Turn, if you will, back to Luke's
Gospel chapter 19. We already read the passage.
Our text will be primarily from verse 31. It will soon be 51 years ago
that astronauts landed on the moon
on July the 20th, 1969. Man, John, I was just 18 years
old. I was what Lester would call
just a whippersnapper. And my, how the time has flown
by. It's been 51 years ago. It's one of those things that
just about everybody remembers where they were when it happened. It had never taken place before.
I did a little research on the internet. Everything's on there
these days, good and bad. But it said that That was watched
on televisions around the world by 600 million people. By 600 million people. You remember what Neil Armstrong,
one of the two that landed on the moon, his first words were?
When the module sat down on the surface of the moon, he said,
the eagle has landed. The eagle has landed. And all
there was rejoicing, rejoices. over that. It was a proud moment
for Americans. And I'll be honest with you,
when I watched that, when I watched that old footage and the film
of him landing on the moon and him stepping out upon the moon,
I still got goosebumps, John. That was a proud moment. And
it still is. We could use some more of that
today, couldn't we? It seems like every time I turn
on the news, it's what's bad about America. Everything's bad. Nothing's good. All the wrong.
And honestly, there is. But I wouldn't want to live anywhere
else with you. I wouldn't want to live in any other country.
The reason that was such a proud moment for Americans is because
those three astronauts represented us. They represented us. We weren't there. We didn't step
out on the moon, but oh, we rejoiced with them. We were proud because
they were Americans. They were from the United States
of America. They did first what had never
been done before. When you read the words here
in verse 31 of Luke 18, the words spoken by the captain of our
salvation. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.
And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the
Son of Man shall be accomplished." Accomplished. Underline that. Highlight that. Accomplished. Not attempted. Not attempted,
really, but accomplished. Done. Done. An attempt can end
in failure. But an accomplishment? It sounds
like success. It sounds like that he knew that
he would get the job done. He never talked with doubt. No. He said, I'm going to do
everything that my father sent me here to do. Everything. everything. If that weren't the
case, he wouldn't have said, in his dying breath, it is finished. Oh no, no. He would have said,
well it was attempted, we'll see what comes of it. Oh no, it shall
be accomplished. And knowing, oh knowing, that
he was representing me, hmm, does his words not make you,
like the hymn writer put it, want to do this? Oh, just think,
Think that God, his son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can
take it in. Oh my soul, think about this,
that on the cross my burden gladly bearing, he didn't attempt to
do it, he did it. He bled and died to take away
my sin. That was accomplished. When you hear the one into whose
hands God committed all of his people, all of his sheep, that
one whom he commissioned to put away all their sins and to bring
in an everlasting righteousness, to satisfy God's holy law. And God said it must be perfect
to be accepted, to be their surety, who became responsible to God. Isn't that a comforting thought,
child of God? Jesus Christ has to answer for
you to God You won't answer for yourself. He will he will As
our surety he became responsible to God for us and promised his
father that he would fulfill Fulfill all things on their behalf
Mmm, and you hear him say to them and us behold all things
shall be accomplished Jesus tells his followers this and that's
the title of my message mission accomplished mission accomplished
Doesn't that make you proud of him? Hmm. Oh God forbid that we should
glory in anything of ourselves in ourselves or by ourselves
all but glory in him all you want to God, give us grace to
stamp down that old wicked pride, that wicked weed that will grow
anywhere and it flourishes here in pulpits. Oh, but when it comes
to glorying in Him, being proud of Him, you can't go too far.
Don't worry about it. It's not possible. Oh, like that
bride of Solomon's song when asked the question, who is your
beloved? Who is he? Tell us something
about him that when we see him, we might know him. can tell him
apart from anybody else. He said, well, that's going to
be hard to do because he's not like anybody else. He's not like
there's nobody else like him. There's nobody that can compare
to him. He's the fairest among 10,000. He's the lily of the
valley. There's none like him. He's altogether
lovely. There's not a spot in him. There's
not a blemish. There's not a fault. Nothing
in him that's not perfect. Oh, he's altogether. View him
from any position you want to. view him from behind, before,
from one side or the other, he's all together, lovely, he's perfect. Everything written about him
shall be accomplished, just like we sang a moment ago. To God
be the glory, great things he hath done. so loved he the world
that he gave us his son who yielded his life and atonement for sin
and opened the life gate that we may go in." Mission accomplished. Just briefly, let's behold the
disciples first. And we'll be brief there because
we want to behold the main attraction, the altogether lovely one, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Notice again Verse 34, after
our Lord spoke these glorious words, we're told this is how
it affected the disciples. They didn't have a clue. They
understood none of these things, not a single thing. And this
saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were
spoken. The response to the Lord's words
concerning His mission, His purpose, why He came to this earth, and
his success in that great purpose. It must have rejoiced their souls,
right? No. How encouraging it must have
been to them during those several days our Lord was in the tomb
to recall his words. That's not the end of the story.
Peter, Peter, cheer up, Andrew would say. John, James, cheer
up. Dry your tears. Remember, he
said, I will rise again. Yes, they've done all these things,
but remember what he said? And they didn't. Of course not.
They didn't. They were clueless. That's astounding,
isn't it? Our Lord spoke so often, especially
as the time grew nearer, that He should go up to Jerusalem
and lay down His life for His sheep. But every time, they were
clueless. They still had that notion in
their minds, and looked for Him to do it, to set up an earthly
kingdom. And as he told Pilate, my kingdom's
not of this world. Why did God, the Holy Spirit,
here in Luke's Gospel, in Matthew, in John, in Mark, tell us so
much? Not cover up, not conceal, not
water down, or excuse the ignorance, the unbelief, the weakness, the
fears, the falls, the failings, even the denial and the abandonment
by these men. Several reasons, I think. He
did so to teach us, first, that our salvation is not dependent
upon the strength and quality of our faith, but upon the strength
and quality of our Savior, the object of our faith. There's
a big difference. People get down in the dumps
and examine their faith. Look at the object of your faith. Behold the Lamb of God. He said, look unto me. Don't
look unto yourself. Anything about yourself. Look
unto me and be ye saved. Look unto me. The great God and
Savior, look unto me, mighty to save. It's not our knowledge
that saves us, but Christ that saves us. It's not what we know
or think we know, it's what Jesus Christ has done. It's him himself
that saves us, like Simeon. Simeon, he comes in, takes the
baby, that little baby out of Mary's arms and says, Lord, Grab
me this wish, this final thing, just let me die. I've got nothing
else to live for. There's nothing these eyes shall
ever see to compare to this. And what was he looking at? The
Son of God. I've seen your salvation. I've
seen your salvation. And he was looking at the living,
breathing Savior, even though obeyed in flesh. The context here In Luke chapter
19, remember, the disciples had no idea, as we've already mentioned,
the real reason Jesus Christ came. And that seems astounding,
but we're told that over and over again. Here in Luke's gospel,
chapter 9, for example, verses 44 and 45, let these sayings
sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man shall be delivered
into the hands of men. But they understood not this
saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not, and
they were feared to ask him of that saying." John chapter 12,
verse 16. These things understood, they
understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus
was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written
of him and that they had done these things unto him. John again,
chapter 16. Then said some of his disciples
among themselves, what is this that he says? A little while
and you shall not see me. And again, a little while and
you shall see me. And because I go to the Father,
they said, therefore, what is this that he says? A little while. We cannot tell what he says.
We don't have a clue. What's he talking about? Matthew
chapter 16. From that time forth, Jesus began
to show unto his disciples how that he must go up to Jerusalem
and suffer many things of the elders and the chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. And imagine this, Peter, then
Peter took him and began to rebuke him. Can you imagine that? And said to him, be it far from
thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. I read all those instances
to apply to you and I, to learn how ignorant a believer can be
and be a believer still. After all, what makes a believer
is knowing Christ. It's not knowing what. I have
been in the presence on occasion of men who were doctors of divinity. Men who had degrees, men who
could blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, just talk you
to death, just go on and on and on and on, cross every T, dot
every I, but never tell you anything about the beauty, the glory,
the wonder of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Like those men
asked the disciples on that occasion, sirs, sirs, we would see Jesus. Would you give us an audience
with him? Show us him. The Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Here's another thing we learn.
That God's saints in this world, as long as we live in this world,
are still weak, simple, failing, ignorant men. Nothing more. That's just a fact. That's just
a fact. And that we must, as long as
we are in this state, live by faith on Christ. As ye have received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Just continue as you
started, looking unto Jesus. Here's another thing we learned.
That were Christ to leave us to ourselves, we would all soon
perish. That's true. That's just a fact.
But thank God, He will not leave us to ourselves. He won't do
it. He won't do it. Thank God, when we said, leave
us alone, that we might serve the Egyptians, He wouldn't take
no for an answer. He said, you're mine. You're
mine. When we said, we will not come
to you, He said, oh, but you will. All my sheep are going
to come to me. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. You'll come. Thank God He didn't
leave us to ourselves. And last of all, under this thought,
we learn that salvation must be altogether the work of God's
free grace. It better be. It must be. Or nobody will ever be saved.
Aren't you glad that salvation wasn't in any way dependent upon
these disciples? They say the Lord made Peter
the head of the church. My soul. I'm glad that's a lie. That's not true. What sort of
foundation would Peter be? Aren't you glad that that's not
so? The disciples, they denied him.
They all forsook him. And aren't you glad? Let's come
a little closer to home. Aren't you glad, too, that your
salvation is in no way dependent upon you? Have you ever seen
more miserable people than those who falsely think that their
eternal salvation in some way depends upon them? They're always
sad. They're always down in the dumps.
They should be. They should be. It's no wonder
that they are. If that were so, there would
be ample reasons to stay discouraged, to stay despondent, to be hopeless,
cast down, and depressed. Why wouldn't we be? Oh, but now,
let's turn our eyes away from them, the disciples, and ourselves,
and behold Him. Behold Him, Jesus Christ our
Savior. We go up to Jerusalem. That's
true. He said we. We go up to Jerusalem. But all things that are written,
not about Peter, not about James, not about John, not about Andrew,
all things that are written by the prophets concerning who?
Him. Jesus Christ shall be what? Accomplished. All the prophets, all of them,
wrote about Him, about Christ. The Word of God, someone once
said, is about God the Word. His book is about God the Word. Take Christ out, and all you
would have left would be the binding. There would be nothing
else there. Listen to what he said himself
to those two sorry disciples on the road to Emmaus that day.
Then said he unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have written, ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses,
that's the first five books of the Bible, and the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself. Verse 44 of that same chapter,
Luke 24. And he said unto them, that is
his disciples, these are the words which I speak unto you
while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled.
which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets
and in the Psalms. That's the entire Word of God
at that time. Concerning me, yes, Christ says
we go up to Jerusalem, but it is Christ and Christ alone that
we put to death. And it is at that same Christ
that shall rise again from the dead. Not about Peter, not about
James, not about John, not about Larry. It's all about him. It's a him book, isn't it? It's a him book. It's all about
the son of God. Who is this the prophet asked?
Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from
Basra? This that is glorious in his
apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength, who is this?
