[0:00] In the church Bibles. 1-0-8-8. John chapter 19. And I'll be starting in verse 28.
[0:25] Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, I am thirsty. A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
[0:46] When he had received the drink, Jesus said, it is finished. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now, it was the day of preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.
[1:03] Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
[1:13] The soldiers, therefore, came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
[1:30] Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true.
[1:46] He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled.
[1:58] Not one of his bones will be broken. And, as another scripture says, they will look on the one they have pierced. Amen. Good morning, everyone.
[2:25] Nice to see you today. I'm just going to adjust some things here. Bear with me. Well, let's have our Bibles open at John's Gospel, Chapter 19, the text we just read.
[2:55] We're going to look at together, so let's pray first. Father, would you reveal to us the wonder of your word.
[3:15] Would you show us Jesus in all his greatness and glory. And we pray, Spirit of God, that you would give us a fresh understanding a new experience of what Jesus has done for us.
[3:41] May it change us. May it comfort us. And may it challenge us. Please help us now, we pray.
[3:54] Amen. Well, today is the beginning of Easter week when we particularly think about the death of Jesus.
[4:09] But what has Jesus' death, which happened more than 2,000 years ago, got to do with you and I today?
[4:20] Well, we're going to see how it changes and transforms lives. We're going to look at two things from the text that was read to us.
[4:33] Jesus' death was planned and Jesus' death has purpose. So planned and purpose.
[4:43] First, Jesus' death is planned. It's extraordinary. Although Jesus has been arrested by the chief priests, put on trial by Pilate, crucified by the soldiers, Jesus has been in control of his death.
[5:06] In other words, the events that are unfolding around his death are not by chance. They are a fulfillment of God's plan.
[5:21] So look at what Jesus says in verse 28. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, that is, the arrest, the trial, the mocking, him being crucified on the cross.
[5:39] And so that scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, I am thirsty. Now this isn't just the random request from a dying man.
[5:53] Jesus is fulfilling what scripture said would happen. Go back with me, please, to Psalm 69.
[6:07] Psalm 69. As we think about what Jesus has just said, I thirst.
[6:21] Psalm 69 is a psalm of King David who is facing into a death-like experience. And it's these very words that Jesus takes and applies to himself and to his own death on the cross.
[6:43] So, verse 1 of Psalm 69, we can think of the sufferings of Christ. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
[6:54] I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters. The floods engulf me.
[7:06] I am worn out calling for help. My throat is parched. Go to verse 20.
[7:18] Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. For comforters, but I found none.
[7:33] They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. Now let's go back to John's Gospel.
[7:49] We pick it up again in verse 28. In verse 28. And so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, I am thirsty.
[8:01] A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on the stalk of the hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus' lips and he drank.
[8:18] You see, Jesus is fulfilling what has been planned and what has been spoken of in Scripture decades, centuries before.
[8:29] Now you might think this is all a coincidence. But look at the events leading up to his death. Jesus foretold what would happen.
[8:42] Go to chapter 18. Jesus is about to be arrested. Chapter 18, verse 4.
[8:52] Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, that is, in reference to his death and crucifixion, went out and asked them, Who is it that you want?
[9:11] Down to verse 8, the middle of verse 8. Jesus said, If you are looking for me, then let these men go. This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled.
[9:28] I have not lost one of these you gave me. And then during his trial, after the arrest, Jesus has been sentenced to be executed by way of crucifixion.
[9:44] And look what we read in verse 32. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
[10:00] And now look at the events after Jesus has died. Chapter 19, verse 33. 33. You see, the common practice to speed up the death of someone who was being crucified was to break their legs because they would lift themselves up on their legs to be able to breathe.
[10:24] Break your legs and you would suffocate. So if they had not died, the Roman soldiers would come along and break people's legs. We pick it up in verse 33.
[10:35] But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
[10:53] Verse 36. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled. Not one of his bones will be broken.
[11:04] That comes from the Psalms. And as another scripture says, which comes from the prophet Zechariah, they will look on the one they have pierced.
[11:17] You see, all these events that are happening around the death of Christ, John, the author of this gospel, is telling us that everything down to the single detail has been designed and orchestrated by God, spoken of centuries beforehand.
[11:41] Jesus' death is not a random event. It has been planned and purposed by God. So what does all this mean for us, the fact that it is planned?
[11:55] Well, first, that these events are true. We only know what happened around Jesus' death because of those who were eyewitnesses at the time, like John, the author of the gospel.
[12:12] He refers to himself in verse 35. The man who saw it, that is, John himself, has given testimony and his testimony is true.
[12:26] He knows that he tells the truth and he testifies so that you also may believe. How could anybody make this up?
[12:38] Scripture written hundreds of years before, yet providing intricate details of what would happen just as Jesus said, just as the scriptures in the past had said.
[12:51] And John records all that has happened for us so that we can know that this is true. This is not made up. And if it is true, then it means that these events provide hope for us.
