Sermons

Jesus Finished It!

July 7, 2013 Speaker: John Hansen Series: The Gospel of John

Topic: The Gospel Passage: John 19:16–19:30

I am a list person. I love making my to-do lists every morning. I have a system. I start with a blank piece of white paper…no lines. So I am completely free to write as I like. Then I randomly write down things I need to do for the day, whatever comes to mind. Next, I number them in order of priority. Once my list is numbered, I start with #1 on the list, and I don’t do anything else until #1 is done. Once #1 is completed, I check it off. And I can’t tell you how much satisfaction I get from checking off the items on my list… It’s a really good day when at 5:00 pm I can look at my list, see checks by each item and say to myself, “It is finished!”

And these are the words Jesus said from the cross in John 19. “It is finished.”

Title: Jesus Finished It!
John 19:16-30

Intro:

So John, Why did you choose to start in John?
Honestly, we didn’t choose John because it was my name’s sake. When we planted Mercy Hill, right off the bat, we wanted to make sure we got the gospel right. We felt we could nail it by starting with John.

Zenith of John, Actually the Zenith of History: The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Zenith: the apex, the summit, the highest or culminating point. Jesus is the zenith of history!

The Grandstands of History:
• All the saints history past, present and future are looking to Jesus Christ.
• BC & AD: One side is filled with those who lived BC. One side is filled with those who lived – AD. But everyone’s attention is on Jesus. Even the years of history are focused on Jesus. BC stands for before Christ. AD stands for anno domino, or year of our Lord. Today, we live in the year 2013, that is 2013 years after Jesus came to earth. History is truly His Story. And Jesus is at the center of history. Jesus is the zenith of history. And the zenith of Jesus’ ministry is the cross.

In the Garden
About 6,000 years ago, Adam and Eve sinned and brought death into the world. God made the first sacrifice and clothed them with the skin from the animal. Every sacrifice since that day was a prophetic image of the final sacrifice, when Jesus himself would die for the sins of the world.

There are 2 main types of prophecy:

Verbal & Typical Prophecy

• Verbal Prophecy: direct prophecies about specific aspects of the life and death of Jesus
• Typical Prophecy: illustrative prophecies, such as the experiences of prophets, priests and kings in Israel that gave us images or typology of Christ

Noah: Due to the wickedness of mankind, God chose to judge humanity and flood the earth. But he had Noah build an ark, an ark of safety, or an ark of salvation. Noah spoke of the judgment to come and implored all to get on the ark. The few who boarded the ark were saved. The ark as well was a prophetic image of the cross of Christ. The few who believe in Jesus and what he did on that cross will be saved. They will be rescued from the flood waters of the wrath of God on judgment day.

Isaac: Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed. Before Abraham slew Isaac, the Lord provided a ram. The ram died in Isaac’s place as Jesus died in our place.

Moses: Moses was a type of Christ. He led God’s people out of bondage in Egypt.

David prophesied about Christ: Also, the scriptures say that the messiah would come from the line of David.

Prophets: The prophets foretold that the messiah would come. The spoke in astonishing detail of his unjust trial, abuse, rejection by Jew and Gentile, flogging, and death by crucifixion.

God Wants Your Attention on Jesus Christ and His Cross
All of history BC leads up to this point. All of post-cross history AD looks back to this point. Wherever you are in history, God, the great Commander and Chief, has ALL his people looking to the Cross—those in OT times looking ahead, those in NT times looking back.

Our Chief Soap Box Issue
Our chief soap box issue here at Mercy Hill is the cross of Jesus Christ and his gospel. The gospel is our hill to die on. We will proclaim it and defend it at all costs.

The Gospel is for All Believers
Growing up I thought the gospel was just for unbelievers. If someone was unsaved, you told them about how Jesus died for their sins. The gospel was just how to get someone in the door. After that, they didn’t really need the gospel. They just needed to learn how to be a good person. But the truth of the matter is this, the gospel is the power of God to save you and to sanctify you. I’m all for trying harder, but without the power of the gospel, it will do you no good. As you think upon what Jesus did for you on the cross, as you meditate on your justification, as you marinate in the gospel, it is then that your heart will be filled with hope, and you will be strengthened by the Spirit to put on Christ, to mortify the flesh and to progress in becoming more like the one who went to the cross for you! Power makes it go! And that power is the power of the gospel!
The Cross Centered Life
If there is one book other than the Bible that I want every person at Mercy Hill to read, it is this book: “The Cross Centered Life” by CJ Mahaney.

