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This morning, we're going to 
look at the finished work of Christ, specifically found in verse 30, 
when Jesus says it is finished. I'll just back up to verse 25, 
read the verse 30, and then we'll pray. 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 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 fill the spines with sour wine, put 
it on his hip 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. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for this, your word. And we pray now for the ministry 
and the aid of your Holy Spirit. We pray, forgive us for our sin 
and anything that would darken our understanding. Cause us, 
Lord God, to receive the truth of this text. And may it be a 
great means of encouragement. God, for sinners, I pray they 
would believe on the Lord Jesus. Believe on this one who finished 
the work the Father gave him to do. We just thank you so very 
much for this great plan of salvation. and pray that it would be preached 
all over the earth and that a great multitude would be saved. And 
we ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Well, we are mindful of 
the fact that when Jesus hung on the cross, he made seven statements. Each of the gospel writers record 
different ones just to remind us of those seven statements. 
The first was found in Luke 23. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, 
for they do not know what they do. The second is found here 
in John 19. Woman, behold your son. Behold, 
your mother. The third is in Luke 23 as well, 
when he says to the man crucified on his side. Assuredly, I say 
to you today, you will be with me in paradise. The fourth is 
found in Matthew. My God. My God, why have you 
forsaken me? The fifth is found here in John 
19. I thirst the sixth. It is finished. And then the seventh is Luke 
23. Father, into your hands, I commit 
my spirit. So those have been referred to 
as the seven sayings of the Savior from the cross. Of course, we're 
just taking up the sixth one this morning when Jesus says 
it is finished. It is important for us to understand 
what Carson reminds, or in his commentary states. He says, this 
is no cry of defeat. I read the King of Glory Psalm 
in Psalm 24. Jesus is triumphant. Jesus is 
victorious. Jesus is the champion. Jesus 
does all that the Father gives him to do. This isn't a meek, 
list out, I am finished sort of a sentiment, but rather he 
declares that it is finished. And we'll open that up in just 
a moment. Carson says, this is no cry of 
defeat, nor is it merely an announcement of imminent death. The verb teleo, 
from which this form derives, denotes the carrying out of a 
task, and in religious contexts, bears the overtone of fulfilling 
one's religious obligations. So Jesus is fulfilling his religious 
obligations. Interesting thing about that 
particular verb as well. Archaeology has uncovered several 
documents, as you well know, things that aren't necessarily 
religious in nature. And one of the things they have 
found repeatedly are receipts or bills of sale. And it's got 
this verb on it. It is finished. And the form 
of the verb used here is something that happened in the past, but 
has abiding results for us today. So when Jesus says, it is finished, 
he accomplishes the work that his father gives him to do. He 
pays the debt. He fulfills the bill. He satisfies 
divine justice. And that has blessed benefit 
for us in history. It has blessed effect for the 
people of God. So it's quite a wonderful statement 
that our Lord utters in this sixth saying on the cross. I 
want to do three things this morning. First, we'll look at 
how it is the fulfillment of Scripture. Jesus says it is finished. Prior to that, it says, knowing 
that all things were now accomplished, Jesus worked according to a specific 
plan. Throughout his life, he obeyed 
the Father. Throughout his life, he fulfilled 
Scripture. Throughout his life, he did what 
was upon him to do. So we'll look at that briefly, 
the fulfillment of Scripture. Secondly, we'll notice it's a 
statement concerning the glory of the Son. This short word or 
this brief word or this brief sentence tells us something about 
the glory of the Savior. And then thirdly, we'll notice 
something in terms of the comfort of the church. It is a wonderful 
statement to comfort and encourage the people of God in their pilgrimage 
here on earth. But first, it is the fulfillment 
of Scripture. You know, when Jesus died on 
the cross, this wasn't an afterthought in the mind of God. This wasn't, 
wow, what are we going to do now in order to meet this particular 
situation? It was prophesied from of old 
that the Lord Jesus would come, the suffering servant of the 
Lord, according to Isaiah chapter 53. He would be the one upon 
whom all of our transgressions would be laid. He would be the 
one that the Father would be pleased. According to the prophet 
Isaiah 5311, to bruise or to crush, not because of his own 
sin, but because of our sins, because all we like sheep have 
gone astray. But the Lord has laid upon him 
the iniquity of us all. That's what Isaiah prophesied 
concerning this coming one. As well, we see Daniel chapter 
9, that prophecy of the 70 weeks. It concerns the redemptive events 
associated with Jesus Christ in the first century. Messiah 
is cut off. Messiah is cut off in order to 
bring forgiveness, in order to bring reconciliation. in order 
to bring about the benefit of God to his people. So in this 
statement, when Jesus says it is finished, all that was prophesied 
from the very beginning has come to fruition. It has come to pass 
again. It's a victory cry. The Lord 
Jesus is triumphant here, but it's not just the spoken prophecies. It's the tides that were given 
in the Old Testament. Remember, in that promise in 
the Garden of Eden, God said to the serpent that the seed 
of the woman will crush the head of the seed of the serpent. He'll 
have his heel bruised in this event at Calvary, but he will 
deal the decisive death blow to the devil himself. And then 
you remember that type at Mount Moriah when Abraham is told, 
take your son, your only son, the one whom you love. So it's 
just like John 3, 16, doesn't it? Abraham is told to take Isaac, 
this son of promise. He is to take him up on this 
mount. He is to tie him down to an altar of sacrifice. He 
is to bring back the night and he is to bring it down into his 
son, the son he loves. Well, of course, we know the 
end of the story. The angel of the Lord stops him. 
