The Church of Eleven22 - God Is Not Finished: Tetelestai - Wk 7

Episode Date: March 31, 2024

Do you believe that when Jesus said “It is finished” that it counted for you? - The Church of Eleven22® is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Eleven22 is led by Pastor Joby Martin and based in Jacksonville, Florida, with multiple campuses throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. To find out more about how God is moving at Eleven22, go to coe22.com

Amen and amen and amen. Happy Resurrection Day, 1122. How are we doing? You look great. You look way better than you looked last week. Hey, we're super glad that you're here. Happy Easter. We are here to celebrate that Jesus is alive.

We don't follow a set of rules and regulations that we follow a resurrected Savior. Amen? And I would like to welcome you. I know many of you come here all the time. Welcome back. Welcome to all of our campuses, all of our locations all over the place. We want to especially welcome those of you that are, watching our prison campuses.

We love you like crazy. And I know there's also many of you, and you don't typically come here. But we are so glad that you are here. And I hesitate to call you a guest. And let me tell you why. We love to have guests at my house. And we, if you come to my house, we would love to host you. We will cook for you.

We'll roll out the red carpet for you. But we have an expectation when guests come to see us that they're going to leave. They're not going to join my family. That's why I don't want to call you a guest, because we want you to join this family. We just think you're going to be a part of the family. and you don't know what yet. I hope you'll come back next week and the next week and the next week and the next week, and you will join this big dysfunctional family that we call the Church of 1122.

We have been studying the seven sayings of Christ on the cross for the last seven weeks. And today we are at our final week. We've also been studying this 40-day devotional by Charles Martin, a friend of mine, that you can get in the lobbies of our campuses if you want, called It is Finished. On day 40, he says this. He says, raise your hands with me. This is pretty much the whole sermon right here summarized. He says, while we have spent 40 days returning to the cross, here's the truth.

He is not still hanging here. And he is not in that tomb over there. This tomb is empty. This cross is unmanned. Jesus Christ is risen and he is alive right now. Right this very moment, Jesus, the undefeated king of all kings, is seated at the right hand of God. an honor bestowed given him by the father he's the only one to ever sit there the only one worthy the lion of the tribe of judah has prevailed to him has been given all dominion and authority and his kingdom

shall never end and notice that jesus the high priest of our confession is seated why because his work on the cross is finished that said his work in us is not until his return on this mountain we will are still works in progress. The finished work of the cross, the blood of Jesus, is still working in us, to us and through us. That's the beauty and wonder and majesty, and I just can't believe in this of this cross.

Amen? We are going to study the final sayings of Christ on the cross. You know, words matter. Words are important. In regards to the way you live your life, maybe the most important words you'll ever hear is this. It is written. Jesus says that a lot in the story.

scriptures. In regards to your sinfulness and my sinfulness, maybe the most important words you'll ever hear is this. It is finished. And in regards to your eternity, to my eternity, maybe the most important words ever said is this. He is risen. You sit around here, we know that if the tomb is empty, anything is possible, even the salvation of a wretch like me. And so before we get to the sayings of Jesus on the cross, to understand the power of the resurrection, you've got to understand what he went through to get there. That it starts on a Thursday night, that Jesus gathers the disciples together in the upper room. He institutes what we know as the Lord's Supper or communion.

He gets up from the table. He shows the disciples the full extent of his love. He serves them by washing their feet. Then he serves him the cup and the bread. Then he takes his disciples to the Garden of Gatsimony. It's at the bottom of the Mount of Olives. It's called the Place of Crushing. And there he prays three times.

Father, if there be any other way, let this cup, the cup of the wrath of God, let this cup pass from me, not my will, but your will be done. And he's betrayed by a friend. He's arrested. Caiaphas, the chief priest, takes him to his house, throws him in a pit under his house. He begins to put him on trial. They begin to question him. They put a sack over his head. They punch him in the face.

They say, you say that you're a prophet, then tell us who hit you. They pluck out his beard. The problem is Caiaphas is just the Jewish high priest. He does not have the authority to tell Rome that they have to crucify somebody. So they ship him off to Harriet. Herod is the big boss. Herod doesn't want to have anything to do with him. He just wants to see a miracle.

When Jesus won't play Harri's game, they ship him down to Pilate. Pilots kind of in charge of this region. Pilate begins investigating, and he realizes this man has done nothing wrong. Pilots trying to look for a loophole because somehow he wants to let Jesus go. So he brings Jesus in front of this crowd and he says this, what shall I do with this man named Jesus? For he is innocent, has done nothing wrong. By the way, that question, your individual answer to that singular question

will be the most important thing you ever decide for the rest of eternity. Your very destiny hangs in the balance. What will you do with this man named Jesus? And so the crowd, the crowd says crucify him, kill him. And the same crowd that earlier that week on Sunday, when Jesus came in on a colt, they took off their cloaks and they laid down palm branches and they said, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. That phrase, Hosanna means, Lord save us. And apparently the us was the most important thing. Because when he didn't do for them what they wanted him to do, now that same crowd gathers together and says, crucify him, kill him.

