"IT"

By the time I'm finished, you would probably wish I'd started on page two, but to get to

page two, I needed page one.

And I had left it laying on my desk.

So I needed page one.

You would too, if you'd be up here looking at you, you'd be wishing, where'd page one

go?

Hello?

To have your Bibles returning with me to John's Gospel, the 19th chapter.

It's good to know the man that's about to preach is human, isn't it?

Hallelujah, what a beautiful, beautiful crowd today.

Happy Easter.

Happy Easter.

And truly the Lord is risen.

He is risen indeed.

Amen.

Because of that, we are here, because of that, you're in this building this morning.

I'm thankful, I'm thankful for a loving, living Savior.

Amen.

Chapter 19, John's Gospel, I want to read one verse to you.

Just want to take it out of a, to coin a phrase that Brother Randy uses on Wednesday some

time.

Take one verse out of the pericope and you're going to, you're going to fill it in.

Because when I read it, you're going to know what surrounds it and we'll discuss it.

Amen.

Look at verse 30 with me in John's Gospel.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished.

And he bowed down his head and gave up the ghost.

Simple thought this morning, a little two letter word.

We're just going to talk a little while about it.

It.

I, I was reading my devotion the other morning and it just jumped out at me.

It.

I'll pray for you if all of you pray for me.

Father, I love you today.

Wow.

You are risen indeed.

We're here this morning to celebrate your resurrection.

Now, father, I asked that you would help the people.

May we hear, may we receive, may we have open hearts and open minds today that we may be

touched by your word and minister to through your spirit.

Father, today we glorify you.

We thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus.

We thank you for the obedience to the father, Holy spirit, for the power to raise him up.

We're grateful, thankful today in Jesus name.

The church said, amen and amen.

You can be seated as we discuss it.

We've had a beautiful week around here.

We had a glorious Wednesday.

The spirit of the Lord just ushered into this place during our Bible study time and man,

such a, such a wonderful atmosphere.

Followed that up on Thursday with a Seder meal and again, brother Duane and sister Sandy,

wherever you got to there they are.

Thank you so much for leading us and at a beautiful time of worship and fellowship and

understanding who our Lord is and all that he done in fulfilling making his way to Calvary.

Amen.

So grateful for that.

John's gospel.

John records three of those famous seven sayings from the cross here in this 19th chapter in

verse 26 through seven.

It is the word of compassion.

When he looks upon his mother and looks upon his friend, John, it says, woman, behold thy

son, behold thy mother.

In 28 and 29, we see the word of suffering as he would cry out, I thirst and to fulfill

the scripture that gave him the vinegar here in the text that I read to you as one probably

most familiar verse 30, he declares a word of victory.

It is finished, but as you read the text and you go through the week, if your mind is focused

on everything that transpired and all that Christ has done for us and what's doing during

that week of passion for us, you can't help but feel the tension between that word of

suffering and the word of victory.

On the tree of death, on that old rugged cross, we hear the water of life cry out, he thirsts.

You can make your way to John four and you'll see where he meets that woman at the whale.

Remember?

And when he tells her, if you would drink of the water that I have, you'll never thirst

again because he is the living water.

He was the rock that followed them through the wilderness.

Hallelujah.

He's the fountain that never runs dry, but there he cries, I thirst.

The word of suffering, however, was not the last proclamation from Calvary.

Well glory.

The last proclamation from Calvary was a victorious cry.

It wasn't a mumble.

It wasn't a barely heard utterance.

He shouted it out.

It is finished.

The declaration of victory from Calvary's hill.

It is finished.

He didn't say I'm finished.

Oh, he said it's finished.

My God, I feel my health going to show up this morning.

He said it is finished.

When you hear that declaration, it's not a concession from a defeated man.

It's not a resignation of a doomed man either.

Neither is it the relief of a dying man, but it's a man who is fulfilling a mission in

that riddled body that they had nailed to that old rugged cross.

The body that had been beaten beyond recognition.

A face that was swollen whose eyes were merely slit and the beard that was on his face had

been plucked by every hair.

He had been spit on.

He had been mocked.

They had thrown stones, they had thrown insults.

They had beat him the 39 stripes upon his back.

Now he's made his way down that Via de la Rosa.

He has been nailed.

He has been lifted.

Never forget that this victorious cry was already declared when he said I must be lifted

up.

The son of man must be lifted up.

He declared if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me.

You see it's this declaration of victory that he's proclaiming on Calvary's Hill.

It is finished.

Because he knows what follows Calvary.

Amen.

How many of you this morning know what follows Calvary?

That's the reason I'm so excited this morning.

Because I know what it was.

When I begin to read that devotion this week, my heart began to stir.

The Lord said just tell them what it really was.

My Lord, it was the sin burden that you and I came into this world with.

That's what it was.

It was the account that was to be paid.

It was the price that was to be supplied.

It was the blood to purify every sin that we commit when we confess to him and ask the

application of forgiveness.

It is that.

That's what it is.

Oh, I didn't realize the verses of that song.

It soothes my... It soothes my God.

It drives away all my... That's what it does.

It is the blood that was poured out.

It was not the blood of the Paschal Lamb.

It was not the blood placed upon the head of the scapegoat and driven outside the city

whereby he did accomplish scripture when he was led outside and crucified on Galgotha.

It is the price that had to be paid, but yet it is the hope of all humanity.

Well, it's the victor's triumphal shout.

It is finished.

John 17 verse four, Jesus prayed, I have glorified thee on the earth.

Listen to what he says.

I have finished the work thou gave me to do.

At the age of 33, he's declaring it is finished, where the most of us will declare it is yet

just the beginning.

But he is finishing the work that the Father had sent him to do, and it is done.

But it's more than just the end of a journey.

It's about the completion of his mandated mission, because you see, it brought about

salvation.

If you remember, it is this, the declaration in John 1,9, behold, the Lamb of God which

takes away the sin of the world.

That's what it is.

It was a price.

It was a mandated price.

There had to be, according to the word of God, without the shedding of blood, there

is no remission of sin.

What shedding, you say, pastor?

The adult human body contains about 3.5 liters of blood.

From the whipping post to the spirit calvary, every drop was spilled, and it took every

drop to go into the holiest of holies, not made with hands, but to be taken into that

which the example came from, into the holy place, into the heavens, whereby his blood

was applied one time.

Hallelujah.

One time, because it was sufficient.

It was sufficient.

Not only was it finished, but it was sufficient.

The author of Hebrews says, whereby the blood of goats and bulls are no longer necessary

because he, for one time, entered in and made one offering, and he applied his blood upon

the mercy seat of heaven.

It is finished.

Matthew 1,21, the angel told Joseph concerning Mary, the mother of Christ, she shall bring

forth a son that shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Jesus was born to die.

The accomplishment of his death was the purpose of his life.

The accomplishment of his death was the purpose of his life.

But I dare, I'm not going to leave you at Calvary.

We're going somewhere.

We're going somewhere this morning.

It had to be finished.

The price had to be paid so that you and I, there had to be a bridge paved.

There had to be a highway paved, and the highway to God's grace was paid with the blood of

the sinless lamb.

Hallelujah.

It was paid with what John declared, to be the lamb of God, which takes away those sins

of the world.

It was paid with his precious blood, thereby making access for you and I to enter into

peace with the heavenly father.

Without it, there is no peace.

Warren Wiersby wrote, since salvation is a finished work, we dare not add anything to

it or take anything from it.

This is the message of the six work and the word from the cross.

Things are made right with God only by the finished work of Christ at the cross.

Jesus saves people completely, exclusively, and eternally.

When he declared, it is finished.

We understand that whereby one man by through Adam's sin came unto all men.

You need to take an account today through the second man, Adam.

The sin of humanity is taken away.

And I'm here to tell you, you must make your way to the foot of Calvary's hill where the

blood still flows.

My God, for redemption.

It is the price of redemption.

That's what we learned Thursday night about the Passover meal.

That's what we learned about the Seder meal.

It was about the price of redemption and that Christ was the price and he willingly paid

the price for your and my wretchedness and our sin.

It's his blood applied to our sinful life.

The price of redemption.

A lot of people don't worry about redemption.

They don't worry about it.

They go through life doing their thing.

But I'm here to remind you this morning, it is finished and you must become part of it.

I heard texts this morning, Jesus had received that vinegar, that sour, that ruined, sopped

in a sponge like clove of hyssop and shoved in his face.

You think that Roman soldier eased that up there for him to try to get a little moisture

in his mouth?

No.

I guarantee you with all the venom within him, he just sopped it in dirt and grit and

in that old vinegar and shoved it in our Savior's face so that the scripture could be fulfilled.

He fulfilled it all.

He declared it is finished.

Every act of the Old Testament, every symbol, every type, every shadows pointing to Calvary,

pointing to the moment in which we have mourned this Friday.

Mourned on Friday.

I had a heavy heart Friday.

I looked over at Sister Kathy as we're sitting in the living room.

Being the time difference, I said, now the stone has been rolled and the seal has been

placed and the guards are standing at attention.

But it doesn't matter how large the stone.

It didn't matter if they had to put a garrison there.

It didn't matter whose seal was upon that stone.

There was a third day approaching and it was about to be validated.

The finished work of Christ was about to be validated through the power of the resurrection

on that first day of the week.

The Lord's good.

That's all I know.

That's all I know this morning.

He is good.

That Greek word, which I've been practicing for two days and I still can't get it in my

head to pronounce.

It's a one word for a three word phrase.

To tell us day.

To tell us day is the Greek for it is finished.

This phrase, the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon wrote, it would need all the other

words that ever were spoken or even can be spoke to explain this one word.

It is altogether immeasurable.

It is high.

I cannot attain to it.

It is deep.

I cannot fathom it.

I've been tore up by it this week.

I can't fathom it.

To tell us day means to finish a task, to complete an assignment, to accomplish a goal

for servants.

Servants would use this term when they'd completed their obligatory duties and commands from

their masters.

Servants use this term when a work of art was completed and finished.

Warriors use this term after they prevailed in battle.

My, my, my.

What we see is the captain of the Lord's host who had entered the greatest battle of all

the ages and the warrior of all warriors.

I'm not talking about a wimp of humanity.

I'm talking about God Himself suspended between the earth and the skies and there hung doing

battle for you and I.

And there the great warrior of all mankind declared the task has been completed.

The mission has been fulfilled and the devil is doomed.

The warrior's declaration, it is the word that you use after you graduate from college.

My God, it's done.

It's the word you use after crossing the finish line of a marathon.

I've been there, my Lord.

It is finished.

About to be begun again.

Got that t-shirt.

Don't care if I ever see another one.

It's the word used after paying off credit card debt.

It's the word we should have used when we burnt the note on this church to Telestein.

It's done.

It's the word that was written on the legal document when the debt was paid.

Oh, it is written and stamped on the heart of all of us who have been to Calvary.

It is stamped there through the precious inked blood of Calvary's heel.

It is there for the lamb to be displayed upon our heart.

Is there any wonder why there was the requirement of the Passover lamb's blood to be on the

little and on the doorpost?

Because it was finished.

Oh, my Lord, he took his blood and he applied it for each and every one of us.

He is that lamb.

His blood is what seals our great salvation.

It never loses its power.

The ability of his blood to enter into our lives paid in full.

We're not saying that God is holy and we're not.

God demands perfect righteousness and we have none.

All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Romans 3.23.

Good intentions, good efforts and good works cannot pay the sin debt.

Doesn't matter how great your intentions are, doesn't matter how great a person you try

to be, your intentions will never be good enough and your efforts will not suffice.

It takes the blood of Jesus on the repentant heart written to Telestai.

It is finished.

It is paid in full.

What is that price, pastor?

It's the price greater than pearl.

Oh, amen.

It's far greater than rubies.

Heaven was bankrupt for your wretchedness and mine.

Heaven had poured out all of the royal diadem of glory so that you and I could be redeemed.

We see that redemptive work on Calvary's Hill.

We saw it at the whipping post.

We see it at every station of the Via De La Rosa as he stumbles his way weak in the flesh

but strong and mighty in his spirit.

His spirit never diminished from the task.

Once he surrendered in Gethsemane to the Father's will, victory was his shield already.

Yay!

No wonder the scripture declared that your flesh is weak.

His flesh was riddled and beaten but his spirit was striving to declare it is finished.

Oh, my, my, my.

We're still making our way to the tomb.

We hold the debt of songwriter Penn that we could not pay.

Yet he paid the debt that he did not owe.

Your and my sin debt which required blood to forgive.

No longer, I told you, as the author of Hebrews Penn, no longer will the blood of goats and

bulls suffice.

It would take his own blood, the begotten, the only begotten, not created, not made,

begotten his blood.

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God, are you hearing me?

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When you stop to think about eternal life, what sin is keeping you from its acquisition?

What sin is keeping you from acquiring the seal?

It is finished.

What is keeping you from accepting the sacrifice of his blood?

There's only a little answer for that.

It does not matter what sin it is.

It doesn't matter whether it be adultery, abortion, bribery, disobedience, whether it's

robbery, homosexuality, murder, pride, slothfulness, laziness, gluttony.

It doesn't matter which one because he declared it is finished.

It is done.

It is paid for.

It is over.

Oh my, my, my.

Some of us that's been in some of these ought to be shouting about right now.

Hello?

Some of us adulterers and fornicators ought to be shouting hallelujah right now.

Hello?

Some of us that's been stamped, it is finished.

Oh Lord.

And that list of sin, if yours was left out, well just put it there.

Put it in place.

It is finished.

Every first scripture of the Bible says in the beginning God created the heavens and

the earth.

Genesis 2, 1 and 2 says thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host

of them and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the

seventh day from all his work that he had made.

The same God who finished the work of creation in skies in six days finished the work of

redemption in about six hours.

In about six hours.

Billy Graham once said, if Christ had come to the earth and not died, it would have been

pointless.

If he had died and not resurrected, it would have been powerless.

And my spirit was stirred immediately to which I added and without the resurrection our future,

it would be hopeless.

But he did.

So it wasn't pointless.

He wasn't powerless.

And I'm not hopeless because it is finished.

My sins are redeemed.

The old songwriter said, well I am redeemed by love divine.

Glory, glory, Christ is mine.

All to him I now resign.

For I have been redeemed.

Redeemed.

It is finished.

Our debt has been paid.

But you must, you must make your way to receive the receipt.

You, all of us have to make our way.

For by grace are we saved.

Paul went through a litany of sins one day and he said, and such were some of you.

I like that word were.

For such were some of us.

But the Telestah has been paid in full.

John said in Revelation 21, I saw a new city coming down out of heaven, the New Jerusalem.

Because Christ has risen, our hope is not in vain.

The apostle Paul penned it so well, he declared if Christ be not risen, then is our faith

in vain.

But he has risen.

So many in this world look for logical and linear proof of his resurrection.

Josephus the historian validated it as he recorded the accounts of the days before he.

When you go back and look at all of the lives of the disciples, do you really believe that

they would allow themselves to be crucified for a hoax?

Do you think Peter would have said, don't crucify me, you're outside up, but hang me

upside down.

I'm not even worthy to die the same death in which he died.

If it was not finished and he had not risen, do you think Paul would have turned had he

not seen the risen Lord and hear the voice of him, why kick us now against the pricks?

Get over there, there's a man coming to lay his hand on you.

You think John would have went through the boiling, seething pot of oil?

Perhaps on his life yet to be ostracized on Patmos, do you think he made it up the day

that he had prayed into the spirit and he heard a voice behind him and he turned to

see the risen Lord?

Do you think they would have endured that for a hoax?

No, no, no, no.

Do you think they would have let themselves be subject to that when they could have just

give us a, well, you're right.

You caught us.

We tried.

We made an attempt.

No, no, they saw him.

Over 500 on one occasion witnessed the risen Lord.

It is finished.

His grace in place of our sin.

His blood on behalf of our powerlessness, fate.

There's power in his sacrifice.

Just validated by his resurrection.

That's the reason our celebration isn't only the cross.

It can't only be the cross.

Go to your jeweler and have them make you a tomb with a stone rolled by it and start

wearing that.

The cross is a reminder of the it, but the resurrection, the empty tomb is the icon of

our hope and our faith and the power of our living because he lives.

Stand with me this morning.

Father, I love you today.

So thankful, so, so thankful today for Calvary.

So grateful this morning for a touch of grace and strength.

So, so mindful of what you did for us.

Let alone us, what you did for me.

What you did for me, Lord.

You died for me.

And my reasonable service is only that I serve you.

That I remain separated from the sin for which you saved me from.

That the cloak of righteousness that you apply, that I set it not aside for the will of my

own flesh.

It.

It.

What is it?

What is it that's keeping you from service?

What is it that keeps you at Bed Springs Church on Sunday instead of gathering with the congregation

in the assembly to worship him?

What is it?

Slothfulness, laziness, neglect.

So you're getting awful hard now, Pastor.

Well, we're hopeless without it.

Hopeless without it.

Life before you at best is going to be just simply miserable without Christ.

But with him, it becomes more bearable.

Life because his grace is the sufficiency that applies to our weakness.

What does that mean?

You're no longer able, he enables you.

Father, thank you so much.

I pray for those in the room today.

Speak to hearts and minds.

There are those here lost without you.

Each spirit of God, draw them to Calvary's cleansing flow.

There be those here lukewarm and indifferent.

As it were, straddling the fence in life.

Speak to those hearts.

May we be cognitive of it and that the price has been paid for us.

May we hear the echo of the conquering warrior declare, it is finished.