John chapter 19, start reading
in verse 23, excuse me. John 19, 23. John 19, 23. This is a couple
of amazing verses right here, when you think about it. Then
the soldiers, then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
just got through nailing him to the tree. He took his garments,
made four parts, to every soldier a part. There
was four of them. And also his coat. Now the coat
was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said
therefore among themselves, now they're at the foot of the cross,
they're around the cross now. They just got through crucifying
him. They said therefore among themselves, they's talking, let
us not tear it apart, let's not rip it, but let's cast lots for
it, let's gamble for it. Whose it shall be? Now listen
to this right here, that the scripture might be fulfilled
which said they parted my raiment among them and for my vesture
they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers
did. Now they didn't know they was
fulfilling scriptures. They didn't even know the Bible.
They was pagan, heathens, idolaters, had more gods in Rome than Well
Paul said you know that there was many gods and the one unknown
that's the one I'm going to declare to you. And these fellows was
doing just exactly what God said they would do. They fulfilled
the scriptures and yet they was doing exactly what they wanted
to do and what they will to do. Now therefore stood by the cross
of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife
of Cleopas, Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his
mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto
his mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple,
Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple
took her unto his own home. After these things, 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 spilled filled it a sponge with vinegar and put it upon
the hyacinth and put it to his mouth when Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar he bowed he said it is finished he bowed
his head and gave up the ghost and hopefully say a few things
about these verses that are read and honor our Lord Jesus Christ
you notice it says there in verse 28 after this after this after he
had been tried by three courts after they wrote King of the
Jews, above his cross, when the soldiers had parted his garments,
his mother came to the cross. After these things, after this,
Jesus knowing, knowing, this tells us that he's in utter and
absolute control. They think they're controlling
him. They think they're doing Exactly, they did just exactly
what they wanted to do. But he, knowing all things, knowing all things, were now
accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled. The scriptures
fulfilled. He said, I thirst, I thirst. There's three groups at the cross
this day, three groups. There's the Jews, the Jews who
hated him, rejected him, despised him, and he was their own Messiah. He was the Christ. They were
there to delight and mock and enjoy seeing him suffer. Can you imagine people enjoying
seeing someone suffer? But that's what they were there
for. They just enjoyed it. They delighted in it. They rejoiced
in it. Mocked him. Glad to see him suffer. Glad to see what they thought
was coming to him. And then there was these Roman
soldiers. They were there because it was
their day to be there to crucify these people. They were there
because they were the ones chosen, four of them, were chosen to
crucify those three men that day. Chosen to crucify the Lord
Jesus Christ. Had no idea who they were crucifying. And then they began to gamble.
They were so disinterested. It was such a duty to them. They
were so disinterested in what was going on around them that
they were interested in his clothes and gambling over his clothes.
They were totally disinterested in what they had just done. They
felt no compunction about it, no sorrow about it, no sadness
about it, no guilt about it. Just their job. That's all it
was to them. Just their job. and then there
was five other people five other people look there verse 25 now
there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's
sister that would have been his aunt Mary the wife of Cleophas
and Mary Magdalene and John the disciple whom Jesus loved And
look what it says, there were those who knew and loved the
Lord Jesus Christ, that was the other group. And they weren't
at a distance, look what it says, they stood by the cross of Jesus,
his mother. These three other women, and
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Now people, you know,
they picture the Lord Jesus Christ being lifted up high. But he
wasn't off the ground very much. He wasn't off the ground very
much. He might have been a foot, maybe even 18 inches off the
ground. But his mother, his mother's sister, Mary Magdalene, Mary
the wife of Cleophas and John, the beloved disciples, they were
standing there at the cross, by the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he began to have a conversation
with them. He began to talk to them. And
I tell you what, this is a mysterious thing. These were saints that
loved the Lord Jesus Christ, oh how they loved Him. And he
saw a woman, he looked down and saw his mother standing there.
