Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2014)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Another senseless killing of an innocent person happened at a school in the eastern part of the United States. This time it was a beloved female math teacher, slain by a quiet student who no one would have suspected to commit such a hideous crime. The human race is filled with infirmities, diseases, wars, racism, hatred, transgressions, and sin. So much innocence suffers and is victimized.
David Kalas wrote that the suffering servant of Isaiah in these chapters does not seem to belong in the same category. "His death is unjust, but not senseless. He is innocent, yet not victimized. He dies a cruel and underserved death, and yet he does not emerge as a tragic figure." The suffering servant had a purpose... the redemption of the world. He is our Savior.
Derl K.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Anger is not only destructive to one's soul, but it is equally destructive to one's physical health. Dr. Walter Cannon, a pioneer researcher in psychopathic medicine, in 1932 coined the phrase "fight or flight" to define our response to threats. He also described our physiological changes when we become angry. Cannon wrote: "Respiration deepens; the heart beats more rapidly; the arterial pressure rises; the blood is shifted from the stomach and intestines to the heart, central nervous system, and the muscles; the process of alimentary canal ceases; sugar is freed from the reserves in the liver; the spleen contracts and discharges its contents of concentrated corpuscles, and adrenalin is secreted."
Application: Isaiah could have experienced some angry feelings as he tried to proclaim his message. It would be mistaken to think that Isaiah's mission just caused him spiritual trauma; it also must have caused him physical trauma as well.
Ron L.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
A 2006 poll by Baylor University revealed that 2 in 5 Americans have a distant God, one not engaged in their lives. Isolated as we have become, the words of the great French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus seem appropriate in our context: "We no longer love life" (The Rebel, p. 305). Several observations by Martin Luther point out how Good Friday and the First Lesson afford a remedy to our meaningless isolation. Our sin and suffering are borne by God who has come to be among us. He is intimately wrapped up in our lives (even their seedy sides): "This is a very great consolation, that God is afflicted when we are afflicted" (Luther's Works, Vol. 17, p. 358).
Our isolating sin does not want us to believe this comfort, and yet we are driven back to an awareness of Christ's identification with us: "Our nature is opposed to the function and power of Christ's passion.... We must clearly transfer our sins from ourselves to Christ... Hence you must say: 'I see my sin in Christ, therefore my sin is not mine but another's. I see it in Christ' " (Ibid., p. 223).
This awareness makes life worth living, something worth loving: "For no trouble and suffering is so great that we cannot bear it provided we have this comfort that we have a gracious God; then let our troubles assume any form... Those who have some experiences are good people to confess to. Christ therefore understands us right away and knows how to help us. For he has also experienced trouble. And this is a most certain comfort" (quoted in Paul Althaus, The Theology of Martin Luther, pp. 204-205).
Mark E.
Hebrews 10:16-25
This is probably a quote from Jeremiah. Don't try to hurry God. He does things in his good time. That is still true today. We want God to hurry up and fulfill his promises now. This one took hundreds of years.
God tells us that in addition to writing his law in books and on stone tablets, he will now put it in our hearts and write it in our minds. We should memorize God's promises. That is one way to write it in our minds. We should be guided by the Holy Spirit in our selection of passages.
I have a hard time forgetting some of my sins. I am a divorced pastor and some of my children are paying the price. I still haven't forgotten my sins, and my kids will remind me of it now and then. I may remember those sins, but God has not only forgiven them, he has forgotten them. Wow! Why is that? It is because the fine has been paid for our sins. Jesus paid it through his agony on the cross, so don't think it was an easy payment.
We no longer have to make sacrifices for our sins. Even if we sell all we have and give to the poor, it is not to pay for sin. It should be given out of love and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us. That should be our only motive -- if his law is now in our hearts and minds.
In the Old Testament they were constantly making sacrifices because they kept remembering their sins. God ended that through Jesus' sacrifice. What could we possibly do to better that?
There is something in human minds that rebels against "cheap grace." We feel we ought to do something. If someone forgives a personal obligation, we feel we should do something to repay them. There is nothing wrong with "showing" our gratitude. I hope we show God our appreciation every Sunday. How dare we forget weekly church attendance -- joining the fellowship of other forgiven sinners -- and figure that if the debt is paid, why should we bother with church all the time? We have been washed clean (our baptism?) and don't need any more. It is like signing your insurance papers and then putting them in a locker.
When I left home for college, I stopped going to church. I felt I was saved but gave it little thought after that. It took years before the Lord woke me up.
Are any in your congregation C & E (Christmas and Easter) Christians who just drop in now and then to keep their names on the books and to make sure they still have their insurance policy safely in the church office? Think of what Jesus did for you on this day so long ago, and show that his law is written in your hearts and you will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Remember that one?
Bob O.