CJ Mahaney: “I’ve come a long way since I heard the gospel in a drug-induced high. I’ve traveled many miles in this journey of faith. But by His grace I’ve never moved on from the cross of Jesus Christ. And I never want to.”

David Prior: “We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.”

John Stott: “The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales.”

Paul: “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6: 14)

Jesus: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ” (Matt. 16:24)

At the cross of Jesus Christ, everything is in the right perspective. I see how horrible my sin is, my sin that put Jesus on that cross. I see how loving my savior is, my savior who died in my place. And, I see what a treasure my relationship with God is, a treasure so valuable that it was worth Jesus suffering the wrath of God so that I could be brought into right relationship with him.

Outline of the Text:
1. The Crucifixion (16-25)
o Crucified with Criminals
o Sign: King of the Jews
o Soldiers Divide His Garments
o Ladies Present
2. 3 Statements from the Cross (26-30)
o “Woman, behold, your son!”
o “I thirst”
o “It is finished”

Three Main Takeaways for Me
1. The gospel is the good news that empowers the Christian every day of his/her life.
2. Don’t abdicate your authority like Pilate did.
3. Honor your parents like Jesus did. – specifically by caring for them in their later years

16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

He – Him – Them: He (Pilate) delivered him (Jesus) to them (the Jews) to be crucified.

What should Pilate have done? – When the Jews brought Jesus, I think Pilate started out well. “What accusation do you bring?” When the Jews refused to give an accusation, Pilate should have thrown the case out of court immediately. When the Jews threatened his job by saying he was no friend of Caesar, Pilate should have declared emphatically, “This man is innocent. Begone with you!” And he should have given Jesus a military escort to a place of safety.

Pilate Abdicates his authority: Though he is the governor, he fails to lead.
• ab•di•cate
To fail to exercise the leadership that is required of you based upon the position you hold

In some cases, you can step down from certain leadership positions. If you’re a manager at work, you can give your two weeks’ notice and after a couple weeks you don’t have to go to work and be a manager anymore.

However, Pilate wants to maintain his position but abdicate his responsibility. He fails to understand that with the position comes the responsibility.

In a court of law, the judge can step down as judge. But let me tell you what he cannot do. He can’t turn to the security guard in the courtroom and say, “Officer, I don’t really care about this case. You decide.” NO. He is the judge and it his responsibility to decide.

Similarly, Pilate is an evil and wicked judge when he turns to the Jews, washes his hands, says “I find no guilt in him” and then delivers Jesus to be crucified.

Pilate’s Defense: I can just hear Pilate saying in his defense, “But the Jews were threatening me. I was going to have a riot on my hand. I could lose my job. What could I do?”

I would say: “Let me tell you what you could do Pilate. You could be the governor like you are supposed to be. You could punish the guilty and let the innocent go free. You could do what is right and what is required of you in your position as governor and not simply give in to the whims of the people. You are the governor. You are in charge. And YOU are responsible for crucifying Jesus Christ.”

Pilate has declared Jesus’ innocence 3 times here in John but due to the pressure of the crowd he caves. He gives in when the Jews threaten him and he hands Jesus over to be crucified.

You in Authority: A quick word to those of us who are in authority. We are responsible! We who are heads of households. Managers or bosses. Elders of churches. Parents of children. We are responsible for those in our care. We cannot wash our hands of that responsibility as Adam did when he blamed Eve. As Pilate did when he blamed the Jews. God has placed us in these positions. And we must lead righteously!

Elders: Dean, Karl, and Me - I am speaking to you and I am speaking to myself. God has entrusted us with the sheep of Mercy Hill. We are responsible for their souls. As 1 Peter 4:5 says, we will one day give an account for the souls of those God has entrusted to us. Though the position of elder is not necessarily a lifetime position, while we are in this position, let us not abdicate our authority, but let us faithfully minister to and care for the souls of our sheep.

