TODAY’S MESSAGE
THE SHOUT OF TRIUMPH
“It is Finished.” John 19:30
Paul Pierpoint
The endless hours of suffering are over. The Savior is about to die. It was for this cause that He came into the world. Now He has completed the work that His Father gave Him to do. He raises His voice in a triumphant shout, “It is finished.” Last words are often important, but none so important as the last immortal words of Jesus. These words must never be interpreted as a despairing cry of a helpless victim. This was not a last gasp of a worn out life. These words were actually a shout of victory. Jesus did not say, “I am finished,” but “It is finished.” Jesus was not a quitter! He did not leave this world with an unfinished task. He pressed on until He reached the last hour of the cross. While only eternity will reveal the full meaning of this shout, perhaps we can suggest a few thoughts that might give us a start in exploring the magnitude of this utterance from the cross.
What was finished at the cross?
1. The PASSION of His earthly suffering was completed.
Whenever we reflect upon the sufferings of Christ, three facts need to be emphasized. They sum up the whole Passion story. There could not be a more fitting title for Jesus than the title called the “Man of Sorrows.” (Isa.. 53:3)
(1) These sufferings were entirely VOLUNTARY. John 12:27
(2) These sufferings were emphatically VICARIOUS. Isa .53 4-5
(3) These sufferings ended with VICTORY . John 19:30
2. PROPHECY became fulfilled.
Centuries beforehand, the prophets had described step by step the humiliation and suffering of the coming Saviour. When He cried IT IS FINISHED every prophecy concerning His first coming became literally, perfectly, wonderfully fulfilled.
What can we learn from this?
(1) From the beginning God had a PLAN for our redemption.
(Eph. 1:4) Christianity is a religion of rescue. We get glimpses and pieces of the rescue plan throughout Scripture.
(2) God’s PROMISES will not fail. If God predicts a thing, you can know that it will come to pass. By the way, If God brought to completion all His promises about His first coming surely He will bring to completion all the promises about His second coming.
(II Peter 3:9)
When that cry was made,
3. PROPITIATION was made complete. (I John 4:10)
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10) There is now no necessity to go through the rituals and forms of the old order.
(Heb. 7:27) The finishing of sacrificial redemption implied the finishing of the dispensation of types and symbols.
The Old Levitical sacrifices were incomplete.
1) They did not bring PERFECTION. (Heb. 7:11)
2) They had to be REPEATED. (Heb. 7:27)
In contrast to the old order, when that cry was made
1) A PERFECT sacrifice was offered.
2) The old ORDER was finished.
4. The PERFECTION of obedience became completed. Heb. 5:7
The writer to the Hebrews stated that Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Heb. 5:7) He learned obedience not because He was a disobedient person. But rather, having never been a man, he learned from human experiences.
The Master’s obedience was exemplary all through His life, but no where was His obedience better demonstrated and proven than at the Cross.
1) Here at the Cross His obedience was severely CONTESTED .
Calvary had to be the worst trying, terrifying test of all.
2) Here at the Cross His obedience was brought to COMPLETION.
Searching questions.... How committed are we in dong the Father’s will? How much are we willing to sacrifice for others? In looking at the cross, we are looking at a powerful example of obedience and devotion.
5. The PROVISION for our redemption became complete.
The problem of redemption was to find a way by which a Holy God could be just and at the same time, be the Justifier of the ungodly.
The Cross solves the problem. When the Lamb of Heaven cried, “IT IS FINISHED,” the provision for our redemption and reconciliation was made complete.
*Sin dug a gulf in our relationship with God. The cross bridged it.
*Sin resulted in estrangement. The cross reconciled it.
*Sin made war. The cross made peace.
*Sin broke fellowship. The cross repaired and restored it.
*Sin made redemption essential. The cross made redemption possible. (adapted from Thomas C. Oden)
Jesus took our place at the Cross!
