Participants: Dwight Nelson
Series Code: 13SCM
Program Code: 13SCM000018
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00:49 In the beginning
00:54 of creation 00:59 when the world 01:02 was formed 01:06 though God in His splendor 01:10 this world He had rendered 01:16 still, the best 01:18 was yet to come. 01:24 God's 01:28 greatest glory... 01:32 the world's 01:36 love story 01:39 written just 01:41 for me: 01:49 Jesus 01:54 is God's 01:58 greatest glory. 02:15 From His birth in a manger 02:19 to His death on Calvary 02:25 He fulfilled 02:27 the Father's plan. 02:33 Jesus Christ... 02:37 the sacrifice... 02:42 giving hope 02:44 to every man. 02:50 God's 02:54 greatest glory... 02:58 the world's 03:02 love story 03:05 written just for me: 03:15 Jesus 03:19 is God's 03:23 greatest glory... 03:32 Jesus 03:36 is God's 03:41 greatest glory. 03:55 Amen! Thank you Melody. 03:59 Lisa? 04:05 There's a land that is fairer than day, 04:12 and by faith 04:14 we can see it afar. 04:19 For the Father waits over the way 04:26 to prepare us 04:29 a dwelling place there. 04:33 In the sweet 04:37 by and by 04:41 we shall meet 04:42 on that beautiful shore. 04:47 In the sweet 04:51 by and by 04:55 we shall meet 04:57 on that beautiful shore. 05:02 To our bountiful Father 05:06 above... Sing it with us now... 05:09 we will offer a tribute of praise 05:16 for the glorious gift of His love - 05:22 and those blessings - and the blessings 05:25 that hallow our days. 05:30 In the sweet 05:34 by and by 05:37 we shall meet on that beautiful shore. 05:44 In the sweet 05:48 by and by 05:51 we shall meet on that beautiful 05:56 shore... 05:59 We shall meet 06:01 on that beautiful 06:05 shore... 06:07 beautiful shore. 06:15 All right! Thank you, girls. Thank you, Jim. 06:18 Danny, we have really appreciated so much 06:24 the sermons that Pastor Dwight Nelson has been bringing us. 06:29 Amen. And Pastor Stephen Bohr was with us earlier in the week. 06:33 He had another appointment this weekend so when he 06:37 wrapped up yesterday he rushed right out of here 06:40 for his next appointment. 06:42 But as we have continued this series on the cross 06:47 what a blessing it has been. Amen. As I mentioned earlier 06:51 in the week, Pastor Dwight Nelson for thirty years 06:56 has been the pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church. 07:02 He went there when he was 15 years old and he... 07:11 It's amazing. There are not very many pastors 07:15 that last thirty years. I think Dwight and maybe one other 07:20 is all I've ever heard of. 07:21 So his wife Karen is right by his side 07:27 and his son Kirk lives there in Berrien Springs. 07:29 He's married. By the way they're expecting a grandchild 07:33 in October and we're looking forward to that. 07:36 Kristen, his daughter, is married as well. 07:38 She lives in the Portland, Oregon, area. 07:41 And so Pastor Dwight will be bringing us the sermon 07:45 this morning: Near the Cross Finis - which is Latin for 07:50 Finish - The Last Word. 07:54 Before he does, Danny Shelton is going to sing for us 07:58 one of my all-time favorite songs - 08:01 and there's no one I'd rather hear sing it than Danny - 08:04 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. 08:18 O soul, are you weary 08:23 and troubled? 08:28 No light in 08:30 the darkness you see? 08:37 There's light for a look at 08:42 the Savior, 08:46 And life so abundant 08:51 and free! 08:56 Turn your eyes 09:00 upon Jesus, 09:05 Look full 09:08 in His wonderful face; 09:14 And the things of earth 09:19 will grow strangely dim 09:23 In the light of His glory 09:28 and grace. 09:37 His word 09:40 will not fail you 09:43 He's promised; 09:47 Believe Him 09:49 and all will be well: 09:56 Then go to a world 10:00 that is dying, 10:05 His perfect salvation 10:10 to tell. Sing it with me now... 10:14 Turn your eyes 10:18 upon Jesus, 10:23 Look full in 10:25 His wonderful face; 10:32 And the things of earth 10:36 will grow strangely dim 10:41 in the light 10:43 of His glory 10:46 and grace. 10:55 In the light 10:58 of His glory 11:00 and grace. Amen! 11:12 Oh, that was beautiful! 11:16 That's why we come to worship. 11:21 We come so that He might be the vision 11:25 that we encounter... that we take away 11:29 every time we go to church. 