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save, who else could
that be but the Son of God? Who else could it be but Christ
that saves the sinners? Wherefore art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine
vat? And he answers again, I have trodden the winepress alone,
alone. My God, why hast thou forsaken
me? I have trodden the winepress
alone, and of the people there was none with me. For I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury. And
their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in
my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none
to help. And I wondered that there was
none to uphold. Therefore my own arm brought
salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. I love that passage. John, I think it's a favorite
of yours too. In John chapter 18, Jesus is
in the garden. Judas brings that mob to take
the Lord. Jesus, therefore, we read, knowing
all things that should come upon him, did what? Went forth. Oh, picture that. There's the
glorious shepherd of the sheep stepping out in front, leading
the way as always. And he asked that mob, whom seek
ye? What do you want? And then on
down in the chapter he asked them a second time, whom seek
ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth, I've told you that I am he. I
am he. You'll never find a better illustration
of substitution than this. I am he. If therefore you seek
me, let these go their way. You can't have both of us. If you take me, my sheep go free.
You can't have me in the sheep too. And that's exactly what
he said to God's justice. Here I am. Take me. Take me. I stand in the room instead of
my people. Let the justice, your wrath,
your righteous holiness, let it fall on me. You demand payment,
I'm here to do it. Take me. But my sheep, my sheep
have to go through, have to go free. Not long after this, in
Luke 19, our Lord stands before Pilate and he's brought out.
And the crowd cries in response to Pilate's question, what shall
I do with Jesus? They said crucify him. They were
instant. They were in agreement with loud voices requiring that
he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of
the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that
it should be as they required. And he released unto them him
that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they
had desired. But he delivered Jesus to their
will. And we know, we know what their
will was. Man's will was to murder the
Son of God. But there was one greater than
the religious leaders, or the political leaders, whose will
demanded that it should be as He required, and that was God. God willed, God required, God
demanded this concerning His Son. It was God, not Pilate,
that said, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. Against the man
that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd,
and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn my hand upon
the little ones. None of those who hated the Son
of God could do that to him. As he said here in our text,
they could mock him, treat him with spite and contempt, spit
on him, scourge him, put him to death, but only God could
do this. Only God could do this, had made
him to be sin for us who knew no sin. Only God could do that,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Many hands were raised to wound
him, one wrote. None would interpose to save,
but the awful stroke that found him was the stroke that justice
gave. Remember what our Lord said?
But I have a baptism to be baptized with. And how am I straightened
to let be, and here's that word again, accomplished. Accomplished. Chapter 22 of Luke's Gospel,
and when the hour was come, he sat down and the twelve disciples
with him. What an hour! The hour for which
time began. The hour for which this world
was created. The hour in which the hinges
of eternity turn. And he said unto them with desire,
with desire, I want to do this. I've longed to do this. With
desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you, and knowing,
better than they, better than anyone, knowing what that represented,
knowing that was a picture of himself. Child of God, behold
him as he goes forth to accomplish, accomplish everything God required,
everything God's holy law demanded, and he did not turn back. I'm
he, take me. He was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is done, so he openeth
not his mouth. Last of all, behold him God enabled
us to. Behold him who accomplished all
things for our eternal salvation. Won't say anything you don't
know. Oh, but may God make it fresh to our hearts. May we be
allowed to bow down and exclaim in wonderous adoration, isn't
he something? Isn't he something, the Son of
God? All through his life he knew
that he would be crucified. And there was nothing in the
cross which he did not perceive distinctly. He had that time,
33 years of anticipated suffering, and yet he never turned aside
for a moment. The cup which my father had given
me, shall I not drink it? Oh, I know this, if he doesn't,
if he doesn't drink that cup, we're all going to hell. What
God sent him to do, what he was determined to do is summed up
in the prophecy of Daniel. In one verse, Daniel 9 and 24,
70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy
city to finish their 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.
Gabriel told Daniel that when Christ appeared, when the Messiah
was cut off, crucified, and slain at Jerusalem in the midst of
the 70 weeks, that he would, by that sacrifice of himself,
finish the transgression. Mission accomplished. Finish. Literally it means to shut up.
