Our Greatest Needs: The Perfect Sacrifice (Good Friday)

The Old Testament sacrificial system demonstrated both God’s holiness and his mercy. God is holy. So when there was sin, there had to be punishment. Blood had to be shed. But God is merciful. So it wasn’t the sinner’s blood, but the blood of a substitutionary sacrifice. Throughout the Old Testament almost every time God describes the type of sacrifices he would accept, he includes the phrase “without defect or blemish.” Sacrificial animals could not be sickly or deformed but were to be ideal specimens in the prime of their life. This was to illustrate an important truth of our salvation. Only someone who is perfectly sinless can save a sinner. A mother cannot pay for her daughter’s sin, for that mother is not “without defect or blemish.” That mother has sin of her own. Salvation requires a perfect savior.

Though Jesus faced endless temptation, “He did not sin.” Jesus was the first and only human being who lived a perfect life. Therefore, he is the only person who didn’t deserve to die. Yet, today Jesus dies on a cross. “He was pierced for our transgressions,” Scripture says. Note the singular “he” and the plural “our.” If Jesus were just a perfect man, his sacrifice would only have been enough to pay for the sins of one sinful man. But Jesus is more than a perfect man. He is the perfect Son of God. That is divine blood pooling at the foot of the cross. That makes his death valuable enough to pay for the sins of the entire world. Jesus looked at a world full of sinners. He saw that we needed mercy. He fulfilled our greatest need by becoming the perfect sacrifice.

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Our Greatest Needs: Blessed Communion (Holy Thursday)

We often think of the word communion as a synonym for the Lord’s Supper. “I took communion” means “I received the Lord’s Supper.” Yet, the Latin word communionis means “community” or “association” or “sharing.” (In the creed, we speak of “the communion of saints.”) When people come together and share their lives with one another, the result is blessing—a blessed communion. And when God comes to us and shares himself with us, the result is eternal life.

But is that really possible? How can a holy God associate with people who sin every day? In a miraculous meal, God lets us share in his own flesh and blood, the very blood that was shed to atone for our sin. We celebrate this feast for the forgiveness of sins and restored unity with our Father—a blessed communion with God. But there’s more! As we share this meal together, the Lord who loved us unites us in love for one another—a blessed communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Community is often celebrated with food. When people love one another, they enjoy gathering around the dinner table. On this Holy Thursday, Jesus invites us to his table. He serves us Supper. He serves us himself. And in doing so, Jesus creates a blessed communion.

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Our Greatest Needs: A Greater Type of King (Sunday of the Passion)

Pick any head of state: the president, a prime minister, a king. Hopefully, they care about the people over whom they have authority. But even if they care, they live and operate above the people. The British royals live in a palace, not a three-bedroom ranch. The President does not fly coach. He sits in a recliner on Air Force One. There’s nothing wrong with this. Those offices are worthy of high respect. The point is these rulers live and operate above us. If a thief is breaking into your home, call 911 and see if your governor shows up. Your governor doesn’t even know your name! But, cut him some slack. He is only human.

Jesus is not. Jesus is the King of kings, God and man in one person. He knows you intimately. More! He is willing to do absolutely anything necessary to serve and protect you. We see that this Holy Week. It begins with Jesus riding a donkey colt into Jerusalem—as the prophet foretold. As this week nears its end, Jesus is given a crown of thorns. He carries a cross out of Jerusalem and is nailed to it. Placed on his cross was this sign: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The sign was partially right. Jesus is a king, just not of the Jews. He’s our King, infinitely mightier than any ruler in history, while also being infinitely humbler. King Jesus has come to save us. Those other heads of state can serve as blessings. But this is the greater type of king that we need most.

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Our Greatest Needs: Life for the Dead (Fifth Sunday in Lent)

The author and poet George Eliot once wrote, “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” The Roman philosopher Cicero said much the same. He wrote, “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” What second rate comfort! But that is the best the unbelieving world can offer—the sappy sentiment that our dead loved ones somehow “live on” in our memories. It is a sad way to attempt to cope as you walk through the cemetery.

Jesus provides a better solution to death. He promises life. One day Jesus will give your faithful dead back to you—to love and to laugh and to hug and to dance. Body and soul, living and walking in the new heaven and the new earth. How do we know Jesus can and will keep that promise? Because the Son of God descended into the darkness of death himself and emerged on Easter Sunday as the first fruit of the resurrection of all God’s people. In the creed we confess, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” Yet again, Jesus satisfies our greatest needs.

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Psalms of the Passion: Psalm 31

Join us this Lent as we enter the world of the ancient Hebrew Psalm writers as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write songs to the Lord. What were they going through, experiencing, expecting? As we ponder these Psalms during Lent, know that Jesus was pondering them too on his path to cross. Christ would be the fulfillment of all of these Messianic Psalms that were prophesying his suffering and death for our sins. As we cry out to the Lord, we find the answer to our greatest need in the Psalms, in Christ, crucified and risen.

