1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,800 Well would you please turn with me in your Bible to John’s gospel chapter 19 and verse 2 00:00:06,800 –> 00:00:07,800 30. 3 00:00:07,800 –> 00:00:13,380 The gospel of John chapter 19 and verse 30 our Scripture for today. 4 00:00:13,380 –> 00:00:18,200 Every Christian believer needs to know what happened at the cross. 5 00:00:18,200 –> 00:00:22,480 This is the very centre of our faith. 6 00:00:22,480 –> 00:00:27,280 And we’re following this story through the words that were spoken by Jesus Christ from 7 00:00:27,879 –> 00:00:28,879 The cross. 8 00:00:28,879 –> 00:00:33,320 And we have seen that during the first three hours when He hung there between nine and 9 00:00:33,320 –> 00:00:37,119 noon He spoke just three times. 10 00:00:37,119 –> 00:00:42,160 Then at noon darkness came over the whole land and for the next three hours He did not 11 00:00:42,160 –> 00:00:44,840 say a single word. 12 00:00:44,840 –> 00:00:46,520 He was our sin bearer. 13 00:00:46,520 –> 00:00:52,799 And for that reason in the darkness bearing our sins He was plunged into all the dimensions 14 00:00:52,799 –> 00:00:54,599 of hell. 15 00:00:54,660 –> 00:00:59,820 And then we saw having endured the very depths of hell, Christ cried out in a loud voice, 16 00:00:59,820 –> 00:01:03,919 my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 17 00:01:03,919 –> 00:01:06,879 And then there was a sudden sequence of events. 18 00:01:06,879 –> 00:01:09,699 We saw last week that Jesus said, I thirst. 19 00:01:09,699 –> 00:01:13,120 They brought Him a sponge that was soaked in vinegar. 20 00:01:13,120 –> 00:01:14,419 They put it on a stick. 21 00:01:14,419 –> 00:01:16,919 They held it up to Jesus. 22 00:01:16,919 –> 00:01:21,080 And then we read these words from John chapter 19 and verse 30. 23 00:01:21,080 –> 00:01:24,639 I hope you have the Bible open in front of you. 24 00:01:24,639 –> 00:01:35,419 When Jesus had received the drink, he said it is finished. 25 00:01:35,419 –> 00:01:42,820 And with that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 26 00:01:42,820 –> 00:01:47,580 Now as we’ve taken this journey through the sufferings of Jesus on the cross, I tell you 27 00:01:47,660 –> 00:01:53,800 I have really looked forward to speaking on these words today. 28 00:01:53,800 –> 00:01:58,279 What we’re seeing here is that Jesus came through the agony of his suffering that we 29 00:01:58,279 –> 00:02:00,320 thought about last week. 30 00:02:00,320 –> 00:02:03,199 He endured all of the pains of hell. 31 00:02:03,199 –> 00:02:05,900 He cried out from the depths. 32 00:02:05,900 –> 00:02:09,080 But now he is announcing his victory. 33 00:02:09,080 –> 00:02:13,259 He moves into death, not defeated but triumphant. 34 00:02:13,259 –> 00:02:19,279 And as he breathes his last he says, it is finished. 35 00:02:19,279 –> 00:02:22,820 One of the great writers on the cross, a man by the name of F.W. 36 00:02:22,820 –> 00:02:25,220 Krumacher says this. 37 00:02:25,220 –> 00:02:32,779 These are the greatest and most momentous words that were ever spoken on the earth since 38 00:02:32,779 –> 00:02:34,539 the beginning of the world. 39 00:02:34,539 –> 00:02:36,419 And I agree with that, don’t you? 40 00:02:36,419 –> 00:02:37,800 It is finished. 41 00:02:37,800 –> 00:02:44,119 The greatest and most momentous words that were ever spoken on the earth since the creation 42 00:02:44,119 –> 00:02:45,119 of the world. 43 00:02:45,119 –> 00:02:53,360 Krumacher says in these words, chains are broken and prison walls fall down. 44 00:02:53,360 –> 00:02:59,800 I have been praying that that will be the reality for many of us as we hear these words 45 00:02:59,800 –> 00:03:02,759 of our lord and savior Jesus Christ today. 46 00:03:03,619 –> 00:03:08,039 Now I have a very simple outline that I hope all of you will find helpful, and that some 47 00:03:08,039 –> 00:03:09,880 of you might even remember. 48 00:03:09,880 –> 00:03:16,279 It’s just this, Christ finished, you haven’t, but with him, you will. 49 00:03:16,279 –> 00:03:17,979 You might like to say that with me. 50 00:03:17,979 –> 00:03:22,520 Christ finished, you haven’t, but with him, you will. 51 00:03:22,520 –> 00:03:23,520 Very simply. 52 00:03:23,520 –> 00:03:25,220 Number one, Christ finished. 53 00:03:25,220 –> 00:03:27,539 It is finished. 54 00:03:27,539 –> 00:03:28,720 Now what was finished? 55 00:03:28,720 –> 00:03:31,919 Let me give four answers to that question. 56 00:03:32,179 –> 00:03:38,779 First, the long night of our Lord’s suffering was finished. 57 00:03:38,779 –> 00:03:45,139 And I put this first because John describes how someone had held up that sponge soaked 58 00:03:45,139 –> 00:03:52,220 in vinegar, which must have been so awful to the lips of the Lord Jesus in his moments 59 00:03:52,220 –> 00:03:59,220 of agony, and the apostles says, notice there, when Jesus had received the drink, the vinegar, 60 00:03:59,220 –> 00:04:01,419 he said it is finished. 61 00:04:01,419 –> 00:04:05,580 Can you imagine what that vinegar tasted like to his lips? 62 00:04:05,580 –> 00:04:13,419 Matthew Henry says this, when he had received this last indignity in the vinegar that they 63 00:04:13,419 –> 00:04:18,040 gave to him, Jesus said, this is the last. 64 00:04:18,040 –> 00:04:22,559 I am now going out of their reach. 65 00:04:22,559 –> 00:04:23,559 I love that. 66 00:04:23,559 –> 00:04:25,000 I love that. 67 00:04:25,000 –> 00:04:28,559 Beyond their reach, beyond the reach of his tormentors. 68 00:04:28,559 –> 00:04:31,279 It is the end of his suffering. 69 00:04:32,040 –> 00:04:37,559 Now we saw last time, and this is very important, that Jesus knows excruciating suffering from 70 00:04:37,559 –> 00:04:38,559 the inside. 71 00:04:38,559 –> 00:04:42,119 He has been as it were, to the edge of endurance. 72 00:04:42,119 –> 00:04:47,079 He knows more about this than anyone else has ever known it, but he is not suffering 73 00:04:47,079 –> 00:04:48,679 now. 74 00:04:48,679 –> 00:04:51,559 He is not on the cross now. 75 00:04:51,559 –> 00:04:53,320 He’s done with that. 76 00:04:53,320 –> 00:04:54,859 It’s finished. 77 00:04:54,859 –> 00:04:57,119 He’s not in the grave either. 78 00:04:57,299 –> 00:05:02,980 He is at the right hand of the Father, where today he is interceding for us. 79 00:05:02,980 –> 00:05:07,519 Now friends, that is of massive importance to you and to me. 80 00:05:07,519 –> 00:05:12,100 Because as we saw last week, this suffering world needs a suffering savior. 81 00:05:12,100 –> 00:05:14,619 It needs a savior who knows about suffering. 82 00:05:14,619 –> 00:05:18,000 He’s the only kind of savior who can be a savior for us. 83 00:05:18,000 –> 00:05:23,540 But a savior who is overwhelmed by suffering, a savior who remains in suffering, is of 84 00:05:23,540 –> 00:05:25,320 no use to us either. 