The Most Powerful
Words Ever Spoken on Earth!
John 19:30 (28-37)
March 31, 2013
AM
Pastor Craig
Ledbetter
I.
Background (John 19:30)
A.
It is Resurrection
Sunday – what the world calls “Easter”
B.
But before we go to
that empty tomb…
C.
Will you please walk
with me up that lonely path to the little hill just outside of
1.
Calvary was known as
the place of the Skull -
2.
It was a hillside
that was only used for one thing at that time – to hold up condemned men on
horrible instruments of torture, called crosses!
3.
People never talked
much when they passed by that spot. They would just hurry on, not even looking
up, in case they might see someone new hanging there
4.
Calvary,
5.
Hmmm.
a.
A hill where the
innocent, willingly shed His blood for the guilty, so unjustly.
b.
Where all of man’s
sin debt was paid.
c.
Where the Just One
became the Justifier of all.
d.
Where God’s Justice
was poured out, and His Mercy was set free!
6.
The hymn says, “Up
Calvary’s mountain one dreadful morn, walked Christ my Saviour, weary and worn;
facing for sinners death on the cross, that He might save them from endless
loss. Blessed Redeemer, precious
Redeemer seems now I see Him on
D.
Many people are
there - a large crowd was standing in silence, all gathered around three, high,
harsh crosses, with men barely alive hanging on them!
1.
If it had been any
other day, you would have met the radiant smile of a blind man who was given
sight, the joyful leaps of a lame man who was made to walk. You would have
sensed the excitement of the crowds who flocked to hear words unlike any they
had ever heard before. You would see the multitudes that lined the way into
2.
But now, three
criminals are there – or at least, we are told they were all
criminals
3.
What happened to
Him?
a.
Unjustly accused by
angry Pharisees
b.
Tried by an angry
mob (Mt 27:22-25)
c.
Whipped by angry
guards (Mt 27:26)
d.
Stripped and mocked
in front of thousands of angry people calling for Him to die
e.
Punched and spit
upon by dozens of angry Roman soldiers
f.
Pierced with a crown
of THORNS by furious men
g.
He was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
h.
Stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted.
i.
The chastisement of
our peace was upon him;
j.
He was oppressed,
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:
k.
He bore our griefs,
and carried our sorrows up to that cross
E.
In all of the
torment and beatings of that crucifixion,
1.
He never opened once
His mouth in self defence! He never fought back!
2.
And beyond that,
there was no miraculous deliverance from heaven – no angelic army appearing to
save the day – no word from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son!”
3.
There was just a
horribly beaten Man, hanging high up on His cross, for all to see and continue
to mock at!
F.
He ends up hanging
on that cross for just over 6 agonising hours.
G.
But through those
awful hours, He speaks – He actually says seven amazing things:
1.
He first said to His
mother Mary, to go home with His disciple named John
2.
He said to His
heavenly Father, Forgive all them (all those who hated and mocked and hurt Him
that day), they know not what they do
3.
He said to one of
the thieves hanging along side, Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise
4.
And then the sun was
darkened for the last 3 hours of his life and there was no light at all over
that hill
a.
He cried out, “My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was during that time that the full
wrath of God against all sin, for all time was being poured out upon the Lamb of
God!
b.
And then he cried
out, “I thirst”. Jesus was NOT numb
to the pain – He felt the wrath of God. And He felt it alone. And He took it to
its fullest!
H.
But, as the darkness
cleared a bit, just before sunset, just after He says, “Father, into thy hands I
commend my Spirit”, that Man on the middle cross pulled Himself up and took in a
deep, long breath, and cries out for the last time, “It Is Finished.”
1.
The Irish is “Tá sé
chrioch-nughadh” or “Ta shay creock-naha”
2.
All the gospel
writers tell us that this was spoken in a loud voice. It commanded attention of
all that stood nearby. And as people wondered what it meant, Jesus bowed His
head ... AND DIED (Luke 23:46)!
I.
So, What did He mean
by those words?
J.
Well, in Bible times
when:
1.
