Good morning. I'm thankful and glad to be able to be with y'all again before the year ends. Abram was up a couple weeks ago. Has it only been that long? And thoroughly enjoyed himself and thank you for hosting him. Came home very excited about being here. And I'm very thankful to Paul for inviting me again.

If you would like, we'll get to our text in a moment. Our text is going to be from John chapter 19. If you want, you can join me in Genesis chapter 5. I'm going to read. I'm just going to kind of skip down through Genesis 5. highlighting a few verses here.

Genesis five, verse five says. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years. And he died. Verse 8. All the days of Seth were 912 years. And he died. All the days of Enos were 905 years. And he died. All the days of Canaan were 910 years. And he died. All the days of Mahaliel were 890 and 5 years. And he died. And all the days of Jared were 960 and 2 years. And he died. And all the days of Methuselah were 960 and 9 years. And he died. And all the days of Lamech were 777 years. And he died.

Those of us who are in elementary school, the school year feels like it lasts forever. It doesn't. I promise. Teenagers feel like high school lasts forever. It doesn't. Young adults with small children, infants crying through the night, feel like it lasts forever. It doesn't. Some of us are getting old enough to realize this doesn't last forever. One day, if the Lord tarries, a man will get up as I lay dead, and my life will be summed up All the days of Obi were years. And he died.

We have daily reminders of just how fallen we are in Adam. But sometimes events hit close at home. family member, a loved one enduring a long illness is called home. And at these times, how very alive verses that say the wages of sin is death. As by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.

Each and every one of us is an eternal soul dwelling in a tabernacle in a tent of flesh with an appointed time when we will put off this tabernacle. When this tent of flesh will be laid down, what then? When our eyes of flesh close in death here, the very next instance, we shall find ourselves in the presence of the true and holy God. Not the little G-God of our wicked imaginations, but the God declared throughout this word, and indeed throughout the world for those who have been given eyes to see him.

Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 46. Isaiah 46, when our eyes of flesh close in death and we awaken and find ourselves in the presence of this God. Isaiah 46 verse 9. Remember the former things of old. For I am God and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

When we appear in His presence, when we see Him as He is, Will we hear him say, the king upon his throne? Will we hear him say, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity? Or will we hear, come, ye blessed of my father, the response we hear will come down to one man, the man upon the throne, the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Now, let's turn to our text in John chapter 19. John 19, we'll begin reading in verse 17. John 19, 17. And He, our Lord, bearing His cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two other with him on either side one and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

Now skip down to verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 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. And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

This week, we're all looking forward to Thanksgiving. And at some point, more than likely, somebody's going to say, what are you thankful for? What this year are you thankful for? If the Lord's pleased to reveal this to us, I have a word of Thanksgiving. It is finished. Finished. What a word. If only we could cling to that word, what rest we would find for ourselves. In the flesh, all that we know is do, do, do, do. We learned this from our father Adam. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Work, work, work, and live. No work, no bread, no life. All but listen to the King of Glory. It is finished.

when we were little, sometimes in school, sometimes at home, finish this assignment, and as soon as you're done, you get to go outside and play. How quickly did we finish? In our terms, we finished the assignment and went to play. We didn't care about the grade. We didn't care how clean the room was. We had cleaned the room and we went to play. Did we take that assignment with us when we left? It was finished. You turned the work in. You left. You never thought about it again. It was done. It is finished. The work is done perfectly, wholly, nothing lacking. The mission has been accomplished. There's nothing pending, nothing in limbo, nothing for me or you to pick up. It is finished.

Now we've all been in the situation where we've been told It's finished. Don't worry about it. I took care of it. It's all done. You don't have to. Don't give it another thought. Only to find out that whatever it was, wasn't actually finished.

My first point this morning. Can we trust this man who cried out, it is finished? Look with me there at that man upon the cross. And in verse 19, we see there is a title written over him. John 19, 19. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

On this title, Pilate had written the name of the man dying on the cross and the crime for which he's being executed. Who is it that hangs here? Jesus. Oh, the humility of our Lord. He whose name is King of Kings and Lord of Lords now hangs as Jesus. How very precious is that name. Matthew 1.21, thou shalt call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save his people from their sins. Job asked, how should man be just with God? And to that we answer, through the blood and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of his people.

Who hangs on this cross? Jesus of Nazareth. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Our Lord came to where his loved elected people are. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. that ye through his poverty might be rich. Nazareth, that word always brings to my mind the word Nazarite. One separated. Our Lord came to where we are, separated from God. Jesus Christ, God the Son, came in the likeness of sinful flesh. He made a vow to God the Father, God the Spirit, and to himself, when he said, I will be surety for my people. Of my hand shalt thou require them.

Jesus of Nazareth, meant as a demeaning title of the man, reveals that he is the Lord Jesus Christ. The mediator between God and man. That title reads, Jesus of Nazareth, the King. The cause for which he hangs on that cross. He is the king. There hangs the king born in the line and lineage of David was so much greater than any earthly king.

John started this account in John one with in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He continues, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. This man is God, manifest in the flesh. King over all, all in heaven, all in earth, all under the earth, all throughout all eternity.

