Revision as of 19:36, 21 March 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus:

Homiletical Proposition/Application:

Introduction:

Image: The words "Mission Accomplished"

The words "Mission Accomplished" are packed with emotion, satisfaction, and relief. On July 20, 1969 8 years after president John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the moon, Neil Armstrong put his left foot on the surface of the moon and declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” In his own way Armstrong declared "Mission Accomplished." Years of planning, work, and anticipation were realized in that moment.

Need: There is great value in recognizing the culmination of effort, the accomplishment of a major mission.

Preview: While the moon landing was significant, it pails in comparison with another event in history, and just as those 11 words in in 1969 marked the completion of a major event so 3 words (1 in the Greek) mark this major event. τετέλεσται -it is finished

Text: John 19:28-30

Body

today we have read a variety of passages leading up to the death of Jesus. However, I want to take you back for just a moment. You see, way back in Genesis after being created Adam and Eve made the most significant mistake in history. They chose to disobey God. Their disobedience cast a shadow of sin over creation and in particular mankind. The outlook was bleak at best, Adam and Eve faced things that were previously unimaginable in a cursed Earth, and worst of all they faced separation from the Holy God who had created them. However, in the midst of this gloom a sliver of hope remained.

In Genesis 3:15 that same Holy God who had created promised a Savior.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

All hope was not lost, the God of the universe put a plan in motion, a mission that would make the moon landing pale in comparison. A mission to redeem that which is seemingly unredeemable.

The crucifixion marks the completion of a mission millennia in the making (John 19:28-30).

Let's read John 19:28-30

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that 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.

The first thing I want you to see is that

Jesus knew exactly what he was doing in his crucifixion (28-29).

look at verse 28. The text tells us that Jesus knew all the details. One writer has argued that Jesus fulfilled 27 distinct prophecies in the 24 hours leading up to his death. The odds are of completing such a feat are incredibly small but what is more are the odds of remembering to complete every single item. I know that when Emily sends me to the grocery store the odds of me remembering more than three specific items is very small. Jesus did not just know the prophecies but he completed every single one. In fact, so detailed was Christ in his fulfillment of Scripture that even seemingly minor passages like Psalm 69:21 "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." are fulfilled in Christ.

Now, I have alluded to something here that I want to make more specific. It was not just that Jesus happened to fulfill all of Scripture but that he personally was in control.

Jesus was in complete control of his crucifixion (30).

The climax of the crucifixion comes in verse 30 when Jesus declares τετέλεσται, it is finished. In just three verses John has used this word three times. The work is done. Mission accomplished. However, notice, this was not just by chance. John carefully constructs the sentence that describes the death of Jesus. We might translate this as "after bowing his head he gave the spirit." In other words Jesus was the subject. Jesus gave himself to death. Death did not take Jesus! But more, there is a type of double entendre here. John does not say that after bowing his head Jesus gave himself over to death. John says that after bowing his head, Jesus gave the spirit. In John 14 prior to the crucifixion Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit, God himself who would dwell within the followers of Christ. While we know that the Spirit ultimately came 50 days later on the day of Pentecost, the crucifixion marked the act where by the separation between God and man that came in the Garden of Eden was restored. Jesus declared, Mission Accomplished, what was broken is now restored.

The crucifixion once-for-all satisfies the need for atonement for sins (Hebrews 10:11-12).

The Old Testament sacrifices were both necessary and futile (11).

The crucifixion was necessary and efficacious (12).

The crucifixion definitively places us within the realm of already not-yet (Hebrews 10:13-14).

In the crucifixion sin has been defeated and the time is coming when this defeat will be fully realized (13).

Image: In the revolutionary war American independence was granted November 1782 but the war didn't end until September 3, 1783.

In the crucifixion we have an expectation of a day when we will realize perfective sanctification (14).

MTR: Today we are going to celebrate the Lord's supper, as we do so take a minute to reflect on both the finality and expectation of the statement "it is finished!."