Husbands: You are the heads of your houses. You married this woman. You committed the rest of your life to her. You cannot give 2 weeks’ notice.

Fathers: You are the daddy to your children. They are your responsibility. You are to not exasperate them, to train them, to teach them, to discipline them and raise them in the fear of the Lord. You cannot give 2 weeks’ notice.

Wives: You are the help-meet to your husband. You committed the rest of your life to this man. You are to submit to him, follow his leadership, embrace his vision, help him and respect him. You cannot give 2 weeks’ notice.

Children: Children, you are to obey your parents. Older children, you are to honor and care for your aging parents. You cannot give 2 weeks’ notice.

Who are you? Are you son or daughter, husband or wife or parent? Are you manager or boss or pastor? Embrace the role you are in and take responsibility for those God has placed in your care.

Heed the warning of the life of Pilate: Do not abdicate your authority!

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
• Isaac: When Abraham took Isaac up to be sacrificed in Genesis 22, do you know who carried the wood? It was Isaac. Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice which would be his own execution.
• Similarly: Jesus carried his own cross.
• Outside of Jerusalem: John MacArthur says that Jesus needed to be crucified outside the camp to fulfill another typical prophecy – because a sin offering was made outside the camp.
o Exodus 29:14: "But the flesh of the bullock and his skin and his dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp, it is a sin offering."  Jesus was a sin offering so he had to die outside the camp.
o Hebrews 13:11-12: 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
• Golgotha (place of the skull): Why was it called Golgotha? (Various Theories)
o Place of execution
o Perhaps there were skulls left there on the ground
o One possible site of the crucifixion is called Gordon’s Calvary: appearance of a skull

18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

• If Jesus is supposed to be the focus, why wasn’t he crucified alone?
• Fulfill a verbal prophecy:
o Isaiah 53:12: He poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
• Pilate’s motive: One commentator thought this was to shame the Jews as crucifies their “king” right next to common criminals (Dean questions this… He thinks that this was just the place where they crucified people and there were 2 other guys on the schedule for the day.)
• God’s motive:
o Jesus came for sinners. He came not for the healthy, but for the sick.
 We know from Luke 23 that of these 2 criminals… 1 criminal scoffs and 1 criminal repents.
 Luke 23:39-43: 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
o Never too late to repent…at least as long as you’re still alive: 1 criminal just before he dies, turns to Christ and is saved.

But he was never baptized? The Bible never says you have to be baptized to be saved. Baptism is not a requirement for salvation. This man was never baptized and yet he was saved. Baptism does not save you. Baptism is a way of demonstrating publicly that you love Jesus, that you have believed, that you have been saved already.

19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

• Sign: This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews
• All 4 Gospels include different parts of what the sign said.
o Matthew: This is Jesus the King of the Jews
o Mark: The King of the Jews
o Luke: This is the King of the Jews
o John: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews
• It’s not surprising that John has the most complete description of the sign because John was the only one of the gospel writers who was actually there.

20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.

• Multiple Languages
o Aramaic: the language of the Jews – Jesus first was the messiah or the king of the Jews
o Latin: the language of Rome – dominant government in the world
o Greek: the language of Commerce – used for trade
o Universality of Jesus: Jesus is the king of the whole world. Let those in religion know it. Let those in positions of power in government know it. Let those in positions of power in regard to wealth know it. Jesus is Lord over all!

21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

• “What I have written I have written.”:
o Pilate’s motive: to make another jab at the Jews.
o God’s motive: Jerusalem is packed with people from all over Israel and all over the world…people who have come to celebrate the Passover. God wants all present…from all language backgrounds…to know that his Son is the King.

• To those in our world who question God’s Word, he would say the same to them.  “What I have written I have written.”
• “Oh man, who are you to question your creator?”
o LAWS: God has given us moral laws… for our good.
o Right & Wrong: He has told us what is RIGHT and what is WRONG. Will shake your fist in his face and say that you know better.
o Only Way: Will you question your God saying that he is narrow-minded to say that Jesus is the only way? Please understand that he says this not to cramp our mult-culturalism, but to save us from hell. He says this because Jesus truly is the only way.
o He will NOT give in to the complaints of the crowd.
o Question him all you like, but he will simply respond, “What I have written, I have written.”
• The Bible is in stone. It’s not a living breathing document that you can mess with. When you read the Bible, bring a highlighter. Don’t bring whiteout.

