We open the word of God to John
chapter 19 and beginning our reading in verse
18.
When they crucified him and two others with
him on either side one and Jesus in
the midst.
And Pilate wrote a title and put it
on the cross and the writing was Jesus
of Nazareth the King of the Jews.
Now to verse 28.
After this Jesus knowing that all things were
now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled
saith I thirst.
Now there was set a vessel full of
vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar
and put it upon hyssop and put it
to his mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he
said it is finished and he bowed his
head and gave up the spirit.
The Jews therefore because it was the preparation
that the body should not remain upon the
cross on the sabbath day for that sabbath
day was a high day besought Pilate that
their legs might be broken and that they
might be taken away.
Then came the soldiers and broke the first
and of the other who was crucified with
him but when they came to Jesus and
saw that he was dead already they broke
not his legs but one of the soldiers
with a spear pierced his side and immediately
there came out blood and water.
And he that saw it bore witness and
his witness is true and he knoweth that
he saith true that ye might believe.
For these things were done that the scripture
should be fulfilled a bone of him shall
not be broken and again another scripture saith
they shall look on him whom they pierced
and thus they treated the king who cried
it is finished.
At the age of 33 most people are
saying it is getting started but our Lord
Jesus said it is finished.
He did not say I am finished.
It was not the defeated moan of a
man who had failed.
He had held his head high during those
hours on the cross and now for the
first time he was to bow his head
lifted up was he to die it is
finished was his cry.
Now in the original in the
original word that Jesus used when he was
on the cross it was one word to
tell us die.
When our Lord Jesus spoke from the cross
and when the spirit through John recorded in
the gospel of John the word that was
written is the Greek word to tell us
die.
It is finished it stands finished it always
will be finished.
You and I have to confess that there
are many things we've never finished and we
also have to confess that some of the
things we have finished didn't last very long
and yet here is the Lord Jesus Christ
in the most difficult situation possible dying in
weakness on the cross and he's able to
cry out the cry of a victor to
tell us die.
It is finished it stands finished and it
always will be finished.
Now this word is important to us because
Jesus finished something on the cross that you
and I had better know about.
I suppose the things that are finished in
Congress and I suppose the things that are
finished in the United Nations ultimately have to
touch our lives in some way but oh
my friend what Jesus finished on the cross
touches every life and therefore we better understand
this word.
My Lord cries out this shout of victory
to tell us die it is finished and
if you and I are going to understand
it and appropriate it I think we need
to lay hold of three very important facts
about this word.
Fact number one it was a familiar word.
Now you smile at that because the word
to tell us die is not too familiar
to us today because we don't speak the
Greek language.
You'll probably never see it on a menu
but you'll find it in the Bible.
In fact it's used back in verse 28
of the Gospel of John chapter 19 Jesus
knowing that all things were now accomplished same
word.
This word is not a familiar word to
us but it was a familiar word in
our Lord's day and you would hear it
in the marketplace you would hear it in
the homes you would hear it in the
various places of the city to tell us
die.
Several different people use that word the slaves
used it.
A master would call one of his slaves
and say do this do that and the
slave would go off and do it.
You'll remember there were six million slaves in
the Roman Empire and many of these slaves
were highly educated highly trained people and after
a few hours the slave would come back
to his master and he would simply say
to tell us die which means I have
finished the work that you gave me to
do.
The Lord Jesus Christ came as a servant
they wanted him to come as a king
they wanted him to come as a great
conqueror they wanted him to come and deliver
them from the physical problems of Roman rule
but that's not why he came.
You can set a man free politically and
never touch him spiritually.
You can elevate a man materially and never
raise him spiritually.
Our Lord Jesus came to get to the
heart of the problem and the heart of
the problem is sin and he came as
a servant and he humbled himself.
I don't think anyone here wants a demotion
if you went to work tomorrow morning and
you found a slip in your place at
the clock that said please see the manager
and you went to see the manager and
he said to you I have good news
for you we're demoting you.
You'd say good news that's no good news
I've been here for 10, 15, 20 years
I've worked my way up in this organization
you're demoting me and yet here is almighty
God the sovereign who becomes the servant.
Here is the master of all who becomes
the slave of all and he became obedient
as a servant obedient unto death and not
just any kind of a death even the
death of the cross and when those Philippian
Christians read that in Paul's letter they must
have looked at each other because no citizen
of a Roman city could be crucified.
It was the lowest meanest kind of death
and yet Jesus as the servant who had
come to be the slave of God the
servant of God lifts up his head and
he says to his father to Telestai I
have finished the work that you gave me
to do.
In fact he said that in his prayer
in John chapter 17.
Father the hour is come glorify thy son
at thy son also may glorify thee.
I have finished the work which thou gave
us me to do I have glorified thee
on the earth.
