Well, good evening, everyone. It's great to see all of you on this good Friday. If you have your Bible, please turn it to John 19. The Gospel of John Chapter 19. And I would like to read verses 16 to 30 with you. John 19 verses 16 to 30. The word of God says, so he then handed him over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus therefore and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him and with him two other men, one on either side and Jesus in between. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews. Therefore, many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, do not write the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am king of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. And so they said to one another, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it shall be. This was to fulfill the scripture. They divided my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, woman, behold, your son. And then he said to the disciple, behold, your mother. From that hour, the disciple took her into his own household. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had been accomplished, to fulfill the scripture said, I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there. And so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth. And therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Let's pray. Father, thank you. For the great sacrifice that you gave. On the cross. to deliver up your begotten son to die in the place of sinners. And we ask as we contemplate his work this evening that you would give us great encouragement on what Christ has accomplished on our behalf. And this we ask in His holy name. Amen. In anticipation of this coming Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, I thought it would be encouraging for us to simply be reminded and to contemplate what Jesus accomplished by His life and by His death. And I thought there would be no better way to do this Then to look at his final words on the cross, which we find in John 19 verse 30, when he said, it is finished. I know some of you thought I was going to preach that whole section. We're going to focus on these words. It is finished. They say that last words are lasting words, that final words are important words. When a loved one knows that his time has come to depart from this life, what he tells his family is what is most pressing in his heart. It is what he wants them to know and to remember above all things. Well, in the case of Christ, all that Jesus said is lasting and all that Jesus said is important. But I think that his final words on the cross have a special place in our hearts. At least I know that they do in my own heart. He said, it is finished. It's actually one word in the original language in the Greek. It's the word to telestai. And these words in the English, three words, they're some of my favorite in the entire Bible. This statement gives so much comfort. It is so freeing. It is so peace giving to us and so worth our contemplation and our meditation. And so what is the it that was finished? What is the it? This is the question I want to answer for us this evening. But before we do, it's important for us to understand something about this word that Jesus used on the cross, this Greek word. He used a perfect tense verb. And that tells us that whatever it is that Jesus finished, it is completely, decisively, definitively, absolutely, conclusively finished. It is done. If you look at John 19.30, Jesus doesn't say it's almost finished. He doesn't say it's mostly finished. He doesn't say it's probably finished. He doesn't say it's hopefully finished. He doesn't even say that it is being finished. But he says it is finished. It is finished. And I want you to cling to those words for the rest of your life, believer. Because these words are loaded with meaning for us who believe. So what was finished upon that cross? What is the it? Well, we could say that in its totality, the it is the Father's will. The Father's will. That Jesus on that cross accomplished, fulfilled, finished the Father's will. In John 6, 38, Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. That would be God the Father. In John 17, four in the high priestly prayer, anticipating his death on the cross, Jesus says to the father, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do. And so on that cross, Jesus accomplished, he finished the father's will. All that God had given him to do throughout his whole life was finished at the cross. The next question that we ask then is, what is included in the Father's will? What's included in the Father's will which the Son accomplished? Many things. I want to give you four simple points tonight that Jesus accomplished. Number one, Jesus paid for sins. Jesus paid for sins. Hebrews 9.26, the author of Hebrews says, otherwise he would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world, he's talking about Christ, But now, once at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. He has been revealed, he has come to put away sins. In Matthew 1.21, it says, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. He will, not he might, but he will. Matthew 20, 28. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. And we know that, right? We all know that tonight. We know that Jesus came to pay for our sins. Thank you, Captain Obvious, right? What kind of new information does this give us? It's not so much new information as much as it is a reminder. We know Jesus came to pay for sins. And yet, how often do we read these words as if Jesus said it is mostly finished? Most of my sins have been paid, but not this one sin. Not this one thing I have done in my past. And we live with this false guilt that steals away our joy, and it steals away our peace. Maybe someone here today, they often feel regret and guilt over a particular sin in their past. And they think, well, the blood of Christ can't possibly cover this sin. Now, we would never say that, but by our actions, I think we say that often. That yes, Jesus paid all of these sins, but this one thing, it is too much for the blood of Christ to cover. Listen to the words of Christ. It is finished. Paid in full. Paid in full. He either paid it all, or He paid for nothing at all. Jesus makes no partial payment at the cross. He paid for it all. So rest in His finished work. Rest in the finished work of Christ. If you believe in Him, all of your sins have been forgiven. He remembers them no more. He has cast them as far as the east is from the