To remove from God's sight. To abolish it. Oh my, my sin not in part but
the whole. It's gone. It's gone. Abolished. That's exactly what our blessed
Savior did. When our transgressions were
laid on Him, made His, He bore them away. He carried them all
away in the stream of His precious atoning blood. When He made satisfaction
for us, they shall never be seen or brought up again. The second
thing of Daniel's prophecy was, and to make an end of sins again. Mission accomplished. The Hebrew
means to hide out of sight. Our blessed Savior abolished
the sins of His people forever when He paid the full price of
our ransom by His sacrifice. He made an end of sins condemnation. No condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. An end of sins curse. an end
of sin's judgment, an end of sin's consequence, an end of
sin's guilt. All our sins, past, present,
future, sins of existence. And you know that He was manifested
to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. Christ put away all our sins
by the sacrifice of Himself. When He had by Himself purged
our sins, accomplished He sat down at the right hand of the
majesty on high. Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, left it up, taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin." The third thing Daniel said in his
prophecy, or the angel Gabriel told Daniel, that Christ should
make reconciliation for iniquity again. Mission accomplished. That means literally to cover
up, to overlay. Like God told Noah in the building
of the ark, he said, make thee an ark of gopher wood. Room shall
thou make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with
pitch. so that nothing gets out and
nothing gets in. Once in Christ, in Christ forever,
nothing from His love can separate. The Son of God came into this
world to save His people from their sins. Mission accomplished. Mission accomplished. Remember
what Paul in his letter to Philemon Concerning Onesimus, Philemon's
runaway slave servant, Paul wrote and said, if he owes you anything,
if he owes you anything, if he's wronged you in any way, Paul
says, put that on my account. I give you my word, Paul said,
I will repay you. And that's what Jesus Christ
did for his people. Everything we owe to God, every
debt, every charge, Christ said, put it on my account. And he paid it all to bring in
an everlasting righteousness. Again, mission accomplished.
Our dear Savior came here to bring in righteousness for his
people, to restore that which he took not away. And he did
so. Righteousness earned by his obedience. Righteousness bestowed by his
grace. Righteousness experienced experience. Oh, and the sweet
experience of Christ's righteousness when we believe on the Son of
God, we're robed in that perfect righteousness everlasting. The
righteousness of Christ will never wear out. It'll never fade. Its virtue to justify will continue
forever because it's a perfect righteousness. The summary of
all that is this. Mission accomplished. Accomplished. Let me close with
a brief article. This was in Brother Moose Daniel
Park's bulletin a week ago. It's about William Wilberforce. Jesus Christ the Satisfied Laborer
was the title of the article, but Wilberforce was the foremost
campaigner for the abolition of slavery in Britain. He led
this campaign for 46 years. He began when he was just 32
years old until he died in 1833. And he learned, he learned on
his deathbed, that the Slavery Abolition Act had passed. Can
you imagine the joy that that must have been for that dying
man? to hear that the slaves had been
at last freed and that his efforts had not been in vain. He saw
the results of the many years of labor and he was satisfied. Oh, but the satisfaction of Jesus
Christ far surpasses that of Wilberforce or any other man.
Jesus labored for the emancipation of Jehovah's people because we
were slaves. We were slaves to sin, slaves
to uncleanness, slaves to lawlessness, slaves to Satan, slaves to our
own will and lust and desires. What joy it must have been to
Jesus Christ to know that upon His death for all of His people,
all of them would be set free. And that His efforts had not
been in vain. Jehovah prophesied of him he
shall see of the labor, the travail, the labor of his soul, and he
shall be satisfied. Jesus Christ is our spiritual
abolitionist, the victorious emancipator, the glorious liberator
of his people, and therefore he's the satisfied laborer. Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
The joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. What joy could there possibly
be if after enduring the cross he failed to see the reason that
he endured the cross, the salvation of his people, the bringing many
sons to glory, If one for whom the Son of God died, perished,
was a substitute, if one of those should perish, it would be the
very opposite of joy for him, to be sorrow, remorse, regret.
That can never, ever be said concerning the captain of our
salvation. On the contrary, he says, behold,
I am the children which thou hast given me. Those that thou
gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost. Glory to His
name. Mission accomplished. God bless
you. Thank you for your attention.