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And he, bearing his cross, went 
out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in 
Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him and two others with him, 
one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote 
a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Then many of the Jews read this 
title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. 
and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore, 
the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write, 
The King of the Jews, but he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have 
written, I have written. Then the soldiers, when they 
had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, 
to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was 
without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said, 
therefore, among themselves, let us not tear it, but cast 
lots for it, whose it shall be, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
which says, they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing 
they cast lots. Therefore, the soldiers did these 
things. Now there stood by the cross 
of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister Mary, the wife 
of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene, When Jesus therefore saw his 
mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said 
to his mother, Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the 
disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour that disciple 
took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that 
all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
said, I thirst. Now a vessel full of sour wine 
was sitting there, and they filled the sponge with sour wine, put 
it on Hyssop, and put it to his mouth. So when Jesus had received 
the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And bowing his head, 
he gave up his spirit. Amen. Well, let us pray. God, 
how we thank you for this account of our Lord's death. How we thank 
you that it does not stop here. We thank you that he rose again 
on the third day. We thank you for his ascension 
and his current session on high. We thank you that he will come 
again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Father, we thank 
you for the Lord Jesus and his person and work. We pray that 
now you would give us the mind of Christ, fill us with your 
Holy Spirit, and cause us to dwell on these truths, and may 
they truly impact the way that we live our lives. And we ask 
through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Well, if you notice specifically, 
just by way of introduction in verse 18, it is very brief. It says where they crucified 
him. and two others with him, one 
on either side and Jesus in the center. In the history of the 
church, specifically in the Roman Catholic institution, there has 
been made much of the passion and the physical suffering and 
the torture. And while we ought to consider 
the passion of our Lord, I think Ritterbos is right. He says the 
New Testament has no trace of any passion mysticism oriented 
to the physical torture of Jesus. It is a brief statement concerning 
his crucifixion at verse 18. Now, having said that, we ought 
not to lose sight of the fact that crucifixion was a horrible 
way to die. And in summary, I just want to 
read a quote from D. A. Carson, where he highlights 
what all was involved in what is called crucifixion. He said, 
in the ancient world, this most terrible of punishments is always 
associated with shame and horror. It was so brutal that no Roman 
citizen could be crucified without the sanction of the emperor. 
Stripped naked and beaten to pulpy weakness, the victim could 
hang in the hot sun for hours. even days, to breathe that was 
necessary to push with the legs and pull with the arms to keep 
the chest cavity open and functioning. Terrible muscle spasm wracked 
the entire body, but since collapse meant asphyxiation, the strain 
went on and on. This is also why the sedecula, 
that's the piece of wood beneath the feet, prolonged life and 
agony. They didn't put it there as a 
mercy. They put it there in order to 
prolong the agony because the victim hanging on the cross would 
use that piece of wood to try and beat asphyxiation. And so 
that's why at the end of the time they would come and break 
the legs so that the body would then have no support and the 
asphyxiation would take place and the person would die. He 
says, this is also why the Sedecula prolonged life and agony. It 
partially supported the body's weight and therefore encouraged 
the victim to fight on. So again, we don't want to have 
some mysticism caught up in the physical torture of our Lord 
Jesus. But it is helpful for us to remember 
what our redemption costs. The Lord Jesus Christ died for 
us and rose again that we might have everlasting life. There 
is enough in that statement alone to cause us to be happy each 
and every day in 2011. We are to celebrate. We are to 
rejoice. We are to thank the Lord God 
that He sent His Son into the world to die for us and to rise 
again. Well, as we take up this sixth 
statement of our Lord, we see it here in verse 30 of John chapter 
19. So, when Jesus had received the 
sour wine, he said, It is finished. And bowing his head, he gave 
up his spirit. Now, we might be tempted to interpret 
this as a reference to his agony. It is finished. The agony is 
over. The pain is over. The hardship is over. But that's 
not how we are to take it. Again, D. A. Carson says, this 
is no cry of defeat. He's not saying, I am finished. He goes on to say, nor is it 
merely an announcement of imminent death, though it is no less than 
that. The verb teleo, from which this form derives, denotes the 
carrying out of a task. and in religious context bears 
the overtone of fulfilling one's religious obligations. When he 
says this word, it is finished, he is reflecting on all that 
the Father has given him. He is reflecting on the very 
purpose and mission for which he came. He is reflecting on 
the fact that he has the surety of a better covenant, has executed 
fully his obligations, and has completed the task that the Father 
has given him. It is a cry of victory. It is a cry of triumph. And for those of you who are 
actually interested in grammar, the verb form is in what's called 
a perfect tense. The perfect tense means that 
this is a past completed action that has current and abiding 
results. So what Christ did on the cross, 
He completed the work the Father gave Him, and that has current 
and abiding results right now in the lives of His people and 
for all those who come in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. It 
is a wonderful verb that He says here in this particular verse. 
