GOOD FRIDAY
AT HOME
Have your communion elements ready, and start by reading through the devotionals together. Make sure to take some time answering the questions and helping to make each section apply personally.
Man’s Greatest Problem
Before the cross can become beautiful to us, our sin has to become serious to us.
Sin is not small. It is not merely imperfection. It is rebellion against a holy God. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short.
Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV) “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.’”
That is not true.
God is holy, and no matter how we look at it, we are unholy. That leaves us with a real problem. God’s holy wrath toward sin must be dealt with. He cannot simply look away. His justice must be satisfied.
- What are some areas in your own life where you have fallen short of what God expects?
- Where do you tend to minimize sin in your own life?
God’s Great Plan
The solution is Jesus.
He took on human flesh and endured the cross as the substitute for our sin. His death was in our place. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself everything we deserve for our sin and satisfied the penalty against us.
1 Pet. 2:24 tells us that Jesus “bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.”
Gal 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
Romans 5:8-9 ‘But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are offered forgiveness. God removes the charges that were against us because full payment has been made. The sinner is “set free.” That is what it means to be forgiven.
Col 2:13- 14 “And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross”
Eph 1:7 “in whom we have our redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…”
Because of the cross, we are no longer defined by our past. God does not hold it over us, and we do not have to live under it.
Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
Reflection Questions
- Do you find yourself holding onto guilt or shame that Jesus has already paid for? Where specifically?
- Take a moment to reflect and receive the forgiveness that has been fully paid for in Christ.
Our New Life
On the cross, a beautiful exchange took place. Jesus took our death so we could receive His life. He took our sin so we could receive His righteousness. He took what belonged to us so He could give us what belongs to Him.
The cross does not just forgive your past. It changes your standing. It changes your identity. It changes how God now sees you in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
To make this practical, here are three truths to remember about your new life in Jesus.
First, you are righteous.
Because of Jesus, you have right standing with God. Not because you earned it. Not because you worked for it. You are righteous because the righteousness of Christ has been given to you through faith.
Many people still picture the Christian life as a staircase, where you try harder, do better, and slowly earn your way up. The cross puts an end to that. There is no climbing your way to God. Jesus came down to us and did what we could never do.
Second, you are a child of God.
You have not only been brought into right standing, but into a relationship. You belong to Him. You do not have to prove yourself worthy of the family or work to keep your place. A child is in the family because they have been brought in and given that place. That is what God has done for you in Christ.
Third, you are loved.
Right now. Fully. Steadily. Not because you deserve it, but because of His grace.
Romans 5 reminds us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. God did not wait for a better version of you. He set His love on you in the middle of your sin. That is grace.
This is where many still struggle. We say we believe in the cross, but live as if we still need to earn God’s love and acceptance. When we do that, we lean on our own righteousness instead of His. We treat the cross as helpful, but not sufficient.
But the cross is not partial. The cross is enough.
Christian, hear this clearly: you are His child, you are loved, you are accepted, and you are righteous. The cross has said it all. Your role now is not to earn it, but to receive it.
Reflection Questions
- Which of these truths do you most need to receive todayt: righteous, loved, accepted, or a child of God?
- In what ways have you been trying to earn what Jesus has already purchased?
- Where are you still trusting your effort more than Christ’s finished work?
Communion
Tonight, we remember and celebrate what Jesus accomplished on the cross through communion. This is something Jesus Himself gave us so that we would never forget.
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Jesus gave these instructions during the Passover meal with His disciples. That meal was a celebration of how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and brought them into freedom. But in that moment, Jesus gave the elements a whole new meaning.
The bread in that meal would have been flat and unleavened. For the Jewish people, it represented the haste with which they left Egypt; they didn’t have time to let the bread rise. But Jesus points to something deeper. The unleavened bread now points us to Him, Christ, who was without sin. That bread, when baked, would appear bruised, pierced, even striped, and Scripture tells us in Isaiah 53 that His body would be the same. His body was bruised. His body was pierced. His body bore the weight of the cross. And He did it with us in mind. It was love that held Him there. Love for you and love for me. When you take the bread, remember: His body was given for you.
The Passover meal also included several cups, each with a different meaning. The cup Jesus lifted was known as the cup of redemption, reminding them that God had rescued them from slavery. But again, Jesus gives it a deeper meaning. Now it points to a new covenant, a new agreement between God and His people. Because of His blood, our sins are forgiven, our hearts are changed, and we are brought into a close relationship with God. As Jeremiah says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more… I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts… I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” This is what the blood of Jesus has secured. When you take the cup, remember: His blood was shed for you.
“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
1 Corinthians 11:27–29
Paul reminds us to come to the table with reverence. God is not asking us to be worthy; none of us could ever be. Jesus did not go to the cross because we were worthy. What He is looking for is a worthy manner, and that means we come honestly. We examine our hearts. We recognize our sin. We acknowledge our need for a Savior. We come to the foot of the cross not trying to prove ourselves, but admitting we need Him. So before you take communion, take a moment. Sit before the Lord. Examine your heart. Confess anything that needs to be confessed. Lay your life before Him. Because we come to the table in two ways: first, as givers, giving Him our confession, our brokenness, our lives in surrender; and then, as receivers, receiving His mercy, His grace, and the forgiveness He has already paid for.
Before you take the bread and the cup, take a quiet moment and ask:
- Is there sin I need to confess?
- Is there anything I’ve been holding onto that I need to lay down?
- Where have I been striving instead of trusting in what Jesus has already done?
- What do I want to thank Him for tonight?
- What is He inviting me to receive right now: grace, forgiveness, peace, freedom?
- Sit with those questions for a moment before the Lord.
Then take the bread. Pause and thank Him for it.
Take the cup. Pause and thank Him for it.
Close in prayer and worship. Amen.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tonight we remember the cross. We remember the weight of our sin and the cost of our redemption.
But the story is not over.
Sunday is coming.
The grave will not hold Him. Death will not win. Jesus rose, and because He lives, we have life, hope, and a future.
The cross paid for our sin. The resurrection proves the victory.
