It Is Finished

Pray.

Our God and Father, this morning as we who are your children come into your presence, we do so

! We do so because you are the one who in your loving kindness and grace lifted us out of the pit

and changed the heart of a rebel into a worshiper.

We're thankful that this morning as we look into your word and we rely upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit,

we can see more of the Lord Jesus and we can grow in appreciating his love and his work.

And we can have our hearts stirred to look forward to the day that we will see him face to face.

We're mindful this morning that our hearts, our thoughts are inclined to wonder.

And we recognize that we need your help, your encouragement, the work of the Holy Spirit,

that we would think deeply of the truths that you have for us

and that seeing those truths, we would be changed from glory into glory,

growing to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ,

reflecting our Savior's character and heart

to the people that you place us in connection with

and that you would stir us this morning to love righteousness and hate sin, even like Jesus.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

I want you to turn your Bibles this morning to John chapter 19, verse 28.

John 19:28

And as we begin this morning, let me just take a minute

and remind you of something that I anticipate probably doing for about another year.

I think there's been very few Sundays that I have not said to one or many of you,

pray for me.

That's not a lesson that I learned early in pastoral ministry,

but one that I remember actually sitting back about where Joe Holloway is

because my youngest son was an absolute infant at that time.

And I was sitting back there when Bill Brock resigned from the ministry here

and became the state representative.

And he taught a series of lessons about the importance of praying for your pastor

and the role that prayer had in ministry.

And it affected me deeply.

It's carried me through the last 35 years.

So you're going to hear me say that for about another year.

Remember to pray for me.

And I trust that that will have stuck in your mind adequately

that whether or not Pastor Shearer says it as often as I do,

my wife accuses me of being profoundly redundant.

I love her anyway, but, you know, I say things many times.

I trust whether or not Pastor Shearer says it as often as I do,

you will remember to pray for him because the Scriptures encourage you to pray

for those that God calls to teach the Word of God.

So you pray for me,

and you rely upon the Holy Spirit to take the Word of God

and hammer it home to the glory of Christ.

Let me read, beginning there in verse 28.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,

said to fulfill the Scripture,

I thirst.

A jar full of sour wine stood there,

so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch

and held it to his mouth.

When Jesus had received the sour wine,

he said,

it is finished.

And he bowed his head

and gave up his spirit.

I have to tell you this morning,

as I take this passage in hand,

I am profoundly aware

of the significance of my dependence

and your dependence on the Holy Spirit

in understanding and applying this passage to our life.

We are looking this morning at the very epicenter,

the focal point of the plan of God in redemption.

And this morning's passage is not one

that I trust you will sit here

and allow it to kind of waft over you

and just kind of think,

oh, well, okay, you know,

he did the blah, blah, blah.

No.

This should be a passage that affects you.

And if it does not,

the fault does not lie in the text,

but the fault will lie in you and in me.

So prayer.

With that being said,

I want you to recognize

that as we take this passage there in verse 28,

we're dealing, first of all,

with Jesus making a very clear announcement

of his completed work.

Recognize the opening words of verse 28,

after this,

prompt us to take a moment

and really stop and think of the larger context

of what had been taking place.

If you were to look in John alone,

you would recognize that over there in verse 27,

Jesus made a comment about the relationship

that John the Apostle was to have with his mother.

But if you were to take the larger part

of the synoptic Gospels,

you would understand that actually

between the time of Jesus being put on the cross

and the time of his death,

there was a substantial amount of time that elapsed.

John, consistent with his objective

of focusing principally on the glory

and the supremacy of Jesus as God himself,

does not give us a great deal of information

about the history

or the practical issues related to the crucifixion.

It focuses primarily on Christ,

the Lord, and his death.

What you would note,

if you were to look at the synoptic Gospels,

is that there had been a three-hour period of darkness.

And during that time,

one of the things that took place,

Jesus had cried out in accordance with the Old Testament,

particularly in Psalm 22,

my God, my God, what?

Why have you forsaken me?

And if you were to stop and go back there,

and I'm not asking you to do that,

but you'll remember in that passage

that Jesus, even as he was thinking

of what was taking place,

his heart must have found some comfort

in the remainder of the passage in Psalm 22,

which says this,

but thou art holy.

