Good Friday Service

(soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) - Good evening, everybody.

Just as a quick logistical note, I want to welcome everybody. We will start in just a short moment, but as you can see, the sanctuary is getting pretty full. If there are seats next to you, please take a moment just to squeeze in towards the center here. Likewise over there, just to squeeze in so we can make room for people coming in.

We will start our service in just a short moment. Thank you so much. (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) - Okay. Good evening, church. What a blessing it is to see everyone gathered here. Whether this is our first time observing Good Friday or we've been doing this for many years, I invite us all to ponder and marvel with thanksgiving that Christ sacrificed on the cross, that he would take upon himself the wrath of God that we deserved and instead give us mercy and grace at the cost of his blood.

At this time, let us sing once again. (soft music) - Jesus Christ. ♪ Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I think upon your sacrifice ♪ ♪ You became nothing ♪ ♪ Poured out to death ♪ ♪ Many times ♪ ♪ I wondered at your gift of life ♪ ♪ I'm in that place once again ♪ ♪ I'm in that place once again ♪ ♪ Once again I look upon the cross where you died ♪ ♪ Humbled by your mercy ♪ ♪ Once again I'm broken inside ♪ ♪ Once again I thank you ♪ ♪ Once again I pour out my life ♪ - Now you are.

♪ Now you are ♪ ♪ Exalted to the highest place ♪ ♪ King of the heavens ♪ ♪ One day I'll bow ♪ ♪ But for now ♪ ♪ I marvel at the saving grace ♪ ♪ I'm full of praise once again ♪ ♪ I'm full of praise once again ♪ - Once again.

♪ Once again I look upon the cross where you died ♪ ♪ Humbled by your mercy ♪ ♪ Once again I'm broken inside ♪ ♪ Once again I thank you ♪ ♪ Once again I pour out my life ♪ - Once again. ♪ Once again I look upon the cross where you died ♪ ♪ Humbled by your mercy ♪ ♪ And I'm broken inside ♪ ♪ Once again I thank you ♪ ♪ Once again I pour out my life ♪ - All right, welcome to our annual Good Friday service.

You know, we call this day Good Friday, but it's a day that we celebrate the suffering of Christ. And so, superficially, we can look at that and say, that's a strange thing to call a day where we remember the suffering and humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I think, you know, it kind of made me think, like, every birthday, you know, we celebrate our birthday, but really the one who suffered so that we can have our birthday is our moms.

But we have a tendency to forget the mom and say, "It's my birthday." But today we celebrate Good Friday where because of his suffering that you and I are able to live. So although we celebrate his suffering, it is a Good Friday because it symbolizes what Christ has done for us.

Just to kind of go over what happened so that we can trek along with what we've been doing all week. As you guys know, last night, Christ ate his last supper with his disciples and went through the Lord's Supper, the Passover meal. And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And he said, "I'm going to eat my last supper." And as we participate in the communion, that every part of this that we are commemorating, that we are not simply bystanders just watching, that we recognize that all this was for our birth.

It was for us. So that the impact and the gravity of what it is that we celebrate would have its full effect on us. So let me pray for us. And as I pray, if you would pray with me and ask the Lord to soften your heart so that the Word of God and the praise of the Lord may continue to think deeply about what it is that we are here for.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we have all gathered here this evening to remember and to commemorate the sacrifice that you have made, the suffering that Jesus went through, all because it was the only way that we were able to have life. I pray that every whip that he felt on his flesh, the piercing in the side of his body, the suffocating time, Lord God, that he spent on the cross, humiliation that he experienced, the betrayal from his friends, and the rejection of the very people that he came to love, that all of it, Lord God, would not be the end and would not be lost on us, that we would remember his love, his sacrifice, that it may renew us, refresh us, that we would truly give you worship in spirit and in truth.

May Christ's name be magnified, our hearts be broken, and the church be revived. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Let us all rise as we sing these praises. Amen. >> There is a fountain. There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains.

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. Dear dying Lamb, dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power. Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more, be saved to sin no more. Be saved to sin no more. Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.

>> Here's "Sins by Faith." Here's sins by faith, I saw the stream, my flowing wounds supplied. Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die, and shall be till I die, and shall be till I die. Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

>> When this poor lisping, when this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save. I'll sing, I'll sing thy power to save. I'll sing thy power to save. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save.

I'll sing, I'll sing thy power to save. I'll sing thy power to save. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save. >> O to see, O to see the dawn of the darkest day, Christ on the road to Calvary, tried by sinful men, torn and beaten then, nailed to a cross of wood.

This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us, took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross. O to see, O to see the pain written on your face, bearing the awesome weight of sin, every bitter thought, every evil deed, crowning your blood-stained brow.

This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us, took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross. >> Now the daylight. Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath quakes as its maker bows his head. Burnt and torn in two, dead are raised to life, finish the victory cry.

This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us, took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross. >> O to see, O to see my name written in the wounds, bore through your suffering, I am free. Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live, O your selfless love.

This the power of the cross, Son of God, slain for us, what a life, what a cost, we stand forgiven at the cross. This the power, this the power of the cross, Son of God, slain for us, what a cost, we stand forgiven at the cross. >> Amen. You may be seated.