85 00:05:25,420 –> 00:05:30,440 We need a savior who knows what it is to suffer, and who triumphs over suffering. 86 00:05:30,440 –> 00:05:33,320 And that is what we have in Jesus. 87 00:05:33,320 –> 00:05:36,980 He is plunged into indescribable suffering. 88 00:05:36,980 –> 00:05:39,959 That comes out in the word we looked at last time, I thirst. 89 00:05:39,959 –> 00:05:45,619 But he was not overcome by it, he came through it, and he triumphed in it. 90 00:05:45,619 –> 00:05:53,000 That’s your Lord Jesus Christ, finished, the long night of his suffering. 91 00:05:54,000 –> 00:05:59,820 The full course of his obedience was finished. 92 00:05:59,820 –> 00:06:03,940 Now remember why Jesus Christ came into the world, the son of God became a man 93 00:06:03,940 –> 00:06:10,519 to live the life that you and I would have had to live in order to get into heaven. 94 00:06:10,519 –> 00:06:15,059 And since we have not lived that life, he came to live that life for us. 95 00:06:15,059 –> 00:06:20,459 He did indeed live the perfect life, there was no sin in him. 96 00:06:20,559 –> 00:06:24,420 The night before he died, Jesus was able 97 00:06:24,420 –> 00:06:27,380 to say, this is in John 17 in verse 4, 98 00:06:27,380 –> 00:06:32,779 He said to the father, I have brought you glory on earth by completing all the work 99 00:06:32,779 –> 00:06:33,880 he gave me to do. 100 00:06:33,880 –> 00:06:38,579 I’ve done everything, Jesus says, that the father gave me to do. 101 00:06:38,579 –> 00:06:43,220 Spurgeon says examine the life of Jesus from Bethlehem to Calvary, 102 00:06:43,220 –> 00:06:48,779 look minutely at every portion of his life in private as well as in public, 103 00:06:48,920 –> 00:06:53,459 the silent as well as the spoken and you will find that this life is finished, 104 00:06:53,459 –> 00:06:57,260 it is complete, it is perfect. 105 00:06:57,260 –> 00:07:00,660 Remember Jesus said I didn’t come to abolish the law, 106 00:07:00,660 –> 00:07:04,859 I came to fulfil the law. 107 00:07:04,859 –> 00:07:11,799 And every commandment of the law was fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ in his life. 108 00:07:11,799 –> 00:07:14,820 He lived THE life that is described by the law, 109 00:07:14,899 –> 00:07:19,079 that is required of everyone of us by Almighty God. 110 00:07:19,079 –> 00:07:22,339 He loved God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength. 111 00:07:22,339 –> 00:07:27,519 He loved his neighbour as himself and he’s the only person who has ever done it. 112 00:07:27,519 –> 00:07:30,579 But he did it and he completed it. 113 00:07:30,579 –> 00:07:37,920 The full course of his obedience was complete and when it was complete he said it is finished. 114 00:07:38,760 –> 00:07:40,459 Third. 115 00:07:40,459 –> 00:07:49,739 The decisive battle with his enemy was finished right there on the cross. 116 00:07:49,739 –> 00:07:54,239 Now the life of Jesus was a life of suffering it is the completion of his suffering. 117 00:07:54,239 –> 00:07:58,100 It was a life of obedience he completes his obedience. 118 00:07:58,100 –> 00:08:01,619 It was also a life of conflict. 119 00:08:01,619 –> 00:08:08,179 He came to engage in a fight, he came to overthrow a tyrant. 120 00:08:08,179 –> 00:08:13,859 He came to deliver you and me from the power of Satan. 121 00:08:13,859 –> 00:08:16,760 Now think about this with me for a moment. 122 00:08:16,760 –> 00:08:19,779 You look at the world today and ask the question. 123 00:08:19,779 –> 00:08:23,299 Where does evil come from. 124 00:08:23,299 –> 00:08:27,839 Why is the world as it is today. 125 00:08:27,839 –> 00:08:32,119 Why are so many marriages crumbling every year. 126 00:08:32,119 –> 00:08:37,380 Why is it that a year never passes without another war coming on to the world scene. 127 00:08:37,380 –> 00:08:38,380 Why? 128 00:08:38,380 –> 00:08:40,400 Where does all this come from. 129 00:08:40,400 –> 00:08:45,159 The great question by the way to ask an unbelieving secular, where does it come from? 130 00:08:45,159 –> 00:08:48,619 Why does it keep coming? 131 00:08:48,619 –> 00:08:50,880 What’s the source of what we are up against? 132 00:08:50,880 –> 00:08:54,840 Now Jesus was absolutely clear in the way he answered that question. 133 00:08:54,880 –> 00:08:58,239 He spoke with complete clarity about Satan. 134 00:08:58,239 –> 00:08:59,460 About the Devil. 135 00:08:59,460 –> 00:09:05,780 Indeed, confronting the Devil was the first act of Jesus’ public ministry, remember the 136 00:09:05,780 –> 00:09:08,500 spirit drove him into the wilderness, why? 137 00:09:08,500 –> 00:09:10,479 So that he should be tempted by the Devil. 138 00:09:10,479 –> 00:09:14,500 He was drawing the Devil out into the open for a confrontation. 139 00:09:14,500 –> 00:09:18,739 Because he came into the world the Bible says for this reason, to destroy the works of the 140 00:09:18,739 –> 00:09:21,260 evil one. 141 00:09:21,260 –> 00:09:27,059 And throughout his ministry, you see the Lord Jesus casting out evil spirits that are holding 142 00:09:27,059 –> 00:09:33,020 the lives of men, and of women in bondage. 143 00:09:33,020 –> 00:09:38,880 And that story of conflict, well you know it goes back all the way to the beginning 144 00:09:38,880 –> 00:09:42,020 of the Bible. 145 00:09:42,020 –> 00:09:47,239 Satan tempted the man and the woman, he led them into the sin that caused them to lose 146 00:09:47,239 –> 00:09:50,859 the joys of the paradise of God. 147 00:09:50,859 –> 00:09:53,299 They got the knowledge of evil. 148 00:09:53,299 –> 00:09:56,260 We’ve all lived with it ever since. 149 00:09:56,260 –> 00:10:03,320 Evil got a hold of them, got into human nature, got into the bloodstream as it were. 150 00:10:03,320 –> 00:10:07,159 And the human story ever since has been a story of being under the power of the evil 151 00:10:07,159 –> 00:10:08,640 one. 152 00:10:08,640 –> 00:10:14,059 That is the explanation of what we see in our world today, is it not? 153 00:10:14,059 –> 00:10:17,979 But God promised right at the beginning that a Redeemer would come. 154 00:10:18,780 –> 00:10:29,299 He said to Satan, you will bite his heel, but he, the Redeemer, will crush your head. 155 00:10:29,299 –> 00:10:30,940 Isn’t that a marvelous picture? 156 00:10:30,940 –> 00:10:33,260 I love that. 157 00:10:33,260 –> 00:10:39,460 The Redeemer stamping on the head of the snake. 158 00:10:39,460 –> 00:10:45,419 And as the Redeemer stamps on the head of the snake, the Redeemer has bitten with this 159 00:10:45,419 –> 00:10:47,099 deadly poison. 160 00:10:48,020 –> 00:10:54,119 But in the same act of the stamping, the head of the snake is crushed. 161 00:10:54,119 –> 00:10:57,880 That is what God said in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 162 00:10:57,880 –> 00:11:02,380 And this is precisely what happened at the cross. 163 00:11:02,380 –> 00:11:11,739 Christ dies, and in His death, He breaks Satan’s power. 