But even prior to that, The patriarch Abraham had assured Isaac that 
the Lord will provide. The Lord will provide a sacrifice 
to render satisfaction to God and forgiveness for men. So in 
this statement, it is finished. Jesus is highlighting the reality 
that all that was spoken prior to him has come to pass, has 
come to fruition, and we can bless God for that. Secondly, 
we see here the glory of the Son. Someone asked on a discussion 
list that I'm a part of, he had a bunch of questions that somebody 
was going to ask him, and he just wanted to get a bit of feedback. 
And one of the other brothers offered up an answer. The question 
was, for whom did Christ die? It's a huge question, one that 
won't occupy us too much in this particular moment. But this man's 
answer was, in a sense, for God and for his elect. We certainly camp on that reality. We are reformed here, so we believe 
in particular redemption or limited atonement. We believe that the 
gospel, we believe that the blood of Jesus extends to whom it was 
purposed to save. You know, we don't often think 
about that reality that when Jesus died, there was a God word 
reference there. In fact, when you study the gospel 
of John, you will see that Jesus was about doing the will of his 
father can turn to John chapter four for a moment. When he says 
here, it is finished. He's not complaining. He's not 
grumbling. He's not suggesting that it's finished. Father, I've 
done what you've given me to do. No, he is saying and he is 
stating and he is affirming and he is highlighting in terms of 
his glory as the surety, as the mediator of a better covenant 
that he has fully executed all that the father had given him 
to carry out. It is earthly ministry. John 
four thirty four. My food is to do the will of 
him who sent me and to finish his work. Do not say there are 
still four months and then comes the harvest. That is a great 
statement here. My food is to do the will of 
Him who sent me and to finish His work. You see, Jesus always 
lived in light of the Father. Jesus always wanted to glorify 
the Father. Jesus always wanted to serve 
and obey the Father. He is a willing, submissive Savior. He does to the uttermost all 
that God had designed. He doesn't reject it. He doesn't 
rebuff it. He doesn't refuse it. He welcomes it. He embraces 
it. And He executes fully God's to save his people from their 
sins. We see this in John 6 and verse 
38. John 6, verse 38. I have come 
down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him 
who sent me. And again, this isn't the sort 
of way that you and I might speak. You're a child and your father 
tells you to go clean the garage. Okay, I'll clean the garage, 
but I'm not going to like it. I'll clean the garage, but I'm 
not going to do the best job I can. I'll clean the garage, 
but in my heart and in my mind, I'm not playing ball or hockey 
in the street there. That's not the kind of obedience 
that Jesus offered up. In Psalm 40, quoted in Hebrews 
10, Jesus says, It is my delight to do your will. You see, as 
we start unpacking the significance of this statement at the cross, 
Jesus finished it because we could not. Jesus finished it 
because we sinned. Jesus finished it because we 
have brought down upon our own heads the wrath and fury of God 
Most High. There had to be one. There had 
to be a champion. There had to be a victor. There 
had to be obedience rendered up to the Father. John 8, 28 
and 29. This is just a specimen sampling 
here. John 8, 28. And 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 the Father taught 
me, I speak these things. And he who sent me is with me. 
The Father has not left me alone, for I always do those things 
that please him. Can you say that, Christian? 
