Good Friday Message

The roots of the Christian gospel are found in Isaiah chapter 53. In fact, I think it is probably the clearest declaration of the meaning of sacrifice and atonement found in all of the Bible Christianity is built on the close of Jesus Christ to connect with Skip Heitzigs Scriptures of special Good Friday message about the prophecies that foretold the cross encouragement to walk for the first want to share about resource that will help you live with purpose and hold fast to fit an eternal impact on the world is normal basic human instinct which you believe the children as young as three years old already want to follow the crowd and fit in with the group of researchers counted at Duke University study Bible we learn that some of the people who make the most impact have done self identifying normal here. Skip, I think. I think the Bible calls us to a holy defiance of the status quo.

Paul the apostle said, do not be conformed to this world but be trans formed by the renewing of your mind, so to go from transform, find out*it is normal thanks to you when you get $35 or more to help extend the ministry today with the four direct line get your copies of these two gold resources copies hundred 9288 or give online securely connectwithskip.com/author. Now let's dive into the teacher will in the first chapter of John is rejoined Skip Heitzigs at four today stood, this is he whom I said, after me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.

I did not know him but that he should be revealed to Israel. Therefore, I came baptizing with water and John bore witness saying I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon him. I did not know him but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him.

This is he whose baptism is with the Holy Spirit and I have seen and testify that this is the son of God. Again the next day John with two of his disciples stood and looking at Jesus as he walked he said, behold the Lamb of God that John the Baptist was an eccentric fellow. As I mentioned, sort of an odd person he was. I guess like an ancient hippie who dressed weird warlocks of leather and a box when you lived out in the wilderness Bible tells us, and yet Jesus in the Gospel of Luke said John the Baptist was the greatest person who up to that point had ever lived. When is an amazing statement, especially coming from the lips of Jesus. Think of it.

John had written no book.

He was, not an influencer on Instagram or twitter to form no institution. He didn't even live a long life. He certainly didn't have a long ministry.

And yet, Jesus said he was great in fact not just great but the greatest person who ever lived. Now in this short little story. John basically does two things. John the Baptist. John refers to himself and he reveals his Savior. He talks about himself, but only in passing, he doesn't really have a message about himself and the only reason he talks about himself is because they question him. They say who are you or we need to give people an answer to lesser identity so he refers to himself first negatively than positively. First he says this is who I am not and then he says this is really what I am. So he says I am not the Messiah. I am not the Christ. Christ is the Greek word Christ us and it refers to the Messiah.

I am not the long-awaited Jewish Messiah the job and wait for. I'm not that one. The other person. I am not is I am not the prophet Elijah. The Bible says Elijah would come before the coming of the Lord. So he says I am not Elijah the prophet and then he says I am not that prophet. That prophet was a prediction from the book of Exodus chapter 18 that God would send the prophet and so they had this idea that perhaps John was one of those three people, the Messiah, Elijah or the prophet because nope I'm not any of those bird people but positively I'll tell you what I am. He said I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. What a description because you see that John, it really isn't about him. He's there to point to to introduce people to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That's what he was. He was the forerunner of Christ. He was the one to make the announcement. So he says I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. That's a quote right out of Isaiah chapter 40 so so think of this, he saying I am not the message I'm just the messenger. I am not the word on just the voice on the mouthpiece announcing somebody else who is coming and he said my task is to make ready or prepare the road or the way of the Lord. So John the Baptist is like I'm just a divine road worker. I'm here to prepare the way of the Lord. Now I find John's answer about who he is very revealing, because you know John could've said all you you mean you don't know who I am. Don't you know that my father is Zacharias a very famous and important priest in Jerusalem. I don't you know that I'm that kid who was filled with the Holy Spirit even while I was in the womb I don't you know that I am the forerunner of the Messiah as predicted in the Old Testament because now I'm just a voice crying in the wilderness, pointing the way to somebody far more important than I am. John was a voice he was a messenger he was in effect. The last Old Testament prophet and the first New Testament preacher and John was a miracle child that is keep had or was born of a miraculous birth.

