New Life Bible Fellowship Church
Good Friday 2026
1 Corinthians 2:1–8ESV
Matthew 27:27–50ESV
Isaiah 53:1–6ESV
- At The Cross
- The Power Of The Cross
Isaiah 53:7–12ESV
- Introduction:When Paul came to Corinth, he made a deliberate decision. He told them about it in the passage we've been studying: "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). Think about what Paul is saying. He arrived in one of the most sophisticated, cosmopolitan cities in the Roman Empire — a city that prized rhetoric, philosophy, and worldly wisdom — and he resolved to talk about one thing: a crucified man. Why? Because Paul understood something the rulers and philosophers and power brokers of this world did not: the cross is not the failure of God's plan — it is the fulfillment of it. Tonight, on Good Friday, we stand at the foot of that cross. And I want us to see what Paul saw: not weakness, not defeat, not tragedy — but the hidden wisdom of God unveiled, the very power by which you and I are saved.Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-8 & Matthew 27:27-50
1 Corinthians 2:1–8 ESV 1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.Matthew 27:27–50 ESV 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.Main Idea: The cross is not a tragedy that God redeemed — it is the very wisdom of God, the "secret and hidden wisdom" that none of the rulers of this age understood, and it is the place where sin was finally and fully dealt with.I. The Rulers Did Not Understand (1 Cor. 2:6–8; Matt. 27:27–31)Paul speaks of "a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (1 Cor. 2:7). The cross was not Plan B. It was decreed before the ages — before creation itself.1 Corinthians 2:7 ESV 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8). Pilate, Herod, the Sanhedrin, the Roman soldiers mocking Him with a purple robe and crown of thorns — they all thought they were in control. They were instruments in the hands of sovereign wisdom.1 Corinthians 2:8 ESV 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.Matthew 27:27–31 shows us the soldiers' mockery: they bowed before Him in jest, not knowing they were enacting a cosmic truth. They dressed the King of the universe in a robe and crown, thinking it a joke. It was the most serious moment in history.Matthew 27:27–31 ESV 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.II. The Servant Bore Our Sins (Isa. 53:4–6, 10; Matt. 27:45–46)Isaiah 53:4–6 is the theological commentary on what happened at Calvary: "He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed."Isaiah 53:4–6 ESV 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 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.The three hours of darkness (Matt. 27:45) were not mere meteorological phenomena — they were the outward sign of God's judgment falling on His Son in our place. The cry of abandonment — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46) — is the most devastating and glorious sentence ever spoken. The eternal Son experienced the abandonment we deserved.Matthew 27:45 ESV 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.Matthew 27:46 ESV 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”Isaiah 53:10 adds the staggering truth: "It was the will of the LORD to crush him." This was not merely human injustice — it was divine purpose. The Father crushed the Son so that He would never have to crush you.Isaiah 53:10 ESV 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.III. Christ Crucified Is the Power and Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 2:1–5; Matt. 27:50)Paul's "weakness and much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:3) in Corinth mirrored the apparent weakness of the cross. But Paul understood that God's power is revealed precisely in what looks weak: "that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:5).1 Corinthians 2:3 ESV 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,1 Corinthians 2:5 ESV 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.When Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit (Matt. 27:50), the world saw a defeated man dying. Heaven saw the debt of sin paid in full. Hell saw its power broken. The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom — God Himself ripping open access to His presence.Matthew 27:50 ESV 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.The cross is where every attribute of God meets: justice and mercy, holiness and love, wrath and grace. It is the wisdom of God because only God could devise a plan where He Himself satisfies His own righteous requirements on behalf of the guilty. This is what Paul couldn't stop talking about. This is what we must never get over.So What?Do we understand that the cross is God's deliberate plan, not an accident?We often speak of the cross sentimentally. Good Friday calls us to see it theologically. God ordained it before the ages (1 Cor. 2:7). Isaiah prophesied every detail centuries in advance. Nothing about Calvary was accidental. This means your salvation rests not on the fragile decisions of men but on the unshakeable decree of God.Do we understand that we are to let the cross search our hearts about sin?If it took the crushing of the Son of God to deal with sin, we dare not treat it lightly. The darkness, the cry of abandonment, the blood — these are the measure of what sin costs. Do not walk away from this service tonight and return to patterns of sin you've been excusing. The cross says sin is more serious than you've ever imagined, and grace is more costly than you've ever conceived.Do we understand that we are to rest our faith in the power of God, not the wisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5)?In a world full of competing philosophies, self-help strategies, and cultural wisdom, the message of a crucified Savior still sounds foolish. But it is the only message with the power to save. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't try to dress it up. Resolve with Paul to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1–8ESV
Matthew 27:27–50ESV
1 Corinthians 2:6–8ESV
Matthew 27:27–31ESV
1 Corinthians 2:7ESV
1 Corinthians 2:8ESV
Matthew 27:27–31ESV
Isaiah 53:4–6ESV
Isaiah 53:10ESV
Matthew 27:45–46ESV
Isaiah 53:4–6ESV
Matthew 27:45ESV
Matthew 27:46ESV
Isaiah 53:10ESV
1 Corinthians 2:1–5ESV
Matthew 27:50ESV
1 Corinthians 2:3ESV
1 Corinthians 2:5ESV
Matthew 27:50ESV
- When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
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