Why did Jesus cry out, it is finished, just before he died on the cross? For those who were eyewitnesses to the crucifixion, there was probably a lot of speculation about what those words meant.
Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg turns to Hebrews 10 to show us the significance of the word finished. It's probably hard for each of us to imagine—it certainly is for me—what the circumstances and atmosphere must have been like in Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly, crucifixions were not new to the Jerusalem crowd, but nevertheless, the events that had led up to this particular crucifixion had been making a dramatic impact on the whole city, and there surely wasn't a resident there who was unaware of what was going on. And certainly not that this Galilean carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, was to find himself on the center of three Roman gibbets on this particular day.
And the Gospel writers record for us the fact that from midday, from noon on this particular day, until three in the afternoon, the whole sky turned black, and the city of Jerusalem was engulfed in what must have been a very eerie darkness. As crowds gathered around, hearing snippets and bits and pieces of the proceedings, they would have been forced to wonder at the statements that were being made by the people on these crosses, wondering, too, at what was meant by such an unusual statement coming from the central cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they're doing. And these people would have been well aware of the sounds that came from the crosses, and they would have regarded this as highly irregular. They would have listened carefully, some of them, to the loud cry, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
And then the buzz would have gone around the group. He's calling Elijah, for they really had no notion of what was going on. And what did they make, I ask you, of the loud cry which ended all of his statements, which presumably rose above the clamor of the crowd and was audible to the ears of most, and was summarized in one striking word which pierced into the darkness of that day. And the people said to one another as they began to move away, Tetelestai!
Why would he say finished? Well, it was actually a cry of victory. It was a cry of victory. It was the triumphant recognition on the part of Christ that he had actually now fully accomplished the work that he had come to earth to do. And indeed, this one word—I would say in some regards the key word in relationship to redemption in the whole of John's Gospel—this one word summarizes the eighteen verses which begin in Hebrews 10.
So what I want to do is unpack for you the meaning of finished. What we discover when we turn to Hebrews chapter 10 is that Christ was, deliberately and freely and in perfect love, enduring judgment in our place. He was procuring salvation for us. He was establishing a new covenant. He was making available the chief blessing of the covenant, namely, forgiveness of sins. And the necessity that this would take place is summarized very clearly for us in the opening four verses.
Why would it be necessary for this man to die in this way? Well, let me quote the first four verses from Phillips' paraphrase. The law possessed only a dim outline of the benefits Christ would bring and did not actually reproduce them. Consequently, it was incapable of perfecting the souls of those who offered their regular annual sacrifices. For if it had, surely the sacrifices would have been discontinued, on the grounds that the worshippers, having been really cleansed, would have had no further consciousness of sin. In practice, however, the sacrifices amounted to an annual reminder of sins, for the blood of bulls and goats cannot really remove the guilt of sin. So the law was only a shadow.
As A. B. Davidson put it, no repetition of the shadow can add up to the substance. And the repetition of these sacrifices, as the writer tells us here, simply witnessed to their ineffectiveness. That this annual sacrificial order provided simply an annual reminder that something needed to be done, that another sacrifice needed to be offered, for all of the benefits of the blood of bulls and goats was only insofar as it fixed attention on the Redeemer and the redemption to which it pointed. And so the necessity of a Christ who would die in the place of sinners is made perfectly plain. Now, what I'd like you to see this evening is simply this—the Trinitarian nature of what happens. And if that sounds like a bit of a mouthful, simply that God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the triune God, are involved in the great plan of redemption. It may seem to some that that is a fairly esoteric notion, that it is at arm's length, but I want you to see that it is absolutely imperative.
And I want to draw your attention to simply three dimensions. First of all, that you would notice that what was happening here in this sacrifice was according to the Father's plan. According to the Father's plan. If you look at verse 5, therefore, when Christ came into the world—the same phrase as we found in chapter 9 and verse 11—when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
With burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, Here I am. It is written about me in the scroll, I have come to do your will, O God. Repeat it again for us in verse 9. The writer picks it up, and he re-quotes this Old Testament passage. Then he said, Here I am.
I have come to do your will. Peter, when he writes to his readers of a scattered Christian group in his day, tells them at the very beginning of it all in 1 Peter 1 and verse 20, Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. You say, Well, is that significant?
Well, it is very significant. Because there are a number of people—and some may even be in our company this evening—who view the development of Christian theology something like this. God contrived a plan in the Old Testament which somehow or another went dreadfully wrong.
