The Work Ends
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Introduction
It is a joy and privilege to be with you all. I praise God for the work going on in all of our churches, and we are grateful to Grace Life for hosting us all this evening. We had a wonderful night together last night at Providence Village, and we are thankful for their hospitality as well.
If you have a Bible, turn with me to . While you’re finding your spot, let me start tonight by asking this question....
---
The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word:
from heav'n he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.
---
“The grace of God has reached for me
And pulled me from the raging sea
And I am safe on this solid ground
The Lord is my salvation
I will not fear when darkness falls
His strength will help me scale these walls
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun
The Lord is my salvation
CHORUS
Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won
The Lord is my salvation
--- THEN YOU HAVE the following....
“You didn’t want heaven without us,
so you brought heaven down to us.”
---
The fact is, a lot of songs we sing in church, could be sung by the mormon or the muslim. There’s nothing distinctly Christian about them…because singing is supposed to “wow” us, not make us think…right?
Why....do churches give in... to gimmicks and tricks to get people to come to church? What is the reason we seem prone to use all sorts of things to get people excited about, what they would call, “serving Jesus?”
One reason of course, is that we’ve forgotten the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. The idea that we draw everything for faith and practice entirely from God’s Word. That the Scriptures are sufficient in and of themselves.
But, it seems that even in churches who would verbally affirm Sola Scriptura, and would affirm that we do not need gimmickry, the nagging temptation still abides. The pressure to make things exciting. To attract and maintain interest in what’s gong on at your church. I know that’s true in churches that are less than a year old....and I’m sure it’s true within us all.
Pastors and congregations, are presented with the temptation, to offer and ask for....that which is new, fresh, relevant, moving, and powerful.
But I ask you, what could be more powerful, more moving, more relevant, than Jesus Christ and the work He has accomplished?
In the April 2019 edition of Tabletalk magazine, Burk Parsons wrote the following:
“One of my greatest fears for the church today is that we will become bored with the cross of Christ. I am concerned that any mention of Christ and Him crucified is leading many professing Christians to say to themselves: ‘Yeah, I know all about Jesus dying on the cross for my sins— let’s move on to something else. Let’s get past the basics, and let’s deal with bigger theological issues.’ I firmly believe that Satan is set on trying to destroy us, but he’ll settle with just getting us to lose our astonishment of Christ and Him crucified.”
I wonder sometimes, if we aren’t far more ignorant of Satan’s devices, than we’d like to admit.
Because I believe the warning from Parsons is a warning of real danger even for churches that verbally embrace Sola Scriptura, and reject the pragmatic creating of sensational experiences. That we can be tempted to move outside of the realm of the simple gospel.
There are a million ways we are tempted to move, to what we would consider “beyond” the cross....but it is my prayer tonight, that we would be reminded of the glory of the cross. We’d be reminded of the splendor of our Savior, and the wonder of His finished work on our behalf.
Because when we lose our astonishment of Christ and Him crucified, it’s a short step to lose our astonishment and confidence in His Word.
We need to dwell often, we need to meditate much, on Christ and Him crucified.
So you may be here, bordering on growing weary in well-doing.
Or, you may be here, battling for assurance of your salvation.
Or maybe you’ve lost your zeal and passion to obey Christ, and your boldness to witness and evangelize has all but evaporated.
I’m convinced, that the best method to rekindle the flame within, to set us ablaze with passion to live our lives to glorify God and enjoy Him forever…is not for us to create an experience for you....but it is to think deeply upon Christ and His work for us.
Last night, we heard about the beginning of that work…tonight, we see its finish.
I want to look at verses 28-30 of , and give special attention to verse 30…and reflect deeply upon the main thought that John seems to be stressing to us…and that is, that....
Jesus Finished the Work
Now, as we pick up in verse 28, Jesus is already on the cross. He has been suffering physical abuse for some time. And in our passage, we’re focusing on the moment of His actual death. We’ll read verses 28-30, and our focus will be upon Jesus’ words in verse 30.
We pick up in John as Jesus is already on the cross. Much has obviously already transpired. Jesus has just finished speaking with Mary and John, and now He is about to die. We’ll read verses 28-30, and our focus will be upon Jesus’ words in verse 30.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus finished the work. That is the reality of this text. But that raises some questions we must consider, questions that will serve as our headings, or our points for tonight’s sermon.
Question…#1
1. What is finished?
1. What is finished?
On the cross, Jesus declared “IT” is finished. To what does “it” refer?
Is it in reference to His life that is now finished? Is it that all the prophetic details surrounding His crucifixion is now finished?
In one sense, the answer to that is yes. It refers to both of those…I mean, John has helped us see in verses 28-29, that Jesus consciously fulfilled ALL that the Scriptures foretold about Him. Even down to fulfilling the prophecy of His thirst.