The slaves used that word it was a
familiar word because the priests used it.
If you were going through the temple area
any day when the sacrifices were being offered
like at Passover you would have heard the
word here comes a worshiper here comes a
man with his lamb or his goat or
whatever the sacrifice might be and the first
task the priest had to perform was to
examine the sacrifice.
No priest would ever offer on the altar
a sacrifice that was not perfect and the
priest would look at the eyes and he
would check the ears he would look at
the body he would make sure the animal
was not sick and having examined the animal
he would say to Telestai you know what
that means it's perfect it's complete it's faultless
and so as our Lord hangs there as
the lamb of God as he hangs on
the cross as God's sacrifice for sins he's
able to say as both the priest and
the sacrifice to Telestai it is perfect it
is complete it is faultless so faultless was
the sacrifice that his enemies had to hire
liars to testify against him they examined one
witness after another and they could find no
fault in him did you not ever hear
him speak a word that was wrong never
no man ever spoke like this did you
never see him do a deed that was
contrary to the law no no we watched
him we we saw nothing even the demons
had to confess that he was the son
of God when he began his ministry and
came down to the Jordan River he was
approved by God the father this is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased
he was approved by God the Holy Spirit
who came down like a dove and lighted
upon him he was approved by the prophet
John the Baptist who said I have need
to be baptized of thee and as he
walked and talked and worked and lived they
watched him and they listened and they spied
upon him and during that last week prior
to Passover that week when the lambs were
always examined they examined him the men came
up and said now we know you're a
teacher and you don't listen to what people
have to say you don't you're not swayed
one way or another we want to ask
you a question and they tried to trap
him and as he walked through that week
when the lambs were being examined they examined
God's lamb and they went away and said
we find no fault in him even Pilate
said that to tell us die I offer
a faultless complete sacrifice the priest used that
word did you know that the artists used
this word oh there was a great deal
of art back in this day all of
us have been through the museums and we've
seen the roman art and the greek art
and the jewish art and did you know
that when an artist had finished whatever he
was preparing be it a mosaic or a
sculptor a drawing he would look at it
and he would say to tell us die
it is finished what he meant by that
was every color was in place everything was
where it ought to be there's a pattern
here there's a picture here and you can
look at it it's not like some of
the art we see today I recall walking
to an into an art gallery in the
city of Cincinnati and there on the wall
was a frame 18 inches by 24 inches
and in the frame was a matting of
white and on that matting was a solid
black canvas no picture no etching just a
solid black canvas and it was for sale
and I looked at it and I said
that's not finished now perhaps I don't appreciate
modern art if that is modern art I
don't appreciate it I always enjoy walking through
the art galleries and it's difficult to enjoy
a picture that's not finished our greatest picture
of George Washington is not finished ever since
the creation of the world God had been
painting a picture God had put the universe
out there God had planted trees and flowers
God had made men God called Israel and
God had to make a tabernacle and God
did this and God did that and we
saw parts of the picture but nothing seemed
to fit together even the Old Testament prophets
were not sure what was going on some
of them saw a messiah who would suffer
and die some of them saw a messiah
who would reign in glory and they argued
with each other and said your denomination is
wrong we're right but none of them saw
the whole picture and Moses added to the
mural and Samuel added to the mural David
came along and added Isaiah took his brush
and he added to it but it wasn't
until Calvary where Jesus Christ dipped the brush
in his own blood that the picture was
finished and the master artist who had framed
the universe the master artist who had framed
all of history by whom the ages were
framed said to tell us die it's finished
now you can look at the picture and
you can see what God is doing that's
why my friend if you take the cross
out of the Bible you don't have the
whole picture you'll never understand why God called
Abraham and asked him to put his son
on the altar you'll never understand why God
called Moses and told him to build a
tabernacle you'll never understand why Isaiah the prophet
talked about one who was suffering one who
was rejected to tell us die it was
an artist's word Calvary puts the whole picture
together the slaves used this word and the
priests used this word the artists used this
word and would you believe that if you
went down to the marketplace you'd hear the
merchants using this word have you ever been
in an oriental marketplace where they're haggling and
arguing over prices and values and amounts and
commodities and finally they arrive at a price
and you give him the money and he
says to tell us die the debt is
paid if you had a mortgage with some
merchant back in our Lord's day and you
were able to pay off the mortgage and
you brought your mortgage papers down to the
firm he would accept your money and he
would write on the receipt to tell us
die the debt has been paid it is
fully paid and it always will be paid
i can never come and claim on you
again well that says something to us as
sinners doesn't it that says to me there
was a time when i was in debt
to God God said here is my standard
and i said i can't live up to
that standard he said you are guilty i
said i know i'm guilty he says the
wages of sin is death but Jesus paid
it all all to him i owe sin
had left a crimson stain he washed it
white as snow Jesus Christ took my spiritual
bankruptcy and he substituted his spiritual solvency my
Lord took my bank book and he wrote
across it righteous he took my debt and
he wrote across it to tell us die
it is finished it has been fully paid
completely paid finally paid and it always will
be paid and no claim can ever be
made against you again it was a familiar
word and as you and i come to
the Lord's table i hope that we'll hear
that word to tell us die the servant
did the work he offered the perfect sacrifice
he finished the picture of revelation and made
it clear he paid the debt it was
a familiar word secondly that was spoken by
a faithful savior he shouted it it is
finished he had faithfully finished the work that
God gave him to do he was faithful
as you read the life of our Lord
Jesus given to us in the gospels you
find that from the very beginning from the
very beginning he was conscious of a work
he had to do in hebrews chapter 10
we have the birth of our Lord Jesus
and when he came into the world he
said sacrifice and offering is not what you
want you've prepared me a body i come
to do your will oh God he was
born to do God's will when he was
just a young man just a lad of
12.
