me now to John 19. That was a
perfect song for this service and this day and as we were just
sitting there standing there singing it, I was thinking how
blessed we are to be in this subject matter today. Haven't
you enjoyed It's just been precious. It's so holy. It's just so precious. I feel very special like we're
in a special moment. And. This is all just just me
talking before I look at my notes, but I thank the Lord for what
he's done. And I'm I'm just. I'm just honored. I'm honored
to have looked at this today. John 19. I am listing one verse
in Matthew 27 for our text. because we're going through Matthew,
and that's what caused us to look at all this in the first
place. But the other accounts stated in more detail, so I'm
focusing on these other accounts. But finishing our study tonight
of the seven sayings of the cross, like I told you this morning,
I wasn't gonna focus on an outline for each one. We were gonna start
it, continue it, and finish it. We're just going right in. And
we're going to finish. The seven sayings this morning
we looked at the first four. Bible study and morning message.
We looked at the first four number one and this is. What our Lord
said? While he was hanging on the cross.
Number one, as our mediator. Our Lord said Father, forgive
them. They know not what they do. Number two, as our king, and
I'm so glad I have a king. I want a king. That's what I
want, is I want a king. I don't want a president, I want
a king. A good king. And as our king, he
said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Lord, remember
me when you come into your kingdom. Today, shalt thou be with me
in paradise. Number three, as our provider,
our shepherd, the one who loved us with an everlasting love,
he said to his mother, earthly speaking mother, who he was about
to leave in her Older age, I don't know how old she was, but I visioned
her as being a younger woman when the angel Gabriel came to
her. And then now our Lord here is 33 and a half years old. So, you know, she's, I don't
know, not old, older. And Joseph is not mentioned anymore. So it appears he is dead by this
point, and it's just. Mary and our Lord is about to
leave her where she is and to to live out the rest of her days.
And he said, woman, behold thy son. Speaking of John, the Apostle
John, who wrote the book we've turned to. And I believe that one of the
reasons this was allowed of John was for Mary's sake. But for
Mary's sake, John lived longer than any other apostle. He was
the last one, last man standing. He's considered to be the youngest
apostle at this exact moment in time. And then he died in
his, it's reported in his 90s. He lived a very long life. Isle of Patmos, he wrote Revelation,
penned Revelation. But he providing for Mary, he
said to Mary, John is now gonna be your son. And he said to John,
behold your mother, you take care of her. This is your mother
now. You take care of all of her earthly
needs. And that's just a picture of
the one who really does take care of all of our needs. The one who really is taking
care of us, the Lord, our provider. That's what we see in that. So
from the cross, he declared, I'm your mediator. I'm your king. I'm your provider. And then he declared, I'm your
substitute. As our substitute, as the one
who hung in the judgment of God in our place and in our sin. If you could just, if we could
just get a hold of that, the one who hung in the judgment
of God in our place, in all of our sin, there is enough sin
in me to condemn this whole world to hell for all of eternity.
But he hung in all of our He had to deal with all of our sins. The judgment of God. As our substitute,
he cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? You know, had Christ not said
that for us as our substitute, that is exactly what we would
say the moment we go stand before his judgment throne. That's what
we would say. Why have you forsaken me? He said that so his people would
never have to. That's what he declared from
the cross. Now, tonight, we'll pick up with
the fifth statement he made while he was hanging there. Look at
John 19, verse 28. John 19, verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith, I thirst. I thirst. A couple of weeks ago,
we looked at the fact that he said that as a fulfillment of
the scripture. That's what we just read, that
the scripture might be fulfilled. He said that in his accomplishment
of a vow. And in that, he was declaring
himself to be the law keeper. It's all accomplished. It's all
fulfilled. The fulfiller of God's law. He said, I didn't come to destroy
the law. I came to fulfill it. And he
did. The law keeper. The vow keeper,
but here's the glory in it. Here's the glory in it. He did
that as a man. He did that as a man. When he
said, I thirst, he was declaring himself to be a real man. A real man. Now I thought on
this as I was studying it this week. I thought on this as I
looked over these notes. this morning and this afternoon,
and I'm thinking on this right now, what glory is in this? Our God is a real man. Our God
is a real man. You know, you think of God. When you think of God, you know,
you understand what I'm saying? God. God is a real man. God is a real man. Can God thirst? Can God thirst? I was working yesterday and it
hit me, I'm thirsty. It hit me like too late, I'm
really thirsty. Can God know the feeling of needing
and lacking and wanting? Can God thirst? In the person
of a real man, he can. Our Savior is a man. He was touched with the feeling
of our infirmities because he was a man. And that's what he
told us while he hung on the cross. I'm a man. I'm a man. You are right now looking at
a man. A sinful man, but a man. I'm right now looking at men. Well, our Lord took upon himself
the body, the person of a man, the very image of a man. And that's the very image that
he is still in right now and will forever be, forever be. Isaiah 53 called him a man of
sorrows, acquainted with grief. A man, not a spirit. In Lamentations 3, he said, I
am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. I am the man. That rod was the
cross of Calvary. Gray is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest, made known,
appeared. in the flesh. God was manifest
in the flesh. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. That really is amazing to me.