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things.

• Prophecy is from Psalm 22:18. David gives this very specific verbal prophecy about Jesus.
• Scholars believe there were 5 pieces of clothing and 4 soldiers:
o Roman custom for 4 soldiers to crucify a man.
o 4 pieces of clothing: head gear, sandals, belt, and robe.
o They divided the first 4 garments amongst themselves, which left the most special garment, the tunic.
o Then they cast lots or gambled for the final garment.
• Tunic: seamless, sown in one piece from top to bottom
o Josephus tells us that the Jewish high priest wore a seamless garment
o How appropriate for Jesus, who is our great high priest, to wear such a garment
• Dean saw the tunic as a picture of Christ’s righteousness that is imputed to us: “Can’t help but feel the beautiful seamless garment, perhaps lovingly woven by his mother, is a picture of Christ’s perfect righteousness. No man can tear it. Nor can anyone win it in a lottery. But God, in love, mercy, and grace, can give it to his beloved children.”

TRANSITION: In [VERSE 25] John mentions 4 ladies that were at the cross.

25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

John Mark Matthew
His mother
His mother’s sister Salome The mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John)
Mary the wife of Clopas Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses Mary the Mother of James and Joses
Mary Magdalene Mary Madgalene Mary Madgalene

26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

“Woman” – not mother:
• Not a disrpestectful way to speak to a female…though not the typical way you’d address your mother.
• 2 Motivations for calling her Woman:
1. Kindness: I think this was a kindness Jesus showed to Mary. For him to call her “Mother” from the cross may have been too much for her to handle. It might just have broken her heart into a million pieces.
2. Perspective: Also, I think Jesus wanted Mary’s perspective to shift. She needed to start seeing Jesus not as her little boy, but as her Lord and king, as her messiah and her savior.

“It was very kind of him to say, “Woman,” and not, “Mother.” The word “Mother” would have driven the sword even more deeply into the soul of Mary, that sharp and painful sword of which Simeon had spoken (Luke 2:35). Here at the cross, exactly as at Cana’s wedding, it was kind of Jesus to emphasize by the use of the word woman that Mary must no longer think of him as being merely her son; for, the more she conceives of him as her son, the more also will she suffer when he suffers.

Mary must begin to look upon Jesus as her Lord. Yes, even then she will suffer, but this suffering will be of a different nature. She will then know that though indescribably terrible, his agony is, nevertheless, glorious because of its purpose. She will then begin to concentrate on its redemptive meaning. Hence, not mother but woman. Mary’s merely emotional suffering – as any mother would suffer for her son who was being crucified – must be replaced by something higher and nobler, that is, by adoration!” – William Hendriksen

When Jesus says, “Behold Your Son”
• Basically he’s saying, “Mary, John is going to take my place as your son, and he’s going to take care of you.”
• Why did Jesus choose John?
• Why not one of Mary’s other sons?
o Matthew and Mark mention 4 brothers: James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. Why not one of these 4?
• Uncertain: But there are some theories
o They weren’t believers.
o Jesus wanted someone he could trust.
o Jewish culture: The responsibility to take care of the parents fell to the first born. Jesus did not abdicate his responsibility as Mary’s first-born son. He was responsible to look after his mother. Even as he hung from the cross, he made sure to fulfill his duty as a son to his mother.
 Joseph: Mary’s husband is believed to have been dead at this point.
 Jesus was now the man of the house, and Jesus bestows on John an incredible honor.
• Jesus says to John, “Behold your mother.” Or in other words…Take care of my mother.
• Jesus is considering his mother’s needs. He has the whole picture in mind.
o Redemption: First and foremost, he is dying on the cross to pay the price for Mary’s sins. This is Mary’s greatest need!
o Care in her older age: But Jesus doesn’t forget that he is still her first born son in a physical sense. He is responsible to make sure she is taken care of in her older age. He hands this responsibility over to John.
o Jesus doesn’t shirk his responsibility in any way. He is both Mary’s Son and Mary’s Savior.
Why John?
• Jesus says to John, “Behold your mother.”
• He’s present: John was the only disciple that made it to the cross. Do not underestimate the importance of presence. John is there at the cross. John is available. And John is the man Jesus chooses. God will often Passover the able man in order to use the available man.
• Closest friend of Jesus: He is the disciple whom Jesus loved.
• John is young.
• John is the only disciple who did not die a martyr’s death.