God could not look upon the sinfulness

that Jesus bore at that moment.

And so here we find these two little words

tell us about what had taken place in this time

as Jesus bore our sins.

Now what we read next in the passage is this,

Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,

said to fulfill the Scriptures,

I thirst.

Jesus knew at this time

that his work was complete before he died.

I want you to ponder that just for a moment.

Jesus knew,

and here's a little point to stick in your mind,

the words of Scripture are preeminently important,

and we do not help ourselves

if we don't think carefully

about the exact nature

of what the Holy Spirit has tended,

in this case, to tell us.

Do you follow?

Why is it there?

What's that say?

How does it fit?

What's its value to me?

Here is Jesus knowing in advance

that his work is completed.

His death had not happened yet.

So you have to ask yourself the question,

how could it be said

that he knew that his work was finished?

Look at the word again there in verse 28,

Jesus knowing that all was now finished.

I want you to recognize in relationship to that,

first of all,

that all of the Old Testament prophecies

concerning him had been completed and fulfilled.

There wasn't a single prophecy

given in the Old Testament

that Jesus had not brought to fruition

and fulfilled.

And so when he said,

it is finished,

he understood

and he was clear in his thinking

that all that had been prophesied regarding him

had been cared for.

Secondly,

he knew that he had glorified his Father

and done everything

that the Father had appointed him to do.

It is finished.

Furthermore,

I want you to understand

that Jesus had suffered for our sins

and satisfied the judgment

that we were due.

So how can you say,

in advance of his work being complete,

how could he say,

it is finished?

Well, let me propose two thoughts

in relationship to that.

For one,

the sovereign plan of God

to send his Son

into the world

to take our place

and die for our sins

had been accomplished

by Jesus coming

as an infant,

living,

and then dying as he was,

dying at that moment on the cross.

And so when he said,

it is finished,

before his death,

he was referencing

the plan of God

for salvation

and the fact that it had come to fruition.

Now,

it's a little bit like,

I'm thinking about

the men's retreat

that will take place.

I'm debating

whether I want to go off

the zip line again.

You have to climb

way up high

on the zip line.

Anybody else done it?

It's kind of an arduous journey up there

and you're asking yourself,

why am I doing this?

I did say that several times,

but I thought,

once I started up,

no going back down.

And they buckle you in

and you are there

teetering

into the face of eternity.

Your feet are kind of

resting on the very

cusp of the moment

and you don't have

to jump off, right?

But the minute

you give in to gravity,

it's all over.

And here was Jesus

hanging on the cross

and the reality of this

is that

the inevitability

of what God had ordained

was taking place

and he said,

it is finished.

And we understand

that the unchangeable nature

of God

and his infinite power

was bringing

to complete fruition

that had been planned

from eternity past.

Furthermore,

and I'm not going to have you

turn back to the passage

we looked at

in Isaiah chapter 53 earlier,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

but if I were to direct you

to that passage

just for a moment,

you will notice

that 700 years

before Christ died

on the cross,

the Spirit of God

speaking through Isaiah

chose to use

the past tense

in numerous instances

referring to what Christ

would do for us.

He was wounded

for our transgressions.

He bore our sin

upon himself.

It says,

it pleased the Lord

to bruise him.

And on repeated occasions

as we read in Isaiah,

we see here

that the indication

is that God

had accomplished

already,

prophetically though

it was being uttered,

he'd already accomplished

the work of redemption.

Another little note

in relationship to this

is that the way

in which we determine

accomplished action

has primarily to do

with time.

Something that's going

to take place

in the future,

it will be.

Something that has been done,

we say,

it was.

And in the Greek,

in the Hebrew,

and particularly more

in the Greek,

the aspect that is used

here in the tense

is referring to something

that is accomplished

not necessarily simply

by virtue of time

but also by virtue of intent.

And by the way,

when God intends

to do something,

is it something

that's still a question?

What's the answer?

No, not at all.

So here is Jesus

and he is hanging

on the cross

and he says,

knowing that all

was finished,

he announces

the statement,

he takes first of all

the wine

to moisten his lips

and then after he has

had adequate refreshment

or at least moisture

so he can speak

carefully,

he says,

it is finished.