Called her woman, you know that's all he ever called her, never
did call her Mary. You know why he never called
her Mary? because he knew that the Catholics one day would make
an idol out of her and make people pray to her and look to her and
pray to her and hope and say that their sins could be forgiven
through Mary, the mother of God. That's why he always, every time
his mother was around, he said woman. Called her woman. Woman, never did call her by
her name. Everybody else had a name, but he says woman Woman,
and then he goes on to say woman Down there in verse 26 When he
that Jesus therefore saw his mother his mother and the disciples
standing by Whom he loved that was John. He saith unto his mother
woman. There's his son and there is
your son right there and then he says to the disciple behold
look here this is going to be your mother he said I'm going
to commit her to your care evidently she was a widow evidently Joseph
of already died and now look at this scene from his mother's
view You know when angel Gabriel came to her and said she's gonna
have this child He said a sword shall pierce through thy soul
also And here's when that happened She's standing at the cross of
her son The one that she gave birth to in Bethlehem Wrapped
him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger This is
the one that sucked at her breast that she watched him take his
first step she watched him grow up so this woman loved her son
you know she loved her son and to stand there and watch her
son in such a condition looking at him broken and bleeding and
hurting and yet he's there and she's there and you imagine from
her point of view seeing her son in this condition her heart was broken but you
know look I want you to see this also her composure She's composed. She's not going all to pieces. She's not on the ground weeping
and beating on the ground. She's not up here mourning and
carrying on like somebody does a lot of times when someone dies.
She did not act that way. She was composed. She stood by His cross. And our Lord Jesus Christ says,
Woman, there's your son son there's your mother and John took her
home and treated her like her mother his mother until the Lord
took her home now look what it says there in verse 28 Jesus
therefore knowing that all things were now accomplished knowing
all things He says this, I thirst. He just got through talking to
them and now He says, I thirst. I thirst. This is the fifth utterance
from the cross. Our Lord had seven utterances.
This is the fifth one. And what in the world is this
talking about? When our Lord Jesus Christ says,
I thirst. What's this? He's the one who
measures the waters in the hollow of His hand. He is the One who
caused the rains to fall down from the heavens. He is the One
who created heaven and earth. He is the Lord of glory. And
He says, I thirst. Why did He say, I thirst? Here
is the Beloved of the Father crying, I thirst. I thirst. What does this show us? This
shows us that He is infinite. His humility, His humanity. He was such a man. He wasn't
a divine man like the Greeks say man and God mixed together.
No, no. He wasn't manned and humanized. As a God he wasn't deified as
a man. He was God and he was man and
yet those two parts were distinct parts of his blessed person.
He was forever God. He was God before he ever got
here. But once he became a man, he'll always be a man. God and
man united in one blessed person. And I'll tell you what, and the
scriptures tells us that he was made like unto his brethren,
people like you and me. What was that like? Made of flesh
and made of blood. Made as a man, a human being. And I'll tell you what, when
you read about his life, you talk about his humanity. The
Scriptures tells us he increased in wisdom and stature before
God and man. How can he, who is God, increase?
As a man he did. As a man he did. He got weary
in his body. When he went to Samaria, the
Scriptures tells us that being wearied with his journey, he
sat down on the well. weary in his body. One time it
said he was hungry and he walked up to get some figs off a tree
and there wasn't any figs on it and he cursed that fig tree
because he was hungry. God don't get hungry. He said
if I was hungry would I ask of you? The cattle on a thousand
hills belongs to me. And I tell you what, he slept.
God don't sleep, but a man sleeps. And our Lord Jesus Christ went
to sleep in a ship one day. And he marveled. God never marveled
at anything. But he marveled. What did he
marvel at? At the hardness of their hearts
and their unbelief. He marveled at men could be so
unbelieving. And I tell you what, then it
tells us here that he wept. God don't cry, but man weeps. And our Lord Jesus Christ wept
at the Lazarus tomb. Our Lord Jesus Christ wept over
Jerusalem. And I tell you something else,
he prayed. He was a praying man. We dealt
with that just here a while back where he went into the garden.