>> I want to introduce our guest speaker for you this evening. Pastor Sung Kang is the pastor of Mission Church out in Brenna Park. It's a new church plant. Their church is joining us somewhere back in the corner. All these guys raising their hands. I met Pastor Sung, I forgot how many years ago, five or six years ago.

He ended up taking one of our sisters. Some of you know, Becky used to be Park and I was Kang. She told me she started dating this guy and she wanted me to meet him and check him out for her. My whole goal was to meet with him. I don't know if he knew we were meeting but I wanted to hear what was going on.

My goal was to give a thumbs up or thumbs down. After I met, listening to his testimony and what God has been doing, I remember going back to my church and I remember him saying, "I'm going to meet Pastor Sung Kang." He's a very close minded brother. He's a very close minded brother.

He's a very close minded brother. He's a very close minded brother. He's a very close minded brother. He's a very close minded brother. He's a very close minded, like hearted, like minded pastor that I know. I've been kind of wanting to have him come and bless our church for a while but because of the pandemic and various things.

More than anything else, I could totally vouch for who he is. I wanted him to come this evening and share God's word and his testimony and for you to be blessed as well to see what God has been doing in his life and in his life. God have mercy on you.

God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you.

God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. God have mercy on you. Heavenly Father, we do thank you for your word. And Lord, I ask that at this hour, I would decrease and that you would increase.

And the message that you have allowed me to prepare for your people will go forth in power. And I pray, Lord, that you would develop in us a heart of gratitude, a deep appreciation for what you had done for us on the cross 2,000 years ago at Calvary. And I pray, Lord, if there is anyone who is undecided, or if they're on the edge of decision of making a commitment to you tonight, I pray, Holy Spirit, you will do that work for us today.

And so I pray, Heavenly Father, your word will go forth in power. And we say all this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen. So Jesus Christ was arrested Thursday evening and was sentenced to be crucified early Friday morning. The Gospel of Mark tells us Jesus was crucified at the third hour, which is 9 a.m.

And he died at the ninth hour, which is 3 p.m. Jesus hung on the cross for six agonizing hours before he died. Now, many of us have heard or read this account of Jesus' crucifixion several times before. But even though we might be familiar with the account of Jesus' crucifixion, many of us still struggle to answer why Jesus had to be crucified.

Many of us still struggle to answer why his crucifixion was necessary. And because the crucifixion of Jesus happened a little over 2,000 years in the past, the method of execution on the cross doesn't provoke our conscience to be appalled or horrified by the grotesque nature of the cross. The cross today has become domesticated, making it difficult for us to realize how it was viewed in the first century.

And so the painful and shameful aspect of the cross have been blurred in our current generation. Today, the cross is worn as a fashion statement. The cross is used as a symbol of hope. The cross is used as a centerpiece decor for churches. But all of these are contrary to what the cross meant to the people living in the first century.

You see, before the cross became a fashion piece or a church decor, before it became a symbol of hope, the cross was a brutal method of executing criminals. It was an intimidating method to warn the enemies of Rome of their future fate should they rise against the Roman Empire.

The cross was a symbol of a curse in the first century and not a blessing. The crucifixion was so common in the first century that the New Testament authors did not have to explain in detail the horrific nature of the cross. All they had to do was write that Jesus had come to the place called Calvary where they crucified him.

That was enough to let the readers know Jesus had suffered a barbarically, brutal, humiliating, and horrific death. They were too familiar with crucifixion. And just the thought of someone dying on the cross would offend their sensitivity. And so the New Testament authors did not have to write about the obscene nature of the cross.

The first century people already knew. But because we are unfamiliar with the brutal and obscene nature of the cross, I want to provoke your sensitivity just a bit this evening by explaining to you the nature of the cross. Crucifixion was a method of execution that the Romans adopted from the Persians.

Heroes, slaves, and insurrectionists were crucified on the cross as a deterrent. And in the early century, crosses were erected at the busiest intersection to send a vivid message to anyone who would violate Roman law. Crucifixion was so barbaric and obscene that Cicero described it as the most cruel and disgusting punishment.

And he suggested that the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen's body, but from his mind, his eyes, and his ears. That's how obscene a Roman crucifixion was. And it sent a very powerful message to the people of that time. The Romans crucified their victims to prolong their pain and agony.

But you see, the process of crucifixion did not start with the cross. The Word of God tells us in Luke chapter 23 verse 24 that Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. Matthew and Mark fills in the details for us and tells us Jesus was delivered to be scourged and then crucified.

Scourging was the first step before the cross. And Roman scourgings were known to be brutal. If you ever watch the movie The Passion of the Christ, you'll get a picture of what a Roman scourging was like. Scourging usually consisted of 39 lashes, but it all depended on the mood of the soldier who was applying the wound.

If the soldier had a bad day, he could actually scourge its victim to death. And the instrument that the soldiers used was a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them known as the phlegm. And each time the whip strikes the flesh of its victims, the metal ball would cause deep bruises or contusions which would open the skin with each passing blow.

The whips also had pieces of sharp bones which lacerated the skin of its victims causing deep exposures from head to toe. These lacerations are so deep that church historian Eusebius described the scourging by saying this, and I quote, "For they say that the bystanders were struck with amazement when they saw them lacerated with scourges even to the innermost veins and arteries." "So that the hidden inward parts of the body, both their bowels and their members were exposed to view." End quote.