Now,

John uses this exact

same word,

it is finished,

earlier in the passage

in a number of different

places actually

that John uses it

but if you were to look

at the first part,

we're now in verse 30

so recognize,

Jesus here,

he says,

it is finished.

Jesus had used

that same Greek statement

in 28.

Some of you

in your translations

in 28 will have

knowing that all

was accomplished,

right?

How many of you

have the word accomplished?

It's another way

in which it is translated.

The word is

tetelestai

and it refers to the fact

that that work

had been done.

In John chapter 7,

John 7 · chapter mention

17 rather,

verse 4,

we find Jesus

in his prayer

to the Father,

remember,

I've accomplished

all the work

that you've called me

to do,

I've done what you've asked.

He used the same

terminology

to communicate

the fact that

even before the cross,

he'd accomplished

all that needed

to be done.

The Greek word

was used

in a number

of different

area,

arenas.

For one,

it was used

in business,

it was used

in accounting,

accounting.

It was also used

in religious circles

and it was a very

common word,

you find it

in ancient

vocabulary and text,

that it was used

in relationship

to sacrifices.

When the work

was done,

it was announcement

that the matter

had been completed

or that the debt

was paid in full.

And so here is Jesus,

even before his death,

he is making the statement

that he had accomplished

all that God

had sent him

to do.

I want you to understand

that when he said,

it is finished,

it was not kind

of the cry

of a person

who was despairing

of what was taking

place at all.

It was a declaration,

it was the announcement

of a victor

that the game,

the matter,

had been settled.

I think it's pretty

important to remember

that.

When we hear him say,

it is finished,

it is an absolute

resonating

declaration

that we have

the joy

and certainty

of our finished

salvation as well.

I want you to stop

and realize

that when he said

this,

he was referring

to the broad scope

of the plan

of redemption.

I want you to turn

over,

if you would,

to Hebrews 10,

Hebrews 10:14

verse 14.

Hebrews 10,

Hebrews 10:14

verse 14,

as you think

about what all

had been accomplished

on the cross.

Hebrews 10,

Hebrews 10:14

verse 14.

For by a single

offering,

he has perfected

for all time

those who are

being sanctified.

And the Holy Spirit

also bears witness

to us,

for after saying,

this is the covenant

that I will make

with them

after those days,

declared the Lord,

I will put

my law

in their hearts

and write them

on their minds.

Then he adds,

I will remember

their sins

and their lawless

deeds no more.

Where there is

forgiveness of these,

there is no longer

any offering

for sin.

I don't know about you,

but I get cold chills,

literally,

reading that passage.

Why?

Because it is clear

in the Scriptures

that the work

of Christ

in our redemption

is absolutely

satisfied

and concluded.

The broken sinner

who comes to faith

in Christ

has an eternal

and irreversible

salvation

because Christ

satisfied

the guilt

and shame

or the penalty

for my sins

and he has given

eternal salvation

to all who believe

in him.

And so if you're

sitting here

this morning

and you are

genuinely the child

of God,

you have come

to him by faith,

you've confessed

your sins,

you've believed

in the Lord Jesus Christ,

you can say

along with Jesus,

it is finished.

There's no question

of how your story ends.

I like that.

I love that.

And often when I am

in communication

with other people

comes the opportunity

of asking them

that little practical

question,

and so God

were to ask you

how you should

get into heaven

or why he should

let you in,

I'm amazed at how

often I hear people

tell me,

well,

I'm hoping he will.

I'm not positive

but, you know,

I'm hoping my good,

hey, listen,

Christ satisfied

the judgment

I deserved

and I am resting

in his finished work.

Going back to

John chapter 19,

John 19 · chapter mention

I want you to pick up

now and the remainder

of what we find

here in the text

and look at

verse 30.

It says that

after he'd received

the sour wine,

he says it is finished

and he bowed his head

and he gave up

his spirit.

Christ chose

when he would die.

Christ chose

when he would die.

Unless Jesus

comes back first,

every one of us here

are going to die.

It's a fact.

Every one of us here

are going to die.

And apart from those

who tragically

choose to commit suicide,

the rest of us

are really not

going to have much

to do with the moment

of our passing.

Do you follow that?

One thing or another,

it's going to happen

when it happens.

In Job chapter 14,

Job 14:5

verse 5,

it says this,

since his days

are determined

and the number

of his months

is with you.