Pilate says, I wash my hands of this. By the way, you don't get to declare yourself innocent or righteous. You don't have that luxury. And so they beat him. They flog him. They take a crown of thorns and they press it down on his head. They put a cross beam on his back. They march him through the city of Jerusalem so everybody sees what happens when you rebel against Rome.

Then they take him to this place called Galgatha, the place of the skull. It's just outside of the city. And unlike most of the pictures and paintings of the crucifixion that you've seen, he's not 15 or 20 feet in the air. He's crucified at eye level so that anybody and everybody can spit on him and mock him and jeer him and cuss him. Nine-inch nails are driven through his hands and through his feet. And he's crucified between two thieves. And seven times in the Bible, seven times, Jesus pushes up on his nail-pierced feet.

He inhales, he displaces the lung flu. that's filling his lungs with air so that he can exhale and say words. Seven is the number of completion. Jesus says everything he needs to say to us from the cross. And the first thing he says is this, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Why? Because Jesus did not primarily come as a teacher or even a miracle worker. Jesus came for the forgiveness of sin.

He was going to lay his life down so that we could be forgiven. He is a Savior. That's why he came. after some time on the cross he begins to have a conversation with one of the thieves next to him the thief asked for a favor and the thief has done nothing to deserve anything except the punishment that he is receiving and yet he begins to realize what Jesus is doing on the cross somehow counts for him and so he says will you remember me this day when you go before your father in heaven and Jesus, in this ultimate display of grace,

that's truly, truly, I say to you, you will be with me today in paradise. If anybody ever makes it to heaven, we know this brother does. And how do we know this? Because there is no sin in you that cannot be washed away by the blood of Jesus. And then the sky goes dark,

and Jesus pushes up on his nail-pier's feet. And in Aramaic says, Elo, Elo, La Mahabactani. He's quoting Psalm 22. It's a play-by-play, blow-by-blow prophecy of what he is going through in that very moment. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And Jesus is being crushed by the Father. The cup of the wrath of God is being poured out on him in this moment. While this is happening, he looks out and he sees his mom.

His mom. And can we just agree that in this moment, Jesus is a little busy? I mean, he's accomplishing the most important thing. In all of human history, he's redeeming the world. And yet, when he sees his mom, he cares for her. And he says, woman, behold your son. Son, behold, your mother. He's talking to his friend John.

He's saying, take care of my mom. And here's why I let you know this. God's never too busy for you. Just like he saw his mom, I don't know how you walked in here, maybe beating up battering bruise, and you're thinking, does he see me? He sees you, he's here for you, and he gets you. He wants to take care of her needs in that very moment because he cares and because he loves.

He pushes up on his feet a little later and he says, I thirst to show us his humanity that Jesus is fully God and fully man. And then the last two things he says, he says them together. Last week we studied the last one, Father, Into Thy Hands, I commit my spirit that Jesus had been submitted to the plan of God from the very beginning. And then he says, it is finished. If you read John 19 and Luke 23, and you put those two things together, you get the full picture. John 1930 says, and when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit because nobody takes it from it. Luke records it this way.

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. While the sun's light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn into, this is a really, really big deal. The curtain separated the Holy of Holies from. The people. It separated the presence of God from the people of God because he's a holy and just God. And if unrighteous people like us were to enter into the holiness of God without payment of sin being paid, then we would be wiped out. It would be like putting your marshmallow in the campfire.

It doesn't go good for the marshmallow. But when Jesus dies on the cross, the curtain, Matthew says, is torn from the top to the bottom as an invitation for anyone who would believe that we could be in the very presence of a righteous king. And then Jesus calling out in a loud voice said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. So when Jesus says the words, it is finished. The question is what is finished?

Does he mean he's going to die? He is going to die. Does he mean the crucifixion is almost over? That's not what he means. It means a lot more than that. And so I've told you this forever, not that you pay attention, but I just say it all the time. But the best way to do Bible study is allow the Bible to be commentary

unto itself. And so if you got your Bibles, and I hope you do, Luke 24 is where we're going to be. And I want you to grab a Bible. If you don't bring one, there's one in the seat back in front of you. And if you don't have a Bible of your own, you can take that one. If you want a nice Bible, you could go to our lost and found. We have many leather-bound Bibles with other people's names on it, and feel free to take them. I'm not bitter. You leave your Costa as you're back immediately. You leave your Bible, you're like, I'll get at Christmas Eve. Okay, whatever. So, this is important. In Luke chapter 24, this is after the resurrection. Jesus has appeared a couple of few times to a couple of few people. Luke 2413, it says this, that very day, two of them,