But for what cause does he hang on the cross? Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. He is king of all, but he hangs on his cross not for all people, but for a very specific people, the Jews. Who are the Jews for which he hangs in such agony? Are they those who are born of the children of Abraham's grandson, Jacob? The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, not just for those born naturally of Abraham's line, for he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Can we trust the word of this man hanging on this cross who cried out, it is finished? This is the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, God who cannot lie, who has declared it is finished without a doubt. Oh, believe him. He has declared it finished and it is done.

Now, my second point, just what is it that has been finished? What has he declared finished? Yet the law is finished. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe. Yet all the Old Testament prophets. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Over and over again, we read in the scriptures concerning our Lord that it might be fulfilled. It, the law, the Old Testament prophets, it, the acceptable, perfect, holy walk that God is pleased with, is finished. That walk which no man or woman born of Adam can accomplish. God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, walked in absolute holy perfection. Amen.

The man, Christ Jesus our Lord, kept the whole law of God perfectly in the flesh. Yet the justice of God is finished. First Peter 2 24 says who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sins because he took them and died in our place. Should live unto righteousness. by whose stripes ye were healed. It, righteousness, justice, it, the eternal purpose of God, is finished.

Turn over to John chapter 6. You don't have to hold your place there in John 19. John 6. God's purpose is like as He is. It is eternal. What He purposed is what He purposes is what He will purpose. It's always been, it always will be His purpose. John 6 verse 37. Our Lord is speaking and he says, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I am come down, for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me. that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

The Father's will is wrapped entirely in our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 40 says, And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son. How can one born blind and dead in sin see the Son? only if God is pleased to reveal Him through the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

In short, the eternal purpose of God is that Christ Jesus should receive all glory and honor and power. In the redemption of those sinners that were given to him from the foundation of the world, it is finished. It, the salvation of ruined, fallen sinners, chosen of God, is finished.

Hebrews 10, let's turn to Hebrews 10. 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.

My third point, it is finished. How did our Lord finish the work that was given to him? Back in verse 14 here, for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. It is finished by one offering.

Again, return and look there on Calvary's cross at our Lord as he suffers. We have seen the cause for which he suffers and dies, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. He is the one of whom Pilate declared multiple times, I find no fault in him. This is he who went about doing good and received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. He being holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, suffers and dies as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, not for anything which he did himself, but for my sin which was laid upon him.

Look there upon that cross, his head pierced with many a thorn, because of the thoughts and the imaginations of my wicked mind and my wicked sinful heart. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint. His hands pierced through by nails because all that I touch and handle is polluted and defiled. As declared in Ecclesiastes 2, I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit. There was no profit under the sun.

his precious back. The flowers plowed upon my back. They made long their furrows." We look at God's law. We look at the demands that it makes. And in our pride, we take them and we put them on our backs and we say, I've got this. I can carry this weight. Center's all. We claim to fulfill the law of God when we have no strength whatsoever. There on the cross, our Lord bore our burden in our place. Look on our sacrifice, who described himself in Psalm 22, I am poured out like water. And all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It has melted in the midst of my bowels. All my bones are out of joint.

As my substitute, he became what I am. All wrong. I am not as God. He is holy. I am sin. He is right. I am unrighteousness. He is good. I am evil. He became this. From the sole of the foot, even unto the head, There is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores.

His feet are nailed to the cross. I cannot walk in the good and perfect way. My way is the way of man. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

How did Christ Jesus finish the work that was given to him? The work that he freely undertook. He took our place. Oh, to enter into that statement. He took my place. First Peter 318 for Christ also hath once suffered for sins. The just for the unjust, that he might bring us who were separated from God, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

He did all that we cannot do. He lived as we cannot live. He paid the debt we have nothing with which to pay. He redeemed us from destruction. He laid down his life. He took our filthy robes of sin. And gave to us his glorious righteous robes.

Our appointed hour is upon us. For some sooner than others. But we are all a few days When this earthly tabernacle in which we dwell is laid down, and we enter into the presence of the Lord God Almighty, shall we hear, enter ye blessed or depart from me? The answer is entirely dependent upon, do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you believe him when he said it is finished?

My last point, how do I know if I really believe? I have such doubts and such struggles with sin, with unbelief, with this flesh Do I really believe him? My conscience is continually condemning me. If you really believed, you wouldn't think that. You surely wouldn't do that.

For many years, sat under the gospel. and I could give the technically correct answer. Christ is all. Christ is all. But I'm not all that bad. But my parents... But I go to the church. But I... But my... But... When Christ brought me to know what I am, sin from the top to the bottom, within and without, the buts that relied on me, I, and my disappeared.

When my conscience, which still plagues me, continually plagues me, If you believed, you wouldn't. Guilty. No excuse. You're right. None worse. But Christ my Lord said, it is finished. And he is my hope. You don't pray enough. But he who is my hope, he prays for me. You don't believe enough. But Christ is all in you know, and he is faithful.

All I can do is cry out, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Lord, may we believe that our word it is finished. Let us therefore labor. Let us labor, therefore, to enter in to that rest. Christ our Lord. Amen. Thank you.