You see, his parents were quite old Zacharias, his dad, the priest, I talked about was marriageable woman named Elizabeth they had never had children before and they were quite elderly, so it was humanly physically impossible for them to have children. But one day when Zacharias is out in the temple doing his ministry. An angel appears to have not just an angel. The angel Gabriel shows up and says you know what Zacharias you and your wife are going to have a son and he is going to be great in the sight of the Lord and he's gonna turn the children of Israel back to their God and God is going to use limited tremendous weight was Zacharias sees this and here's this and you would think for anybody with a thinking mind that would be enough for them to be convinced to an angel shows up, gives you a message and then disappears but Zacharias is this kind of old crusty Guyanese. As you know what, that's good. But how do I really know it's going to happen so the Angels is okay will you didn't believe me when I told you what I appeared to you. I'm like an angel and you need more proof than that how house this you won't be able to talk for the next nine months while your wife is pregnant. You won't be able to utter a word, not tell you what that would be very frustrating to any wife when her husband comes home and she wants to talk about what happened during the day and he doesn't say a word you most men are quiet anyway. But he could say anything to be very frustrating for him to hear his wife talk all the time and he couldn't respond so nine months go by and when the child is born.

Zacharias said he will call his name John.

He writes it down on the tablet because he can't talk he writes it down. Call his name John JOH and he spells it out because that's the name the angel gave and then Zacharias was able to speak now because Zechariah's was a priest.

What that meant, is his son John should also have been a priest because he was part of the lineage the physical lineage of the priest. So if you have a priest who's a father that's what you will do, you will go into the priesthood. Your train from that from a young age, but John was a different sort. He was unconventional.

As I mentioned he dressed weird. I'm sure that when the Zacharias would come home from time to time, Elizabeth would say honey.

John's doing it again. He's wearing leather and he's on the backyard Eaton box what we gonna do it this God, the Bible also tells us he was a Nasser right which was a specific vowel that one could take mentioned in the Old Testament where he didn't cut his hair. He could not be around her touch a corpse, not that anybody would want to, but he was forbidden to do that and also he could not have anything that came from grapes couldn't couldn't eat grapes could need raisins couldn't have wine all of that he would abstain from as a sign of a life long dedication to God.

So that's John the Baptist, and he refers to himself a little, but I'm just the voice of one crying in the wilderness, but really what he's all about is to reveal the Savior and so he talks about Jesus. He talks about Jesus person and he talks about Jesus mission, he says a somebody is coming who is preferred before me because he was before me. And then John says, and by the way, he's the son of God. That's a mouthful, let me just quickly explain he's preferred before me, meaning he is in a higher rank than I am. He is much more important than I am. You guys are asking me about me what you need to be doing is thinking about somebody else that I'm about to introduce you feel is preferred before me.

He's ranked above me and then John says this because he was before me and to me this is fascinating because John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus.

They were probably cousins. We are told in the Bible that Mary the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias. I bet they were cousins. They were probably first cousins which would make John the Baptist and Jesus second cousin John was born first, Jesus was born second so they were related to each other but here is John saying Jesus is actually somebody who existed before I did and he is the son of God so according to John the Baptist out in the desert.

He speaks of Jesus person as pre-existing.

He lived before he did and he was indeed the son of God. Now I I'm I'm spelling that this out.

For this reason, to me it makes the authenticity of Jesus Christ by the testimony of John the Baptist, much more profound. I mean how many of you whatever save your cousin. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How many of you would save your cousin. My cousin here is the son of God know you say you know what we get together.

I fight with my cousin so for John the Baptist to say my cousin the one who is younger than I am. Is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world and he came before I did is is amazing the son of God.

That's his mission, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world know what do you think John the Baptist had in his mind when he said, behold, or look or check it out. There's the Lamb of God when you think he had in his mind while he could've had several things perhaps in his mind he was thinking of Abraham and Isaac in the Old Testament when Abraham walked with his son Isaac up a mountain and was about to kill his son in obedience to God before the angel stopped him and said don't do it. I can see that you are willing to do it. You are fully committed to God but do not kill your son and Abraham said the Lord God will provide himself a lamb maybe was thinking of that that sacrifice of a father killing his only begotten son or perhaps in John's mind he was thinking of the Passover feast. After all, it was the time of Passover, when Jesus would die and he definitely fulfilled that maybe John the Baptist was thinking back to the time when the children of Israel were in Egypt they were in the desert and God delivered them and the sign of deliverance was the Lamb that was slain in the blood was placed on the lintels and the doorpost of the house. Maybe John was thinking of the Passover lamb but my guess is that when John the Baptist said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

He was thinking of Isaiah chapter 53, and here's why I believe that John had already quoted Isaiah chapter 40 when he said I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

That's a quote right out of the prophecy of Isaiah and from the things that John speaks throughout his lifetime, and in these early moments we can tell that he was a student of the prophecy of Isaiah and so probably he was thinking of Isaiah chapter 53, a portion of which I want to read to you now.

