Morning, everyone. Open your Bibles, if you would,
to John chapter 19. Nah, John chapter 19. The name of the message is, It
Is Finished. It is finished. We'll read a rather lengthy portion
here. I like to read this to get the context. We'll start
in verse 1. We'll read all the way to verse
30. So here in the first few verses here we see Jesus delivered
to be crucified. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus
and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown
of thorns and put it on his head. And they put on him a purple
robe. and said, Hail, King of the Jews!
And they smote him with their hands. Beloved, they beat him. They beat our Lord so much that
he was almost unrecognizable. Pilate therefore went forth and
saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may
know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth wearing
the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said unto them,
Behold the man. And when the chief priests therefore
and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him,
crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take
ye him, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have
a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that
saying, he was the more afraid. He went again into the judgment
hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him
no answer. He's being led as a sheep to
the slaughter and he's not opening his mouth, beloved. Then saith Pilate unto him, speakest
thou not unto me? Knowest not that I have power
to crucify thee and I have power to release thee? Little did Pilate
know the only power he had was the power that God gave him.
And here was the Son of God in his midst. God incarnate in the
flesh. Pilate has no power unless God
allows him to have power. And little did he know that the
very one that he spoke these words to has all power. All power. And we know that with a word,
he could have spoke a word and legions of angels could have
come down. Jesus answered, Thou couldst
have no power at all against me, except it were given thee
from above. Therefore, he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate
sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, If thou let this
man go, thou art Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king
speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that
saying, He brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment
seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in the Hebrew,
Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the Passover in about the
sixth hour, and he saith unto the Jews, Behold, your king.
But they cried, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate
saith unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests
answered, We have no king but Caesar. Now some proud folks
have said, well, we would never have said what the Jews would
have said there if we were there. We'd never would have said to
crucify. Yes, we would have. Every single one of us, by nature,
would have cried out the same thing as these Jews did, by nature. Now let's consider the crucifixion
of our Lord. Then delivered he him, therefore,
unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him
away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called
the Place of the Skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Gugatha,
where they crucified him. And two others with him on either
side, one and Jesus in their midst. So they took him and they
nailed him to a cross. after they had beaten them to
a pulp. They nailed our Savior to the
cross. Pilate wrote a title and put
it on the cross and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth the King
of the Jews. This title then read many of
the Jews for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh
to the city and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin
Then said the chief priest of the Jews to Pilate, write not
the king of the Jews, but write that he said, I am king of the
Jews. Well, beloved, Christ is king of the Jews, isn't he? And
his people are spiritual Jews. He's our king, isn't he? He's
our king. Oh my, he is king of the Jews.
King of his people. Pilate answered, what I've written,
I've written. Then the soldiers, when they
had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts
to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without
seam, woven from top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves,
so let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be
that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, they parted my remnant
among them. And from my vesture, they did
cast lots. These things, therefore, the soldiers did. And the soldiers
didn't even know that they were fulfilled on prophecy. They had
no clue. And others stood by the cross of Jesus' mother and
his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Cleopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his
mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, and a lot of
commentators say that's John. He never referred to himself
in his own name, but he referred to himself as the disciple whom
Christ 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. And now let us consider the death
of our Savior as our substitute. And let us remember, too, he's
dying upon this cross willingly. Willingly. Remember we looked
at the scripture, cast all your care upon him for he careth for
you. Here's how much he cares for us. Here's his love manifested for
his people right here at Calvary's cross. The whole reason he left
the glory and splendor of heaven was to live that perfect life
for us that we could never live and to die right here upon this
cross that we're looking at. He came to what? Redeem his people
from their sins. The sinless one, the spotless
one, came to die. This was the fulfillment of the
mission that he was sent upon to do. Remember, he's the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And this, Jesus, knowing that
all things were now accomplished. What a wonderful word. Accomplished. The great substitute has accomplished
the work that he was sent to do. And again, what was he sent
to do? To redeem us from our sins. That the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith I first. And there was said a vessel of
vinegar, and they filled the sponge with vinegar and put it
upon Hisop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And note, and he bowed his head
and gave up the ghost. He died willingly. It is finished. Take note of these last words
our Lord spoke from the cross. Beloved of God, the death of
Christ was not an accident or a tragedy. Our Lord lived and our Lord died
according to God's eternal purpose. The whole reason, again, He came
to this earth was to die for His people. To die as their substitute
before the wrath and justice of God. To live that perfect
life that not one of us could ever live. He came to die and redeem His
people that were given to Him from eternity. Turn, if you would,
to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. And we know this to be true,
that God is absolutely satisfied. And note in our text it said,
all things were accomplished, right? Jesus, knowing that all
things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
saith, I thirst. And he bowed his head and he
gave up the ghost and he cried, it is finished. Look at this
in Isaiah 53 verse 10. The cross was no accident, beloved.