two disciples or followers, two of them were going to a village named Amaeus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. This matter, seven miles from Jerusalem. A part of what Luke wants us to know, this is a physical, miraculous, bodily resurrection. There's, there became this theory that was put forth and it'll be played on things like the Discovery Channel, which is the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. It's called the swoon theory, because you can't deny the historical reality that there was a man named Jesus showed up in Jerusalem and he changed the whole world. And that people claim to see him dead and crucified and now he's alive. And so a part of what somebody came up with is called the swoon theory, that on the cross, after he was beaten,

after he was flogged, after he was crucified, after his heart was pierced with a sword, they wrapped him up in burial cloth, about 150 pounds. They put him in a cave, they rolled a stone over it, and without any medical treatment whatsoever, after about three days of sleeping in there, he woke up feeling like he stayed in Holiday Inn Express, rolled away the stone, somehow eluded the guards, and then did a seven-mile jog to Emmaus. If you believe that, you're too dumb to talk to. I'm just going to tell you, okay? I'm 50 years old, and if I don't sleep exactly perfectly,

I've got to have an Advil smoothie to make it to Easter service. You understand? So, this is a miraculous resurrection, and seven miles away, Jesus, Jesus. Jesus comes strolling them. And they, these disciples, they were talking about, they were talking with each other, about all these things that had happened. And what had happened was Jesus came out of the grave. You see, the foundation of Christianity is not a set of doctrines.

The foundation of Christianity is not a set of alt-tubes. The foundation of Christianity is not even faith. We don't have faith in faith. The foundation of Christianity is an actual historical, event that a man named Jesus claimed to be God was crucified, dead and buried, and on the third day, just as he prophesied, he came out of the grave. And if he came out of the grave, then we can come out of the grave too. Then we don't just believe and believe.

In fact, all Rome had to do to shut this whole thing up is go get dead Jesus and hang him up in the middle of Jerusalem. And none of us are here at Easter service. We're already at the beach. That's just true. But what had happened is that Jesus. was alive. And while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near.

And he went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Now, commentators fight about how this happens. Some people will say it's just because three days before this, he was beaten until he was unrecognizable as a man. But I would like to also point out, he is the resurrected sovereign savior. So if he wants to do the Jedi mind trick and be like, this is not the Jesus you're looking for, he can do that, okay?

And he said to them, what is this conference? that you were holding with each other as you walk, and they stood still looking sad. And then one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? Cleopis is like, who are you, man? Have you been living under a rock?

And he's like, well, actually. Now, in actuality, what he could say is, actually, Cleopis, I'm the only one that understands what's happening. I'm the only one that knew this day was preordained before the foundation. of the world. I'm the only one that knows what it is like to put death to death, to conquer sin, to pay the sin debt of all who would believe. He knows what's going on. But one of the things you'll see all throughout the scriptures is when Jesus asks questions, it's not because he doesn't know the answer. It's because we don't. And he said to them, what things? And they said to him,

here's their testimony. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed, and word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. Now here's the thing about Cleopis's testimony. It's true. Everything is true. It's just not the whole truth. And because it's not the whole truth, it is not the gospel.

And here's why I say this. There are many, many, many people, probably at 1122 and for sure all over the world that will gather together today and believe many true things about God and miss out on who he is because you don't know Jesus. Many people will show up in churches and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for sin, that he was resurrected on the third day, and that belief alone won't save you. How can you say that?

Because the demons believe all of those things, and yet they shudder. The question is, do you believe that that counted for you? Have you submitted and surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? You see, Cleopas at this point has not put his faith in the resurrected Christ. He said, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Jesus did not come to redeem any nation. He came to redeem human beings who would believe in him. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things have happened.

Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. they were at the tomb early in the morning and when they did not find his body they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive and some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said

but him they did not see and he said to them this is Jesus replying oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory

He's like, do y'all not pay attention in class? It was the point of the whole thing. How did you miss it? Which is really good news for many of you. If you read the Bible, I don't understand. If you're a little slow on the uptake, you could make a great disciple because the early disciples didn't understand. It makes me feel better as a preacher because I feel like I say the same thing over and over and over and some of you don't get it.

And then look what he does. Jesus. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets. In other words, the whole Old Testament, old covenant. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Notice what he doesn't do. The resurrected Christ could have showed up on the road to Emmaus and they're like, we don't know. And he could have gone, ta-da, it's me, boys.

But that's not what he does. Because the Bible doesn't say seeing is believing. The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. And so what Jesus is going to do is Jesus is going to take the Bible and march through the whole Old Testament with these boys and tell them what it means. Let me tell you one of my favorite things about being friends with Charles Martin. When I'm reading one of his books and I don't know what it means, I just call him. Hey dude, page 81, what did you mean? And he's always like, well, what you think it means.