164 00:11:11,739 –> 00:11:13,799 The Scripture is full of this. 165 00:11:13,960 –> 00:11:16,960 For example, Colossians chapter 2 and verse 15, 166 00:11:28,840 –> 00:11:32,919 Now you might expect it to say that Jesus triumphed over the devil by the resurrection, 167 00:11:32,919 –> 00:11:36,719 and that’s true. But that’s not what it says here. 168 00:11:36,719 –> 00:11:43,000 Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness by the cross. 169 00:11:43,760 –> 00:11:46,659 Ronald Wallace, who writes so helpfully on this, says, 170 00:12:09,359 –> 00:12:11,880 Let me give you a gambling analogy. 171 00:12:13,000 –> 00:12:16,599 Satan was like a gambler. 172 00:12:16,599 –> 00:12:20,200 And he knew that he was losing. 173 00:12:20,200 –> 00:12:23,960 And running out of chips, he is forced 174 00:12:23,960 –> 00:12:30,440 into the position where he has to put everything on the table, 175 00:12:30,440 –> 00:12:31,479 and Christ swept the boards. 176 00:12:34,219 –> 00:12:37,119 And for Satan at that moment, it is game over, 177 00:12:37,119 –> 00:12:40,440 and for us it is game on. 178 00:12:40,440 –> 00:12:44,400 He shared in our humanity so that by his death, 179 00:12:44,400 –> 00:12:47,599 he might destroy him who holds the power of death, 180 00:12:47,599 –> 00:12:52,239 that is the devil. 181 00:12:52,239 –> 00:12:54,539 It is finished, Jesus says. 182 00:12:54,539 –> 00:12:57,080 And we’ll come to what that means for us in just a moment. 183 00:12:57,080 –> 00:12:59,479 But I want you to hear what he’s saying. 184 00:12:59,479 –> 00:13:01,559 He says, it is finished. 185 00:13:01,559 –> 00:13:04,260 It is finished. 186 00:13:04,260 –> 00:13:07,299 So the Son of God becomes a Man. 187 00:13:07,299 –> 00:13:09,479 He fulfills the law. 188 00:13:09,479 –> 00:13:13,260 He now lays down his life as a sacrifice, and in his death, 189 00:13:13,260 –> 00:13:18,520 he moves beyond the place where Satan has any access to him. 190 00:13:18,520 –> 00:13:20,179 Satan can no longer tempt him. 191 00:13:20,179 –> 00:13:22,659 Satan can no longer cause him to suffer. 192 00:13:22,659 –> 00:13:23,179 It’s gone. 193 00:13:23,179 –> 00:13:24,419 It’s over. 194 00:13:24,419 –> 00:13:28,260 And now he is beyond the reach of any strategy 195 00:13:28,260 –> 00:13:31,940 Satan can ever throw at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 196 00:13:31,940 –> 00:13:34,559 He can’t get at him. 197 00:13:34,559 –> 00:13:36,780 He can’t get at him. 198 00:13:36,780 –> 00:13:41,179 And Jesus says, it is finished. 199 00:13:41,179 –> 00:13:42,460 Now, here’s the fourth thing. 200 00:13:42,460 –> 00:13:45,020 The long night of his suffering is finished, 201 00:13:45,020 –> 00:13:48,020 the full course of his obedience is finished, 202 00:13:48,020 –> 00:13:51,280 the decisive battle with his enemy is finished, 203 00:13:51,280 –> 00:13:55,840 and fourthly, the complete work of his atonement is finished. 204 00:13:55,840 –> 00:13:59,940 Remember that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. 205 00:13:59,940 –> 00:14:04,099 He came, he says, to give his life as a ransom for many, 206 00:14:04,099 –> 00:14:07,559 and on the cross, he says, it is finished. 207 00:14:07,559 –> 00:14:08,940 It’s done. 208 00:14:08,940 –> 00:14:11,780 He has borne the guilt of our sins. 209 00:14:11,780 –> 00:14:14,419 He has endured the punishment of our hell. 210 00:14:15,260 –> 00:14:19,840 The divine wrath has been spent on Him. 211 00:14:19,840 –> 00:14:24,020 The justice of God has been satisfied in Him. 212 00:14:24,020 –> 00:14:26,059 The perfect sacrifice has been offered, 213 00:14:26,059 –> 00:14:28,099 the complete atonement has been made, 214 00:14:28,099 –> 00:14:29,780 hell has been vanquished, 215 00:14:29,780 –> 00:14:31,859 the condemnation has been removed, 216 00:14:31,859 –> 00:14:35,020 and now the Redeemer says it is finished. 217 00:14:35,020 –> 00:14:35,880 It is finished. 218 00:14:38,140 –> 00:14:41,799 If you visit the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, 219 00:14:41,799 –> 00:14:43,219 and I hope one day that you will, 220 00:14:43,219 –> 00:14:45,760 it’s well worth it, if you’ve never been there, 221 00:14:45,760 –> 00:14:48,820 a little gem very close to home. 222 00:14:48,820 –> 00:14:50,239 You will have the opportunity there 223 00:14:50,239 –> 00:14:54,700 to walk through what’s called the Rotunda of Witnesses. 224 00:14:54,700 –> 00:14:58,820 Where there is in this hall a beautiful art work 225 00:14:58,820 –> 00:15:00,500 with some marvelous statements 226 00:15:00,780 –> 00:15:03,039 about our Lord Jesus Christ. 227 00:15:03,039 –> 00:15:06,900 And I think my favorite there is from Jonathan Edwards, 228 00:15:06,900 –> 00:15:08,719 and it simply says this. 229 00:15:09,559 –> 00:15:13,859 Though millions of sacrifices had been offered, 230 00:15:13,859 –> 00:15:16,799 yet nothing was done to purchase redemption 231 00:15:16,799 –> 00:15:19,880 before Christ’s incarnation. 232 00:15:19,880 –> 00:15:22,479 In other words, you’ve got this whole Old Testament 233 00:15:22,479 –> 00:15:24,539 and all these sacrifices. 234 00:15:24,539 –> 00:15:25,659 What are they accomplishing? 235 00:15:25,659 –> 00:15:27,000 Answer, nothing. 236 00:15:28,179 –> 00:15:29,820 All they’re doing is pointing forward 237 00:15:29,900 –> 00:15:32,000 to the one who would accomplish everything. 238 00:15:33,280 –> 00:15:35,859 So he says with all these millions of sacrifices, 239 00:15:35,859 –> 00:15:37,760 nothing was done to purchase redemption 240 00:15:37,760 –> 00:15:39,419 before Christ’s incarnation. 241 00:15:39,419 –> 00:15:41,400 And in the same way, 242 00:15:41,400 –> 00:15:44,280 nothing was done after his resurrection 243 00:15:44,280 –> 00:15:46,880 to purchase redemption for men, 244 00:15:46,880 –> 00:15:51,400 nor will there be anything more done to all eternity. 245 00:15:53,179 –> 00:15:56,500 What can be added to what Jesus Christ has accomplished 246 00:15:56,500 –> 00:15:57,739 in His death and resurrection? 247 00:15:57,739 –> 00:16:00,239 Answer, nothing, nothing. 248 00:16:01,299 –> 00:16:04,280 Because as nothing was done before to make the purchase, 249 00:16:04,280 –> 00:16:07,359 so nothing can be added after the purchase has been made. 250 00:16:07,359 –> 00:16:08,659 He says on the cross, 251 00:16:08,659 –> 00:16:12,099 it is finished. 252 00:16:12,099 –> 00:16:14,419 The long night of His suffering is over. 253 00:16:14,419 –> 00:16:15,859 It’s not on the cross now. 254 00:16:16,859 –> 00:16:18,659 He’s at the right hand of the Father. 255 00:16:18,659 –> 00:16:22,219 The full course of His obedience is complete. 