Good Friday || Victory Church [Holy Week #5]

Hello victory family, welcome to our Good Friday of our Holy Week streaming. We're glad that you're here with us tonight My name is Stephen Hathaway. I am here with Liz Mendoza. I'm very honored to be here with you Happy Good Friday, and I'm excited to introduce our special guest Vance Smith I am super excited to be here today with the family the victory family at large and my family here in the studio This is a good time. Yeah, it is. It is a lot for us to think about and process Thank you to everybody who have been a part of this entire journey We have had guests every single night and some great great conversation But Vance there might be some people here who have never met you before Yeah, so share with them a little bit about what you do here at victory. Yes So I am the young adults pastor for victory. So for 18 to 30 year olds I'm the resident young adult pastor at our Norcross campus, and I also help to oversee Our other young adult ministries at all of our campuses, so yes myself and my wife Gabrielle if you're watching hello taking care of Young babies Thank you, yes, they are they are energetic Good driving you crazy. That's what young That's great Good for you, and you said there's three more coming right to your house That's right no news Well, we have a couple things we want to put on your radar So you just remember that it's not just us that we're gonna be watching the video and talking about it tonight We want all of you to be a part as well. So whether you're on Facebook YouTube are the website We have loved the comments and the questions that we've been getting every single night on YouTube We have Denise we have back lane Mariah Mosher Jocelyn Thank you all for being here with us tonight We really love and feel like you have even changed the way that our conversations have been going every single night as we watch these Videos and process them together, but we want to also let you know that tonight is is an intense video Yeah, yeah, it's one that is as we're talking about the crucifixion We just want to put a little bit of a blip on your radar that as you're watching There's gonna be some at least for us some very high emotions as you remember what it was that Jesus went through for us today

So maybe you have some family member and friends that have been asking you questions about Easter Maybe they can drop some in the chat or maybe you have some people who live in the house with you that you would like To invite to come and be into the living room right now because it is very very powerful I think one of my favorites that we've had all week. So go ahead and hit that share button on Facebook Yeah, YouTube are the website even text the link to invite somebody to be a part and let's wash our We're on the sixth night. I believe of our Holy Week experience as we watch our Good Friday experience Oh My father if it is possible may this cup be taken from him Yes, not as I will but as you will I can feel the weight of the world on my shoulders Every single sin of my sons and my daughters Breaking me Father Please My will ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ because the Romans created crucifixion to inflict maximum pain and maximum humiliation. How did they do it? Crosses were placed on the side of the street at eye level so that those passing by could look at the ones being murdered eye to eye. And there was no little cloth covering your most private parts. And it was no exception for Jesus. Jesus was murdered on the side of the road at eye level, nude. The prophet Isaiah prophesies about this moment years before in Isaiah 53. He said, he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces,

he was despised and we esteemed him not. We esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds, we're healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him, Jesus, the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open up his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgression of my people, he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth, he was sinless. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. When we understand the why of this moment, we can see the beauty in it.

The beauty, yeah, yeah, the beauty. That this was God's plan. The plan to restore creation back to her creator. That sin must be punished and the wages of sin is death. So something had to come and die for our sin. So Jesus came and died, what in our place? In fact, Jesus says this in John 12, 27. He said that this was the reason why he came to begin with. Like he came to lay down his life for us. That at the cross, Jesus took on every disgusting, wretched, shameful, wicked, unmentionable sin that we have ever done, that mankind has ever committed. In fact, later on in the third century, Saint Athanasius, he said that Jesus, he became what we are, that we might become what he is. Jesus became sin so we could become holy. And he did it for you and he did it for me. Jesus even said so, right? He said, my body broken for you. My blood poured out for you. That he was rejected so you would never have to be. He was despised so you could be adored. He was beaten so you could be healed. He was pierced so you could be whole. He was crushed so you could be restored. He was humiliated so you could be honored. He was punished so you could know peace. He was oppressed so you could be free. He was found guilty so we could be found innocent forever more.