I was like, bro, it don't matter what I think. You wrote the book. Tell me, friend. And he tells me, right? The author of the book is about to walk through the book and say, this is what this means and this is what this means. and this is what this means, and this is what this means. And all of it points to the Christ, the Messiah, that would suffer and then be resurrected and enter into his glory.

Now, the Bible doesn't tell us exactly what he covers. But it's got to be the greatest disciple group of all time. I imagine he started in the beginning. He's like, come on, boys, don't you remember Sunday school? But you remember how the whole thing started? Don't you remember in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth? And he just began to speak and all these things begin to happen. And then on the sixth day, the ultimate day of his creation, don't you remember, the Bible says,

let us create mankind in our image. And he's going, I was part of the us. One God and three persons, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in a perfectly submitted love relationship with himself, that God is both the object and subject of his own love for himself and out of an overflow of that love. He created image bears to give and receive that love. Don't you remember that God the Father reaches down its hands and begins to scoop up the dust of the earth? The Atama is the Hebrew word for dirt. So where we get the name Adam.

And he makes like a shell of a man, but it's not yet a living being. Until God Almighty breathes the ruah of life into the nostrils of Adam. He gets close, face to face, nose to nose. And the word ruah means breath or spirit. it. And then the very first man opens his eyes, and he is face to face with his creator who is his heavenly father. And that's what every single one of us were created for, that moment. That's why the temporary things of this world just never satisfy. It's why even if you're crushing it at work and at home and you got more money and you know what to do with, and you lay

your head down on the pillow and you go, is this it? No, that ain't it. You were created for that relationship. And then he gives Adam a helpmate, a wife, and he begins to give them instruction. And we serve a good God. God is not into a bunch of rules and regulations. In fact, there was a bunch of dues. There was only one don't. There were commandments like be fruitful and multiply. Praise God for that one. There was subdue and cultivate. You can eat from all of these trees everywhere you want. There's just one that'll kill you. And I love you enough. So whatever you do, don't do that one thing. And it goes super great in the Bible for like a page.

I mean, seriously, before sin enters the world, you want to hear about this miracle? The Bible says that they were naked and unashamed. Over 50 crowd. Think about that for a minute, okay? I know some of your own people are like, I don't get it. You're going to get it one day, all right? It's coming faster than you think. And yet Adam and Eve reject God.

They actually reject him in two different ways. First and foremost, they reject them in real. rebellion. Forget you, guys. We do what we want. We got this. We know better than you. We'll eat whatever we want, when we want with whoever we want. And sin enter the world. And when sin entered the world, it held the door open for every painful thing you have ever been through in your entire life. And instead of running to God, they run from him. And instead of confessing their sin and say, we're sorry, God, we messed up. They run and they hide. And the Bible says that they begin to God. They run to God. They're sowed fig leaves together to cover over their shame and the very first religion is created. You see, some people reject God through rebellion with like sex drugs and rock and roll, and some people reject God through Sunday school. I got this. I can be good enough by the works of my own hands.

Forget you, we don't need you. And yet God always pursues his rebellious kids. And the Bible says that God walks through the garden in the cool of the day saying, where are you in calling out Adam and Eve's name? And they ran and they hid. And he's like, Adam, what did you do? And then typical man moved, man. Adam's the worst.

Adam's the worst. It's just duck, dodge, blame. Adam's response is, the woman you gave me, she made me sin. He's like the first gas lighter. Not on me. This is on y'all. I'll take your apology whenever you're ready. And because of God's justice, they're out of the garden.

Their fellowship with the Almighty Perfect God is broken. But because of God's love and grace, he makes a covering for their sins. He goes, these figs leaves ain't going to do it. So for the first time in created history, the blood of an animal is shed for the covering of sin. And he looks at this woman. He looks at Eve, and he says, he speaks to her what theologians called the proto-evangalian, the first gospel. And he says, I'm going to put enmity between your offspring and this Satan, this serpent, this liar. And there's going to be a seed that comes from you.

And one day he's going to show up on the scene. And this enemy is going to try to take him out. And in so doing, he's going to bruise his heel, and he's going to get his head crushed. And the whole rest of the Bible is about the serpent crusher coming on the sea. And maybe, maybe after that he pointed him to Abraham, the father of the faith. He says, boy, don't you remember Abraham? Abraham believed in God, and his faith was counted to him as righteousness. Don't you remember when God gave him a promised son, and he took his only begotten son

and put wood on his back and marched him up a mountain, and God said, sacrifice your son, and Abraham believed God would be faithful, and God had promised to bless the whole world through this boy, and so he was willing to do it, even though it didn't make sense. And then God shows up on the scene and says, whoa, whoa, whoa, don't touch the boy. I've got a sacrificial ram in the thicket. Or maybe he walked him through the life of Joseph, Joseph who went through all kind of trials and all kind of tribulations. And anybody that went through what Joseph went through,

it would look like God had completely lost control. And little did Joseph know, though, that God was orchestrating Joseph's life in such a way that he would be set up to save all of the Jewish people. And one day, Joseph finds himself as the senior VP of all of Egypt, and his brothers who had betrayed him were standing before him, and instead of enacting revenge, he enacts forgiveness and grace. And he says, am I not in the place? place of God, what you intended for evil, God intended for you.

