It is finished
observations on the last words of Christ
John 19:27-30 ~ Terry Phillips
December 9, 2018
It is finished
I want to ask you if you will turn with me to John’s gospel, the 19th chapter once again. We’re continuing our consideration of our blessed Savior on the cross. Of all the matters that continually contend for our attention, there is nothing on the same level as the unfathomable means by which our infinitely pure and holy Creator has provided redemption for sinners, for sinners like you and I. And from the revelation of our Lord to His beloved disciple, it is clear that contemplation of Christ as the Lamb of God will be a prominent feature of the final glory.
There several observations we've already made as we've been working our way through this portion of God's word. We've already been meditating upon a number of aspects of the Lord's crucifixion, and even the moments, the time leading up to His crucifixion, though I trust each of us would recognize the fact that the possible and worthy angles of inquiry regarding our Lord's death, His sacrifice on our behalf, are well beyond our understanding, and the ever-present constraints of time. But it seems to me, as I've tried to think these things through and contemplate this portion of God's word, at any point in time, it is necessary for us to simply pursue those elements that are brought to our attention just now, and we trust by the spirit of truth.
The men that God moved to record the different gospel accounts were obviously moved by the Holy Spirit to include specific details that were impressed upon their minds while passing over others, things that we might question – well what about this, and what about that? Those aren’t included. There are profitable variations in the things each of them included and excluded in their individual accounts.
This morning, I'd like us to focus on the last words that Jesus spoke before He gave up His spirit in death. I want to begin with verse 27 and read through verse 29 this morning.
“Then He (that is, the Lord) said to the disciple, behold your mother and from that hour the disciple took her into his own household” – this a continuation of what we looked at last time, and then verse 28. – “After this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. Said, “I am thirsty” and a jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine He said, “it is finished” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
From what we have recorded is, as we consider all four of the gospel accounts, our Lord did not speak much from the cross. There weren't many things that He said, but of the few words that He did speak, during the agony of His crucifixion, none are more significant than these last three words that the Lord uttered before He died. We could meditate for an indefinite period of time on just these three words, if you stop and think about it and still not adequately exhaust the fullness of their meaning and their implications. In the brief time that we have together this morning, I trust that we can endeavor even with the Lord's help, to consider several aspects of this final statement from our Lord Jesus as He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. There are several observations, it seems to me, that at the very least we need to make and are very important in considering the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross on our behalf.
The first thing that I want you to notice from this statement, and this is our focus this morning – these three words that the Lord spoke. “It is finished.” I want you to think about that and ponder that if we could together this morning. The first thing that I want you to notice in regards to this statement is – our Lord's deliberate resolve, His deliberate resolve. Everything, if you stop and think you or you go back and you ponder, read through the gospel accounts of our Lord's life, the things that He did and the things that He said, everything was perfectly appropriate for the moment. You know how you and I sometimes might say a really good thing but we can't see it in the right moment or a perfect moment comes and we fail to say what we could have said or should have said or do what we then later on think back and see what I wish I would've done that. Not so with the Lord Jesus. Everything He did instead was perfectly appropriate for the moment, but it was also of immeasurable value extending far beyond a single moment in time.
At any given point in time Jesus was fully aware of the needs of the moment. We saw this just this last time we were in this portion of God's word. Here is Jesus in His agony and He's aware of a very specific need for His earthly mother, for Mary as He is about to die. And Jesus is not only aware of this but Jesus deals with that need. But he's also in each of these moments, the Lord is also fully aware of the overriding preeminence of the divine purpose and the plan that He Himself had come to accomplish. In spite of our Lord's obvious concern for the temporal needs of those who were there – those who are close by Him, those who were closest to Him in this life – Jesus is also intensely aware and alert to the greater purpose that is been accomplished through His severe anguish. I want you to think about this, as we think of the Lord, uttering these words, “it is finished”, these three words.
They demonstrate a deliberate determination in the Lord. They make clear that this is the moment that Jesus had been looking to from the beginning of His earthly sojourn. This was it. Jesus isn’t saying, It is finished, In the context of something that's just taken place that He wasn't quite expecting or that happened to Him that He had no idea it was coming, and all of a sudden, here it is, and “okay, well this is finished.” No, these words speak of a far larger picture. A grander purpose. A purpose for which Jesus had been purposefully, in a very determined way, directing His attention. And even His life, the movements of His day, where He went, what He did, and when He did these things. One of the things, this is one of the things that you notice in the life of our Lord and in some of the statements that He makes, just to remind you of several of them – I remind you of the passage that we looked at not too awful long ago, in the 12th chapter of John's Gospel. You recall, as Jesus is contemplating what's about to happen to Him, He says in John 12:27 –
“Now, my soul has become troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.” “For this purpose, I came to this hour.”