west. Secondly, Jesus accomplished a perfect righteousness. When he said, it is finished, he says, I have accomplished a perfect righteousness. Matthew 5, 17, Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. And what that means in part is that Jesus came to live the perfect life that you can't live and that I can't live. He came to live the perfect life that no one could live. He obeyed God's law perfectly, fulfilling every commandment, every ordinance, every jot, every tittle. It is finished. He accomplished a perfect righteousness, which you and I need to be reconciled to God and to go to heaven. And God freely gives that to us. when we believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. God will not accept our righteousness, our good works, our obedience, our religion, because we have none, the Bible says. On the cross, Jesus bore our self-righteousness. On the cross, Jesus bore our perceived obedience, and he died for it in our place. He was clothed with our filthy rags so that we might be clothed with his perfect righteousness. In Philippians 3 verses 8 to 9, the Apostle Paul says this, More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him. Here's the key. Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." The Apostle Paul understood that his own goodness was inadequate, that his own religiosity was not enough in the eyes of God, and he kept the law pretty well. But he came to understand, this is all filthy rags before a holy God. I need a righteousness outside of myself. I need a perfect righteousness, the righteousness of God himself. And at times, we as Christians, don't we feel as if we have to add a little something to our salvation? That we have to do some deeds and we fall into this legalistic mindset. We read the words of Christ as if they said, it is mostly finished. It is almost finished. I have to do some here. Listen, Jesus didn't come to do 95% of the work, not even 99. And now you have to do the other five or the other 1%. He came to do it all. He said it is finished. It is complete. All the work, all the obedience that would ever be required by God for you and I to be reconciled to Him was accomplished at the cross. Any works, any religion, any good deeds after the cross are not required, nor do they add any merit before God. They do not contribute to our salvation. Now, we often look at our lives, I think, even as Christians, at our performance, and we see how much we fail God. we see how short we fall. And yes, you fell God. I fell God every day, all the time. But He didn't. And that's the point. Christ did not fail. And we are saved by His perfect works, not ours. And His works are spotless, without blemish. And so rest in his finished work. Number three, Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. He defeated Satan. Colossians 2, 14 to 17, it says, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, when he had disarmed the rulers and authorities, which in this context means demonic powers, and he made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through him." John 19.30 is the fulfillment of Genesis 3.15. In Genesis 3.15, God himself gives Satan the gospel. And he says to Satan, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He, that is Christ, shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. And so God says to Satan himself, the Messiah is going to crush you, and you're going to bruise the Messiah. Well, how did that take place? At the cross, Satan suffered a death blow, and Jesus died, but rose again. And that's how he was bruised, but not crushed. Now, yes, Satan still prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour, he's still active. As in many other things in the Bible, there is an already not yet component that we see here. But the point is that at the cross, Satan's demise was sealed. Because by the death of Christ on the cross, Jesus removes Satan's ground for accusation against us. He cannot accuse us of anything we have ever done, of any sins. Why? Because all of that has been taken care of at the cross where Jesus died. Now at times we feel as if the great enemy of our soul could still ultimately destroy us and bring up a charge against us that would stick. Hear the words of Christ. It is finished. It is done. Satan has been defeated. 1 John 3.8, the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. And then fourth and final, Christ defeated death. When he said it is finished, in part he meant death is defeated. In Hebrews 2.14-15, the author of Hebrews says, Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Death has no ultimate power over the believer because Christ has removed our sins, which is the sting of death. 1 Corinthians 15, 56 to 57. 1 Corinthians 15, 56 to 57. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes as Christians, I think that we can fall into the fear of death. and think that death can harm us, and to think that we can still face a judgment after we die, hear the words of Christ, it is finished. It is finished. Romans 8.1, there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the believer Death is simply the doorway into the presence of His sweet Savior. That's what death is. And so, this evening, as you contemplate the death of Christ, rest in His finished work, which you received by faith in Him. No sin of your remains, no righteousness of yours is required by God for salvation, No devil can snatch you from his hand, and there is no fear and death that remains, because it is finished. All of it. And if there's someone here tonight, and you've not come to know the joy of this salvation, God extends to you his mercy this very moment and he calls you to repent of your sins and to believe in his son Jesus Christ and the finished work of Christ will be credited to your account as well. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the perfect work that Christ has accomplished on the cross by his life. Thank you that the cross does not mean defeat Thank you that we don't have to work to earn anything, but that we live our lives out of a sense of gratitude and love for you and all that you have done for us. Thank you for washing our sins away and clothing us with the perfect righteousness of your son. Thank you for freeing us from the influence of the devil. And thank You, Lord, that You have removed the fear of death. And I do ask that if there's anyone here tonight that does not know your Son, that this would be the time that You grant them repentance and faith in Him and eternal life. This we ask in your Son's holy name, Amen.