And maybe he took him to Moses' life. That God's chosen people are now a slave nation in Egypt, and they're crying out to God. And God hears the cries of his people and sends a very unlikely hero, a guy named Moses, a guy that had screwed up so bad that he thought he was disqualified for ministry forever. And he's out as a shepherd just in the back 40 doing nothing. And then he sees this bush on fire, and he walks up to it. And God, through the burning bill, says, Moses, take off your shoes, you're on. holy ground. I want you to go to Pharaoh and say, let my people go. And Moses says, who should I say

sent me? And he says, you tell him, my name is Yahweh. I am that I am. And Moses is like, well, I don't think Pharaoh is going to budge him. He goes, I'll budge him. I'm going to send 10 plagues. And the 10th plague, Moses, pay close attention. It's the plague of the firstborn. I'm going to send an angel of death through Egypt. And the firstborn of everybody, every man and woman and cattle and livestock will all be taken unless you take the first. You take the firstborn. the blood of a spotless lamb, you shed it and you put it on the doorpost of the house, and the angel of death will pass over whoever has the blood of the lamb on the doorpost of the house. Maybe he took him to that place.

Or maybe he took him to when Moses crosses through the Red Sea and he goes up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. And before he gets the Ten Commandments, he gets this declaration, I will be your God and you will be my children. Before he gives them what to do, he tells them who they are. Because identity always precedes activity. And then he doesn't just give 10 commandments that we talk about sometimes. He actually gives over 600 commandments. And when the nation of Israel hears it and looks at them, they think, well, that's impossible.

God's like, right, because these commandments are a map and a mirror. They're a map to show us how we ought to rightly live before a righteous king. And there's also a mirror to go, uh-oh, we need help because we can't pull this off. And so maybe he takes them to what Moses institutes, which is the sacrificial system. Maybe he took him to Leviticus Chapter 16. I probably don't even have to mention it. You probably leave through it this morning and are very familiar, but just in case you're new to Bible study.

In Leviticus 16, it's called the Day of Atonement. That one time of here, the high priest would consecrate himself, would shed the blood of the lamb, would go into the Holy of Holies, that little room where the curtain was torn earlier. Because in that room was the presence of a holy God.

No one was allowed in here except one time a year, the high priest. And he would take the blood of the land, lamb and he would sprinkle it over the arc of the covenant. It was this fancy box and inside the box was the law of God. The idea being that every single year when God looked down, he did not see his broken law, he saw shed blood that would cover it. And maybe he began to walk him through the prophets.

Maybe he walked through Psalm 22, which was a play-by-play prophecy of what Christ had been through on the cross. Maybe he took him to Isaiah 53 that he was pierced for our transgressions. he was crushed for our iniquities. Maybe he took him to one of the over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, like being born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, from Nazareth, by way of Egypt, betrayed by Achis, sold for 30 pieces of silver, crucified and resurrected. Maybe he took him to Malachi 4, where the Bible says,

and the son of righteousness will come with healing in his wings. But Jesus took the word of God and let these boys know the whole thing has been about me the entire time. You see, Jesus is on every single page of our Bible, Old Testament and New. In Genesis, Jesus is the seed of the woman that would crush the head of the serpent. In Exodus, Jesus is the Passover lamb who takes away the sin of God's people. In Leviticus, Jesus is the great high priest who intercedes for us. In Numbers, Jesus is the water in the desert. In Deuteronomy, Jesus is the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

In Joshua, Jesus is the commander of the Lord's army defeating the ultimate enemies. In judges, Jesus is the true judge delivering us from evil and injustice. In Ruth, Jesus is our kinsman Redeemer. In 1st and 2nd Samuel, Jesus is the greater prophet and priest. In 1st and 2nd kings, Jesus is the greater king. In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Jesus is the son of David who comes to reign eternally. In Ezra and Nehemiah, Jesus is the one who restores worship and protects his people. In Esther, Jesus is our advocate, putting his life on the line to restore us to royalty.

In Job, Jesus is a mediator between God and man. In Psalms, Jesus is the holy one who would never see corruption. In Proverbs, Jesus is the personified wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes, Jesus is our true meaning. In Song of Solomon, Jesus is our faithful and devoted love. In Isaiah, Jesus is the suffering servant. In Jeremiah, Jesus is the weeping Messiah. In lamentations, Jesus is the one who assumes the wrath of God.

