Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Joy to the World
Welcome (Sam Garcia)
Scripture Reading (John 19:28-30)
Prayer of Praise (Christ our Joy), Sarah Jordan
Holy, Holy, Holy
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Prayer of Confession (Discontentment), Jim Lewis
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
PBC Catechism #50
What is our responsibility as missionaries?
With God’s help we pledge to seek the salvation of our families, friends, and acquaintances.
We further pledge to labor in love towards our neighbors and the nations, pursuing them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastoral Prayer (Mike Lindell)
SERMON
Peter and Kate McAllister had likely been planning this vacation for months.
Not only were they traveling to Paris to celebrate Christmas, not only were they bringing their relatively large family of seven, but they had invited Peter’s brother Frank and his family of seven.
And tagging along was their niece Heather.
So as Heather put it after they loaded up that fateful morning, there was “five boys, six girls, four parents, two drivers, . . .
and a partridge in a pear tree.”
[1]
But that trip to Paris took more than advance planning.
Peter McAllister paid a hefty price to make it happen.
One article estimates that the cost for 11 coach and 4 first-class non-stop plane tickets from Chicago to Paris at Christmastime in 1990 was more than $35,000.
[2]
But regardless of how much they paid and planned, Peter and Kate couldn’t guarantee the results of their Christmas vacation.
Before their plane touched down in Paris, they realized they had left their youngest son, Kevin, home alone.
Because you can make plans and pay the price, but you can’t guarantee the results.
We know that’s true, don’t we?
How many times have your best laid plans been interrupted by providence?
How many times have you paid for something that didn’t deliver on it’s promises?
How many times have we been reminded that making plans and paying the price isn’t enough to guarantee good results?
Is that true for God?
This Christmas we’re exploring what Christmas says about the atonement, the good news that Jesus was born to die to save His people.
Last week learned how God planned the atonement before the foundation of the world, when God chose to save some by His grace, for our good, and for His glory.
Of course the price God paid to save His people was the death of His own Son.
When God makes a plan and pays the price, can He guarantee the results?
Or is He no better than the McAllisters?
Turn to John 19:30
For three hours Jesus has endured the excruciating pain of the cross.
He has endured the wrath of God, as the Father laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He says He’s thirsty and is given sour wine to drink
And then He says something that demonstrates His death was effective, it accomplished everything God intended.
In other words, when God makes a plan and pays the price He guarantees the results.
John 19:30—When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
With God’s help, I want to ask and answer three questions from our text:
As we answer these questions, I hope you’ll grow in your confidence that Jesus’ death was effective, it accomplished everything God intended.
1) What was FINISHED on the Cross?
Sherlock Holmes—“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
[3]
Miracles?
Jesus did many miracles in His earthly ministry
Was Jesus finished with miracles?
No, for His greatest miracle hasn’t happened yet (the resurrection)
Teaching?
Much of Jesus’ ministry was about teaching
Was Jesus finished teaching?
No, He will teach disciples on road to Emmaus how all Scriptures are pointing to Himself
Humanity?
Joan Osborne famously asked, “What if God was one of us?”
The marvel of the Christmas story is that God became one of us!!!
When Jesus said “it is finished,” was He talking about His time existing in human flesh?
No, His resurrection and ascension teaches us that He will forever remain in His glorified body
Prophecy?
Much of Jesus’ ministry is fulfilling prophecy!
Even in our text, He mentions His thirst to fulfill the Scripture (referring to prophesies in Psalm 22 and Psalm 69).
Was Jesus finished fulfilling prophecy?
No, they haven't pierced His side or buried Him.
He hasn't been resurrected!
We’re still awaiting more fulfillment at His second coming!
All Work?
Perhaps this is a general statement about Jesus resting from all His work as the Father rested on the seventh day after creation
No, Jesus continues to work!
Hebrews 7:25 says Jesus is continually working in heaven, interceding on our behalf before the Father
Jesus’ work now is different (He’ll never die on a cross again), but He’s not done working entirely.
Suffering?
Jesus has been suffering on the cross for three hours!
When He says “it is finished” is He simply saying He won’t suffer any more?
We might be closer to the answer, but we’re not quite there.
After all, the New Testament suggests that when Jesus’ people suffer, He suffers...
Remember when Saul the persecutor was on his way to Damascus and was blinded by a light from heaven?
Two times Jesus says to Saul, “you are persecuting Me!!!”
The right answer is found in the text itself:
“It is finished” is one word in the original language, the Greek word “tetelestai”
It’s a word that refers to the total completion of an activity, the entire fulfillment of an obligation, or the full payment of a debt
In Jesus’ day, the word was often stamped on a purchase or written on a receipt, because it meant “paid in full.”
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So when Jesus says, “it is finished,” He means that the payment for sin has been fully and finally paid!
Payment for Sin!
This coincides with what Jesus told His disciples earlier about why He would die...
Mark 10:45—“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
A ransom is a payment paid to free someone from slavery
What was finished?
When Jesus said “it is finished,” He was referring to the payment that was made on the cross.
Which leads directly into our second question...
2) What was PAID FOR on the Cross?
Knowing what you’re paying for matters.
For example, whether or not the McAllister’s trip to Paris was successful depends on what they were paying for.
If they paid all that money simply to touch down in Paris, they succeeded!
But if they paid to have a nice Christmas vacation with all their family together in Paris, they failed miserably!
What was Jesus paying for on the cross?
There’s really only three options...
Jesus died to save everybody
Jesus died to make everybody savable
Jesus died to save His people
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