Sermon Cloud

Scripture Reading; Daniel 9:20-26

Well, it has been a few weeks since I spoke to you last. I hope that it has not been so long that you have forgotten where we are at in out survey of John's Gospel.

• It has been a few months that we have been examining the last hours of Jesus' life.

• From His last supper with His disciples and His washing of their feet to His prayer for them and then to His betrayal and arrest in the Garden at Gethsemane, we have traveled with Jesus and His disciples.

• The last two times we were together we looked at His trials before the Jews and before Pontius Pilate.

• The Jews tried Him, breaking their own rules of jurisprudence and brought Him to Pilate who caved under the pressure of the situation ultimately sending a man who he had previously declared innocent to be executed.

• Remember that the Jews here have failed to recognize their Messiah, for pride's sake they have turned Him over to the occupying Roman governor,

• They exchanged the truth of God for the Lie of their own self-righteousness.

• They have denied God's rule in their lives and declared that they have no king but Caesar.

• As we look now at the rest of John chapter 19 we will see the completion of Jesus' most important work.

• It hinges upon His most important work and His declaration, “It is finished!”

• Beginning a sermon with those words is probably a bit dangerous. So I hope that you are paying attention!

• Back on Tuesday when I told Rhonda what I was preaching she said, “Wow, you finished your notes early this week!

• There was in her as sense of amazement and accomplishment.

• There was a sense of relief.

• I want you to begin to think that way,

• Not, “Oh great! He's finally done.”

• There is a task of major importance that is finally accomplished.

• A sense of anticipation, like as when I was writing these notes in my pickup while awaiting the arrival of a sign and a truck with two men to install it.

• A sign that I had been contracted to install in early June and which I had waited to receive in the process of lining up an install company, pulling permits, arranging the manufacture and install, coordinating the delivery......

• Finally as I sat in my truck typing these notes the with the permit on the seat next to me the truck arrived with the sign and the guys.

• They installed it.

• I turned in the invoice to the company who contracted with me to do the job with photos of the work.

• It is a food feeling to know, It is finished!

• So don't get too excited when I begin with those words, “It is finished!”

• but again as we take the time to examine them in their context and understand them I hope that you will have that sense of relief and appreciate the accomplishment when we are done.

John 19:17 And He [Jesus], bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." ' " 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "THEY DIVIDED MY GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." Therefore the soldiers did these things. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

• And so Jesus is now on a cross.

• Crucified between two common thieves.

• And Scriptures that prophesied this event are being fulfilled left and right, again and again.

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

• You may remember several weeks ago as Jesus had finished praying for His disciples and was in the Garden and as Judas and the troops came, that I made a big deal out of John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward...

• We see now that in, John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

• Jesus came into the world with a very definite plan.

• He lived out that plan in exacting detail.

• He went forward in the garden because the plan required it.

• And now as He hangs on the cross He is aware that his mission is finally accomplished.

• There is more to come, but His main objective has been reached.

• Knowing this He again does what Bible says He will do and says, “I thirst!”

• Psalms 69:16 Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. (17) And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily. (18) Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies. (19) You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; My adversaries are all before You. (20) Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. (21) They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

• As Jesus fulfills this final detail of His prophesied crucifixion He says, “It is finished!” and yields up His spirit to God.

• Have you ever finished a great big project and even though it was really hard work, the final touch was on it and and you were able to say after many hours and days, maybe as with Jesus years, It is finished?

• What magnificent and important words!

• Never have more important words been spoken in the history of mankind than these words on this day.

• It is more than the completion of a task or the fruition of a plan.

• Jesus said, “It is finished!”

• John Calvin says, “Now, it ought to be remarked, that Christ does not ask any thing to drink till all things have been accomplished; and thus he testified his infinite love towards us, and the inconceivable earnestness of his desire to promote our salvation. No words can fully express the bitterness of the sorrows which he endured; and yet he does not desire to be freed from them, till the justice of God has been satisfied, and till he has made a perfect atonement.”

• How poetically stated!

• Jesus went to the nth degree to fulfill all that the Father had ordained.

• It was written in the Scriptures and He lived every jot and tittle of it.

• So, is that what was finished?

• Did Jesus just show perfect obedience by doing what God had planned?

• The plan was not just for Jesus to die as a good example..

• The plan was for His death to accomplish something.

• Remember our Scripture reading from before the message;

• Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.

• This thread of want is accomplished on the cross traces through all of God's word.

• Jeremiah tells Judah that they will be carried away captive for their unfaithfulness and spend 70 years in Babylon.

• At the end of that time Daniel gets a message from an angel, part of which is Daniel 9:24.

• Now there is actually a timetable for God to complete this plan,

• "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,

• To finish the transgression,

• To make an end of sins,

• To make reconciliation for iniquity,

• To bring in everlasting righteousness,

• To seal up vision and prophecy,

• And to anoint the Most Holy.

• This verse alone could be covered in a half dozen sermons and I will not take the time to go into all of the detail.

• But we can see here that God has a plan and a timetable to deal with His perpetually rebellious people.

• Reread list

• We see this born out in the New Testament.

• The end or goal of Christ's death was so much more than a good example.

• It was to put an end to sin and guilt!

• Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (14) For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, (15) having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (16) and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

• Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

• When Jesus said, “It is finished!” God's justice was satisfied.

• It was satisfied completely for every person who would ever trust in Him to do so.

• Just like my sending the final bill to the sign company declaring the works was complete, Jesus says His work of redemption is finished!

• Our debt is paid in full and God's justice is 100% satisfied.

• From the promise to the serpent in Genesis 3:15 to Abraham and his covenant with God that his seed would bless all the families of the earth in Genesis 12-19 to every person who as a result of that plan has trusted in that very same promise....

• The plan that stood from before the world was....

• Jesus knowing all things were now accomplished (John 19:28)

• Jesus said, “It is finished!”

John 19:31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "NOT ONE OF HIS BONES SHALL BE BROKEN." 37 And again another Scripture says, "THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED." 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

• Mission accomplish?

• Though from mans' eyes it appears to be a great defeat.

• But morning is coming and it brings with it the assurance of victory!