I did choose the Lord Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neiberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nibert. I'm going to begin reading in
John chapter 19, 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. Every word that came from the
Savior's mouth was precious. When He said the words that I
speak unto you, their spirit and their life, we reply with
Peter of old, thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe
and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God. And how precious are the words
of the Savior from the cross. He had seven sayings as he hung
on the cross. First, he said, Father, forgive
them. They know not what they do. And
you can be sure of this. Everyone he prayed for was forgiven. Isn't that a glorious thought?
He said to his mother while she was watching him hang on the
cross, woman, behold thy son. And then he looked at the disciple
John and said, behold thy mother. On the cross he said, my God,
my God. Why hast thou forsaken me? And this gives us some glimpse
as to what was taking place at the cross. At that time, he couldn't
even call God his father. He was forsaken as the sinner's
substitute. I deserve to be forsaken. He
was forsaken in my place. And then there are the words
he gave to the thief today. Thou shalt be with me in paradise. No one was ever given such assurance
as that. And then his words, I thirst. Oh, there's never been a thirst
like this thirst. And then the words that I just
read, it is finished. And his last words were, Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit. Now I'd like us to confine our
thoughts to this sixth saying of the Savior from the cross,
it is finished. I don't believe there's a verse
that gives me any more comfort than that. It is finished. Now this is given in the perfect
tense in the original. perfectly completed, never to
be repeated. It is finished. Now his first recorded words
were, I must be about my father's business. And here he says, it
is finished. Whatever his father's business
was, it was completed. Now, early in his ministry, he
said, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish
His work. He said, For I came down from
heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent
me. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. Before his birth, the
angel announced, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. In his great high priestly prayer
for his people in John chapter 17, he said in verse four, I
have glorified thee on the earth. I finished the work thou gavest
me to do. And here in his last minute upon
earth, he says, it is finished. What did the Savior mean by that?
I don't know of any more comforting words in all the Bible than these
words, it is finished. This I know, that if He left
anything undone, if He left anything for me to do, there's no hope
for me. All of my hope is found right
here. In these words, it is finished. Now, if you have a King James
Version, and I love the King James Version, I think it's the
best translation. It is a translation, but in my
opinion, it's the best translation. In the King James Version, there
are 12 different words used that all are translated differently,
but it's the same word, the same word, it is finished, in the
Greek, is translated by 12 different words that give us some idea
of what the Savior meant when He said, it is finished. I want
to give you all 12 of them and make a few comments on each one.
The first way this word was translated was accomplished. It is accomplished. As a matter of fact, in verse
28 of John chapter 19, where it says, Jesus, knowing that
all things were now accomplished, that's the same word. All things
were now accomplished. It is accomplished. Whatever
the Savior's intentions were, mission accomplished. It is accomplished. Now, the extent of the atonement
of Christ, and that's what he was doing. He was atoning for
sin. The extent of the atonement of Christ is determined by the
intentions of the atonement of Christ. Who did Christ intend
to make atonement for? Well, Matthew 121, I've already
quoted this, says, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people from their sins. Is everybody His people? No,
they're children of God and they're children of the devil. His intention
was to save His people. He said in John 10, verse 14,
I lay down my life for the sheep. Is everybody a sheep? No, there
are goats and there are sheep. We read in Ephesians 5.25 that
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Are all men,
without exception, a part of the church? No, they're not.
They're those outside of the church, and he died for those
who are truly church members. And I'm not talking about a local
church. I'm talking about the bride of
Christ, the church which is his body. We read in Hebrews 10,
verse 14, by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified. Is everybody sanctified? No,
but by his one offering, he perfected forever, he finished their salvation. In John 6, verse 39, he said,
this is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he
hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again
at the last day. Now his intentions, were to save
His people, His elect, those given Him by His Father before
the foundation of the world. Mission accomplished. It is finished. Now, for whom Christ died is
a very important issue. If He died for all men, without
exception, Two things. Number one, he failed in his
intention if all men are not saved. If there is a place called
hell, and people are in hell, and Jesus Christ died for those
people, then Jesus Christ failed in his intentions. He didn't
do what he set out to do. And my soul is disgusted by such
a thought. There's no way the Lord can fail
about anything. He's the Lord. He's God. His
will is always accomplished. The other point I want to make
is if he could die for somebody and pay for their sins, and they
wind up in hell anyway, then the only hope I have of being
in heaven is taken away. Because if someone can be in
hell for whom he died, I know that's where I'll end up. I just
know it. The only hope I have is that
he actually paid a complete payment, that he redeemed me. So when
he said it is finished, The salvation of all of His people was accomplished,
mission accomplished. Now, the word is also translated
in Luke 18.5, continual. You see, this message is always
in effect. It's continual. It is finished.
