The Savior's Greatest Statement

Introduction

Over the last couple months, besides Mother’s Day last week, we have been on this journey of looking at specific events that took place during the last week of our Savior’s life. We looked at His Triumphal Entry, His teachings on the way to Jerusalem and at the temple in Jerusalem. We have looked at teachings on Faith and Forgiveness and in the last message, we looked at how we better make sure we have on the right garments when the King comes to take an account of His guests!

At this point, Jesus and His disciples left the temple and Jesus taught them about things which must come to pass before the end will come. Then they celebrated the Passover dinner together and Jesus tells the disciples that one of them would betray Him. They finish supper and then retreat to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus would spend His last few hours as a free man praying to the Father in agony and despair. The Bible even records that as He prayed He began to sweat great drops of blood!

While Jesus is in the garden praying, Judas Iscariot is selling Him out to the high priests for 30 pieces of silver! They send a band of men along with their own officers to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus allows them to bring Him to an emergency enactment before the Sanhedrin council where He is questioned until early the next morning.

Nothing is going the high priests way! Their witnesses stories aren’t matching up and it begins to look as if their chance to entangle Jesus and rid themselves of His presence is all but lost then the high priest makes one last ditch effort and says.... “Tell us! Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

Jesus being God, who the Bible tells us cannot lie, replies by saying, “I am!” Now, there is something very important here that jumped out to me as I was studying on this…do you realize that up until this point, the high priest had nothing on Him! No evidence that would hold up in court. Nothing worthy of convicting Him of the high crimes of which He was charged!

If Jesus had of just remained quiet, they would have had to let Him go! They would have had no choice in the matter but here’s what jumped out to me that will just blow you away when you think about it…even in His conviction, His trial & His death, Jesus was still in control!

He convicted Himself, Amen! He is the one who sent Himself to the cross! As bad as that Sanhedrin council would like to take credit for the crucifixion of the Christ, the reality is they had no say in it at all! Jesus convicted Himself and ultimately crucified Himself!

The next few hours are passed with the events of Jesus being brought before Pilot, who deep down in side wanted to let Him go, but eventually out of fear of the people, turns Him over to them to be scourged and crucified!

Our Lord was beaten beyond recognition, His beard plucked from His face, His flesh ripped from His bones, His blood spilled from Pilot’s Praetorium to Golgotha’s hill, a crown of thorns placed upon His head and finally His mangled, beaten and bruised body was crucified to a Roman cross and raised in shame for all the world to see!

These are the events that have led us up to the point I want us to pay special attention to today! Today, I want us to look at the GREATEST WORDS ever recorded, from the GREATEST MAN who has ever lived, on the GREATEST DAY in all eternity!

Today, we are going to look back at The Savior’s Greatest Statement! So, if you have your Bible’s with you, turn with me if you will to John 19:28-30.

The Recognition, Request & Reaction — Vs. 28-29

What exactly does the Bible mean when it says here, “Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished”?

Well, in order to understand what the Bible is saying here, you have to understand that no one knew the Bible better than Jesus because He was the very one it was written about, Amen!

John 1:1 & 14 — 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

You see, everything written before He came to earth pointed toward Him and everything written after His coming, points us to Him and His coming again! Jesus is the scarlet thread that holds this entire compilation of 66 Books together!

And so when the Bible says here that Jesus knew that all things were now accomplished it means that He knew the job He had come to do was now complete!

If you look back to what is probably my favorite chapter in all the Bible, John Chapter 17, you will see Jesus make this very comment as He prays to the Father.

John 17:4 — 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

So what was the work that he had come to do?

Well, Jesus told Zacchaeus in Luke 19:10 — For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

In John 3:14 He told Nicodemus “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

And then He said to His disciples and others at the temple in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

In Luke 5:32 — I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

And Paul said 1 Timothy 1:15 — This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. And that’s exactly what He did! He left the splendors of Heaven to accomplish the will and work of His Father and that was to come this world, to save sinners like you and I and to give His life a ransom for many and become the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world!

His job, His great work that He was sent to accomplish was to save His people from their sins and this very act, His dying on the cross for the sins of mankind, was the final fulfillment that had to take place in order for His work to be complete!

