“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.
- John 19:28 – “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” – Fulfilled prophecy Psalm 69:21 - “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
- John 19:30 – “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – The suffering was over – the work was done – the debt was paid.
- Luke 23:46 – “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.” – No one took His life from Him. He willingly gave it up as He offered Himself as the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world.
APPLICATION – Jesus’ death, burial, & resurrection give us hope in this life & the life to come!
Those 3 English words, “It is finished!”, are actually one Greek word, tetelestai. There are only 2 places this word is used in the NT & both of them are in our passage for today.
- V. 28 – “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now FINISHED…” – tetelestai
- V. 30 – “…He said, ‘It is finished!”… - tetelestai
- Literally means it is completed, it is accomplished, it is fulfilled, nothing else needs to be done or paid.
- It was a word that was written on business documents & receipts in NT times to show that a debt had been paid in full.
- And that is EXACTLY what Jesus did! And ONLY JESUS could do that!
- And b/c He did & b/c of what happened 3 days later, we can confidently & ecstatically proclaim these 3 truths:
OUR SAVIOR IS ALIVE! – John 20:1 – Matthew, Mark, & Luke all record the angel telling the women who came to the tomb that first resurrection morning, “He is not here. He is risen!” Didn’t say, “His body is gone” or “His body has been moved & we don’t know where He is.” Angels are God’s appointed messengers & the message from God that morning was & is, “He is risen!” – ie, “He is ALIVE!”
Listen! The Roman soldiers may have sealed the tomb, but Jesus’ resurrection sealed our salvation! B/c HE is alive, we, too can live forever!
Every year, people climb a mountain in Italy & stand at outdoor crucifix, remembering the death of Jesus. A tourist once noticed a little trail that led off from the shrine. Followed the trail & found another shrine, covered up by unruly weeds & bushes. This shrine symbolized the empty tomb. Unfortunately, the shrine had been neglected.
Reality is that we cannot stop at the cross & neglect the empty tomb b/c, without the empty tomb, we would still be lost in our sins! Without the resurrection, our faith is as dead as any other world religion. But, HALLELUJAH, b/c of the empty tomb, we KNOW that our Savior is ALIVE! And b/c He IS alive…
OUR VICTORY IS ASSURED! – John 14:19 – “…Because I live, you also will live.” What a promise from Jesus Himself!
There are a lot of people who are working hard to defeat us – those of us who are passionately live for Jesus & making much of Him in every way possible. And there will be more & more in the days to come.
But I’ve got news for them! They will not win b/c OUR victory is assured b/c OUR Savior is alive! Jesus has promised us total & complete victory! He hasn’t promised us an easy life from struggle – exactly the opposite. But He HAS promised us & assured us of victory in this life & in the life to come!
- Victory over your fears – Jesus came into the world w/ the announcement of “Fear not!” from the angels to the shepherds. And He left the world w/ the promise to us of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives & the promise of His presence w/ us forever. So don’t be afraid, no matter what the circumstances around you look like!
- Victory over your failures – You think your failures are too great for God to love you & save you & use you? Listen! “Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper & denied Jesus, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Samson was a womanizer, Miriam was a gossiper, Rahab was a prostitute, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was depressed, Moses stuttered & lacked self-control, Zacchaeus was a crook, Abraham lied, James & John were prideful…”
o Jesus died for every one of them in spite of their failures, & He’s done the same thing for you!
o He will save you & give you victory over any failure in your life!
- Victory over your future – 400 yrs before Jesus, the Greek philosopher, Socrates, lay dying from poison. Considered wisest teacher in world. Was asked, “Shall we live again?” could only answer, “I hope so, but no man can know.” WRONG! You CAN know b/c Jesus has given us victory over our future! Which leads to past point…
OUR HEAVENLY HOME AWAITS! – John 14:1-6 – Friday, went to Cleveland to 1114 Lamar St. Pulled into driveway & walked right in. Didn’t have to knock on door. Why? B/c 55 yrs ago, my daddy bought that house & paid for it so I could live there. I didn’t pay for it – he did. And b/c I’m in his family, I have the right & authority & joy of that place being my home.
But even greater than that, 2000 yrs ago, Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave, & went back to heaven to prepare an eternal home for me. I didn’t pay for it. I COULDN’T pay for it. HE paid for it w/ His own blood. I didn’t earn a room in that home – He GAVE me a room there. He PROMISED me a room there if I would place my trust in Him alone for my salvation. So I did & now my heavenly home awaits me! I’m not going to arrive at that home b/c I’ve been a pretty decent person, or tried not to sin too much, or followed the teachings of Mohammad or Confucius or Buddha, or came to church on Easter Sunday. I will arrive there ONLY b/c I’ve trusted in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, & the Life, & NO ONE will come to the Father & get into His home except through Jesus!
- One day, the home at 1114 Lamar St won’t be mine anymore. One day, it won’t even be there anymore.
- But my heavenly home is an eternal home!
CONCLUSION – So COME TO JESUS TODAY!
