LutheranLectionary.org

Series A – Good Friday – Friday, April 14, 2017 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:31	we will now read the account of The Passion of Our Lord in two parts the first part from the Gospel of John
0:37	chapter 18 verse 1 through chapter 19 the first half of verse 16.
0:45	hear the word of the Lord when Jesus had spoken these words he went out with his disciples across the
0:52	Kidron Valley where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered
0:58	now Judas who betrayed him also knew the place for Jesus often met there with his
1:03	disciples so Judas having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the
1:10	chief priests and the Pharisees went there with lanterns and torches and weapons
1:15	then Jesus knowing all that would happen to him came forward and said to them whom do you seek
1:22	they answered Jesus of Nazareth he said to them I am
1:30	Judas who betrayed him was standing with them when Jesus said to them I am they drew
1:37	back and they fell to the ground so we asked them again whom do you seek
1:42	they said Jesus of Nazareth Jesus answered I told you that I am
1:49	so if you seek me let these men go this was to fulfill the word that he had
1:55	spoken of Those whom you gave me I have lost not one then Simon Peter having a sword drew it
2:02	and struck the high priest servant and cut off his ear the servant’s name was malcus
2:08	so Jesus said to Peter put your sword into his sheath shall I not drink the
2:15	cup that the father has given me so the band of soldiers and their Captain and the officers of the Jews
2:22	arrested Jesus and they bound him first they led him to anus for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was
2:29	high priest that year it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for
2:35	the people Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple
2:42	since that disciple was known to the high priest he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest but Peter
2:48	stood outside at the door so the other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to
2:54	the servant girl who kept watch at the door and brought Peter in the servant girl at the door said to Peter you also
3:02	are not one of this man’s disciples are you he said I am not
3:07	now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire because it was cold and
3:12	they were standing and warming themselves Peter also was with them standing and warming himself
3:18	the high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching Jesus answered him I have spoken openly
3:26	to the world I have always taught in the synagogues and in the temple where all the Jews come together I have said
3:31	nothing in secret why do you ask me ask the ones who’ve heard me what I said to
3:36	them they know what I said when he had said these things one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with
3:45	his hand saying is that how you answer the high priest Jesus answered him
3:51	if what I said is wrong bear witness about the wrong but if what I said is right why do you
3:59	strike me Ernest then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest
4:04	now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself so they said to him you also are
4:10	not one of his disciples are you he denied it and said I am not one of the Servants of the high priest a relative
4:16	of the man whose ear Peter had cut off asked him did I not see you in the garden with him
4:23	Peter again denied it and at once a rooster crowed and then they LED Jesus from the house
4:29	of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters it was early morning they themselves did not enter the governor’s
4:34	headquarters so that they would not be defiled but could eat the Passover so pilate went outside to them and said
4:42	what accusation do you bring against this man they answered him if this man were not
4:48	doing evil we would not have delivered him over to you pilate said to them take him yourselves and judge him by
4:54	your own law the Jew said to him it is not lawful for us to put anyone’s death this was to fulfill the word that Jesus
5:02	had spoken to show what kind of death he was going to die so pilate entered his headquarters again
5:07	and called Jesus and said to him are you the king of the Jews
5:13	Jesus answered do you say this of your own accord or did others say it to you about me
5:20	pilate answered am I a Jew your nation and the chief priests have delivered you
5:26	over to me what have you done Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world
5:33	if my kingdom were of this world my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews
5:39	but my kingdom is not from the world then pilate said to him so you are a
5:45	king Jesus answered you say that I am a king for this purpose I was born and for this
5:51	purpose I have come into the world to Bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice
5:58	pilate said to him what is truth after he had said this he went back
6:04	outside to the Jews and told them I find no guilt in him but you have a custom that I should
6:10	release one man for you at the Passover so do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews they cried out again