You see scourging was not the method of execution, but scourging alone was brutal enough to be fatal in many cases. And because of this terrible beating, Jesus was already in a critical condition before he made it up to the hill of Calvary. The scourge alone was enough to kill Jesus.

And because Jesus was so badly beaten, he could not carry his own cross to Calvary. And that is why we read this evening in Luke chapter 23 verse 26 that they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country. And on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Jesus. There they laid Jesus's raw, rare, lacerated back to a wooden beam. And they stretched his arms out horizontally and drove a five to seven inch nail through his wrist and through his feet. Now when we read the gospel accounts, they all say that Jesus was crucified.

But none of the accounts of the crucifixion say that he was nailed to the cross. And that is because it is implied. And so if you're asking, well, how do we know that Jesus was actually nailed to the cross? Well, we know by the internal evidences provided for us in God's inspired scriptures.

When Jesus was resurrected, none of his disciples believed that he was alive. And Thomas is quoted in John chapter 20 verse 25 saying this, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." And after eight days, Jesus appeared again to his disciples and he said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at my hands and reach your hands here and put it into my side." Thomas and the disciples knew that Jesus was nailed to the cross.

It was also prophesied that Jesus would be crucified hundreds of years before it took place. In the Old Testament in Psalm chapter 22 verse 16, it says, "They have pierced my hands and my feet." Then there's the archaeological evidence that verify the Roman crucifixion technique. In 1968, archaeologists discovered an ancient burial site in Jerusalem containing about 35 bodies.

And one of the remains was a man named Johann Ben Hegel. He was a crucified victim. And they discovered a seven inch nail that was driven through both his feet. The feet have been turned outward so that the nail could be hammered through his heel. There was also evidence that similar nails were pierced through his lower arms.

And so this evidence with the historical evidences of Jesus indicate that Jesus was indeed nailed to the cross. Now once a victim is crucified on the cross, that is when the fight for survival begins. The cause of death for crucified victims were various. But one of the major cause of death on the cross is asphyxiation.

Because of the weight of the body on the outstretched arms made it difficult for the victims on the cross to exhale. And that is why we read in John chapter 19 verse 32 that the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other criminals who was crucified with Jesus.

And the reason the soldiers did this is so that the criminals could no longer pull themselves up to exhale, expediting their death. But Jesus was already dead by the ninth hour. And that is why none of his bones were broken. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with the spear to confirm his death.

And the Word of God tells us that blood and water came out from his side. And I read this according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. This was published in March of 1986. There were three medical doctors including a pathologist from the Mayo Clinic and they concluded, and I quote, "Clearly, the weight of historical medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right rib, probably perforated not only the right lung, but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death." End quote.

And this confirms why there was blood and water coming out of Jesus' side. It was because of the pericardial effusion and the pleural effusion, which is a buildup of clear fluids in the heart and the lungs. And so the nature of the cross was truly barbaric. It was brutal and it was obscene.

Then we come to examine the purpose of crucifixion. First, the Romans chose crucifixion as the method of execution because they believed it was an effective deterrent. A Jewish historian named Josephus wrote in his book titled "The Jewish War" that the Romans crucified many captive Jews along the walls of Jerusalem, hoping that they would hasten their surrender and end their siege.

Josephus wrote in his book, and I quote, "So the soldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, nailed those that they had caught one after one way and another after another to the crosses by way of jest. And when their multitude was so great that room was wanting for the crosses and crosses wanting for the bodies." In other words, there weren't enough crosses for these victims.

And secondly, crucifixion was used to humiliate the condemned. It was a public symbol of shame designed to not only break a man physically, but also to crush and defame his spirit. And can you think of anything that is more humiliating and degrading to have your nakedness exposed publicly? Crucifixions were always public, and anyone hanging on the cross was stripped to make the victims vulnerable and open to public shame.

And picture Jesus hanging on the cross, his body literally pierced and broken and exposed for public humiliation. Luke 23 verse 34 says, "They," meaning the soldiers, "divided his garments and cast lots for it." This indicates that Jesus was naked on the cross. And they literally added insult to injury.

The spectators who witnessed the public execution of Jesus sneered, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen of God." The soldiers also mocked him and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." And even the criminal on the left and the right blasphemed them, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us." Jesus was publicly humiliated and reproached.

And that was the purpose of crucifixion, to break a man physically and to humiliate him publicly. Now the Word of God tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Even though the scripture prophesied of the suffering Messiah, Jesus did not fit the Jewish theology of a conquering Messiah.

The Jewish concept of Messiah was that he would come in power to deliver Israel from all her enemies. But in history, Jesus died on the cross in weakness, defeat, and degradation. That is why the cross of Christ is a stumbling block to the Jews to this day. Because a crucified Messiah is a contradiction to their own expectation of what a Messiah is to be.

To a Jew, Jesus does not fit the profile of a conquering Messiah. And as the Word of God tells us in Isaiah 53, he truly had no form or calmliness or beauty that they should desire him. But to take it a step further, Jesus was crucified. He was executed publicly on the cross.

And the Jews knew that anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed. For he who is hanged is cursed of God. And that is how the Jews view the death of Jesus. And in their own words, he is cursed of God and rightfully executed as a blasphemer for making himself equal with God.