The verb was found, not the verb, but the word itself, was found 
in a lot of commercial receipts. When archaeologists went and 
found things, you know, kids, archaeologists are people that 
look for old stuff. Well, when they're looking through 
the deserts and wilderness, they found a lot of receipts. And 
with those receipts, or commercial transactions, was this verb, 
to telestai. It is finished. It is completed. 
It is paid in full. The debt has been satisfied. 
There's no longer any abiding problem or penalty with reference 
to the person. It was a common commercial term 
that the Lord Jesus appropriates here on the cross and uses it 
to highlight the fact that His religious obligation had in fact 
been carried out. So I just want to investigate 
this statement under three considerations. First, it is finished means the 
fulfillment of prophecy. Secondly, it is finished means 
the glory of the Son. And thirdly, it is finished means 
the comfort of the church. But first, the fulfillment of 
prophecy. I just read Daniel chapter 9. 
That's a passage of scripture that a lot of people like to 
go to with reference to eschatology and the doctrine of last days. It is a passage we can certainly 
go to because it does speak to some issues concerning that. 
But you would have to be foolish to miss the references to the 
Lord Jesus and to what He would accomplish in His first coming 
here. Daniel chapter 9, if you're not 
there, you can turn back there just to see what Christ does 
in His first coming at Calvary. It says, 70 weeks are determined 
for your people and for your holy city. to finish the transgression, 
to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, 
to bring in everlasting righteousness. Isn't this what Jesus accomplishes 
at Calvary? Isn't this what He's doing when 
He's hanging there on the cross? He is fulfilling this prophecy 
concerning the 70 weeks. It goes on to speak of the Messiah 
being cut off in verse 26, but not for Himself. He hung on that 
cross not for Himself. He hung on that cross as a substitute. He is the surety of the new covenant. He is the one who came and lived 
in our place, and who died in our place, and who rose for us. Another prophecy that is fulfilled 
in that statement, it is finished, is the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 
chapter 53, a familiar portion of Holy Scripture. It speaks 
specifically concerning his death in Isaiah 53 at verse 7. It says, 
He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. 
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers 
is silent. So he opened not his mouth. He 
was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare 
his generation? For he was cut off from the land 
of the living. For the transgressions of my 
people he was stricken. And they made his grave with 
the wicked, but with the rich it is death, because he had done 
no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. When Jesus, in 
John 19, verse 30, says, It is finished, He is speaking in the 
first place concerning the prophetic word. He has accomplished all 
that the Father has given Him. Going back to John 19, we see, 
secondly, this statement refers to the glory of the Son. The 
glory of the Son. What do I mean by that? What 
do I mean when I speak of the glory of the Son? Well, it means 
at least three things. It was evidenced in this statement. The first is His obedience to 
His Father. Don't miss that. The Lord Jesus 
is our surety and the mediator of a better covenant because 
He always did what pleased the Father. God sends from you and 
I perfect righteousness. And if you know your own heart, 
but a little. And you know the Bible, but a 
little. you will know that it will never get perfect righteousness 
from us. You must also know that in the 
history of the world, there's been only 33 years that God the 
Father could look upon approvingly. And it is the person, or it is 
the life and the ministry of our Lord Jesus. Jesus always 
lived to obey the Father. This very Gospel, John. John 
chapter 4. You remember the scene. The disciples 
come to Him. He is speaking to a woman from 
Samaria. And then the disciples are hungry. 