6:16	not this man but Barabbas now Barabbas was a robber
6:22	then pilate took Jesus and flogged him the soldiers Twisted together a crown of
6:27	thorns and put it on his head and raid him in a purple robe they came up to him saying hail King of the Jews and they
6:35	struck him with their hands pilate went out again and said to them see I’m bringing him out to you so that
6:41	you may know that I find no guilt in him so Jesus came out wearing the crown of
6:47	thorns and the purple robe pilate said to them behold the man
6:54	when the chief priests and the officer saw him they cried out crucify him crucify him
7:01	pilate said to them take them yourselves and crucify him for I find no guilt in him
7:07	the Jews answered him we have a law and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the son of
7:14	God when pilate heard this statement he was even more afraid he entered his
7:20	headquarters again and said to Jesus where are you from but Jesus gave him no answer
7:27	so pilate said to him you will not speak to me do you not know that I have authority to
7:32	release you an authority to crucify you Jesus answered him
7:37	you would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from above therefore he who delivered me over
7:45	to you has the greater sin from then on pilate sought to release
7:50	him but the Jews cried out if you release this man you are not Caesar’s friend everyone who makes himself a king
7:58	opposes Caesar so when pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and sat down on the
8:04	Judgment theater the place called The Stone Pavement in an Aramaic gabitha
8:10	that was the day of preparation of the Passover it was about the sixth hour he said to the Jews behold your king they
8:16	cried out away with him away with him crucify him pilate said to them shall I crucify your
8:23	king the chief priests answered we have no King but Caesar
8:29	so we delivered him over to them to be crucified
8:34	Our Gospel continues John chapter 19 second half of verse 16.
8:43	so they took Jesus and he went out bearing his own cross
8:48	to the place cold the place of a skull which in Aramaic is called Golgotha
8:54	There They Crucified him and with two others one on either side and Jesus between them
9:01	pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross it read Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews now many
9:08	of the Jews read this inscription for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in
9:13	Aramaic in Latin and in Greek so the chief Priests of the Jews said to
9:18	pilate do not write the king of the Jews but rather that this man said I am the king of the Jews
9:24	pilate answered would I have written I have written when the soldiers had crucified Jesus
9:31	they took his garments and divided them into four parts one part for each Soldier also his tunic
9:38	but the tunic was seamless woven in one piece from top to bottom so they said to one another let’s not tear it but cast
9:45	lots for it to see whose it shall be this was to fulfill the scripture which says they divided my garments among them
9:53	and for my clothing they cast lots so the soldiers did these things standing by the cross of Jesus where his
10:00	mother and his mother’s Sister Mary the wife of clopus and Mary Magdalene
10:07	when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby he said to his mother woman behold your
10:14	son then he said to the disciple behold your mother and from that hour the disciple took her
10:22	to his own home after this Jesus knowing old that was now finished said to fulfill the
10:28	scripture I thirst and a Jar full of sour wine stood there
10:34	so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth when Jesus had received the
10:41	sour wine he said it is finished and he bowed his head
10:47	and he gave up the spirit since it was the day of preparation and so that the bodies would not remain on
10:54	the cross on the Sabbath for the Sabbath was a high day the Jews asked pilate that their legs might be broken and that
11:01	they might be taken away so the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had
11:07	been crucified with him but when they came to Jesus they saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs
11:15	but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and at once there came out blood and water
11:22	he who saw it as born witness his testimony is true and he knows that he’s telling the truth
11:28	that you also May believe for these things took place that the
11:34	scripture might be fulfilled not one of his bones will be broken and again another scripture says they will
11:40	look on him whom they have pierced after these things Joseph of Arimathea
11:46	who was a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews ask pilate that he
11:51	might take away the body of Jesus and pilate gave him permission so he came
11:57	and took away his body Nicodemus also who earlier had come to
12:02	Jesus by Night came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about 75 pounds in
12:09	weight so they took the body of Jesus bounded in linen cloths with the spices as is
12:15	the burial custom of the Jews now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden
12:21	and in the garden a new Tomb in which no one had yet been laid
12:26	so because of the Jewish Day of preparation since the tomb was close at hand
12:31	they laid Jesus there in the name of Jesus
12:39	here again two of the verses of the hymn we just sang oh sorrow dread
12:46	our God is dead upon the cross extended there his love
12:52	enlivened us as his life was ended o child of Woe who struck the blow
13:00	that killed our gracious master it was I
13:06	thy conscience cries I have wrought disaster
13:16	Every Good Friday as we consider the sufferings of Our Lord we are again reminded
13:21	the terrible and Dreadful cost of our sin my sin and yours
13:29	each and every one of us born dead in trespasses and sin under the Dominion of Darkness
13:34	each and every one of us guilty before God each and every one of us deserve to
13:40	spend eternity and Hell in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels
13:45	but God the Eternal God the Glorious God the
13:51	immutable did the unthinkable because of his great love for you and for me
13:58	he stepped down from his throne emptied himself
14:07	took on the form of a Slave and became obedient even to the point of death even death on
14:14	a cross and so now we can say these weird words
14:22	Our God died
14:27	thus the cost of our sin
14:33	my sin struck the blow your sin struck the blow we together are guilty
14:41	but I don’t want you to feel bad for Jesus like I said this is not his funeral
14:49	think of it this way Jesus the carpenter of Nazareth is now accomplishing
14:57	his greatest project there’s a French phrase for it I wish I
15:03	knew it but we’ll just call it a masterpiece
15:09	and at the very end he cries out these words it is
15:15	finished he went to work that morning and he accomplished something amazing
15:23	something great it’s important for us to realize he did not say I am finished
15:30	he said it is finished so let us again return to the prophet Isaiah
15:37	who hundreds and I mean hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus ever was incarnate of the Holy
15:44	Spirit and the Virgin Mary literally sounds like he’s standing there at the
15:52	foot of the cross with Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of clopus
15:59	but he wasn’t there physically clearly God revealed all of this to him and we read again
16:06	behold my servant shall act wisely he shall be high and lifted up and he
16:14	shall be exalted this hearkens back to the early chapters
16:20	of Isaiah I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the robe of his
16:25	train of his robe filled the temple but this is not where Christ is today
16:31	not high and lifted up unless you want to say that his cross suspended Between Heaven and Earth is
16:37	where he’s high and lifted up but that’s not how Philippians reads
16:44	as many as were astonished at you his appearance was so marred beyond human
16:50	semblance this form beyond that of the children of mankind
16:57	this tells us what Jesus suffered in the beatings the punches to the face
17:04	the scourge anybody seeing Jesus carrying
17:09	his cross to Golgotha would have said is that a man
17:16	he was so terribly marred his form was beyond that of the children
17:21	of mankind so shall he sprinkle The Many Nations Kings shall shut their mouths because of him for that which has not
17:28	been told them they see and that which they have not heard they Now understand so who has believed what he has heard
17:34	from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed for he grew up before him like a young
17:39	plant like a root out of the dry ground he had no form or Majesty that we should
17:45	look on him no beauty that we should desire him yes that’s right Jesus was not a child
17:51	star he did not ex well experience Fame and Fortune the way Justin Bieber and
17:57	celebrities do he didn’t have a million followers on Facebook Twitter and Instagram in fact looking at him
18:05	you’d see nothing special just a young boy born to a very very poor situation living in an obscure town
18:12	in a place called Nazareth nothing no Glitter no shiny teeth no
18:20	flowing Royal robes hmm he had no beauty that we should
18:26	desire him and he was despised and he was rejected by Men A Man of Sorrows and acquainted
18:33	with grief and as one from whom men hid their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not
18:41	surely though he has borne our griefs and he’s carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken and smitten by God
18:47	and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions
18:54	he was crushed for our iniquities and upon him was the chastisement
19:02	that brought us peace and with the stripes we are healed
19:08	and here we see the great Doctrine the great teaching of scripture
19:14	the doctrine of substitution Christ becomes The Sinner
19:21	the sinless one the Spotless Lamb of God
19:26	God lays on him our sin
19:32	and if you think about it there was Peter in the garden trying to prevent this all
19:37	from happening and he draws his sword and he cuts off the ear of malkus
19:43	poor malcus he was just doing his job there’s no way to treat your neighbor
19:50	and what does Jesus say to Peter put away your sword shall I not drink the cup that the
