Thesis
Good Friday — the day Jesus was tortured, bore the full weight of human sin, and died on the cross — is called 'good' because in that darkness God accomplished the deepest possible good: He absorbed His own judgment so we would not have to, and He tore the curtain separating us from His presence. Pastor Bill argues that this same logic applies to every dark day in our lives: when we remember the cross, cry out honestly like Jesus did, and walk through the torn curtain into relationship with God rather than staying in the rubble of our circumstances, the darkest days can do the deepest good in us.
Key points
- 1
When life gets dark, remember His cross — the darkness that fell on Jesus was God's judgment landing on Him instead of on us, so darkness in your life is not proof that God has abandoned you.
- 2
When you feel alone, remember His cry — Jesus cried out 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' showing that honest, feeling-filled prayer is not a lack of faith but faith in the dark.
- 3
When God feels far away, remember His curtain — the temple curtain torn from top to bottom means God Himself opened the room; if He feels distant, it is not from His side but because we are choosing to stay in the rubble rather than entering His presence.
- 4
Dark days become good days when we take our sin seriously AND embrace the depth of God's love — refusing either side keeps us stuck in the rubble.
- 5
Communion is God's invitation to define what a good day really is — confessing sin, professing faith, and walking back through the curtain into His presence.
Outline
Introduction — Why Is It Called Good Friday?
Pastor Bill transitions from a travel story about being stranded at Newark Airport to the central question: how can the day Jesus was tortured and killed ever be called 'good'? He introduces the big idea — the darkest day did the deepest good.
Point 1 — Remember His Cross (The Darkness)
The three hours of midday darkness in Matthew 27:45 represents God's judgment falling — not on the people, but on Jesus. Pastor Bill uses a deeply personal story of hitting rock bottom while his parents were dying to illustrate that darkness in our lives is not God judging us; He already took that judgment at the cross.
Point 2 — Remember His Cry (Feeling Alone)
Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1 from the cross — 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' — demonstrating honest faith in the dark. Our feelings scream that we are alone, but the cross declares we are loved, seen, and held.
Point 3 — Remember His Curtain (God Feels Far)
The temple curtain torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) means God threw open the Holy of Holies for us. If God feels distant, we are choosing to stay in the rubble of unconfessed sin or unbelieved love rather than entering the room He opened.
Application — Redefining a Good Day
Pastor Bill shares his father's lesson from the Battle of Iwo Jima: a good day is not when everything goes your way, but when you stay faithful and stay in the fight. Jesus did exactly that on Good Friday, and that is the template for how dark days become good days.
Communion and Closing Prayer
Pastor Bill connects communion to the whole message — the bread showing the seriousness of sin, the cup showing the depth of God's love — and leads the congregation in a prayer of faith and a time of reflection before taking the elements together.
Memorable moments
the big idea is the darkest day did the deepest good. The darkest day did the deepest good. And that can happen in all of our days as well if we allow it
That darkness of God's judgment was falling upon Jesus. That was the point of him going to the cross. God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. He will judge sin. So the reason Jesus went to the cross was for the darkness to fall on him, not on us
our feelings scream, Alone. You're alone. But the cross says, You and me are loved. You're seen, and you're held despite how you feel
If God feels far away from you, that isn't from his side. He's not running from you. He's not hiding from you. He's not rejecting you. It's us choosing to stay in the rubble instead of entering the room
If the cross shows you the worst about your sin and the best about his love, which side are you refusing to look at
son, as you go through life, that's what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's what he did. He stayed faithful for us, and he came back to life. He stayed in the fight for you and me. And we call that Good Friday
Application
Pastor Bill frames the takeaway around three anchors drawn from the cross: remember His cross (darkness is not God judging you — He already took that judgment), remember His cry (it is okay to feel alone and say so, because honest prayer is faith in the dark, not the absence of it), and remember His curtain (God tore it open, so if He feels far away, the distance is on our side). The practical question he leaves us with is: are you stuck because you are minimizing your sin, or because you do not believe how deeply God loves you? Whichever it is, the next step is the same — confess, trust, and walk through the curtain into His presence. When we do that, no matter what the day looked like, it becomes a good day.
