THE GOSPEL’S VICTORY SONG

John 19:16-30

What is the gospel’s victory song? 3 simple words! “It is finished”

What is the simple gospel? Jesus died for our sins and was raised on the third day. 

Let that soak in for a moment! “Jesus died, He really died!” He died for the vilest of sinners to the great humanitarian of sinners. Christ’s death frees us from the eternal judgment and wrath of God with three simple words. “It is finished” Meaning! The sinner that turns to Christ alone and lives through repentance and faith, their penalty and judgment was placed on Christ and that all things have been accomplished on the cross of Christ. And to seal that accomplishment 3 simple words could pave the way for sinners to be forgiven of sin and be reconciled back to a holy God. From the wickedest of criminals to the smallest child who disobeys his parents. Through the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross we could find eternal life and forever lasting peace through the gospel confession.

  

“It is finished” could be translated in the Greek “paid in full” What has been paid in full you might ask? My sin, your sin, has been placed upon the sinless spotless Lamb of God once and for all, so that we can taste the victory over sin and death through Christ. As Paul said "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:54-57. R C Sproul said “Redemption is an act of purchasing, an economic act. At the cross, Jesus purchased His people by redeeming them or paying the price of their redemption.”

Paid in full demonstrates for us that ….. Jesus purchased His people out of bondage to this world, the flesh and the devil. This is why Paul said “You were bought at a price.” 1 Cor 6:20. The believer has been purchased and the price was in the blood This is why Paul’s greatest desire in the flesh was to know Christ and Him crucified. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:7-11

3 simple words “it is finished” Three simple words that demonstrate to us that it wasn’t some submissive cry, but a shout of victory! As Paul said “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor 5:21. Three simple words that demonstrated to us that it will always be finished through what Christ has done. When Jesus uttered those words, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father was wiped away completely and forever. Not that Jesus wiped away any debt that He owed to the Father; but rather, Jesus eliminated the debt owed by us (sinners). As Philip Bliss wrote “Lifted up was He to die, it is finished was His cry, now in Heav’n exalted high, hallelujah what a Saviour.”

What impact does that phrase “It Is Finished” has on my life? 

My Sins Can Be Forgiven, Past, Present And Future. 

Paul said “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Col 2:13-14. 

I Can Be Brought Into A Right Relationship With Holy God Once Again. 

Paul penned these words “and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Col 1:20. 

That In My Present Suffering Jesus Went To The Rugged Cross With Joy To Save A Sinner Like Me. 

Heb 12:2 we read “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

  

There Is Nothing More I Can Add Or Do, To What Has Already Been Accomplished In The Cross Of Christ Jesus, My Lord.

Eph 2:4-10 we read “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

  

The cross of Christ satisfied the Father’s anger to take the place of a guilty person, so that we can be reconciled back to God though His death on a cross. We know Christ had to die! Christ Jesus had to say those words to finish the redemptive plan that the Father ordained for Him to finish for sinners like you and me. Why? “It Is Finished” rejects any and all claims that man is capable to save self. And that the gospel is a scandalous demonstration of the grace of God. Jesus Christ was crucified for us and was radically humiliated so that we could live. This truth of three simple words that Christ spoke is for us a transforming message.

  

For in the message of the cross, we get to taste….

The greatness of God’s love for us.

The wonders of forgiveness and pardon from sin and spiritual death

The transforming gospel of a corrupt nature into a nature one that loves God.

The guarantee of eternal pleasures in God’s presence one day.

Understand! As the crowd said “crucify Him, crucify Him” we too, need to scream, that out as well. We need Him to be crucified, because our salvation depends upon His cross. We need to take our place with the guilty mob “Crucify Him! Yes, Crucify Him, if he will be crucified, for I am a sinner who needs a Saviour.” We need Him to say those three words “It Is Finished” 

“A guilty man set free on the account of another.

Is that Justice? No, that’s grace”

What does that grace look like? Look to the cross and the finished work of Christ our sacrificial Lamb! Because the only thing that flowed from Calvary that day was mercy and grace for sinners like you and me. Three simple words “it is finished” Jesus’ finished work on the cross was the beginning of new life for all who were once “dead in trespasses and sins” but who are now made “alive with Christ”. What is required of us [you and me]? We must come like the thief who hung beside Him on the cross.

“Nothing in my hands I bring,

simply to the cross I cling.”

  

Remind yourself of this truth every day until He calls home. Because in order to dine with Christ you first must first die to self. Because Jesus said “It Is Finished”