The point that

Scripture makes

is this,

is that God

God is the one

who chooses.

Earlier in the book

of Job,

Job said this,

the Lord gives

and the Lord

takes away.

Blessed be the name

of the Lord.

When I die

is not up to me.

And I can tell you

as a pastor

of some 35 years,

I've watched

over the years

individuals,

particularly as they

reach their older

ages,

they would like

to go sooner.

I mean,

after all,

remember what

Paul said?

To live is Christ,

to die is what?

It's good.

I tell you,

one of the more

unnerving things

I say to people

that don't know me

better,

when they ask me

how it's going,

I say,

any better

than I'd be dead.

It's like,

oh no,

really?

Yeah,

yeah.

I tell you what,

when I go up,

it's going to be great.

All of us

have no real control

over when we die.

And I want you

to recognize

that when Jesus

did what he did,

Jesus chose

the moment of his death

and he made his deity

absolutely clear.

Look at the passage again.

He bowed his head

and gave up

his spirit.

When his work

was done,

he chose the moment

that he would

pass away.

I want you to turn back

just for a moment

to John chapter 10

John 10 · chapter mention

and we want to look

at John chapter 10

John 10:17

verse 17 and 18.

For this reason,

the Father loves me

because I lay down

my life

that I may take it up again.

I lay down my life.

Verse 18,

no one takes it from me,

but I lay it down

of my own accord.

I have authority

to lay it down

and I have authority

to take it up.

This charge

I have received

from my Father.

I want you to stop

and realize

that his death

for our sins

was entirely voluntary.

One thing

that Jesus had said

repeatedly

to his disciples

is that his death

was going to be

of his own choosing.

It was something

that he had determined

beforehand

to accomplish

and the time

and the way

in which it all played out

was something

that was entirely

according to God's plan

and God being in control

of it,

Christ being God,

happened according

to his plan.

You know,

it's very interesting

when you stop

and think about

how many times

people wanted

to kill Jesus

and they didn't

accomplish it.

They wanted to do it.

One time,

remember,

they took him

up to the edge

of a cliff,

they were going

to throw him off

and what happened?

Jesus just walked

out between them,

gone.

And repeatedly,

they planned for murder

or whatever else

and it didn't come about.

And so here,

Jesus makes it clear,

the scripture makes it clear

that Jesus died

according to the plan

that the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit had

and he died exactly

according to their own plan.

I want you to recognize

he chose to do it for us.

Turn,

you're there in John chapter 19,

John 19 · chapter mention

keep your finger there

for a moment

but go if you would

to Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Look at Philippians chapter 2

Philippians 2:7

verse 7 and 8.

Actually,

let me pick up

if I may

in verse 5.

Have this mind

among yourselves

that is yours

in Christ Jesus

who though

he was in the form of God

did not count equality

with God

a thing to be grasped

but made himself

of no reputation,

made himself nothing,

taking the form

of a servant,

being born in the likeness

of men

and being found

in human form,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient

to the point of death,

even death on the cross.

Remember when Pilate,

earlier in John,

was a little irritated

that Jesus

wasn't responding

as Pilate

thought he should

and he let him know,

don't you know

I have the power

to crucify you

or to let you go

and what was Jesus'

response?

Hey,

nah.

This is something

that you've been given

the ability to do

and were it not

for the plan of God,

in essence,

this would not take place

and earlier,

Jesus had made it

had made it clear

that if this matter,

if this was a matter

of my kingdom,

my subjects,

my servants would fight

and I can call

legions of angels

to accomplish

the deliverance

that I would need

if that was my plan.

So here we are,

we recognize

that Jesus chose

the moment of his death

and I want you

to realize this morning

that when you stop

and meditate

upon what Jesus did,

I want you to understand

he chose to die

in your place.

Let me ask you a question,

how can I be warm

and indifferent

to that issue?

Do you follow that?

You deserving to die

for your sins,

God was willing

to send his son

and his son

was willing to die

in your place.

Thoughtfulness

about the reality

of what Christ

has done for us

invariably

warms our heart

and causes us

to love him more.

Let me come

to one other thing

that's very interesting

actually in John.

You pick up there

if you will

as we work

our way through

in verse 31.