he left his parents one day and they
found him three days later in the temple
remember that and they said we've been looking
for you sorrowing and he was shocked he
said why don't you know i must be
about my father's business even at the age
of 12 our Lord knew he had a
work to do when he began his ministry
he went to that wedding feast they have
no wine he said to his mother gently
woman what have i to do with thee
my hour is not yet come he knew
he had a job to do and an
hour in which to do it all the
way through the gospel of John he talks
like this he says my food is to
do the will of him that sent me
and to finish his work they sought to
take him but they could not his hour
had not come they sought to arrest him
they could not his hour had come then
finally we hear father the hour is come
in the mount of transfiguration our lord talked
with moses and elijah about his decease his
exodus that he would accomplish at jerusalem he
had a work to accomplish he said one
day i have a baptism to be baptized
with and how i am constrained until it
be accomplished his whole life was motivated by
the accomplishing of one work god the father
had finished the old creation and god the
son was now going to finish the new
creation and he did that work in spite
of satan's opposition he did that work in
spite of his nation's rejection he did that
work in spite of the apostle's own misunderstanding
his family's own misunderstanding he just kept going
going going and he was able to say
to tell us die it was a familiar
word spoken by a faithful savior may i
remind you before we look at the third
fact that our lord jesus is still faithful
he's the same yesterday and today and forever
on the cross he faithfully finished the work
today on the throne he is a merciful
and faithful high priest and he's faithful to
forgive if we confess our sins he's faithful
and just to forgive us our sins he's
faithful to help us in temptation god is
faithful and will not permit you to be
tempted above that you are able he's faithful
to keep us i know whom i have
believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which i have committed unto
him against that day are you trusting this
faithful savior to tell us that it was
a familiar word spoken by a faithful savior
about a finished work it is finished what
was finished well the types and the prophecies
were finished now we can look back at
genesis and exodus and isaiah and psalms and
the light from calvary shines on that page
and we say we see it we understand
it genesis chapter 3 verse 15 god said
that the son of the woman the seed
of the woman would crush the head of
the serpent that happened at the cross jesus
christ defeated principalities and powers and made a
display of them openly he openly put them
to shame when he said it is finished
as you walk through the tabernacle you say
what does all this mean here's this huge
brazen altar where the blood is shed oh
those sacrifices that's jesus well here's the laver
where you wash oh he's the one who
cleanses us did you know that when the
veil of the tabernacle was torn in two
for the first time people could see that
the arrangement of the furniture was in the
shape of a cross the old testament types
and prophecies were fulfilled it is finished the
law was fulfilled now this bothers some people
they say do you mean that god abrogated
his law no no god fulfilled his law
god maintained his law in the death of
jesus christ on the cross god met the
righteous demands of his holy law and now
that he has met them we can be
made righteous in jesus christ the cross of
christ does not destroy the law it establishes
the law god used his own law to
set us free from the law galatians chapter
3 verse 13 says that when jesus died
on the cross he bore the curse of
the law the law can no more curse
you if you're saved there is therefore now
no condemnation to them that are in christ
jesus for the spirit of life in christ
jesus has made us free from the law
of sin and death for what the law
could not do in that it was weak
through the flesh god sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for
sin condemned sin in the flesh that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us who walk not after the flesh but
after the spirit the law has been finished
free from the law oh happy condition jesus
has bled and there is remission in colossians
chapter 2 verse 14 paul puts it so
vividly paul says jesus christ took that bond
of the law that was against us and
he nailed it to his cross the law
was finished and so today we don't celebrate
jewish holy days and holidays we don't bring
sacrifices we don't have a priesthood we are
a priesthood we have no altar because the
sacrifice has been finished the work of salvation
is finished and the greatest commentary on this
is in hebrews chapter 9 and i'm going
to read it to you hebrews chapter 9
verse 24 would you listen imagine yourself to
be this synagogue congregation that had received this
letter to the hebrews and you're concerned you
can see the temple you can't see the
heavenly temple you can see the earthly sacrifices
you can't see the heavenly sacrifice christ you
can see the earthly priests but you can't
see your high priest up in heaven and
hebrews is saying don't go back don't go
back go ahead go on why it's all
been finished why go back to that which
is unfinished go ahead because what you have
in christ is finished why go back to
the shadows go on into the light for
christ is not entered into the holy places
made with hands which are the figures of
the true but into heaven itself now to
appear in the presence of god for us
nor yet that he should offer himself often
