As we come to Good Friday, I thought it might be good to refresh our minds on what happened on the cross of Calvary 2,000 years ago. Although many died by crucifixion under Roman rule, there was one whose death was unique.

The death of Jesus of Nazareth was unlike any other death.

The Bible tells us that Jesus died in our place, not merely in a physical sense, but He died in our place in the greater spiritual sense. He died the death of a sinner under the wrath of God for the punishment of sin. The Scriptures teach that Christ died an atoning death, paying for the sin of the entire world. “The just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). This is truly a wonderful message but strangely offensive to many.

I’ve heard people say that it would be immoral for an innocent person to be punished for someone else’s sins. They refuse to believe that Christ died for the sins of the world. Actually, there’s a whole school of thought that attributes this aspect of Christian teaching to Paul rather than to Jesus. They say Jesus never taught that He would die for the sins of the world; this idea was all part of the mythology that was concocted by His followers, Paul being the main culprit.

Some years ago, when I was living in London, I met an Englishman who had converted to Islam under the influence of his Middle Eastern wife. As I spoke to him about Christ, he told me that my version of Christianity was not anything that Jesus originally taught. He was extremely offended by the idea of the blood of Christ making atonement for sin. He said that Paul had invented the idea, and one only needed to be a good person to be accepted by God. So I asked him, “Do you really think Paul invented the Christian faith?” “Yes,” he answered, “Before Paul, no one believed that Jesus died for the sins of the world.” I replied, “Interesting, because Isaiah (written 700 years before Christ’s birth) says, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way; and the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all.… For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked–but with the rich at His death …’ (Isaiah 53:5-9). That’s the Old Testament saying that the Messiah was going to give His life as a sacrifice for sin. Paul didn’t invent the idea of Christ making atonement for sin, God did!” The man stood speechless.

The promise from the very beginning (Genesis 3:15) was that God would send a redeemer who would crush the head of the serpent (Satan), and in the process, have His heel bruised (a reference to Christ’s death to save us from sin).

People often say in regard to the Old Testament sacrificial system, “Why were all those animals slain and sacrificed; it’s all so bloody and barbaric! What was God thinking?” God was seeking to communicate to us dull-minded, hard-hearted people that the price for sin was the shed blood of an innocent victim. It’s as though God was saying, “This is what it cost to restore your relationship with Me, and all of these sacrifices are just a picture that I’m painting for you of the one who will come and give Himself as the ultimate sacrifice–the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

On the cross, Jesus died to pay the ransom for sinners.

For my sins and your sins, for the sins of everyone who has ever or will ever live. That is mind-boggling. As the psalmist said, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it” (Psalm 139:6). Although this is true and we can never fully comprehend what happened that day on Calvary, let’s take some time today to reflect and give thanks to the one who showed the greatest love of all as He by the grace of God tasted death for everyone.

_{Originally Published on April 14, 2017}

Well everyone, as you know the season of Easter is upon us!

My colleagues and I over at Calvary Global Network were, talking about ways we could serve the pastors in our network during this busy time, and we had a thought: there is so much pressure on preachers to come up with an Easter sermon every year that is both fresh and also impactful / evangelistic. Combine that with the busyness of Easter and it can create quite a challenging season for leaders.

With that in mind I sat down to have a conversation with Mike Neglia and Nick Cady, two pastors in our church family, and some of the leaders of The Expositors Collective, a fantastic ministry/movement all about helping preachers do their absolute best with their calling and craft.

We had a great discussion about Easter, and we’ve decided to release is as several small video clips for you to check out. We hope this helps you as you lean into the Easter season and seek after Jesus for what He has for your Church this year!

1.How do you approach your easter sermons?

2. How do you keep Easter fresh?

Mike and Nick also discuss their differences on the topic of lent in this one!

3. What are some unique ways to approach Good Friday?

4. What gets you excited about Easter?

5. What’s the worst Easter sermon you’ve ever preached?

Editor’s note: Nick Cady has a story in this one that simply can’t be missed… haha.

