Easter Morning Service
1 April 2018
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to John 19:16-30
16 Finally Pilate
handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.
17 Carrying his own
cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha ).
18 Here they
crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the
middle.
19 Pilate had a
notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH
20 Many of the Jews
read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and
the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
21 The chief priests
of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but
that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
22 Pilate answered,
"What I have written, I have written."
23 When the soldiers
crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for
each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven
in one piece from top to bottom.
24 "Let's not
tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get
it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of
Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his
mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his
mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
27 and to the
disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple
took her into his home.
28 Later, knowing
that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus
said, "I am thirsty."
29 A jar of wine
vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of
the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
30 When he had
received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed
his head and gave up his spirit.
-- this
morning, I want to talk about the importance of words -- specifically, the
importance of just one word
-- we have
a trend in our modern society to want to be verbose -- to use many words in our
writing and in our communication with others -- I see this a lot at work
-- for
instance, right now we are working on our annual personnel evaluations -- and
we are told that the form we use to evaluate our employees must be completely
filled up -- they tell us, “There should be no white on any line” -- in other
words, every white space must be filled up with words, whether they’re
meaningful or not
-- we see
this in articles and in emails and in Facebook -- we hear this in speeches by
Congress and by actors and by others on TV -- everybody uses lots of words to
express their points, when just a few would suffice
-- I’m sure
you’ve all heard the idiom, “A picture is worth a thousand words” -- but yet,
we still use thousands of words daily in our communication with each other --
and not just with each other -- also we God -- we even do it in our prayers
-- if you
remember, Jesus specifically warned us about this -- when His disciples asked
Jesus to teach them to pray, He told them in Matthew 6:7, “And when you pray,
don’t keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because
of their many words”
--
sometimes the most important messages are those communicated with the fewest
words -- if you think about it, a lot of the messages that have truly impacted
history and our own lives were all comprised of just a few select, meaningful
words
-- for
instance, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -- considered by many to be the greatest
speech ever given in America -- just 272 words that changed the fate of our
nation
-- or what
about Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio address on December 7th, 1941 --
"Today is a day that will live in infamy" -- just hearing those words
immediately reminds us of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor
-- or in
more recent history -- just hearing the words, "The Space Shuttle
Challenger has exploded" or "A plane has hit the world trade center
in New York," immediately brings back to mind the events of those days --
I don't doubt that each of us -- at least those who are old enough -- can
remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news --
no more needs to be said
-- even in
our own personal lives, it is amazing how many life-changing events are
announced with just a few simple words
-- words
such as: "I love you" --
"Will you marry me?" -- "I'm pregnant" -- "He passed away"
-- "I have cancer” -- “The test was negative”
-- simple
words -- simple messages -- but messages that change lives
II. It is Finished
-- maybe
that's why the most profound event in the course of human history and this
world was announced with just one word -- Tetelesti
-- the Greek word that we translate in verse 30 as “it is finished”
-- as His
time on the cross was nearly over, John tells us here in verse 30 that Jesus
lifted His eyes to heaven and cried out in a loud voice to heaven and to all
creation, Tetelesti -- "It is
finished” -- and as the echoes of that word resounded through Creation and died
out, John tells us that Jesus bowed His head and gave up His spirit to the
Father
-- the only
place in the entire New Testament where the word Tetelesti is used is in this passage -- and to understand the
importance of this word, you need to know how it was used in Jesus' day
-- someone
only used the word Tetelesti when
their work was completed to perfection
-- for
instance, when an artist finished a painting, he might have put down his brush
and stepped back and proclaimed Tetelesti
to declare the picture was perfect
-- or a
servant would respond Tetelesti when
asked by his master if the work assigned had been completed as asked
-- a judge
might have said Tetelesti when he
conferred a sentence or issued a ruling that a sentence had been completed -- Tetelesti -- "Justice has been
served"
-- a priest
would say Tetelesti when an
unblemished and acceptable sacrifice was given to God and a soldier might cry Tetelesti as a battle cry towards a
vanquished foe1
-- Tetelesti was only used to indicate the
task was perfectly completed
III. What is “it?”
-- all over
the world today, believers have gathered to celebrate this final word from the
cross -- while the empty tomb and resurrection stand as proof of Christ's final
victory, it was the cry of Tetelesti
that proclaimed to all creation that the task assigned to Jesus had been
perfectly completed -- that "it" was finally over
-- the
question, then is "what task did Jesus accomplish? -- what is the
"it" that Jesus said was over?"