And Jesus says, I have meat that you know nothing about. John 
chapter 4 verse 34, Jesus said to them, My food is to do the 
will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. When He says 
it is finished, He is looking in hindsight on His redemptive 
activity. He has fully obeyed the Father. 
He has carried out the obligations of the New Covenant. He has executed 
it successfully. John chapter 6 and verse 38. John chapter 6 and verse 38. Again, another reference of Jesus' 
willingness to submit Himself to the Father and carry out His 
will. John 6, 38, For I have come down 
from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who 
sent Me. John chapter 8, verses 28 and 
29, Then Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, 
then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing of Myself. 
But as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent 
Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone. 
Notice this, For I always do those things that please Him. 
You know what Christianity is all about? Jesus always did what 
the Father pleased him. I'm often amazed when people 
define Christianity this way. Well, it means that I need to 
go out and do well. Christianity is about the fact 
and truth that you haven't done well. You made a mess of everything. You have rebelled against God. 
You have sinned and have transgressed. That's why the Father undertook 
on our behalf and sent His Son, because His Son always does those 
things that please the Father, such that sinners can look to 
Him in faith and find mercy and forgiveness and redemption and 
all the blessings associated with the new covenant that He 
has purchased on our behalf. Your Christianity, your acceptance 
with God, is not because you always do those things that please 
Him. If that's your conception, you 
have got it wrong. You have missed it by a long 
shot. Christianity, or our acceptance 
with God, comes based solely upon the performance of Christ. It comes based solely on the 
death of Christ and upon His resurrection. Jesus Christ alone 
is the ground upon our acceptance with the Father. He always lived 
in obedience to the Father. A second aspect of the glory 
of the Son that is seen in this statement, it is finished, is 
the redemption of His people. God willing, in two weeks we 
hope to start the Gospel of Matthew in our Sunday morning services. 
The Gospel of Matthew, after giving us that genealogical account, 
linking the Lord Jesus, of course, to Abraham and to King David 
of Israel, then gives us the overarching theme of the remainder 
of the book. It is found in Matthew 1, verse 
21, the announcement of the angel instructing Joseph what he is 
to call Jesus. You shall call his name Jesus. 
Why? For it is he who will save his 
people from their sins. So when Christ in John 19.30 
says, it is finished, it was finished. He has saved us. He has brought redemption. He 
has brought forgiveness. He has brought the righteousness 
that you and I desperately need in order to stand before a thrice 
holy God. He has saved us. He has washed 
us. He has justified us. He has sanctified 
us. He has blessed us with every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Y'all can smile 
at some point through all of this, because this is the stuff 
of biblical Christianity. The only redemptive religion 
known to mankind is what God in Christ has done, and it really 
should put a smile on our faces when we consider what we are 
by nature, children of wrath, even as the rest. When we consider 
the fact that we broke every commandment of God, that we transgressed 
everything that the Lord had told us. He said, go this way, 
we went that way. He says, go this way, we went 
that way. He says, come to me, we went from Him. And yet God, 
in His mercy and in His grace, sent His Son to die for us so 
that He could say, it is finished and save us from our sin. So 
the obedience to his father, the redemption of his people, 
and then thirdly, the glory of the Son is seen in the defeat 
of his enemy. This is a blessed statement. 
The defeat of his enemy is the defeat of our enemy. Sin, first 
of all, but also the devil. John chapter 12. John chapter 
12 at verse 31. We'll pick up in verse 27. Now 
my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me 
from this hour? But for this purpose I came to 
this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then 
a voice came from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and 
will glorify it again. Therefore the people who stood 
by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an 
angel had spoken to him. Jesus answered and said, this 
voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is 
the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. Over in Colossians 
chapter 2, the Apostle Paul associates the defeat of principalities 
and powers with the cross of our Lord Jesus. Colossians 2.15, 
having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public 
spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. A couple of 
weeks ago we looked at Revelation chapter 12. I don't want you 
to actually do this, but if I ask the question, who here thinks 
that Revelation is a dark book that only prophesies the doom 
and misery of all humanity. I suspect somebody might raise 
their hand. That's kind of a prevailing idea 
or mentality that is out there with reference to the book of 
Revelation. Revelation chapter 12 is a passage 
that we considered a couple of weeks ago. We notice that in 
that section, one chapter, it tells us of the devil's failure 
four times. In one chapter, The devil tries 
to destroy Jesus. He fails. The devil then is cast 
out of heaven. Fail. The devil then turns his 
aggression upon the church. What happens? He fails. And then the devil seeks to wage 
war on the godly offspring. The implication is he fails. He's defeated. He's been destroyed. Now he's alive according to 1 
Peter chapter 5, roaming about like a roaring lion, seeking 
whom he may devour, but the instruction that we receive from both James 
and Peter is resist him. That's it. Resist him. Why? Because the Lord Jesus has 
taken his holy foot and crushed the head of the serpent. He has 
rendered him ineffective. And we need to appreciate that. 