And He had done it! He had reached the end! He had completed the mission He had been sent on by His Father!

And after realizing all other prophecies had been fulfilled, and His work on earth was complete Jesus says here, “I thirst.”

Now, some will just say, “Of course He was just thirsty! He had been hanging on the cross for 6 hours and probably hadn’t had anything to drink all day!”

But the reality is, this final request was so much more! You see, Jesus realized that there was one final prophecy left to fulfill! One final task to be completed for the pages of history to record. One final fulfillment to add to the list of proofs that He was the true King of Jews, the Messiah, the Christ!

You see, the Bible records in Psalm 69:21 — They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

All other prophecies had been fulfilled but this one and Jesus says to the guards there casting lots for His garments.... “I thirst!”

The Roman guards oblige and take a sponge dipped in vinegar and place it to our Savior’s mouth. And the best part is this…these Roman guards and the Pharisees and Sadducees that were surrounding Jesus and taunting Him, had no idea that the part they were playing in all of this was fulfilling scripture written about 1,000 years beforehand! If you go read Psalm 22, you will find the very acts spoken of here in the gospels being fulfilled!

It even speaks of the His hands and feet being pierced which is a direct representation of Christ being crucified, which mind you, wasn’t even a form of punishment used during the time when David wrote this Psalm! Crucifixion didn’t come about until hundreds of years later but David’s prophecy was a picture of what would happen to the Savior when He came!

This is why I said in the introduction that even in His death, Jesus was still in control! They thought they had the upper hand, they thought they had won the war but little did they know that their moves had simply solidified Jesus for all eternity as the one and only Son of God! The Messiah who was sent to save the world from it’s sins!

So, we see Christ’s Recognition that all things were now accomplished. Then we see His Request and the guards Reaction which would fulfill one final prophecy when it came to His death.

Now let’s look at The Remark and Revelation that would finalize it all! The Savior’s Greatest Statement!

The Remark & Revelation — Vs. 30a

After taking a drink of the vinegar Jesus says, “it is finished!” All of other gospels say He cried with a loud voice before dying and I believe this is what He cried!

“Tetelestai”

1 Word in the Greek, 3 words in English but the power behind this tiny statement still rings true today!

Charles Spurgeon — “an ocean of meaning in a drop of language, a mere drop. It would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word. It is altogether immeasurable. It is high; I cannot attain to it. It is deep; I cannot fathom it. IT IS FINISHED is the most charming note in all of Calvary’s music. The fire has passed upon the Lamb. He has borne the whole of the wrath that was due to His people. This is the royal dish of the feast of love.”

J C Ryle — “It is surely not too much to say, that of all the seven famous sayings of Christ on the cross, none is more remarkable than TETELESTAI.”

A C Gaebelein — “Never before and never after was ever spoken ONE WORD which contains and means so much. It is the shout of the mighty Victor. And who can measure the depths of this ONE WORD!”

A W Pink — “Eternity will be needed to make manifest all that TETELESTAI contains.”

Charles Simeon — ‘since the foundation of the world there never was a single word uttered, in which such diversified and important matter was contained. Every word indeed that proceeded from our Savior's lips deserves the most attentive consideration: but TETELESTAI eclipses all. To do justice to it, is beyond the ability of men or angels: its height, and depth, and length, and breadth, are absolutely unsearchable."

You see, the word “TETELESTAI” is the perfect tense of the verb teleo which is derived from telos and means “to bring something to a successful end to or to its intended or destined goal.”

It doesn’t mean just to complete a task but to carry it out fully, to bring it to the finish or to perfection. So when Jesus says here “TETELESTAI” it’s a word of finality.

“It is finished, it stands finished, and it always will be finished!”

That’s what it means when we say something is in the “Perfect Tense.” When something is in the perfect tense it’s speaking of an act that was done in the past but has a present effect.

Here, it means that Christ’s death on the cross has ongoing, permanent effects! Jesus sacrifice on the cross of Calvary may have happened over 2,000 years ago but it’s effects are still seen today and it’s results will last for all of eternity!

His work of redemption is complete and nothing needs to be or can be added to it.