And so the cross was a visible symbol and physical embodiment of moral shame. And it was the instrument of death for him who claimed to be the Messiah and the Savior. So how can anyone honor Jesus as their Messiah who was publicly cursed by hanging on a tree? Now, if we try to understand the crucifixion solely based on the historical Romans barbaric technique of executing criminals, slaves, and insurrectionists as a very powerful deterrent, then we can conclude that Jesus's death was an isolated incident with no significant value to us.

And we can simply dismiss Jesus's crucifixion as being common in those days. I mean, thousands of Jews were crucified in Jesus's time. So why is his crucifixion important to us? Well, let me tell you why. Because unlike the thousands of Jews that were crucified on the cross, Jesus had committed no sin.

Unlike the thousands of Jews that were crucified, Jesus's death was prophesied. And unlike the thousands of Jews that were crucified, Jesus is the Son of God. Historically, the purpose of crucifixion was for capital punishment. But theologically, according to God's eternal purpose, the cross of Christ was for atonement. It was for atonement.

And not just a random cross with any person, but the cross that the Son, the eternal Son of God, the incarnate Son of God died on. And this brings us to the next point, the necessity of Christ's crucifixion. If you notice with me in Luke chapter 23, at the end of verse 14, Pilate said to the Jews, "I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

No, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him, and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by him." Also verse 41, one of the criminals said, "This man has done nothing wrong." And finally, down in verse 47, the centurion in charge of the execution saw what was happening, and he said, "Certainly this was a righteous man." Now, if you're following with me this evening, you'll probably ask the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" If He had done nothing wrong, then why did He have to die such a brutal, obscene death on the cross?

And here's the answer. Jesus did not die for His sins. He had none. He died for our sins. He died in our place as a substitute to satisfy the wrath of God. That is the meaning of propitiation, to satisfy the wrath of God. And I understand that in our culture today, there is a diminishing sense of God's holiness, justice, and righteousness.

And that there is a diminishing sense of human depravity and our own understanding of our sin. And it is often replaced by a sense of entitlement and self-worth that make people wonder why Jesus even had to die for them at all. He doesn't need to die for me. I'm righteous.

And if there's anyone here thinking this thought, let me tell you why Jesus had to die as a substitute. God is holy, righteous, and just. But we, we are sinful. And the wages of our sin is death. And without the shedding of blood, without the giving of life, there is no forgiveness of sin.

When Jesus died on the cross, it was for atonement. And if you think that God can simply overlook sin because of his love, you are wrong. God is holy and just. And therefore, he cannot violate his own character to simply overlook sin. Sin has to be dealt with and just payment must be made.

And that is why Christ came as our substitute. He died in our place so that the just penalty of our sin will be imputed to him and his righteousness will be imputed to us by faith. As the Word of God tells us, he who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

When Jesus died on the cross, God treated him as if he committed every sin committed by every person that would ever believe, though he committed none of them. God the Father afflicted his only begotten Son for every sin of every person through human history who will be redeemed by his name.

And yes, I did my best to provoke your sensitivity by explaining to you the brutal and obscene nature of the crucifixion. But I have no words to describe what it was like when the incarnate Son of God suffered the wrath of God. From the ninth hour, from the third hour to the ninth hour, provoking our Savior to cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The wrath of God was poured out on the Son.

In that moment, the Father turned his face away and treated his Son as if he committed my sin, your sin, and the sins of the world. And we will never know how much it truly cost for Jesus to bear our sin upon that cross. But a sacrifice had to be made for the propitiation of sin, because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.

Now, some may convince themselves that God will simply overlook their sin, as long as they don't commit the big sins, right, like murder, adultery, and so forth. And as long as they do their best to live a good life. After all, God is the God of love. And doesn't his love win over his justice?

No, it doesn't. That is a lie from the enemy. God cannot and will not acquit the guilty. To do so is to violate his own holy nature. To do so is to dismiss his other attributes of righteousness and justice. Yes, God is love, and that is why he sent the Son Jesus to die in our place.

He is full of mercy. He is full of love. But I want everybody to understand this evening, righteousness and justice will always be the foundation of his throne. Our God is a holy and righteous judge who cannot simply overlook sin. When we sin, we sin against a holy and righteous God.

And propitiation must be made in order for the justice of God to be fully satisfied. But here's our problem. Sin affects even our best actions, does it not? We are incapable of making a sufficient sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath of God. We have no gift that is valuable enough.

We don't have any works that is righteous enough to satisfy God's wrath against sinners. For the Word of God tells us all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags. Therefore, we are debtors who cannot pay our debt. But here is our hope. The Word of God tells us when we were without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the wrath of God was satisfied. Jesus Christ took our place in fulfilling the role of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And in taking God's wrath upon himself, Jesus satisfied the demands of God's holy justice. Christ received God's wrath for us, saving us from the wrath that is to come.

God did not overlook sin. Instead, he provided us with the substitute. He provided us with the substitute. And the Lord laid on him, our substitute, the iniquity of us all. And when we look to the cross, that is where the justice of God was fully satisfied. And the love and the mercy and the grace of God was demonstrated towards sinners without violating any of his holy attributes, without violating any of the requirements of the law.

Jesus became our substitute. And before any of us think that the crucifixion of Jesus was an accident or a random tragedy in history, I want us to know this evening that Jesus' substitutionary atonement was by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. Prophesied by his prophets in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, who is Christ.