We need to understand that. We need to not walk in constant 
fear. We don't fear the devil. Fear 
God. Fear the Lord Most High. The 
fear of God ought to dispossess the fear of man and the fear 
of Satan. The more that you understand 
who God is, you understand His glory, His sovereignty, and His 
majesty, hopefully you will fear Him appropriately. So those are 
some elements of the glory of the sun. Let's look thirdly at 
the fact that this statement in John chapter 19 is a comfort 
to the church. John chapter 19. It is finished. Here's what Charles had in Spurgeon 
said concerning this statement. He said, I am persuaded that 
it was so intended to be used for none of the words of our 
Lord on the cross are addressed to his church, but this one. He says it's a word fitly spoken 
for the church. Hey, listen, I am persuaded that 
it was so intended to be used for none of the words of our 
Lord on the cross are addressed to the church. But this one, 
I cannot believe that when he was dying, he left his people 
for whom he died without a word. Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do. is for sinners, not for saints. I thirst is for himself. And 
so is that bitter cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me? Woman, behold, thy son is for 
Mary. Today shalt thou be with me in 
paradise is for the penitent thief. Into thy hands I commit 
my spirit is for the Father. Jesus must have had something 
to say in the hour of death for his church. And surely this is 
his dying word for her. That's a great observation. I 
remember going through the book of 2 Timothy and reminding us 
as a congregation. 2 Timothy is a statement concerning 
Paul or a statement from Paul that we should really listen 
to. It doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to Galatians or Ephesians 
or Philippians or Colossians. It doesn't mean we should neglect 
the Thessalonian correspondence or neglect 1 and 2 Corinthians. 
But 2 Timothy was the last letter that Paul wrote. He wrote it 
in the 11th hour. He knew that he was going to 
die. Well, when a man is in the 11th hour, we ought to really 
give him attention. We ought to really take heed 
to his instruction. We ought to really give our allegiance 
to that particular word. In the 11th hour, when Jesus 
is upon the cross, this is what he has to say for us. It is finished. Tetelestai. It is a past completed 
action with abiding results. In other words, you don't have 
anything to worry about. You don't have to worry that 
you will suffer the wrath of God. You don't have to worry 
that you'll end up in hell. You don't have to worry that 
your sins are not dealt with or taken care of. This is a word 
fitly spoken for the church. I already mentioned a couple 
of things. Let's just trace quickly five things. One, Jesus has exhausted 
the wrath of God. I love this concept with reference 
to the cross. Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 
3. You need to understand this. 
The good news is good news because the bad news is bad news. You 
see, if Jesus just came to make us a little better, if Jesus 
just came to infuse a little help into our otherwise dreary 
lives, well then gospel doesn't really mean anything. But when 
we consider the wrath and fury of an Almighty God, when we consider 
being cast off from His presence for all eternity, when we consider 
the lake of fire, an eternal separation from the Holy God, 
when we consider that He's angry with sinners each and every day, 
well, that makes the gospel that much better. We understand the 
bad news. The good news comes into stark 
contrast. That's why Paul, beginning in 
Romans 1.18, starts with the bad news. He says, "...for the 
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." 
Imagine if you were at war with another country and they had 
those smart bombs. or they had aircraft that had 
high-tech radar systems, and you were an enemy, and you knew 
those crosshairs were on you. You knew that you were flying 
a plane, and that the other plane had you in their sights, and 
at any moment could hit that button and knock you right out 
of the sky. That's what Paul is saying with reference to the 
wrath of God. His wrath is targeted against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. In other words, everybody 
outside of Jesus Christ. You see, the good news is good 
because the bad news is bad. We have sinned against a holy 
God. One who does not clear the guilty. 
