Remember Flannelgraph? For any who grew up in the church or went a Sunday School or Vacation Bible School for many years flannelgraphs were a cool way to tell the stories of the Bible. Okay, maybe not that cool. Yet through they storytelling boards, we learned the basics. Especially on days like today … Good Friday. Through use of the flannelgraph we learned: Jesus died on the cross for us. He forgave our sins. The message was simple, clear, and appropriate for children. God loves you. You sinned. Jesus died. You're forgiven. And that's all true. But somewhere along the way, many of us stopped asking the deeper question: Why? Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn't God just forgive us without all the blood? Why was a cross necessary? Why did the most loving act in history have to involve such violence? These aren't rebellious questions. They're honest questions. And the Bible doesn't shy away from them. In fact, the entire Old Testament builds an answer, showing us, piece by piece, why the cross was necessary and what it accomplished. Yes, the flannelgraph version gave us the what. Today, we're going to explore the Why, As we look at “The Blood That Saves,” we come to understand more Jeus’ words from the cross “It Is Finished.” John 19:28-30 (NLT) 28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
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