It’s amazing to consider, that the One who offered the Samaritan woman water that would quench her thirst forever…the One who is the very Water of Life Himself....dies thirsty.
But yes, generally speaking, the “it” in Jesus’ statement deals with His life being over, and deals with these prophecies being fulfilled.
But specifically, the “it” can be summed up this way, “The mission of God.” The mission of God the Father, to send forth God the Son to the earth.
The eternal plan of the Father to save a people for Himself. Not save them from a bad marriage, in order to place them in a good marriage. Not save them from poverty in order to make them wealthy. No, the eternal plan of God the Father was to save His people from His own wrath and judgement.
And it would be carried out by
The whole human race is a rebel race. We have sinned…we are guilty…and we deserve His punishment.
God created a perfect world…a beautiful paradise. He placed mankind in this paradise. He blessed them, and called upon them to display His image to the world. Yet…they rejected Him.
God creates the world in , and by , humankind has rebelled. But it doesn’t take long to figure out, that this didn’t take God by surprise. Prior to the Fall in the Garden, God had a plan to save His people.
So…the first mention of the gospel is not in Romans…or in the gospels, and not even in Isaiah’s prophecy....it’s right after the Fall while they’re still in the Garden.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Page after page of our OT, builds the anticipation for the coming Seed or Offspring of the woman, who will undo what Satan has done.
We learn He will come from Abraham’s lineage, from Judah’s tribe, he will be a prophet better than Moses; a High Priest better than all of Levi’s tribe; and a King better than David.
This One God promised, will come as the Messiah, the Anointed One…God’s Servant to save God’s people.
Isaiah teaches us that He would come and suffer. He will suffer, not because He deserves it....no...
He will bear our iniquities and carry our sorrows…He will be wounded and stricken…and it will be by His stripes, we rebel sinners are healed.
**So when we open the gospels, and read the story of Jesus…we begin with a baby born in poor, strange circumstances…but the whimpering cry of a human baby on that night in Bethlehem, is also the cry of God’s Warrior coming to rescue His people from their own sins.
John 1:
Throughout John’s gospel, He tells us who Christ is…and what He has come to do...
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
He is not just a religious leader....a political activist....a social warrior....He is God made flesh. And He’s coming to save His own creatures.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus’ actions in life weren’t random....He came on mission, and everything He did, was to fulfill that mission.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
So then, in the upper room with His disciples, Jesus prays to His Father on the night before His death and says....
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
Jesus came to earth, on a mission. He came with a task. He came with a specific work.
As He hangs upon the cross, it is there, as He has consciously obeyed the Father’s will all the way to death, that He cries out…the mission is now complete. IT…is finished.
This is not the defeated cry of a fallen martyr…this is a victorious cry of a conquering King.
Apply
And the glorious reality for you and I tonight, is that it is this finished work that fulfills our greatest need.
Sadly, we often replace what we actually need, for things we think we need.
We begin to think, “I need this new career, this relationship, this house, this person’s affirmation.”
But let’s be real....1,000 years from right now, none of that will matter.
What will matter is, “Did Christ finish the work of reversing sin’s curse for me?”
ALL…that we TRULY need....Christ has accomplished.
Jesus, finished the work.
What was finished? The Father’s eternal plan to save a people for Himself.
Question 2 in light of this phrase....
2. How was it finished?
2. How was it finished?
In some ways, we’ve already answered that question…it was finished, through Christ.
Jesus came with a mission to save a people…and He saved them. But how did He accomplish this?
Through His death? Yes
Through His life? Yes
Through His resurrection? Yes
The whole sum of Jesus’ earthly existence was for the salvation of His people
Just trace back through it all....
Born to the Virgin Mary, He was born without original sin. He is the Second Adam. As such, in every way that the first Adam failed to obey…Christ Jesus obeyed perfectly. Never once did He sin.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And it was through His perfect obedience, He earned righteousness…He merited the eternal life that Adam forfeited in the garden. Christ earned, on behalf of those in Him, a right standing before God.
How was the work finished, it was finished by Christ’s life…The bible concludes all of us under sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God....but not Christ. Jesus the Christ, serving as the Federal Head, the representative of believers…on their behalf He perfectly obeyed God and His Law.
He finished the work…by His perfect life!
And also, by His death.
Earning a righteousness for us is one thing....but something must be done with our sins. If God, were to look at us and simply overlook our sins…He wouldn’t be fair or just. Our sins must be dealt with…they must be judged.
So the perfect Jesus, who committed no sin, who deserved no punishment....willingly took our sins upon Himself and goes to the cross, to endure the wrath of God.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus did this willingly…even His final breath, the moment He actually died…was a willful act of obedience.
No one took His life…He laid it down willingly.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
He willingly gave up His spirit....when He knew the entire work had been completed.
That every act of obedience throughout His life, and every act of obedience in His death, had secured a salvation for those in Christ....and therefore, He had FINISHED the wrath of God which was to be poured out upon us, for our sins.
So…He earns a perfect righteousness by His life, and He suffers for our sins in His death. Our sins were thrown upon Him and He suffered for them....by trusting in Him, His righteousness that He earned, is now credited to our account.
**We stand before God as sinners made holy, by the Holy One who was made sin!
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So that now we remind each other...
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
This is not a work that you and I have done....
Jesus finished the work. He did so by His perfect life…He did so by His obedient death. And if anything should produce a rejoicing in our hearts…if anything should overwhelm us, it’s that reality.
Look at all the other world religions: Buddhism; Islam; Hinduism; go down the list.
What you will find is that they’re always the same. The gods of those religions, may make salvation possible for their subjects....they may tell them how they can reach the state of salvation themselves....and salvation, may only look like “your best life now....”
but only the true God, the God of Christianity, comes to do the work of saving His people BY HIMSELF!
Here’s the reality....we COULD NOT save ourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
And we could not, because we would not....we had no desire to be saved, since we were dead in our trespasses and sins
So....God comes and graciously saves!
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Jesus came on a mission to save....
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
And how did He accomplish this mission…by His life…by His death…by His resurrection…in other words, by Himself!
This is why the central message of the apostles, and the central message of Christ’s church in every age, has been Christ and Him crucified.
I realize the pressures that’s out there in church land....but don’t grow weary in making the gospel the topic of your thoughts and meditation. Don’t grow weary in making the gospel the central theme of your Lord’s Day services.
Yes…the world says it’s foolish to do so. The goats that creep in among the sheep scream out, “give us something fresh and innovative.” But it’s the sheep that’s listening for the voice of their Shepherd, and shame on us if we refuse to hear His message.
We must keep reminding ourselves of Jesus…of the gospel
We must remember that the work of saving us is finished, because Jesus finished the work.
What was finished? The Father’s plan to save a people for Himself.
How was it finished? By the perfect life, and the substitutionary death, of Jesus
So…
3. What do we do now?
3. What do we do now?
If the work was finished 2,000 years ago, what does that mean we do now? Do we do nothing? Do we sit and say, “whew…we all good. Let’s just ride this earth train until we reach the heaven station.”
I think the reason we default to a response like that, is because we actually believe our works are earning our favor with God. Whether we are of the crowd who says, “You can’t preach Christ paid it all, because that will give people a license to sin.” Or you’re of the crowd who actually views it as a license to sin…both believe, that we are supposed to DO something, to earn, or secure, or maintain our salvation.
There is some level of works-based salvation operating in their heart.
So, what are we supposed to do? Let me give you 3 things
What do we do? Let me give you 3 things
First, to the unbeliever. I don’t want to assume that everyone here is a true believer. Perhaps, you came because you were dragged by a family member or friend. If so…congratulations for making it this far in this service, and for staying awake until this point in the sermon.
Perhaps, you’re here and think of yourself as a Christian, but it’s primarily because you were raised in church…you said a prayer once and was baptized, and now you claim you “made the decision,” to accept Jesus into your heart so you’re all set.
Regardless, if I may…let me caution you greatly, and ask that you consider your eternal state. Because if there has never been a radical change in your life....if there’s no evidence that you actually do trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, chances are, you don’t.
So what do you do in light of the finished work of Christ? You run to Christ. Right now…at this moment…don’t wait another second, where you sit, turn from your pathway of sin and turn TO Jesus. Trust in Him. Trust that He lived in your place, died in your place, and rose again from the dead. God has promised to save ALL who turn from sin and trust in Him.
There are a number of people here, who would be glad to answer any questions you may have.
In light of the reality that Jesus, finished the work, what do we do?
Secondly…work for Jesus
WORK for Jesus
The epistles often have this flow to them, where the indicatives come before the imperatives. In other words, we are described for WHO we are…then we are told, in light of that, what we are to do.
And I think, at least one reason why…is because nothing motivates a believer to work diligently for the Lord, like being taught what Christ has accomplished through His life, death, burial, and resurrection.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Need more boldness to evangelize and witness? Need more faith to go forward and work for the Lord? “I love church on Sunday, I always feel so stirred up and ready for battle afterwards. Oh I wish, in my moment of temptation, I’d be reminded of God’s will, and I’d remember what it felt like at church.”
How can I have all of the above? Spiritual disciplines; common means of grace…and…preach the gospel to yourself everyday.
Remind yourself, of your awful condition before God, and the work Christ has done to reverse it.