19:56	father has given me to drink and here’s the idea
20:03	Jesus was drinking a draft that we never want to put our
20:08	lips to trust me you don’t want to drink this cup this is the cup
20:14	of the fury of the wine of the wrath of God and Jesus Takes this cup
20:21	for us and he drinks it down to the bitter dregs
20:27	with each sip his body convulsing with each sip you can hear the nails being
20:34	driven into his hands into his feet with each sip
20:39	you can hear the taunts and the mocking with each sip the sky turns dark the sun
20:48	no longer shines with each sip you can feel the blood
20:55	dripping down his back over his face
21:01	the salt of his blood stinging his eyes
21:07	and the father can’t even look at it
21:13	and turns his face away
21:20	he was wounded for our transgressions this is what we earned he was crushed
21:25	not for his own but for your iniquities and mine and the chastisement that brought us
21:31	peace was upon him
21:37	peace have you watched the news lately doesn’t seem to be a lot of peace in our
21:43	world terrorist bombings Isis raping and murdering children
21:51	politicians at each other’s throat everyone’s screaming in other people’s
21:56	faces nobody listening to anybody else the only thing they care about is
22:01	destroying Those whom they disagree with there is no peace on this Earth
22:09	and the reason for this is simple our lack of peace with each other is
22:15	caused by our Rebellion against God you see we are the ones who instigated
22:22	the hostilities we were the ones who fired the shots that began
22:27	the war we are the ones who rebelled against God
22:34	and because we have not had peace with God we do not have peace with each other
22:39	these are the consequences of our sin and there’s no way to fix what is broken
22:46	here all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put any of this back together again
22:54	but Jesus crushed for our iniquities
23:00	and upon him was the punishment that brings us peace with God and as we heard last night in Our Gospel text
23:07	they will know we are his followers
23:13	by our love for each other you see we have peace with God and because we have peace with
23:21	God we have peace with each other it’s because of his stripes that we have
23:27	this peace and the salvation and we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray
23:33	and there’s our problem we have turned everyone to his own way
23:39	and what does every Hollywood movie tell us to do follow our hearts
23:48	follow your heart and I promise you you will fall over the cliff into the
23:55	fires of hell Christ did not set you free to follow your heart it is because you’ve been
24:01	following your heart that you’re in the mess that you’re in and you need this Jesus to bleed and die for you
24:08	so every one of us has turned to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed he
24:14	was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth I’m pretty sure in all of our readings of Jesus’s passion over the
24:21	past few days that Jesus is the only one who can say
24:26	excuse me I object I’m innocent
24:32	and there would have been no one capable of producing any evidence whatsoever to show that Jesus was guilty it took a
24:39	kangaroo court in the middle of the night and what did Jesus do in the face of all of this Injustice
24:47	he said nothing because God had laid on him the iniquity
24:52	of us all and he was about to drink to the dregs
25:00	the cop the father had given him so he opened not his mouth
25:07	by oppression and judgment he was taken away as for his generation who considered that he was cut off from the
25:12	land of the living stricken for the transgression of my people and then listen to this amazing prophecy
25:18	they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death
25:25	wow how did Isaiah know maybe the spirit told him
25:31	although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth yet it was the will of the Lord to crush
25:40	him and why is this
25:45	why is it the will of the Lord to crush Jesus because it’s not his will that any
25:50	should perish not you and not me
25:57	and so in order to make it so that we would not have to perish
26:02	it was the will of God to crush Jesus God has put him to grief
26:08	whereas Paul says God made him to be sin who knew no sin
26:13	and when his soul makes an offering for sin he shall see his offspring and he
26:19	shall prolong his days and the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand
26:24	and see there Begins the turn and this is the reason why
26:30	Good Friday is not a funeral for Jesus he was at work
26:35	he’d rolled up his sleeves he had a job to do
26:41	the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and listen to these words out of the anguish of his soul he shall see
26:49	and he shall be satisfied have you ever put in A Hard Day’s work
26:55	or maybe worked on a project that took more than one day took a lot of Labor a
27:01	lot of thought maybe a lot of trips to the hardware store
27:06	maybe a few Band-Aids and a few bruises but when it was done
27:13	when it was done did you not stand back and go look at that
