Good Friday | Greater Love Series

Greater Love is What carried Jesus to the Cross

Not just a Solemn day but a Sacred Day!  

God is just…so sin had to be judged  

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ~ Romans 3:23 NIV

Pride & Judgment

Selfishness & Unforgiveness

Adultery & Idolatry

²⁴ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ~ Galatians 3:24 NKJV

Romans 1

God’s Solution was to set our sins (past, present and future) on Christ!

²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

Whatever is judging you has been already been judged Christ! (Past trespasses, ungodly choices, shame, guilt, condemnation, running from God)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ~ Colossians 2:13-14 NIV

Today is a Sacred Day because you now know that you have been set free!

Not just about His Death but about The Depth of His Love!

² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

1. Forgiveness of Sins
   • Delivered from guilt/shame: Our sins are forgiven, and we are no longer held accountable for our past wrongdoings.
     Scripture: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Ephesians 1:7)

2. Freedom from the Power of Sin
   • Victory over sin: We are no longer slaves to sin but have the power to live victoriously through Christ.
     Scripture: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

3. Reconciliation with God
   • Restored relationship: Through Jesus’ death, we are brought back into right standing with God, no longer separated by our sin.
     Scripture: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10)

4. Healing of the Body and Soul
   • Physical and emotional healing: Jesus’ sacrifice extends to healing in our bodies and souls.
     Scripture: “By His stripes, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

5. Freedom from the Fear of Death
   • Eternal life: Jesus’ death conquered the fear of death, granting us eternal life with Him.
     Scripture: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

6. Deliverance from the Curse of the Law
   • Freedom from condemnation: Jesus took the penalty for our sin, setting us free from the curse of the law.
     Scripture: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13)

7. Empowerment through the Holy Spirit
   • New life in the Spirit: Through His death, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to live godly lives.
     Scripture: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (Acts 1:8)

8. Peace with God
   • Peace and reconciliation: Through Christ’s blood, we are given peace with God, no longer His enemies.
     Scripture: “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

9. Victory over Satan and Demonic Forces
   • Defeat of the enemy: Christ’s death and resurrection defeated Satan and his works, giving us authority over demonic powers.
     Scripture: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)

10. Adoption as Children of God
    • New identity in Christ: We are no longer orphans but are adopted into God’s family as His beloved children.
      Scripture: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) –

Seven Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
   • Luke 22:41-44
   • Father, if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done
   • Here, in the shadow of olive trees, Jesus bears the first weight: the weight of surrender. He knew what was coming — betrayal, scourging, crucifixion — yet He chose the Father’s will.
   • This is where bearing the cross begins — not on Golgotha, but in the garden of surrender.  Love doesn’t run from the hard road; love submits to the will and the way of the Father.

2. Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
   • Matthew 26:49-50
   • Judas approaches, betrays Him with a kiss, and Jesus replies, “Friend, do what you came for.”
   • He is betrayed not by a stranger, but a friend. And still, He calls him “Friend.” Love doesn’t retaliate —
   • He bore the weight of relational pain. Many of us know betrayal. Jesus bore it first. Love remains stable in the face of betrayal/forgiveness

3. Jesus Is Condemned by the Sanhedrin
   • Mark 14:61-64
   • “Are You the Christ?” … “I am,” Jesus said. And they condemned Him.
   • He is falsely accused, spat on, blindfolded, and struck. But He does not defend Himself. He stands silent — not because He is powerless, but because love does not insist on its own defense.
   • He bore the weight of injustice — for all the unjust verdicts we’ve suffered or caused. Relying on your Heavenly Father to bring justice while suffering injustice isn’t weakness!

4. Jesus Is Denied by Peter
   • Luke 22:61-62
   • The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter… And Peter wept bitterly
   • Even His closest, boldest disciple denies Him. Imagine that gaze — not of anger, but of sorrowful love. Jesus bore the weight of abandonment, so He could say to you: When Jesus says:“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”-He knows what it means to be “Rejected and Abandoned”

5. Jesus Is Judged by Pilate
   • John 19:5-6
   • “Here is the man!” … But they shouted, “Crucify Him!”
   • He is mocked, robed in purple, crowned with thorns. The King of Glory reduced to a caricature. But He stood there — bearing humiliation, rejection, shame. Why? Because He was taking our place.
   • He bore the weight of shame, so we could walk in freedom. Shame isn’t your master because he died to set you free!

6. Jesus Is Scourged and Takes Up His Cross
   • John 19:1,17
   • “So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged… Carrying His own cross…”
   • The scourging alone would have killed many men. Stripped, lashed, marred beyond recognition — and yet He still carries the cross.
   • Not because they forced Him — because love is stronger than pain.
   • At this point, His body is shredded, but His heart remains full… of love.  When the pain in your life has far exceeded the point of suffering…Jesus is STILL present, he STILL loves you and he is STILL delivering you.  If it’s not good it’s not the end…All things work together

7. Jesus Is Crucified and Dies
   • Luke 23:33-34, 46
   • “They crucified Him… Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them…’” “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
   • At the apex of suffering, with every breath costing Him pain, Jesus does not curse — He forgives.
   • Nails through hands, blood soaking wood, the earth shaking — and He says: “It is finished.”
   • Not I am finished — but it, the penalty, the curse, the debt — all finished.  Jesus didn’t die to make bad people good, he died to bring dead people back to life!

ONLY GREATEST LOVE COULD DO THIS!

• His Love conquered sin, death, and the grave – your past, your shame, your sin, and my sin are forgiven – no matter how unworthy you feel – he died to set you free!
• If He surrendered to the Father’s will, we can Surrender too!
• If He endured such pain, scorn and shame and chose Forgiveness, we now have his forgiveness in us to give to them!

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20 NIV