Shown below is what I preached on Good Friday evening. The first half is
from the CPH Lenten series for this year. I took the sermon on a
different path for the second half.
In Christ,
Pr. Ron Rock
"THE FULFILLED WORD"
Good Friday
Friday, April 2, 2010
Zion Lutheran Church, Beecher, IL
Sermon Text - John 19:30
In the name of Jesus. [Amen.]
During our midweek Lenten services this year, we contemplated 6 of the 7
Last Words of Christ, spoken from the cross. Tonight, we conclude that
effort.
The last word from the cross that stands before us is Jesus' simple,
three word sentence. It's a word of fulfillment, announcing His
completion of all things. Those words: "It is finished." That is:
Completed
perfected
mission accomplished. It is done literally to
the death.
There are no loose ends to tie
no missing pieces to puzzle over
nothing to be added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided. "It is
finished."
The redemption price is paid. The world's sin is atoned for. The Law is
fulfilled. St. Paul summarizes it well: "There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1, ESV).
Again
"It is finished"
Jesus came not to abolish the Law conveyed to God's people by the
Prophets
but, rather, to fulfill that Law. Actually, His entire life
from the womb to the grave
is one of fulfillment. Every word that He
said
every work
every action that He did
was purposely done in
order to fulfill the Scriptures.
As we sang in our great Advent and Christmas hymns, the Baby Jesus came
as the perfect Ransom for humanity
redeeming us from slavery to sin and
death
held captive by the Law that ominously declares: "the soul that
sins must die."
He came as the substitute Sacrifice. He, Himself, the Passover Lamb by
whose blood came freedom
not from Pharaoh
but from hell itself. He
who was lifted up on the cross
would be
and is
the perfect sin
offering
¢
and by whose blood came atonement
¢
and by whose death came nothing less than eternal life.
He came as King and Priest and Victim - fulfilling every picture-image of
the Old Testament that preceded His coming.
"It is finished." At the moment these words were spoken, the curtain in
the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the people was torn in
two, and
don't let this escape you
it was torn from top to bottom
signifying that God in heaven effected the change.
The ripping of the curtain also signified the end of the old covenant and
the need for a temple. For it was in the temple that the sacrifices of
untold thousands of animals had been faithfully done teaching generation
after generation of God's people that a Sacrifice must be made to redeem
fallen mankind.
It would only be
and could only be
by the shedding of perfect blood
by the perfect Sacrifice
that the chasm between God and man would be
destroyed! That gap bridged by God in Christ. This gap of which we
speak was created by Adam in the Garden
and was widened even more by
you. Yes
by you!
Am I wrong on that? I mean the part where you helped widen the gap
between God and humanity.
Know this
right now I'm not talking about the drug dealers. And I'm
not talking about the Hitler's, the Stalin's, or the Saddam Hussein's of
this world.
To be sure
they are rightly accused of many wretched crimes against
both God and their fellow man. But right now
I'm talking about you!
A moment ago we sang these words:
I caused Your grief and sighing
By evils multiplying
As countless as the sands.
I caused the woes unnumbered
With which Your soul is cumbered,
Your sorrows raised by wicked hands. (LSB #453, v. 4)
Tonight
better than any night
better than any time of the entire
year
tonight we each come to grips with the reality of our sin and must
honestly say: "I caused [the] grief and sighing
I caused the woes"
that put Jesus on the cross, there to suffer unspeakable pain, while
dying a death that not He
but I deserved.
Tonight, we Christians come to this holy house and we do so in awe and
gratitude. We're in awe
that the almighty, all-powerful God of heaven
and earth would love us and the entire human race so much, that He would
send His Son
His beloved Son
to die in our place taking on our
punishment, to die eternally in hell itself!
And
we come here in gratitude, thankful not only that God saved us
through Jesus
but also thankful that He personally called us by name in
Baptism to be one of His beloved ones
for time and eternity!
Tonight, we beloved of Him who is most high, we humbly come to hear once
again the story that we know so well
. but never tire of hearing, for
this story
¢ begun out of God's love
¢ lived by Jesus in love
¢ and now is fulfilled through the love of God
this incredible story has each of us
thoroughly, intimately, and
eternally in mind!
Jesus' declarative sentence: "It is finished!" states with resounding
authority that your sins are forgiven
all of them. In Christ, God has
forgiven them
and out of His love
He has graciously forgotten them.
Tonight we indeed come together in sadness
knowing that an honorable,
innocent Man died because of us
and for us.
But also, tonight we come together in joy
knowing that Jesus' death in
our place has "finished" God's plan to close the gulf between heaven and
earth!
Tonight
in humility, awe
and eternal gratitude we can only say:
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!" (2 Cor 9:15, NIV) [Amen.]
The peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. [Amen.]
.
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