It Is Finished! Series

“IT IS FINISHED!” John 19:28-30

FBCF – 4/9/23

Jon Daniels

INTRO – April 1962, renowned theologian Karl Barth spoke at a chapel service at Univ of Chicago. During Q & A time, student asked him if he could sum up his theology in just a few words. Barth: “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so.”

Today, it’s all about Jesus! Today is our day to celebrate the greatest display of love the world has ever seen & that the Bible tells us about – God’s giving of His only Son – His unique, one-of-a-kind Son as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. It’s all about Jesus!

- He was & is the Perfect Son of God

- His name “Jesus” literally means, “God is salvation.”

- He is the Suffering Servant that Isaiah talked about in Isaiah 53: “He was despised & rejected my men; a man of sorrows & acquainted w/ grief…He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, & by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; & the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (v. 3a, 5-6)

- He is the greatest, most wonderful, most amazing, most awesome, most loving Savior of the world.

It’s all about Jesus! I don’t care what the world says about us or does to us or what the government tells us: We are never going to stop proclaiming the life-changing Good News about Jesus – the news that all of us need to rejoice in & that some of you need to respond to today. It’s all about Jesus! I don’t care how much they ridicule Him & us, how much they try to ostracize & marginalize us, how hard they try to discredit us & the message of the Gospel – We are not going to back down, sit down, shut up, or give up. We are going to love Jesus, proclaim Jesus, glorify Jesus, magnify Jesus, & make much of Jesus. It’s all about Jesus! We are going to wake up & spend time w/ Him in the morning – we are going to talk to Him all throughout the day - & we are going to lie down & sleep in peace, knowing that, IF we know Him, He is holding us safely in the palm of His hand. It’s all about Jesus! He is the Lord – OUR Lord – which means HE calls the shots in every area of our lives. He has the authority to tell us how we spend our time, how we spend our money, how we treat our spouses, how we rear our kids, how we operate our businesses, how we relate to our friends & how we relate to our enemies. It’s all about Jesus! He is the Master – OUR Master – which means that we willingly & joyfully give our lives & live our lives in obedient service to Him. It’s all about Jesus! He is the Savior – OUR Savior – which means that, when we call out to Him in faith, He rescues us from the clutches of Satan & from the wide road that leads to hell, & places us in the grip of God & on the narrow road that leads to heaven. He gives us the gift of eternal life, the gift of abundant life, the gift of the Holy Spirit, & the gift of membership in the Church, His Body. It’s all about Jesus!!!

EXPLANATION – John 19:28-30 (p. 906)

John 19:30 is one of the 7 statements that Jesus made while hanging on the cross:

- Matthew 27:46 – “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” – Feelings of abandonment as God took placed all the sins of the world upon Jesus. B/c of that, God had to turn away from Jesus.

- Luke 23:34 – “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Forgiving his mockers showed the depth of God’s love & GRACE.

- Luke 23:43 – “And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – What a testimony! Jesus still “seeking & saving those who are lost” even in the last moments of His life!

- John 19:26-27 – “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” – His limitless compassion shown as He makes sure His mother is cared for.