One who doesn't just wink at our sin. You and I as parents 
have been inconsistent. We haven't spanked when we should 
have spanked. God isn't that way. God must 
punish sin. You look at the history of the 
world. What do we learn over and over 
again? We learn that God must punish sin. What happens? He 
drives Adam and Eve out of the garden. Why? Because he must 
punish sin. He comes and destroys the Tower 
of Babel, not through military might, but through confounding 
their lip. Why? Because he must punish sin. What 
happens when he floods the universe, or floods the world rather? It 
evidences this reality that he must punish sin. What does the 
history of Israel detail for us? That God must punish sin. 
Look at the Assyrian captivity. Look at the Babylonian captivity. 
What is the lesson you're supposed to take from those? Yeah, don't 
do likewise, but God must punish sin. He's holy. He's righteous. 
He's just. He does not deal with sin the 
way you and I do. And so Paul here, in opening 
up Romans, says that God's wrath is revealed. Now notice in Romans 
3, verse 21. But now, he says, there's a contrast. The righteousness of God, apart 
from the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the 
prophets. So he begins with wrath revealed, 
and then he moves into the righteousness of God revealed. That righteousness 
of God he's speaking about is that which he demands and that 
which he supplies. It is that righteousness that 
sinners gain by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ 
alone. Well, let's ask the question, 
what then happens to God's wrath toward sinners? Look in verse 24. We are justified 
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ 
Jesus. Now notice verse 25. Whom God set forth as a propitiation 
by His blood. I need you to think with me for 
just a moment. Propitiation is a theological word. It's something 
that demands a bit of attention. Propitiation speaks to God's 
wrath. The word presupposes God is angry. So if we ask the question at 
this point, well what happens to God's wrath? Paul is telling 
us. Does God send his wrath elsewhere? Does God put his wrath up on 
the moon? Does God send his wrath out to 
the cornfield? Does God just flick his fingers 
and off goes his wrath? Is that what we're to suppose? 
No, Paul is telling us what he does with his wrath. And this 
is what's amazing about our gospel. whom God set forth as a propitiation. God the Father set forth Jesus 
the Son as a propitiation. A propitiation is one who takes 
the wrath of God for us. That's what it means. It wasn't 
like Jesus was Superman and deflected the wrath like bullets bouncing 
off of his body of steel. No, rather the idea of propitiation 
is that Jesus took the wrath. Jesus suffered for us. We look 
at that account in that statement I read of D.A. Carson concerning 
crucifixion. It wasn't the physical torture 
that caused the Son of God to cry out, was it? At no point 
in the midst of the crucifixion did he say, my God, my God, these 
nails really hurt me. Not minimizing or diminishing 
the fact that there was physical grief and torture. But it was 
the fact of God's wrath. Why hast thou forsaken me? That's what provoked the cry 
of the Son of God. He didn't deflect it. He didn't 
just send it away. But rather, He absorbed it in 
Himself, whom God set forth as a propitiation, notice, by His 
blood. That's how God deals with our 
sin. By the blood of Jesus. That's 
what the Bible means when it says without the shedding of 
blood there is no remission. If it isn't Christ's blood, there's 
no salvation for you. He goes on to say, to demonstrate 
His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God had passed 
over the sins that were previously committed. That doesn't mean 
He remitted them. That means He was forbearing. 
All the sins committed under the old covenant, He forbore 
with until the coming of the Lamb of God, who would take away 
the sin of the world. John Murray says, redemption 
contemplates our bondage and is the provision of grace to 
release us from that bondage. That's what redemption is. Redemption 
finds us as slaves in the market of sin, and Jesus redeems us 
from that place. Now notice, he says, propitiation 
contemplates our liability to the wrath of God. That's why 
if we get rid of this word propitiation, we miss something. We miss something 
beautiful and glorious. He says, propitiation contemplates 
our liability to the wrath of God and is the provision of grace 
whereby we may be freed from that wrath. Romans 118, wrath 
revealed. Romans 321, righteousness revealed. What happens to the wrath? Jesus 
takes it for his people at Calvary. Carson again says, whatever else 
the cross does, it must rightly set aside God's wrath or it achieves 
nothing. God is a holy God. A second practical 
benefit from this statement. Jesus has brought peace to us 
with God. He brought peace Isn't that what 
he says in John 14? He gives us peace. Isn't that what Paul says in 
Romans 5? Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace 
with God. The whole argument of the Apostle 
Paul in Ephesians 2, when he is saying that the Gentiles have 
now been brought near by the blood of Christ, he says he himself 
is our peace. This isn't just, you know, sort 
of sitting down without any, you know, issues in the day that 
you've got to deal with. We all like that kind of peace. 