Only blood can take away sin. And Jesus made sure that there would never need to be another sacrifice because he was the final sacrifice. And today we accept that sacrifice. So now we can look back on the brutality of this moment and see the beauty in it. Because Jesus died on the cross in our place for the glory of the father. Today we can remember his sacrifice and we call it good. Good. This is a good Friday because on this day the only good one did the greatest good that history has ever known. And there on that cross, Jesus takes one final step. breath. And he utters a simple declaration that shakes heaven, earth, and hell below. It's the declaration that ages past had been groaning for. It's the declaration that our forgiveness even hinges on today. With his last breath Jesus declares, it is finished. The price for sin has now been paid with God's very life. And with that declaration, Jesus gives up his spirit. So with sorrow and joy in our voice today, we say, it is a good Friday. What a powerful and a very, very sobering reminder. This is the whole reason why we wanted to spend this Holy Week with you, so that we just didn't go through these days as normal, but that we really paused and took a moment for the Holy Spirit to bring back to remembrance all that Jesus paid for for us. And I've already seen some great comments in the chat. Like Janice, you put down that your daughter said to you, Mommy, let's let's get ready to cry as we go watch this. We were right there along with you. And also, Rosie, you said something that just grabbed me as well on the website about how it makes you cry every time you think about what Jesus went through for us. Hosanna in the highest. Now, this is this is the kind of love that causes us to be

willing to follow Jesus all over again and to sign up. Right. Like on the first day when we gave our life to him. So as we begin to process and we continue to think about all these things together, just remember, we're going to be taking some questions from you. I already I already see a few in the chat. So make sure that you continue to put them in or even just put down what you feel like the Lord is revealing to you in this moment. And Vance, I want to kick it off with you, friend. Yeah. So one of the things that we wanted to at least begin to think through with this video is one, what kind of emotions were being raised up in your own mind, in your own thoughts as we watched that? Well, you use the term sober. And for me, that that's pretty much what I was. It was a sobering reality, a sobering reminder of the reality of what Jesus went through, you know, and the crucifixion, you know, I think it's something that we are all familiar with to a certain degree. The cross is so closely affiliated with our faith and we all know the passages. And even as somebody who preaches regularly like I preach salvation, I preach the cross regularly. But in watching that video and then even hearing Pastor Johnson's explanation of it, for me, the emotions are. For me, it's weird that I would say the word refreshing, but I feel like a refreshing sobriety being brought back to the reality of the price that was paid for me. And just I think one of the things that I'm being reminded of in watching it is just that it's all about Christ, like it's not about my good works. And I think that, you know, you get into a certain level of time or even work in ministry level, whatever it is, length of discipleship. And you can get so focused on what you're doing and your works. And and it's not that we don't want to do good works and it's not that we don't want to live lives of obedience and seeking to please God. We understand those things. But for me, it was a refreshing reminder that I cannot save myself and that Jesus is grace for me is. Unimaginable, and so I'm refreshed is in a very serious, I feel like in a sober way, I'm refreshed. Does that make sense? Yeah. Yeah, it does. I mean, I think it's a it's what reminds us that there's no way we could have done this on our own. Yeah, there's no price that we could have ever paid, nothing that we could

have done to have saved ourselves. It was literally the grace of God. So nobody can boast or brag about it. So having that wash over us again is like. Wow, thank you, Jesus, because they said over and over, there is no other way. There is no other path. There is no other choice. Like there's no other way for this to take place. And I was just thinking of just the culmination of the ages coming together here. You have where it was prophesied and, you know, around 750 B.C. that Isaiah was writing. And he's like, who am I even writing about? You know, there's in in Isaiah. It's just this person, this mysterious figure is just referred to as the suffering servant. But like there's this confusion. as to what this even means and how this relates to the messiah because it was also different than how they expected the messiah to um how this was connected to him because they're expecting this reigning king and so you see all this mystery surrounding it and then and then you see this moment where jesus is is actually at like the culmination of what was always planned and always prophesied from genesis where where god prophesies about the serpent and eve's uh offspring and then you see now that jesus is feeling the weight of this moment in the garden where this is why he came but you also see him experiencing the pain of even anticipating the pain and how man i think one of the other things that i was thinking of was just the fact that god could have chosen any point in human history to insert himself into and jesus could have taken on human flesh at any point in human history the fact that he chose this barbaric time where they're just flogging and crucifying people uh as the point to insert himself in because i mean if he came now he would have got what the electric chair or you know something but like at that point because they're not doing crucifixions anymore but the most painful way to die ever

