1.
In
the name of our crucified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The
message from God’s Word this Good Friday is taken from Revelation 21:1-7 and is
entitled, “It is Finished,” dear
brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
“I
will be their God.” These words don’t sound surprising to us, but they
should be. The Lord God himself is saying these words for the same reason He
says anything: because you and I need to hear His words. “I will be their God.” Have you always acknowledged Him as your God?
Think hard about your life. He isn’t your God all the time. Too often when good
things happen in your life, you attribute it to “luck” or your own activity.
When evil things happen, do you want to shake your fist at the heavens in anger
and demand an answer for why a loving God does these things? You complain to
the One who is there with you in the midst of evils! He hasn’t always been your
God, but Good Friday shows how He will be your God. [Pause
here, as you’re moving from introduction into the body of the sermon.]
3.
If we were created with feet for any
reason other than getting from place to place, it is to walk with God. That
time Adam and Eve spent walking with God in the garden is something so familiar
that you can imagine it even though you weren’t there. You imagine the feeling
of the grass beneath your feet and the “feet”
of God walking in the garden. You can almost hear God’s conversation with Adam
and Eve. How wonderful it must have been to talk with God! Do you imagine it? Then
suddenly the picture changes. Adam and Eve fall into sin. Would He still be
their God? God told Satan, but Adam and Eve heard it and we hear it too… God
said in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity
between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush
your head and you will strike his heal.”
That’s where we are tonight. From sunny skies of paradise to the dark,
black clouds of Calvary. From intimacy with God in the garden to separation
from God to judgment and death. Tonight the serpent’s head is crushed, evil is
defeated, but at such a great cost! God’s Son is hanging and is calling out, “It is finished.” Let me ask you, what is
finished? “It is finished.” What is
finished?
4.
All things on earth begin and all
things end. People are born, people die. The music starts and the music ends.
It’s interesting how so often beginnings are celebrated while endings are
mourned. Is Good Friday that kind of mournful ending? “It is finished,” Jesus cries out. What is finished? The dark scene of sin. Images of paradise can
again enter our minds. Listen to our sermon text, Revelation 21:1-7. “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the
sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a
loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with
man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and
death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on
the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write
this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of
the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this
heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
5.
When God says in Revelation 21:5, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End,” it means that He was there when the skies of paradise were
sunny and His fellowship with His children was perfect. When He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End” it means that His presence spans the dark times, Good Friday
and all our mournful times. Yes, Good Friday times are mournful but not, a
mournful end as the world views death. For when the Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End,” He invites us into images of a new paradise. On dark Good
Friday God gives us a vision of a brighter future. Hear it again Rev. 21:3-4
says, “He will dwell with them, and they
will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will
wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away.”
6.
“It
is finished,” Jesus cried out. What is finished? The price of our sin has
been paid by His death. You’re reconciled to God. Paradise will be restored.
How do we know that? Listen to this from Revelation’s vision of our wonderful
future. “And he who was seated on the
throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are
trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done!” “It is finished.” Jesus has earned your forgiveness.
“It is done.” His death opens a
glorious future and the words are written to give us hope. “It is finished.” “It is done!” says the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end.”
7.
There was a philosopher named
Nietzsche who is famous for having written “God is Dead.” The words “God is
Dead” were intended to be provocative but Nietzsche’s intent behind the words
was to say that God may as well be dead if He makes no difference to your life.
I’ll say that again. Nietzsche meant that God may as well be dead if He makes
no difference in your life. Do you live as if “God is Dead” in your life? Christ did die and we know the promise
of a new heaven and a new earth. That makes all the difference for
Christ-followers, even though we’re still plagued with evil and sorrow. You and
I see creation fall into ruin before us. Sorrow comes and tears are shed. But
the dark scenes of our lives are not the final scene. Because God did die, not
as Nietzsche thought, but on the cross… God did die. And because God did die
and write for us words of a new heaven and new earth…because “it is finished” and “it is done,” you and I have glimpses of
glory even in the darkest of our times. The full effect of Jesus’ death won’t
be realized until that last day, but until then, your God is your source of
joyous and confident hope. “I am with you,”
He says (Matthew 28:20). With you to hear your prayers, with you to speak comforting words, with
you to give you the nourishment of His body and blood, with you to wipe away
every tear from your eyes. “It is
finished.” “It is done.” “I will be their God.”
8.
Tonight, the scene is dark as we
mourn the result of our sin…and what that sin caused our Savior to endure. We
mourn the breaking of our relationship with our Creator…and we miss those walks
through the garden. We remember the suffering and death of our Savior…we
remember what He taught us and what His life means to us. In a world where it’s
easier to tear down and start over, our God has made himself the God of
restoration. Tonight the Word restores you to Him. Tonight He’s your God and
you are His people. Tonight the dark scene begins to brighten. “It is finished.” Our tears glisten with
hope. “I will be their God. I am making
all things new. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And
he said to me, “It is done!” Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment