Today, I would like you to turn
your Bible, please, to John chapter 19. John chapter 19, and let's
begin reading in John 19, verse 28. And after this, Jesus, knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now, there was set a vessel 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." Now, the phrase I want to look at and study this
morning is the phrase, It is finished. Now, these are the
last words of the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung upon Calvary's
tree, dying for the sins of His people. Keep this in mind. Never view the cross of Christ
as a tragedy. It's not a tragedy. It's triumph. These are not the words of a
helpless victim. They are the words of a jubilant
victor. This is a plain declaration of
fact that all for which he came to do was accomplished. It was
done. He said it is finished. All that was needed to reveal
the full character of God had now been accomplished. All that
was required by the law before sinners could be saved had now
been performed. All that was demanded by holy
justice to pay the ransom price had been paid in full. The great
eternal purpose of God has been fully accomplished in time, that
which God purposed in eternity, He fully accomplished in time. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, we read in Galatians 4.4. God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them
that were under the law. Now, I want to ask this question
this morning on this statement It is finished. What was finished? What was accomplished? And hopefully
we can answer this according to the Scripture. What was finished? Well, several things. The first
one is this. The fulfillment of all prophecies
concerning the Messiah, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, all types
and pictures written of throughout the Old Testament were all fulfilled
in Christ's crucifixion. We read in this Scripture here
in John 19, verse 28, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. The Lord Jesus died
for our sins according to the Scriptures. Centuries before
He actually came into this world, the Holy Spirit declared through
the prophets all the details concerning His birth, His suffering,
His death, one by one, all were fulfilled through the very letter
of Holy Scripture from Genesis clear through to Malachi. Everything
that was written concerning the coming Messiah, He fulfilled. It was written in Isaiah 7, 14
that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, and He was. It was
written that He should be the Son of David, and He was. It
was written he should be born in Bethlehem, and he was. It
was written in Isaiah 53 that his person would be despised
and rejected. He came into his own, and his
own received him not. It was written of him and Isaiah
again being led as a lamb to the slaughter, and he was. Betrayed
of a friend, forsaken by disciples, crucified between two thieves,
numbered with transgressors, the piercing of his hand, his
feet, his side, the mocking of the crowd, all these were written
throughout the Old Testament, and the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled
all things concerning Him. The imputing of our sin upon
Him, He bare our sin in His own body. When our Master saw the
fulfilling of all things that were written of Him, He said,
It is finished. All the prophecy types and pictures
of the Old Testament, He said, they are finished. Secondly,
what was finished? Well, the end of His suffering.
Truly, he was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. Who
can calculate the weight of his sorrow? Not only the physical
and mental anguish, but also his soul agony when our sins
were laid upon him. He suffered at the hands of men,
yes. He suffered at the hands of Satan,
yes. But my friend, never forget,
it pleased God to bruise him in our room and in our stead.
He suffered at the hands of God. He experienced the storm of God's
wrath against our sin. The wrath of God's justice fell
upon him as the designated sin offering. But now his sufferings
are ended. The Lord had bruised him. The
storm of his wrath is spent. Justice is satisfied. The sin
debt is fully paid. And the Scriptures are fulfilled
and now he enters into glory. Never again to suffer. Never
again to be forsaken of God. Never again to taste death. He
said it is finished. What's finished? All prophecy
concerning Him. His sufferings are finished.
Thirdly, we see this. What was finished? The goal of
His coming and incarnation. Our Lord spoke often of the work
that the Father had given him to do. He says in John 5, if
you want to read this, John 5, verse 36. Turn over there and
let's read this together. He said, I have greater witness
than that of John, for the works which the Father hath given me
to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that
the Father hath sent me. He said in John chapter 17, I
finished the work the Father gave me to do. The mission of
mercy that was entrusted to the surety, the surety of the covenant,
the Lord Jesus Christ has been accomplished perfectly, effectually,
and eternally. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners, and my friend, He didn't fail. He came to seek
and to save His own people from their sin, and at Calvary that
was accomplished. Isaiah said, The pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper in his hand. That which God had eternally
planned fully came to pass. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. He completed the work God
gave him to do. Something else we see. What was
finished? This is what he said on the cross. It is finished. What's finished? Fourthly, we
see this. Accomplishment of atonement. We read in 1 John 3, verse 5,
"...he was manifested to take away our sin, and in him is no
sin. Sinners can only be saved by
one taking their place and bearing their iniquity." This is what
the Apostle John said, "...herein is love, not that we love God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be our propitiation."
Our sacrifice in our room and in our midst. The demands of
God's holy justice must be met. The debt we owe must be paid. And on the cross, this was done
and done perfectly and done for all of God's elect. Atonement. Sacrifice. Payment for sin. A covering from sin and shame.
Typical of the coat of skin that God provided for Adam and Eve.
