I'm sure a familiar passage to all of us, one that I made mention of in this morning's message. Remember the throne, God Almighty said, it is done. I referred to John 19, 30, which is the sixth saying of the Savior from the cross. When the Lord Jesus says, it is finished.
I do want to read beginning in John 19 at verse 17, and we'll read through to verse 30. 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 a sponge 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. Amen. Let us pray.
Gracious Father, we thank you for this passage of scripture. It truly is an amazing thing that the Son of God came into this world to live, to die, and to rise again. so that we might have everlasting life. God, what a glorious truth, what a glorious gospel that you have provided, and we thank you for it, and we pray that we would indeed feast upon it tonight, that we would reflect upon Jesus and his ministry on our behalf, that we would see him, Father, in all of his glory and majesty, and that we would love him even more. We just say he truly is fairest, he is truly most glorious, most beautiful, and most worthy to be praised.
We ask, God, that you would set him forth tonight by the power of your Spirit in your written word. And we pray through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Introduction: Tetelestai
Well, as I said, this is the sixth saying of the Savior on the cross. When a man comes to die, that eleventh hour, he oftentimes utters certain things. We see that pattern sort of in the Old Testament. We see that Jacob's sons come to him, and then he pronounces blessing upon them.
We see that in Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 3. Those last words that a man says are those words we ought to really take to heart. Not suggesting we don't take to heart everything else, but those seven sayings of the Lord are these. The first is, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23, 34.
The second is, woman, behold your son and behold your mother, here in John 19. The third is, assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise, in Luke 23. The fourth is that cry of dereliction when the Son of God said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27.
The fifth is here in John 19, I thirst The sixth is, it is finished, and then the seventh and final is in Luke's gospel, Luke 23, 46. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Now, as we consider this particular saying of our Lord Jesus, I want to look at three particulars. First, the fulfillment of prophecy, the glory of the son, and then thirdly, the comfort of the church.
Now the word that Christ utters here is quite an interesting word. Perhaps you have heard it before, it is tetelestai. And the verb tense is a perfect passive. And what that means basically is that something happens in the past and it has current and abiding results.
Something happened back then and it has present results for us now. They found this word stamped on on receipts in the world of commerce and economics. This word to telestai means the debt has been paid in full and there is current and present results because of that. No longer will they come collecting that debt.
It has been executed. It has been provided for. As D.A. Carson says with reference to the fact So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished.
Carson says, this is no cry of defeat. Notice Jesus does not say, I am finished. No, he says, it is finished. It is not a cry of defeat, nor is it merely an announcement of imminent death.
Though it is no less than that, he says 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 in the world of commerce, when I pay a debt, they would stamp to tell us die. In the world of religion, as Carson provides for us, it has the idea of carrying out one's religious obligations. And certainly Christ does that here on the cross.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
So first of all, let's consider the fulfillment of prophecy. When Jesus says, it is finished, He is not speaking in a vacuum. He's speaking in the same context that the prophet Isaiah 53 is speaking in. God the Lord promised to provide redemption through His Son, by his son, in his son, and he sent him in the fullness of the time, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.
Not only the prophet in Isaiah 53, but the prophet Daniel in Daniel chapter 9, talking about Messiah being cut off. Psalm 22, which is a psalm of the cross, highlights this reality. In fact, it is the psalm that Jesus quotes when he says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? So, on the cross, Jesus, in fact, executes, fulfills, and completes all that was written concerning Him.
It is finished in terms of the redemptive plan of God, and He has successfully completed it.
The Glory of the Son
Secondly, the glory of the Son is seen in this declaration of it is finished. The glory of the Son. We'll look at comfort for the Church in just a moment, but we ought not to bypass the glory of the Son. In fact, the Church finds her comfort in considering the glory of the Son.
Consider the fact that He always obeyed His Father. That is something that we find in the gospel accounts, time in and time out. The Lord Jesus says, I must do the will of him who sent me. In fact, in John's gospel, several times, multiple times, he speaks of the one who sent me.
He speaks of obedience to the one who sent me. He speaks of carrying out the Father's will, carrying out the Father's task, doing what always pleased the Father. That is what Christ successfully completes here with reference to this statement, it is finished.