We all like a holiday. We all like to know we don't 
have to be anywhere at a certain time. That's a nice feeling. 
That's not the peace primarily that I'm speaking about. It is 
that peace with God, that He is no longer raising His fist 
at us. You know, the Bible depicts this 
enmity that exists. When man is in sin, he is raising 
his fist to God. But you know, the Bible also 
shows us the other side. God is raising His fist at the 
sinner. When He said it is finished, 
that breach that has been created because of sin is repaired and 
we now have peace with our God. A third benefit is He has defeated 
our enemies. I already mentioned that with 
reference to the glory of the Son, but there's a couple of 
passages that highlight the man-word effect of this. Hebrews chapter 
2. Hebrews 2, "...inasmuch then as the children have partaken 
of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, 
that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, 
that is, the devil." Notice that. It is through the death of Christ, 
not through His second coming. We can't wait for this to take 
place. We don't have to be fearful. 
We don't have to be worried. We don't have to fear. over the 
thought that the devil can actually keep us down and in hell. Not 
if Jesus has saved us. He has destroyed the power of 
Him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. 1 John 3 
highlights this reality as well. 1 John 3, verse 8, He whose sins 
is of the devil, for the devil is sin from the beginning. For 
this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy 
the works of the devil. So he has exhausted the wrath 
of God. He has brought peace with God. 
He has defeated our enemies. And fourthly, he even has triumphed 
over death. I heard a song once and it was 
referring to the man Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from 
the dead. How do you threaten Lazarus at 
that point? I'm going to kill you, Lazarus. 
Kind of a funny observation, isn't it? We're going to take 
you out. I've been there, done that. The 
Lord Jesus raised me from the dead. Do you understand that? 
Jesus has taken the fangs out of death for the people of God. 
Now I grant, death is still an unnatural reality caused by the 
entrance of sin into this world. If somebody close and near to 
you dies, it's hard. There's grief. There's turmoil. There's ache. There's pain. But 
in the end of the day, there's rejoicing, isn't there? 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20, But 
now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits 
of those who have died. He is the resurrection 
of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall 
be made alive. Christ the firstfruits, afterward 
those who are Christ's that is coming. Then comes the end when 
he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after he puts an 
end to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign 
till he has put all enemies on his feet. The last enemy that 
will be destroyed is death." Guess what's not in the New Jerusalem? Death. Guess what's not in heaven? Death. That's why I've often 
said, we better learn to get along well in this world, because 
we're going to spend a long time together. We will spend eternity 
together. This is what the Apostle is saying. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 
15 at verse 54. So this corruptible has put on 
incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality. Then 
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written. Death 
is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting? 
Oh, Hades, where is your victory? The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration 
of the Holy Spirit, is challenging death itself. Where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory? 
Jesus has come. Jesus has cried. It is finished. 
He accomplished the task his father had given him, and he 
has secured for us triumph over death. And then, fifthly and 
finally, he has secured our place in heaven. I know for my own 
part, I need to think about heaven more often. Maybe you're like 
me, maybe you're not. Maybe you're thinking about heaven 
all the time. But when I have talked to Christians, or I talk 
to myself, or I think about this, it's not an area that I think 
of as much as I should. And the Bible has a lot to say 
about it. Not a lot in terms of the roads and the streets 
and the this and the that. All the details that we sort 
of want to work out. You know, if you like playing 
basketball on earth, heaven is going to be an eternal basketball 
court. That's kind of where our minds gravitate. The Bible does 
tell us something about heaven. It tells us that Jesus, when 
he said it is finished, has secured our place in heaven. Prior to 
John 19, Jesus said, let not your heart be troubled. You believe 
in God, believe also in me. Listen to that. Let not your 
heart be troubled. What's the antidote to troubled 
hearts? Belief, right? It doesn't take 
a lot of prowess there. Let not your heart be troubled. 