Can you say that non-Christian? I always do those things that 
please the Father. You might be thinking, I was 
doing a pretty good job this morning and then I got out of 
bed. God's called me to sleep. I'm 
obedient. The moment your eyes open, the 
moment you start to have rational thoughts, you've got to realize 
I don't always do what the Father has called me to do. You see, 
Jesus on the cross, Jesus finishing the work of redemption that the 
father had entrusted to him, shows, demonstrates, affirms, 
validates, highlights, bold faces, underlines, italicizes the reality 
that he is bringing glory to his father. What a blessed scheme 
of redemption. God comes first. I know that offends us in 21st 
century North America, because after all, we should come first. 
We should be the center of the universe. God must be the center. God must be, because he is altogether 
lovely and chief among ten thousand. Notice, secondly, in terms of 
the glory of the sun, when he says, it is finished, this secures 
the redemption of his people. We'll get into that in more detail 
with reference to this comfort for the church. But the redemption 
of his people. It all makes sense when you jump 
into John chapter one. You read this prologue concerning 
who Jesus is in John 1 1 through John 1 18. In the beginning was 
the word and the word was with God and the word was God. It highlights the fact that he 
made all things. It highlights the fact that he 
lightens every man. It highlights the fact that it's 
him the word that was became flesh and tabernacled among us. It highlights the reality in 
verse 18 that no one has seen God at any time, but the Son, 
the One from His bosom, He has come to exegete Him. He has come 
to declare Him. That's the foundation for the 
rest of the Gospel of John. Notice when Jesus appears on 
the scene, John the Baptist sees Him, and he makes this grand 
declaration in John 1, 29. He says, Behold, the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sins of His people, the sin of the world. 
Well, the rest of the Bible, the rest of the gospel demonstrates 
how Jesus does that. He obeys his father. He serves 
his father. He keeps the law of his father. 
He doesn't say the law is bad. He says that sinners are bad 
and that the law is good and that someone must keep it. And 
Jesus does that. But as well, he's offered up 
as a sacrifice as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the 
world. This is what is going on here 
at the apex of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the highlight of his 
crucifixion. He says, I thirst. And then he 
says it is finished. It is a triumph cry. It is a victory declaration. 
And then thirdly, in terms of the glory of his son, again, 
we'll unpack this a little bit more in a few moments. The defeat 
of his enemy. Turn back to John 12 for a moment. 
John, chapter 12. I hope you're enjoying this. 
It's about Jesus Christ and his finished work on behalf of sinners. How to make us joyful. Some of you might be wondering 
what this what this wire is here. They're going to put a camera 
on there so that we can do live video streaming. Currently it's 
back there up on the balcony there. What if that camera was 
turned the other way? Someone saw you on the Internet, 
live video streaming. Would they see you rolling your 
eyes, checking your watch, leaning over, asking what's for lunch? 
We are looking at the most significant statement. I can't say the most. 
The Bible is filled with significant statements. One of the most significant 
statements in the history of the world. You ought not to care 
what's for lunch. You ought not to care what's 
going on around you. You ought to be consumed with 
the glory of this savior. who glorifies and honors his 
father, who goes to the uttermost depths for our sin, and who crushes 
the head of the seed of the serpent. John 12, 31 and 32. Just picking up in verse thirty, 
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. The casting out of 
Satan is not connected with the second coming of Jesus. The casting 
out of Satan is connected with the first Advent, the first coming, 
this particular scene, when Jesus dies at Calvary, when Jesus rises 
from the tomb, the devil is cast out, the devil is bound. He's 
not rendered completely ineffective, but he is under submission. He is under control. As Luther 
said, he's like a dog on a leash. He'll still bark at you. He'll 
still nip at you. He'll still try and attack you. 
But he's on a leash. He can go thus far and no further. That's what Christ is signaling 
in this statement. It is finished. Now, let's move 
thirdly to the comfort of the church to broad categories here. First, a word fitly spoken, and 
here I quote Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He says, 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. He says it's a word fitly spoken 
for the church. OK. I am persuaded that it was 
so intended to be used as a word fitly, a word fitly spoken for 
the church, for none of the words of our Lord on the cross are 
addressed to his 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 first 
is for himself. And so is that bitter cry. My 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Woman, behold, your son is 
for Mary. Today you shall be with me in 
paradise is for the penitent thief into thy hands. I commend 
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. It is finished. Worship, praise, 
rejoice, celebrate, honor, glorify, tremble. It is finished church. There are four things Jesus accomplishes 
here in terms of the church. First, he has fulfilled the righteousness 
of God's law. Again, we approach the law unlawfully. We look at the law as something 
bad, but Paul says, no, the something bad is our heart. The something 
bad is our response to God's law. Jesus came to obey the law 
because we do not. Now, you cannot argue, well, 
since he's obeyed, we have no recourse at this particular time. 