Sin is atoned for, Satan is defeated and rendered powerless, every requirement of the Law has been satisfied and God’s holy wrath against sin has been satiated! Our redemption has been eternally secured and we have been reconciled to God in Christ's fleshly body through death that we might be presented holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

In Christ, though our sins be as scarlet, we have been made white as snow, Amen!

It is finished!

Aren’t you glad this morning friend that He didn’t say “I am finished” but rather “It is finished!”

Bro. Tony Evans said — "All the funds necessary to pay for our total redemption were put up by Jesus Christ on the Cross."

Warren Wiersbe put it like this — “He took my bankruptcy and covered it with His solvency.”

Listen friend, He didn’t just make a down payment and then expect us to keep up the installments, Amen! He paid for it all and now IT IS FINISHED!

Hebrews 9:24-28 — 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Are you looking to Christ this morning friend? If you’re looking anywhere else for an answer you’re looking in the wrong place!

Now, I want to take just a minute here, as we get ready to land this plane, and show you some of the different ways this beautiful word “TETELESTAI” was used in this day and time because when you truly understand the significance of how it was used, you will begin to gain a better understanding of just exactly what Christ was saying when He made His Greatest Statement!

(1) It was used by Servants:

When reporting to their master they would say, “I have COMPLETED (TETELESTAI) the work assigned to me”.

John 6:38 — For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Mark 10:45 — For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

John 4:34 — "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

John 17:4 — I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

Jesus took upon himself the form of a servant and came to accomplish the Father’s will and so as He’s hanging there on that cross, and says, “It is Finished!” He’s reporting back to the master and saying, “the work you have given me is complete!”

Not only was it used by servants, but it was used by Priests.

(2) It was used by Priests:

Priests would examine animals for blemishes before they were sacrificed. If the lamb was faultless, perfect, and acceptable, the priest would say, "TETELESTAI!"

Hebrews 2:17 — Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:14-15 — 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

1 Peter 1:18-19 — 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Jesus was not only the High Priest but the perfect sacrificial lamb who gave himself for our sins! As He hung there on that cross and shouted TETELESTAI, He was finishing His ministry the same way it was started by John the Baptist when he said in

John 1:29b — "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This phrase would have been all to familiar to the Pharisees and Sadducees who stood by mocking and scorning our Lord but as before, their piousness and pride stood in the way of what was right before them!

Please don’t let the same thing happen to you today friend! If the Holy Spirit deals with your heart today, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be set free from your burden of sin!

Not only was it used by Servants & Priests but it was also used by Artists.

(3) It was used by Artists:

The great Baptist Preacher Frank Boreham wrote that "When the painter or the sculptor had put the last finishing touches to the vivid landscape or the marble bust, he would stand back a few feet to admire his masterpiece, and, seeing in it nothing that called for correction or improvement, would murmur fondly, ‘Tetelestai!’ ‘Tetelestai!’" "IT IS FINISHED!”

All the Old Testament “pictures” (types) of the Messiah were fulfilled in Christ and were but only a shadow of what was to come. The death of Jesus on the Cross finished the picture of redemption, a masterpiece which had been in the Father's heart from before the foundation of the world.

The word TETELESTAI was also used by Merchants.

(4) It was used by Merchants:

In ancient times when a promissory note was paid, the one holding the note wrote “TETELESTAI” across it.

A deed to property was not in effect until it was dated and signed, and when this was accomplished, the clerk wrote “TETELESTAI” across the deed.

When someone had a debt and it was paid off, the creditor would write "TETELESTAI" on the certificate of debt signifying that it was "PAID IN FULL".

I’ve read in a couple different places that several years ago, archaeologists digging in Egypt uncovered the "office" of an ancient "CPA." In this office they found a stack of bills, with the Greek word "tetelestai" inscribed across each bill - "Paid in full"!

When Christ gave Himself on the Cross, He fulfilled all the righteous demands of the law and our "sin debt" was PAID IN FULL. The OT sacrifices covered sin but could never take sin away. Jesus accomplished what all of the old covenant sacrifices could not do.

H H Hobbs — “In eternity, the Son gave the Father a "promissory note" that He would pay the price for humanity’s redemption (see Heb 10:5–7) and at Calvary the note was PAID IN FULL. TETELESTAI!"