There he prayed. But how many times do you find
him going up on the mountain or else going into the garden
to pray? He was a praying man. Tell you
something else. Our Lord Jesus Christ rejoiced. Weeping rejoiced, he rejoiced.
What did he rejoice over? He said, you rejoice that your
names are written in heaven. And he rejoiced over what his
people had done. And I tell you what, he was troubled
in spirit. God never troubled. But the man
Christ Jesus was troubled in his spirit. And it tells us here
that he also groaned. Groaned. You ever groaned before? Groaned. And here he says, I thirst. I
thirst. God doesn't thirst. We never
read of an angel thirsting. And I tell you something, we're
not going to thirst in glory. Look over here in Revelation
7 verse 16. We're not going to thirst in
glory either. We're not going to thirst. I get thirsty here. I drank an unbelievable amount
of water. Every day I stay thirsty the
God does not thirst An angel you never read of an angel thirsty,
and we're not going first. Look what it said here in Revelations
7 16 What it says They shall hunger
no more Neither thirst anymore Neither
shall the sunlight on them, nor any heat, because of the Lamb
of God." Never thirst again. Never hunger again. That's what
he says is going to happen. But our Lord, our Lord in the
depths of His humiliation. This cry, I thirst, came after
three hours of darkness. after he had endured the fierceness
of the wrath of God in his soul and in his body. But let me tell you something.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, I thirst not for the relief of his sufferings. He didn't say I thirst so he
could give him something to drink, some water to drink to relieve
his sufferings. When he says, I thirst, and he
cries out, there's only one reason he said, I thirst. That the scripture
might be fulfilled. That's the only reason he said
it. That the scripture might be fulfilled. You know, remember
that rock that was smitten in the wilderness? And that water
gushed out of that rock? And that rock followed them all
the way through the desert for 40 years. You know who that rock
was and that water gushed out of? That was the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. You think He's saying, I thirst
because He's suffering and He needs to be relieved from His
suffering? He's the one that turned water into wine. If He
wanted water, He could have created water in His own mouth. He could
have met his own needs, but why didn't he? Because in the volume
of the book, it is written of me. It was written. It was written. And Jesus, knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that were written in the scriptures
and they were fulfilled, He says, I thirst, because it is written. that I thirst and I'll tell you
and our Lord Jesus in his death in his dying as it was in his
life the only thing that mattered to him was doing the will of
God. Obeying God's holy word. Looking
at that word and fulfilling that word to the jot and to the tittle. He said don't think that I've
come to destroy the law. I've come to fulfill it. Right
to the jot and right to the tittle. And I tell you the holy word
of God, that was his authority. the scriptures to him and how
many times you next time you go through the gospels you look
at how many times he quoted the scriptures and Paul quoted the
Old Testament again and again and again he had said Peter on
the day of Pentecost he preached from the Old Testament and that's
what he did here he makes known his need not that he might be
relieved of his thirst but that the scriptures might be fulfilled
And it says here, Jesus knowing that all things, all things were
now accomplished. He had hung on that cross now.
He'd been on it for six hours. He's right down to the last couple
of minutes. He had hung on that cross for
six hours. He had passed through sufferings,
all the sufferings that you and I could not possibly conceive
of. And you know what made his suffering
so unique? It was because of who it was
that suffered. Me and you, we're gonna suffer.