created on the planet in human history is where jesus chose to insert himself in human history to pay the price for our sins yeah yeah it's those kinds of facts that cause us to go there's so much to the cross there's so much to the crucifixion when you when you look at the prophecies the fact that crucifixion was prophesied hundreds of years before it was even created and then perfected by the romans yeah and that that the scriptures prophesied that that jesus was going to have his hands pierced yeah even before anybody had thought of that kind yeah of method of punishment yeah there's there's so many things as we look at even as jesus was in the garden as he was praying and just saying all right lord father let please let this pass by me but i will still follow in obedience for you someone put down um and in the chat that i thought was was real helpful that he was even just remembering that the passage a scripture says he would be beaten so bad that it would be difficult for us to recognize him as a human yeah crazy that's that kind of of sacrifice reminds me of romans 12 where it talks about that jesus scorned the shame of the cross and that's that is some heavy emotion yeah that our savior felt scorning like knowing that what was going to happen to him as johnson mentioned that he would be nude in front of everyone and beat into a pulp yeah that he he scorned it he's like i do not want to go through this which i feel like leads us to one of the questions that was put into the chat so earl williamson won our way that i'd like for us to go through and let's all kind of jump in and see how we can process and think through this question how do we navigate the weight of a sacrificial obedience in today's society because that does kind of motivate you when you see that kind of willing sacrifice

that jesus was able to go through there is that challenge of man what what kind of love and obedience am i walking in yeah even in my own life so earl thanks for sending us that way how do we navigate the weight of a sacrificial obedience in today's society i think we can even look to jesus as a perfect example yeah because he prayed not my will but yours yeah and um i think to your point of it just being so sober so so sobering um yeah jesus didn't want to do that he did however all the pain all the suffering yeah and i think we can dive down we could probably just there's a lot of uh different facts and everything to that we could go over and we'd be here for three hours probably um because it was a long period of time it was 36 hours worth of just suffering um and pain um and this was not this was um this was no stranger to um the soldiers who beat him crucifixion was of that time yeah and they actually to your point pastor i think you said earlier they perfected it um so all that to say uh i think we can look absolutely uh at jesus's heart posture before it um and just be praying that that we'd be willing to do it yeah as well yeah yeah it reminds me of a time when jesus was talking to the disciples and he said to them listen if if i have to go through some horrible suffering don't feel like the servant is is better than the master Yeah, all of us the road of suffering is something that we all have to to endure for those of us who have made a decision To follow the Lord. It's not all sunshine. Yeah and rainbows. There's real sacrifice that he calls us to I remember a Friend of mine told me this and it's stuck in my mind about what it looks like to submit at times that submission Really doesn't look like submission unless it stinks Yeah, because that's when that's when it's really hard to do Yeah, and so when we think about to your question or what does that look like for us today?

I think we have to ponder and pray like man our Lord went through so much for us and while we're not Asking for suffering. Yeah, we know that it helps to perfect our faith. Yeah and perfect our praise So if there's something out there Lord that you might be calling us to do that might not be easy Yeah, let's remember the the model that our Lord set for us. Yeah, and that's one That's not necessarily adopted by many many religions today. Yeah To know that there's nothing that we could do that would be enough Like this is why Jesus went through exactly what he went through. Yeah, I Don't know like I I don't want this to become action-based I think what I love about Good Friday, or I mean the whole of Holy Week is just to remember and to reflect And to know like my goodness we are not we didn't deserve any of this we don't deserve grace we don't deserve Freedom we don't deserve Just the love of Of God sending his only son his perfect son to take our place. Yeah, there's so many different on this day on Good Friday There's so many different examples. I'm thinking of when Jesus When he was captured well one what I love about the video is it portrays the stress that he was under yeah So that's like one just awesome humanity Picture that we could kind of fathom in our own humanity But then while he was captured they actually went to pilot Yeah, and that and there we meet a character that kind of interrupted the story Barabbas. Yeah, who is the other prisoner? That basically when the people said we want Jesus crucified we want him to die because he's saying that he is Messiah Who does he think he is? Yeah pilot was the man who was making these decisions. He was troubled about this because Like a perfect man who's only brought good who's only healed who's only loved who's only taught good things Compared to a man a murderer. Yeah a bat like he's just A crook or a thug in the in those days And the people said we want Barabbas back. Yeah, like crucify Jesus like do your thing with Jesus and then the whole timeline or the whole experience of just the crucifixion then like the beating and the scourging and the