There's no time when it's not finished. There's no intermission.
It is finished all the time. There is no end to it is finished. It's continual. It's always in
effect. What if his people sin? It's
finished. What if they sin greatly? It's
finished. Well, what if they sin like Peter
did? It's finished. Well, what if they sin like David
did, those horrible crimes that he committed? It is finished. Well, what if they act like Solomon
and seem to lose all interest and fall away when it just appears
that way? As far as looking at them, Solomon's
heart was turned to other gods, it says, other by his wife, still
it is finished. You can't take that away. Now,
I'm not saying that in any way to encourage anyone to continue
in sin. No, not in any way. Lord deliver
us from temptation. I don't want to sin, but this
message of it is finished, it is completed, there's nothing
that can incomplete it. It's continual, it's always in
effect. And then this word is translated
in Revelation 27, it is expired. It's expired. What happened when he cried these
last words from the cross? Well, the scripture says the
veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. The old covenant
expired, expiration date. The old covenant of works, it
is gone. We're not under the law, we're
under grace. And that veil that was rent that
separated God from the people. That's what it represented. It
wasn't folded up to be brought out at a later date. It was ripped
into, torn away. It is finished. No veil, the
way into God's presence is open to all who come because it is
finished. Now, the fourth way that this
word is translated is in John 13, 1 and Romans 10, 4, it is
ended. it is ended. Story over, the
end. Daniel chapter 9 verse 24 says,
He shall make an end of sins. Now concerning my sins, the end. What sins? They're all gone. They've all been washed away
by the Lord Jesus Christ. He hath appeared once in the
end of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And that's what He did. He put
it away. The end. Now, if I live another
10 seconds, I'll sin in my heart, whether I know it or not, because
I still have an evil nature. But you know what? It's all been
put away. The end. The story's over. My
sin has been put away. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Now, this word
is translated in Revelation chapter 15, verse 1, filled up. Filled up, it is filled up. When
I go to the gas station, I always fill up the tank of my car. The reason being, I'm always
afraid that if I wait, the gas price may go up and I might have
to get more at a more expensive price tomorrow. So I always fill
up my tank. And when I fill up my tank, there's
not room for anything else. Now in Christ, when he said it
is finished, every believer was filled up. No room for improvement. You can't get more saved. You
can't get more loved. You can't get more accepted.
You're perfect in Christ Jesus. When He said it is finished,
you were filled up. First Corinthians chapter 1 verse
30 says, Can you improve on that? No, you're filled up. Right now we can't get any more
saved than we are. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead and body and you are complete. You are filled
up. You can't get any more saved
in him. That's what he meant when he
said it is finished. My people are completely, effectually,
and totally saved by my grace. He was called the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. In time, he was slain, and he
accomplished the salvation of all of his people. And then the
word is translated in 1 Peter 3, verse 8, finally, finally. The salvation of the elect was
finalized. Nothing left undone. You see, the cross was my final
exam, and I passed in Him. As a matter of fact, I got 100%
in Him by what He did. And then the word that is used
in our text in John chapter 19, verse 30, which I suppose is
my favorite, it is finish. It is finished. There's nothing
left that needs to be done. It is finished. Oh, listen to
me. The message of works religion
is do. There's something you need to
do. If you don't do this, this will take place. The message
of the gospel is it's done. There's nothing for you to do. He did it all. It is finished. All that God requires has been
accomplished. It is finished. Nothing you need to do to complete
it. And that's what most people believe. God did his part, now I need
to do my part. Christ did his part, now I need
to do my part. There's no comfort in that. When
have you done your part? As a matter of fact, if anything
is dependent upon you, there's no hope for you and there's no
hope for me. But thank God he said, it is finished. There is nothing that needs to
be done. There remaineth a rest for the
people of God. For he that hath entered into
his rest hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his."
What did God do upon the finish of the creation? He rested. Why
did he rest? Was it because he was tired?
No, it's because he saw what he did, that it was very good,
and it couldn't be improved, and he rested. That's what Christ
did for every believer. He finished their salvation. And then this word is also translated
fulfilled. It is fulfilled. The Scriptures are fulfilled. How many times do we read that
throughout the Gospels? He did something that the Scripture
might be fulfilled. And when He said it is finished,
every Old Testament type was fulfilled. The Day of Atonement
fulfilled. The Passover fulfilled. You see,
everything in the Old Testament points to Him and teaches us
of Him. He says it's all fulfilled. Why do we no longer offer animal
sacrifices? Because the sacrifice of the
lamb has been made. It is fulfilled. You know, when
I quoted, I think a couple of times, thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. When
he said it is finished, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for
he has saved his people from their sins. It's historic, it's
already been done. I think of that first gospel
promise, the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent's head. It's
been fulfilled, the seed of woman has bruised the serpent's head,
crushed the serpent's head, and defeated Satan. It is fulfilled. And then in Matthew 10, verse
23, it's translated, go or gone. Now, let's think of just this
word, go. There's nothing keeping you back. If it's finished, there's nothing
you need to bring. There's nothing you need to do.