256 00:16:22,219 –> 00:16:25,619 The perfect life has been lived by the perfect man 257 00:16:25,619 –> 00:16:27,559 so that men and women who are in Him 258 00:16:27,559 –> 00:16:30,340 may enter into heaven because of Him. 259 00:16:30,340 –> 00:16:33,340 The decisive battle with the enemy has taken place 260 00:16:33,340 –> 00:16:36,940 so that Satan can never gain power over Him. 261 00:16:36,940 –> 00:16:39,140 That’s why if Satan has power over you, 262 00:16:39,140 –> 00:16:41,979 your hope lies in Him, not in yourself. 263 00:16:42,859 –> 00:16:45,380 You got to see where the victory lies, 264 00:16:46,719 –> 00:16:49,520 and the complete work of His atonement is finished. 265 00:16:49,520 –> 00:16:52,380 Nothing was done in that regard until He came 266 00:16:52,380 –> 00:16:55,919 and nothing can be added to what He has done 267 00:16:55,919 –> 00:16:57,619 since it is finished. 268 00:16:57,619 –> 00:17:00,239 It is accomplished. 269 00:17:02,320 –> 00:17:03,979 So Christ finished. 270 00:17:05,119 –> 00:17:06,959 Point number two, much more briefly. 271 00:17:08,040 –> 00:17:09,040 You haven’t. 272 00:17:10,079 –> 00:17:11,760 You haven’t. 273 00:17:11,760 –> 00:17:13,439 And friends, I haven’t either. 274 00:17:14,800 –> 00:17:16,420 In fact, if you think about it, 275 00:17:16,420 –> 00:17:19,500 there was only ever one person in the history of the world 276 00:17:19,500 –> 00:17:21,599 who could say it is finished. 277 00:17:22,719 –> 00:17:26,099 None of us will be able to say that when we die 278 00:17:26,099 –> 00:17:29,000 because none of us have been able to say it where we live. 279 00:17:30,420 –> 00:17:32,880 None of us will be able to say on our deathbed, 280 00:17:32,880 –> 00:17:35,479 God, I brought your glory by completing 281 00:17:35,479 –> 00:17:37,260 all of the work that you gave me to do. 282 00:17:37,260 –> 00:17:39,560 I wish I could say that. 283 00:17:41,380 –> 00:17:43,300 But I’ll tell you, I have not been able to say that 284 00:17:43,300 –> 00:17:46,739 about one day of my Christian life, let alone one week. 285 00:17:47,579 –> 00:17:49,680 So how am I gonna say it of my whole life? 286 00:17:50,680 –> 00:17:52,020 Let’s be realistic here. 287 00:17:52,699 –> 00:17:57,699 As a Christian, you make a beginning 288 00:17:59,099 –> 00:18:01,160 at all the commandments of God, 289 00:18:02,800 –> 00:18:05,479 but you have not finished the work of one of them. 290 00:18:06,959 –> 00:18:10,599 A beginning of all, but a completion of none. 291 00:18:12,319 –> 00:18:14,839 There has never been a day in my life, not in yours, 292 00:18:14,839 –> 00:18:17,180 that you or I have lived to perfection. 293 00:18:17,180 –> 00:18:22,180 Every Sunday, every Saturday, every day, 294 00:18:25,560 –> 00:18:28,060 we find ourselves in the same position of saying, 295 00:18:28,060 –> 00:18:30,239 we have done those things we ought not to have done, 296 00:18:30,239 –> 00:18:33,380 and we have not done those things that we ought to have done 297 00:18:33,380 –> 00:18:36,060 and that will never change the sight of heaven. 298 00:18:37,140 –> 00:18:38,540 Now you may grow in your Christian life, 299 00:18:38,540 –> 00:18:40,760 you will grow in your Christian life, 300 00:18:40,760 –> 00:18:42,979 but you’ll never move beyond the place 301 00:18:42,979 –> 00:18:44,579 of being a believing sinner. 302 00:18:44,699 –> 00:18:45,660 You will never move beyond the place 303 00:18:45,660 –> 00:18:48,079 of being a believing sinner, never. 304 00:18:49,819 –> 00:18:53,079 Spurgeon says we can find a thousand flaws 305 00:18:53,079 –> 00:18:54,420 in our best works. 306 00:18:54,420 –> 00:18:56,079 Have you noticed that by the way? 307 00:18:57,939 –> 00:18:59,780 When we lie dying, he says, 308 00:18:59,780 –> 00:19:02,160 we will still have to lament 309 00:19:02,160 –> 00:19:05,339 our shortcomings and our excesses. 310 00:19:07,060 –> 00:19:08,260 That’s just the reality. 311 00:19:09,099 –> 00:19:13,260 Sinners on earth can never say it is finished. 312 00:19:16,040 –> 00:19:17,020 And you know what? 313 00:19:18,180 –> 00:19:22,180 Sinners in hell can never say it is finished either. 314 00:19:23,439 –> 00:19:24,760 That’s the awfulness of it. 315 00:19:27,439 –> 00:19:32,079 So Christ finished, you haven’t. 316 00:19:32,079 –> 00:19:32,920 I haven’t. 317 00:19:34,180 –> 00:19:36,260 Time to move on to the third point, right? 318 00:19:37,260 –> 00:19:41,420 Christ finished, you haven’t. 319 00:19:41,420 –> 00:19:44,959 But with him, say it with me, you will. 320 00:19:44,959 –> 00:19:49,800 Christ finished, you haven’t, but with him you will. 321 00:19:49,800 –> 00:19:53,800 Now think about this, here’s what you get 322 00:19:53,800 –> 00:19:56,579 when Jesus is yours. 323 00:19:56,579 –> 00:19:59,219 Or to put it another way, like the new testament does, 324 00:19:59,219 –> 00:20:03,239 here’s what is yours in Jesus Christ. 325 00:20:03,239 –> 00:20:05,900 Here’s what you get when you get him. 326 00:20:05,920 –> 00:20:08,619 If he’s yours, here’s what is yours as a result. 327 00:20:08,619 –> 00:20:10,619 And think about it as we’ve thought about 328 00:20:10,619 –> 00:20:12,079 what he accomplished on the cross. 329 00:20:12,079 –> 00:20:16,479 Listen, number one, Jesus completed the work of atonement. 330 00:20:16,479 –> 00:20:18,339 That’s what we’ve just said. 331 00:20:18,339 –> 00:20:21,939 And so in Christ, if you are in Christ, you are forgiven, 332 00:20:21,939 –> 00:20:24,939 you are accepted and you are loved. 333 00:20:24,939 –> 00:20:27,099 If you are in Jesus Christ, or if you come 334 00:20:27,099 –> 00:20:28,939 to be in Jesus Christ today, 335 00:20:28,939 –> 00:20:31,020 you do not have to do something else 336 00:20:31,020 –> 00:20:33,819 to be loved, to be accepted or to be forgiven. 337 00:20:33,819 –> 00:20:36,959 All you need is in Christ and if he is yours 338 00:20:36,959 –> 00:20:39,160 because he has completed the atonement, 339 00:20:39,160 –> 00:20:42,060 if he’s yours, then you have all that he has accomplished 340 00:20:42,060 –> 00:20:44,300 in the atonement, which means that the love of God, 341 00:20:44,300 –> 00:20:47,140 the forgiveness of God, and the acceptance of God 342 00:20:47,140 –> 00:20:51,319 streams to you from the Father in Christ. 343 00:20:51,319 –> 00:20:52,319 It’s finished. 344 00:20:53,599 –> 00:20:58,599 Second, Jesus completed the full course of obedience. 345 00:20:59,560 –> 00:21:01,819 So some of us who are still killing ourselves 346 00:21:01,819 –> 00:21:03,300 with attempts at perfectionism 347 00:21:03,339 –> 00:21:06,400 that we can never quite manage, hear this. 348 00:21:06,400 –> 00:21:08,739 Jesus completed the full course of obedience 349 00:21:08,739 –> 00:21:12,380 so in Christ you have already lived the righteous life 350 00:21:12,380 –> 00:21:14,079 because he has lived it for you. 351 00:21:14,939 –> 00:21:15,859 Think of this. 352 00:21:15,859 –> 00:21:19,020 If your hope of heaven rested on your works, 353 00:21:19,020 –> 00:21:21,339 your hope could never stand. 354 00:21:21,339 –> 00:21:22,160 Why? 355 00:21:22,160 –> 00:21:24,099 Because your works are never complete. 