Isaiah 53 prophesied of the suffering Messiah 700 years before Jesus was born. And during Jesus' earthly ministry, he told his disciples that he would suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and that he will be killed and be raised on the third day. And I want you to know tonight that Jesus did not go to the cross an unwilling victim.

He went to the cross voluntarily to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus said he came to this world for this hour, the hour that he would give himself as a substitute to take away the sins of the world. And Jesus said, "No one takes it from me, but I lay down myself." Jesus laid down his life willingly, voluntarily, rationally for me and for you.

Why? Because he loves you. Because he knew this is the only way lost sinners will be reconciled to a holy God. And so Jesus knew that he will be scourged. He knew that he will be brutally beaten by the Romans. He knew he will be nailed to the cross to die a slow and agonizing death.

He knew he'll be ridiculed and scorned by men. But he accepted the brutal scourgings. He accepted the public shame. And he accepted the curse and the wrath of God by hanging it on a cross for us. For us. He was taking the punishment of the sins of the world so that we might not have to suffer eternal consequences of our sins.

As the Word of God tells us in Isaiah 53 verse 5, "By his stripes we are healed." So what does the crucifixion of Jesus mean to me and to you? The crucifixion of Jesus means that I am justified freely by what he accomplished for me on the cross. And having been justified by faith, a sinner like me is no longer at enmity with God.

But now I have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And church, I am a sinner saved by the grace of God. And I know that sounds like a cliche statement, but it is true in every sense. I was raised in a Christian family. My grandfather, who I had no relationship with, was a pastor.

Everyone in our family are professing believers. In the past, when people asked what my religious practice was, I would not hesitate and immediately answer, "Christian." But when I was asked why I was a Christian, my answer would always be, "My grandfather was a pastor and I attended church." I didn't know anything about Christianity other than my family's legacy.

And even though I was a professing Christian, I hated Christians and I hated Christianity. Growing up, I had terrible experiences at church and it all started from home. Even though we profess to be Christians, we did not attend church consistently, nor do we bear fruit that was worthy of our repentance and faith.

Neither did my dad, the pastor's kid, model for his family the life of a Christian. My dad was the opposite of what a Christian should be. You could take all the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5 and find its opposite and that would be my dad.

And I often have to preface by saying that my mom is a sound follower of Jesus Christ today. I do rank her at the top of the "godliest woman I know" list. But before she came to know the truth, she believed that all churches were equal and attended a church known as Maranatha.

Which was a Christian cult group in Los Angeles. And they taught that Jesus was coming in the year 1992. And my mom was convinced. And she took me and my brother to Maranatha Church in Los Angeles. I was 11 years old in 1991 when my mom introduced me and my brother to this church.

And one of the church members, I believe she was the Sunday school teacher, told me, a 11 year old kid, that I was possessed by demons. And to cast these demons out, I had to repent and vomit to show that my demons were purged. But the abuse did not end there.

One of the pastors told my mom that he had to discipline me for my misbehavior at church. And he took a rod to my back and hit me multiple times to the point where it broke skin. And when I was crying out for my mom, my mom did nothing to prevent it.

Now when my dad saw that my mom was heavily involved in this church, and he discovered that I was disciplined in this manner, he was angry and he told my mom not to attend this church anymore. But because my mom was so convinced that Jesus would return in 1992, she chose this cult over her family and left.

And long story short, my parents filed for divorce. And my dad won sole physical custody of me and my brother for obvious reasons. And we didn't see my mom until several months later in 1992. Obviously, Jesus did not return. The church eventually closed and my mom had nowhere to go.

And so she returned home. And my parents lived together even though they were legally divorced. And that is when the abuse at home got worse. My dad treated my mom worse than before. And he would verbally and physically beat her in front of me and my brother and say the worst demeaning thing any person can say about another human being to my mom without any filter.

Home was an unbearable place to live and I always wanted to run away. When I was 13 years old, my dad randomly got violent and started beating my mom. He was blaming her for our misbehavior. And I couldn't take it anymore. I told my dad to stop hitting her mom.

And when he wouldn't stop, I came to defend my mom and I hit my dad. And that didn't go well. Because now my mom and dad were both angry at me. My mom slapped me and rebuked me for hitting my dad. But my dad did more than slap me.

He knew where to hit me where people wouldn't notice. I remember telling my mom afterwards, "We were doing better without you. You should have stayed away." And afterwards I went into the restroom. At the age of 13, I took out every pill that I could find and consumed every single one of them.

I was reckless. I didn't care if I lived or died. My mom called 911 and I was rushed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped out. And I remember CPS visiting our home several times after that. And my dad obviously was on his best behavior for a time.

Fast forwarding in 1994, my mom began attending church again. And I won't name which church, but she convinced me to go to a prayer mountain retreat with her and I reluctantly went. And that would be the last time I attended church as a young man. I got into a fight with one of the students who bullied me at the prayer mountain.

Back then in the 90s, kids were cruel. I was wearing Payless shoes and shirts from Kmart because our family was poor. And so when one of the kids started ridiculing me, I just punched him and we got into a fight. But the youth pastor in charge couldn't believe that I beat up a much older kid.