We suffer because of our sin. We suffer because we get old. We suffer over a thousand reasons. And we'll suffer until we leave
this world. But Christ had to give himself
up to suffer. Everything in the Bible talked
about his sufferings. He come here to do that. He said,
should not Christ have suffered all these things? And He came
here to suffer. It was a suffering for Him to
come into this world. To deal with a bunch of sinners
like ourselves. To deal with a bunch of disciples
that He just could not teach them anything. And I tell you, knowing all things,
He hung on that cross and we could not possibly conceive of
His sufferings. We just can't. And yet, his mind
was in complete control at this time. Oh, his memory is perfect. He
is completely in control of himself in this situation. And when he was at this moment,
he knew all things from Genesis to Malachi concerning himself
and he knew every verse of scripture everything that related to him
and he says knowing that all things were now accomplished
he viewed all the prophecies and knowing all things saith
I thirst I thirst And I tell you what, he said,
I thirst on the cross that you and I could have the eternal
water of life. Amen. And look, do you know what
was given him to drink? Look what it says here in verse
29. You know what was given him to drink? Now there sat a vessel,
a bucket, pot, and it was full of vinegar. and they filled a
sponge with vinegar and put it on his stick and put it to his
mouth put it to his mouth now I tell you what this was vinegar
over in Matthew they gave him gall and vinegar And over there
it says that Christ received it not, but here he received
the vinegar. And look, let me show you something. Keep this and look at Psalm 69.
Look at Psalm 69. Look at this with me. Look at
this. Psalm 69. Look what our book says about
our master here about our blessed Savior Psalm 69 and verse 21 They gave me also gall for my
meat 69 21 and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink They
gave him vinegar. Not vinegar and gall. When they
gave him vinegar and gall over in Matthew, it says that he refused
to take that. Because gall was something they
gave him to deaden pain. And our Lord Jesus Christ wouldn't
receive that. But here, he received this vinegar. Here, he accepted it. Here, they
let him put it to his lips. And he took it. And he took this
vinegar, and they put it to his lips. And it says in verse 30,
when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he took it that
time. He took it. Gave me vinegar to
drink. Didn't say gave him vinegar to
taste, they gave him vinegar to drink. And our Lord drank
that vinegar off that sponge that day. And they gave it to
him. And when Jesus received it, he
said, listen to this now. He said, after he received the
vinegar, it is finished. It is finished. That's the shortest
cry that he'd said on the cross. That was the shortest cry that
he had ever made. Now when he says that all things
were now accomplished, all things had been done which God required,
God's law required. All things were established and
all prophecies that were predicted were fulfilled. All the types,
all the pictures, all the shadows were now done away with all things
that the father gave him to do were now accomplished all things
that were performed were needed everything that was needed for
our salvation for our redemption there was nothing left to warning
or needing to be done when he said it is finished now listen
sins wages had been paid. How? It's finished. It's finished. God had seen the
travail of his soul and said I'm satisfied. I'm not asking
for nothing else. I'll not ask nothing from a sinner.
I'll not ask nothing from a man. I'll not ask nothing else to
be done. He said, I saw the travail of his soul and I'm satisfied
with him. Satisfied with his death. I'm
satisfied with his suffering. I'm satisfied with his blood.
I'm satisfied with his life. I'm satisfied in every way with
this man and what he accomplished. And that's all that matters.
If God's satisfied, oh, I tell you, if God's satisfied, then
God can do something for somebody else if He's satisfied. And when
our Lord said, it is finished, I don't know, I know the Greek
alphabet like this, Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Alpha to Omega
I know the first and the last but I do know this I know when
he said it is finished the Greek word means Talaio and that's
that word Talaio it is finished is the same word that will show
us the fullness and the finality of the work of our Lord Jesus
Christ over in Matthew 11 1 our Lord Jesus Christ after he had
made an end of telling his disciples made an
end in Matthew 17 when he asked him does your master pay tribute Talleo, that word pay, is the
same word as it is finished. When they took the Lord Jesus
Christ and performed all things, that's another word, talleo,
performed. Same word as finished. Luke 18.31,
knowing things were accomplished, you put those four things together. When our Lord Jesus Christ said
it is finished, He cried, it's made an end of. What's made an
end of? Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believe. It is paid. What's paid? The uttermost fathering. It is paid. It is performed. What is performed? Everything
God required of him to do. And then fourthly, it is accomplished. For everything, for descriptions,
made an end of. Sins made an end of. The debt's
been paid. Christ performed all things in
the scriptures. Salvation's accomplished. Our
sins are gone. Our guilt is gone. They don't
exist anymore. Christ made an end of them. He paid the price of our redemption. God said, what's it going to
cost to save these people? Your blood. What was performed? The utmost
requirements of anything that God required, Christ met every
single one of them. And what is accomplished? The
work. He said, the work that God gave
me to do, it's done. It's over. You know, I feel sorry for people who are
trying to be saved by themselves. How could they read where Christ
said it is finished and then turn around and start looking
for something to do? Looking for something to accomplish?