356 00:21:24,099 –> 00:21:25,420 They’re not finished. 357 00:21:26,400 –> 00:21:28,439 So if your hope of heaven depended 358 00:21:28,439 –> 00:21:30,060 even in the smallest degree 359 00:21:30,060 –> 00:21:31,819 on something that you had to do 360 00:21:31,920 –> 00:21:33,959 in addition to what Christ has done, 361 00:21:33,959 –> 00:21:36,180 your hope would collapse instantly. 362 00:21:37,160 –> 00:21:41,160 But when your hope of heaven rests on Christ’s finished work 363 00:21:41,160 –> 00:21:44,520 that hope is secure because his work is complete. 364 00:21:44,520 –> 00:21:47,260 He says it is finished. 365 00:21:48,380 –> 00:21:51,380 I love this statement from Martin Luther. 366 00:21:51,380 –> 00:21:56,380 He says the law says do this and it is never done. 367 00:21:57,319 –> 00:22:02,319 And it is never done, but the gospel says believe this 368 00:22:03,180 –> 00:22:07,619 and everything is done already. 369 00:22:07,619 –> 00:22:10,979 In Christ you have already lived a righteous life, why? 370 00:22:10,979 –> 00:22:13,060 Because he lived it for you. 371 00:22:13,060 –> 00:22:16,540 That’s why the New Testament says you’re complete in him, 372 00:22:16,540 –> 00:22:19,380 just as your sins were really laid on Jesus 373 00:22:19,380 –> 00:22:22,339 and he truly suffered and died for them there on the cross. 374 00:22:22,339 –> 00:22:24,939 So his righteousness, the perfection 375 00:22:25,099 –> 00:22:27,219 of that beautiful life that he lived 376 00:22:27,219 –> 00:22:28,939 that is wholly pleasing to God 377 00:22:28,939 –> 00:22:31,760 is draped as it were on you when you’re in him. 378 00:22:31,760 –> 00:22:34,260 This is what you get when you’re in Jesus. 379 00:22:36,020 –> 00:22:38,699 God made him who knew no sin to be sin 380 00:22:38,699 –> 00:22:43,699 so that in him you might become the righteousness of God. 381 00:22:44,900 –> 00:22:47,060 See, how can I ever be the righteousness of God? 382 00:22:47,060 –> 00:22:49,300 I’ve never completed one perfect day of my life 383 00:22:49,300 –> 00:22:50,900 because you are in him 384 00:22:52,699 –> 00:22:54,300 and that life has been for you. 385 00:22:55,099 –> 00:22:58,079 Just as that death has been paid for you. 386 00:22:59,339 –> 00:23:04,339 Third, Jesus completed the decisive victory over Satan 387 00:23:05,939 –> 00:23:10,939 at the cross so in Christ, the devil is a defeated foe. 388 00:23:13,420 –> 00:23:15,920 Now he’s not a defeated foe outside of Christ. 389 00:23:15,920 –> 00:23:19,500 In Christ, he is a defeated foe. 390 00:23:19,500 –> 00:23:21,739 Let me make one or two quick applications here. 391 00:23:22,640 –> 00:23:25,300 Some of you look at your family history 392 00:23:26,500 –> 00:23:29,780 and you can see the work of Satan the destroyer 393 00:23:29,780 –> 00:23:33,099 running over generations. 394 00:23:33,099 –> 00:23:35,420 And so sometimes some of you wonder, 395 00:23:35,420 –> 00:23:37,359 now, is there some kind of curse 396 00:23:37,359 –> 00:23:39,660 that hangs over my family line? 397 00:23:39,660 –> 00:23:43,239 And if that is so, what does that mean for me? 398 00:23:43,239 –> 00:23:46,780 And I say to you today on the authority of the scripture, 399 00:23:46,780 –> 00:23:51,780 no curse against you can stand if you are in Jesus Christ. 400 00:23:53,579 –> 00:23:55,140 How could it? 401 00:23:55,140 –> 00:23:57,380 Because he won the decisive victory 402 00:23:57,380 –> 00:23:59,400 right there on the cross. 403 00:24:01,099 –> 00:24:03,380 Others here are struggling 404 00:24:03,380 –> 00:24:06,579 with the strong pool of temptation. 405 00:24:08,619 –> 00:24:11,939 And perhaps there has been a particular area 406 00:24:11,939 –> 00:24:14,140 in which Satan knows your weakness 407 00:24:14,199 –> 00:24:16,939 and he’s been running or rampant through your life 408 00:24:16,939 –> 00:24:17,859 because of it. 409 00:24:19,359 –> 00:24:21,459 And you have failed so many times 410 00:24:21,459 –> 00:24:23,219 that now you’ve got to the place 411 00:24:23,219 –> 00:24:25,859 where you can hardly imagine being triumphant 412 00:24:25,859 –> 00:24:26,699 over the enemy. 413 00:24:26,699 –> 00:24:28,739 So when Jesus says it is finished, 414 00:24:28,739 –> 00:24:31,000 all that sounds very, very far from you, 415 00:24:31,000 –> 00:24:32,359 you say that can’t be true. 416 00:24:34,339 –> 00:24:35,619 You’ve done your best. 417 00:24:37,420 –> 00:24:39,199 You have failed so many times. 418 00:24:41,300 –> 00:24:43,599 So it’s a wonderful story of General Booth. 419 00:24:43,920 –> 00:24:46,079 I know he was the founder of THE Salvation Army, 420 00:24:46,079 –> 00:24:47,619 great man, strong man. 421 00:24:49,719 –> 00:24:54,479 And on one occasion Booth’s granddaughter, Catherine, 422 00:24:55,760 –> 00:24:59,020 young girl was about to speak in the open air 423 00:24:59,020 –> 00:25:01,959 at a SALVATION Army meeting for the very first time. 424 00:25:01,959 –> 00:25:03,459 She’s very nervous. 425 00:25:05,359 –> 00:25:07,719 She speaks to her grandfather, the General, 426 00:25:08,760 –> 00:25:11,680 and she says, well I don’t know 427 00:25:11,680 –> 00:25:13,180 if it’s going to be much good, 428 00:25:13,459 –> 00:25:15,260 but I’ll do my best. 429 00:25:17,180 –> 00:25:19,459 And her grandfather said to her, Catherine, 430 00:25:20,939 –> 00:25:22,660 when Jesus Christ is with you, 431 00:25:22,660 –> 00:25:25,060 you can do better than your best. 432 00:25:25,060 –> 00:25:26,359 I love that. 433 00:25:27,500 –> 00:25:29,599 When Jesus Christ is with you, 434 00:25:29,599 –> 00:25:32,959 you can do better than your best. 435 00:25:34,219 –> 00:25:36,680 You can do better than your best. 436 00:25:37,959 –> 00:25:42,260 That is why there is hope in all the defeats of life, 437 00:25:42,300 –> 00:25:45,020 not in me, but in him, 438 00:25:45,020 –> 00:25:46,380 not in my defeat, 439 00:25:46,380 –> 00:25:48,780 but in his victory there at the cross. 440 00:25:48,780 –> 00:25:51,219 If this Christ is with me, 441 00:25:51,219 –> 00:25:54,140 then I can do better than my best 442 00:25:54,140 –> 00:25:55,819 and I need to do better than my best 443 00:25:55,819 –> 00:25:57,459 because my best isn’t good enough. 444 00:25:59,339 –> 00:26:03,199 In Christ your enemy is a defeated foe. 445 00:26:03,199 –> 00:26:04,339 Which is why Paul says, 446 00:26:04,339 –> 00:26:07,160 if God is for you, 447 00:26:08,459 –> 00:26:09,660 who can be against you? 448 00:26:10,500 –> 00:26:13,260 So if you’re a defeated disciple here today, 449 00:26:13,260 –> 00:26:17,300 I want you to find encouragement at the cross 450 00:26:17,300 –> 00:26:19,699 in the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. 451 00:26:20,939 –> 00:26:25,060 Take into your mind and in your heart with faith today 452 00:26:25,060 –> 00:26:27,640 the extent of his power. 