Obedience to the Father
He obeys his Father. We ought not to miss that. We ought to consider the reality that at the cross there is first and foremost a Godward focus. We look at the cross, we look at the ordinance, and we see the benefits that we accrue.
And again, there's nothing wrong with that. When we eat this bread and we drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. That death that has brought salvation and forgiveness and justification and all those spiritual benefits to us. But we mustn't neglect the reality that at the cross something more glorious is taking place.
The Lord Christ is glorifying His Father. The Lord Christ is exalting His Father. The Lord Christ is doing all that the Father has given Him to do. So when we consider this statement, it is finished, we see in that the pinnacle of Christ's service unto His Father that sent Him into this world.
So He obeys the Father.
Redemption of His People
He redeems His people. Certainly, it is finished means that task. that act, that work of redemption. What was spoken in Matthew 1.21, You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Here it's finished.
He offers up His perfect life, He comes to die as a sacrifice and a substitute, He feels the penalty of God, He takes the wrath of God, He exhausts it on behalf of His people, and as a result of that, He brings salvation to all those whom the Father had given Him. So at the cross, when He utters this speech or when He makes this declaration, it is finished. Yes, we see obedience to the Father. We see the redemption of His people.
In Matthew 20, 28, He said, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to do what? To give His life as a ransom for many. It is a beautiful reality that Christ didn't partially save. It is a wonderful truth that this is not a 90-10 sort of an arrangement.
It's not a 50-50 sort of an arrangement. It's not a 99.999% sort of an arrangement where we bring that .0001 whatever that is. If that were the case, we'd be damned. He has to pay it all.
He has to satisfy fully the wrath of God. He has to provide a righteousness. He has to do these things, and He does it successfully, so that when He's on the cross and He makes this statement, to telestai, it is, in fact, finished. There's nothing we add.
There's nothing we supplement. There is nothing we give to it. It is Christ alone who brings redemption. to His people. That song, Jesus paid it all.
That's what is being here expressed on the cross by our blessed Lord. So He obeys His Father, the glory of the Son is seen in that. He redeems His people, the glory of the Son is seen in that. And
Defeat of the Devil
He defeats His enemy, the devil himself. Notice in John chapter 12, John chapter 12, beginning 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. You see, he is resolute, he is determined, he is committed to glorifying his father and all that that entails. Glorifying his father wasn't taking out the garbage.
Well, it was in a sense, but that garbage was our sin. Glorifying his father wasn't washing the car. Glorifying the father, in this context, was being lifted up on a cross and being crucified. Notice, verse 28, 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 has 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. The ruler of this world will be cast out." He defeats the devil. He crushes the serpent's head.
This is Genesis 3.15, the promise that the covenant Lord would come and would deliver a death blow to the head of the devil himself. He defeats his enemy. He crushes him. He destroys him.
He casts him out. That is precisely what we are to appreciate in this aspect. Colossians 2.15, the Apostle Paul highlights this element of Christ's redemptive work on behalf of his people. Colossians 2.11, In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So that statement of our Lord Jesus on the cross, it is finished, highlights the glory of the son in bringing to fruition obedience to his father, redemption for his people, and defeat of his arch enemy, the devil, as prophesied in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15.
Comfort for the Church
Now let's move finally to consider how this statement is comfort for the church. C.H. Spurgeon makes this comment. on the fact that this is a word fitly spoken. He says, I am persuaded that it was so intended to be used for none of the words.
So he's talking about it's a word fitly spoken for the church. 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 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 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 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. And as we tease out or as we investigate further the redemptive benefits secured by our Lord Jesus at the cross, hopefully this does serve as a word fitly spoken to this church in particular, to us as individuals, so that God Most High will encourage our hearts so that as we eat this bread and we drink this cup tonight, yes, we do it in light of the fact that we are sinners.
But we do it in light of the fact that we are sinners saved by grace, by a victorious Savior who has conquered sin, who has conquered death itself, and who has conquered the devil for us. That's the posture we ought to adopt as we consider the Lord in the supper. lines of thought with reference to the benefits secured by Jesus Christ.