Looking for some work to be done. When Christ said, it's finished.
It's made an end of. It's performed. It's accomplished. It's paid. But what was finished? Salvation. Salvation. How much of it was
finished? All of it. All of it. You know when something's finished,
that means it's complete. We're complete in Him. When something
is finished, that means it's full. That means it's done. Well, what are you going to do
preacher? I'm going to say it's done. It's finished. The atonement's been made. God satisfied with him, to him,
to him give witness. That all things, you are justified
from all things by which you could not be from the law of
Moses. Then it says there in verse 30 again, and this will
be the one you look at in another place, this is the last word
from the cross. he bowed his head and gave up
the ghost in another place he said he bowed his head and said
father into thy hands that's the last word from the cross
I commend my spirit and he bowed his head you know
that tells us this before he bowed his head he just had a
conversation with his mother he's talking Then he took that vinegar to
his mouth. So he's upright, I mean his head's
held high, his head's up there. He's in utter and absolute control
of everything around him. And then after he said it is
finished, you notice that he said he bowed his head. We'll
say that, let's bow our heads and hearts together. We'll say
that, let's bow our head and hearts together. Well Christ
bowed his head. A deliberate act on his part. A deliberate act. He said, it's
time now for me to bow my head. And look what it says, and he
gave up the ghost, gave up his spirit. And you notice it says
he gave it up. It didn't say he took his life. No place in the scriptures will
you find where man took his life. They delivered him up. They said
crucify him, crucify him. But Jesus bowed his head and
gave up his life. Nobody else has ever done that.
No, no. Nobody else. You can't. You know,
you can't. Me and you. I don't care how
you die, you don't give it up. Life is taken from you. Who gave
it to you? God gave it to you. When it's
time for you to leave here, He'll take it. He'll take what He gave
you. He'll take the life that He gave
you. He'll take it that Christ gave His. How in the world can
anybody give their life when it's Christ you can? And he said, it's time for me
to go. And he bowed his head and gave up
the whole goat. You know why he did that? He
said, here's the commandment which I received from my father.
I lay down my life for the sheep. Listen to this now. No man taketh
it from me. I lay it down. I lay it down. And I take it up again. He gave
it up. Gave it. Just like He gives us
life, He gave His life that we might have life. And we have
it more and more and more abundantly than we can imagine. Amen. Our Father, the blessed name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for allowing us to meet here
this morning. Thank you for allowing us to
talk about our Master again, our Lord Jesus again. Talk about
His glorious life, His precious life, His most blessed, blessed
death, and what was accomplished by that death. and all the salvation that was
accomplished by that day we find it to be our all salvation our complete
utter salvation right now and if you let us live tomorrow Christ
will still be our salvation and until you call us home he's all
our salvation and when we get to glory he'll still be our salvation,
our Savior, our Redeemer. The only one we'll look to, the
only one we'll adore, the only one we'll worship. And we thank
you for allowing us to speak of Him today. God bless it to
the heart. God bless it to the understanding.
God bless it to the soul. God bless it to the salvation
of some sinner. We ask these things in Christ's
name. Amen. Amen. Let's do 126 in the hymn
book. Let's stand together. Is it 126
or 125? Jesus paid it off. 125 then.
Let's do that one. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength
indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in me Thine
all in all. Jesus paid it all, Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed in white as snow Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and
Thine alone Can change the leper's spot And mend Boy, do you know
this one's true? whereby thy grace to claim. I'll
wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's Lamb. I stand in Him complete. I stand in Him complete. All. Jesus died my soul to take. My lips, my lips. My lips shall
still be true. Amen. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. The crimson stain he washed in
white as snow