Caring of the cross. Yeah, there's so many different Emotions and Examples of what we could just dive into yeah It's insane. Yeah Yeah Yeah that's something that as we process even as pastor Dennis was here for those of you who were with us earlier in the week and Maybe you had a chance to see pastor as he was with us process a spy Wednesday If you didn't see that all these videos of the entire Holy Week experience are found on YouTube and as he was telling us his story about what it was like when he realized how much of a sinner he was and how Much he had been forgiven. He's like, how could I not but follow Jesus with my entire life? So while we process and reflect on what this means, it's almost like a natural byproduct of us to go All right, Lord sign me up. I'm ready to go. How how can I follow you with my life? How can I think through what you're calling me to with my life today? All right So here's something that I want to grab from you friend that maybe you can kind of speak to as a new dad Yeah, and we think through what our father was going going through our Heavenly Father. Yeah What what does it mean for you processing having these these kids are everything to you now, right? Isn't it crazy how much your heart changes when children comes into your life? It's yeah, it's it's unbelievable the love that God unlocks in us Well, what is it like for you now thinking through what it was like for our father sending a son? Yeah, I mean I have a whole new perspective on the relationship between Jesus and the father in having my own son and it's hard for me to Really wrap my head around why that would be the plan. Yeah, you know and It makes sense why The word says God so loved the world that he gave His only son because what greater sacrifice could you really make?

For me, I mean all the details, the idea that this is the Son of God Himself that lived a sinless life and then to have his life, well he laid it down, but to have his life taken from him as he laid it down in the way that he did, it's hard for me to wrap my head around because when you have a child, I mean all you want is to preserve and protect that child. It's like a parental instinct. Yeah, like all you want is for them to have the best experience, not to curate a bad experience, and so for me, you know, that's why I'm glad we have the whole Council of the Word, you know, because it even talks about that for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, and there are so many things that came on the other side of the crucifixion that it makes it make a little bit more sense to me because what the Father did was he not only accomplished for us what we could never accomplish for ourselves, but he also, through the sacrifice of his son, gave his son a gift that he could have no other way, and so there was no way he could have a people redeemed to himself without doing this. We are the bride of Christ. The Father brought a bride to his son through this. It wasn't just, okay, I'm sacrificing my son, and he's got to go through this, and too bad for him, this is for everybody else. Yeah, it's like we also see the Word tell us that God did this so that he could show us the riches of his grace and kindness in ages to come, and so there is a present age that we're in that we're still waiting on Christ to return, right? But then the Word tells us that there's ages to come where we'll actually see why this happened, like the riches and kindness of God's grace that we'll be exposed to, and for me, that's where the parental piece starts to make a little bit more sense, why you would have your son go through something so difficult, because of also what he's going to be able to experience, because he went and he ascended back to the right hand of the Father, and it, yes, he went back to what he always had, but he didn't go back to only what he always had. He now has a whole church, a whole people redeemed to himself. The imago Dei restored, like the people that he created for himself to have relationship with now can actually be with him for all of eternity, and without that, without his sacrifice, Jesus would have no bride. Not that he

couldn't make one for himself. I'm pretty sure that he could figure that out, but I see from a parental standpoint, for me, I think that it's a beautiful story that God has told and revealed and unfolded for himself and for us, that he created us for him, not just to be here by ourselves, and then he redeemed us and restored us to him, so that we can always be with him. That's great, and I think that's how I process as a father as well. I mean, it's neat how the Lord takes moments of our own journey with him as we continue to grow as people, and even reveal different characteristics about himself. So here's something that somebody put down that I loved to our earlier question. The weight of a sacrificial obedience. Today, don't be afraid to look crazy, to be laughed at, to be thought of being too holy or too more like Jesus than Peter or others are willing to lose in this world. And that was life with Allie. I love that comment. That's powerful. Just realizing that if Jesus was willing to lay it all down, man, what a joy for us to be willing to be able to serve him in that kind of way. So also Kristen put down, I had never thought about the perspective of God restoring us for the benefit of Christ, too, as he was building his own bride. There are so many different levels of what our Lord is doing that just goes even beyond that. So here's another question that I want to run by all of us, and even for those of you who are watching. This whole point of the video was so that we could think and process, but when we get to April or summertime or fall, what are some things that we can do as believers to still kind of hold on to the weight and stay connected so that it's not just the Friday before the resurrection, the Friday before Easter, that we continue to think about and reflect on what the Lord has done for us? I know for me, What I know I'm gonna be walking away with is just a, again, a refreshed sense of God's grace. I know that we understand the gospel is good news. And for me, that the sense of the goodness of that news is kind of being restored and renewed.