Remember, that He was mocked so that you could be favored; He was cursed, so that you could be blessed; He died so that you could live; and He was buried, so that you could be raised.
And in light of that…pursue holiness; work out your salvation; be a bold and courageous witness; bring glory to our God!
Jesus finished the work…What do we do? We trust in Jesus for salvation; We work for Jesus....and finally
REST IN JESUS
Do away with the notion, that it is by your efforts you are supposed to earn salvation
None of us would say that verbally…but we say it every time we doubt our salvation, after a longterm battle with a particular sin
Listen…you cannot finish a work, that has already been completed. Jesus paid it all…not some of it!
Are you battling with assurance? “Pastor, I just don’t know what I need to do to ensure myself that I’m saved.” Well, step one....take out the “what I need to do” part of that statement. Step two…eliminate all lists of steps.
Simply....REST IN CHRIST! Lean upon Him! Stand confidently upon His righteousness! Rest in His love for you! Be overwhelmed by His love that would save a wretch like us!
And if you know the truth, but you’re battling with finding peace in Christ....or if you are still convinced even slightly of a works based salvation, the call from Scripture is the same....REST IN CHRIST!
WE DON’T DO THAT BY SINGY A SHALLOW WORSHIP MELODY ON REPEAT....WE FALL INTO HIS LOVE BY GIVING OURSELVES TO THE COMMON MEANS OF GRACE.
Open your bible, and read it, study it, meditate on it. Meditate on the gospel.
Attend worship services; hear the Word preached; practice the sacraments.
Not out of a legalistic mindset of rule-following…but out of a love for your Savior.
Hear His own invitation.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and...” I’ll give you more rules to follow in order to earn favor with God? No...
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
A good practice for you, take this phrase in our text, emphasize each word and reflect upon it:
IT…is finished: The Father’s eternal plan to save a people for Himself; His plan and purpose to reverse the curse of sin; His plan to crush Satan’s head; His plan to wash away our sins.
It…IS…finished: Not, it might be; or it could be; or one day it will be…it IS…right now finished; at this moment; when I’m feeling spiritually strong in the midst of Lord’s Day worship, and I’m feeling spiritually after intense wrestlings with my own sinful flesh. It IS finished!
It is…FINISHED: not, I started it, now you take it from here; it is finished; completed; done; over; perfected; already settled
Which is one reason why can describe even our glorification in the past tense.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Why give into the notion that you have to complete something Jesus started, when Jesus Himself said, “It is finished?” Instead, join with the hymn writer and sing:
“I need no other argument, I need no other plea; it is enough, that Jesus died, and that He died for me.”
Jesus finished the work…What do we do? We trust in Jesus for salvation; We rest in Jesus and not in ourselves; finally
The epistles often have this flow to them, where the indicatives come before the imperatives. In other words, we are described for WHO we are…then we are told, in light of that, what we are to do.
And I think, at least one reason why…is because nothing motivates a believer to work diligently for the Lord, like being taught what Christ has accomplished through His life, death, burial, and resurrection.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Need more boldness to evangelize and witness? Need more faith to go forward and work for the Lord? “I love church on Sunday, I always feel so stirred up and ready for battle afterwards. Oh I wish, in my moment of temptation, I’d be reminded of God’s will, and I’d remember what it felt like at church.”
How can I have all of the above? Spiritual disciplines; common means of grace…and…preach the gospel to yourself everyday.
Remind yourself, of your awful condition before God, and the work Christ has done to reverse it.
Remember, that He was mocked so that you could be favored; He was cursed, so that you could be blessed; He died so that you could live; and He was buried, so that you could be raised.
And in light of that…pursue holiness; work out your salvation; be a bold and courageous witness; bring glory to our God!
Conclusion
Burk Parsons fears we’re becoming bored with the cross. I fear, he may be more right than we’d ever like to admit.
The more boring the cross becomes, the less it’s talked about.
The less it’s talked about, the more we feel the pressure to produce something exciting and stirring.
But tonight, if you need assurance, or you’ve grown weary in well-doing, or you’re wrestling with sin....whatever you need Christian....
The more the false converts, the more the pressure to avoid the gospel…and the cycle continues.
LOOK to Jesus…who is the Author and the Perfecter of your faith. Then…lay aside the weight, and the easily besetting sin.
The more the pragmatics can give into gimmickry
The more then the Pharisees can give unhelpful weights to the people of God, causing them to fear they never measure up
The more the pragmatics can give into gimmickry
Tonight, remember....Jesus finished the work. The work of purchasing your redemption according to the Father’s will. The work accomplished by Him completely, and not by us.
It is finished. His mission is accomplished. Rest in Him. Rejoice in Him. And live for His glory and praise!
Prayer