[13:10] You see, if God has planned and designed what would happen to Jesus, then he has also planned and designed what will happen in our life. Our life is not random.
[13:25] None of us are here by accident. The events of our life are known from God from beginning to end and are in the hands of God. He's in control.
[13:37] He rules over every situation. Therefore, you and I can trust in this Jesus. We don't need to fear what will happen.
[13:49] We don't need to worry about what will happen. Everything about our life is designed and planned by God.
[14:02] As the writer of Psalm 139 says, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
[14:16] Our being here today is planned by God. Where you are tomorrow is planned by God. I can say that my life and my death are all in God's safe and sovereign hands.
[14:35] these events are true and therefore provide hope for us. But what kind of hope do we have from the death of Jesus?
[14:48] Well, this brings us to the second main thing and we'll spend a bit more time on this. Jesus' death has purpose. Look at verse 30 with me.
[15:02] When he had received a drink Jesus said, it is finished. And with that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
[15:15] He died. You see, the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead. And the Roman soldiers made sure that Jesus was dead.
[15:27] But this cry, it is finished, is not a cry of defeat, I'm going to die, but this is a cry of victory.
[15:39] You see, Jesus' death brings something to its end. It is finished. Literally, it's completed, it's done, it's over, there's no more work to be done.
[15:54] The goal has now been achieved. achieved. So, what is finished? What has the death of Jesus completed for you and for me?
[16:09] Well, the clue comes for us in verse 31. Now, it was the next day, or now it was the day of preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.
[16:25] Sabbath. That special Sabbath was the Passover. So, here they were preparing for the Passover.
[16:36] Passover was the big highlight in the Jewish year, a national holiday to remember and celebrate their rescue and redemption from Egypt.
[16:48] So, on Friday, the day that Jesus died, the people were spent preparing for this special Passover meal.
[17:02] Now, if we're to understand the context here, and why Jesus Christ it is finished, and what it's got to do with Passover, we need to understand the whole Passover event.
[17:16] So, go with me, please, back to Exodus chapter 11. We're going to read and find out about what happened during the Passover.
[17:32] Exodus 11. So, the story so far is that God's people were slaves in Egypt for 400 years under the cruel regime of Pharaoh.
[17:43] God had heard their cry and had come to their rescue. And to force Pharaoh's hand, God had sent a series of nine plagues, all of those plagues on the Egyptian people.
[17:59] But Pharaoh still wouldn't let them go. So, God warned and said, I'm going to bring a tenth and final plague. We pick it up in chapter 11 verse 1.
[18:14] Now, the Lord said to Moses, I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here.
[18:27] And when he does, he will drive you out completely. Verse 4. So, Moses said, this is what the Lord says. About midnight, I will go throughout Egypt.
[18:43] And every firstborn son in Egypt will die. This plague of judgment that was going to fall, the tenth and final plague, would fall not just on Pharaoh's people, but also on God's people.
[19:07] Do you see what it says in verse 4? I will go throughout Egypt. You see, no one was going to be immune from God's judgment.
[19:20] There was no one who was truly innocent, not even amongst God's people. However, God showed grace and mercy to his people. He provided a way of redeeming them so that they could be set free.
[19:36] So, chapter 12, verse 1. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, this month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
[19:52] Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
[20:05] Verse 5. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, without blemish, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.
[20:23] Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs.
[20:45] Verse 12. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.
[21:00] I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you live and when I see the blood I will pass over you.
[21:15] No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. So that very night the angel of God came and passed over all those who were living in Egypt any home with blood on the door they were kept safe but any home without blood on the door the firstborn would die.
[21:50] Now this may seem strange and odd to us and we can ask why do they have to kill a lamb? Why do they have to put blood on the door?
[22:03] Well through this whole sacrifice system God was saying the judgment for sin is death but if you take a perfect lamb and slaughter it I will accept that death as a symbolic substitute for you.
[22:23] Either you are going to die or the lamb is going to die. either the lamb gets slaughtered and its blood is spilt or your blood will be spilt.
[22:38] So in the act of killing the lamb and putting the blood on the sides of the door was an act of obedient faith. Those who obeyed were trusting in what God said.
[22:50] It was an acknowledgement that yes we deserve death but God in his mercy will rescue me from the judgment to come. He will pass over me.
[23:06] Now it's this Passover that was to be remembered by the people. So chapter 12 verse 26 and when your children ask you what does this ceremony mean when you slaughter the lamb and you put blood on the doors verse 27 tell them it is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians then the people bowed down and worshipped That's the Passover and this is the Passover that everyone was preparing for as Jesus died on the cross as they were getting ready to slaughter the lamb for their celebratory meal and to remember all that had happened in their history was the same time that
[24:11] Jesus was dying on the cross the same time that the lambs were being slaughtered now go back with me please to John's gospel but chapter one John's gospel chapter one here John the Baptist has been preparing and announcing that Jesus is going to come John chapter one verse twenty nine the next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said look the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world John identifies
[25:13] Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover you see the slaughtered lamb was only symbolic it could never deal with the sin of the people and God's judgment fully and finally in fact as soon as God's people got out of Egypt they rebelled against God and judgment fell again and this pattern continued year after year sin judgment!