11:32 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 11:35 Well, I'm happy to tell you that in the federal penitentiary 11:37 just south of Marion, Illinois, this morning they had worship. 11:41 Amen. 11:43 And it was such an honor to leave here at 7:00 AM 11:46 and head down there with a team of dedicated 11:49 3ABN workers. 11:55 Talking about Brian Hamilton, the treasurer of this 11:57 organization, his wife Diane, a volunteer here named Dan, 12:01 the Marshalls. And they're not only doing Sabbath morning. 12:08 They've got another twice a month Sabbath afternoon 12:11 at another jail service. They'll be there this afternoon. 12:14 They have a Thursday night every week at another jail 12:17 and then they're with the women on Monday nights 12:20 at another jail. Absolutely 12:24 a God-anointed ministry. 12:28 You know, I just kept thinking of it as I was there. 12:30 I had the privilege of preaching there. 12:32 Jesus said: "I was in prison and you took the time. " 12:38 He didn't say what I was in prison for... 12:40 He just said: "I was in prison. " 12:42 Doesn't mean just visit those who are wrongfully accused. 12:46 That means anybody in jail. 12:48 And this is an incredible ministry. 12:51 So Dan led in a little praise time before the teaching. 12:56 And all right, OK, anyone give praise? 12:58 And one prisoner's hand went up; his name is Mark. 13:00 And he said: "You know I praise God 13:02 I listen to 3ABN on the radio. " 13:06 He said: "I praise God because I've been getting all this 13:08 interference, interference, interference and then 13:11 the penitentiary reconfigured all the televisions... " 13:16 in his wing at least 13:19 and he said: "The interference is gone, Hallelujah! " 13:22 Amen. You know, you take 3ABN for granted where you are. 13:25 You watch it, you listen to it, you get it online. 13:28 But here is a prisoner in a federal penitentiary... 13:31 that's a lifeline for him. 13:34 So when they receive an offering at this Camp Meeting 13:37 season of the year I hope you do something more 13:41 than just a dollar bill in that bucket. 13:44 This ministry goes 24/7 13:48 to the entire planet... penitentiaries included. 13:52 Amen! "I was in prison and you came to Me 13:56 through the radio. " What a gift! 13:59 Praise God is right! 14:04 I want to pray with you and then plunge into our 14:06 teaching this morning. Father, thank you 14:10 for that call through Danny 14:13 to turn our eyes... turn our eyes upon Jesus. 14:17 May He be front and center right now. 14:21 He's whom we want to go home with. 14:24 So let Him be clear... let Him be seen. 14:27 Hide me... hide all of us in the shadow of His presence. 14:31 We pray in His name, Amen. 14:34 So I go to Google and I type in... 14:36 you can ask Google anything you want and so I type in: 14:38 "Can you die of a broken heart? " 14:40 1.27 second later it gives me what? 500,000 different answers. 14:44 I took the first one... Washington Post. 14:47 Have it right here... let me read this. 14:50 Can you die of a broken heart? 14:53 "The idea that someone can die from a broken heart 14:55 has long been subject of folklore, soap operas, 14:57 and literature. Researchers have known that stress can trigger 15:00 heart attacks in people prone to them, 15:02 and a syndrome resembling a heart attack in otherwise 15:05 healthy people after acute emotional stress 15:08 has been reported in Japan" - where I was born and grew up 15:10 for 14 years. "But very little was known about this phenomenon 15:14 in this country and no one had any idea how it happened. " 15:17 Now quoting Ilan Wittstein of the Johns Hopkins School 15:21 of Medicine in Baltimore he said: "When you think about 15:25 people who have died of a 'broken heart' 15:27 there are probably several ways that can happen. " 15:30 His research, by the way, reported in the New England 15:32 Journal of Medicine. He goes on: 15:34 "A broken heart can kill you and this may be one of the ways: 15:38 a traumatic break up, the death of a loved one, 15:41 or even the shock of a surprise party can unleash a flood of 15:43 stress hormones that can stun the heart causing sudden 15:47 life-threatening heart spasms in otherwise healthy people 15:51 researchers have reported. " 15:53 Now the condition is called stress cardiomyopathy. 15:58 OK? 15:59 They're studying this phenomenon. 