Yet it pleased the Lord to what? Verse him. It pleased the Lord
that Christ should die upon Calvary's cross. It pleased the Father
and pleased the Holy Spirit. And it pleased Christ himself,
the word of God, that Christ should die upon that cross. because he came to redeem his
people. And the only way for us to be redeemed was for him
to die upon that cross. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin. The sinless one dies for sinners. The unjust one dies for the unjust. The perfect, sinless sacrifice,
the Lamb of God, dies in the place of sinners. And this death
was appointed by God. And remember, he said, Isaiah
says that his face was set like a flint to Jerusalem, an unmovable
stone. And he came to finish that work,
and he finished the work that he was sent to do. Now shall make his soul an offering
for sin. He shall see his seed, and he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. And when all the work was done,
our Lord cried these words at His death. It is finished. And our Lord and Savior, the
Word of God incarnate, died to put away the sins of His people. These words are not the words
of a helpless victim, beloved. They are the words of a conquering
king. They are the words of a conquering
king. Turn, if you would, to Revelation chapter 5. And I'll read to you what John
said about the Lord. He said, The next day John seeeth
Jesus coming unto him, and say, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. This cry is the cry of a conquering
king, beloved. Revelation chapter 5. Listen
to what the blood-washed saints in glory proclaim. And the angels
round about the throne. Revelation 5 verses 11 to 13.
And behold, and I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders, and the
number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, and thousands and thousands,
a number that no man can number, beloved. Oh, we think, well,
we're just a group here, and there's a few groups over here.
The elect of God are a number that no man can number, beloved.
Oh, my. Oh, my. 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of
thousands. Saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. It is finished. It is finished. That was slain. To receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that
are in them, heard I saying, blessing and honor, glory and
power, be unto him that, what? Sitteth upon the throne as a
king, beloved. King sits upon the throne, doesn't
he? Yeah, he does. sits upon the
throne unto the Lamb forever and ever. It is finished. It was the cry of a conquering
King, beloved. The cry of a conquering King.
And the King of Glory receives all the worship, all the worship. Turn, if you would, to John 17.
All the worship. He's a conquering King, beloved.
He sits upon the throne, the Lamb of God. He's accomplished
the work which the Father sent Him to do. The Father gave Him
this work to do. This is mentioned in In John
17, we read verses 4 and 5. And then we'll go back to John
chapter 19, verse 30. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. Remember
he was living that perfect life which we could never do. And
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was. Let's go back to John, chapter
19, verse 30. When Jesus, therefore, had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. Now, there's three words there
here in English. It is finished. But in the Greek, it's one word.
