John chapter 19 verses 28 through 30. We'll read through the text then we'll
pray and then we will jump in. John 19 28. After this when Jesus knew that
everything was now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled he said
I'm thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was sitting there so they fixed a sponge
full of sour wine on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the
sour wine he said it is finished. Then bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
Let's pray. Father God we come to you today and we thank you for your word. We
come to you today and we thank you for Jesus Christ. As he uttered those
words that we just read dear Lord he hung on a cross for the forgiveness of
our sins dear Lord let us not not overlook the significance of that today
dear Lord maybe there are some today here that do not know who Jesus is and I
pray that today that your Holy Spirit would speak to us that your word would
speak to us dear Lord that you would hide me behind the cross that you would
help me to preach and teach in a way God that's gonna bring glory to you and I
pray God that you just would be with us in these next few minutes and I ask
these things in Jesus name amen. These were the last words that Jesus spoke
before his life was gone. Jesus had suffered and bled and died and there he
hung on the cross and Jesus said it is finished. But there was a lot that had
gone on before we got to this part of the scripture. I wish we could stay here
for five or six hours today and really dig through the scriptures. I'm probably
the only one that would love to do that. But we'll go through this in a reasonable
amount of time but but we have to go back a little bit and see what got us to
this point. You see Jesus had had come into town there the triumphal entry we
call it when Jesus humbly came into town and riding on a donkey and there the
crowds gathered and they sang and they praised and they worshiped and they laid
the palm branches down and they laid their robes in the street and Jesus came
into Jerusalem for the final week of his life and there is the end was approaching
and his days were drawing near to come to a close. There he had the last supper
with his Apostles and there with him he told them about a new covenant that he
was making with them something greater that was soon to be established through
his death and through his resurrection and there as he ate with his Apostles
and there as he began to tell them the things that would that would take place
and that and that they would they would all run and that they would they would
flee from him when this time come Peter boldly spoke up and he said even if I
have to die for you Lord I will not deny you perhaps some days we are like Peter
maybe today some of us in this room are like Peter we are very zealous for the
Lord and praise the Lord on those days that we are that we are so so zealous
for the Lord that we are ready to do anything for the Lord there are some
days that we are like that and Peter was he was assured he knew that he loved
Jesus he loved the Lord and he was not going to deny him he would never flee
from him he said and not only Peter the scripture says and all of them said the
same thing and so here at this last meal that Jesus was having with his Apostles
they were all out of it Lord Jesus whatever happens we will not flee from
you we will not deny you under any circumstance and soon the meal would end
and Jesus would go to the Garden of the Gethsemane where he would begin to pray
to the Lord father if there is any other way let this cup pass from me God if
there's any way to accomplish your plan if there's any way to bring about
salvation if there's any way to save these people dear Lord let it be because
Jesus knew what was before him he knew the cross was before him and it wasn't
going to be long that he would soon be arrested and there Jesus sat and there
Jesus prayed and in the text Jesus said my soul is swallowed up in sorrow
perhaps we can relate to Jesus perhaps there are seasons in our life where our
souls are swallowed up in sorrow where the task that is before us is so heavy
and it's so hard and we pray to God and we seek God and and we just feel that
perhaps there's some of you today in this room and you can relate to Jesus
you know what that prayer is like to cry out to God and say God I need you father
I need you our souls are swallowed up in sorrow and we need to follow the example
of Jesus Christ that's one of the beautiful things I think about this
passage in this story is as we read through these last few hours of Jesus's
life and we see these different characters we can relate to them even
Jesus himself we can connect with this with this story and these people in some
way because there are days that we are like Peter that we are zealous for the
Lord and ready to do anything for the Lord and then there are days in our life
where our souls are swallowed up in sorrow and we don't know if we're going
to be able to accomplish what God has placed before us but nevertheless God is
with us God has our best interest in mine and whatever we do we need to do in
obedience to the Father and Jesus prayed that prayer let this cup pass from me
but Jesus also said father not my will be done but your will be done Jesus knew
who he had come to serve he had come to serve the father he had come to die on
the cross for you and I and he knew that time was short and if there was another
way let it be but father if there's not another way Jesus says I am ready to
live in obedience to you and in our days of sorrow and our times of pain we need
to follow Jesus's example and say Lord deliver me and help me but God if
there's no deliverance I will not deny you God I will not give up on you God I
will not quit my mission God I will do what you've called me to do and soon
after that the soldiers would come and Jesus would be arrested and just as
Jesus had said all of his Apostles they all fled just so quickly just hours
before they said we will never leave you Jesus we'll never flee from you and oh
how quickly things change the disciples all fled from Jesus Jesus was taken into
town for a trial we can call it a mock trial the the sentence had already been
passed they already decided what they wanted to do the ones who were passing
sentence on Jesus had already decided he needed to die they didn't like Jesus
they didn't like who he was they didn't like how he preached they didn't like
the things that he taught he had an authority and he had something about him
that when Jesus would speak that people would flock to him and they would listen
to him and Jesus would do miracles that were unexplainable and and many in the
crowds and many in the communities thousands would come and listen to what
Jesus said and there were some who were very religious and they were threatened
by Jesus he marched to the beat of a different drum and the people knew that
when Jesus preached the Bible says that he spoke like one who had authority
unlike the other leaders who were there and these leaders hated Jesus and these
are the very ones that brought Jesus in that night and put him on trial but it
was already determined he would be guilty guilty of what guilty of nothing
but guilty of whatever they decided that could bring him to death and there is
that mock trial was taking place there was Peter he was standing there and Jesus
had told him you're gonna deny me three times before the rooster crows well
Peter had already been adamant that he would never deny Jesus but but he was
keeping his distance because even though he had fled when Jesus was arrested he
still was curious enough and he still cared enough that he he wanted to see
what was going on in there as Peter was watching in the distance he was asked on
three occasions wait a minute don't don't you know Jesus aren't aren't you one of
his disciples weren't you with him and and every time Jesus Peter said I don't
know the man I don't know the man look I don't know the man and one who was so
zealous for the Lord only a few hours later was completely denying who Jesus
was perhaps if we are honest we can relate to that side of Peter as well
there are some days perhaps that we are so zealous for the Lord and there are
other days that we deny who Jesus is that we did not a stand-up for him that
we did not Jesus by our actions by our choice to sin that we deny Jesus one day
we're close to Jesus and the next day where we're fleeing from Jesus perhaps
there are some today who were like Peter was during the trial maybe you've been
denying who Jesus is maybe you know Jesus Peter knew Jesus he knew who he
was he believed who he was but yet when things got difficult he began to not to
deny who Jesus was we don't want to be those today if you relate to Peter today
then we need to repent even Peter was restored when he came back to Jesus
Christ after Jesus was resurrected there's restoration for you and I today
brothers and sisters in Christ those who were once zealous for the Lord and have
denied the Lord there is restoration and there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ and
there Peter stood and watched in the distance as he denied Jesus and the
sentence was passed that Jesus was guilty and deserving of death and so
there Jesus was taken he was taken before Pilate who was the kind of the
governor of the area who oversaw things and and they brought Jesus before Pilate
and and the Jews had their charges and said this man needs to die he says he's
the king of the Jews and and and there's no other king but Caesar they said now
they didn't care anything about Caesar but they would say whatever they had to
say to make sure that Jesus was going to be killed and and Pilate listened to
them and and Pilate said look this man has done nothing wrong and Pilate talked
with Jesus and and he listened to the people and he even sent Jesus to Herod
and even Herod said look Jesus has done nothing deserving of death and and
Pilate made lots of efforts to try to deliver Jesus but eventually he gave in