And for me, I feel like that can flow into every area of my life. But just being reminded of God's love for me, God's love for humanity, God's love for us, and the grace that he would have to put this immaculate, complex plan in place just to restore us. I mean, this was, like you mentioned, I mean, everything from Psalm 22, prophesying the crucifixion, all these things for me are reminders of God's love, that this didn't just happen by accident, it didn't happen randomly. God has always had a plan for our good. And that good is available to us, not based on our performance, not based on how we're feeling that day, not based on anything outside of us receiving what Jesus has already provided for us. So for me, I feel like not walking in condemnation. You know, I think that a lot of us still easily struggle with that. Just feeling like, are we doing enough? I mean, I can think of so many thoughts of my own friends, young adults. One of them is this weight that we often feel to be doing enough for the kingdom, right? Once we are saved, am I doing enough for God? Am I doing what God wants me to be doing? And I mean, I think that's a question

that we all should be asking in some ways, but not to the point that it makes us anxious and it's unhealthy, and we feel like we're always missing the mark. To me, this is a reminder of, man, no matter how much I do and have the blessed opportunity to do, it pales in comparison to what Jesus has done for me. And I need to focus a little bit more time on making sure I'm receiving that and walking in that and living from that than just trying to do things for the kingdom. Does that make sense? It makes sense. Yeah, it absolutely does. I wanna reference something that Jessica just put into the chat. This Easter and after, I'm holding on to the intimacy, freedom, and the power God offers me through his finished work. And that word finished is a big deal because it reminds us that when Jesus said it is finished on this day that we reflect on, that means there's nothing else that we can do to help him along the way. It's something that he did for us. And it's not like that shame you're talking about of, oh, maybe if I feed enough of the poor, if I do all these good works, Paul pretty much slapped that around

in 1 Corinthians 13, like you can't do enough good works out there. Love and loving our father and loving others. That's what's important to him. All right, Liz, I have something that I want you to share. Of course. It's because when we're talking about how we can reflect on what the Lord did for us, I think that one of the things that you do, even in watching the Passion consistently every year, I feel like it's good for us to think of ways of things that we can do after Holy Week or even when Easter comes around next year, finding things that we can incorporate to remind ourselves. Like, I'm grateful for communion, what a great reminder the Lord naturally gave us with that. But when I heard what you did just a couple months ago, I thought, that is so cool. I think that will bless others if they would have a chance to hear about it. Can you remind me what I was talking with you about? Because there's a lot, there's a lot. Yeah, she has a lot of specific things that she does leading up to Easter. And one of them is going into the Passion and having that be something that you watch and reflect. Yeah, absolutely. So what he's referring to is, it's actually, as we mentioned, the word sobering, or this is very refreshing,

or just super very front-forward way of thinking. I stumbled upon this tradition of mine. I actually watched the movie Passion of the Christ. I'm learning, I'm one of the very few who do that. So any time, any person who I'm like, hey, like have you seen this movie? They're like, mm, one and done. One and done. And I've had some friends who are like, actually, well, you guys are a little older than me, I'm not gonna lie. But you watch it in theaters, which is, that's insane. And I think for me, and this is in no way saying you all should watch this movie every single year. Not at all. This is just me sharing my perspective, my experience. I do that because I think there's such a power in having a visualization. We often talk about Good Friday, and some touch base on Holy Saturday, and then we celebrate Easter, Easter Sunday. And I think absolutely, this is. But I think what kind of brought me to this and where I got a little more curious of what actually occurred during that time. Vance, you actually helped me. For those of you who don't know, Vance Smith, he used to be only a small group leader. I say only because he's a huge deal. But I mean, you were phenomenal the way that you were, yeah, for youth ministry. The way that you just invested and poured into people. We led a small group together. And it was around Easter time. He kind of sparked a conversation about how to remember and to reflect. And he actually went through the medical examination. Because again, it's youth students, but also their high school. And they, I mean, they're sponges.