There is a determined and a deliberate approach to this matter of the cross on the part of the Lord Jesus. You recall, earlier in John's Gospel, the 10th chapter in the 10th verse Jesus, and picturing Himself as the Good Shepherd. He says – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” – only one possible way that could happen, and that’s through the cross. This is what He came for. This is, this was His purpose. This is what He had been looking to and looking toward even though it was a painful thing for His disciples. You recall there in Matthew's gospel, in the 16th chapter, when Jesus makes this wonderful declaration concerning the church, His church that He’s going to build and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. And then we’re told in verse 21 - “That from that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
From that point in time, Jesus is continually, it’s on an ongoing basis. He’s showing His disciples this. This is where all of this is heading. This is what's going to happen. This is what has to happen. It must be. Even though Peter pulled Him aside and actually rebukes the Lord, the Lord of course responding to Peter's rebuke by recognizing this was in fact a work of the evil one himself, “get behind me Satan.” Jesus responds. I remind you also, in Luke's gospel, the ninth chapter. Luke chapter 9, verse 51, it says -
“And it came about when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus didn't leave this up to chance or up to, just the natural course or of the unfolding of human events. There is a determined deliberateness in the Lord Jesus as He makes His way to the cross. This ought to bring great comfort to our weary souls, especially when you and I are facing difficulties in this life. When our way seems so difficult and even impossible at times, what a blessing! And what an encouragement it is to know this, that when God establishes His purpose, He will always see it through. He never loses sight of what His purpose is. Jesus never lost sight of what He came to do. There were those who on several occasions were even ready to make Him King, to worship Him in a way that wasn't right, that wasn't appropriate. In fact, that was far, far less, infinitely less than what He would be and will be worshiped as eventually but only because of what He accomplished on the cross.
What a comfort this ought to be to us, no matter how weak we are, no matter how debilitating even our weaknesses are, no matter how violently the whole world may be opposed no matter how vicious and determined our adversary may be – when God establishes His purpose, He will accomplish it. He follows it through. There's a determination that we see in the Lord. “It is finished.” These are words of One who is deliberate. You see this even prior to this, it says in verse 28, “Jesus after this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished.” Notice Jesus is keeping track, every detail even in the midst of His agony, He is keeping track of the fulfillment to the letter of what had been spoken. The eternal Word made flesh, now been faithful to that word spoken beforehand. “In order that the scripture might be fulfilled. He said I am thirsty” – reference back to the psalm that speaks of this very thing.
So here you see the Lord, His deliberate determination that He is going to fulfill that for which He came into this world. I'm reminded of just how comforting this ought to be to me, to each of us, when we see the Lord in this way, we see His determination, His deliberateness and His sacrifice on the cross on our behalf, especially as it relates to each of us personally. I remind you what Jesus said earlier in chapter 10. A little later on from the passage we looked at a few moments ago. He says in verse 27, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
This faithfulness, this following through, this determination, this setting His face resolutely to Jerusalem demonstrates for us that Jesus is in no way, shape or form, going to allow anything, anything to prevent Him from fulfilling the purpose for which He came. I was reminded of the 33rd Psalm, when we're told this – verse nine, “For He spoke and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast.” And this, of course, in the context in relation to the creation, and then we read these words – “The Lord nullifies the Council of the nations. He frustrates the plans the peoples.” The people, during the days of our Lord on this earth, they had all sorts of ideas and plans as to what they would like to do with Jesus, usually not good. “He frustrates the plans the peoples” but notice the contrast verse 11, “The Council of the Lord stands for ever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” God isn’t constantly changing His plans. Oh, things are looking like they're going this direction, we need a change of plans. The plans of God's heart stand firm from generation to generation. I’m reminded also of a passage that's very familiar to us, great comfort in this respect. Romans chapter 8, beginning with verse 31 –
“What then shall we say to these things of God is for us, who is against us. He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely, give us all things. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, is He who died, yes rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, or nakedness, peril, sword, just as it is written, for Thy sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered, but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Through Him who loved us and follow through.
So, I see a tremendous determination of deliberateness and the Lord when He says it is finished, It's just the right time. Everything is according to God's purpose in His plan. At that point in time, Jesus says, “it is finished.”
The second observation that I would direct your attention to in these three words and that is – We cannot help but recognize the clear implication of a previous beginning, surely we can see that here. There's no way to finish what was never begun. These three simple words draw our attention to a point in the past. Even before the existence of humanity, before the establishing of the world before the creation of the heavens. Even before time itself. What Jesus completed on the cross had been set in motion before the ages of time - “it is finished.” There is a dimension to this that it seems to me we sometimes forget, we don't always appreciate as we should. Several passages I just want to bring to your attention in this respect. First Corinthians chapter 2, verse seven, actually I’ll begin with verse six. – “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away. But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. before the ages to our glory.”