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Our Greatest Needs: Sight for the Blind

We know that unbelief will have consequences in the future—eternal separation from God. But unbelief also has consequences now. It makes you blind, in a sense. The unbeliever is unable to see the world as it really is. That which is harmful the unbeliever considers good; that which is good he considers meaningless. The unbeliever cannot see the danger that lurks behind temptation. He cannot see the blessing contained in God’s Word. The unbeliever cannot see the tragic fate that lies in his future, and he certainly cannot see the Savior.

The Old Testament said that restoration of sight to the blind was one of the works of the Messiah. In his ministry, Jesus healed those who were physically blind. But even if our eyes work just fine, we still need Jesus to give us spiritual vision. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Christ comes to shine his light into our darkened eyes that we might see him and live. Jesus meets our greatest needs. He provides sight for the spiritually blind.

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Our Greatest Needs: Water for the Thirsty (Third Sunday in Lent)

A person can survive between one and two months without food. But a person can survive only two to three days without water. Water is one of our greatest needs. Research shows that even slight dehydration will adversely affect your mood, memory, and motor coordination. Become seriously dehydrated, and life ends quickly. This helps us understand what Scripture means when it says things like, “My soul thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:2). If one is separated from God, he is adversely affected. If he remains separated from God, he will die an agonizing eternal death.

Not all admit it; yet it remains true for all. Everyone has a deep spiritual thirst. In our heart of hearts, we all long for everlasting life. Unbelievers try to satisfy that deep thirst with worldly things, a strategy doomed for failure. Believers look to the One who has promised, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” Jesus meets our greatest needs. He alone possesses the water that satisfies those who are spiritually parched. He alone grants eternal life.

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Our Greatest Needs: A Gift for the World (Second Sunday in Lent)

When assessing the seriousness of need, one factor is how widespread that need is. A homeless individual needs food. During a famine, an entire nation needs food. It is substantially easier to meet the needs of the former than the latter! The more widespread a need, the greater the need.

When Jesus said, “No one can enter the kingdom of God,” he declared that the need for salvation is universal. He rightly condemned humanity as a whole. There is no one on the face of the earth who can make the case that they deserve God’s blessing. Yet, ages ago, God declared that all nations would be blessed. God has declared his love for the world and promised he would save the world. God’s gift of salvation is meant for all people.

Some interpret this to mean that all people will be saved in the end. This is not true. The gift of salvation is meant for the world; however, it is received by faith. “Whoever believes in him…” the Gospel says. However, the good news is that faith is also God’s gift, imparted through that gospel.

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Our Greatest Needs: A Champion for the Defeated (First Sunday in Lent)

Our modern English word “champion” comes from an old English word that meant “warrior.” In ancient times, when two armies gathered to fight, sometimes as a prelude to the battle—and sometimes in place of the battle—each army would pick a mighty solider, and these two men would fight each other. These elite warriors, these champions, would represent their people in battle. They would meet in the middle of the field. With everyone watching, they would fight to the death.

Today we are reminded of an ancient war that began in Eden. The perfect peace and prosperity of Paradise was lost when a fallen angel convinced mankind to follow the demons in rebelling against their Creator. When Adam fell, he condemned the world to darkness and death. The enemy of God claimed that the children of men now belonged to him. God was having none of it. He promised he would send forth his champion, his Son. And so, today we see a battle of champions. The demons send forth their strongest warrior—Satan. God sends forth the best of men, Jesus Christ. Jesus does what Adam and we could not. In crushing the devil, Jesus meets one of our greatest needs.

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Good Friday: 3 Days: His Punishment, Our Peace

Good Friday is very different than a funeral. At a funeral, we celebrate the blessings of someone's earthly life. But we also mourn the fact of their death. Their death is something we wish we could forget. In the case of Jesus, his death is the very thing we gather to celebrate and remember. In fact, we prolong the remembrance. We dwell on the details. We even call this day "good." For we know why Jesus willingly endured the agony of the cross. It wasn't a tragic miscarriage of justice. Jesus suffered this punishment vicariously. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. Because he did, we are now right with our holy God. Jesus' punishment is our peace.

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Holy Thursday: 3 Days: His Food, Our Fill

As the sun set on Holy Thursday, the day marked the end of something old and the start of something new. The Old Covenant, which God had established through Moses, was two-sided. God's people would follow God's commands; God would bless his people. However, rather than providing God's people the opportunity to live up to God's demands, the Old Covenant only exposed their flaws. When God established his New Covenant, it was not a two-sided contract. It was more like a will, listing all the blessings God promised graciously to give his people. No matter who you are or what you have done, the blessing of the New Covenant is "for you." Eat the food Christ offers, and all your spiritual and eternal needs are satisfied.

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Palm Sunday Worship: His Humility, Our Hope

The events of Palm Sunday might not seem pivotal to our salvation. Christ sheds no blood on this day. However, Palm Sunday sets the tone for all of Holy Week. It perfectly illustrates that Jesus came to be the kind of king this world will never understand: one who conquers his enemies by surrendering to them, one who crushes his opposition by himself being crushed, one whose path to kingly exaltation begins with humiliation. This is the kind of King we have marching into battle as one of us and for all of us this week. As a result, we are drawn to him in faith rather than driven away in fear. This humble King is our only hope.

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