Teleho. Teleho. And listen to the definition
of this wonderful word. To make an end. To make an end. Or accomplish. To complete something. To make
an end. To complete something. Not merely
to end it, but to bring it to perfection. To bring it to perfection. Or its destined goal, to carry
it through. To bring it to perfection. Complete. Accomplished. When our Lord uttered these words
from the cross, it is finished. What did He mean, and what was
finished? The first point I'd like us to
consider is the fulfillment of all the Scriptures concerning
the Messiah. He died for our sins according
to the Scriptures. He fulfilled all that had been
pictured of Him in the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi. His
birth, His sufferance, His death, His resurrection, were all recorded
centuries before. And He came and one by one He
fulfilled them all. He fulfilled them all. In light
of this, let's turn to Daniel chapter 9, where the angel Gabriel
was sent to declare and inform Daniel about certainty of the
coming of the Messiah at the appointed time. Galatians says
this, I'll read what Galatians says in chapter four, it says
this, but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth
his son, made of a woman made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law, that's us, that's his elect, his blood-bought
people that we might receive the adoption of sons. The Lord
Jesus Christ was born at the appointed time of God and he
died at the appointed time of God. And he rose from the dead
at the appointed time of God. all according to His divine plan
and purpose. Look at this in Daniel 9, verse
24. This is a prophecy of what the
Messiah came to accomplish for God's elect as their great substitute.
Look at this in Daniel 9, verse 24. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people, upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the Most Holy. Again, seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and
prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Now we know that our Lord
Jesus Christ was God incarnate in the flesh. And he came to
perfectly perform all things necessary and to accomplish and
secure the salvation of his people. He came to do this. The scriptures
proclaim, I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth
all things for me. And this is what Christ did for
us, didn't he? He performed all the things that we could never
perform for us. For us. As our great substitute. So in Daniel 9.24 we see that
the Messiah will perform all and accomplish all that is needed
for the salvation of God's people. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the Most High." Notice it says, to make
an end of sins. Our Lord in our text that we
read, what did He cry? It is finished. There it is. There it is, beloved. God alone has accomplished a
complete victory over our sin, over the sins of all His people.
And Christ did this by shedding His precious blood and by His
death upon Calvary's cross. He died for all the sins of all
of God's elect of all the ages. They've all been bought and paid
for. Purchased. Purchased by the blood of Christ.
And do you know this? That because Christ is so accomplished
and so finished the work that God sent Him to do, that not one charge can be bought
against God's people. This work is so perfect, beloved,
that not one charge can be bought against we who are born again,
and we who are the blood-washed saints of God. Not one charge. It's marvelous. It's beyond comprehension for
us, isn't it? Because we know what we are.
We're sinners. Not one charge can be bought against God's people.
It is finished. All that God demanded. All of
it. For all the sins of God's people.
They're bought and paid for. No charge will ever be bought
up against one of God's sheep. What peace that gives us. What
peace. God's infinite justice. Now think
upon this. God's infinite justice has been
fully satisfied has been fully satisfied by the substitutionary
work of the Lord Jesus Christ in His life, right? And in His
death. In the room and place of His
people. And Christ has forever cleansed us, beloved, from all
our sins. From all our sins. Hebrews says this. Wherefore
in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren,
God incarnate in the flesh, that he might be a merciful and faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people." Now look at in Daniel 9.24 there
it says, to make reconciliation for iniquity. Beloved, our sins had separated
us from God, but now through Christ, putting away our sin
by his precious blood, now the cause of our separation is removed. And the believer is therefore,
now let this sink in, eternally reconciled to God. eternally reconciled to God. And He has made reconciliation
for iniquity. The sinless one dies for sinners. The holy one dies for the unholy. It is finished. Wondrous words. In Daniel 9.24
it says to bring in everlasting righteousness. To bring in everlasting righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ has established,
provided, and imputed His perfect righteousness to everyone who
trusts Him. Everyone, and the lost sheep,
they will put their trust in Christ, all by the power of God. Here, make them willing in the