Another passage that I think is very familiar to us, found in Ephesians chapter 1. Such a tremendous perspective, beginning with verse three – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention, which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times. That is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him, also, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
Titus, the very beginning of the Paul's epistle to Titus, chapter 1, verse two – “In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised,” when? “long ages ago.” Second Timothy, one of my favorite passages in this respect. Second Timothy chapter 1, beginning with verse eight – “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus” – notices next few words – “from all eternity.” I want you to ponder that with me this morning. When Jesus uttered these words, “it is finished.” It was the declaration that something determined from eternal ages past has now come to fruition, it’s been accomplished.
Seems to me, as we ponder this, this dimension of this statement, that is this thought to provide an unwavering stability in our confidence in Christ. It's one thing for something to be accomplished on our behalf on the spur of the moment or something that takes place with very little planning but there's nothing quite like that which takes place, that which is brought to pass as a result of extensive planning and patience in this case beyond anything or mind can conceive of. He has completed what had been determined by the Council of the divine will, before the ages of time. “it is finished.”
There's a third observation that I'd like to make this morning regarding this statement, and that is – That we notice the divine expectation of accomplishment. Surely none of us can presume that Jesus utters these words by way of surprise. Jesus isn’t surprised that it’s finished, is He? Sometimes, I'm surprised when I get to the finish of something. The Lord wasn't. These are words of surprise. These aren’t words of, boy, I'm sure glad this is over with. I didn't know if I would be able to do it. There is a divine expectation of accomplishment in these words, “it IS finished.” It was never in question or in doubt in the Lord's mind. The expectation is that this work would be completed and now it is, the declaration can now be made. “It is finished”. An expectation has been realized in this moment in time and it’s a remarkable thing to think about.
Jesus makes this declaration, and at this point in time we can know for certain that the divine expectation has been fulfilled, has been met. An expectation has been realized that I want us to go just a little bit further as we think about this expectation. This is a very definite expectation or maybe to say it another way, it's definable. It's clear. In matters of merely human expectations, this is often not the case. Have you ever been in one of those situations where you're trying hard to do something and really wanting to get something accomplished and all of a sudden somebody raises the question – how will we know when we've actually done it? How do we know when we actually have met our goal? Some things in life are easier to see than others. A lot of times it's hard to know, then we stop and we step back and think, let's see what will this look like if we actually accomplished what we say we’re setting out to accomplish? God knew what this would look like. And in fact, it was, it is and was as definable as anything could ever be, it couldn't be clearer. These words leave no question about what it is that has been finished. There has undoubtedly been much confusion through human distortion and disregard for divine revelation concerning what it is that is finished, but all you have to do is read through the New Testament one time, paying a little bit of attention, and you're going to know what the Lord is speaking about here.
God has been consistently and exceedingly clear about what it is that Jesus set out to accomplish on the cross and did in fact accomplish through His suffering and death on the cross, God's been clear about that. Men are not so clear. The adversary loves to muddy the water and talk about all sorts of other things, incidentals that were accomplished. Some of them actually true, but they're not what Jesus is talking about here when He says, “it is finished”. So very specific. I remind you of a number of passages and I think it's worth going through a number of passages, and I will try to do so fairly quickly, but just to remind you of just how clear God is about this.
Remember in Matthew's gospel. The first chapter, when the angel comes and declares to Joseph, what is about to take place. Verse 21, a verse that is so familiar to us. One of our memory verses – “And she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” It doesn't get any clearer than that, does it?
This was the purpose for which Jesus came into this world. I remind you of that moment when the Baptist recognizes, he sees the Lord Jesus coming to him there in John's Gospel, the first chapter, and the 29th verse – “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him” – and how does John the Baptist identify Him? He says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It doesn't get clearer than that. Matthew chapter 26, as Jesus is instituting what we observe, the Lord's supper.
He says in Matthew 26 verse 27 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “drink from it, all of you for this is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many,” – for what? – “for forgiveness of sins.”
Romans chapter 8, and verse three. Looking back, then. These passages I just mentioned are looking forward to what it is that Jesus would accomplish. Looking back, Paul says in Romans chapter 8, verse three – “For what the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.”
1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse three – “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Galatians chapter 1, verse four, I’ll begin with verse three – “Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins.”
Skip over to Hebrews chapter 9, verse 26 – “Otherwise He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice Himself, and inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many.”
1Peter chapter 2, verse 24 – “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.”
1John chapter 2, verse two – “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John chapter 3, verse five – “And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins.”
1John 4:10 – “And this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Revelation chapter 1, verse five – “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood.”