John 18:1--19:42
United Methodist bishop and contemporary theologian William Willimon wrote that without pride there would not be the six other deadly sins, which are envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. If we had a healthy self-esteem and an accurate sense of self-awareness, then we would be absent of pride. We would understand our attributes and the counterbalance of our faults, resulting in proper self-respect and respect of others. Willimon wrote: "Arrogance and conceit are two of the sins that are fathered (or mothered) by the sin of pride. Self-respect is one thing; self-infatuation is another. In noting that pride is the first of the deadly sins, the root... makes life together difficult."
Application: Pride may have been the first sin. When Satan asked Eve "did God really say," she questioned the superiority of her knowledge over that of her Creator. And of course she ate, thinking she knew more. And did not Satan tempt Jesus with pride three times over -- "If you are the Son of God..." Pilate in his pride asked "What is truth?" as he was unable to see truth standing before him.
Ron L.
John 18:1--19:42
We are prone to ignore or take Good Friday for granted most of the time. Martin Luther makes this observation: "Nevertheless, the dear, pleasure-loving world goes merrily along, takes none of this to heart, is lazy, cold, unthankful, and despises this great treasure" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 473).
This is not surprising given what we know of American public opinion. As recently as in 2000 a Barna Research Group poll revealed that 74% of Americans believe that God helps those who help themselves. You don't need the Cross as much when you are still good enough to help yourself.
Why then do we need Christ on the Cross? John Calvin says that we need it for the Cross of Christ "condemns every thing that men dare to attempt out of their own fancy..." (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVIII/1, p. 194). John Wesley refers to it as the occasion for Christ "bearing our griefs" (Works, Vol. 5, p. 55). All the sadnesses of life are today placed on Christ. In a similar vein Martin Luther comments on how comforting it is that Christ went to the Cross: "But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through him and in him we escape all this" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, pp. 402-403).
Good Friday makes us escaped cons from the prisons of hell, death, and the terrors of life.
Mark E.
John 18:1--19:42
It was late fall and the gardening work had to be finished up. Plants were pulled, compost tilled into the ground, and pruning done. The roses were trimmed, and my job was to cut them up and dispose of them. I began cutting them into even smaller sections and stacking them for the compost pile. Roses are one of my favorite flowers, but the problem with roses is that they have thorns! Even with gloves on the thorns stuck me and I said, "Ouch" several times.
I couldn't help but think of the agony and pain that Jesus endured on Good Friday. Beaten beyond recognition, humiliated by the soldiers, abandoned by his disciples, and then to have long thorns pushed down deep into his scalp only added agony to his day. Each time a thorn poked my finger I thanked God for the sacrifice and punishment that Jesus endured for me on that Good Friday.
Derl K.
Another senseless killing of an innocent person happened at a school in the eastern part of the United States. This time it was a beloved female math teacher, slain by a quiet student who no one would have suspected to commit such a hideous crime. The human race is filled with infirmities, diseases, wars, racism, hatred, transgressions, and sin. So much innocence suffers and is victimized.
David Kalas wrote that the suffering servant of Isaiah in these chapters does not seem to belong in the same category. "His death is unjust, but not senseless. He is innocent, yet not victimized. He dies a cruel and underserved death, and yet he does not emerge as a tragic figure." The suffering servant had a purpose... the redemption of the world. He is our Savior.
Derl K.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Anger is not only destructive to one's soul, but it is equally destructive to one's physical health. Dr. Walter Cannon, a pioneer researcher in psychopathic medicine, in 1932 coined the phrase "fight or flight" to define our response to threats. He also described our physiological changes when we become angry. Cannon wrote: "Respiration deepens; the heart beats more rapidly; the arterial pressure rises; the blood is shifted from the stomach and intestines to the heart, central nervous system, and the muscles; the process of alimentary canal ceases; sugar is freed from the reserves in the liver; the spleen contracts and discharges its contents of concentrated corpuscles, and adrenalin is secreted."
Application: Isaiah could have experienced some angry feelings as he tried to proclaim his message. It would be mistaken to think that Isaiah's mission just caused him spiritual trauma; it also must have caused him physical trauma as well.
Ron L.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
A 2006 poll by Baylor University revealed that 2 in 5 Americans have a distant God, one not engaged in their lives. Isolated as we have become, the words of the great French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus seem appropriate in our context: "We no longer love life" (The Rebel, p. 305). Several observations by Martin Luther point out how Good Friday and the First Lesson afford a remedy to our meaningless isolation. Our sin and suffering are borne by God who has come to be among us. He is intimately wrapped up in our lives (even their seedy sides): "This is a very great consolation, that God is afflicted when we are afflicted" (Luther's Works, Vol. 17, p. 358).
Our isolating sin does not want us to believe this comfort, and yet we are driven back to an awareness of Christ's identification with us: "Our nature is opposed to the function and power of Christ's passion.... We must clearly transfer our sins from ourselves to Christ... Hence you must say: 'I see my sin in Christ, therefore my sin is not mine but another's. I see it in Christ' " (Ibid., p. 223).
