Good Friday Sermon 2022
“It Is Finished”
John 18:1-19:42
It was three o’clock. Jesus asked for water. His voice was scratchy and hoarse. A soldier fixed a sponge on a spear and held it up to His lips. It was bitter, but it was enough. He strained to raise His head to look upwards toward heaven. And then He cried out in a rough voice “It is Finished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
“It is Finished.” These are the last Words that our Lord and Savior spoke as He breathed His last breath and His Spirit departed from Him. “It is Finished.” These are the dying Words that Jesus uttered as He hung on a Cross for the Salvation of the whole world. “It is Finished.” These are the final Words the folks heard as they watched Jesus die on the Cross.
I don’t think we realize how powerful these Words were to the people in Biblical times. The expression “It is Finished” was well known to them. And the phrase was a part of everyday language.
When a servant completed a task that His master had given to him or her, the individual would say to the master “It is Finished” indicating to the master that he or she had finished the task given to them, and nothing more could be added to what has been done.
In ancient Israel “It is Finished” was also a business term meaning “Paid in full’. Writing “It is Finished” at the bottom of a bill would be the same thing as stamping “Paid in Full” on an invoice in our day.
Yes, Jesus paid the price for our sins, and the debt has been paid in full. It is over. “It is finished.” Our sins are done away with, and we are free from the consequences of sin in our lives.
So, when Jesus spoke these Words, He too indicated that the task He been given had been completed, and that there was nothing more that could be done to enhance His work. On the Cross, Jesus paid the price of our sin in full. On the cross, Jesus cancelled all the debt that we owe due to our unfaithfulness.
His death, His sacrifice was perfect and acceptable to God our Father. Nothing more was/is needed.
To say that there is more that you must do to settle accounts with God is a direct denial of what Jesus said and accomplished on the Cross. There is no “Jesus has done His part and now we must do our part.”
Jesus died on the Cross to remove the power that sin has over us. He won forgiveness for all people. Nothing else needs to be done. Salvation is complete. “It is Finished.”
And this was all done because of God’s great love for us. As John 3:16 states “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
The Apostle Paul writes “God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! We were God’s enemies, but He made us His friends through the death of His Son.” Romans 5:8,10
Tonight, we hear Jesus declare: “It is finished”. The price has been paid in full. The victory is won. Jesus has completed His task. And you have been set free from sin.
As I close the sermon for tonight, I am going to do an “Altar Call.” No. You do not need to get up. You don’t even need to raise your hand or say a word. All I want you to do is close your eyes and think about what Christ has done for you through His death on the Cross.
And as you do so visualize in your mind the suffering servant. And think about the love God has for you, and then think about what it meant when Jesus said: “It is Finished.”
We will now have a moment of silence for you to silently respond to this “Altar Call.”
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, you carried our sins in your body on the tree so that we might have life. May we and all who hear the words “It is Finished” find new life in you now and in the world to come, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
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