Is there any question in your mind as to what Jesus is referring to when He says, “it is finished.”?
Isaiah 53, verse four – “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.”
The implications of this reality are more personally significant for each of us than we can fully appreciate right now. I know that I'm a sinner, and if you're in Christ you come to know that your sinner as well. But the reality is that I don't really fully comprehend what that means, so that I don't really fully comprehend what a wonderful truth this is. “It is finished.” One of the things that I think, every once in a while, we need to be reminded of is, we need to simply consider what's sin is. How bad is sin? You ever stop to think about that every once in a while, again? How bad is sin? We’re told in Romans chapter 7, verses seven through 13, that the law, lays bare the exceeding sinfulness of sin. I’ll start in verse eight – “But sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind, for apart from the law, sin is dead.” - In other words, I don't get it, I don't see sin for what it is – “And I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. In this commandment, which was to result in life proved to result in death for me. For sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good, therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be. Rather, it was sin in order that it might be shown to be sin by affecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.”
How bad is sin? Sin is enslaving, sin is depraving, and it is our natural craving. What did Jesus say in John chapter 8, verse 34 – “Truly, truly, I say to you everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” How bad is sin? It’s enslaving. It holds us in bondage. Not only is it enslaving, it is depraving. All you have to do is read through the first chapter, the last half of the first chapter of the book of Romans and there’s really not much more to be said in this respect. Beginning with verse 21 – “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Notice the progression, by the way, of depravity in these verses. “And exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity that their bodies might be dishonored among them, for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions. For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural in the same way. Also, the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
Sin is enslaving and it is depraving. It is our natural craving in the flesh. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, beginning with verse one – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” – Notice verse three – “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
Apart from Christ, sin is a part of our very instinct. It's our natural craving, is to sin, to rebel against God, is to pursue the lusts in our own hearts. You ever stop to think what an effect sin has had upon us and the world at large. Every once in a while, it just sort of stuns me. I stop and I think of all the things, I'm sure you've done this too, where you begin to realize, something will happen in your life, something that will really point this out to you. That’s because of sin, and this is because of sin, and this is because of sin. Then you start working your way through it and you realize that it has permeated and corrupted the entire world – hatred, strife, enmity, jealousy, envy, unfaithfulness, selfishness, murder, war, thievery, deceitfulness, deception, disease, suffering, sorrow, pain, confusion, hopelessness, despair, distortion, chaos, perversion, and even an enslavement to self-destruction. Sin’s a terrible thing. Sin results in destruction. It results in death – “the soul that sins will die.” “The wages of sin, is death.” I was reminded of what James says there, in James chapter 1, verse 14 – “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust and when lust has conceived it gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplished” – Where does it go, where does it lead? What is the end? What's the final result? – “It brings forth death.”
Sin looks so good for the moment, but it results in death. This is the position you and I are in apart from Christ. Every one of us. No exceptions. Not only does it result in destruction and death, but it also results in eternal condemnation. That’s what really matters. I remind you of that passage, and maybe I will turn to it just to read it once again. A passage we don't maybe look at as often as we should. You recall that in Revelation chapter 20, verse 10 – “The devil, who deceived them was thrown finally into the lake of fire” – This is the end of the devil and his demons – “The lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also in they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” But then we read these words – “And I saw a great white throne.” We read these words about the devil and his demons, and we say, yeah, he deserves it. But that’s not where it stops. “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away. No place was found for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”
This is what is commonly referred to as the great white throne judgment. This is where men will be judged according to their deeds. And if any of us are judged according to our deeds, this is what the result will be – “The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Torment day and night forever and ever. That's what you and I have been saved from.
In turning to Jesus, entrusting Him to forgive us and to cleanse us from our sin, we can be saved from the fear of death, and more importantly from the fear of the second death. when Jesus utters these words, ‘it is finished,’ Contemplate with me this morning, the blessed joy this is for those who have turned Christ and I trust you have. If there is one here who has not, then the second death is all you can be expecting after this life. But if you’ve turned to Christ, Oh what joy! What blessing! What precious truth is spoken in these three words for you and I, “it is finished.” I’m free! I've been set free from enslavement to sin. What did Jesus say in that same chapter, that eighth chapter of John? – “If the Son therefore shall set you free, you will be free indeed!” That's real freedom. “It is finished!” That means I'm free. I'm free from sins enslaving power. I'm free from the expectation of eternal condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” Paul says there in Romans 8:1. No more expectation of torment forever and ever. Freedom from the fear of death. “It is finished”, our sins of been forgiven. We've been cleansed white as snow. Sin is no longer our master. Paul says there in Romans chapter 6. What a blessing! These words ought to just thrill our souls every minute of every day. That the One who came into this world, God Almighty became flesh and blood, was made in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. No other way that you and I could be spared, could be delivered. God didn't spare His Own Son so that He may now freely give to us all things. What a blessed joy this passage ought to be to you and I as we contemplate this together this morning. Let’s bow together in prayer.
