Sermon Tone Analysis
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*Introduction.*
"It is finished."
This short phrase in English is only one word in the Greek New Testament.
Yet, I believe that it is one of the most important statements that our Lord ever uttered.
And certainly it is the most full of the seven sayings from the Cross.
"It is finished."
The purpose of this simple message tonight is to seek to discern the meaning of Jesus' statement.
Some have said that this was a cry of relief since the anguish of the cross was over.
Others have said that this was a cry of anguish since Jesus' ministry ended in failure.
But in my estimation, those interpretations do not simply fall short of the meaning B *they are downright wrong.*
* *
Jesus did not die as helpless martyr.
This was not the last gasp of a worn-out life.
Well, what did Jesus mean?
\\ The ancient Greeks long ago boasted that with the Greek they could give an ocean of meaning in a drop of language.
And truly this is what happened when Jesus uttered this word from the Cross.
Jesus was making a divine declaration that all for which He had come into the world was now accomplished.
Jesus hung that afternoon, suspended between heaven and earth;
Darkness veiled the glowing face of the sun.
And the very foundations of the earth rocked and reeled in the wake of that which Christ was working on those timbers.
It was a word that shook the foundations of hell itself.
* *
That word is τετέλεσται.
The translation in your Bible, I'm sure, is very good.
But there is much involved here that cannot be rendered into a simple translation.
For in these words, our Lord Jesus Christ bespeaks the entirety of His work.
If you recall in the great prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 17, Jesus prayed,
"I have finished the work thou gavest me to do."
And this statement on the cross is an affirmation of that.
Please notice that Jesus did NOT say, "I am finished."
Now the rulers of the day thought Jesus was finished.
The demons of hell thought Jesus was finished.
But Jesus said,
"IT is finished."
Now, when we look at that statement, "It is finished," I want us to see this under two simple headings.
I.
WHAT WAS FINISHED and
II.
HOW IT WAS FINISHED.
(But the truth is, I'm only going to get to the first one.)
First,
*I.
WHAT WAS FINISHED?*
Jesus said, "It is finished."
What was it that was finished?
I mean, this is a pretty open-ended statement.
There are, no doubt, many things that we could say here, but I believe that the things that were finished may be summed up under three categories.
And the first category of things that were finished were
*A.
The Prophecies Concerning His Sacrifice.*
Look at John 19:28,
"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, *that the Scripture might be fulfilled, *saith, "I thirst."
And look at verse 30:
"When Jesus *therefore* had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished."
The "therefore" lets us know that there was one last prophecy that had to be fulfilled before Jesus could die.
And it seems like such a little thing on the surface.
But friend, the phrase "that it might be fulfilled" occurs over and over in the Bible.
You see, every jot and tittle of prophecy had to be fulfilled.
Of course, we do not have time tonight to mention all the prophecies concerning Jesus that were fulfilled by Him.
*But the prophecies concerning His crucifixion are amazing in and of themselves.*
* *
Take Psalm 22 for example.
Psalm 22:1 says,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Psalm 22:7, 8 say,
"7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, /saying/, 8 He trusted on the LORD /that /he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."
That's precisely hat the said of Jesus when they crucified Him.
Notice Psalm 22:14,
"14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."
And when Jesus died, blood and water poured out.
Another thing that crucifixion does is disjoint the bones.
Notice Psalm 22:16,
"16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."
The point I'm trying to make is this:
As you read the 22nd Psalm, it sounds like it was written by an eyewitness to the crucifixion of Christ.
But the amazing thing is that when David wrote this, the Jews exercised capital punishment by stoning.
In fact, crucifixion itself was the Roman form of execution, and it was never even thought of when David penned this psalm.
Yet, here is a detailed description of what happened to Christ.
Look at Psalm 22:18,
"18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
And so, down to the most minute detail of giving Jesus vinegar to drink, and the guards gambling for Jesus' robe, God gave an exact prophecy of Christ's death.
And one of the points I want to make is that just as the first prophecies about Christ were fulfilled literally, I am just as sure that those prophecies concerning His second coming will be fulfilled literally.
And one of the things that Jesus meant when He said, "It is finished" is that all the prophecies about His crucifixion were completed.
But there is something else that was finished, and that was
*B.
The Payment for Sin.*
My dear friend, the Bible makes it abundantly that there is a penalty for sin.
Sin is real and there is a penalty for it.
People tend not to be aware of the fact they are sinners.
[No, they know they're not perfect, but they do not consider their "imperfections" as a confrontation to a holy God.]
They are not aware of their sin.
Now they tend to be *very* aware of whatever neurosis they may have.
Bi-polar
ADD
ADS
Manic depressive
Victims of whatever abuse
They are very aware of that.
But most are NOT aware of personal sin.
But sinners we are.
And the penalty for that sin is death B *eternal death.*
When the very first couple, Adam and Eve, God warned them that if they sinned they would die that very day.[1]
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