Remember those lawful uses of the law we studied in our Wednesday 
night Bible study. There is the civil use, where 
God restrains evil among His creatures. There is the pedagogue, 
where the law serves to show us our sinfulness and our need 
for the Redeemer. And then there is that normative 
use, when Christ saves us and justifies us freely by the grace 
of God. He then points us to the law 
as a pattern or a rule of our lives. The law is not bad, brethren. We are bad. In what moral universe 
could it be wrong to give devotion to God. And what moral universe 
would it be wrong to not violate your neighbor's wife? And what 
moral universe would it be wrong to go out and not murder people? The law is good. It's holy. It's just. The problem with sinners 
is that we have rejected it. We have transgressed it. We have 
taken every one of those ten words and we have thrown it into 
the dirt. So Jesus comes and in his fulfillment, 
or in his particular hour, he shows us and demonstrates he 
fulfills the righteousness of God's law. He doesn't set it 
aside, he doesn't avert it, he doesn't send it away, but rather 
he does it in his own person and word. This was announced 
at his baptism in Matthew 3.15. John the Baptist doesn't want 
to baptize Jesus. Jesus says, permit it to be so 
now, for we must fulfill all righteousness. That's problematic 
of Jesus' active obedience to the law. Barney alluded to Hebrews 
chapter 10 verses 5 to 7. You can turn there because this 
is said concerning our Savior with reference to his work on 
behalf of his people. It's a quote from Psalm 40. Notice 
in Hebrews 10 at verse 5. Therefore, when he came into 
the world, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, 
but a body you have prepared for me in burnt offerings and 
sacrifices for sin. You have no pleasure. Then I 
said, praise God, our Savior says this. Then I said, behold, 
I have come in the volume of the book. It is written of me 
to do your will. See, our confession, the reformers, 
the Puritans, good theologians prior to that era of the Reformation 
period, saw that we as sinners need a righteousness. They saw 
that we need to be accepted with God. They realize that Jesus' 
life of obedience satisfies that blessed requirement of God. It's 
called the active obedience of Jesus, and it's imputed to us. 
Not neglecting, not rejecting, not leaving off the passive, 
the dying obedience of Jesus. We'll look at that in just a 
moment. But we need both facets. We need both parts. Justification 
is an act of God's free grace where He pardons all our sins. blessed forgiveness through blood, 
and also accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness 
of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. You see, the 
glory of the cross is that Jesus not only satisfies God's wrath 
and fury and vengeance and anger towards sinful people who deserve 
hell, but Jesus also secures righteousness that is imputed 
to his people so that we can stand before God clothed in righteousness, 
not our own, but fit for heaven. Luther put it in very beautiful 
terms. He called it the joyous exchange, 
the rich, noble, pious bridegroom, Christ takes this poor, despised, 
wicked little whore in marriage, redeems her of all evil and adorns 
her with all his goods. That's what we see in Joshua, 
the high priest, and Zechariah, the prophet. The high priest 
is standing there on behalf of Israel and he's filthy. He's 
dirty, disgusting. Just in case you've forgotten, 
let me rehearse the language there. The word filth used in 
Zechariah chapter three concerning Joshua, the high priest, is the 
word translated elsewhere as vomit. It's translated as feces. You see, Joshua wasn't standing 
before the Lord with his tie a little bit crooked. He didn't 
have a few hairs sticking out. Joshua was undone because of 
his sin and depravity. The devil's right there to accuse 
him. God doesn't even let him open his mouth. God says, take 
those clothes off of him and put these clothes on him. Put 
this turban on him. Fit him for glory. That's what 
we have in our Savior. He fulfills the righteousness 
of God's law. As Christians, we look at that 
law and say, oh, what a burden. No, my victor, my savior, my 
head, my Lord, He's satisfied, He's fulfilled, He engaged in 
perfect righteousness. He has saved me by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Him alone. He has given me His Spirit. And 
he's called me with this statement in John 14, if you love me, you'll 
keep my commandments. We don't say the commandments 
are burdensome. We imitate the psalmist. Oh, 
how I love thy law. It is my meditation day and night. Jesus doesn't relegate. Jesus 
doesn't reject. Jesus doesn't refuse. Jesus fulfills 
the righteousness of God's law. Secondly, Jesus exhausts the 
wrath of God. I've already alluded to that. 
Jesus exhausts the wrath of God. That means he takes it to the 
end of the drink. As Murray says, he takes that 
cup of God's wrath and he drinks it right down to the dregs. That's 
the cry of dereliction. My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me? God the Father giving over God 
the Son. Remember, we noted that Jesus 
before Pilate always understood who was in control, right? He doesn't cry out to the audience 
or to the crowd or to the people saying, why did you reject me? 