And so was I. I was a little younger than I am now. And you sparked up my curiosity. And with that, I just wanted to learn so much of what Jesus went through. Because I think for me, that just made it all the real. It made the experience, it made the word come alive. I began wanting so much to have more perspective. So the movie I watch, another tradition that I do and that I would probably encourage you to do first, would just be to go through the Gospels around this time. And you get different perspectives. This time, especially, I feel like Jesus has definitely showed his face to me more. He's opened up his heart, posture a little more as I've been just diving into all the different, all the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And I'm often curious now. And even I'm so honored to be here with you all just to imagine what exactly did you go through? Yeah. Like factually, you know, yeah, actually. Yeah. But then emotionally, like, what were you going through? Yeah. And so in the video you saw, he was praying, oh, God, this is my breaking. Like, please take this cup from me, please. And but your will be done. He actually, scripture would tell us that he actually was so stressed out, he would sweat blood. Yeah. There's medical terms there. There's a lot of other research as well. But such anxiety, such stress. And then, yeah, I'm a crazy person and go through the medical examination of what it looks like and what it sounds like that Jesus went through. I think it's because it's so eye opening for me and so sobering for me to realize. God really did love me. Yeah. And to your point of he sent his only son, especially as from a perspective of a father, knowingly knowing what he was going to go through. Yeah. And even Jesus and the agony. And then it's almost a little glimpse of, I'm imagining all the different thought processes that he was going through, whether it was prophetic or whether it was because just, yeah, the agony. Anyhow, that's a little of my tradition, a little sneak peek of what I do. And I'm learning it's it's not often done. And I still encourage friends to do that just because I think. My goodness, am I celebrating so much more in my own faith or in my own journey on Easter Sunday? Yeah. So long answer, but just a little glimpse of Lisbon does is quite during Easter, especially. I think there's a ton of value to that. Yeah, there is. Yeah.

But to your question, like, how can we find traditions? I think the same thing. Like, I'm actually encouraged. Like, how can I do this? How can I have this kind of excitement or this motivation to want to see Jesus face? I'm looking for his personality in scriptures. Yeah. He was funny. Oh, my gosh. Like, I think if you ask him, like, God, because the word is alive. Yeah. If we show me where your personality is, because he's he's very human. I feel like I'm a broken record if you guys have been with me throughout this holy week. But man, it's he's so awesome. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. It's an amazing good God. I think that's a really cool way. To intentionally stay engaged with scripture and honestly, to pull some of the best insights out of it, asking questions like. What was this person going through aside from just reading about the crucifixion, reading any scripture? What was this person going through? What was that? What was that experience actually like? And I think I know I grow a lot personally through asking those questions. And just something as simple as like what you just said, him him actually being OK, we see that, OK, he's he's sweat blood. But that came from such intense stress and he had to do this is the medical term, man. And that was only that has only been recorded a dozen times. Man in history. So that's crazy as far as we know, but that's crazy and Because of what he was anticipating and what he was battling mentally and I think being able to observe that and and remember that helps to Keep our eyes focused on the right things and honestly for me it I'm always encouraged Being reminded of the the price that was paid for me, you know and the value That God placed on me and I'm reminded of the scriptures that say that I was bought with a price yeah, and to look at that and even like what you're saying down to the the details of the crucifixion when I learned that the scourging really probably should have killed him in and of itself and That his body was likely already going into shock from the flogging and then he carried the cross all the way to the hill is like Those are the things That I feel like I get endless value from From seeing the price that was paid for me the value that God has placed on me

But then also just the strength and power of our God like I think I think sometimes just like pastor Johnson mentioned in the video You see these paintings and artistic renderings Man what a strong Powerful guy like yeah, but what you're saying he he wasn't just some dry gentle speaking person he had he had personality He had humor. He had seriousness and clearly he had endurance and strength the fact that he Anticipated all that and then he endured it. He saw it through he didn't tap out At any point when his body was literally shutting down on him until I mean even pastor Johnson talking about him About it being maximum pain and maximum humiliations that it's this slow torturous death where you're actually suffocating to death slowly and To see The the reality of man he was he went through all that then he's on the side of the road Slowly Suffocating to death and just that that's what he went through for me that the level of Humility to come down to that space of just going through that pain and waiting having to wait for it all to To complete that it wasn't just an instant thing He's just having to sit there and be looked at and be laughed at be mocked And then asking father forgive them. They don't know what they're doing Yeah, yeah, I think it's such a full circle for me because a lot of what you just processed I was taken back to the small group meeting. I just you know, I think it made it so real What Vance is referring to is whenever Jesus was on the cross. He had the suffocation whenever Thieves or Prisoners were on those who those who were crucified their arms would be up and so they would actually have to push So the nails would be in the hands. They'd have to push up in order to get a breath in Yeah, which is interesting. I think as I was going through this this time this Easter around that's to me made his words that much more powerful and that much more Special to me because of what he had to go through to save them Especially what he's saying yeah father like so he's agonizing in pain

