It Is Finished
Notes
Transcript
Jesus has finished the Passover Meal with His disciples, and the Mount of Olives. The purpose was for prayer - Jesus prayed to God the Father for His Will to be done. The three closest disciples were to pray with Jesus; not for His deliverance but for their own sake. Time was drawing near, He was about to be betrayed, the disciples would become scared and would flee, temptation would be too much for some and they would deny they even knew Christ.
As He spoke to Peter, James, and John the last time Judas came up with a crowd authorized by the chief priests, scribes, and the elders to take Jesus into custody. A kiss. A simple kiss that should signify love and affection was the sign of the betrayal. Judas had carried through with his act of betrayal. Jesus gave him the opportunity to repent and walk away, but He knew what must take place. Judas, (who I think) did not thinking it would get taken as far as it did…but Satan took over.
27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Jesus was taken to the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, and the Sanhedrin to get testimony against Jesus. He was not arrested on the formal charge of any crime. There was no charge presented. There was no warrant for His arrest, no statement of what He had done. They just simply took Him. The testimony of an accomplice [for example, Judas] is accordingly not admissible by Rabbinic law. He was tried illegally, at night, and with no witnesses for His defense. When the illegal trial was resumed the next day, witnesses brought false charges and on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - contrary to Jewish law. Nothing about Jesus’ arrest, indictment, trial, or conviction was legal. Yet it was in God’s divine Will.
The Jews knew they could not convict Jesus to death, so they took Jesus to Pilate, Pilate sent Him to Herod, Herod sent Him back to Pilate. You see, no fault could be found in Jesus…but Pilate seeing the potential for a Jewish uprising presented Him and Barabbas to the crowd. Barabbas was a rebel, partaking in an uprising, and a murderer. He failed at liberating the people for his cause. Surely they would not release him… What evil has Jesus done?
I have often found it interesting that the Son of God (the Father) was substituted by Barabbas - The son of the father… Jesus, the true Son of the Father would liberate all people…
21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”
He was taken away, mocked, a crown of thorns driven into His head, beaten, spat on, and taken out to be crucified. He was so weak from this treatment that Simon of Cyrene was tasked with carrying His cross. It was carried to Golgotha, the place of a skull. Nails - better described as square spikes 7-9 inches long, were driven into His hands and into His feet, then the cross was lifted into the prepared hole. From 9 until noon, Jesus hung on the cross. His mission never wavered.
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Even hanging on the cross, Jesus was more concerned about the eternity of each and every person who would believe in Him.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
From noon until 3, Jesus continued suffering on the cross until He knew God’s Will was complete.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
29 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.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
It is finished. Jesus’ ministry was complete. Sin debt was paid in full for each and every person. Restoration of our relationship with God was made available. If we, like the thief hanging on the cross, will only believe in Jesus as our Savior. Even those who had never sat under Jesus’ teaching understood who He was.
39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
But like the start of the Bible “In the beginning” signifying just the beginning of time for God’s creation, “It is finished” was only the beginning. While God’s Will had to be finished, it is the miraculous resurrection that we celebrate today. We do not serve a saint still in their grave. We serve a Risen Savior.
When the disciples entered the tomb, they found it empty.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
Only the grave cloths were found. But look closer at verse 7. The face cloth, the napkin or handkerchief, was folded and placed by itself. Folded as if awaiting the return of the owner...
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
One thing we know for sure is this - Jesus IS coming back for His children.
Jesus loves us so much He was willing to suffer and die on a Roman cross, for a sinner such as I. Listen closely to the discourse in John 17 as Jesus prays to the Father and reveals His heart for us.
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.
8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.
26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Jesus loves you to the point that He finished what we could never finish. We could never pay the debt for our sin. We could never earn our salvation. But Jesus paid it all.
Today, do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? If not, what better day to turn your life over to Him that the day we celebrate His life being sacrificed for us?
As our pianist comes forward, let us take time to reflect on what Jesus has done for us as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper.
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
As was the custom of that time, after the meal a song was sung and they departed. Let us rise and sing “Blessed be the Tie”.