Charles Spurgeon — The general religion of mankind is “DO,” but the religion of a true Christian is “DONE.” IT IS FINISHED is the believer’s conquering word. INCARNATE LOVE has fulfilled His self-imposed task. Jesus, as the Substitute for sinners, was condemned to die, and He died that He might finish the work of our redemption. Your sins have sustained their death-blow, the robe of your righteousness has received its last thread. It is done, complete, perfect. It needs no addition; it can NEVER suffer any diminution. Oh, Christian, do lay hold of this precious thought. I may not be able to state it except in weak terms, but let not my weakness prevent your apprehending its glory and its preciousness. This thought is enough to make a man leap, though his legs were chained with irons, and to make him sing, though his mouth were gagged. We are PERFECTLY ACCEPTED in Christ, and our justification is not partial. It does not go to a limited extent, but goes the whole way. Our unrighteousness is covered. From condemnation we are entirely and irrevocably free. The work is done, redemption is accomplished; the salvation of My people is forever secured. Sin will never be mentioned against them anymore, forever. Oh, wondrous deed of Deity! Oh, mighty feat of love accomplished once for all!

Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, wrote — There dawned upon me the joyous conviction that since the whole work was finished and the whole debt was paid upon the Cross there was nothing for me to do but to fall upon my knees, accept the Savior and praise Him forevermore.

The evangelist Alexander Wooten was approached by a young man who asked, “What must I DO to be saved?” Wooten replied “It’s too late!” The young man became alarmed asking “Do you mean that it’s too late for me to be saved? Is there nothing I can DO?” Wooten replied “Too late! It’s already been DONE! (IT IS FINISHED!) The only thing you can DO is BELIEVE.”

And I’m here this morning to reiterate that same thing…salvation was purchased at Calvary through the spilled blood of Jesus Christ and if you intend on being saved today dear friend, the only thing you can do is trust in Him! That’s it!

Ephesians 2:4-9 — 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Amen!

Now that we have looked at The Savior’s Greatest Statement I want you to look at one other thing before we close. Look with me if you will at the Relinquishing of His Spirit.

The Relinquishing — Vs. 30b

The Bible says here that Christ bowed His head and “gave” up the ghost! Notice friend, they didn’t take His life from Him but rather He gave it freely, Amen!

He said in...John 10:17-18 — 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus died on His terms for His people who He came to save! It wasn’t the cross that killed Jesus! It wasn’t the scourging that killed Jesus! It wasn’t the brutal beating or the crown of thorns that killed Jesus!

It was His great love for you and I! That’s what actually killed the one and only of Son of God!

The Bible says in...Romans 5:8 — God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He willingly laid down His life so that we might have life! He gave it all so that we might have it all! He paid a debt that He did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay!

Closing — The Resting

And this morning I want to end by saying this…we, those who have put their faith in the one and only Son of God, Jesus the Christ of Nazareth, should find rest and peace in knowing that “IT IS FINISHED!”

There’s nothing I can or cannot do to add to the finished work of salvation! No amount of works can save me, no lack of sin in my life on it’s own can save me.

The only thing on this side of eternity that I can do to be saved and inherit eternal life is trust in Jesus Christ! That’s it! And I know from God’s word that it says in...

John 3:16-18 — For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:9-13 — 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There’s a song we often sing that speaks volumes when it comes to Christ’s finished work at Calvary and it goes like this...

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

On Calvary.

Mercy there was great,

and grace was free;

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty,

At Calvary.

By God's Word at last my sin I learned,

Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned

To Calvary

Now I've giv'n to Jesus ev'rything;

Now I gladly own Him as my King;

Now my raptured soul can only sing

Of Calvary.

O, the love that drew salvation's plan!

O, the grace that brought it down to man!

O, the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!

The Savior’s Greatest Statement — “TETELESTAI” “IT IS FINISHED”

Have you trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ today? Or are you trying to make it Heaven some other way?

I’m here to tell you this morning friend, there’s only one road that leads to salvation and that road runs through Calvary! Make your way to the foot of the cross and you’ll understand there’s nothing else needed! Amen!

This message has many bullets written by other men’s hands that just so happened to fit the gun I was shooting today! I give credit to the Holy Spirit who guides all men’s minds and thoughts and hands to write! To God be the Glory forever and ever Amen!