There several observations we've already made as we've been working our way through this portion of God's word. We've already been meditating upon a number of aspects of the Lord's crucifixion, and even the moments, the time leading up to His crucifixion, though I trust each of us would recognize the fact that the possible and worthy angles of inquiry regarding our Lord's death, His sacrifice on our behalf, are well beyond our understanding, and the ever-present constraints of time. But it seems to me, as I've tried to think these things through and contemplate this portion of God's word, at any point in time, it is necessary for us to simply pursue those elements that are brought to our attention just now, and we trust by the spirit of truth.
The men that God moved to record the different gospel accounts were obviously moved by the Holy Spirit to include specific details that were impressed upon their minds while passing over others, things that we might question – well what about this, and what about that? Those aren’t included. There are profitable variations in the things each of them included and excluded in their individual accounts.
This morning, I'd like us to focus on the last words that Jesus spoke before He gave up His spirit in death. I want to begin with verse 27 and read through verse 29 this morning.
“Then He (that is, the Lord) said to the disciple, behold your mother and from that hour the disciple took her into his own household” – this a continuation of what we looked at last time, and then verse 28. – “After this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. Said, “I am thirsty” and a jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine He said, “it is finished” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
From what we have recorded is, as we consider all four of the gospel accounts, our Lord did not speak much from the cross. There weren't many things that He said, but of the few words that He did speak, during the agony of His crucifixion, none are more significant than these last three words that the Lord uttered before He died. We could meditate for an indefinite period of time on just these three words, if you stop and think about it and still not adequately exhaust the fullness of their meaning and their implications. In the brief time that we have together this morning, I trust that we can endeavor even with the Lord's help, to consider several aspects of this final statement from our Lord Jesus as He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. There are several observations, it seems to me, that at the very least we need to make and are very important in considering the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross on our behalf.
The first thing that I want you to notice from this statement, and this is our focus this morning – these three words that the Lord spoke. “It is finished.” I want you to think about that and ponder that if we could together this morning. The first thing that I want you to notice in regards to this statement is – our Lord's deliberate resolve, His deliberate resolve. Everything, if you stop and think you or you go back and you ponder, read through the gospel accounts of our Lord's life, the things that He did and the things that He said, everything was perfectly appropriate for the moment. You know how you and I sometimes might say a really good thing but we can't see it in the right moment or a perfect moment comes and we fail to say what we could have said or should have said or do what we then later on think back and see what I wish I would've done that. Not so with the Lord Jesus. Everything He did instead was perfectly appropriate for the moment, but it was also of immeasurable value extending far beyond a single moment in time.
At any given point in time Jesus was fully aware of the needs of the moment. We saw this just this last time we were in this portion of God's word. Here is Jesus in His agony and He's aware of a very specific need for His earthly mother, for Mary as He is about to die. And Jesus is not only aware of this but Jesus deals with that need. But he's also in each of these moments, the Lord is also fully aware of the overriding preeminence of the divine purpose and the plan that He Himself had come to accomplish. In spite of our Lord's obvious concern for the temporal needs of those who were there – those who are close by Him, those who were closest to Him in this life – Jesus is also intensely aware and alert to the greater purpose that is been accomplished through His severe anguish. I want you to think about this, as we think of the Lord, uttering these words, “it is finished”, these three words.
They demonstrate a deliberate determination in the Lord. They make clear that this is the moment that Jesus had been looking to from the beginning of His earthly sojourn. This was it. Jesus isn’t saying, It is finished, In the context of something that's just taken place that He wasn't quite expecting or that happened to Him that He had no idea it was coming, and all of a sudden, here it is, and “okay, well this is finished.” No, these words speak of a far larger picture. A grander purpose. A purpose for which Jesus had been purposefully, in a very determined way, directing His attention. And even His life, the movements of His day, where He went, what He did, and when He did these things. One of the things, this is one of the things that you notice in the life of our Lord and in some of the statements that He makes, just to remind you of several of them – I remind you of the passage that we looked at not too awful long ago, in the 12th chapter of John's Gospel. You recall, as Jesus is contemplating what's about to happen to Him, He says in John 12:27 –
“Now, my soul has become troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.” “For this purpose, I came to this hour.”