Christ Exhausted the Wrath of God
The first I want to offer as a word fitly spoken for the Church is that Christ exhausted the wrath of God. Christ exhausted on that cross the wrath of God. You see, the Bible is clear. I mean, you can miss certain things in the Scripture.
I would imagine if we asked ten people here, explain the end times, we'd get ten different explanations. But if you ask ten people who have any idea what the Bible says whatsoever, and the Spirit of God dwells in them, I think they would all, to a man, to a woman, agree with this, that God is a holy God. God must punish sin, and man is sinful throughout. And if man is not dealt with savingly and graciously, then God will indeed punish him.
Is everybody on board with that reality? Well, Jesus Christ exhausted the wrath of God for all those whom the Father had given him. It is finished. Jesus, before this, says, I thirst.
You know, the Apostles' Creed talks about Christ descending into hell for three days. I think that's inaccurate. I don't think it is, I know it's inaccurate. What does Jesus say?
Into thy hand I commit my spirit. What does he say to that thief? Today you will be with me in paradise. He doesn't say give me three days and I'll meet you there.
Christ, when he was absent from the body, the spirit returned to the Father in accordance with the psalmist. what Jesus quoted in Luke's Gospel. I thirst. Why does Christ say that? Probably because He's suffering hell on the cross for His people.
He's exhausting the wrath of God. The fury of the Lord is poured out upon Him. Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord Christ Most High is sweating drops of blood. What is in His future?
It's not just the shame. It's not just the scorn. It's not just the punishment that men pour out. It's the prophet Isaiah.
It pleased Yahweh to bruise Him. It was the wrath and fury of God Almighty that was in that cup that Jesus was called upon to drink. And with resolve and with resign unto the will of God, He drinks it down to the drains. He exhausts the wrath of God.
This is the concept, the doctrine, the idea of propitiation, where Christ receives in himself the wrath that is due for his people. Robert Raymond explains it this way, the Bible plainly teaches the doctrine of the wrath of God. Look at the flood. Is God doing that just to, what?
That's his wrath and his fury against sin. The Bible plainly teaches the wrath of God at the Tower of Babel. The Bible plainly teaches the wrath of God at Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible plainly teaches the wrath of God through and through.
And nowhere do we see this more beautifully illustrated than at the cross of our Lord Jesus. So Raymond says, the Bible plainly teaches the doctrine of the wrath of God. It teaches that God is angry with the sinner and that His holy outrage against the sinner must be assuaged. It must be spent if the sinner is to escape His due punishment.
It is for this reason that a death occurred at Calvary, when we look at Calvary. and we behold the Savior dying for us, we should see in His death, not first our salvation, but our damnation being born away, or being born and carried away by Christ. He propitiates the wrath of God for His people. Have you ever considered that in that fourth saying of our Lord, when He says, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Because He says that, you and I will never have to.
We will never, ever say, why have you forsaken me? It is in and through Christ, it is because of the promises, it is because of His redemptive benefit that God covenants that I will never leave you and I will never forsake you. Just as He uttered to Joshua, it is confirmed to the New Covenant Church in Hebrews chapter 13. God the Lord will not, no He will not, no He will not ever abandon His people.
Jesus paid it all. Douglas Moos says God's wrath is the inevitable and necessary reaction of absolute holiness to sin. Murray says redemption contemplates our bondage and is the provision of grace to release us from that bondage. Propitiation contemplates our liability to the wrath of God and is the provision of grace whereby we may be freed from that wrath.
And in some simpler words than Murray, Carson says, whatever else the cross does, it must rightly set aside God's wrath or it achieves nothing. He exhausted the wrath of God. It is finished. You and I will never taste that wrath.
We are in him. You and I will never feel the pains of hell. You and I will never be cut off. You and I will never know abandonment.
Did you ever consider that? Boston brings this out in his Human Nature in its fourfold state. He gets into this long explanation of the doctrine of hell. Next to the Bible, I haven't read anything more chilling. when he explains or expounds the doctrine of hell, he talks about hell.