Take A Moment: Importance of Honoring Your Parents…especially in their Later Years

• This Bell Curve is your life:
o Baby: When you’re born, your parents take care of you. You can’t do hardly anything by yourself. They feed you, clothe you, change your diapers, etc. You are completely dependent.
o Adult: Then you grow more and more independent until you’re able to live on your own, get married and start a family of your own. Now, you’re the parent caring for the needs of your children.
o Older: Then, in your later years, you start growing older. In your later years, you begin to need extra help from others once again. You lose your independence again. Just like when you were a child, again you will need someone to get you out of bed, feed you, clothe you, bathe you and maybe even change your diapers. This is your life!
• Typical Life: Dependent  Independent  Dependent
o Good to think about the big picture
o Cause for humility
• Top of the Hump (adulthood): You are independent, the place of strength where you wanted to be for so long. Now instead of being cared for, you are caring for others. You are caring for your children, and at some point you will probably be caring for your elderly parents.
• We live in a society that constantly wants to abdicate the God-given positions that our Heavenly Father has given:
o Children don’t want to have to obey their parents.
o Parents want the village to raise their children.
o Adult children want the state to take responsibility for their parents.
• Beware you treat your parents!  When you are deciding how you are going to deal with your parents in their older years, do not forget that little eyes are watching you. Your children are watching how you take care of your folks and in their little brains they are thinking about how one day they will care for you. They’re taking mental notes, and I imagine they’ll treat you in your older age very similarly to the way you treated your parents in their final years. You reap what you sow.

Jesus Advocates Taking Care of Parents in Their Later Years
 In Mark 7:8-13, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for telling people they can give money to the temple in lieu of caring for their aged parents.
8 “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men...” 9 You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.”
 Whether you like it or not, you are the child of parents, and you have certain responsibilities toward your parents.
 Here on the cross, Jesus makes sure that his mother is taken care of both physically and spiritually.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

Fulfillment of Scripture
 Psalm 69:21b: For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Dehydrated State
Jesus due to the bleeding that came with the flogging and the crucifixion was in a severely dehydrated state. He was offered 2 drinks:
 Drugged Wine mixed with Myrrh: In Matthew 27:34, Jesus was offered a drugged wine mixed with myrrh. This would have clouded his mind and dulled the pain of the crucifixion. Some of the Jewish women would prepare this for crucifixion victims as a mercy. Jesus refused this drink. He didn’t want his mind clouded. He still had things to say. He still was going to minister to the thief of the cross.
 Wine Vinegar: The 2nd drink, mentioned here in John 19:29, is actually given at Jesus’ request. They use a hyssop branch with a sponge on the end to hold it up to him.
o The hyssop branch was what the Hebrews used in Exodus to apply the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of their house. One more allusion to the Passover so that we would not miss the fact that Jesus is our Passover lamb.

Why did Jesus request this drink?
 First and foremost to fulfill scripture. As John said, this was “to fulfill the Scripture.”
 He really was thirsty.
 Theory: He wanted to drink, so that he would be able to utter his final cry which is recorded in Luke 23:46: 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Ironic: He who is the water of life, thirsts.
 He goes to the cross in order to supply the living water for us. This event is the dropping of the bucket into the well of the waters of life.
 In going to the cross, Jesus becomes our bread and our drink.
 He experiences the grief of a parched soul.
 He takes on our emptiness that we might filled.

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The sacrifice had been made: Some say, “Sacrifice is so barbaric. People kill animals in some sick and twisted ceremony to try and get their sins forgiven.” BUT we as Christians… We believe in sacrifice…where a living being is put to death in a ceremony that not only represents but also gains for us spiritual accomplishment...the covering of sin, atonement for sin, the forgiveness of sin. Every sacrifice for sin in Israel before Jesus Christ looked forward to that day when our savior would be slaughtered on the cross in a brutal execution where he would die for our sins. We believe in the power of sacrifice!