There is a determined and a deliberate approach to this matter of the cross on the part of the Lord Jesus. You recall, earlier in John's Gospel, the 10th chapter in the 10th verse Jesus, and picturing Himself as the Good Shepherd. He says – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” – only one possible way that could happen, and that’s through the cross. This is what He came for. This is, this was His purpose. This is what He had been looking to and looking toward even though it was a painful thing for His disciples. You recall there in Matthew's gospel, in the 16th chapter, when Jesus makes this wonderful declaration concerning the church, His church that He’s going to build and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. And then we’re told in verse 21 - “That from that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
From that point in time, Jesus is continually, it’s on an ongoing basis. He’s showing His disciples this. This is where all of this is heading. This is what's going to happen. This is what has to happen. It must be. Even though Peter pulled Him aside and actually rebukes the Lord, the Lord of course responding to Peter's rebuke by recognizing this was in fact a work of the evil one himself, “get behind me Satan.” Jesus responds. I remind you also, in Luke's gospel, the ninth chapter. Luke chapter 9, verse 51, it says -
“And it came about when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus didn't leave this up to chance or up to, just the natural course or of the unfolding of human events. There is a determined deliberateness in the Lord Jesus as He makes His way to the cross. This ought to bring great comfort to our weary souls, especially when you and I are facing difficulties in this life. When our way seems so difficult and even impossible at times, what a blessing! And what an encouragement it is to know this, that when God establishes His purpose, He will always see it through. He never loses sight of what His purpose is. Jesus never lost sight of what He came to do. There were those who on several occasions were even ready to make Him King, to worship Him in a way that wasn't right, that wasn't appropriate. In fact, that was far, far less, infinitely less than what He would be and will be worshiped as eventually but only because of what He accomplished on the cross.
What a comfort this ought to be to us, no matter how weak we are, no matter how debilitating even our weaknesses are, no matter how violently the whole world may be opposed no matter how vicious and determined our adversary may be – when God establishes His purpose, He will accomplish it. He follows it through. There's a determination that we see in the Lord. “It is finished.” These are words of One who is deliberate. You see this even prior to this, it says in verse 28, “Jesus after this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished.” Notice Jesus is keeping track, every detail even in the midst of His agony, He is keeping track of the fulfillment to the letter of what had been spoken. The eternal Word made flesh, now been faithful to that word spoken beforehand. “In order that the scripture might be fulfilled. He said I am thirsty” – reference back to the psalm that speaks of this very thing.
So here you see the Lord, His deliberate determination that He is going to fulfill that for which He came into this world. I'm reminded of just how comforting this ought to be to me, to each of us, when we see the Lord in this way, we see His determination, His deliberateness and His sacrifice on the cross on our behalf, especially as it relates to each of us personally. I remind you what Jesus said earlier in chapter 10. A little later on from the passage we looked at a few moments ago. He says in verse 27, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
This faithfulness, this following through, this determination, this setting His face resolutely to Jerusalem demonstrates for us that Jesus is in no way, shape or form, going to allow anything, anything to prevent Him from fulfilling the purpose for which He came. I was reminded of the 33rd Psalm, when we're told this – verse nine, “For He spoke and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast.” And this, of course, in the context in relation to the creation, and then we read these words – “The Lord nullifies the Council of the nations. He frustrates the plans the peoples.” The people, during the days of our Lord on this earth, they had all sorts of ideas and plans as to what they would like to do with Jesus, usually not good. “He frustrates the plans the peoples” but notice the contrast verse 11, “The Council of the Lord stands for ever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” God isn’t constantly changing His plans. Oh, things are looking like they're going this direction, we need a change of plans. The plans of God's heart stand firm from generation to generation. I’m reminded also of a passage that's very familiar to us, great comfort in this respect. Romans chapter 8, beginning with verse 31 –
“What then shall we say to these things of God is for us, who is against us. He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely, give us all things. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, is He who died, yes rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, or nakedness, peril, sword, just as it is written, for Thy sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered, but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Through Him who loved us and follow through.
So, I see a tremendous determination of deliberateness and the Lord when He says it is finished, It's just the right time. Everything is according to God's purpose in His plan. At that point in time, Jesus says, “it is finished.”
The second observation that I would direct your attention to in these three words and that is – We cannot help but recognize the clear implication of a previous beginning, surely we can see that here. There's no way to finish what was never begun. These three simple words draw our attention to a point in the past. Even before the existence of humanity, before the establishing of the world before the creation of the heavens. Even before time itself. What Jesus completed on the cross had been set in motion before the ages of time - “it is finished.” There is a dimension to this that it seems to me we sometimes forget, we don't always appreciate as we should. Several passages I just want to bring to your attention in this respect. First Corinthians chapter 2, verse seven, actually I’ll begin with verse six. – “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away. But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. before the ages to our glory.”