He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall I not with him also freely give us all things? If
you come by him, you'll be accepted. You'll be received. There's nothing
you need to do. The way is open. When it says
it is finished, Don't linger. Don't wait for something to happen.
Don't wait to do something that'll make you better. The red light
has been turned green. Come now just as you are to the
Lord Jesus Christ, because it is finished. Just as I am without
one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou
bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. Go, he said,
him that cometh to me. I will in no wise, for no reason
whatsoever, cast out." He said, I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. Now you come
by him and you'll be received. It is finished. Takes away any
barrier for you to get to him if you want to come. It is finished. And then in Matthew chapter 17,
verse 24, it's translated paid. It is paid. Now I know the world believes
Jesus paid a half, the other half I owe, but that's not the
case at all. Jesus paid it all. all the debt
I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. Child of God, you are completely
debt free. All of your sins have been paid
for. They are all forgiven sins. The only debt you owe is gratitude. When he said it is finished,
The sin debt was paid in full. And I can't tell you how grateful
I am for that. My sin, oh the bliss of this
glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole, has been
nailed to the cross and I bear them no more. Praise the Lord,
praise the Lord, oh my soul. And then in Luke 2.39, the word
is translated, Perform. Perform. It is performed. Now, if you're anything like
I am, you're always stressing in some way over your performance
as a spouse, as a parent, on the job. We always want to perform
well and we always come up a day late and a dollar short, it seems
like. But this is a perfect performance. It is performed. Perfect righteousness is performed. And that's my performance because
His righteousness is my righteousness. A perfect sin payment has been
performed. Perfect satisfaction to God has
been performed. A perfect salvation has been
performed. It's performed. It is performed. Nothing for me to do. The performance
has already been done and it is a perfect performance. And the last word that I found
that this word is translated is found in 1 Thessalonians 2
verse 16, uttermost. It is uttermost. I love that. There can't be any
more. It is uttermost. They've been
saved to the uttermost. They've been saved to the completion. They can't be any more saved
than they are. It is finished. Are those precious words to you?
It is finished. It's accomplished. It's continual. It's always in effect. It's expired. It's ended. It's filled up. It's finalized. It's finished. It's fulfilled. Go. It's paid. It's performed. It's the uttermost. What precious words from the
Savior. Now, can you rest in that right
now while I'm talking to you? Can you rest in that? You know, you can only really
rest when a job is finished. If you got something hanging
over your head, you don't really rest. But if the job is finished,
you can rest. Now, somebody may be thinking,
I've heard you say that Christ didn't die for everybody, that
he only did this for his sheep, for his elect. How can I know
if he's done it for me? I'm not charging God with injustice
if he didn't die for everybody because I know that God is just
and I'm sinful and I know that I deserve to go to hell, but
I would want to know if he died for me. I hope he did die for
me. How can I know if Jesus Christ
died for me? My friend, you can know. Let
me give you two ways you can know. Number one, are you a sinner? And notice what I asked you.
I didn't ask you if you're a Christian. I didn't ask you if you were
saved. I didn't ask you if you've been born again. I asked you,
are you a sinner? Somebody who sins. All you do
is sin. You can't prevent yourself from
sinning because you're a sinner. You can't look down your nose
at anybody. And you have no claims on God. You know that because
you're a sinner. Are you a sinner? Well, if you
are, I can assure you that Christ died for you. This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief. Paul said, if
you're a sinner, he came to save you. Now, the next question I'd
like to ask you is, do you need him to finish everything? Do you need a finished salvation? Would it be no hope to you if
salvation was not finished and you had to do something to make
it finish? That would cut you out. Do you
need this salvation? I love that scripture in Luke
chapter 9 verse 11. He healed them that had need
of healing. Do you need him to do it all
for you? You say, yes, I do. Then you're
somebody he died for. He died for sinners. He died
for those who need him to do everything for them. And I know
this, that certainly describes me. And I hope it describes you
as well. Now we have this message on DVD
and CD. If you call the church, write
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God would be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's
our prayer. Amen. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.