Good Friday

This is the Day that the Lamb of God was lifted up. 

This is the Day that the Spotless Lamb was slain. 

 This is the Day that the Promised Lamb was sacrificed. 

This is the Day that the Sinless Lamb was made sin for us. 

This is the Day that the Conquering Lamb conquered. 

This is the Day that the Glorious Lamb was glorified. 

This is the Day that the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world.

So lift up your eyes today, and behold with me the Lamb. ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ Behold! The Lamb of God who dies in YOUR place! Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away YOUR sin! Behold! The Lamb of God who by His death, destroys YOUR death!

This is not a day for doing, or for learning; this is a day for beholding! For this is the Day on which there was the most fearsome sight to behold. This is the Day when there was the most glorious sight to behold. This is the Day when there was the most powerful sight and the most gracious sight to behold. For this is Day on which the Lamb of God was slain for the sin of the world. This is the Day when God’s precious Lamb, His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, shed His blood as He died on the Cross for you and for me. So, let’s behold the Lamb in His Glory today.

The Crucified Lamb is incomparably glorious. It’s the Lamb who was slain who sits in the centre of the Throne of Heaven. It’s the Lamb who was slain before whom all the hosts of heaven bow down in praise. It’s the Lamb who was slain who crushed the Serpent’s head and conquered death, hell, sin, and the Devil. It’s the Lamb who was slain who will return for His Bride, the Church, and with whom we will feast in heavenly joy. It’s the Lamb who was slain who will judge the living and the dead. It’s the Lamb who was slain who will be the Light of the heavenly city. It’s the Lamb who was slain who will lead us eternally to living fountains of waters where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. 

The Crucified Lamb is all our glory here below — ‘for He has become for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”’ (1 Corinthians 1vv30-31). And the Crucified Lamb will be all our glory above, for Jesus Himself is the glory of Heaven.

Today, we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Today, we gaze upon the glory of the Lord displayed at its most dazzling through the death and suffering of the cross. 

‘Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast.’ (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

’Tis fin­ished! The Mes­si­ah dies,
Cut off for sins, but not His own:
Accomplished is the sac­ri­fice,
The great re­deem­ing work is done.

’Tis fin­ished! all the debt is paid;
Justice di­vine is sa­tis­fied;
The grand and full atone­ment made;
God for a guil­ty world hath died.

The veil is rent in Christ alone;
The liv­ing way to Heav­en is seen;
The mid­dle wall is brok­en down,
And all man­kind may en­ter in.

The types and fig­ures are ful­filled;
Exacted is the le­gal pain;
The pre­cious pr­omis­es are sealed;
The spot­less Lamb of God is slain.

The reign of sin and death is o’er,
And all may live from sin set free;
Satan hath lost his mor­tal pow­er;
’Tis swal­lowed up in vic­to­ry.

Saved from the le­gal curse I am,
My Sav­iour hangs on yon­der tree:
See there the meek, ex­pir­ing Lamb!
’Tis fin­ished! He ex­pires for me.

Accepted in the Well-be­loved,
And clothed in right­eous­ness di­vine,
I see the bar to Heav­en re­moved;
And all Thy mer­its, Lord, are mine.

Death, hell, and sin are now sub­dued;
All grace is now to sin­ners giv­en;
And lo, I plead the aton­ing blood,
And in Thy right I claim Thy Heav­en!

 

(And here’s the old tune Pentecostals know from the Redemption Hymnal.)