Now Isaiah chapter 53 is a passage in the Old Testament that rises above just about every other Old Testament prophecy of the coming of Christ. The roots of the Christian gospel are found in Isaiah chapter 53. In fact, I think it is probably the clearest declaration of the meaning of sacrifice and atonement found in all of the Bible I think it's eat, and even greater and clearer depiction than the book of Romans itself. Isaiah 53 this is an amazing passage. It was written 600 years before Jesus was born and Isaiah 53 is a sad song a painful song of a suffering servant in verse one of Isaiah 53, who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed, for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He's 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. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. All we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed. He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

That's up prophecy a very clear prophecy of the suffering servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who would come as the Lamb of God is a lamb before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. You know sheep are interesting creatures. They get dirty very easily.

They they grow wall and they exude this kind of waxy oily film called lanolin and it clogs up all the pores and one of the happiest days in a little lamb's life is when an owner picks it up and cuts all the hair off when it when it's shorn when he shearers off all of the wall that Lamb loves it and he's used to somebody picking it up and handling it in and taking off its coat and feeding it and taking care of it. So much so that later on when somebody picks it up to kill it didn't say anything because he's he's always been handled with care. So that's why Isaiah said as a lamb as a lamb before it shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. I think that's what John the Baptist had in mind when he saw his cousin come down and he said, behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world but you know what the problem was the Jewish people of that time were not looking for a lamb they were looking for a king.

They wanted a conqueror. They wanted somebody to say, behold, the king, behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah not behold the Lamb because a lamb at best is weak.

A lamb at worst is dead. That's what you sacrifice with a lamb you kill lambs on the altar in Jerusalem and the Jews were not looking for a lamb they were looking for Lambeau. They were looking for a conqueror, a king, a warrior, because they didn't understand they needed a lamb they needed somebody who would take away their sin and because they didn't know they needed they were not looking for what they wanted was a sovereign God gave them a substitute. What they wanted was a conqueror.

God gave them a lamb what they wanted is somebody Dick to come and kill all their enemies what they God is somebody who's enemies would kill him week, seemingly doesn't say a word offers himself willingly for death, but what they needed to know is they could never have a king until they first had a lamb.

The Lamb is come, first and that is what the Scripture always promised from way back in Genesis chapter 3 the very first prophecy of the coming of Christ. When Adam and Eve fell in the garden and God said there is coming somebody called the seed of the woman who's going to crush the head of Satan is going to crush the skull of the devil.

And the reason Good Friday is so good to us by the way, if you are wondering what the meaning of this strange motif. They have a Calvary of the school and a snake crawling out of it.

You need to read your Bible little bit more because here it is at the place of the school, which is what Calvary is Calvary means a school Golgotha.

That's where Jesus died at the place of a scroll the skull of Satan was crushed and sin was dealt with. Just like the prophets predicted because here's the big deal.

Here's the main thing. Sin which infects everybody kills sin is 100% fatal. It is far worse than any coronavirus.

It is 100% fatal, but the blood of Jesus Christ is the vaccine and what we are about to take. In a moment. These elements that that's symbolic that we have taken the vaccine the blood of Jesus Christ. God son cleanses a person from all center. By the way, it's a lot better efficacy than Pfizer or modernity there like 94% 97%.

The blood of Jesus Christ is 100% effective. They can cleanse you from all your sin. That's why we make a big deal out of this day. It's not even Good Friday. It's great Friday because God did such a great thing and we believe Jesus to be such a great Savior. So John said look, behold, that's the Lamb of God who will be able to take away the sin of the world. I hope and pray he's taken away your sin you've never trusted him personally. Now is the time for you to do it, that concludes special Good Friday message to Skip to share. You can help keep this broadcast going strong connecting you and others around the world with the gospel. As we wait for Jesus to return our prayer is your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

You know one day that prayer will be answered in full. In the meantime, God chooses to work through his people to further his gospel in the world. You can partner in network today through your gift expanding the reach of this radio ministry and the teachings you love to more and more listeners. Here's how you can give a gift right now to get today simply call 800-922-1888 that number again is 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/tune in tomorrow is Skip hi six years about the suffering Jesus endured in the hope it gives you you suffer in the Bible it would seem that God's plan always included garden, God's creative plan, God's redemptive plan. God's restoration plan all speak of a garden all revolve around