There's two elements. There is the positive infliction of pain, and there is the absence of God's goodness. Isn't that what Jesus experienced on the cross? The Lord was pleased to bruise him, putting him to grief.
There was a positive infliction of pain that the Son of God tasted for his people. But it was the abandonment that made him cry. It was the abandonment that elicited that fourth saying from the cross. It was the abandonment.
Not one time on the cross does he say, wow, this really hurts. This physical suffering is difficult. It is hard. It is most excruciating.
But as a man, it would have been. As a man, it would have been. But it was that dereliction, it was that cry, when the father turned, as it were, his head from the son, that the son says, why hast thou forsaken me? He had exhausted the wrath of God.
Triumph Over Death
Secondly, he triumphed over death. He triumphed over death. Didn't he? 1 Corinthians 15, I alluded to it this morning. Brethren, let that be in your hearts often. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul's long apology for the resurrection.
Paul's long defense of the doctrine of resurrection. When he starts to come, when he starts to bring it home, he makes some statements that are absolutely glorious. Jesus Christ triumphed over death. We need to keep this always in our mind.
Verse 50 of 1 Corinthians 15, now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 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." Isn't that beautiful? Death, the last enemy, is defeated by Christ. 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 28, tells us that Jesus destroys the last enemy, and it is death. And then he offers up the kingdom to the Father, and then God is all in all.
Now notice what the Apostle says. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory?
It's almost as if, if I could speak freely, Paul is challenging these foes. Paul is challenging these enemies. You bring it on. Where is the sting of death?
Where is the victory of the grave? God, it's vanquished, it's banished, it is done with. Verse 56, the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He conquers death once and for all.
Just go back to 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 28. But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 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 that is coming. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when or even after he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
Remember that this morning? Revelation 21 and 22. What doesn't enter the new heaven and the new earth? Death.
Sorrow. Pain. Suffering. Hunger.
Thirst. Heaven isn't glorious just because Jesus and God are there, though it's glorious for that. Glorious because those enemies, those foes, those maladies are not present. For He has put all things under His feet.
But when He says all things are put under Him, it is evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. So He triumphed over death. Speaking specifically of him, the Apostle says, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over him. He burst forth from the tomb. That is the paradigm for what we will engage in when we die. When that resurrection comes, when body and soul will be reunited, we'll be ushered into the presence of God Most High, and we will worship Him world without end.
Amen. It was a blessing to come here this morning. It's a blessing to be here now as well. I suspect that this is about that much in comparison to the eschaton. when all God's people from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation are in the presence of God and the Lamb who sits on the throne.
And we sing, and we praise, and we worship. It's gonna be glorious.
Forgiveness of Sins Secured
A third piece of comfort. When he says it is finished, he secures the forgiveness of sin. He secures the forgiveness of sin. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
You see, we need His life. We need the imputation of a perfect righteousness to be accepted by God. But we need His death. Because there's a principle set forth in the Scripture, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.
Those animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were types and shadows and pointers. They looked forward to. When John the Baptist views the Lord Christ, he says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This was a message we looked at last week at the hospital ministry.
What does that mean? The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you're a foreigner with reference to the scripture, I don't mean a foreigner from another country, If you don't understand the scripture, you won't know why the Baptist calls the Savior Lamb. But if you have some awareness of the Old Testament, you have some awareness of the temple and the tabernacle, you have some awareness of the worshipper bringing the beast to the tabernacle and slitting its throat while he lays his hand upon it, and then giving it up to the priest so that he can sacrifice it unto God, it makes perfect sense why the Baptist would look at the Savior and say, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
You see, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. It has to be the lamb. It has to be the one that God provides. This was a principle taught by Abraham to Isaac on Mount Moriah.
Isaac was sharp enough to realize, we have the fire, we have the wood for the sacrifice, but we don't have the sacrifice. What's Abraham's statement to him? The Lord will provide. And sure enough, when God stays his hand from stabbing his own son, they see a ram caught in the thicket, and they offer that up to the Father.
You see, Christ must die in order to secure forgiveness. Acts 10, 43, Peter says to him, all the prophets witness that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. You see, we can't atone for our sins. We can't wash them away.