Why did you put me on this cross? Why did you hang me here? Why 
didn't you want to receive me unto your own? No, he says, my 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus exhausts the wrath 
of God. He doesn't do it again by deflection 
or by removal. He does it by it coming upon 
himself. We see that Romans 3, 25 and 
26. Again, passages I hope you're all very familiar with, passages 
that I hope are part of the ebb and flow of your Christian life, 
that you reflect upon these things. When you have those Sundays or 
those Mondays or those Tuesdays or those Wednesdays, you say, 
God, how could you ever accept me? How could you ever receive 
me into your presence? How could you ever look favorably 
upon me? Christ has died. Christ has risen. Who shall bring 
a charge against God's elect, according to Paul in Romans chapter 
8? You rebuff the devil. You rebuff that remaining tendency. 
You rebuff that and realize God shouldn't accept you. God should 
never receive you, save for the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus. 
I am cleansed in his blood. I am clothed with his righteousness. I have received a righteousness 
not my own, which is from the law, but that which is from God 
through faith. That's how you deal, brethren. 
When you have a melancholy Wednesday, the antidote isn't Joel Osteen. The antidote is the cross of 
Christ. The antidote is propitiation. And God set forth his son as 
a propitiation for our sins. Not to teach us better lessons, 
not to show us some moral governmental theory of the atonement, but 
to set his son forth and to bruise him and to crush him for our 
sins. That's the stuff of Christian 
comfort. That's going to help you persevere 
to the end. Fifteen little rules on how to 
beat the Blue Mondays ain't going to get it. You need the blood. Raymond says, the Bible plainly 
teaches the doctrine of the wrath of God. You can't miss that, 
right? As soon as Adam and Eve sins, 
what does God do? He drives them out of the garden. 
These people want to make a tower that reaches up into heaven. 
They want to make a name for themselves. What does God do? He confounds their lips so they 
can't communicate and engage in this treason. We get to the 
time of Noah and we see the earth is filled with violence and exceedingly 
corrupt. What does God do? He sends a 
flood. He judges the known world. He spares eight people. The doctrine 
of God's wrath should never cause you any surprise. We are sinners. We raise our fist at God. We 
reject God. We violate his law. We transgress 
it. We do not conform. That he would 
visit us with judgment is perfectly natural in a moral universe. 
You stumble with the wrath of God. Let me just encourage you 
to read the Bible. Raymond says the Bible plainly 
teaches the doctrine of the wrath of God. It teaches that God is 
angry with the sinner, doesn't it? Psalm 7, God is angry with 
the wicked every day. You know that smile, God loves 
you? If you're in His Son, He does. 
If you're not in His Son, don't smile. God is angry with you. You know, Paul speaks of us being 
at enmity with God in Romans 5. where he says that this redemptive 
work of Christ removed the enmity. There are times in the Bible 
where it highlights man's enmity against God. Romans 8, for instance. The carnal mind is enmity against 
God. That means we are actively, hostilely 
predisposed to despise God and his law. But I think the import 
of Romans 5, when Paul speaks about the enmity being dealt 
with there, is God's enmity with us. You see, we're reconciled. When do you need reconciliation 
with your spouse? When you're at odds with each 
other. We are at odds with God. God is at odds with us. The divine 
reconciliation takes place when Jesus says, it is finished. When 
he sheds his blood on our behalf, when he bolts forth on that third 
day from the tomb, when he ascends on high, that whole complex of 
events associated with the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Jesus deals with this wrath. He says it teaches, this is Raymond 
again, that God is angry with the sinner and that his holy 
outrage against the sinner must be assuaged. It must be spent, 
it must be dealt with if the sinner is to escape his due punishment. It is for this reason that a 
death occurred at Calvary. God didn't just wave his magic 
wand and remove our sin. What is the wages of sin? It 
is death. Hebrews 9.22 says without the 
shedding of blood, there is no remission. The wrath of God necessitates 
death. He says, when we look at Calvary 
and behold the Savior dying for us, we should see in his death, 
not first our salvation, but our damnation being born and 
carried away by him. Jesus exhausts the wrath of God. 
God's wrath, Douglas Moos says, is the inevitable and necessary 
reaction of absolute holiness to sin. Romans 3, 25, whom God 
set forth as a propitiation by his what? through faith to demonstrate 
his righteousness, because in his forbearance, God had passed 
over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the 
present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the 
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Officiation is 
a beautiful biblical word that we mustn't throw off. It speaks 
of Jesus taking God's wrath for us. Each statement, each word, 
each word employed in this gospel vocabulary has a world of meaning. 