In Ezekiel, Jesus is the son of man. In Daniel, Jesus is the one in the fire with us. In Hosea, Jesus is the husband who stays faithful, even when we are unfaithful. In Joel, Jesus is sending his spirit on all of his people. In Amos, Jesus delivers justice to the oppressed. In Obadiah, Jesus is the judge of those who do evil. In Jonah, Jesus is the greater missionary who pursues than undeserving people. In Micah, Jesus is the one who cast our sin into the sea of forgiveness.

In Naham, Jesus proclaims a future world with peace beyond our imagination. In Habakkuk, Jesus is the one who crushes injustice. In Zephaniah, Jesus is the warrior who is mighty to save. In Haggai, Jesus restores our worship. In Zechariah, Jesus is the pierced Messiah, pierced for our transgression. In Malachi, Jesus is the son of righteousness who brings healing in his wings. The whole thing is about Jesus. The whole thing.

And so he's doing Bible study with him. Don't you get it, guys? That's what he's doing. And maybe he went to the New Testament. So, boys, don't you remember what the angel says to the shepherds in the field? When the angel showed up and they go, whoa, whoa, whoa, fear not. For behold, we bring good news of great joy that will be for all the people. for unto us is born this day in the city of David, a savior.

Not a religious teacher, not a good moral example, but a savior. And maybe he pointed out, don't you remember my cousin, John the baptizer, crazy guy, big beer, he wore weird clothes, ate kind of goofy food. And he stood out in the Jordan and he just screamed, repent and be baptized. And then one day when Jesus of Nazareth showed up, he pointed at him and said, behold. And think about this declaration in light of Leviticus. 16, the day of atonement. He said, behold, the Lamb of God who's come to take away the sin

of the entire world. Not another Lamb of God that's here to cover over the sin of just the Jewish people until this time next year. But the serpent crusher is on the scene. And Jesus walks into that water. And John, the baptizer, baptizes him. And the heavens split open. And God the Father speaks out loud over his son. Behold my son in whom I am well pleased. and for you gifted students. How much ministry had Jesus done at this point in his life? The answer? None. No miracles, no sermons, hadn't walked on water, hadn't fed 5,000 people, and before he does anything,

God looks at his boy and says, behold my son in whom I am well pleased. Why? Because he places his love on you. Love is not a thing that you earn by doing good things. Listen, man, the gospel is not anti-effort. It's just anti-earning. And if you are in Christ, and Christ is in you, when he sees you, he sees the righteousness of his son.

This is why First John says, and this is love. Not that we love God, but God first loved us and sit his son as the propitiation for our sin. That word propitiation means a payment that satisfies, and here's why that matters. If you're in Christ, he cannot be dissatisfied in you. do you know why you're dissatisfied in people because they don't live up to your expectations you think you're letting God down you were never holding him up he did not pop up this morning and look at your life and be like what in the name of me is he doing now no no no no no he knew the crappy deal he was getting when he overpaid for you with the blood of his son and you're not your own you were bought at a

price so he looks at you if you were in Christ and says behold my son my daughter in whom I am well pleased and then Jesus begins his earthly ministry And he teaches, and he does miracles, but even when he does this, he's always pointing to the redemptive plan of God for his people. And he's crucified. And on the cross, he pushes up on his nail-pierced feet. And he says these words, it is finished. It's just one word in Greek to telestai. And it means completely complete.

First century archaeologists have found bank records. And if you got a loan at a bank, the moment you paid it off, they would take a stamp with that Greek word to tell us die, and they would stamp it because this debt had been paid in full. So when Jesus dies on the cross, part of what he's saying is finished is your sin debt is finished. You see, the Bible makes it very clear. And our human experience also makes it very clear that every single one of us are sinners. And I hope it doesn't take a lot of commentary for me to convince you of that. I mean, even if you don't think you're a sinner, you think the people you wrote here with are, don't you? Right.

Well, they think the same of you. It's just true. They're all sinners, man. Let me think about this for a second. God says, be holy for I am holy. Forget the law of God for a second. Has anybody broken more promises to you than you? What if you were only held accountable for the things you promised you would do or never do?

I mean, come on, darling. You remember the last time you were there? Like, if you get me out of this one, I'll never do it again. Remember your girlfriend was holding your hair back? Remember that? Yeah. And you did it again? Sinner.

It's just true, all right? And I know, you're like, how's he know? Who knows? Okay, so we're all sinners. And because of the justice of God, all sin must be paid for. This is Romans chapter 3. For God to overlook sin, it would make him an unjust judge, and that's just out of character with who he is.

And when justice is doled out, it's not just what you do, but who you do it against. And every single time we sin, it's always a sin against an almighty, eternal, perfect, and holy God, which requires an everlasting punishment to take away that sin. And because God is just, all sin must be paid for. Because God is merciful, he delays the payment. That's how any of us made it long enough to hear the gospel.