And then, in recognizing the defect in the system, he came up with a second plan to correct a system that had become faulty. And what the Bible says is nothing could be further from the truth, but that from all of eternity the Father had chosen out the Son to be the one who would provide an atoning sacrifice for the sins of many. And so Jesus, in coming, takes, if you like, the words of the psalmist David from Psalm 40, which is what is being quoted here in verse 5, and he gives to these words their ultimate fulfillment. And the point of emphasis that he makes is simply that the ritual offerings were worthless without a corresponding obedience of heart and life. The animal itself was coerced onto that sacrificial altar. But the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in this body that had been prepared for him was neither coerced nor nonrational. But it was voluntary, and it was in a full awareness in submission to the Father's plan. Let me give you, just from John's Gospel alone initially, indication of the point that I'm making.
Well, actually, let's start further back. Let's start in Isaiah 53.10, for it says there, it was the Lord's will, or the Father's will, to crush him and cause him to suffer. So here, six hundred years before Christ, Isaiah prophesies concerning the suffering servant who is to come, and he says, it is in the plan of the Father that this Son of his, that this suffering servant, will be crushed and will be the sin-bearer.
When Jesus walks onto the stage of human history, and when his earthly ministry begins to unfold, it is obvious that he is clear concerning these things. In John chapter 4, remember when he speaks with the lady at the well, and the disciples have gone off to get lunch, and they come back with a lunch, and suddenly Jesus is not hungry, and they look at one another, and they wonder at what's going on, and Jesus says in John chapter 4, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. I am here according to the Father's plan. John chapter 5, the very work that the Father has given me to finish. John chapter 6, For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And of course, in the garden of Gethsemane, as the gospel writers record it, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as you will.
Why? Because the work of atonement is grounded in the plan of the Father from all of eternity, so that men and women in Bainbridge, Ohio, on this night, may have their sins forgiven, may be in a right relationship with God himself—not as a result of human initiative, not as a result of contrived religion, but as a result of a plan in the mind of the Father from all of eternity. James Denny, the Scottish theologian at the turn of the century, puts it like this. Atonement—that is, the sacrifice for sin. Atonement is not something contrived, as it were, behind the Father's back. It is the Father's way of making it possible for the sinful to have fellowship with him. Atonement was not contrived behind the Father's back, as if God the Father looked and it took him by surprise. He says, I have come to do your will.
You have prepared a body for me. You don't concern yourself with these sacrifices and so on, but it is by your very will, by the Father's plan, verse 10, that we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Secondly, the Father's plan is paralleled by the Son's sacrifice.
And this is familiar territory to most of us now. A series of striking contrasts have been running through this whole epistle. The writer has been bringing the wonderful truth again and again for a number of chapters to bear upon his readers' minds. In verse 11 he describes the work of the Levitical priests, always on their feet, because their work was never done, because the sacrifice they offered could never take away sin. In contrast, in verse 12, the Lord Jesus is seated, because his work has been completed. And because his work has been completed, and because he sits now waiting for evil finally to be eradicated from the whole world and for his enemies to become his footstool, in this period, verse 14, rules out the possibility of or the necessity for any further offering for sins, because by one sacrifice he has been made perfect forever, those who are being made holy. I need no other sacrifice. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. I need no priest to stand between me and my Father. I need no one to offer up some new sacrifice on my behalf.
I need nothing. Because of the Father's plan and because of the Son's sacrifice. The work of atonement is unrepeatable by its very nature, and his sacrifice is of unspeakable value.
On account of his death upon the cross, we have been accepted in the beloved, we have been forgiven of our sins, we have been ransomed, restored, included in the family of God, granted the Holy Spirit to fill our lives. And it is on this one sacrifice that we take our stand if we truly believe. One of the ways to test this is to find whether we ourselves are trying to make little sacrifices so as to make ourselves more acceptable to God. Well, perhaps if I cut this out for Lent, I may make myself more acceptable. Perhaps if I have a little sacrifice here and another little sacrifice there, perhaps if I forego this and forego that, that somehow or another the Father will be more amenable disposed to me.
Is that in anybody's mind? To the degree that it is, we have not understood the nature of the Father's plan and the Son's sacrifice. If we can add one thing to that atoning sacrifice, it is an insufficient sacrifice for sin. Well, somebody says, well, it says in the Bible that we're supposed to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.
Good! In fact, it tells that we're to offer our lips as a sacrifice of praise. It says we should offer our gifts and so on. There are a number of things that we're to offer as sacrifices, but not in order to attract God's mercy, but rather as an expression of the fact that we have been laid hold of by God's mercy. When you think tonight of the Father's plan and the Son's sacrifice, again—and I want to emphasize this—do not think somehow of the Father laying on his Son an ordeal that he was unwilling to bear. Nor should we think of the Son extracting from the Father a salvation that he was unwilling to bestow. It is true that the Father gave the Son, but it is equally true that the Son gave himself. John Stott put it masterfully, as always, when he says, We mustn't speak of God punishing Jesus, or of Jesus persuading God.