And so he gathered all the kids around and ordered me to fight the same kid again. And as we were fighting, the same youth pastor pulled me back and hit me. And I was shocked and angry at the same time and I tried to attack the youth pastor, but the staff at church restrained me.

And it was from that day I swore I would never attend church again. I hated the church, I hated Christianity, I hated God. Fast forward a couple of years, I met a group of friends who attended that same church. And after hanging out with them, they recruited me to join their gang.

They were impressed with the way, in their words, "threw hands." And that is a term meaning to fight. And so just before my 16th birthday, I joined a gang. I don't know if many of you are looking at me right now, I can't believe it. Because my wife tells me, "You're a giant goofball." I can't buy that story, but it's true, I was in a gang.

And that is because I wanted to be somewhere where I belong and I thought being part of a gang was where I belong. But that was the worst decision of my life. When I was in a gang, I had options to leave home because I could stay, using the vernacular of that time, at the homie's house.

That was my way of escape from home. And I ran away from home several times, couch surfing from one place to another. And that's when all my troubles began. Just before my 17th birthday, I was hanging out at a friend's house. When a rival gang drive up and fired a single shot, hitting my friend in the chest.

I held him in my arms and my other friend tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding until the first responders arrived. He did not make it. He was 17 years old. And that was the first time I had witnessed someone die. And after we were witnessed by the authorities, the police, we were released to our parents because we were still minors.

And that should have been a turning point for me. But because of my stupidity and lack of moral sense and discretion, I ran away from home again and got into trouble. I was sent to juvenile hall a couple of times, but it wasn't enough to deter me from hanging out with my gang, getting into fights, and causing trouble in our communities.

I was a menace to society. And in my own opinion, I needed to be stopped. Immediately following my 18th birthday, I was staying at a friend's house, which was vacant because his parents were on vacation in Korea. And we had a party one night and I was in an altercation with someone I knew.

Long story short, the person I had an altercation with stabbed me while I was tying my shoelaces and he drove off. And I didn't know it at the time of the incident, so I tried to run after him until I felt the effects of the knife wound. I didn't know it at the time, but my kidney was punctured and I was internally bleeding.

My lungs filled with blood and I was in and out of consciousness. And for the first time in my life, I was afraid to die. And in the back of my mind, I knew that if I had died that night, I would not be in a good place. And so I prayed out of fear while I had consciousness, "God, if you are real, please save me.

I'm afraid to die. Save me." And God answered my plea for mercy. I was in the operating room for five hours and I came out alive. But I still had more humbling lessons to learn. After being discharged from the hospital, I had a warrant for my arrest. And I was detained and sent to the county jail.

I was charged with gang enhancement, probation violation, false imprisonment, and robbery. The person who stabbed me reported that he was being held for ransom. And he stabbed me to get away. To make a long story short, witnesses at the house testified saying that they heard me tell this guy he couldn't leave the house until he paid me my money.

Coupled with my previous juvie record, a warrant for my arrest was issued. And at the age of 18, I was facing a 45 years to life in prison sentence. But after two years of due process at court, not really understanding how the judicial system works, I did plead guilty to probation violation, gang enhancement, and robbery, and received a 15 year sentence.

And for the sake of time, I'll skip to my conversion. I was angry with the situation and I truly believed that I was a victim of circumstance. When my mom visited me and told me that God had a purpose in this, I laughed at her. What purpose, mom? Do you see where I'm at?

God doesn't love me, he hates me. I wish I was never alive. And because of that, I started carrying out my aggression during the first years of my incarceration. I was involved in riots and multiple fights and was sent to the security housing unit, which is a jail within a jail.

And it was in that security housing unit that the Lord convicted me with this truth. I was in a security housing unit for six consecutive months. It is complete isolation and all I had was time. And out of boredom, I asked one of the officers if he could get me a book.

And to this day, I don't know if that officer was a believer or the Bible was the only book that was available on the library cart, but he gave me a King James Version Bible. I took it and I started to read the Bible like any other book from the beginning.

At first, I was getting frustrated because I didn't understand what I was reading. And I put it down when I struggled to read the names. Like, who reads this stuff? But when you have six months in isolation, that is a lot of downtime doing nothing. So I kept on reading.

And during that six months, I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation multiple times, trying to understand. Then I began to write down questions and notes on the margins of the Bible. And one day I was reading 1 Timothy in the New Testament. And one verse stood out to me very prominently.

And that was 1 Timothy 1, verse 15. And it says, "This is a faithful saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came to save sinners, of which I am chief." That verse convicted me because at that point in my life, I despised myself. I despised my own sin. But when I read that, a young sinner like myself was looking for redemption.

And when I read that Christ came to save sinners like me, I wanted to know more about Him. And so I read the gospel accounts about Jesus. And it was as if the light bulb just went on and I couldn't get enough of the Word. And as I continue to read the Word, I started to appreciate Jesus and all that He did.

But one question that troubled my mind was this. If Jesus had done all these wonderful things, healed the blind, healed the lepers, feed the poor, and many more, why did He die like a criminal? If He had done nothing wrong, why did He die like a criminal? And if Pilate said to the Jews, "I have found no fault in this man." "No, neither did Herod." The criminal said, "This man has done nothing wrong." And the centurion in charge of the execution said, "Certainly this was a righteous man." Then why did He die?