This was provided in Christ crucified. A more excellent sacrifice typified
by Abel's Lamb has now been offered. John the Baptist said, Behold,
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of God's people. A cure from the serpent's bite
was now ready to be offered up. He said, Nicodemus in John chapter
3, as Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up. The life-giving fountain was
open, typical of Moses striking the rock. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the water of life. In the original language, where
it says it is finished, in the original language, it's one word. In other Scriptures, this same
word is rendered in Matthew 11, verse 1, It's rendered, made
an end. In Matthew 17, verse 24, the
word is rendered, paid. In Luke 2, verse 39, the word
is rendered, performed. In Luke 18, verse 31, the word
is rendered, accomplished. The same word. The same word. When our Lord said, It is finished
on the cross, He was saying sin was made an end of. He appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. He is saying the price of redemption
was fully paid. We are redeemed not with corruptible
things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. What He performed satisfied God's
law when sin was put away. What He performed there at Calvary
when He said, satisfied God's offended law and justice. And
what He accomplished was completed. It's finished. The accomplishment
of thine iniquities is completed. God has given us at least fourfold
proof that the work the Lord Jesus Christ was given to accomplish
at Calvary was accepted and completed and sufficient. At least four
proofs were given that what Christ had done is accepted. Let me give them to you. The
veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom. The raising of
Christ from the dead signified that what He did was accepted.
The exaltation to the Father's right hand when He had by Himself
purged our sin, He sat down at God's right hand. And the sending
of the Holy Spirit to make application to the sinner's heart of what
the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished." Now, see what he's saying here
when he says it is finished? Accomplishment of atonement. Something else. What was finished?
The end of our sin. We read in Isaiah 53, verse 6,
that God laid on him the iniquity of all we like sheep. If God
laid my iniquities on Christ, then they're no longer upon me.
If the Lord Jesus Christ bear my sin in His own body, then
they're no longer upon the believer. There is sin in the believer. Now listen to me carefully. This
will be a blessing to you. There is sin in the believer.
We're sinful by nature, by practice, and by birth. We have a sinful
nature. But to the believer, there's
no sin on him. Everyone outside of Christ is
under the sentence of just condemnation. The soul that doesn't believe
the wrath of God abides on Him. But when we believe by God's
grace, and when we receive and repent and receive the Lord Jesus
Christ by God's mercy and grace, we're no longer under condemnation,
under judgment. Yes, there's sin in us, but we're
no longer under the condemnation. There's no longer sin on us.
We read in Romans 8, 1, There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. The guilt and penalty
of sin is no longer upon the believer because the Lord Jesus
Christ took my guilt and condemnation and the penalty of my sin to
Himself and set the believer free. What was accomplished when
He said, It is finished? Well, what was finished? Let
me give you this. the fulfillment of the law. We
read in Scripture the law is holy, the commandment holy, just,
and good. How can the law be anything less
than holy, just, and good? God gave it. The fault lay not
in the law, but in us who are totally, because of our sin,
totally depraved and unable to keep God's law. There's nothing
wrong with God's law. The problem is with this sinful
nature that we have. Our Lord came in the flesh to
honor His own law. He said, I didn't come to destroy
the law in Matthew 5, 17. He said, I came to fulfill it.
He not only kept the precepts of the law, but He also satisfied
all the penalty of the law. He endured its curse. The Lord
Jesus Christ satisfied His own law for us. Paul wrote this to
the Galatians. He's redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. He wrote to the Romans,
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believe it. Again, we read in Romans 6, verse
14, that we're not under the law, but under grace. This is
good news. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
fulfill the law. All of its precepts and all of
its penalties. What is finished? In closing,
let me give you this. Destruction of Satan's power.
That's when he said, It is finished. What was finished? The destruction
of Satan's power. Satan, by the believers, should
be treated as a defeated enemy. He was defeated by Christ at
Calvary. The woman's seed crushed the
serpent's head, crushed his dominion, and crushed his power. Once we
walk according to the prince of the power of the air, but
now it's God which worketh in us both the will and to do of
His good pleasure. Now you see what's all involved
in this phrase when the Lord dying upon Calvary said, It is
finished. All things were accomplished.
Sin put away. Suffering ended. Atonement made. The law honored. Satan's power
destroyed. It's finished. Now I'm in closing. Do you believe it? Or are you
trying to add something of your own merit, your own works to
His perfect atonement to secure God's favor? God is satisfied
with the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, This is My beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased, hear Him. God is well pleased and
satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive work,
His high priestly work. How about you? Do you believe
Him when He said salvation is finished? Righteousness is finished. Redemption is finished. Redeemed
by the blood of Christ. Well, I pray that you believe
the gospel. And if you don't, I pray that God will give you
grace to believe the gospel and to trust Him.