A servant completed
their job or responsibility they would tell their master “FINISHED!” I completed
the task you gave me.
2.
When an O.T. Jewish
believer brought their sacrifice to the alter in the
3.
When a debtor would
offer their last payment on a debt, the merchant would write on the receipt
“FINISHED.” Paid in Full.
4.
In that one word,
“Finished”, we have the entire need of our salvation presented. It is the very
grounds of our assurance and hope as Christians. It means Jesus did all that He
was asked by His Father to do. He fulfilled every requirement of the Law for
your and my forgiveness (Rom 10:4).
K.
Yet for most people,
their religion has neglected to tell them “It is Finished!”
If people only knew that Jesus said on that cross, “It is Finished!” Religions
keep people in the dark about WHAT was finished on that cross, and so countless
generations lived and died in darkness for the past 2,000 years!
L.
But… “It IS
finished!”
1.
The words mean more
than just a task completed.
2.
It screams that ALL
HAS BEEN DONE that could be done.
3.
And that whatever
was happening on that cross WAS NOW OVER. It was finished.
4.
Nothing could be
added to it or taken from it.
5.
Further suffering
would be pointless. Nothing else could be done.
M.
But not everyone
took it that way!
II.
Message
A.
To His
Disciples, “Finished” was a Word of DEFEAT (Jn
19:30; Luke 24:17-21)
1.
The disciple John,
was present at the cross through everything. He saw it all (Jn 19:26). He
carried the report back to the other disciples about what had happened.
Imagine their confusion as he told of the events of the cross, ending his
account to them as he does in verse 30. “When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the
ghost.”
2.
You can sense the
bitterness in that upper room. “We
put all our eggs in the wrong basket! We had such big dreams and high hopes, but
now they have all come to nothing.” “What went WRONG?”
3.
It was a silent,
defeated group of disciples who listened to John’s report. When he finished,
nobody stirred. Then, I can imagine Peter, shaking his head in dismay, saying,
“That’s it? That’s all we get out of this? We left our homes and jobs for this?
I should have stuck to fishing!”
4.
To those who
believed NOT the promises of God, how DARK was that day! And how awful were
those words, “It is Finished!”
5.
So, “Finished!” To
the disciples, was a word of defeat, as though they had all gambled ... and
lost.
6.
Or so it seemed!
B.
The Crowd,
“Finished” was a Word of SURRENDER (Luke 23:35)
1.
All they saw and
heard was that DEATH had won that day!
2.
This Jesus was
supposed to beat death! Not give in to it!
a.
He had healed people
who were sick and dying
b.
He had even restored
dead people back to life!
c.
WHY would he allow
Himself to be conquered by death?
3.
Everyone knows death
wins in the end!
4.
But not everything
thought death would win over this man from
5.
So, when Jesus cried
out, It is Finished, it was the end of His struggle
6.
Or so it seemed!
C.
Yet, to God
the Father it was a Word of ACCOMPLISHMENT. (John
19:28)
1.
When Jesus Christ
spoke his final words on the cross, these were not words of defeat; they were
not the words of surrender… but they were the words of victory.
2.
These words were not
whispered - they were shouted!
3.
He did not say, “I”
am finished, but “IT” is finished.
a.
Jesus DID NOT say,
"It is pretty much a done deal."
b.
Neither did He say
"It is almost finished."
c.
He didn’t say "If
you work hard, someday it will probably be finished,"
d.
Or "I’ve done my
part, now you’re on your own."
4.
No! His word was
simple, yet profound and powerful: "IT IS FINISHED." These were words of
Success!
5.
Listen to Isa
53:10,11 “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, … He shall see of the travail
of his soul, and shall be satisfied.”
D.
When
Jesus said those final words "It is finished," He was saying…
1.
ALL the prophecies
about Jesus the Saviour had been fulfilled.
a.
This was no mere
accident - No awful tragedy
b.
This was the
outworking of the eternal Plan of God that had been set in motion back before
the universe was ever created (1Peter 1:18-20)
c.