This awareness makes life worth living, something worth loving: "For no trouble and suffering is so great that we cannot bear it provided we have this comfort that we have a gracious God; then let our troubles assume any form... Those who have some experiences are good people to confess to. Christ therefore understands us right away and knows how to help us. For he has also experienced trouble. And this is a most certain comfort" (quoted in Paul Althaus, The Theology of Martin Luther, pp. 204-205).
Mark E.
Hebrews 10:16-25
This is probably a quote from Jeremiah. Don't try to hurry God. He does things in his good time. That is still true today. We want God to hurry up and fulfill his promises now. This one took hundreds of years.
God tells us that in addition to writing his law in books and on stone tablets, he will now put it in our hearts and write it in our minds. We should memorize God's promises. That is one way to write it in our minds. We should be guided by the Holy Spirit in our selection of passages.
I have a hard time forgetting some of my sins. I am a divorced pastor and some of my children are paying the price. I still haven't forgotten my sins, and my kids will remind me of it now and then. I may remember those sins, but God has not only forgiven them, he has forgotten them. Wow! Why is that? It is because the fine has been paid for our sins. Jesus paid it through his agony on the cross, so don't think it was an easy payment.
We no longer have to make sacrifices for our sins. Even if we sell all we have and give to the poor, it is not to pay for sin. It should be given out of love and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us. That should be our only motive -- if his law is now in our hearts and minds.
In the Old Testament they were constantly making sacrifices because they kept remembering their sins. God ended that through Jesus' sacrifice. What could we possibly do to better that?
There is something in human minds that rebels against "cheap grace." We feel we ought to do something. If someone forgives a personal obligation, we feel we should do something to repay them. There is nothing wrong with "showing" our gratitude. I hope we show God our appreciation every Sunday. How dare we forget weekly church attendance -- joining the fellowship of other forgiven sinners -- and figure that if the debt is paid, why should we bother with church all the time? We have been washed clean (our baptism?) and don't need any more. It is like signing your insurance papers and then putting them in a locker.
When I left home for college, I stopped going to church. I felt I was saved but gave it little thought after that. It took years before the Lord woke me up.
Are any in your congregation C & E (Christmas and Easter) Christians who just drop in now and then to keep their names on the books and to make sure they still have their insurance policy safely in the church office? Think of what Jesus did for you on this day so long ago, and show that his law is written in your hearts and you will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Remember that one?
Bob O.
John 18:1--19:42
United Methodist bishop and contemporary theologian William Willimon wrote that without pride there would not be the six other deadly sins, which are envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. If we had a healthy self-esteem and an accurate sense of self-awareness, then we would be absent of pride. We would understand our attributes and the counterbalance of our faults, resulting in proper self-respect and respect of others. Willimon wrote: "Arrogance and conceit are two of the sins that are fathered (or mothered) by the sin of pride. Self-respect is one thing; self-infatuation is another. In noting that pride is the first of the deadly sins, the root... makes life together difficult."
Application: Pride may have been the first sin. When Satan asked Eve "did God really say," she questioned the superiority of her knowledge over that of her Creator. And of course she ate, thinking she knew more. And did not Satan tempt Jesus with pride three times over -- "If you are the Son of God..." Pilate in his pride asked "What is truth?" as he was unable to see truth standing before him.
Ron L.
John 18:1--19:42
We are prone to ignore or take Good Friday for granted most of the time. Martin Luther makes this observation: "Nevertheless, the dear, pleasure-loving world goes merrily along, takes none of this to heart, is lazy, cold, unthankful, and despises this great treasure" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 473).
This is not surprising given what we know of American public opinion. As recently as in 2000 a Barna Research Group poll revealed that 74% of Americans believe that God helps those who help themselves. You don't need the Cross as much when you are still good enough to help yourself.
Why then do we need Christ on the Cross? John Calvin says that we need it for the Cross of Christ "condemns every thing that men dare to attempt out of their own fancy..." (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVIII/1, p. 194). John Wesley refers to it as the occasion for Christ "bearing our griefs" (Works, Vol. 5, p. 55). All the sadnesses of life are today placed on Christ. In a similar vein Martin Luther comments on how comforting it is that Christ went to the Cross: "But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through him and in him we escape all this" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, pp. 402-403).
Good Friday makes us escaped cons from the prisons of hell, death, and the terrors of life.
Mark E.
John 18:1--19:42
It was late fall and the gardening work had to be finished up. Plants were pulled, compost tilled into the ground, and pruning done. The roses were trimmed, and my job was to cut them up and dispose of them. I began cutting them into even smaller sections and stacking them for the compost pile. Roses are one of my favorite flowers, but the problem with roses is that they have thorns! Even with gloves on the thorns stuck me and I said, "Ouch" several times.
I couldn't help but think of the agony and pain that Jesus endured on Good Friday. Beaten beyond recognition, humiliated by the soldiers, abandoned by his disciples, and then to have long thorns pushed down deep into his scalp only added agony to his day. Each time a thorn poked my finger I thanked God for the sacrifice and punishment that Jesus endured for me on that Good Friday.
Derl K.