Another passage that I think is very familiar to us, found in Ephesians chapter 1. Such a tremendous perspective, beginning with verse three – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention, which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times. That is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him, also, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
Titus, the very beginning of the Paul's epistle to Titus, chapter 1, verse two – “In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised,” when? “long ages ago.” Second Timothy, one of my favorite passages in this respect. Second Timothy chapter 1, beginning with verse eight – “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus” – notices next few words – “from all eternity.” I want you to ponder that with me this morning. When Jesus uttered these words, “it is finished.” It was the declaration that something determined from eternal ages past has now come to fruition, it’s been accomplished.
Seems to me, as we ponder this, this dimension of this statement, that is this thought to provide an unwavering stability in our confidence in Christ. It's one thing for something to be accomplished on our behalf on the spur of the moment or something that takes place with very little planning but there's nothing quite like that which takes place, that which is brought to pass as a result of extensive planning and patience in this case beyond anything or mind can conceive of. He has completed what had been determined by the Council of the divine will, before the ages of time. “it is finished.”
There's a third observation that I'd like to make this morning regarding this statement, and that is – That we notice the divine expectation of accomplishment. Surely none of us can presume that Jesus utters these words by way of surprise. Jesus isn’t surprised that it’s finished, is He? Sometimes, I'm surprised when I get to the finish of something. The Lord wasn't. These are words of surprise. These aren’t words of, boy, I'm sure glad this is over with. I didn't know if I would be able to do it. There is a divine expectation of accomplishment in these words, “it IS finished.” It was never in question or in doubt in the Lord's mind. The expectation is that this work would be completed and now it is, the declaration can now be made. “It is finished”. An expectation has been realized in this moment in time and it’s a remarkable thing to think about.
Jesus makes this declaration, and at this point in time we can know for certain that the divine expectation has been fulfilled, has been met. An expectation has been realized that I want us to go just a little bit further as we think about this expectation. This is a very definite expectation or maybe to say it another way, it's definable. It's clear. In matters of merely human expectations, this is often not the case. Have you ever been in one of those situations where you're trying hard to do something and really wanting to get something accomplished and all of a sudden somebody raises the question – how will we know when we've actually done it? How do we know when we actually have met our goal? Some things in life are easier to see than others. A lot of times it's hard to know, then we stop and we step back and think, let's see what will this look like if we actually accomplished what we say we’re setting out to accomplish? God knew what this would look like. And in fact, it was, it is and was as definable as anything could ever be, it couldn't be clearer. These words leave no question about what it is that has been finished. There has undoubtedly been much confusion through human distortion and disregard for divine revelation concerning what it is that is finished, but all you have to do is read through the New Testament one time, paying a little bit of attention, and you're going to know what the Lord is speaking about here.
God has been consistently and exceedingly clear about what it is that Jesus set out to accomplish on the cross and did in fact accomplish through His suffering and death on the cross, God's been clear about that. Men are not so clear. The adversary loves to muddy the water and talk about all sorts of other things, incidentals that were accomplished. Some of them actually true, but they're not what Jesus is talking about here when He says, “it is finished”. So very specific. I remind you of a number of passages and I think it's worth going through a number of passages, and I will try to do so fairly quickly, but just to remind you of just how clear God is about this.
Remember in Matthew's gospel. The first chapter, when the angel comes and declares to Joseph, what is about to take place. Verse 21, a verse that is so familiar to us. One of our memory verses – “And she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” It doesn't get any clearer than that, does it?
This was the purpose for which Jesus came into this world. I remind you of that moment when the Baptist recognizes, he sees the Lord Jesus coming to him there in John's Gospel, the first chapter, and the 29th verse – “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him” – and how does John the Baptist identify Him? He says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It doesn't get clearer than that. Matthew chapter 26, as Jesus is instituting what we observe, the Lord's supper.
He says in Matthew 26 verse 27 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “drink from it, all of you for this is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many,” – for what? – “for forgiveness of sins.”
Romans chapter 8, and verse three. Looking back, then. These passages I just mentioned are looking forward to what it is that Jesus would accomplish. Looking back, Paul says in Romans chapter 8, verse three – “For what the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.”
1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse three – “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Galatians chapter 1, verse four, I’ll begin with verse three – “Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins.”
Skip over to Hebrews chapter 9, verse 26 – “Otherwise He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice Himself, and inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many.”
1Peter chapter 2, verse 24 – “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.”
1John chapter 2, verse two – “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John chapter 3, verse five – “And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins.”
1John 4:10 – “And this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Revelation chapter 1, verse five – “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood.”
Is there any question in your mind as to what Jesus is referring to when He says, “it is finished.”?
Isaiah 53, verse four – “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.”