Forty eight specific
prophecies were strategically placed throughout the Old Testament so that
anybody with an open mind could clearly identify and believe on the Messiah when
He came.
d.
Jesus FULFILLED
every prophecy about His first coming. Luke 18:31 says, “And all things that
are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.”
And they were!
e.
Jesus FINISHED,
ACCOMPLISHED every expectation!
2.
All the Demands of
the Law of God had been met.
a.
Jesus set out to
accomplish / to finish the exhaustive requirements of the Old Testament Law (Mt
3:15)
b.
Jesus said, “Think
not that I am come to destroy the Law ... I am come not to destroy, but to
fulfill ... one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till ALL BE
FULFILLED.” (Mt 5:17-18)
c.
Look at Romans 10:4
where Christ is the END, (HELLO) the FINISH of the Law!
d.
The wages/penalty of
sin had been paid in full – Propitiation/Atonement (Rom 6:23). Nothing more
could be required to secure the salvation of sinners. Heb 10:11-12
e.
Jesus referred to
His life as the finishing of God’s saving work on earth (Jn 4:34; 17:4)
f.
Just how complete
was that accomplishment?
1)
According to God, He
blotted out ALL the laws against us (
2)
He obtained
eternal redemption (forgiveness) for us (Heb 10:5-11)
3)
He is not only the
Author, or the source of our faith, but most thankfully, He is the FINISHER of
our faith as well (Heb 12:2)!
g.
There is no need for
Mary, or any act of myself, to add to Christ’s work – it is PERFECT – it is
FINISHED!
h.
There is no need to
continue Christ’s sacrifice at all (Rom 6:9,10)
i.
WHY…? Because… IT IS
FINISHED!
3.
All the pain and
sorrows of life, were now revenged… on Him, instead of on our enemies! (
a.
Remember all the
anger and wrath leading up to Jesus’ murder?
b.
Jesus – JESUS took
it!
c.
Do you still have
anger against someone who hurt you and caused much pain in your life? You want
justice and revenge? Too late! It was exacted upon Jesus!
d.
It has been finished
for you!
e.
Only the devil is
angry still! Don’t join with him in your own anger!
4.
In Summary…
a.
The separation
between God and man was finally at an end.
b.
The task of
atonement was complete.
c.
Our eternal pardon
was signed
d.
The bondage of sin
was concluded,
e.
Our debt of sin was
fully discharged, having been stamped
"PAID IN FULL" by Christ Himself.
f.
Jesus’ death on that
cruel Roman cross accomplished what no
human effort could possibly do, making an end
to the law of sin and death, which automatically
expired when Jesus died.
g.
The great gap
between God and man, that we could never begin to fill in, was suddenly
filled up by the finished
work of Jesus Christ.
h.
By His grace, we can
have full fellowship with God, because Jesus
paid the price of our sins, performing
what we could never accomplish on our own
i.
And, and thankfully,
lastly, on that cross, the devil himself was thoroughly Defeated (1 John 3:8;
Heb 2:14)!
E.
What is
the PROOF that all that really happened?
1.
Some things are
empty this morning!
2.
Let’s take another
look at that cross… it’s empty!
a.
No need for a
crucifix with Jesus still on it, because He is NOT there anymore!
b.
Jesus is not still
on His cross.
c.
He only needed to
die ONCE, for all people, and for all time!
d.
Thank God for an
EMPTY cross today!
e.
That proves it
really IS FINISHED!
3.
Well, let’s take a
look at the tomb he was laid in…
a.
Hmmm… It is ALSO
empty!
b.
That empty tomb
proves the cross worked.
c.
No need for sorrow,
or fear anymore! Not even afraid of death anymore
d.
Because Jesus is now
very, very much alive!
4.
Where do we find
Jesus now?
a.
Sitting at the right
hand of almighty God in heaven!
b.
Ruling and reigning
as King of kings and Lord of lords
c.
Soon to return and
take His bride home with him
5.
What
more proof could you possibly need?
6.
That’s why a
Christian loves Sundays… Because EVERY Sunday is Resurrection Sunday! We
celebrate these truths EVERY First Day of the week!