to the cries of the people there before Pilate that day and before Jesus that
day stood a mob an angry mob who hated Jesus with every fiber of their being
and Pilate said look I'll take him he'll be beaten that'll be enough and we'll
let him go and the crowd said crucify him crucify him
Pilate didn't want to give in to their requests but the crowd grew louder and
louder and louder the crowd said his blood be on us and our children what a
powerful statement what a powerful statement that they're these these very
ones who wanted to kill Jesus the very ones who wanted to shed his blood are
the very ones that he died so that his blood would be shed and their sins could
be forgiven his blood be on us they said that is to say his blood be on our hands
we will be guilty of his murder we will be guilty of his death but Jesus
willfully went to that cross that day and his blood was shed so that their
sins could be covered and that our sins could be covered perhaps we can relate
to those in the crowd perhaps there are some of us today that have denied who
Jesus is perhaps there are some of us today who are still living in our sin
and our blood his blood is on our hands we're we're guilty Jesus died for the
forgiveness of sins perhaps if we would have been in the crowd that day we would
have been the ones who would have been yelling crucify him crucify him perhaps
we would have been the ones that day with his blood on our hands and yet
today we are those with his blood on our hands because we are the very ones that
he died for it is our sin that he died for when we sin and sin and sin we're
choosing sin it's our fault that Jesus went to the cross but you know Jesus
doesn't want his blood to be on our hands he wants his blood to be on our
hearts we want to be those who are covered by the blood of Jesus that our
sins are washed away that we're not charged with our sins but that they have
been covered by his precious blood and the crowd that day the people had a
choice Pilate said wait a minute I'll release somebody it's the tradition that
every year I release a prisoner for you look here's this Barabbas over here
he's a murderer he's he's part of a rebellion how about how about I release
Jesus and and the people said wait a minute wait a minute we don't want we
don't want Jesus release Barabbas release the murderer release the
rebellious one and there the crowds chanted all the more and there that day
the crowds chose a sinner over a Savior it would be a tragedy for us to make the
same mistake today because before us today we have the same decision that they
had before us today and every day when we wake up we have a decision before us
are we going to follow sin are we going to follow a Savior in Jesus Christ and
that day is Jesus was before them they chose their sin over the Savior let us
not be those who make that mistake today oh if you've been living in sin and
you've been choosing sin today is the day that we need to repent that we need
to choose the Savior who shed his blood for us that even knowing that we were
rotten dirty nasty sinners that Jesus said I'm going to take all of the
ridicule pilot knew he couldn't calm the crowds down that they had made their
decision it was decided that Jesus would be crucified now this is reserved for
the worst of the worst of criminals and Jesus had done nothing wrong
nevertheless the sentence was passed by pilot and Jesus began to carry his cross
as far as he could until he could carry it no more
eventually someone would help Jesus carry his cross all the way to Calvary
all the way to Golgoth all the way to the place of the skull where his death
would take place and there Jesus would be nailed to the cross with a crown of
thorns placed on his head standing there for the crowds watching some were there
mourning some were there sad some were followers of Jesus who were watching in
the distance at what was taking place others were there praising what was
taking place they were rejoicing in Jesus's crucifixion they were rejoicing
in his pain they were rejoicing in his suffering and they were mocking Jesus oh
if Jesus is so good then let's see if God wants him let's see if God's gonna
come to his rescue it didn't appear as though God was present in this situation
after all that had taken place the one who had claimed to be the Messiah the
Son of God had been beaten and he'd been mocked and now he was
nailed to a cross and it didn't appear as though God was at work and the crowd
says you know where is God at if he wants him he'll come get him perhaps
sometimes we're like the crowd in that respect perhaps sometimes when some of
God's most beautiful plans are unfolding it doesn't appear that God is at work it
didn't appear that God was at work that day how could God be at work with Jesus
being beaten and mocked and nailed to a cross how could God be at work yet that
was part of God's plan that was part of God's plan there was pain and there was
suffering but that is the way that salvation was going to be accomplished
and there was no other way that it could be accomplished and perhaps in our life