453 00:26:27,640 –> 00:26:32,640 The greatness of the Savior who stands with you 454 00:26:33,040 –> 00:26:35,939 and put your trust in him. 455 00:26:35,939 –> 00:26:39,439 And then Jesus completed the long night of his suffering 456 00:26:39,439 –> 00:26:42,280 and so in Christ, your suffering will lead to glory. 457 00:26:42,280 –> 00:26:45,040 And someone in pain here today? 458 00:26:45,040 –> 00:26:47,920 No suffering lasts forever, the Bible says. 459 00:26:47,920 –> 00:26:49,180 Weeping endures for the night 460 00:26:49,180 –> 00:26:50,920 but joy will come in the morning. 461 00:26:52,219 –> 00:26:56,119 And if you are in Christ then whatever you are suffering 462 00:26:56,119 –> 00:26:58,400 today the Bible would say to you 463 00:26:58,400 –> 00:26:59,579 and Christ would say to you, 464 00:26:59,579 –> 00:27:03,520 look at what lies ahead, there is a resurrection body, 465 00:27:03,520 –> 00:27:05,020 there is a new creation, 466 00:27:05,020 –> 00:27:06,000 there is no more sin, 467 00:27:06,000 –> 00:27:07,199 there is no more pain, 468 00:27:07,199 –> 00:27:08,579 no more tears, 469 00:27:08,579 –> 00:27:12,500 no more death and this all is yours 470 00:27:12,500 –> 00:27:16,579 when Jesus Christ is yours. 471 00:27:16,579 –> 00:27:19,160 And it will not be long 472 00:27:19,160 –> 00:27:22,199 until in his presence you will look back 473 00:27:22,199 –> 00:27:25,500 with wonder and marvel 474 00:27:25,500 –> 00:27:27,959 at what he has brought you into 475 00:27:27,959 –> 00:27:32,060 through his finished work on the cross. 476 00:27:32,060 –> 00:27:35,199 So, here’s the heart of the message. 477 00:27:36,520 –> 00:27:37,760 Christ finished. 478 00:27:38,920 –> 00:27:39,739 You haven’t, 479 00:27:40,839 –> 00:27:44,079 but with him, you will. 480 00:27:44,079 –> 00:27:46,060 There is hope for every person 481 00:27:46,060 –> 00:27:48,400 in every circumstance of life 482 00:27:48,400 –> 00:27:53,400 in this room today in Jesus Christ. 483 00:27:53,599 –> 00:27:54,920 He’s not on the cross now, 484 00:27:54,920 –> 00:27:57,160 he is at the right hand of the Father 485 00:27:57,160 –> 00:27:58,939 and he invites you to put your faith 486 00:27:58,939 –> 00:28:00,500 and your trust in him. 487 00:28:01,880 –> 00:28:03,199 So, in these last minutes, 488 00:28:03,199 –> 00:28:06,479 let’s try and make some application. 489 00:28:06,500 –> 00:28:09,339 We’ve seen that this work of Christ on the cross, 490 00:28:09,339 –> 00:28:12,260 it’s complete and that simply raises the question, 491 00:28:12,260 –> 00:28:14,260 now what do you do then with a completed work? 492 00:28:14,260 –> 00:28:16,199 And let me offer these answers. 493 00:28:16,199 –> 00:28:19,660 What do you do with a work that is already complete? 494 00:28:21,060 –> 00:28:23,540 Well, the first thing you do is you believe it. 495 00:28:23,540 –> 00:28:24,859 You believe it. 496 00:28:24,859 –> 00:28:26,660 Now, I want you to think about this, 497 00:28:27,540 –> 00:28:29,900 because simply hearing that Jesus said this 498 00:28:29,900 –> 00:28:31,599 is not going to change your life. 499 00:28:31,599 –> 00:28:34,439 Believing it will, believing it will. 500 00:28:35,439 –> 00:28:39,180 When Jesus said it is finished, 501 00:28:40,800 –> 00:28:43,219 He was surrounded by darkness, 502 00:28:43,219 –> 00:28:45,319 He was in absolute agony, 503 00:28:45,319 –> 00:28:47,780 and He was two breaths away from death. 504 00:28:49,380 –> 00:28:51,119 So when He said it is finished, 505 00:28:51,119 –> 00:28:52,959 it didn’t really look like it did it? 506 00:28:54,459 –> 00:28:56,319 He hung there in the darkness, 507 00:28:56,319 –> 00:28:58,479 hardly looked like Satan’s power was broken. 508 00:28:59,699 –> 00:29:02,760 Hardly looked like hell’s gates were splintered. 509 00:29:03,219 –> 00:29:05,660 It hardly looked like death’s sting was drawn. 510 00:29:07,819 –> 00:29:10,380 And if you roll the story forward a week later, 511 00:29:10,380 –> 00:29:12,640 is the world different a week after Jesus died? 512 00:29:12,640 –> 00:29:13,479 No! 513 00:29:15,579 –> 00:29:17,300 Roll the story forward a month later, 514 00:29:17,300 –> 00:29:19,520 roll it forward a year later, 515 00:29:19,520 –> 00:29:21,420 a century later, a millennium later, 516 00:29:21,420 –> 00:29:25,239 is the world different after the death of Jesus 517 00:29:25,239 –> 00:29:27,140 from what the world was before the death of Jesus? 518 00:29:27,140 –> 00:29:29,760 Answer, no, no. 519 00:29:30,339 –> 00:29:34,19 Caesar was still on the imperial throne, 520 00:29:34,219 –> 00:29:35,140 as one writer says. 521 00:29:35,140 –> 00:29:38,099 Selfishness and pride still dominated high places 522 00:29:38,099 –> 00:29:39,459 as they do today. 523 00:29:39,459 –> 00:29:41,819 The hearts of many seem to become no better, 524 00:29:41,819 –> 00:29:44,180 but rather worse with the passing of time. 525 00:29:44,180 –> 00:29:45,540 So we must conclude this, 526 00:29:45,540 –> 00:29:47,180 that when Jesus said it is finished, 527 00:29:47,180 –> 00:29:49,819 it was a cry of faith. 528 00:29:49,819 –> 00:29:53,000 It was a cry anticipating all that would come 529 00:29:53,000 –> 00:29:55,060 from his completed work, his suffering, 530 00:29:55,060 –> 00:29:56,819 his perfect life, his atoning death, 531 00:29:56,819 –> 00:29:59,500 and his decisive victory there on the cross. 532 00:29:59,540 –> 00:30:02,060 That means that for us, 533 00:30:02,060 –> 00:30:06,260 this is a cry that we must embrace by faith. 534 00:30:07,599 –> 00:30:10,859 Most people have heard it is finished long before today. 535 00:30:10,859 –> 00:30:13,339 My question is, do you believe it? 536 00:30:14,540 –> 00:30:18,359 Not have you heard it, but do you believe this? 537 00:30:19,619 –> 00:30:23,260 Do you have confidence today in the decisive, 538 00:30:23,260 –> 00:30:26,459 eternity changing victory of Jesus Christ 539 00:30:26,459 –> 00:30:28,979 on the cross for every person who is in him? 540 00:30:29,020 –> 00:30:30,079 Do you believe that? 541 00:30:31,619 –> 00:30:34,619 It wasn’t obvious then, it isn’t obvious now, 542 00:30:34,619 –> 00:30:38,660 except to one who has faith in Jesus. 543 00:30:40,540 –> 00:30:43,640 See, the book of Hebrews makes it absolutely plain 544 00:30:43,640 –> 00:30:45,819 what it’s like to live a Christian life. 545 00:30:45,819 –> 00:30:47,920 This will help you, if you’re one of these people 546 00:30:47,920 –> 00:30:50,699 who says, oh, how can it be that Jesus is real 547 00:30:50,699 –> 00:30:52,560 and alive if there’s so much evil 548 00:30:52,560 –> 00:30:54,040 and there’s so much suffering in the world? 549 00:30:54,040 –> 00:30:55,959 Listen to this from Hebrews 2. 550 00:30:56,800 –> 00:31:01,800 At present, we do not see everything subject to Him. 551 00:31:05,300 –> 00:31:06,660 That’s what the Bible says. 552 00:31:07,520 –> 00:31:11,800 So, it’s finished, but at present, 553 00:31:11,800 –> 00:31:13,900 Hebrews chapter two and verse eight, 554 00:31:13,900 –> 00:31:16,900 we do not see everything subject to Him. 555 00:31:16,900 –> 00:31:17,739 What do we see? 556 00:31:17,739 –> 00:31:18,920 We see marriages crumbling. 