Well, as I mentioned this morning, beloved, we turn again to John chapter 19 to consider the second to the last word of our Lord from the cross. In connection with that, turn to Hebrews chapter 9. So read verses 11 through 28 of Hebrews chapter 9. Although all four gospel accounts record the crucifixion and death of our Lord, not all record all seven words or phrases that he spoke from the cross. And so we have to put them together somewhat and figure out that order. But it does appear that the last three words or phrases that he spoke were quite rapidly in succession. I thirst, it is finished, and then, Father, into your hand I commit my spirit. We'll look first at Hebrews 9, beginning at verse 17. I'm sorry, 11, verse 28. Hear now the word of God. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the most holy place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God? For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it because a will is in force only when somebody has died. It never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool, and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you to keep. In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. It was necessary then for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices. but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one. He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. John chapter 19, we'll begin with verse 28, where we did this morning, simply through verse 30. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, I am thirsty. 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. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, it is finished. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, the darkness was past. And the hell of the cross that had been endured by the Savior was ended. And as the sun in heaven shone, no doubt, with new power, the sun of heaven, refreshed by that tiny drink, shouts with renewed power, it is finished. But what did our Lord mean? Well, you see, those who despised Him and crucified Him then, along with those who still reject Him today, tell us that He was giving up. That He couldn't take it anymore. That it was all too much to bear. That simply His cry was a cry of resignation and relief that it was all over. And that's because the cross in the eyes of the world, beloved, is a mark of failure. You see, the one of whom they cried just a few days before, Hosanna, save now, couldn't even save himself. The cross in the eyes of the world symbolizes destruction, not finishing. Collapse, not completion. It symbolizes the end. And you know, the truth is that the world is right about that. The cross does symbolize destruction and collapse and the end. But the question is, for whom? And of what? As Jesus continued to hang on the cross nearing the end, having endured the wrath and punishment of God against sin by suffering the torment of hell in body and soul, with these words, He makes a report to His Father. And what was that report? Well, the night before he had prayed, Father, your will be done. And now he reports very simply one word in the Greek, it is done. It is finished. And this, beloved, is the Savior's exclamation of triumph. It is his triumphant declaration that the decisive turning point in history had now been reached. And the Savior's exclamation of triumph, first of all, recalls the necessary conflict. Boys and girls, you know that any triumph, any victory, follows some sort of a conflict or a battle or maybe even a competition of some sort. And ever since sin entered man, ever since sin entered creation, the battle had been raging between the sinful will of man and the holy will of God. Ever since, Satan had been busy challenging, fighting against God for the allegiance of mankind from the very beginning. In fact, in Lord's Day 52, it reminds us that our sworn enemies, as believers, our sworn enemies are the devil, the world, and our own flesh. But in sin, our sworn enemies are our sworn friends. They are our bosom buddies. Ever since sin entered the world, that perfect fellowship with God that man was created to destroy had been replaced, that man had been created to enjoy had been destroyed, it was replaced by eternal separation from God. From the beginning, enmity had been in place between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. And that battle of sin has been seen throughout the history of Revelation as God's people were constantly faltering between two opinions of Elijah said. If the Lord is God, serve Him. If Baal is God, serve Him. And they went back and forth over and over again throughout history as we know, especially as we consider the book of Judges, over and over again. First with the nations, the gods of the nations, and then with the Lord. And the Old Testament sacrifices in which, as the writer of Hebrews says in verse 13, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean, Sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. All throughout the Old Testament dispensation, the Old Testament sacrifices were ongoing evidence of that battle of sin. And they continually demonstrated the need, the urgent need, for another. Ever since sin entered the world, you see, ever since mankind became sinful, he had no way to get back by himself. And ever since, there was a need for another. The penalty for sin had to be paid by another. The devil, the world, and the flesh had to be conquered by another. The wrath and justice of God needed to be satisfied by another. Our guilt had to be removed by another. And we needed to be made righteous, beloved, by another. And that other is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord. And this is the work that He came to accomplish. Even as He said to His disciples in John 4, verse 34, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. And the focus of His work was to come and restore peace between God and His people, and to put an end to that conflict that had been raging. And He did so using the sword of the cross where the battle raged the fiercest. And that battlefield of the cross is where that necessary conflict took place, of course, the world deceived by the ruler says that Christ lost. But the truth is the cross is where that helpless looking victim in the world's eyes had the devil by the throat. It is where he took the sting out of death. It is where he choked the last accusing breath of condemnation out of sin that was against his people. It is where he claimed victory with this exclamation of triumph, it is finished. And beloved, the triumph of the cross includes His triumph over the devil. The devil fought hard. And we know the devil is still prowling around us, Peter says, seeking whom He may devour. And the cross makes it look to some like the devil was victorious, but Satan has been defeated. We know that full well. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 2, verse 14 says of Jesus Christ that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. And the triumph of the cross also includes his triumph over the world. As Jesus said in John 16, 33, I have overcome the world. Take heart. I have overcome the world. But one more, the triumph of the cross also includes not only of the two sworn enemies, the devil and the world, but also that third one, a triumph over the flesh. You see, beloved, that flesh is that part of us that allies itself with the devil and the world. But in confidence, Paul says in Galatians 2, verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. the cross indeed is where our savior was triumphant it is where he canceled the sin of his people and because of the cross he breaks the power of canceled sin in his people now boys and girls again you know that all who engage in some sort of a conflict or a competition they know either one of two things they know either the thrill of victory or they know the agony of defeat. Well, the thrill of the ultimate victory belongs to our Savior who, as Matthew says in his record, cried out in a loud voice. It wasn't just a cry of reservation or relief in the sense that it's over. But this cry in essence announced the words of Revelation 11, verse 15, which says the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. And that means that for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is our ruler, but even more than that, His victory is our victory. And there's no greater comfort. Because this exclamation of triumph also in the second place expresses perfect completion, a perfect completion with established results, results that will never be overturned. They can never be overturned because they're perfect. If you think about the Olympic Games, for example, you know that the results can be overturned, especially if cheating has been found to have taken place. I think of the female sprinter Marion Jones some time back when she confessed to using steroids. She was stripped of her medals. But now I believe I just heard that she is beginning a prison term. But also from one Olympic Games in one particular year to another, records can be broken. Results are overturned. And history teaches us that the kingdoms of this world that once ruled with power, for example, the Roman Empire, eventually lost out to those who were more powerful. One might know the thrill of victory today, but the agony of defeat tomorrow. Our Lord's exclamation of triumph expresses perfect completion with established results because redemption has been accomplished. You see, with Christ's shout of victory and triumph, He was reporting to the Father that the making of atonement and all that was included in the making of that atonement, it was finished, it was completed, and it was done perfectly. Nothing more is needed. Again, John 19, verse 28, later knowing that all was now completed. All that Scripture had said of him and his work, whether in promise or picture or poetry or prophecy, had now been fulfilled. We know, of course, he had to die, yet as we said this morning, and rise again. But it was as if that had already been done. Nothing was lacking. All the things that were needed for our redemption, for our salvation, had been performed. and accomplished. The costly ransom had been given. The great conflict of hell had been endured. Sin's wages had been paid. The divine wrath and justice of God had been satisfied. And reconciliation between God and His people being brought back into the favor of God had been made. And no longer, beloved, is it just a promise that we have to look forward to and wonder how long will it be? But it is fulfilled. We have peace with God. Nothing stands in the way. The torn veil testified that the way to the Father was open for God's people. Never to be closed again. All obstacles are gone. Every demand of the law has been satisfied. Sin has been fully dealt with. As the writer of Hebrews says in verse 26, but now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. So the promises have been fulfilled, all to which the types and the shadows of the Old Covenant pointed had now been accomplished with regard to His work on this earth. And the reason that our Savior's triumph endures forever is because His sacrifice was perfect. Jesus Christ was perfectly obedient, actively, passively, sinlessly unto death. That is the testimony of Scripture. particularly from the writer of Hebrews. In chapter 9 again, verses 11 and 12, when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the most holy place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Verse 14 goes on to say that Christ offered Himself unblemished to God. chapter 7 verses 26 and 27 says of him such a high priest meets our need one who is holy blameless pure set apart from sinners exalted above the heavens unlike the other high priests he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people he sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself and one more bit of evidence, chapter 10, 14, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being saved. The clear testimony from our God Himself that our Savior's sacrifice is perfect. That salvation has been accomplished, never to be taken away. Beloved, our Savior's work on earth is finished. The work that He came to accomplish while He was on this earth. All of His suffering, all the prophecies regarding that work, His atoning work, it's all finished. With our work, we often complain that we have so much to do. We have so little time. It seems like we'll never get it finished. But not so with His work. Christ's work of accomplishing redemption has been perfectly completed. He has reached the intended goal. The final sacrifice for sin has been made. The redemptive shedding of His blood is done once for all. It is finished, and it stands finished forever. The blood of Jesus and its effect will never run dry. It will never run out. The warranty on our Savior's saving work, as it were, will never expire. The Savior's work on earth is finished, but with a lasting effect. That those who are in Christ by faith not only know the thrill of victory, but they themselves are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. But that means also that the Savior's work for earth continues. His work for earth, even as He sits at the right hand of God, continues. Hebrews 10.14 spoke of those being sanctified. His work continues even at this very moment by His Holy Spirit who applies that which Christ accomplished. The Holy Spirit is still busy, praise God, day by day, giving new birth to some, bringing the elect to faith. He is still busy in you and me preparing us for glory. And our Lord Jesus Christ is not sitting idly at the right hand of God. He is still busy preparing a place for you and me. And He is busy even at this moment making intercession for us. And His work for earth will not be completely finished until He comes again to judge the living and the dead after which He will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15. But until then, the Savior's exclamation of triumph also in the third place points to faithful challenge. Faithful challenge as the message is to be preached. it is finished until he comes again. And that message that is to be preached, beloved, is of the believer's certainty. That for those who believe the message of the cross of Jesus, justification, being right with God, is secure for them. That sanctification, that cleansing work of the Holy Spirit will be accomplished fully, completely in them. And that glorification is an assurance for them. That's the believer's certainty because the believer is victorious in Christ Jesus. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2.14, Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. But the message that is to be preached is not only of the believer's certainty, but of the unbeliever's danger. You see, the message of the cross is indeed, as we said in the beginning, of utter destruction and collapse and of a bitter end. But again, not of Him. Not of His work. But of Satan, sin, death, and hell. And for those who continue to be bosom buddies of the devil, the world, and the flesh who want nothing to do with Christ's work on the cross. You see, beloved, apart from Jesus Christ, they are going to hell. And the question is, do we care? Do we care? You see, this faithful challenge is a call to believe. To believe the only sacrifice for sin, that all that anyone needs, every one of mankind, you and me alike. It is a call to believe the only sacrifice for sin, the one made by our Savior and Calvary's tree that alone restores fellowship with God and brings eternal security. The message of the cross is that only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one, not one, comes to the Father except through Him. Again, the warranty of His saving work will not expire, but the opportunity to receive that free gift of salvation by faith will run out. And therefore, we are called to be busy preaching the Word, planting churches, sending missionaries, talking to our neighbors and co-workers who do not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. That faithful challenge, beloved, is to trust in Him alone and it is sure because of the meaning of finished. Very simply, finished here means finished. Nothing more needs to be done. Nothing more can be done to atone for sin because Jesus paid it all and only His work is acceptable to God for our salvation. And anything that you and I might try to do to go along with it will only ruin it. But this call to faithful challenge is also a call then to live in conscious joy of this salvation, even in the midst of anxieties, anxiousness. As we were reminded this morning as well, we do suffer in this life. We suffer the effects of sin. It's all around us. In different ways, whether it's with our health or whether it's with our finances, as was prayed in the prayer. We suffer. And when we are tempted or face trials or difficulties of life that seem to come down on us, even some of us, with one crushing blow after another, we are to remember that we do not live by our own strength. If that's the case, there's only one outcome, and that's failure. But for those who are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, we are safe in the arms of Jesus who is greater than all of our fears. And none of these things of this life can separate us from Him. None of these things can strip His perfect, completed work for us away from us. But we are also called to live in conscious joy of the defeat of His enemies. Now, as we continue to struggle with sin, and we do, we are to be humble to be sure we are to repent and confess those sins before our God day by day. Yet, we can also be filled with joy. Because on the cross, Jesus Christ completely defeated and destroyed sin and Satan with all of their eternal consequences. We are forgiven. The curse has been removed, never to return. Satan is not able to accuse us. Oh, he can try. But God the Father says, Look at my Son. Look at His sacrifice. Look at His perfect work. You've got nothing to say, Satan. And therefore, beloved, we are to live in conscious joy as victors. Our confidence is that Jesus Christ with His sword at the cross will put all His enemies under His feet. our confidence is that they are powerless against His sacrifice. They will never take His triumph away from Him, and they will never, ever take His triumph away from His people either. And those who stand on the firm foundation laid once for all through Christ's triumph, we do not fight for victory. That's already done. But by the grace of God, we fight from victory. And as we struggle with sin in this life, Beloved, we are to confidently appeal to His mercy and forgiveness for the sake of His cross and to do so with confidence knowing that the Lord knows those who are His. It is finished. That's the exclamation of triumph that the saints of old longed to hear. It has been spoken. It has literally changed our lives forever. because we now have life forever. It is finished is to ring out loud and clear that we, along with all who believe, might live in the assurance that by grace through faith, we enter into a finished work. We enter into a perfect righteousness. We enter into a complete salvation. Not destroyed, but delivered. Not defeated, but victors. In Christ Jesus, ours is a perfect victory over sin, the devil, and death. Alleluia. What a Savior. Amen. Let's pray. Father, indeed, with such great joy, we acknowledge the truth of Your Word. We confess there are times when we think that we like to have a little something to do with our relationship with You and being reconciled. We praise You for the truth of Your Word that it has all been accomplished perfectly by Jesus Christ. And Father, we praise You too that we live in the joy of His complete work. And we pray too, Lord, that You would work in our hearts and lives as individuals and as a congregation, as churches, in this world. That it would be our desire that this true message goes forth clearly and boldly. I'll continue to raise up preachers of Your Word and continue to give us as Your people courage and confidence to not shrink back from proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving love, but to be filled with such blessed assurance and confidence that we cannot keep from spreading the good news of our Savior. Father, indeed, what can we say but thank You and praise the Lord for Your precious gift of salvation to us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.