You believe in God, believe also in Me. The antidote to trouble 
in your lives, brothers and sisters, in 2011, is to believe the Gospel, 
to believe on the Lord Jesus, to believe in the power of God, 
to believe that He does dwell in heaven and He does whatever 
He pleases. He goes on to say, In my Father's 
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have 
told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Isn't that beautiful? 
It's good if you think in terms of Matthew 25 as well. Matthew 
25, Jesus speaks of the Son of Man returning and judging the 
nations and separating them between the sheep and the goats. I always 
fear when I do this, the people on this side see themselves as 
sheep and the people on this side see themselves as goats. 
That's not what I'm saying. When he does this, what does 
he say to the ghost? Depart from me into everlasting 
fire. What? Prepared for the devil 
and his angels. It's a scary word if you're sitting 
here this morning outside of Christ. If you don't know Jesus, 
realize this. God has a place prepared for 
the devil and for his angels and all unbelieving sinners. 
It's terrifying. But conversely, heaven is a prepared 
place. This is what Jesus says, I go 
and I prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive 
you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. And where 
I go, you know, and the way you know. Then in 2 Timothy chapter 
4, the Apostle Paul knows, as I said earlier, that he's going 
to die soon. And he makes this tremendous 
statement in 2 Timothy chapter 4, after highlighting the fact 
that he himself is going the way of all flesh. He says in 
verse 6, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and 
the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good 
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Notice 
this. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that 
day. And note, and not to me only, but also to all who have 
loved his appearing. It's a place in heaven for us. Again, not because of our righteousness, 
not because we merit, not because we're better, not because we 
performed well. Not because we outgave or we 
outshined or we outdid, but it's prepared because Jesus went to 
Calvary and He said, It is finished. And He secured the redemption 
of His elect. And He has purchased for us not 
only every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, but the 
heavenly places themselves. That's where we're heading. And 
then Revelation chapter 7. Some passages again that are 
just beautiful. Revelation chapter 7. Verse 9, After these things I 
looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one can number, of all 
nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the 
throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches 
in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation 
belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Who 
wants an eternal basketball court? Who wants an eternal ice rink? 
Who wants an eternal TV? Who wants an eternal good meal 
when you can stand before the throne of God and the Lamb who 
sits on that throne and just praise Him. Several years ago I worked at 
a place and this fellow went to see a promise keepers or he 
went and participated in a thing, they had it in California, I'm 
sure it hit Canada, it was called promise keepers. And it was a 
bunch of guys that would get together. When I say a bunch 
of guys, I mean a lot of guys. They would get together at a 
stadium and they would praise God. I personally think that 
if the church is doing what the church is supposed to do, men 
gather on Sundays and do that and praise God. But be that as 
it may, this fellow that I knew came and I saw him at work on 
Monday. I said, how was the promise keepers thing? He said, Oh, it 
was really good. You know, he said before he said 
it was really great to be in a stadium full of people singing 
praises to God. And he said this. And, you know, 
I've often thought, man, I don't think I'd admit that. But he 
did. He said, you know, before that, I used to think that heaven 
would be kind of boring. What are we going to do in heaven? 