6. How do you help kids appreciate Easter?

Great question, especially for pastors with children.

7. How do you help your church staff enjoy easter when they are so busy planning it?

Good Friday is the day on which some 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a Roman cross just outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus wore a crown of thorns?

Matthew’s Gospel tells us this:

“And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” (Matthew 27:29).

Clearly, the Roman soldiers put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head to mock Him. As an heir to the throne of David, Jesus had been hailed “King of the Jews,” and the Romans considered Him an insurrectionist.

But those familiar with the Biblical narrative will recognize a deeper meaning in Jesus being crowned with thorns at His crucifixion:

Back in Genesis chapter three, we read about what happened as sin entered the world, when, by their rebellion against God, our first ancestors disobeyed God’s only commandment, a commandment which God had given them for their own good. God’s commandments are always given for our good, by the way! Those first people, by their actions, essentially told God, “We don’t trust you, and we know better than you do, what is best for us.”

As sin entered the world that day, it brought with it a curse: the curse of death.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men” (Romans 5:12).

This curse affected all of creation, and amongst the various effects of this curse, we read:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain, you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you” (Genesis 3:18).

Do you see the symbolism of the crown of thorns?

Thorns, the symbol of the curse of sin and death, were placed upon Jesus’ head because on the cross Jesus was taking our curse upon Himself so that we might be set free from it.

He hung on a wooden cross because, in His death, He was taking our curse – the curse of sin and death – upon Himself.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).

The message of the gospel is that God loves you so much that He traded a crown of glory for a crown of thorns for you. He who was blessed from all eternity, left heaven and came to Earth, in order to take on your curse, so you could receive the blessing of eternal life and fellowship with Him.

Have a wonderful Good Friday, reflecting on the fact that “It is Finished!” (John 19:30).

I was reading through my Bible reading plan, which currently has me in the book of Jeremiah, and I came across a phrase that gave me pause. In chapter 25 the prophet is speaking about a day of coming judgment, when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the nations (Jeremiah 25:15-17). His wrath and fury against their sin is pictured as a cup of wine, that sinners will be forced to drink, even against their will, (Jeremiah 25:28) when the time of their judgment comes.

This prophesied day of reckoning will be far-reaching and international (Jeremiah 25:32), and those who fall under God’s judgment are said to be “pierced by the Lord” (Jeremiah 25:33). When I came across the words “pierced by the Lord,” I stopped and underlined it.

After describing all of the judgment and punishment meted out, Jeremiah describes the recipients of wrath as being pierced by YHWH.

My mind jumped forward; doesn’t this sound familiar? A cup that is offered, wrath that is poured out and a pierced victim?

On Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus spent time in earnest prayer to His Father. He knew what was going to take place tomorrow, a day that would paradoxically be known as Good Friday for years to come. Knowing what awaited Him if He went ahead with the plan, Jesus prayed to His Father, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done”” (Luke 22:42, ESV). Jesus, in agony and weakness, referred to the events of Good Friday as “this cup.” The cup of God’s wrath, reserved for God’s enemies, was willingly taken by God’s Son.

On Friday Jesus was crucified, impaled on two beams of wood and suspended for all to see. The wrath of God was poured from heaven to earth. The sky grew dark as Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5); God’s anger against sin that the prophet Jeremiah wrote about centuries earlier was just as potent as ever, and on Good Friday, it was funneled down upon the willing Substitute.

For those who are in Christ, there is no wrath left for us. Jesus died draining the cup to the last drop, fully exhausting the holy fury of God.

Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath for us, so that He could extend the cup of God’s fellowship to us.

There is a yet future judgment (Revelation 15:7; 16:1) where future cups will be poured out, but now, between the past judgment of the cross and the future judgment of the parousia, this is the time when the cup of mercy, grace, forgiveness and fellowship is extended to the world.

Jesus drank the bitter cup of judgment instead of the sweet cup of fellowship, so that you and I could drink the refreshing and life-giving cup of grace and not drink the poisonous cup of wrath.