today we can relate perhaps for some of us today we are going through things
things that that are hard that are difficult things that we just we really
believe and we have believed that they're part of God's plan but now it's
gotten really really hard and it doesn't appear as though God is at work but God
is at work even when we don't see God even when we don't recognize it God is
at work and we must be obedient even Jesus knew that is he hung on the cross
he knew that God was at work he knew that God had not abandoned him he knew
that God was there the crowd didn't know that the crowd mocked but Jesus knew
that he was accomplishing the mission of God no matter how difficult and painful
it would be Jesus knew what he had to do and it was there on the cross that
Jesus looked to crowd looked at those who had nailed him to the cross and
uttered really some of the some of the strongest words that I think anyone has
ever uttered father forgive them for they know not what they are doing now
that takes a lot of power that takes a lot of humility that takes a lot of
strength for those who have beaten you and those who have mocked you and those
who continue to mock you and those who have nailed you to a cross that you can
stand that your enemies above your enemies hanging on that cross and say
father forgive them but Jesus knew why he was hanging on that cross he was
hanging on the cross so he could say those words so that those words could be
a possibility because had Jesus have not hung on the cross that day there would
be no possibility of forgiveness but yet Jesus did hang on the cross that day and
he forgave those who wronged him perhaps we need to learn from Jesus in that way
there are probably some people in your life that have wronged you that have
not been very nice to you that don't treat you right they've cheated and
stolen lied to you and there are probably some of you today that say I
can't forgive that person but the Bible calls us to forgive and if Jesus Christ
can forgive then so can we and you may say this morning we you don't know what
they did to me no I don't but they didn't beat you and mock you and nail
you to a cross and even if they do that we need to forgive them because that's
what Jesus did in the last moments of his life he offered forgiveness for
those who had nailed him to the cross if they would only put their trust in it if
they would only put their trust in him even that day even in that moment there
could be forgiveness and as Jesus hung on the cross there were two criminals
who were hung beside him one of the criminals was mocking Jesus but the
other criminal he recognized who Jesus was he recognized what was going on and
he told the other criminal he said look he said we deserve what we're getting
we're criminals we broken the law he said but this man doesn't deserve these
things he's done nothing wrong and the one the one criminal called out to Jesus
and Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise I hope that we are like that
criminal today that we would recognize who Jesus is because he got it he got
the basics of what we all need to recognize today he got the basics of
salvation we are sinners we have done wrong and we are deserving of punishment
but Jesus is perfect that criminal on the cross understand understood the
truth of the gospel that day the truth that you and I need to realize that we
are sinners but Jesus Christ is perfect that he takes the sin and the
punishment that that we are deserving of he takes our sin on himself so that we
may be forgiven of that sin I hope that we are not like the one criminal today
who rejected who Jesus was who denied who Jesus was but let us be like the
criminal who got it who understood that Jesus is perfect and there is salvation
in no other and when all this was said and done after several hours of hanging
on the cross we arrive at the passage we started out as all things were drawing
to a close Jesus asked for something to drink as he was thirsty and it says he
asked this so that all things would be fulfilled so that the scripture would be
fulfilled all things are accomplished and when all things were accomplished
Jesus said it is finished everything that needed to take place everything
that needed to occur for the forgiveness of our sins for salvation for you and I
today it was all accomplished on the cross of Jesus Christ there is nothing
left for you to accomplish there are too many times that we are trying to get our
own lives in order and we are trying to accomplish things on our own and we're
trying to figure out this and we're trying to figure out that and we're
trying to make it through and do it when Jesus has already done it there is
nothing left to be accomplished because Jesus has accomplished it all that is
left for us to do is to trust in Jesus and who he is he is the one who wants to
be with us and we need to be zealous for him and on the days that we are not we
need to repent and we need to seek him we need to be those who choose a Savior