We can't do more good things to sort of counterbalance the issue. We must have Christ. It must be blood. It must be the Savior.
It must be the Lamb. Without Him, there is no forgiveness. If you have not believed the Gospel, you are in your sin. If you have not come to the Savior, you are in your sin.
God has a problem with you. God is angry with sinners. God will indeed pour out that wrath. So it is imperative that sinners fly to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 1, verse 7, The Apostle says in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. John in Revelation 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. When Christ says it is finished, He has secured for us the forgiveness of sins, we have cleansing, we have washing, we have purity.
And that is what we desperately need.
A Perfect Righteousness Imputed
Fourthly, He has provided us with a perfect righteousness. I mentioned those two elements. We need forgiveness, we need righteousness. Romans 5.19 says, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous.
The made there should be understood as constituted. It's not made in terms of moral transformation. It is made in terms of constitution or imputation. It is something that God declares.
By virtue of Adam's sin, the many are constituted sinners. By virtue of Adam the second's righteousness, the many are constituted righteous. We have that. John Gill says, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous, not by their own obedience, nor by their own obedience and Christ's together, 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." And then finally, there are many other pieces of comfort we could look at, but we end with this one.
Peace with God
He has secured for us peace with God. Romans 5. Therefore, having been justified by faith. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.
And do you realize that's a peace no one can ever take from you, no one can ever strip from you? Somebody dug a hole and threw you in that hole, you still have peace with God. Somebody puts you in a prison cell, guess what you still have? Peace with God.
Somebody binds you and throws you in a cellar, you still have peace with God. If you were able to fly to the moon, you still have peace with God. If you go to Hawaii, you have peace with God. You have peace with God because you've been justified by faith.
That doctrine of justification, that whole complex of salvific benefit that Christ brings to pass on the cross is presently for us now. It is our possession. It is our benefit. This is why Spurgeon could say, this is a word fitly spoken for the comfort of the Church of Christ.
When you hear him on the cross in John 19, 30, when he says, it is finished, this is a cry of victory. This is triumph. This is a declaration that he has accomplished all that the Father has given him to secure the salvation of his elect and to bring glory and honor and praise to his most wondrous name. It is finished.
I hope is a word fitly spoken for the comfort of the church tonight. That our hearts would soar, that our hearts would delight, that as we eat this bread and we drink this cup, we would do so in full memory, in full recognition, in full consciousness of the cross. And that collectively and corporately, as the church gathered, we would proclaim his death. We would be gospel preaching in the sacrament, in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper tonight.
May indeed God be glorified, may our hearts be stirred, and if you're not a Christian tonight, may you come to the Lord Jesus. There ought to be nothing that you desire more than to eat this bread and drink this cup. Not because there's some magic in it, not because it transforms, not because it's something powerful in and of itself. but because those who eat and drink are those who've been washed in the blood. Those who eat and drink are those who have eaten the bread of life.
That means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you've not come, come. Believe. That's it.
We heard this morning, simple faith. Simple faith. Look to the cross. As Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted.
Did you ever consider that Israelite that had been bitten by a snake and was writhing on the ground? What did it mean for him to look at that brazen serpent? Did it mean complete surrender? Did it mean knowing the 1689 from first to last?
It meant look at that brazen serpent. That's what it meant. That's what the gospel call is. Look at that Christ.
Look at that Savior. Believe on Him, and you will have everlasting life. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the statement. It is finished. Certainly, this is a comfort to the Church. It demonstrates the glory of the Son.
It certainly does provide us with many thoughts concerning the salvation that we enjoy. It's a salvation we enjoy because you are good, and you are gracious, and you are full of mercy. We didn't earn it, we didn't pay for it, we didn't deserve it, but you have given it to us freely. We thank you that you chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
We thank you that you sent your Son to live and to die and to rise again. And we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit that keeps us, that continues to grant us the grace to persevere. We ask now, Father, as we come to the supper, we would be refreshed. Lord, certainly you give food to the weary.
You give food to those who stand in need. And we pray that as a means of grace, this would benefit each and every one of our hearts, and that you would strengthen us. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
We can turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.