27:19	look what I did it doesn’t happen very often for me
27:25	I’m a little more nerdy than I am handy around the house but you know what I’m saying we’ve all
27:31	had these moments where we’ve put in a hard day and there we are we’re probably still smelly from the sweat
27:38	and we’re looking at what our hands of rotten were going
27:43	feels good that’s what Jesus was doing on the cross you see listen again out of the anguish
27:50	of his soul he shall see and he shall be satisfied what does scripture says for
27:55	the joy set before him he endured the cross despising its shame why because he
28:01	was doing his greatest work and when Jesus said it is finished I like to
28:06	think that he was on that cross and there was a little bit of that satisfied
28:12	smile coming out of his mouth it’s finished
28:17	yeah what was finished your salvation
28:24	and mine and see there he was and to every commentator no one saw this
28:33	one coming you think back to the election back in the fall of last
28:39	year which of the pundits ever said that Donald Trump was ever going to be our president nobody called it
28:46	and yet he’s now the president well I would tell you that what Jesus did is the biggest upset of all times
28:53	and it makes what Trump accomplished looked like chump change
28:58	because there he was bleeding and dying and everybody’s thinking this guy’s down
29:03	for the count and he’s dying and nobody is going to be talking about Jesus in a
29:09	few days it’s over done with he lost
29:15	I would beg to differ and so would Jesus he didn’t lose by dying he won
29:22	and you can almost see the devil in his Angel hordes standing there watching and
29:27	mocking Jesus as he’s dying and then just as it’s almost too late Jesus gets
29:34	that twinkle in his eye and he goes it’s finished
29:40	and you can hear them go oh no
29:48	it was the ultimate Hail Mary pass pun intended hmm
29:55	I had to throw that in there and he lands it in the end zone and the
30:00	Victory is Jesus you’re saved the devil lost you’re set
30:06	free you’re forgiven you do not have to stand condemned at
30:13	all because he won and he did it for you
30:20	so out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and he shall be satisfied
30:26	ha a good Hard Day’s labor for the
30:32	carpenter of Nazareth and he’s satisfied by his knowledge shall the righteous one
30:38	my servant make many to be accounted righteousness brothers sisters that’s
30:43	you you have been washed your sins have been forgiven you’ve been
30:49	United with Jesus in his death and his resurrection in the waters of your baptism you have now been accounted
30:56	credited as righteous because he was accounted as The Sinner The Great Exchange has taken place oh and if the
31:02	devil knew what was really going on he would have never permitted Jesus to die Oh What a Fool the devil is
31:10	he only trafficks in fear and death
31:15	so it will make many to be accounted as righteous he shall bear their iniquities therefore I will divide him a portion
31:22	with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and he was
31:28	numbered with the transgressors yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession
31:34	for the transgressors all brothers and sisters
31:41	what a terrible and wonderful thing Jesus’s death is
31:48	the cost is beyond estimation the details are grisly beyond belief
31:57	it sobers us up makes us realize just how maddening and drunk we are on
32:05	our own sin and that this is no trifling matter
32:10	and yet through that all Christ gains the victory he wins the day
32:16	and he does this for us so that now that we can stand before our
32:22	creator and our savior not covered in fig leaves
32:29	you see we imagine that God is angry at us
32:36	he was but Christ propitiated God’s Wrath
32:45	and rather than flee God in the nakedness and the shame of our iniquity
32:50	and our sin and hide from him and try to cover it with our fig leaves
32:57	God says to me dear child he says to you son daughter come here
33:04	let me have those fig leaves let me cover you with some real clothes
33:12	here’s my righteousness you’re forgiven your bled for
33:19	you’re died for do not any longer hang your head in shame
33:28	what a great gift and there’s not a penny I can pay
33:35	to contribute to this it is so amazing it’s almost too good to
33:42	be true but it is true your Jesus
33:49	your God and your savior has born your iniquity taking it to the Cross
33:54	bled and died in your place so that you can be accounted righteous
34:00	oh Lord Jesus never let us despise this great gift but help us always to ponder it anew
34:08	with each passing Sunday and give thanks to you rightly
34:14	Lord it is your kindness that leads us to repentance and we do not understand this kind of
34:20	kindness this is a kindness beyond measure help us Lord
34:27	to be this kind to everyone that we meet
34:33	so that they can see your love in us the love that you gave us by bleeding and dying for us on the
34:41	cross may we Glory and the satisfaction that you have
34:48	in this hard day’s work that you put in for us
34:53	oh great and merciful Carpenter of Nazareth
35:00	in the name of Jesus amen [Music]

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