as the high priest entereth into the holy
place every year with the blood of others
for then must he often have suffered since
the foundation of the world but now once
in the end of the age hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself and as it is appointed unto
men once to die but after this the
judgment so christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second
time apart from sin unto salvation now the
law having a shadow of good things to
come and not the very image of these
things can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make those who
come to it perfect for then would they
not have ceased to be offered because the
worshipers once purged should have no more consciousness
of sins but in those sacrifices there is
a remembrance again made of sins every year
for it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and of goats should take away
sins wherefore when he cometh into the world
he saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not
but a body hast thou prepared me in
burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins thou hast
had no pleasure then said i lo i
come in the volume of the book it
is written of me to do thy will
oh god verse 10 by which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body
of jesus christ once for all and every
priest standeth daily ministering and offering often the
same sacrifices which can never take away sins
but this man after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the
right hand of god from henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool four by
one offering he hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified and their sins and iniquities will
i remember no more the old testament sacrifice
was repeated over and over again the blood
could cover sin the blood could never cleanse
sin but this man offered one sacrifice never
again to be repeated that takes away sin
the old testament sacrifices were imperfect they were
shadows animals can never meet the moral demands
for humans no animal ever died voluntarily and
yet jesus the god man the perfect man
came and voluntarily died for us the old
testament sacrifices only brought ceremonial purification on the
outside but jesus christ brings spiritual purification on
the inside he touches the conscience and you're
able to say praise god my conscience is
clear before god because jesus has died for
me the old testament priest didn't sit down
there were no chairs in the tabernacle his
work was never finished when jesus christ died
on the cross he shouted a familiar word
to tell us i spoken by a faithful
savior about a finished work and he sat
down when he returned to heaven because his
work was finished father i have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do now
since salvation is a finished work all you
have to do is receive it it's finished
it's complete you can't add anything to it
and you dare not take anything from it
and you must not substitute anything for it
it stands alone unique eternal and you either
receive it and you're saved or you reject
it and you're lost forever some years
ago a british mother was greatly concerned about
her teenage son oh he was a good
boy but he wasn't converted she left on
a holiday and left her children in the
care of another and while she was on
this holiday she got a tremendous burden for
her son so she went off to a
room and she knelt down and she prayed
that god would save her son while she
was praying her son was back home looking
for something to do and he rummaged around
in the library and he found a pamphlet
and he knew at the beginning of the
pamphlet there would be a story and at
the end there would be a story and
in between there would be preaching and so
he decided he would read the two stories
and forget about the preaching but as he
was reading he came upon a phrase that
stopped him it arrested him the finished work
of christ and he looked at it the
finished work of christ and he said out
loud if this work is finished then all
i need do is receive it and right
there while the boy was reading and the
mother was praying miles away he bowed his
heart and received christ as his savior his
name james hudson taylor the man whose missionary
enterprise opened inland china to the gospel there
once was a very eccentric evangelist whose name
was alexander wooten even his name is eccentric
i think it was alexander wooten who used
to open his umbrella and stick his umbrella
in the ground then march around it until
a crowd gathered then pick it up and
preach one day uh mr wooten was busy
with something and a smart alec young man
came along and said sir what must i
do to be saved and wooten didn't even
look at him he just said it's too
late this shocked the sophisticated smart alec and
he said well what must i do to
be saved too late do you mean sir
i can't be safe i didn't say that
i said it's too late all that has
been done to save your soul has been
done it's finished all you need do is
receive it and the boy was saved what
must you do to be saved it's been
done not what my hands do but what
he did it's glorious to know that it's
finished jesus did not make the down payment
and then say keep up the installment you'll
get to heaven oh we sang it before
lifted up was he to die it is
finished was his cry now in heaven exalted
high hallelujah what a savior is he your
savior are you depending on his finished work
to tell us die the shout of victory
it is finished thank you father that our
lord held nothing back he gave his all
i pray that today there might be those
who will trust christ rest upon this finished
work never to be repeated speak to hearts
just now i pray in jesus name amen