Just his bones are out of joint and shoulders are just open elbows and wrists against some really unfinished What I'm imagining this is not your pottery barn finish what this is just splinters against flesh yeah, and then saying please forgive them for that, you know what they're doing and Then knowing that he and God actually made the choice to give up his life Wow. So, you know Yeah The enemy did not win. Yeah death was not The winner here and I'm just I'm so grateful and it is finished. Yeah, you know, it's cool Colossians tells us that he Triumphed over the kingdom of darkness in broad daylight and and actually made a spectacle of them Through what he did on the cross because our debt was nailed to the cross And so he it says he disarmed the powers and the authorities and made a spectacle of them Triumphing over them. So it's like you see him going through this excruciating literally pain and this humiliation but in the spiritual realm It's it's actually the devil in the entire kingdom of darkness. They're being made a spectacle of he's humiliating Totally Taking away all of their power which was their ability to condemn us and accuse us The Bible tells us that the enemy is the accuser of the brethren and accuses us day and night And now he is nailed our everything that we've been accused of has been nailed to the cross paid for in Incomplete it's it's totally paid for and so I love God Yeah, what what kind of human intellect could put this type of plan together And executed a story woven throughout all of human history man. Yeah, it's it's it's incredible And I some of you put some comments down that I think was really great about how you continue to process even outside of this week like Jessica you had mentioned about how this Easter and after You're holding on to this intimacy and freedom and power that God offers you through the cross Someone else put down that they are going to journal and spend time worshiping outside of this Someone put down that they that they as a family would I know you watched the passion which I loved You being able to explain that another family said they watched the Ten Commandments to remember Which is just anything we can do to continue to to realign our heart to put it into a place Where we can say, you know, Lord, we're not going to forget we're not going to go with the busyness of our life But we will intentionally pause and remember reading through these passages of the scripture over and over again

And I do that as well. I'll go through each year all the different examples in the Gospels And what's weird is even though I've done this for you know, since I was a believer as a And as a teenager, I still find new things that the Holy Spirit brings to my recollection Or just kind of says, hey, what about this aspect? Yeah that you hadn't considered before? Yeah, that's really cool what you just said pastor knowing because we've kind of like had some conversation about it And we've only touched almost the brim. Yeah, I feel like yeah, we could be here again for three hours. We won't but I think knowing just even the very little of what he's gone through and we've unpacked it a little bit tonight To your point pastor the least that we could do in love is forget It's not forget the least that we could do is just remember. Yeah Like that's all we yeah, that's really not just forget Yeah, you know things that we can do to make sure that doesn't happen I think bless him and that's the way that we worship And so we have tomorrow as we're talking about what we're going to do Tomorrow as we're talking about what it was like for Jesus to process. I'm very excited about Saturday night at 7 o'clock We're going live again. We're gonna stream our Easter services on Sunday But tomorrow we're continuing our Holy Week experience and we're bringing in the guest Israel Piotr He is probably one of the most foremost grief experts that I know that does a great He's one of our counselors here at the church and helps people process what it's like when they're going through loss So tomorrow we're gonna think about what was that like for the disciples to process grief? Probably the worst grief that they had ever experienced in their life So maybe maybe you know somebody that could be blessed by that We invite you to come hang out with us again tomorrow at 7 and then with just a couple days away Easter is going to be a powerful time together Easter services started tonight at Norcross at 7 o'clock there They're happening right now. We also have some services tomorrow night If you are in the Atlanta area and you can't make it on Sunday tomorrow night is a great time to do it Here's a QR code on the screen that you can scan to see all the different locations that we have in the Atlanta area And all the extra services that we've adopted for you to be able to come out and be a part of as well This is this is a time and and the experience has been put together that you do not want to miss And that you don't want your family and friends to miss as well This is the the best time of the year to invite someone that you love a co-worker to come out and be a part of our services

Whether it's at our Norcross campus, Midtown, Hamilton Mill or North Coyle We are ready for you to come and spend this time with us And Vance and we had we had I think our longest night so far because it was so much I loved it great great conversation Man that was good. Thank you guys for happy to be here putting in your comments and your questions That was great. We're expecting some really good ones tomorrow as well. Thanks for being here. Everybody. We'll see you again tomorrow night at 7 p.m