I was puzzled. Why would anyone kill a man like Jesus? If Jesus was around right now, I would try to preserve His life. But then I would make foolish mistakes like Peter and probably deny Him. But here, they killed Jesus. And I just couldn't understand why. Then the Holy Spirit gave me understanding and I started to understand.

You see, Jesus was innocent. He had done nothing wrong. The reason He died on the cross was because of wretched sinners like me. He who knew no sin became sin for us. That we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And the question that I had all of my life, my young life, if God loved me was answered in the Bible.

That God demonstrated His own love toward us and that while we were still sinners, not when we were righteous, not when we were good, but when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And so not only was my conscience awakened by the truth of God's Word, but the inspired words of God convicted me to repent and commit my life to Jesus.

Of all the historical figures in the Bible, I identify myself with the criminal on the cross. I blaspheme Christ and His church in ignorance. Until I understood that Jesus had done nothing wrong. You see, I received the due reward of my deeds. And I take responsibility for that. But Jesus had done nothing wrong.

And He voluntarily and willingly laid down His life to save a wretch like me from eternal condemnation. So God used the judicial and penal system to chastise me because He loves me as a father loves his children and disciplines them when they go astray. The chastising wasn't pleasant. It was painful.

But God chastised me by the governing authority that He established to reveal His truth to me so that I will be trained by it to yield a peaceable fruit of righteousness. The Lord made me to understand His holy, righteous, and just character through my experience. But He also demonstrated His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

And so when I look to the cross today, all I see is God's amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. And I'll close with this. We read in Luke chapter 23 that from this day, 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, three crosses were prepared for three criminals. One of those crosses was for a man named Barabbas, a notorious man, an insurrectionist, and a murderer.

But Barabbas never made it to the cross. That is because Jesus took his place. Barabbas avoided the just penalty for his crime and he was set free. Not because he was innocent, but because Jesus took his place on the cross. And that is a great picture of Jesus dying as a substitute for sinners.

And if you are standing at the foot of the cross today, saying to yourself, "That cross was prepared for me. I deserve to die there. But I'm free because Jesus died on the cross in my place." If you can say that, you have understood what Jesus did for you 2,000 years ago at Calvary.

But if you're on the edge of decision this evening and have not committed yourself to the Lord, you might agree with the gospel, you know that it is true, but you have not made that final move to repent and surrender yourself to the Lordship of Jesus. I only have this to say to you in closing.

Today is the day of salvation. Today, if you hear the Lord speak to you, do not harden your heart. Do not harden your heart. Let's say a word of prayer. Father, I know that your word that goes forth will not come back void. And I pray, Heavenly Father, that you would grant repentance to those who are called by your name.

And just as you were merciful and gracious to me, Lord, I pray that you'll be merciful and gracious to those who are seeking you this evening. Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the cross. And I pray all this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ.

Amen. Thank you, Pastor Song, for that powerful sermon and testimony. Sometimes, you know, because we come to church and we hear sermons and sing songs, and even though we profess to believe, God doesn't seem real. It's just something that we do. He's just a figurehead. But I want to convey to you, we serve a resurrected Christ.

He's real. He's real. This is not just for wishful thinking. We're not here to soothe our conscience. We're not here to teach morals to our children. We're here because the Son of God took flesh and suffered because of me, because of you. And He rose to give us hope that no matter what our life is like here, that our hope is real.

So we don't die hoping, wishful thinking that there may be something beyond. We live and we die knowing with full assurance that because Jesus rose from the grave, we have eternal life. We have eternal hope. As we open up the communion table, I want to remind us that this is exactly what Jesus was referring to when He said to do this in remembrance of me.

This is my body broken for you. This wine I give to you, my blood poured out for the new covenant. I want to read the text that's in Matthew chapter 26, verse 20 and on. And I want you to follow with me the whole text because I want you to understand the context in which He inaugurated this communion.

Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table and with the 12 disciples. As they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me." Being deeply grieved, they each, each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord." And He answered, "He who dipped his hand with me in the bowl is the one who will betray me." The Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him.

But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. And Judas was betraying Him, said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi." Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself." While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat.

This is my body." And when He had taken a cup, given thanks, He gave it to them saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives when Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night.

For it is written, I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead to you to Galilee." But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night before rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you." And all the disciples said the same thing too.

Now if you look at the context that's taught us in Matthew 26, the context in which the communion was given to us was in the midst of betrayal from Judas. And at the end of that, even his loyal friends, and they may have meant it, "I will not betray you." Knowing full well Jesus knew that they would betray Him.

Even with our best intent, you and I cannot come to God. No matter how much we profess to love Christ, no matter how devoted we may be, you and I do not have that ability. If Peter said what he said, and he was able to carry that out, maybe if he lived a perfect life.

But the very reason why Jesus came is because he knew, even if he loved Jesus, he would not be able to be consistently righteous. You and I come before the Lord's table, we participate in the blood and in the body of Christ, because you and I do not have the ability to come to Christ.

And so he said to do this in remembrance of me. So first and foremost, as we gather together to participate together, first and foremost, this humbles all of us. There's not a single person in this room that can come to Christ by his own righteousness. So when we participate in this, this is a profession before God that I am able to come to you because of what you have done.