Jesus died for a specific people. If you are a Christian, when Jesus went to the cross he died specifically for you. He finished the work of absorbing the wrath of God that should have fallen upon you. He paid YOUR redemption price. His life was the currency, the payment, and you were the purchase! If that doesn’t help your self-esteem, I don’t know what will!

Song: When He was on the Cross, I Was On His Mind
I'm not on an ego trip
I'm nothing on my own
I’ve made mistakes, I often slip
Just common flesh and bones

But I'll prove someday just why I say
I'm of a special kind
For when he was on the cross
I was on his mind.

The look of love was on his face
Thorns were on his head
The blood was on his scarlet robe
Stained a crimson red

Though his eyes were on the crowd that day
He looked ahead in time
For when he was on the cross
I was on his mind.

He knew me, yet he loved me
He whose glory makes the heavens shine
So unworthy of such mercy
Yet when he was on the cross
I was on his mind.

I want to implore you. Like CJ Mahaney says, “Never move on from the cross of Jesus Christ.”
• The cross is my hope. My salvation was finished on the cross. My sins which are many were all paid for. The mighty, terrible wrath of God fell upon Jesus Christ.
• It looked like flogging, like mocking, like a crown of thorns, like nails in his hands and feet…it looked like crucifixion…but that was only the beginning of the agony that Jesus faced as God the Father crushed him for my sins.

Titanic: In 1997, the average teenage girl in America saw the movie Titanic three times. I also saw it three times, so that makes me the average teenage girl in America. I hesitated to use this illustration because there are definitely some inappropriate things in the movie. It’s a great movie if you have Clear Play to filter out the bad stuff.

The seen at the end of the movie really impressed me. The Titanic is sinking. Jack and Rose swim out into the icy ocean waters looking for something to keep them above water. They find a floating board. As they climb on, the board starts to sink. They realize that it will only hold one of them, so Jack gets back into the water. As he’s freezing to death, he says, “You’re going to make it Rose. You’re going to live. You’re going to get married, have babies and grow old.” Then his grasp on the boards loosens and he sinks into the sea. Rose does get rescued. She gets married and does everything that Jack said she would do. I am sure that every day of her life, she looked back to that point when someone died in order that she might live, when someone had given his life so she could have hers.

When I think of the cross of Jesus Christ, these words will always ring forth in my mind: That should have been me! --- He died so I can live!

Meditate on your justification.
• Think upon the cross of Jesus Christ regularly.
• Perspective: This will put all your other problems in the right perspective. All the other problems in your life are miniscule compared to your sin problem and the wrath of God that you had coming to you. Like they say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
• Rescued Man: A man who has been rescued from drowning in the ocean does not bemoan the fact that he has just stubbed his toe. You and I were that drowning man. Jesus rescued us.
• Struggles: When we struggle with relationships, health problems, financial issues … let us continually be reminded that we deserved death, we deserved the wrath of God, we deserved hell, and Jesus died to give us eternal life. Let us face all the challenges we endure in this life with that perspective. Our big problem has been dealt with.
• Grace: And with that in mind, I think you can give a little more grace to your spouse. And you can have a little more patience with that person that gets under you skin.

John Stott: “The Christian community is a community of the cross, for it has been brought into being by the cross, and the focus of its worship is the Lamb once slain, now glorified.”

“It is finished”:
• The quest was completed
• The prince had killed the dragon of sin and won for himself a bride
• The mission of Jesus Christ to provide forgiveness, salvation and atonement

a•tone•ment ( -t n m nt) n.
Payment made for an injury or wrong

• Jesus has cornered the market on the word atonement. He made atonement for our sins.
• Adam’s sin brought a curse upon humanity. Jesus had done the work that needed to be done to reverse the curse. Jesus finished it!
• Mankind once again has access to the tree of life. The cross which is a tree of death becomes for us the tree of life. Let us take of the fruit of this tree and eat.
• Once again we can walk and talk with our God in the garden of sweet intimacy and unhindered communion.
• The price has been paid for the sin of God’s people.

“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14)

Jesus finished it!

 

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