over our sin we need to be those who recognize that we are not worthy of sin
but that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and when Jesus died on that cross
it is finished all the work that needed to be done is finished everything that
God wanted to accomplish has been accomplished in Jesus Christ and three
days later God raised Jesus from the grave and Jesus is seated at the right
hand of God Jesus has conquered death he has conquered sin Jesus is victorious
today and Jesus wants to give you that victory perhaps there are things you're
trusting in yourself things you're trying to accomplish on your own when
you just need to trust in Jesus Christ who has accomplished all things through
the cross through his death and through his resurrection do you know who Jesus
is today are you trusting in him today maybe you've sit in a church pew for years
of your life maybe you've heard this story a hundred times maybe you know
full well who Jesus is but maybe you have never put your faith and trust in
him maybe you've never followed him maybe you've been living for yourself
maybe you've been denying him your whole life but maybe today you realize like
that criminal on the cross wait a minute there's something about this Jesus
there's something about him there is no joy there is no happiness there is no
deliverance there is no forgiveness of sins apart from Jesus Christ grace comes
through Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected and that's what will get us
through our days it's through Jesus that we are forgiven is through the grace of
God that we're able to make it every day if it were not for the grace of God our
life would be too difficult too much of a struggle but when our life gets
difficult we remember who Jesus is we remember what Jesus has done we
remember that he is our strength we remember that he is our victor and so we
will find victory Jesus shows us the example of what it is to live for the
father and that's the example that Jesus calls us to Jesus gave up everything he
did everything he could to live for the will of the father and when we put our
faith and trust in Jesus Christ that's what he calls us to do that's what it
means to be a Christian to say Lord I choose you and I'm going to live for you
above and beyond all other things if you've never put your faith and trust in
Jesus Christ today I pray that you would let's pray dear Lord we come to you this
morning we thank you for your good words and I pray God that as we reflect on
this story maybe for some it's the first time they've ever heard it God maybe for
others they've heard it 50 times but dear Lord it's good it's good dear Lord
and I pray that we would not overlook the power in this passage that we would
not we would we would not fail to see dear Lord what it means that Jesus
Christ died on the cross for us so that we would be forgiven God we thank you
for sending Jesus we thank you that Jesus was faithful all the way to death
on the cross dear Lord God our sins are many we are so rotten we say and we do
and we think so many things that are horrible dear Lord but what a beautiful
thing it is God that Jesus seeing all of our our wretchedness he still chose to
die on that cross dear Lord maybe there are some today that your Holy Spirit's
already beginning to work on them God I pray that today that they'd know that you
love them that Jesus loves them that no matter how how many their sins may be
that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse them all dear Lord God maybe
there's some here today that do not know you I pray that they would repent God
that is to turn away from our sins that we say no more that we're not living for
ourselves that we're not living for this world but God that we're ready to live
for you that we repent God we ask you to forgive us and that forgiveness comes
dear Lord through Jesus Christ God maybe there's some today and they are yours
but maybe they're just in a in a tough place maybe they're like Jesus was in
the garden dear Lord maybe there are some today whose souls are swallowed up
in sorrow God I pray that you give them grace your grace is sufficient dear Lord
I pray that you'd give them strength I pray that you would help them never to
to stop doing the work that you've called them to do dear Lord sometimes
it's hard what you call us to but dear Lord let us let us trust you and seek you
in the same way that Jesus did God maybe there are some that are like Peter today
maybe they know you maybe they've walked with you but maybe they've denied you
here in their life recently dear Lord maybe they've been denying you with
their actions and denying you with their words dear Lord but praise the Lord
there's restoration God even for Peter dear Lord there was restoration God maybe
there are some here today in their years and they just need to be restored I pray
that they would call out to you this morning but God if you spoke into
anybody today I pray God that you just would help them to seek you in the next
few minutes and I ask these things in Jesus name amen