And then the best part, and because of God's grace, he makes the payment on our behalf. He is the just and the justifier. And so when he says, it is finished, a part of what? What is finished is the payment for our sin is finished. Dr. John Piper, in describing what sin is, he says sin is not simply a moral thing that you failed to do or an immoral thing that you did. It's much deeper than that. sin is the glory of God not honored, the holiness of God not revered, the greatness of God not admired, the power of God not praise, the truth of God not sought, the wisdom of God not esteemed, the beauty of God not treasured, the goodness of God not treasured, the goodness of God not favored, the faithfulness of God not trusted, the commandments of God not obeyed, the justice of God not respected, the wrath of God not feared, the grace of God not cherished, the presence of God not prized, the person of God not loved. That's what sin is. And on the cross, God made Him who was without sin to be sin. That for whoever will be God, would believe we would be made the righteousness of Christ.

When you put your faith in Christ, then the great exchange happens. And he pays the price, and we are credited with the perfect life of Christ. Peter is going to say it this way in 1st Peter 1. But with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot, he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last time for the sake of you. who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.

The book of Revelation says that for anybody that puts their faith in Christ, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lamb that was slain. Isaiah 53 says, but he was pierced for our transgressions. That preposition matters so much. Have you believed that it counts for you? He was crushed for our iniquities. upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

And with his wounds, we are healed. In Deuteronomy chapter 21, the Bible says that cursed is the man that hangs on the tree. And then Paul, the apostle Paul in the letter to the Galatians, he takes that verse and he says in 313, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written. Cursed it is everyone who is hanging on the tree. In Hebrews chapter 9, the author of Hebrews, tells us what is finished. when Jesus pushes up on his nail-pierced feet on the cross.

Hebrews 9-11 says, But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls

and the sprinkling of defiled persons with ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from the dead works to serve the living God? Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant. The old covenant is a covenant of law. Jesus mediates this new covenant of grace so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance since the death has occurred that redeems them from the

transgressions committed under the first covenant. Years ago, when J.P. was like 12 or something, he was writing this little sermon, and he wrote down this phrase with a little bit of help, the execution of God's son was the execution of God's plan. Do you believe that when Jesus says it is finished, it counted for you? You see, what is finished? The sacrificial system is finished. We don't need the blood of goats and religious activities anymore to make ourselves right before God.

The power and penalty of sin is finished. Here's good news. Guilt is finished. Condemnation is finished. Therefore now, for anyone who was in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. Religion is finished. That God is not put in our debt by religious activity. That trying to earn God's favor is finished.

That addiction is finished. Slavery to sin into the law is finished. Being good enough is finished. loneliness is finished. Fear is finished. Trusting in your circumstances for peace is finished. Wondering if God loves you is finished because God demonstrated his love for us and this. While we were yet still sinners Christ died for us.

Hopelessness is finished. The curtain that separates God's presence from God's people. Finish. Confusion about how to be made right with God. Finish. Waiting on the coming Messiah to crush the head of the serpent is finished. The wrath of God towards sin and sinners has been satisfied through the blood of Jesus Christ. for anyone that would believe or trust or have faith that when he says it is finished that it

counted for you. That's the good news of Resurrection Sunday. And then it gets a little bit better because he said it is finished. He didn't say he was finished because he wasn't finished. They thought he was finished and he's dead, buried. And they put him in a tomb and they used a borrowed tomb. You know why they used a borrowed tomb? Because he only needed it for the weekend and he gave it back.

You don't have that. It's over, man. And he walked out of the grave, and he put death to death. And because Jesus walked out of the grave, then we get to walk in a freedom that he has purchased for us. In fact, one of my most frustrating things, as your pastor, is watching people that have put their faith in Jesus. You just don't live like he's a resurrected Savior and walk with the freedom that he's purchased for you. Starting next week, we're doing a 14-week series to the Book of Galatians because it is for freedom that we have been set for. free. And if he walks free, then we walk free. And so Jesus goes through all of that Bible study.

And they still don't get it yet. Isn't they crazy? They still don't get it yet. Back to Luke 24, so they drew near to the village to which they were going. And he acted as if he were going further. But they urged him strongly saying, stay with us for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. And so he went in to stay with him. And when he was at table with this, he was at table with him. He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were open, and they recognized them. And I love his next part. And he vanished from their side. Pooh, hang on. Like, what? You know what it's going to take for you to be safe? It's not doctrine. It's not me explaining the Bible, though I tried my hardest, man, to explain it in ways that

all of us can understand it. But Jesus had just explained it all to him. And for whatever reason, they didn't recognize him until they didn't get any new information. They got a divine revelation in the context of a relationship, sitting down, breaking bread together. You've heard this before.

We're a movement for all people. So I don't care what kind of people you think you are. We're a movement for you. We're a movement for all people to discover in deep. And here's the most important part, a relationship with Jesus. So let me ask you, do you have a relationship with Jesus? Like, do you know him?