557 00:31:20,459 –> 00:31:21,839 We see wars. 558 00:31:22,760 –> 00:31:23,939 We see cancer. 559 00:31:25,219 –> 00:31:27,119 We see suffering that we can’t explain 560 00:31:27,119 –> 00:31:29,180 We do not, at present, 561 00:31:29,180 –> 00:31:30,380 this is what the Bible says, 562 00:31:30,380 –> 00:31:33,219 see everything subject to Him. 563 00:31:33,219 –> 00:31:34,260 What do we see? 564 00:31:35,439 –> 00:31:37,300 Well, it says that we see Jesus. 565 00:31:38,219 –> 00:31:39,339 And, that raises the question, 566 00:31:39,339 –> 00:31:40,819 what is Jesus doing? 567 00:31:42,520 –> 00:31:45,640 Is He making the world a better place? 568 00:31:45,640 –> 00:31:46,959 Is that what He says? 569 00:31:48,180 –> 00:31:50,180 Is He putting an end to human suffering? 570 00:31:50,180 –> 00:31:51,599 Is that what He says? 571 00:31:52,819 –> 00:31:55,040 Is He ridding the world of evil, 572 00:31:55,040 –> 00:31:56,319 progressively, over time? 573 00:31:56,319 –> 00:31:58,060 Is that what He says? 574 00:31:58,979 –> 00:32:01,680 No, He never says any of these things. 575 00:32:01,680 –> 00:32:03,439 What does He say? 576 00:32:03,439 –> 00:32:05,319 Hebrews chapter 2 in verse 10. 577 00:32:06,180 –> 00:32:09,239 He is bringing many sons to glory, 578 00:32:09,239 –> 00:32:10,579 that’s what He’s doing. 579 00:32:11,660 –> 00:32:13,400 And, He’s able to do that for you. 580 00:32:14,300 –> 00:32:18,459 He’s the savior who has completed His triumph, 581 00:32:18,459 –> 00:32:20,880 and is now beyond the powers of darkness. 582 00:32:21,140 –> 00:32:24,560 He’s seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, 583 00:32:24,560 –> 00:32:27,160 and His business is not making the world a better place, 584 00:32:27,160 –> 00:32:28,680 it is not ridding the world of suffering, 585 00:32:28,680 –> 00:32:30,180 it is not ridding the world of evil, 586 00:32:30,180 –> 00:32:33,160 it is bringing many sons to glory. 587 00:32:33,160 –> 00:32:34,979 And He’s willing to do that for you. 588 00:32:36,319 –> 00:32:38,719 He’s willing to make you one of the sons, 589 00:32:38,719 –> 00:32:42,079 or the daughters, who He would bring to glory. 590 00:32:42,079 –> 00:32:43,439 How will that happen? 591 00:32:43,439 –> 00:32:46,979 As you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 592 00:32:46,979 –> 00:32:49,319 You believe today that it is finished, 593 00:32:49,319 –> 00:32:53,699 and as you believe, what He accomplished on the cross 594 00:32:53,699 –> 00:32:55,780 will become yours. 595 00:32:58,060 –> 00:33:00,760 But it doesn’t become yours because you heard it, 596 00:33:01,699 –> 00:33:04,540 or because you been around church for 25 years, 597 00:33:05,640 –> 00:33:07,780 but because right now in all of the difficulties 598 00:33:07,780 –> 00:33:09,099 that you are facing in a world 599 00:33:09,099 –> 00:33:11,699 where we do not see everything subject to Jesus, 600 00:33:11,699 –> 00:33:13,660 and where so many things are chaotic, 601 00:33:13,660 –> 00:33:16,979 you are putting your trust in Him, 602 00:33:17,959 –> 00:33:19,520 and He’s bringing you to glory. 603 00:33:20,900 –> 00:33:22,920 Probably through some great difficulties 604 00:33:23,939 –> 00:33:26,400 and some things you cannot explain or understand. 605 00:33:27,859 –> 00:33:28,920 But you’re His, 606 00:33:30,239 –> 00:33:32,619 and all that is accomplished at His cross 607 00:33:32,619 –> 00:33:34,839 and in His triumph is yours, 608 00:33:35,760 –> 00:33:38,079 and as He made that marvelous statement 609 00:33:38,079 –> 00:33:39,579 right there in the darkness, 610 00:33:39,579 –> 00:33:42,939 you as it were in your darkness stand with Him, 611 00:33:42,939 –> 00:33:44,380 and you trust Him. 612 00:33:45,599 –> 00:33:46,640 And He’s your savior. 613 00:33:47,819 –> 00:33:52,359 What else can you do with a completed work? 614 00:33:53,699 –> 00:33:54,540 Well you believe it. 615 00:33:54,540 –> 00:33:55,660 That’s the first thing. 616 00:33:57,500 –> 00:33:59,219 Then proclaim it. 617 00:34:00,199 –> 00:34:01,959 What a marvelous privilege it is 618 00:34:01,959 –> 00:34:03,520 for everyone who is a Christian 619 00:34:03,520 –> 00:34:04,699 to share the gospel. 620 00:34:04,699 –> 00:34:05,920 It really is good news 621 00:34:05,920 –> 00:34:07,939 and that’s what the word means. 622 00:34:07,939 –> 00:34:09,959 Dr. Lloyd-Jones used to say it like this 623 00:34:09,959 –> 00:34:11,860 and I just love this picture. 624 00:34:11,860 –> 00:34:12,699 He says, 625 00:34:12,699 –> 00:34:13,679 Think in ancient times 626 00:34:13,679 –> 00:34:16,719 when a king goes out to war, 627 00:34:16,959 –> 00:34:18,760 and when the king who goes out to war 628 00:34:18,760 –> 00:34:19,760 triumphs in battle. 629 00:34:19,760 –> 00:34:20,600 What does he do? 630 00:34:20,600 –> 00:34:22,899 He sends back messengers. 631 00:34:22,899 –> 00:34:25,840 People who will proclaim his victory. 632 00:34:25,840 –> 00:34:26,860 And what happens 633 00:34:26,860 –> 00:34:28,139 is the messengers come back 634 00:34:28,139 –> 00:34:29,320 and they sound the trumpets 635 00:34:29,320 –> 00:34:30,159 and they say 636 00:34:30,159 –> 00:34:31,219 folks there’s good news. 637 00:34:31,219 –> 00:34:32,679 The battle has been won. 638 00:34:32,679 –> 00:34:33,939 The king has triumphed. 639 00:34:33,939 –> 00:34:35,540 The enemy is defeated. 640 00:34:35,540 –> 00:34:37,439 Now we can live in the peace 641 00:34:37,439 –> 00:34:38,639 and in the joy 642 00:34:38,639 –> 00:34:41,300 that flows from our king’s victory. 643 00:34:41,300 –> 00:34:43,459 We announce good news. 644 00:34:45,040 –> 00:34:46,500 But Lloyd-Jones used to say, 645 00:34:46,540 –> 00:34:49,379 suppose the king is defeated in battle. 646 00:34:49,379 –> 00:34:50,580 What happens then? 647 00:34:51,939 –> 00:34:53,620 Well if the king loses a battle 648 00:34:53,620 –> 00:34:56,000 then he sends back not messengers 649 00:34:56,000 –> 00:34:57,659 but military advisors. 650 00:34:59,100 –> 00:35:00,620 And their message is very different. 651 00:35:00,620 –> 00:35:01,459 They say 652 00:35:02,580 –> 00:35:04,179 tough news. 653 00:35:04,179 –> 00:35:06,399 Man the ramparts. 654 00:35:06,399 –> 00:35:07,800 Get ready. 655 00:35:07,800 –> 00:35:09,399 Prepare for battle. 656 00:35:09,399 –> 00:35:11,340 The enemy will soon be at the gates. 657 00:35:11,340 –> 00:35:13,659 We all need to fight for our lives. 658 00:35:13,659 –> 00:35:16,000 Do you see the difference between the message? 659 00:35:16,620 –> 00:35:18,179 Either the battle is already won 660 00:35:18,179 –> 00:35:19,659 and we enter into the joy of it 661 00:35:19,659 –> 00:35:20,820 or the battle has been lost 662 00:35:20,820 –> 00:35:23,699 and therefore we need to prepare to fight for it ourselves. 