Reconciliation speaks to that enmity that exists between God 
and us. Jesus reconciles us. Justification speaks to that 
legal declaration of God made for the sinner based on the objective 
work of Christ's doing and dying. Redemption speaks of us being 
in bondage to sin and Jesus redeeming us, buying us back from it. And this idea of propitiation 
is rich with biblical import. It means that Jesus took the 
wrath and fury of God that you and I deserved. It's beautiful. A third word fitly spoken to 
comfort the church or a third idea conveyed is that he defeated 
the devil. I already mentioned that, I just 
want to read two verses that highlight that with reality to 
us. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14. 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. and release 
those who through fear of death were in there are all their lifetime 
subject to bondage. For indeed, he does not give 
aid to angels or he does not take on angels, but rather he 
does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things, 
he had to be made like his brethren. that he might be a merciful and 
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation 
for the sins of the people, for in that he himself has suffered 
being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. He 
destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Now the ruler is cast out. Him lifted up, I will draw all 
men to myself. Christ dealt the death blow to 
the devil at Calvary. His heel was bruised in that 
death, but he crushes the head of the seed of the serpent. He 
does triumph over him. And then 1 John 3.8 is another 
passage that highlights this reality. You ask the question, 
why did Jesus come into this world? Well, John answers this. 
John answers this first, John three, eight, he who 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 fulfills the righteousness 
of God's law. He exhausts the wrath of God. 
He defeats the devil and he triumphs fourthly over death. He triumphs 
over death. It is finished. Paul tells us 
in Romans six, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, 
dies. No more death, no longer has dominion over him. First 
Corinthians chapter 15. The apostle highlights this reality. The remaining or the final enemy 
of God's people is defeated through the work of Jesus Christ. First 
Corinthians 15. When Jesus comes the second time, 
this is associated with and connected to this second advent. But now 
Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits 
of those who have fallen asleep. Read verse 21 in 1 Corinthians 
15. For since by man came death, 
by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive, but each one in 
his own order. 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, when he puts an end 
to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign 
until he has put all of his enemies under his feet. The last enemy 
that will be destroyed is death, for he has put all things under 
his feet. It's a blessed statement. Look 
at how Paul celebrates it in chapter 15, specifically beginning 
in verse 54. So when 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 specter of death no longer 
has the fangs. I'm sure we're not pleased with 
the prospect of dying physically, but we need to understand as 
believers it is the pathway to eternal blessedness. A blessed 
inheritance that God has secured for us because Jesus finished 
the work the Father gave him to do. I would call those sort 
of the macro-cosmic effects. The big picture effects of Christ's 
cross work. In conclusion, let's consider 
when he says it is finished, what that means for you and I. 
At the individual and church level. First, he has provided forgiveness 
of sins. I could hear sermons on this 
or preach sermons on this until Jesus comes back. What's your favorite thing about 
being a Christian? We're cool. People love us. We're the life 
of the party. What's your favorite thing about 
being a Christian? My sin, oh the bliss of this 
glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise 
the Lord. Praise the Lord. Do you ever just ponder the forgiveness 
of sins? And smile? And get happy? Rejoice? Not because of some 
perverse logic, well I can go out and send more of that. No, 
that's not gospel forgiveness. That's not the power and the 
penalty broken. This is what Jesus did. That's the point. Why did he go to that cross? 
Because God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that 
we might become the righteousness of God in him. Well, he has made 
sin for us, not in terms of practice, not in terms of actuality, but 
in terms of imputation. It's like when the righteousness 
of Christ is imputed to us, you don't go out and just do holy 
things. It is a legal transaction. Our sin is heaped upon the Savior, 
and God is pleased to bruise him, putting him to grief. We 
have forgiveness. Behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. To him, all the prophets witnessed 
that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive 
remission of sins. In him, we have redemption through 
his blood, the forgiveness of sins. And John begins the book 
of Revelation by highlighting the work of the triune God and 
then shows us specifically what Jesus does. He says to him who 
loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has 
made us kings and priests to his God and father. To him be 
glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. If the forgiveness 
of sins that you enjoy does not promote the worship of God, one 
thing or another is out of balance there. You gather here on the 
Lord's Day. When we sing these particular 
hymns and psalms, there is a design in this. There is a purpose behind 
this. It's not just what Christians 
do. It's what Christians are privileged to do, to come in 
and praise their God for the fact that they have been forgiven 
of their sins. To thank their God, to adore 
their God, to stand amazed at their God, to realize the fact 
that he has not dealt with us according to our transgressions, 
nor has he rewarded us according to our iniquity. Psalm 103. But as far as the East is from 
the West, what's he done? He's removed our iniquity. Prophet 
Micah tells us at the end of his prophecy, in chapter 7, God 
casts our sins into the depths of the sea. That doesn't promote 
faithfulness and praise and adoration. Next time you're on a Sunday 
morning and you don't feel like going to church, or those Monday 
blues have infected your Sunday, all that, just think about this 
reality. I'm forgiven for my sins. I don't care how old you are. 