[25:42] death! Sin judgment death! death! So the question always was how could this cycle ever end? How could it ever finish?
[25:54] Well we only needed to look at the cross and hear Jesus cry it is finished! You see it's on the cross that the true and ultimate lamb came to die for the sins of the whole world and for you and for me you see the reality is all sin deserves God's judgment look at the state of the world today what we see on the TV nations at war leaders planning destruction innocent lives being wiped out the world deserves judgment look at the violent crimes in our own country vulnerable women attacked and murdered children harmed and abused our country deserves judgment but look at my life look at your life broken relationships angry words grudges kept selfish actions hateful thoughts but most of all our rejection of
[27:19] Jesus and our desire to love ourselves above him I deserve judgment and who can bring all of this to an end who can bring it to completion who can finish the judgment that we deserve multiple times a day but we too need to look at the cross afresh and hear the cry of Jesus it is finished you see the death of Jesus completes for us an eternal salvation that remains forever here's what the death achieves for us the curse of death is broken and life is given death is the penalty for sin that was true for the people of Egypt way back then and it is true for all people of all time and for us today but the problem with the curse of death is we can't defeat it it's going to come but as
[28:36] Jesus died he was taking the penalty of my sin and your sin the death that I deserve for my wrongdoing is taken fully and completely and finally by Christ yes a day will come when I will die but that will only be a doorway into eternal life to be in God's presence with God's people forever Jesus is the true lamb who breaks the curse of death and gives us life it is Jesus who said come to me and you will have life in all its fullness he cried it is finished the second thing that the cross achieves is that the fear of judgment is removed and peace is received when God passed over the homes in Egypt it was a terrifying thing well one day the
[29:50] Bible tells us that God is going to bring a final universal judgment upon all nations upon all people and God will pass over everyone that will be terrifying but the good news is we do not need to fear you see as Jesus dies on the cross he absorbs God's just and right judgment for me the wrath of God falls on Christ instead of me he dies for me his blood is spilt for me so when that final judgment comes he will pass over me Jesus is the true lamb who removes the fear of judgment and peace is received peace with God for all eternity Jesus cried it is finished and the third thing that the cross achieves for us is that striving for acceptance is over and assurance is guaranteed when the family slaughtered the lamb they would put the blood on the door frame as an act of obedient faith they were trusting in God's provision of a substitute sacrifice they were saying that this innocent slaughtered lamb is God's perfect provision for salvation now imagine for one moment that one family said well I'm not going to bother with the lamb
[31:41] I forget about slaughtering the lamb and putting blood on the door frames I'm going to be just fine I'm going to trust in me well what would happen they would die judgment would fall because they were trusting in their own performance you see the only performance that matters is the perfect innocent lamb Jesus Christ without blemish without sin who lived the perfect full and final life for you and for me and the only sacrifice that truly counts is the slaughtered lamb of God Jesus who dies for me and the right response is to trust that Jesus sacrifice is sufficient Jesus cried it is finished imagine that a friend of yours goes into your bank and pays off in one lump sum your mortgage all of it paid and you go to your bank and or you check out your accounts and you realize that money isn't going out anymore and you go
[33:12] I've come to sort out the mortgage there's a problem and they say no it's all been paid for there's no more to give the debt has been cancelled the house is yours you can live in it and enjoy it no one is going to take it from you or think of it like this you go to someone's house and they've got dinner ready for you and you say how can I help is there something I can do no it's all been done the meal's ready but what can I do for it no just sit down eat your meal and enjoy it well that is what Christ has done for us he has paid it all he has completed the work on our behalf our striving for acceptance is over and our assurance is guaranteed not because of who we are or what we have done but because of what he has done for us
[34:24] Jesus is the true lamb who cries out it is finished he breaks the curse of death he removes the fear of judgment he overcomes our striving for acceptance his death secures our salvation forever forever forever he cried it is finished let's just take a moment together to reflect as we think of what Jesus has done that he has broken the curse of death and gives us life in all its fullness he removes our fear of judgment and we receive peace he overcomes our striving and guarantees our assurance
[35:37] Lord Jesus thank you for completing that work on our behalf for setting us free for giving us life and hope we praise you that it is done there is no more but to trust you and enjoy you forever help us father to go into the work into this week with these words ringing in our minds it is finished thank you Jesus for what you have done for us in Jesus name amen we're going to sing together man of sorrows the first there at the bottom says lifted up was he to die it is finished was his cry now in heaven exalted high hallelujah what a savior we'll stand together as we sing a