day of His power. Turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Christ alone
is the believer's righteousness. Now, when we were lost, we were
clothed in our own righteousness, weren't we? Yeah, we were. Oh my, look at this wondrous,
this is wondrous, look at this. The believer is clothed in the
perfect spotless righteousness of Christ. Look at this in Romans
chapter 10 verses 1 to 4. Now this is a death, this section
here to me, this little portion here is such a death blow to
religionists. People who think that their own
works and their own ways will get them to heaven. It's a death
blow. Look at this in Romans chapter
10. Starting in verse one, and we'll read the verse four. Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. So these folks
say they love God, but they're out killing Christians, and persecuting
Christians, and they say that they fall. They say, well, we
follow Moses. That's what the Jews were doing,
weren't they? Paul kept pointing them to Christ. Kept pointing
them to Christ. And they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge. This is like religious folks
who are zealous, but have no knowledge of who God is. For
they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, are going about
to establish their own righteousness. I ask you here, everyone in this
room or anyone who will listen to this message, are you going
about to establish your own righteousness? Are you trying to establish your
own righteousness by your supposed good works? Are you trying to establish your
own righteousness? If you die that way, you're doomed. These folks that Paul was writing
about were trying to establish their own righteousness. And
look at this, and they have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. Look at this marvelous verse
in verse 4. For Christ, Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness. It is finished. The end of the law for righteousness. To everyone that believeth, everyone
who trusts Christ, He's the end of the law for righteousness. And we are clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. It's been imputed to us, beloved.
Oh my. But notice in that verse 3, there's
folks who are trying to establish their own righteousness. And
they're ignorant of the righteousness of God. I was there. I was there. I used to think, I told you many
times, I used to think my good would outweigh my bad. Boy, was
I wrong, because it's all bad. Oh my. Christ, let this burn in your
heart, beloved. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. Truly, He has brought in everlasting
righteousness. This is a righteousness that
will never change, that will allow us to appear before God. Oh my. And notice it says in that verse
in Daniel 9, 24, to seal up the vision and prophecy. Our Lord
and Savior had many things written in the
scriptures about Him, the Messiah, the coming Messiah, and the work
that He would perform. And the Lord Jesus Christ has
fulfilled all these wonderful words. with these words. It is finished. Finished. Then the verse proclaims
to anoint the Most Holy. Our Lord and Savior died at the
appointed time as God's Lamb. But He's also the anointed High
Priest, beloved. He's the Lamb and He's the Priest.
He's acting as our representative, as our substitute. The Lord Jesus
Christ was appointed, anointed, and empowered to fulfill all
things, and he did not fail to glorify God and secure our salvation. He cries these words as a victorious
king. It is finished. Finished. So when the Lord Jesus Christ
proclaimed From Calvary's cross these wonderful words, then the
atonement for the sin of God's sheep was absolutely accomplished. Fully accomplished. Our Lord
and Savior made a complete atonement for the sins of all His people.
A complete atonement for the sins of His covenant people. Our Lord proclaimed these words
in John chapter 10. He says this, As the Father knoweth
me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the
sheep. And all those for whom He laid down His life, a full
atonement has been made. A full atonement. There is and
never will be anyone in hell for whom the Lord died. All for whom He died must be
saved and will be saved. Because His blood justified them
from all their sins. They will be born again by the
Holy Spirit of God. He will make them willing in
the day of His power to flee to Christ. And they all will be saved. Not
one for whom the Lord died for will be lost, because our Lord
is a successful Savior, beloved, and He's not up there wringing
His hands, begging you to come to Him. Our God saves whom He wills,
when He wills, and if you're saved, it's by the mercy of God
alone. And we who are born again, blood-washed
saints, we proclaim, praise his name, because we never would
have come to him unless he'd bought us. He will not lose one of the sheep
that he laid down his life for, not one. They shall be saved. And think of this, too. I want
us to think of this. Because in religion, it's all
about what you do. And we know the love of Christ
constrains us, don't we? And we know we serve the Lord
out of love, don't we? And we're here for the furtherance
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He loves us.
