told to consider You Jesus every time we are growing weary or faint of heart-consider the great opposition Jesus
faced and yet for the joy set before You of what would come through Your suffering, You persevered to the end.
Remind us Holy Spirit and renew the strength of our heart as we look to Jesus. Help us to have Your eyes to see
those around us who are suffering and cause us to reach out with loving compassion and care. Show us how to be
Your hands and feet Jesus to meet the needs of the broken and hurting around us. May we choose to hold on to You
Jesus, our Hope of Glory, and know there is nothing we endure that You do not see, that You do not use for Your
purposes, and that You do not extend Your grace to guide us through. We believe Lord that whatever the enemy
means for evil in our lives, You God as we trust in You and remain faithful to You, will turn it for good. We thank
You Lord and we bless Your name. May Your great name be glorified over and over again in how we live our lives.
Amen.
On this evening of remembering and reflecting on the power of the cross and the glory that came through Jesus’
death on the cross, there is an invitation offered to all- to believe Jesus is the Son of Man who lived on this earth
who willingly became the Lamb who was slain, for our sake, but also the Son of God who rose again on the third
day as Lord of lords and King of kings and defeated the power of death and sin. He pursues us and calls us by name
to believe in Him, and to invite Him into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. For in doing so we are given new life-
new spiritual life We are never separated from God’s love. We have a hope that is Christ Himself to cling to no
matter what this world throws at us. He is our anchor and His give us reason to live. His death took our sins and
nailed them to the cross-He took our shame and guilt and He buried it in the ground. He despised the shame and
looked to the joy that would come through His horrible suffering. So I ask you, if you haven’t received Jesus in
your heart or if you have grown cold to His love, will you let Him into your heart tonight?
Sinner’s Prayer: Bow your heads and if you want to offer your heart and life to Jesus-if you are moved by the
power of the cross and what Jesus did for you, then with your head bowed and eyes closed, raise your hand and
pray this with me:
Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No
longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready
to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God
who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and
giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior.
Thank You for saving me and making me new. Amen.
Communion and Bring What You are Giving to God so His name might be glorified through you. What is it
in your life that through the cross you can despise the shame attached to it. Write it down and place it on the cross
and give thanks that you no longer carry the burden of that shame.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the
night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance
of me.”
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this,
whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Let’s pray.
Please come forward and I will serve you this evening.
Offering
Praise Song
Benediction:
May you leave this place with the assurance of forgiveness that is made possible
through the sacrifice of Christ. Go forth in hope and anticipation of the ultimate victory and joy that comes with
Easter. May you leave seeing the glory that shines brightly through Jesus’ willing and obedient sacrifice on the
cross. May you humbly and faithfully offer Jesus your heart in gratitude.