That because you broke your body and you spilled your blood for me. So before we participate in it, we're going to sing the communion song together, just to remind us of exactly what it is that we do. And I want to remind you that this is, it says in 1 Corinthians, that if you drink of the cup and eat of the bread, eat of his body, in an unworthy manner, you are eating and drinking judgment upon yourself.

An unworthy way of participating in this is if you've never confessed your sin. If you've never come before the Lord and received forgiveness as an unbeliever, that's eating and drinking judgment upon yourself. So we ask that you would just sit. This is meant for those who have already come and confessed their faith in Christ.

If you're here as a visitor and you heard the gospel for the first time, I encourage you to take this opportunity to come before the Lord. And just as Pastor Sung said, that by his wounds we are healed. And simply come before the Lord and confess your sins. Lord, I'm a sinner, and I'm in need of your forgiveness.

Lord, I want to know you and to ask for forgiveness. And the scripture says that if you ask for forgiveness, he is faithful and just to forgive you of all your unrighteousness. So I want to encourage you to take this opportunity to come before the Lord in prayer. And afterwards, if you have some questions or you want to just follow up and ask some more questions, the pastors and, you know, we're more than willing to come and have a conversation with you today or make an appointment going forward, you know, we encourage you to do that.

For the rest of us, as we participate in it, to examine our own selves, celebrating what Christ has done. And no matter what it is, no matter what burden that you have brought into this room, that we confess that Christ is enough. Christ is enough. So why don't we all stand up together, okay?

And we're going to sing this praise song together, okay? To remind us. And then we're going to sit back down and we're going to participate in the communion together, okay? This is my body. This is my body given for you. This is the cup that holds the blood of a new covenant.

This is forgiveness, simple and true. This is the way that I have made for you. Before you eat, before you drink, take a long look inside and tell me what you see. He said, do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me. This is the bread of life broken for you.

This is the cup that holds the wine of a new covenant. This is the love of Christ brought out anew. This is the son of God who died for you. Before you eat, before you drink, take a long look inside and tell me what you see. And then do this in remembrance of me.

Do this in remembrance of me. Would you all sit down for a second? So if you can open up the top portion. And that will help you take the wafer out from the top. And then if you open the second, the cup will open. If you just kind of keep it together and we will participate in unison.

First Corinthians 11, 23, it says, for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Let's all participate together. Father, it's beyond our understanding and comprehension why you care. Lord, you could have easily just squashed us and started over. What is man that you are so mindful of him? We are just a mist that appears and disappears. Why do you want to know us?

Why do you even want our worship? Why have you adopted us? Why do you want us near you? Lord, you know our sins, the sins that we try so hard to hide. You know, Lord God, our struggles. You know the bitterness that we harbor in our hearts. You know the pain that we feel when we are in our sins.

You know the pain that we carry. You know the harm that we cause one another. You know the hardened hearts, Lord God, the indifference that we have for those who are suffering. You know how easily we get entangled with this world, even though we confess that we're just passing through.

You know how easily we get tempted by things that don't matter. You know the grudges that we hold against people. You know the lust that we continue to fall into. Why? Why do you love your church? Why do you love us? Why would you send your only begotten Son?

Lord, we don't deserve you. We're unworthy to worship you. We are not deserving of your grace. Yet we cling to you. We cry out to you. Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on our families. Lord, have mercy on our children. Lord, have mercy on our generation. Lord, have mercy on people who have not heard you.

Lord, have mercy on our churches. Lord, help us, Lord God, to be broken for the things that you are broken for. Help us, Lord, not to live indifferently. Help us, Lord God, to be crucified with Christ so that it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us and through us.

So as you sent your only begotten Son to suffer and die and take our place, help us, Lord God, to take Christ's place on this earth, to shine his light wherever you send us. So we thank you, we love you, we worship you, and we eagerly wait for you.

In Jesus' name, amen. Let's all stand up for the closing praise. Mystery of the cross. The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend. The agonies of Calvary. You, the perfect, holy one, crushed your sin. You drank the bitter cup, reserved for me. Your blood, your blood has washed away my sin.

Jesus, thank you. The Father's wrath completely satisfied. Jesus, thank you. Once your enemy, now seated at your table. Jesus, thank you. You're the perfect sacrifice I can't outlive. Your enemy, you've made your friend. Pouring out the riches of your glorious grace. Your mercy and your kindness, no, no, no.

Your blood has washed away my sin. Jesus, thank you. The Father's wrath completely satisfied. Jesus, thank you. Once your enemy, now seated at your table. Jesus, thank you. Lover of my soul, lover of my soul. I want to live for you. Lover of my soul, I want to live for you.

Lover of my soul, I want to live for you. Lover of my soul, I want to live for you. Your blood has washed away my sin. Jesus, thank you. The Father's wrath completely satisfied. Jesus, thank you. Your blood has washed away my sin. Jesus, thank you. The Father's wrath completely satisfied.

Jesus, thank you. Once your enemy, now seated at your table. Jesus, thank you. Pray. Now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and eternal love of God our Father, bless, revive, renew, encourage, and strengthen all that have come to worship in spirit and in truth.

Amen. All right, so we continue our celebration this Sunday. So again, reminder, we have an early rise service at 6 a.m., and then our two services at 9 and 11. And just a reminder to you that this Sunday we celebrate our church's 25th anniversary, so there will be lunch provided for both services.

So come ready to celebrate and be hungry as well.

Good Friday Service

Transcript