And our salvation is not and never will be based upon our
obedience, as everything we do is tainted with sin. I want us
to think upon this. The only difference between Peter
and Judas is the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
the only difference. Turn, if you would, to 2nd Timothy
chapter 1. And let us, as we are turning
there, remember the Messiah we looked at over in Daniel will
make reconciliation for iniquity. We know this is speaking of our
sin, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the sinless, spotless Lamb
of God. And this reconciliation for iniquity
is only through the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. The salvation of sinners is not
dependent upon or determined by the will and work of man. Not at all. Not at all. But rather it's determined on
the purpose and grace of God in and through Jesus Christ our
Lord. And I want you to think on something here. I want you
to think upon all the people you know. Just as the only difference
between Peter and Judas was the precious blood of Christ. I want you to think upon the
people you've known in your life. Loved ones and friends. The only thing that made us different.
is Christ and His precious blood. That's the only difference. The
grace of God in and through Christ and Christ alone. So God's people,
we are so thankful for the mercy that we've received, aren't we?
So thankful. Again, this reconciliation for
iniquity is only through Christ and it's the work of God. The
salvation of sinners is not dependent or determined by man's will or
the work of man, but rather it is determined by the purpose
and grace of God, because again, it's only God who makes us to
differ. Let's look at 2 Timothy 1 with
this in mind. Look at verse 8. Be not thou
therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner,
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who has saved us and called us within holy calling. Now look how clear this is, beloved.
Not according to our works. What does that mean? It means
it's not according to our works. That's what it means. That's what it means. Not according
to our works. but according to his own purpose
and grace. If you're saved, it's according
to the purpose and grace of God, isn't that wonderful? Which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Oh my, oh my,
look at this. but now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death
and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
Oh my. It is finished. When the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed
from Calvary's cross these wonderful words, The honoring of God's
law and his holy justice in the place of God's people was finished. Finished. We read in the scripture that
the law is holy and the commandment holy, just, and good. And the
law of God is wonderful. It comes from our great God.
It's holy. But the problem with the law
is not with the law itself. The problem is with our inability
to keep it. The weakness of our flesh, beloved,
to honor it and to obey it in the sight of God. Not one
of us can do that. Turn, if you will, to Romans
chapter 8. We find these wondrous words in light of God sending
Christ in our place, in the place of his people, to fulfill and
to honor the law of God for us. And remember, he's not just a
substitute in death. Beloved, he's a substitute in
life, honoring perfectly the law of God for every single one
of his sheep whom he died for. Romans chapter eight. Remember
earlier I said there was no charge could be brought against God's
people, remember that? And I know we've looked at this
verse, I'm gonna read it again. And I'm gonna say the same thing
I've said many times, because this is absolutely wondrous to
God's people, right? There is therefore now no condemnation. Condemnation there means judgment
in the Greek. Isn't that wonderful? There is
therefore now no judgment, condemnation, Because judgment brings condemnation,
doesn't it? There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ. He's the vine, we're the branches.
He's the head, we're the body. We're in Christ, beloved. Who
walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law
of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the law
of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
and that it was weak through the flesh, we could never satisfy
God's law. God sending his own Son, in the
likeness of sinful flesh, God became a man, yet sinless. Sinless, right? In the likeness
of sinful flesh, or sinners, he was born sinless. And for
sin, what did he do? Condemned sin in the flesh. That The righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us. How could that be? We're clothed
in the righteousness of Christ, beloved. It's all what he's done.
It's all what he's done. Who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. And because we're in Christ,
and because we're clothed in his righteousness, there is therefore
no condemnation, no judgment to them who walk in Christ Jesus.