There's a world of grace in that. I'm only ten. Ten years of sin. I'm 70. 70 years of sin. Wow. I'm not picking on my 70 
year old brother here. There's a lot right in 45 years 
too. We're forgiven. We're cleansed. I shared this 
last year at the death of George Sims. I'll share it now. You 
may have remembered this. A man that I met when I became 
a Christian. He was an older brother at the time, a godly 
man. When we first started at the Palmdale Reformed Baptist 
Church, we met in the living room, and we sang 580. And I 
stood right next to Mr. Sins. My sin, oh, the bliss of 
this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise 
the Lord. Praise the Lord. I never had 
an experience like that, having been recently converted. And 
I'm not the experiential, hopefully mystical sort of guy, but that 
was just a blessed foretaste for me of heaven itself. To stand 
next to an older brother who was redeemed by the same blood 
and to be able to sing unto our God and Father. Last year, he 
had a heart attack. He had some medical issues. He 
ended up in the hospital. Stroke, heart attack, just lots 
of things happened. I was able to get a hold of him. 
That day, on that Sunday, again, not mystical, this isn't subjective. 
Wow, look at this. Fortune cookie theology at Free 
Grace Baptist. That's not what I'm suggesting. 
But I think we did sing 580 that day at our church. forgot a hold 
of George on the phone in the hospital where he was. He remembered 
who I was and I said, brother, we sang 580 today and together 
we recited, my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my 
sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I 
bear it no more. Brother George passed away and 
he's in the presence of the Lamb of God because of that blood. shed for sinners, washing, cleansing, 
purifying us. I just don't get this mindset 
that we have to entertain people to promote worship. That we have 
to have a band to get you in the mood. We've got to put our 
Bible to the side and put an easy chair here and me tell stories 
so that you can feel the sort of, you know, worshipful edge. If the reality that the blood 
of Jesus Christ has cleansed you from all your sin does not 
provoke worship, I don't care what band you have. I don't care 
what you have in terms of, let's try to help people worship. If 
the reality of Jesus' blood and righteousness availing for us 
doesn't get you singing praises to God, I certainly can't help 
you. He has provided forgiveness. 
He has provided us with a perfect righteousness. We already alighted 
on that briefly. Joshua, the high priest in Zechariah 
chapter 3. How do we see the saints decked, 
clothed in the book of Revelation? White robes. Where did they get 
those white robes? Walmart have a sale? No, they 
got the white robes through the blood of Jesus Christ. It's interesting, 
it says their robes were washed in the blood and therefore are 
white. Amazing image, isn't it? You 
don't wash robes in blood and they turn out white. Generally, 
they turn out red or pink. He has provided for us a righteousness, 
for as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so also 
by one man's obedience, many will be made righteous. Not made 
again in terms of practicality, in terms of application, but 
constituted. Imputation is the idea behind 
this. John Gill says so by the obedience 
of one shall many be made righteous, not by their own obedience, nor 
by their own obedience in Christ together. It's not a mixture. 
It's not a mingling together. Jesus gets us 80 percent of the 
way. We'll throw in the 20 percent and then God will receive us. 
It is fully of Christ. Completely from first to last. 
This is why Jonah confessed. Salvation is of the Lord. This 
is why the saints in heaven confessed. Salvation belongs to our God 
and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne. We are not contributors. 
The only thing we contribute to this transaction is the sin 
that we need to be saved from. It's not our works. It's not 
our moral reform. It's not our righteousness. It's 
not what we do. It's not even our faith. God 
gives us the faith as the instrument by which we are connected to 
the Lord of glory. It is all of Christ, the forgiveness 
of sins, the imputation of righteousness. Dill goes on to say, but by his 
soul and single obedience to the law of God and the persons 
made righteous by it are not all the posterity of Adam and 
yet not a few of them, but many, even all the elect of God and 
seed of Christ. These are all made righteous 
in the sight of God are justified from all their sins and entitled 
to eternal life and happiness. So he has secured forgiveness. He has provided righteousness. 