F.
So, What
does it all mean to us today?
1.
To The
Unsaved, the Unbeliever in this audience, It Is A Call to SALVATION.
a.
It means the end of
your search for forgiveness. See Acts 13:38-39, “Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins: And by Him, all that believe are justified from all
things...”
b.
When Jesus said
those powerful words--"IT IS FINISHED"--He meant exactly what He said.
1)
The work was done,
and there was nothing more to do but accept His salvation and enjoy His grace,
whether we deserved it or not.
2)
We can pick and
poke, and try to find some loose end that we need to tie up before He will
accept us…
3)
But there aren’t any
there to find.
4)
Jesus has
already accepted us – all that remains is for us to accept Him!
c.
The death of Jesus
Christ on that cross provided forgiveness for all sin (Gal 3:13)
d.
The empty tomb
PROVED it!
e.
Salvation of a
sinful, wretched, dark, lost, sin-bound soul is a finished work! It is not a
Do-It-Yourself project that you have to work on until death... It means there is
nothing you can do to save yourself by believe it!
1)
Good deeds – the
best efforts, cannot earn forgiveness.
2)
Religious devotion,
no matter how sincere, cannot pay for your sin
3)
Salvation can only
be obtained by receiving forgiveness as a gift from God, on Jesus Christ’s
account – simply because of Jesus!
2.
To The
Christian in this audience, It Is A Word of ASSURANCE.
Security!
a.
It means your
salvation is perfectly secure.
b.
Because it is
finished, it doesn’t depend on you now.
The true child of God is not trying to be saved. He knows
everything has already been done that needed to be done
c.
It means your
acceptance to God is completely complete (Eph 1:6,7)
1)
Some Christians
receive Christ as their Saviour, then spend the rest of their lives trying to
get God to accept them, especially, every time they fail as Christians.
2)
They are never sure
where they stand with God. So, they
try to perform better in hopes that God might smile in their
direction.
3)
But the words “It is
finished” mean that I am not accepted by God because of what I DO, but because
of what JESUS has done for me. He was the Lamb of God – the substitute for
mankind, the mediator, the perfect sacrifice
4)
So, I am (present
tense) accepted in the beloved – in the precious family of God – all because of
Jesus’ death on the cross!
III.
Conclusion and Invitation:
A.
What Jesus came to
do, He did - and what He did, was not almost finished. Not nearly
Finished. Not, it will one day be finished. But, IT IS
FINISHED!
B.
A Good Example:
1.
Though Michelangelo
is considered one of the greatest artists of all time, he was known to be very
temperamental. He would begin a piece, then abandon it in a fit of temper.
Consequently, he left more works unfinished than he completed. In
2.
But, Jesus left
nothing undone. He offers salvation as a FINISHED work to any sinner who would
by faith call out to Him to save them! There is nothing left for you or I to do
but believe in HIM (Acts 16:30,31).
C.
Settle the
issue of your own soul’s salvation.
1.
Receive Christ by
faith as your full payment for all your sins, and through Him, the forgiveness
of sins is extended to you completely.
2.
Any other way to God
is of the devil!
3.
Shame on you, and on
any priest or pope, or prince to think their religion can improve on what Jesus
did on the cross!
4.
The people of this
country need to repent of their religious efforts, and call on the name of Jesus
Christ to have mercy on their sinful souls, and save them from a devil’s hell!
D.
Settle your
doubts.
1.
Did you receive
Christ as your Saviour? Not a quick fix, but as Saviour from your sins? Then
you can be very sure of your salvation. It is completely in Christ’s care – and
He won’t slip up!
2.
Only then can you
accept your position as a child of God, fully loved and accepted by your
Heavenly Father, no matter what you do!
E.
Settle Your
Course – I’ll follow HIM! I’ll live for Him! I’ll
dump MY old life, my old anger, my old habits, and follow Jesus!
F.
Oh folks, Jesus paid
it all - all to him I owe - Sin had left a crimson stain - Jesus washed it white
as snow!