On this Good Friday, I wanted to share a few random thoughts. First of all, you were put on this earth for a reason. You were created by God for a specific purpose in life. God has plans for you- He knows where you live- He knows every weakness- every sorrow-every temptation-every longing of your heart. Many are in pursuit of "the meaning of life" and have come away without discovering the answer. That’s because the meaning of life cannot be found within. Contrary to popular belief, happiness will evade you if you try to find it in materialism, acceptance by others, relationships (sometimes even toxic relationships), or "success" (however one would define that). Some of the most "successful" people in life, are miserable. History has documented many such instances, especially where wealth in particular did not bring contentment and fulfillment in life.
This brings me to my point today. Many will commemorate "Good Friday" today without giving any real thought to the meaning behind it. Some employers will give employees the day off, many children will be on holiday from school responsibilities, and others will see it as merely a kickoff to spring break. Good Friday is good, but not because some get a vacation day. Good Friday is good, because it is the day in which God demonstrated His love for mankind in a very tangible way. The Apostle Paul told the Romans in very plain terms the ramifications of Good Friday:
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJ)
This is the message of Good Friday. There was nothing "good" about it for Jesus Christ. For Jesus, this is a scriptural account of Good Friday found from the prophet Isaiah:
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But 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. (NKJ)
He suffered and died to procure the salvation of mankind, and ensure that they could spend eternity in Heaven with Him one day. So I pose the question to all who read this blog today- have you considered where you will spend eternity? There is a popular expression briefly summarized this way..."you only live once". Unfortunately, though popular, it’s false. Humanity will live forever because God created us as eternal beings. There are two possible destinations for man when he leaves this world. For those who follow Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity with Him and experience joy, contentment, and fulfillment that the human mind has never comprehended. It will be a real, literal place- not just floating around, eating marshmallow clouds, and playing harps- this is a mischaracterization of Heaven. Heaven and the New Earth will be real and tangible just like the Earth you live on now is. There will be real people, real cities, real bodies to live in (remember that Jesus ate fish, was recognizable, had a flesh & bone body that Thomas touched after His resurrection), and plenty of activities to participate in (far beyond the scope of harp-playing, despite how appealing that may be to some).
Consequently, the bible also speaks of a place called Hell. It is not simply a place of annihilation, nor will it be the proverbial picnic that the world portrays. It is a place of torment. It is a place of separation- from God, happiness, hope, and basically anything that is desirable. Jesus described hell as a place where "the worm never dies". Jesus told a story of a rich man in hell, and remarkably, one of the main concerns of this rich man was this- that none of his friends and family also go there. That’s right- those in hell are not looking for company- they are actually hoping that someone will warn their beloved friends and family not to come there! What a sobering thought.
That brings me to conclusion. Many have never heard "The Gospel" (literally, the Good News). That’s right- the Gospel is Good News. It is not a message of condemnation. Jesus did not come to the world to condemn the world, but to save it! But in order to be saved, one must repent and believe the Gospel. What is the Gospel you ask? Rather than give you some pre-packed Christianese answer, let me just quote the words of Paul:
1 Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (NKJ)
So on this Good Friday, have you considered how much God loves you? Are you still trying to be a "good person" (which is a myth) so that God will perhaps grant you entrance into Heaven when you die? Remember the Scripture I posted earlier that stated that Jesus died for us while "we were still yet sinners"? What would really make this the best Good Friday ever for you is to call on the name of the Lord who loves you. If you have any questions about how to appropriate this, give me a shout- I would be glad to pray with you and help!
-H2
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