stand around and praise God? He said it was up until this 
particular time that I saw just how thrilling and exhilarating 
that is. Do you realize the purpose for which you and I were created 
is to praise and worship God? The very sad effect of sin is 
that we find that boring and we find a million other pursuits 
exciting. See, when God rights every wrong 
and puts us in the place where we're supposed to be, we will 
be very content, day and night, to stand before Jesus and praise 
Him. Because that's what heaven's 
all about. It's Jesus. The bride, I is not her garment, 
but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, but 
on my King of grace. Not at the crown He gifted, but 
on His pierced hand. The Lamb is all the glory of 
Emmanuel's land. It doesn't matter what the streets 
look like. It doesn't matter what the gates 
look like. It's not going to be, wow, I can't believe you're 
here. It's going to be, Jesus. It's a great little children's 
book. And it's stories from the Scriptures, narratives. I think 
when we say story, we almost think it's not true. Narrative 
is the sort of scholarly way to say story. Not that I'm a 
scholar, I just picked that up in my reading. But it's narrative 
accounts of the Lord Jesus. There's one instance where he 
deals with Bartimaeus. You remember Bartimaeus? He was 
the blind man, he couldn't see anything. Jesus comes through 
the town and what does Bartimaeus do? He says, Jesus, thou Son 
of David, have mercy on me. What do the crowds do? Be quiet, 
he doesn't want to hear you. You don't have time for a blind 
beggar like you, Bartimaeus. Isn't that so typical? He doesn't 
want anything to do with you. Marginalized one. Poor one. Beggar 
man. Blind man. You can't even hold 
down a job. He doesn't want to listen to 
you. What does Bartimaeus do? Jesus, thou Son of David, have 
mercy on me. What's the text say? Jesus stopped. Comes over to Bartimaeus and 
he says, what would you have me to do? What's Bartimaeus say? Lord, 
I want to see. And so in this children's book, 
it then goes on to say how Bartimaeus now saw the mountains and he 
saw the village and he saw the trees and he saw the people. But best of all, he saw Jesus. He's taken that to heart and 
thought, that's what heaven is. See Jesus. The Apostle calls this world 
that we are in a momentary light affliction, not anything comparable 
to the eternal weight of glory that we are heading to. Look 
at what they do. They say salvation belongs to 
our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. All the angels 
stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures 
and fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God 
saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom, 
thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever 
and ever. Amen. And we get to the end of 
the book of Revelation in Revelation chapter 21. The apostle is describing 
the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven, prepared 
as a bride. The church is prepared as a bride, 
adorned for her husband. The Lord Jesus is bringing his 
people into that place of eternal bliss and eternal rest. And here's 
how John describes it in Revelation 21-22. He said, I saw no temple 
in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 
Isn't that beautiful? Do you really care about the 
east wing and the west wing and the place for the utensils and 
the bowls and all those cubits and all those curtains and all 
those hooks and all those spindles and all the construction? No. You see, all that existed to 
point to the glory of Jesus. We don't want to sacrifice the 
temple or sacrifice Jesus for the temple. We want the temple 
to function the way it's supposed to in biblical literature, to 
point us to Jesus. This is what he is saying. He 
says, the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine 
in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light, and 
the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, 
and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 
Its gates shall not be shut at all by day. There shall be no 
night there. And they shall bring the glory 
and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no 
means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination 
or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book 
of life. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear 
as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
In the middle of its street and on either side of the river was 
the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding 
its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for 
the healing of the nations, and there shall be no more curse, 
for the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and 
His servants shall serve Him." Remember that tree of life? Remember 
that tree of life? Remember that? Way back in Genesis? 
And God forgot about it? The Bible just thrown together? 
No, there's rhyme and reason. There's unity. There's the consent 
of all the parts. There's blessed harmony. God 
is rectifying what sin ruined. Far as the curse is found, is 
what he's telling us here. He goes on to say, verse 3, just 
to read it again, Our Lord's accomplishment for the church 
includes exhausting the wrath of God, 
bringing peace with God, defeat of our enemies, triumph over 
death, and a place in heaven." So when you hear him say, it 
is finished, please be encouraged by that. Rejoice in that. Delight 
in the fact that our Jesus undertook, on behalf of sinners, to live, 
to die, and to rise again so that we might have everlasting 
life. Well, let us pray. God, we thank 
you so much for the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
We thank you for the gospel. We thank you for the good news. 
We thank you that Jesus has accomplished all that the Father had given 
him. And we praise you for the benefits that we receive because 
of this. Thank you, Lord God, that you 
have a place for us in heaven. Thank you, Lord God, that you 
have given us peace with you. Thank you that you have forgiven 
us of our sins. You have given us a righteousness. 
All these benefits tied up in the work of our Lord Jesus. I 
pray that we would not soon forget these truths. I pray that they 
would be our meditation each and every day in this coming 
year. That we would live near the cross and that we would be 
encouraged by the work of our Redeemer. And we ask in Jesus' 
name, Amen.