I've told you before about seeing these, and you've seen them too,
these size, you know, relation videos, you know, here's the
earth and here's the sun and here, and it keeps going and
going and going. That God, what is man? What is man? That's the image that God would
take to himself. Amazing. When the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under
the law, a man. That woman at the well, she ran
into the city crying, come see a man. Come see a man. Look right here at John 19 verse
5. Then came Jesus forth, wearing
the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said unto them,
Behold the man. Behold the man. I wish I could
do that tonight. I wish the spirit of the Lord
would let me do that tonight. I want to behold the man. I want
to behold the king. This same Jesus is a man. He
said, touch me, handle me. Our mediator, our king, our provider,
our substitute is a man, Jesus of Nazareth. Hold your place
right here and turn over to Hebrews 2. Hebrews 2 verse 9, it says, But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by
the grace of God, should taste death for every man. He became a man so he could taste
death for every man, woman, boy, girl, every member of mankind
that his father gave to him. Every one of them, every chosen
elect soul that the father gave to him. Verse 10 for it became
him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing
many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation.
Perfect through sufferings. Perfect. through sufferings,
for both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
brothers, sisters, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren.
In the midst of the church, I will sing praise unto thee. And again,
I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the
children which God hath given me. He's quoting scripture. For
as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
he also himself likewise took part of the same. Because his
people were flesh and blood, he took part in flesh and blood.
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took
not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of
Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren. that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he
himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that
are tempted." That's why he became a man. And that's what he declared
himself to be from the cross, the perfect man. The perfect
man. Now here's the sixth thing. Here's the sixth saying that
our Lord made from the cross. Go back to John 19. Verse 29 says. Now there was set a vessel full
of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon
Hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished. It is finished. What was finished? Turn with me. Follow me through
some scriptures here, all right? Go with me to Luke 2. Luke 2, this is when our Lord
was, earthly speaking, 12 years old. And Mary and Joseph thought he
went home with them to Nazareth, but he didn't. And they ran back
to Jerusalem looking for him, and it took them three days to
find him. And verse 48 says, Luke 2, verse 48, it says, when
they saw him, They were amazed, and his mother said unto him,
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and
I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is
it that you sought me? Know ye not that I must be about
my father's business? How is it that you sought me? Know ye not that I must be about
my father's business? What was his father's business?
We have a clue in him saying, how is it that you sought me? Really? You sought me? Look at John 4. Turn over to
John 4. What an amazing statement that
is. John 4 verse 34, Jesus saith unto them, my meat
is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. That's what I'm here for. I'm
here to finish his work. Look at John 9 verse 4, John
chapter 9. Verse 4, our Lord said, I must work the
works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when
no man can work. I must work the works. What was
the work? Here it was. Go to Hebrews 10.
Here was the work. Hebrews 10 verse 11. And every priest standeth daily,
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can
never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Is that just, by one offering? I must work
the work. Don't you know I must be about
my Father's business? What was that work? It was the
work of perfecting every soul the Father gave to Him forever. Look at Hebrews 9. Look back
a page at Hebrews 9 verse 11. It says, but Christ being come and high
priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. From the cross, our Lord declared
himself to hold the office of redeemer. Redeemer. That's who was hanging
on the cross. The Redeemer. And that's what he did. He redeemed. He redeemed. He said, Father,
I finished the work you gave me to do. Righteousness is fulfilled. As
he was hanging there, knowing all things are now accomplished.
In that moment, right before he said, I thirst, saying I finished
the vow, I accomplished it all, bring me the vinegar, bring me
the wine. Knowing everything was accomplished,
he said, Father, righteousness is fulfilled, the law is completely
satisfied, our people are eternally redeemed. It is finished. It is finished. Now, with all
six of those things being said from our Lord, all six of those
glorious things being said, our Lord said one more thing, and
it's in Luke 23. Turn with me over there. Luke 23, verse 46. And when Jesus had cried with
a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave
up the ghost. In that, he declared himself
to be the Beloved, the Father's Beloved, the Father's
accepted Beloved into thy hands. I commend my spirit in declaring
himself to be the accepted one. I know you will have me. I know
you will receive me. And in declaring himself to be
the accepted one, he declared that all of his people were accepted
in him. Accepted in the beloved. That's what Ephesians 1 says.
We are accepted in the beloved. He said, behold, I and the children
which God hath given to me. We just read that in Hebrews
2. He said, because I live, they're going to live also. Turn with
me over to Romans 8. Romans 8, verse 31. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword
As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long.
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For
I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Who
was the one hanging there on that cross? That was the accepted
one. The accepted one. What was he doing? He was making
us to be accepted with him. That's what he was doing. He
was making us to be acceptable in Him. Hebrews 4 says, let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, just like He
did. Father, He said, you can speak straight
to your Father. You can talk straight to your
Heavenly Father. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. Acceptance with him, peace with
him, rest with him. Into thy hands I commend my spirit.
Now that's beautiful, isn't it? That is beautiful. Honestly,
don't you enjoy seeing our Lord in all these ways? Don't you
enjoy seeing all of these offices that he holds, held for us and
holds for us, seeing all of the accomplishments of those offices,
everything he finished in accomplishing the work of those offices, the
Cross of Calvary. This has been so special to me. And I just love seeing the mediator,
The king, the provider, the substitute, the man, the redeemer, the accepted
beloved. If we love seeing him that way,
that is a good evidence that he was all those things for us.
You know that? Was he all those things for me?
If I absolutely adore seeing him that way, that's a good evidence.
He was all those things for me. And I was going to close with
1 Peter 1. We're not going to turn there.
We're going to stop right here. But this is what he said. Thanks
be to God. for reserving in heaven everything
he's reserved for you, through the death, through faith in him,
whom having not seen, you love him. You love him, and everything's
gonna be waiting for you, all because of that right there.
Amen. To him be all the glory for what
he's done.