Since it was

the day of preparation

so that the bodies

would not remain

on the cross

on the Sabbath

for the Sabbath

was a high day

the Jews asked Pilate

that their legs

might be broken

that they might

be taken away.

John actually

spends considerably

more time

dealing with this issue

of the authenticity

of the veracity

of the death

of Christ

than he actually

deals with the fact

that he died.

Pretty interesting.

We find that his death

is confirmed

very clearly.

John dedicated

seven verses

to giving us

a detailed look

at our Savior's death.

In one sense

he spent more time

on helping us

understand the facts

of his death

than he actually did

on what happened

at the crucifixion.

That's not an accident

and it deserves

our attention.

You ask yourself

why is it there?

Why is that much text

given to the subject

and what's its significance?

I am struck

for a moment

by the absolute

cruel hypocrisy

of the Jewish leaders.

They had no problem

with a completely

trumped up judgment.

They had no problem

lying about Jesus.

They had no problem

in hatred

desiring his execution.

They had no problem

with all of the wickedness

of their heart

but when it came

to this business

of Jesus hanging

on the cross

past sundown

they really went off

on the Old Testament law.

Stop just for a minute.

How many of you realize

that your hypocrisy

and my hypocrisy

when it displays itself

has righteous indignation

in very narrow bands

of appointment?

Do you follow that?

Oh we get righteously

indignant about A, B, C

but the rest of the issues

in our life

we're not so troubled by.

Here were the Pharisees.

Here were the scribes.

Here were the religious leaders.

And they were all about

what it had to say

in Deuteronomy chapter 21

Deuteronomy 21:22

verse 22 and 3

where a man who was executed

was not to hang

on the tree

beyond sundown.

Get him down.

So do you know

how they wanted

that accomplished?

Look at the passage.

They come to Pilate

and ask that their legs

might be broken

that they might be taken away.

Kind of a subtle way of saying

we want you to take

a large club

and smash their shin bones

so that they cannot

bear their weight

and as a result

they die quicker.

They don't suffer any less.

In fact in some senses

they suffer a little bit more.

Their suffering

is not as long.

And as you look at this

you find that

here they were

asking that Pilate

would have soldiers

go out

and take this large club

and smash the legs

and shatter the shin bones

or I doubt the femur.

No one seems to indicate that.

But that way

they would die quicker.

That was very merciful

wasn't it?

I mean something

about that.

Just have your shin bones

crushed by an absolute

giant club.

You die quickly.

Here they are.

Oh their righteousness

they don't want these guys

hanging too long

and you know

so what happens?

You look there

it says

so the soldiers

came and broke

the legs of the first

and of the other

who had been crucified

with him

and when they came

to Jesus

verse 33

and saw that he was

already dead

they did not break his legs.

Now if you were to go

to one of the

synoptic gospels

I believe it is Mark

when the report

comes back to Pilate

from one of the

common soldiers

hey

Jesus is dead.

he doesn't buy it

and he makes

a centurion

double check

the fact.

Now by the way

in Roman

military

decorum

if you ask

a centurion

to verify it

and it came back

and he didn't get you

the accurate facts

guess what the

consequences were?

Not pretty.

So here's the centurion

double checking

and he says

yeah he's dead

and by the way

how do we know

he died?

He was already dead.

You look there

in the passage

but one of the soldiers

pierced his side

with a spear

and at once

there came out

blood and water.

It's interesting

that Christ's death

was confirmed

by a spear thrust.

I'm not talking

about just tapping

on his body

to see if he responded.

It was a spear thrust

thrust up into his

chest cavity

up into his heart

probably

and when that

happened

out came

blood and water.

Now I don't want to

it's very interesting

when the scripture

doesn't give you

the exact fact

one of the things

that sometimes

happens in

commentaries

is people

go off

on speculation

about

what does that

really mean?

I got to tell you

there are

at least probably

two different

medical theories

about what the

blood and water

are referenced to

but the scripture

suffice it to say

we know

Jesus

was dead.

So ask yourself

the question

is it important

that Jesus

actually died?

How many of you

have friends

that are Muslims?

Let's try this

how many of you

know people

that are Muslims?

How many of you

know that the

Muslims believe

that Jesus

actually didn't

die on the cross?

Pretty significant.