Thirdly, for us, in terms of our personal benefit and comfort, 
he has secured peace with God. Romans 5.1. This is why we say 
here, theology matters. Therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have peace with God. The doctrine of sola fide 
brings peace with God. The declaration of not guilty. 
The forgiveness or pardon of sin. The imputation of righteousness. That construct called justification 
brings peace with God. You may have turmoil. You may 
have difficulty. You may have trial. You may have 
issues. You may have severe, severe affliction 
from time to time. But there is no one who can take 
from you that peace that has been secured by the doing and 
dying of Jesus Christ, our Lord. No matter what your state, no 
matter what your affliction, no matter how bad things are, 
things haven't changed between you and God. We have peace, peace 
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And he has forthly purchased 
our eternal inheritance. That means he's going to see 
us all the way into heaven. It's a blessed thought, but I 
saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are 
its temple. The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine 
in it for the glory of God illuminated it. This is Revelation 21 for 
the Lamb is its light. I'm sorry, Revelation 21, 23. The Lamb is its light, and the 
nations of those who are safe 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. Isn't that amazing? There'll be no night there. What 
is that bespeak? Joy. Happiness. It's not that 
you can never have joy and happiness at night. You can even have joy 
and happiness on a cloudy, rainy day. But there's something about 
that sunshine, isn't there? It just bestates joy. It's radiant, 
it's beautiful, it's lovely, it warms you. That's the imagery 
that John is portraying as he's depicting for us this garden 
temple that comes out of heaven into an established place of 
new heavens and new earth. The garden temple that Adam forfeits 
in the garden of Eden is brought to fruition through the second 
Adam. Revelation visits or revisits 
or completes Genesis chapters one to three. They shall bring 
the glory and the honor of the nations into it. There shall 
by no means enter at 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, 
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and 
his servants shall serve him. They shall see his face, and 
his name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there. 
They need no lamp nor light of the sun. For the Lord God gives 
them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. I know that people in this church 
have trials. I know that we all have trials. 
We all have our struggles. We all have our difficulties. 
We all have our issues. We all have things that sort 
of weigh in on us daily. Jesus acknowledged this in John 
16. In this world, you will have tribulation. I think an understanding of our 
Lord's triumphant statement, it is finished, will help promote 
what Jesus goes on to say. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Believer, 
when you are down, when you are depressed, when you have melancholy, 
when things look bleak, when you're in the 65th day of rain 
and clouds, think about these truths. Think about the pardon 
of sin. Think about the imputation of 
righteousness. Think about the peace that pervasively 
influences your heart and life when you stop to think in terms 
of God. And think about what the Lord 
God Almighty has laid up for us. It is an eternal weight of 
glory. This is momentary light affliction, 
the Apostle Paul tells us. 80 years in the grand scheme 
of things isn't a whole lot. When we enter into heaven, when 
we enter into eternal life, there's just no comparison. So my dear 
brothers and sisters, be of good cheer, be worshippers, be contemplators, 
be thinking in terms of gospel, be thinking in terms of truth, 
be thinking in terms of cross, be thinking in terms of Jesus. 
And for those who have not believed, hope it's been conspicuous this 
morning. The way to salvation is through Christ the Lord. The 
way to salvation is not through your works. Don't leave here 
saying, I've got to try harder. I've got to go to church more. 
I've got to do this more. I've got to stop this more. That's 
not the way of salvation. The way of salvation is to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. to believe what the Bible says 
concerning him, that he lived in obedience to God's law, that 
he died as a sacrifice at Calvary, that he rose again. Look and 
live is what the scriptures testify. Believe and you shall be saved. And then you can revel in forgiveness, 
righteousness, peace, and that eternal inheritance that the 
Lord has in store for his people. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your word and thank you for these truths that we see 
in our in our Bibles. Thank you for the Lord Jesus 
Christ and these statements from the cross. Thank you for this 
one. It is finished. God, thank you 
that you have indeed undertaken to save your people from their 
sins, that you sent your son and he was victorious. God, how 
we thank you that he ever lives to make intercession for us now, 
that he is our advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, 
the righteous. I pray that you would encourage 
and comfort and build up each of your people here. And God, 
for those who have not believed, I pray that you would stir them 
up, should open their hearts, that you would cause them to 
see the glory of Jesus Christ, to believe and be saved. And 
we ask in his most blessed name. Amen.