-- part of
the answer can be found in Luke Chapter 4 -- if you would, please turn over to
Luke 4 with me and we’ll read starting at verse 18
-- in this
passage, Luke records Jesus' first message in the synagogue at Nazareth -- as
He stood up to read the scriptures, He turned in the scroll of Isaiah and read
this passage quoted for us here in Luke 4:18-19:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because
he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor -- He has sent me to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to
release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
-- every
eye in the room was on Him to see what He would say in response to this
powerful verse -- but look what He did -- verse 20 [read Luke 4:20-21]
“Then he rolled up the
scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fastened on him. -- He began by saying to them, “Today this
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
-- this is
important -- Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and
sat down -- we can’t miss the importance of what He did there
-- when I
took my preaching classes at Emory, I was told, "Never close your Bible
when you are preaching -- never read the Scripture and close the Bible and
start preaching”
-- you
always leave the Bible open because this is the source -- this is the place
where revelation comes from -- this is where your message originates -- the word
of God is alive and active and should never be put away while it is being
proclaimed
-- but that’s
exactly what Jesus did in the synagogue that day
-- He read
God’s word -- He proclaimed the verse from Isaiah to the Jews gathered in the
synagogue -- and then He rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the
attendant to be put up before He said anything
-- why did
Jesus do just that? -- He tells us in verse 21 -- Tetelesti -- “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” --
it is done -- it is finished
-- Jesus
could put the scroll away because the word of God was fulfilled -- it was done
-- completed to perfection -- finished -- nothing more needed to be done
-- Jesus
had been assigned the task of preaching the good news of salvation to the poor
-- of proclaiming freedom for the prisoners -- healing to the blind -- release
to the oppressed -- and announcing the day of the Lord's redemption
-- His
presence in the synagogue that day fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah
-- as Jesus
said in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or
the Prophets -- I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them" -- through
His sinless life and His death on the cross, the law and the prophets were
fulfilled -- for Him and for us -- it was finished perfectly and completely -- Tetelesti
-- another
"it" that was finished on the cross was the curse of sin and death --
Adam and Eve had been warned not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, because if they did, they would surely die
-- and
through the temptation of the serpent, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned by
eating the fruit -- when they did, the curse of sin and death fell upon mankind
and all creation
-- because
of them we are born with the curse of sin in our bodies -- that’s what makes us
sinners -- we aren’t sinners because we sin -- we sin because we are sinners --
it’s who we are
-- we sin
because we have been born infected with a sin nature that corrupts our very
soul and spirit -- and not only do we suffer from this sin nature, but all
creation suffers too
-- that is
why Paul said in Romans 8:22 that all creation has been groaning up to the
present time -- it groans because of the curse that has been laid upon it
-- but when
Jesus died on the cross, the Bible tells us that He became the curse for us --
He became sin for us -- the righteous becoming unrighteous -- the sinless One
taking upon Himself our sins and transgressions -- bearing the consequence of
sin and death and paying a debt we could never pay
-- when
Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished," He was referring to
the debt that each of us owed and the sin in our lives -- Tetelesti means our sins are completely forgiven -- Tetelesti means our sin nature has been
destroyed -- Tetelesti means we are
no longer bound by sin and death but have been freed for victorious life in
Christ
-- we no
longer have to sin because Jesus has perfectly and completely removed sins and
the sin nature on the cross of Calvary -- Tetelesti
-- the
final "it" that was finished on the cross was the divide between God
and man -- the Bible tells us God is holy and cannot look upon sin -- He cannot
be in the presence of sin -- and so, when Adam and Eve infected the human race
with sin, they separated us from God's very presence -- their sin created a
chasm that none could cross
-- it was
for this reason Jesus was sent to earth -- remember John 3:16? -- "For God
so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him might not perish but have eternal life"
-- that is
the final task Jesus came to fulfill -- He came not only to fulfill the law and
the prophets -- not only to pay the penalty for our sins -- but to reconcile us
to the Father by transferring His righteousness to us
-- when
Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished," it also meant the
bridge that Jesus had built with His own body had been completed -- and now we
could cross the chasm to the Father
-- His
sinless life became our bridge to the other side -- His righteousness replaced
our unrighteousness -- His holiness replaced our unholiness -- and we are
reconciled to the Father through His Jesus' death and resurrection
-- the
separation has ended -- it is finished -- because Jesus paid the price -- Tetelesti
IV. Closing
-- one word
-- that’s all it took -- one single word -- the final cry of Jesus from the
cross -- that one word was the summation of God's love to a world that had
turned its back on Him -- that one word was a cry of defiance against Satan and
his minions -- that one word was a cry of victory over sin and death -- that
one word was a cry of reconciliation with the Father -- Tetelesti -- it is finished -- Jesus had completely and perfectly
ended His task on earth and so He bowed His head and gave up His spirit and
died
-- so if it
is finished, why are you still trapped by lingering sin? -- if it is finished, why
then do you still fear death? -- if it is finished, why do you still worry and
fret over life? -- if it is finished, why do you still strive to pay a debt
that has already been paid?
-- Tetelesti means it is finished -- finite
-- nothing left to do -- it has all been done
-- someone
once asked in a lecture what the difference was between Christianity and all
the other religions of the world -- the lecturer paused for a moment and said,
"All the other religions of the world tell its adherents, "Do! -- Do
this and you will be saved." -- Christianity, on the other hand, says
"Done! -- Tetelesti! -- It is
finished!"
-- as you
leave here today on this Easter morning -- as you go forth into the rest of
your day and time here on earth, remember the cry of Jesus from the cross --
cease your striving and work -- cease your worry -- believe that it is finished
-- that all your sins have been forgiven -- that all your sin debt has been
paid -- that you are being created anew in the image of your God and Father --
and walk in the knowledge that it is done -- Tetelesti"
-- let us
pray
------------------------------
[SOURCE: “It Is Finished!” Jesus Does Not Need Your
Help by Tony Miano, edited by Matt Slick, http://carm.org/it-is-finished,
accessed 4/19/2014]
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