How do we know

that Jesus died?

Well a soldier

took a spear

and thrust it

up into his

chest cavity

and out came

blood and water.

What's the

significance of that?

I want you to

look in your

Bibles now

you're there in

John but I want

you to turn over

if you would

to Romans

Romans 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

Romans chapter 6

Romans 6:23

verse 23

here's what we

know

is the reason

that Jesus

died for us

for the wages

of sin

is death

but the free

gift of God

is eternal life

through Jesus

Christ our Lord.

Let's get this

clear

Jesus died

to pay the

penalty

for my sins

Jesus died

to pay the

penalty

for my sins

Jesus died

for our sins

to satisfy

the judgment

of God

against sin

furthermore

he died

to satisfy

the righteous

judgment

of God

against sin

that God

had deferred

or he had not

dealt with

immediately.

Turn back

if you would

to Romans

Romans 3:25

chapter 3

verse 25

and 26

whom God

put forward

what's that

saying

God took

his son

and moved

him to that

center point

of the issues

of all of life

and eternity

and God put

his son on

the cross

why

as propitiation

by his blood

to be received

by faith

this is to show

God's righteousness

because in his

divine forbearance

he had passed

over former

sins

are you not

glad that God

delayed his

judgment

of you

for your sins

are you not

glad for that

he could have

judged you

immediately

on the moment

of the first

sin that you

committed

and where would

you have spent

eternity

condemned for

all eternity

do the angels

understand God

being forbearance

forbearing in

relationship to sin

the answer is no

not at all

but God

was patient

and he

was forbearing

and he did not

judge our sins

immediately

but he had

Jesus come to

be our

substitute

Jesus died

for our sins

because God

had been patiently

waiting to deal

with our sins

and how did he

deal with them

by having Jesus

die in

our place

here's the

wonderful fact

that just

flows out of

this passage

God was

willing to

send his

son the

Lord Jesus

Christ to

pay the

penalty for

our sins

upon the

cross

to offer

salvation and

complete forgiveness

to all who will

repent and believe

in the Lord Jesus

Christ

and so the

practical question

is this

this morning

number one

have you come to

the place where

the spirit of

God has been

convicting you

of the reality

that you deserve

the eternal

judgment of God

for the sin

of your life

and if you have

come to that

point the

question is this

have you believed

on the Lord Jesus

Christ in whom

alone is salvation

and complete

forgiveness

there is a fact

it says in the

scriptures that

appointed unto man

once to die

and after that

the judgment

if you're sitting

here today

and you have

not come to

the point

where you have

recognized

your sin

I would ask

you do you

need any more

empirical evidence

or do you need

any more

practical evidence

to convince you

that you have

a dark and

nasty heart

if you do

not need

any more

evidence

the practical

question that

follows is this

is have you

come to the

place where you

have cast

yourself upon

the mercy of

Christ and you

have asked him

to forgive you

and to be your

savior

here's the

truth

Jesus died

for your sins

and it is

unconscionable

it is extremely

offensive to

God

for us who

know the

darkness of our

own heart

to be indifferent

to the penalty

that sin brings

because God

sent his son

to be

our savior

and to say

I'm not

interested

is pretty

irritating

by the way

God will

delay his

judgment

but I want

to assure you

of this

to be

indifferent

to his

offer

will ultimately

if you

refuse his

gift

will amplify

the consequence

of his

judgment

against you

and I would

plead with you

as it says

in 2nd Corinthians

be reconciled

to God

now

let's close

in prayer

our father

God this

morning we are

thankful for the

work that the

Lord Jesus Christ

did on our

behalf

that he

willingly came

to be the

sacrifice for our

sin

and that all

who believe in

him may have

complete forgiveness

and redemption

in his

blood

I pray for those

who are here today

that know the

Lord Jesus Christ

that this morning

as they consider

what Jesus has

done for them

that their hearts

would be lifted up

and they would

delight in him

and look forward

to the day

that they will

see him

let that be

something that

stirs our heart

to delight

and satisfaction

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

and I pray for

those that are

here today

that do not

know Christ

that even today

your spirit

would be working

even as we

come to a close

of this service

drawing them

to the cross

to believing

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

and faith

in his finished

work

we ask this

in Jesus name

amen