He has so perfectly fulfilled the law and justice of God that
when he cried, it is finished. It is absolutely finished. Remember
he said all things are accomplished. They're all accomplished. No one by the deeds of the law,
not one of us, by the deeds of the law can be justified because
we can never fulfill the law of God. Not one of us. Everything and anything we do
is tainted with sin. But again, here's the good news
of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ was the
perfect substitute in life and death for his people. And he
so totally honored the law and justice of God that not one charge
can be bought against one of God's people. And he honored
the law of God for his people. For his people. Turn, if you would, to Galatians
chapter four. Galatians chapter four. I read
a little portion out of this earlier, but let's turn there.
and read of what God did for us in sending his son into this
world. Because Christ came here, he
lived, and he died, and he rose again, didn't he? And we know
from the scriptures that he rose for our justification. And that
showed that God was absolutely satisfied with the sacrifice
of Christ. Satisfied. Look at this in Galatians
chapter 4, verses 1 to 6. Now I say that the heir, as long
as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all. So before one of God's elect lost sheep are saved,
you can't tell them from a sheep from a goat. You can't tell.
God knows, though, doesn't he? God knows, but we have no clue.
but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the
father." Well, there's an interesting phrase there. A time appointed.
When it pleases God, he reveals the gospel to his people. To
his people. Even so, we, when we were children,
were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness
of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father." Wonderful, wonderful news. Christ came to
redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the
adoptions of sons. Wonderful. The Word of God, the
Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in the flesh, dies as a substitute
of God's elect. And he in life and in death honored
every precept and worked out a perfect righteousness for his
people. A perfect righteousness. And
as our substitute and our mediator, he died to satisfy the penalty
of the law for us. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. And let us remember, it is Finished. Work's done. It's accomplished. It's accomplished. The only way that God could forgive
sin and justify the ungodly is through Christ and Christ alone.
There is no other way of salvation except in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. Lastly, let us turn to Romans
chapter 3, and we'll see that right here before us. The only way that God can forgive
and justify the ungodly is through Christ and Christ alone. He is
the one true Savior. Romans chapter 3, we'll read
verses 21 to 28. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifest. Being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, verse 21, even the righteousness of God, which
is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.
For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God." What's the only difference between
us and our lost friends and family? The grace of God in Christ. The
precious blood of Christ. Being justified freely by His
grace. through the redemption of his
in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness,
that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus." Where is boasting then? Can we
boast? We can only boast in Christ,
can't we? He's the only one we want to boast in. See, before
we were saved, we used to boast in ourselves. Little did we know
that God even gave us the ability to do all those things, but we
still took credit for it all, didn't we? We boasted in ourselves
back then. Now we boast in Christ. So where's
boasting? There's no room for boasting.
We can't boast in anything we do. It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore we conclude, look at
this, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Why? Because Christ so perfectly
fulfilled the law of God for his people. We are justified
in and through Christ and Christ alone. This is good news. This
is good news. Salvation is in and through Christ
and Christ alone. Sinner friend, the word sound
forth here before you today. It is finished. Do you believe God's word, or
are you still trying to add something of your own merit and obedience
to win God's favor? And beloved of God, let these
words sink deep into your soul. These are words to hang our eternal
soul upon, beloved. It is finished. God is absolutely satisfied. with the priestly work and atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ in him alone. And we who believe upon
him, we are born again and washed clean by his blood. We are safe
in the Lord Jesus Christ who is our ark of safety. And what
comforting words these are for the believer. Just let them sink
into your soul, beloved. It excludes works, doesn't it?
Because he did all the work. And what do we do? We just look
to Him by faith, don't we? We just look to Him by faith.
And what wondrous words. It is finished. Salvation is
complete, beloved. It's all accomplished. And it's
all in and through the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did. It's all through Him. And God's
people say, glory to His name. Glory to His name. Heavenly Father,
we thank Thee for this time that we could spend together. And
Lord Jesus, as we see Thy dying upon the cross in the room and
place of Your people, what wondrous words these are. It is finished. Oh Lord, our salvation is absolutely
complete. And we are complete in thee,
all by what you have done, Lord Jesus, all by thy work and thy
merit. We pray that this message will
go forth and you be glorified and magnified in it. In Jesus'
name, amen.