The implications of this reality are more personally significant for each of us than we can fully appreciate right now. I know that I'm a sinner, and if you're in Christ you come to know that your sinner as well. But the reality is that I don't really fully comprehend what that means, so that I don't really fully comprehend what a wonderful truth this is. “It is finished.” One of the things that I think, every once in a while, we need to be reminded of is, we need to simply consider what's sin is. How bad is sin? You ever stop to think about that every once in a while, again? How bad is sin? We’re told in Romans chapter 7, verses seven through 13, that the law, lays bare the exceeding sinfulness of sin. I’ll start in verse eight – “But sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind, for apart from the law, sin is dead.” - In other words, I don't get it, I don't see sin for what it is – “And I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. In this commandment, which was to result in life proved to result in death for me. For sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good, therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be. Rather, it was sin in order that it might be shown to be sin by affecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.”
How bad is sin? Sin is enslaving, sin is depraving, and it is our natural craving. What did Jesus say in John chapter 8, verse 34 – “Truly, truly, I say to you everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” How bad is sin? It’s enslaving. It holds us in bondage. Not only is it enslaving, it is depraving. All you have to do is read through the first chapter, the last half of the first chapter of the book of Romans and there’s really not much more to be said in this respect. Beginning with verse 21 – “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Notice the progression, by the way, of depravity in these verses. “And exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity that their bodies might be dishonored among them, for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions. For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural in the same way. Also, the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
Sin is enslaving and it is depraving. It is our natural craving in the flesh. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, beginning with verse one – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” – Notice verse three – “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
Apart from Christ, sin is a part of our very instinct. It's our natural craving, is to sin, to rebel against God, is to pursue the lusts in our own hearts. You ever stop to think what an effect sin has had upon us and the world at large. Every once in a while, it just sort of stuns me. I stop and I think of all the things, I'm sure you've done this too, where you begin to realize, something will happen in your life, something that will really point this out to you. That’s because of sin, and this is because of sin, and this is because of sin. Then you start working your way through it and you realize that it has permeated and corrupted the entire world – hatred, strife, enmity, jealousy, envy, unfaithfulness, selfishness, murder, war, thievery, deceitfulness, deception, disease, suffering, sorrow, pain, confusion, hopelessness, despair, distortion, chaos, perversion, and even an enslavement to self-destruction. Sin’s a terrible thing. Sin results in destruction. It results in death – “the soul that sins will die.” “The wages of sin, is death.” I was reminded of what James says there, in James chapter 1, verse 14 – “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust and when lust has conceived it gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplished” – Where does it go, where does it lead? What is the end? What's the final result? – “It brings forth death.”
Sin looks so good for the moment, but it results in death. This is the position you and I are in apart from Christ. Every one of us. No exceptions. Not only does it result in destruction and death, but it also results in eternal condemnation. That’s what really matters. I remind you of that passage, and maybe I will turn to it just to read it once again. A passage we don't maybe look at as often as we should. You recall that in Revelation chapter 20, verse 10 – “The devil, who deceived them was thrown finally into the lake of fire” – This is the end of the devil and his demons – “The lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also in they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” But then we read these words – “And I saw a great white throne.” We read these words about the devil and his demons, and we say, yeah, he deserves it. But that’s not where it stops. “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away. No place was found for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”
This is what is commonly referred to as the great white throne judgment. This is where men will be judged according to their deeds. And if any of us are judged according to our deeds, this is what the result will be – “The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Torment day and night forever and ever. That's what you and I have been saved from.
In turning to Jesus, entrusting Him to forgive us and to cleanse us from our sin, we can be saved from the fear of death, and more importantly from the fear of the second death. when Jesus utters these words, ‘it is finished,’ Contemplate with me this morning, the blessed joy this is for those who have turned Christ and I trust you have. If there is one here who has not, then the second death is all you can be expecting after this life. But if you’ve turned to Christ, Oh what joy! What blessing! What precious truth is spoken in these three words for you and I, “it is finished.” I’m free! I've been set free from enslavement to sin. What did Jesus say in that same chapter, that eighth chapter of John? – “If the Son therefore shall set you free, you will be free indeed!” That's real freedom. “It is finished!” That means I'm free. I'm free from sins enslaving power. I'm free from the expectation of eternal condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” Paul says there in Romans 8:1. No more expectation of torment forever and ever. Freedom from the fear of death. “It is finished”, our sins of been forgiven. We've been cleansed white as snow. Sin is no longer our master. Paul says there in Romans chapter 6. What a blessing! These words ought to just thrill our souls every minute of every day. That the One who came into this world, God Almighty became flesh and blood, was made in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. No other way that you and I could be spared, could be delivered. God didn't spare His Own Son so that He may now freely give to us all things. What a blessed joy this passage ought to be to you and I as we contemplate this together this morning. Let’s bow together in prayer.