663 00:35:24,820 –> 00:35:26,020 Listen, 664 00:35:26,020 –> 00:35:28,620 every religion in the world 665 00:35:29,899 –> 00:35:31,199 and every cult, 666 00:35:32,320 –> 00:35:34,360 every religion and every cult 667 00:35:34,360 –> 00:35:35,699 basically says 668 00:35:35,699 –> 00:35:37,159 you need 669 00:35:37,159 –> 00:35:38,780 to do something 670 00:35:38,780 –> 00:35:41,300 to get yourself into heaven. 671 00:35:41,300 –> 00:35:42,659 Do the prayers, do the good works, 672 00:35:42,659 –> 00:35:44,419 observe the disciplines, whatever it is. 673 00:35:44,459 –> 00:35:47,739 The gospel alone says it is finished. 674 00:35:48,719 –> 00:35:51,739 The gospel alone says Jesus Christ has won the victory 675 00:35:51,739 –> 00:35:54,659 and now he invites all those who will come to him 676 00:35:54,659 –> 00:35:57,040 to share the spoils of his battle. 677 00:35:57,040 –> 00:35:58,139 That’s the good news. 678 00:35:59,739 –> 00:36:02,199 So our mission is not to go out into this community 679 00:36:02,199 –> 00:36:05,159 and to try and force people to do something for God. 680 00:36:06,459 –> 00:36:09,199 Our mission is to go out into this community 681 00:36:09,199 –> 00:36:11,939 and to tell people what God has done 682 00:36:11,939 –> 00:36:14,179 in Jesus Christ for them. 683 00:36:14,860 –> 00:36:16,260 And to say, make this yours. 684 00:36:16,260 –> 00:36:18,260 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 685 00:36:18,260 –> 00:36:21,120 Enter into all the good that he has accomplished. 686 00:36:22,620 –> 00:36:24,979 I don’t like asking people for things, do you? 687 00:36:26,300 –> 00:36:29,540 But what a joy to be able to offer this, 688 00:36:29,540 –> 00:36:31,260 the good news of Jesus Christ. 689 00:36:32,860 –> 00:36:35,120 And here’s the very last thing today. 690 00:36:35,120 –> 00:36:36,760 What can you do with a completed work? 691 00:36:36,760 –> 00:36:38,959 Believe it, proclaim it. 692 00:36:40,219 –> 00:36:41,540 Lastly, enjoy it. 693 00:36:42,520 –> 00:36:45,459 Now friends, it is natural for us to feel 694 00:36:45,459 –> 00:36:48,979 that with something so great as eternal salvation, 695 00:36:48,979 –> 00:36:51,820 we need in some way to make a contribution. 696 00:36:51,820 –> 00:36:53,780 But how can you contribute to something 697 00:36:53,780 –> 00:36:55,620 that is already complete? 698 00:36:55,620 –> 00:36:56,459 You can’t. 699 00:36:58,159 –> 00:37:00,820 A new house is built, you don’t go on building it, 700 00:37:00,820 –> 00:37:03,419 you enter into it and enjoy it. 701 00:37:03,419 –> 00:37:05,699 A new road is laid, you don’t go on digging it. 702 00:37:05,699 –> 00:37:08,639 You drive in the car and enjoy it. 703 00:37:08,639 –> 00:37:10,520 A priceless gift is purchased, 704 00:37:10,679 –> 00:37:11,739 you don’t go on paying for it, 705 00:37:11,739 –> 00:37:15,620 you receive it and live in the good of it. 706 00:37:17,459 –> 00:37:18,739 One story and then we’re through, 707 00:37:18,739 –> 00:37:22,179 Aw Pink tells the story about a Christian farmer 708 00:37:22,179 –> 00:37:24,860 who was trying to explain the gospel to his friend 709 00:37:24,860 –> 00:37:26,459 who was a carpenter, 710 00:37:26,459 –> 00:37:29,060 and he was trying to explain the finished work of Christ, 711 00:37:29,060 –> 00:37:30,699 but the carpenter was one of these people, 712 00:37:30,699 –> 00:37:32,360 and there are many of them in churches 713 00:37:32,360 –> 00:37:35,020 who feel that he really had to do something himself 714 00:37:35,020 –> 00:37:36,219 to contribute to it. 715 00:37:37,120 –> 00:37:39,300 Well, I summarize Pink’s story this way. 716 00:37:39,340 –> 00:37:42,780 One day the farmer asked the carpenter to make him a gate. 717 00:37:43,820 –> 00:37:45,979 And when the gate was ready, 718 00:37:45,979 –> 00:37:48,120 their farmer took it home and the back of his wagon, 719 00:37:48,120 –> 00:37:51,139 they hung it there on the edge of the field. 720 00:37:51,139 –> 00:37:53,500 And the next day, he invites the carpenter to come over 721 00:37:53,500 –> 00:37:56,379 and look at this completed work in position. 722 00:37:56,379 –> 00:37:58,239 When the carpenter arrives, 723 00:37:58,239 –> 00:38:00,959 he is amazed to see that the farmer 724 00:38:00,959 –> 00:38:02,820 is standing there with an ax. 725 00:38:04,399 –> 00:38:07,000 What are you going to do? The carpenter says. 726 00:38:07,040 –> 00:38:07,959 Well, then says the farmer. 727 00:38:07,959 –> 00:38:09,280 I’m gonna add a few cuts 728 00:38:09,280 –> 00:38:11,919 and a few of my own strokes to your work. 729 00:38:13,399 –> 00:38:14,719 The carpenter’s astonished. 730 00:38:14,719 –> 00:38:15,560 He says, 731 00:38:15,560 –> 00:38:16,620 why would you need to do that? 732 00:38:16,620 –> 00:38:18,340 That the gates perfect. 733 00:38:18,340 –> 00:38:19,479 It’s done. 734 00:38:19,479 –> 00:38:21,280 There’s the best gate I’ve ever made. 735 00:38:22,979 –> 00:38:24,139 The farmer took no notice. 736 00:38:24,139 –> 00:38:28,219 He lifts the ax and he slashes into this gate. 737 00:38:28,219 –> 00:38:32,719 And the carpenter says, stop, stop. 738 00:38:32,719 –> 00:38:35,719 You’re completely ruining my work. 739 00:38:37,360 –> 00:38:38,239 The farmer says, yes, 740 00:38:38,239 –> 00:38:41,840 that is exactly what you are trying to do 741 00:38:41,840 –> 00:38:45,399 when you make your own miserable additions 742 00:38:45,399 –> 00:38:48,459 to the completed work of Jesus Christ. 743 00:38:50,020 –> 00:38:51,120 It is finished. 744 00:38:53,139 –> 00:38:56,820 Bearing shame and scoffing rude, 745 00:38:57,800 –> 00:39:02,800 in my place condemned, he stood. 746 00:39:03,300 –> 00:39:08,300 He sealed my pardon with his blood, hallelujah, 747 00:39:08,600 –> 00:39:11,040 what a savior. 748 00:39:11,040 –> 00:39:14,620 Lifted up was he to die. 749 00:39:15,739 –> 00:39:19,459 It is finished, was his cry. 750 00:39:20,360 –> 00:39:25,360 Now in heaven exalted, Hi, hallelujah. 751 00:39:26,320 –> 00:39:28,820 What a savior, is he your savior? 752 00:39:29,800 –> 00:39:34,800 Christ finished, you haven’t, but with him you will. 753 00:39:36,939 –> 00:39:40,419 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 754 00:39:40,419 –> 00:39:44,939 and put your trust in his finished work today. 755 00:39:46,020 –> 00:39:47,500 Let’s pray together, shall we? 756 00:39:49,020 –> 00:39:53,320 Father in heaven, we rejoice in the completed work 757 00:39:53,320 –> 00:39:58,300 of Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ on the cross. 758 00:39:59,540 –> 00:40:04,540 May every person enter fully 759 00:40:04,540 –> 00:40:09,060 into all that is ours through faith in your son, 760 00:40:09,060 –> 00:40:13,179 Jesus Christ, and to this all the people 761 00:40:13,179 –> 00:40:16,060 of God together said, amen.