We must never make Christ the object of God's punishment, or God the object of Christ's persuasion. For both Father and Son are subjects, not objects, taking the initiative together to save sinners. Somehow, in the realm of eternity, in a covenant of redemption, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in context with one another and in perfect fellowship and harmony with one another, determined that this would be the way—the Father's plan, the Son's sacrifice, and finally, just a word on the Spirit's testimony. That's there in verse 15. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. The Holy Spirit is the one member of the Trinity that applies the truths of Christ to our lives. That's what Jesus promised.
He was going to go away. He would send the Holy Spirit, who would be with us and who would be in us, and who would take the things of the Lord Jesus Christ and make them real to us in our lives, so that when we talked about this strange experience of knowing God in an intimate way, that it would be something far beyond a mathematical formula, that it would be something beyond some kind of religious externalism, but it would be a reality in our experience, an inexplicable reality to those who do not know Christ. For the natural man and woman does not receive the things of the Spirit, because they're foolishness to them, and they think that the believer is describing some algebraic formula of theology.
But once their eyes would be opened, once they would understand the sacrifice of Calvary, once they would be redeemed by God's Spirit, once they would be made members of the family, then all would be new. And the Spirit of God comes, and he testifies to this truth, here in Hebrews 10. And what does he do? How does the Spirit of God testify? He testifies through the Word of God, through the written Word of God. What does he say to us in our day? He says what he has said within this book, and he reminds his readers of the wonder of the sacrifice. He says, You want an encouragement in relationship to these things?
Get ahold of this. The covenant that God has made with us after that time is one in which he put our laws in our hearts, his law in our hearts. He writes these things on our minds. And then he adds—and what an addition!—"Their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more." You see, under the Old Covenant, there was this constant reminder of sins.
Constant reminder of the fact that they could not be freed from these sins. Under the New Covenant, there is this wonderful reminder of the sacrifice for sin, planned by the Father, procured by the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus said, when he took the cup, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
And for some of us, only in the last few weeks, the lights have begun to go on in relationship to that phrase. Why is it so amazing? The hymn writer says, It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be, That God's own Son should come from heaven And die to save a child like me. And yet I know that it is true, He chose a poor and humble lot, And wept and toiled and mourned and died, For love of those who loved him not.
Isn't that the truth? I sometimes think about the cross, And shut my eyes and try to see The cruel nails and crown of thorns, And Jesus crucified for me. I cannot tell How he could love a child so weak and full of sin.
His love must be most wonderful, If he could die my love to win. And yet I want to love thee, Lord, O light the flame within my heart, And I will love you more and more, until I see you as you are. And from the cross he cried one final word, It's finished, the Father's plan, The Son's sacrifice, the Spirit's testimony. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—the triune God's masterful plan of redemption—unfolded on the cross.
Today's message from Alistair Begg is titled It is Finished, and This is Truth for Life. You may recall a portion of today's message where Alistair was talking about the atonement—that it is God's way of making it possible for sinful men and women to have fellowship with him. God desires a relationship with his people, and author and counselor Ed Welch has written a book on this subject called Created to Draw Near.
Ed Welch takes us on an extraordinary journey. He connects the Old Testament with the New Testament by looking at the special relationship God shared with those who were part of the priesthood. As we begin to understand that believers are actually a part of God's lineage of priests, we begin to see how we can draw near to God because of what Christ has done on our behalf. Request your copy of Created to Draw Near when you support the ministry of Truth for Life. You can do that by making a one-time donation at truthforlife.org slash donate, or you can become a monthly Truth Partner. By joining the Truth Partner team, you'll be upholding our mission to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance so that unbelievers will be converted, believers will be deeply established in their faith, and local churches will be strengthened. By donating monthly, Truth Partners make it possible for people everywhere to have access to these daily messages from Alistair free of charge. Join the Truth Partner team at truthforlife.org slash truthpartner or call 888-588-7884. Or you're welcome to mail your donation along with your request for the book. Write to Truth for Life at post office box 398000, Cleveland, Ohio 44139. The book again is called Created to Draw Near.
I'm Bob Lapine. Hope you can join us again Tuesday as we continue our series called Fix Our Eyes on Jesus. In Hebrews chapter 10, we're seeing what it means to draw near to God, and tomorrow Alistair shows us how this invitation from God to draw near is something we can accept with complete confidence. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-03-01 06:43:01 / 2024-03-01 06:51:11 / 8