Not just know about him, but do you know him? Because in this moment, their eyes are open, and they recognize him for who he is. And then after he's gone, they say this, I love this so much. And they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road while he opened to us the scripture? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the 11, and those who were with them gathered together. saying the Lord has risen indeed and he appeared to Simon. So let me ask you, do you know him?

Not know about him, but do you know him? Not because anything that I have explained, because I could never talk you into heaven. Listen, I remember the moment I surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The way Luke records this is an incredible description. I don't know how to explain it, man. I just can't deny it. my heart burned within me.

I'm sitting at this camp. Coach Lee is giving us a sermon on John 316. It was the one verse that I'd ever heard of. For God's to love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. I had heard about Jesus, the son of God, dying on a cross and being resurrected. I didn't get any new information, but somehow in that moment, my eyes were open, my heart burned, and I believed that it counted for me.

it was like when God was walking through the Garden of Eden calling out to Adam and Eve where are you? It was like God was walking through the garden of my life calling out my name not audibly it was so much

louder than anything I'd ever heard with my ears it was deep down in that soul level where nothing in this planet can get to God was calling me and somehow he made it clear to me that when Jesus died on the cross, when he pushed up on his nail pierced feet and says, it is finished somehow, that counted for me.

And on that night, I surrendered. I put my faith in Jesus Christ. I chose to believe that when he died on the cross, it counted for me. And when he says, it is finished, my sin was paid for. And his righteousness was credited to my account so that I could get what we were created for so that I would receive what Adam experienced

that one day for anyone who believes when we open our eyes in eternity we will be face to face with our heavenly Father and we'll hear well done good and faithful servant not because of anything that we have done but because of Christ's finished work on the cross

my question for you is this what will you do with this man named Jesus do you believe it counts for you your eyes could be open to this very moment. And maybe as you sit there for the first time ever, it's really making sense. Not just up here cognitively, but down here in your soul where it matters the most,

and you would have the same confession as Cleopus on my heart is burning within me. It's not easy to be a Christian. It seems to be getting more difficult as the days go on. But it's pretty simple to receive his invitation of grace. It's so simple a child could do it. It's as simple as ABC. A, I admit it.

I'm a sinner in need of a Savior. Like, I don't got this. I need somebody to do for me what I can't do for me. B, I believe, I trust, I believe when he died on the cross, somehow that counted for me. And the Bible says, if that's you, there's this incredible promise. There's this prayer request that God answers every single time. Almost 1013 says, for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. And so maybe today, if that's you, for the very first time, your eyes are open.

You're ready to give your heart to Jesus, to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. To trust that when he died on the cross, that counted for you, then I want to give you the opportunity to confess him to call on the name of the Lord. And God always keeps his promises, and he will save you. Your sin debt will be paid for. You'll be adopted into his family. For all who believe received the right to be called sons and daughters of God. you bow your head, would you close your eyes? And if that's you, and for the very first time, not because of my sermon, not because of anything

that you could ever do, but because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, if you are ready to admit it, I'm a sinner in need of a Savior, if you are ready to believe on Christ for your salvation, then in this moment, please call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved. And the way we do that around here is I want to invite you, if you're ready to surrender your life to Christ, that you would lift your hand in the air as high as you can. And you would simply say, Father, here I am. I call on the name of the Lord for my salvation. And I promise you, for every man, for every woman with your hand in the air, he is saving you right now.

Your sins are washed away that he is paying for it and adopting you into his very family. Our good and gracious heavenly, Father, God, we love you more than anything because you first loved us. And you demonstrated it with the blood of your son, Jesus on the cross. And God, I thank you that because he walked out of that grave, we get to walk in life also. And so, Lord, I praise you. We join with the angels in heaven that rejoice over lost sons and daughters coming home. Blind people see them. People that were dead in their trespasses have now been transferred to the kingdom of light and made alive in you.

God, we love you because you first loved us. And God, I pray for every single believer here. God, may we live as if we are indwell with the power of a resurrected Christ. God, we love you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Church, did you please stand to your feet? We believe that the gospel demands a response. Now, I know if you don't come here all the time, you're like, Martha, that didn't even take up the offering. We don't do that, okay? And I know you're like, well, now it's my favorite church. But if you're a regular here, now is the time where we bring our ties and our offerings.

Almost all of us do it digitally, either on the app or on the website. As an act of worship, we say, God, we want to bring you our first and best because you first love us by giving us your best through your son, Jesus. so now would be the time. We also sing. All you're recovering Baptists. You're going to love it, man. We're going to sing Jesus paid it all. So get into it. Sing loud.

Especially you men. Tell your face, you're saved, and then sing like it, okay? And then thirdly, we pray. Remember the curtain has been torn from the top to the bottom. No matter what is going on in your life, you have a Heavenly Father that loves you and cares for you. We would love to invite you into the very presence of the King of Kings, who just happens to be your Heavenly Father.

So let's sing, let's bring, let's pray. Let's respond.