16:01 The study should help improve treatment for patients who 16:03 might otherwise receive drugs or other therapies 16:05 that could do more harm than good. " 16:06 "I think I'm having a heart attack... " so they 16:07 give you the heart attack drugs. No, you're not having 16:09 a heart attack... this is a stress attack. 16:11 The treatment is completely different 16:13 so it's a big deal. 16:15 One more line here quoting Wittstein again: 16:18 "Our hypothesis is that massive amounts of these stress hormones 16:21 can go right to the heart and produce a stunning 16:24 of the heart muscle that causes this temporary dysfunction 16:27 resembling a heart attack. 16:29 It doesn't kill the heart muscle like a typical heart attack 16:31 but it renders it helpless... it just stops. " 16:35 Amazing. 16:37 We've been going to Calvary... you and I... 16:40 these last few sessions together. 16:43 Wednesday night we were at Thursday night - the upper room. 16:47 Then Thursday night it's Friday. 16:51 Last night it was Friday in the gospels. 16:54 This morning it's Friday. 16:55 Tonight we end. Sunday, Sunday... don't miss tonight. 16:59 I want to go one last time to the story of Calvary here. 17:02 And there's one gospel we haven't gotten to yet: 17:04 and that would be the gospel of? John. 17:06 So let's go to John... the gospel of John. 17:08 Open your Bible up. Can you die of a broken heart? 17:12 John chapter 19. 17:14 You know, you read... If you read the Calvary story 17:18 every single morning of your life, 17:20 just weave it into your worship, 17:22 you could do a whole lot worse, couldn't you? 17:24 Remember that idea I got from Roger Morneau: 17:26 every day read the story of Calvary. 17:29 So I read it in Matthew 27 17:30 but you can rotate your way through the gospels. 17:33 If you were reading John, you might begin at the beginning 17:35 of chapter 19. This is John chapter 19 verse 1. 17:38 I'm in the New King James version. 17:40 Whatever translation you have that's fine by me. 17:43 Verse 1: "So then Pilate... " The Roman curator or the 17:47 governor... "took Jesus and scourged Him. " 17:50 It is a bloody and barbaric form of torture 17:55 pre execution. 17:57 A wooden handle with leather strips in it 17:59 bone, metal, and rock tied into the leather strands. 18:02 And the executioner will wrap those strands around your body - 18:05 you're naked - around your naked torso 18:08 and then yank it back and it's just like a shredder. 18:11 Just shreds open the human torso... the chest. 18:14 "So Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. " 18:17 Verse 2: "And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns 18:19 and put it on His head. And they put on Him a purple robe 18:22 and then they said: 'Hail, King of the Jews' 18:25 and they struck Him with their hands. " 18:27 Then verse 4: "Pilate went out again 18:29 and he said to the crowd" - to the rabble 18:31 screaming for His blood - 18:33 "behold I am bringing Him out to you that you may know 18:37 that I find no fault in Him. " 18:40 Hit the pause button right there. 18:42 Fascinating in the gospel of John. Just fascinating. 18:46 There are seven triples - seven trios - 18:50 seven treys... seven 3's - that are unique to the gospel 18:54 of John's account of the crucifixion 18:56 and I want to examine every one of these. 18:58 Seven threes that combine together with one compelling 19:02 truth that we must go home with today. 19:05 Trio #1: three times Pilate will announce to the rabble 19:12 what we just heard him say here in verse 4: 19:15 "I find no fault in Him. " 19:18 Three times: chapter 18 verse 38, 19:20 at the end of verse 38: "I find no fault in Him at all. " 19:23 Drop down to verse 6: Pilate said to them: 'You take 19:26 Him and crucify Him for I find no fault in Him. ' " 19:29 Three times... no fault. 19:32 What's John trying to tell us? Number 1: 19:35 the Roman judicial system found Him innocent. 19:41 The Jewish court - that rump court - found Him guilty. 19:44 And number 2: Pilate - who found no fault in Him - 19:49 is therefore just as culpable 19:51 as the clerics of Judaism for the death of Jesus. 19:55 He sent an innocent man to death. 19:57 "I find... " three times... "no fault in Him. " 20:00 That's trio number 1. 20:01 Now comes trio number 2. 20:04 Three titles given to Jesus in the gospel of John 20:07 before the cross. You remember the first time: 20:10 John chapter 1 verse 29 the Baptist... John the Baptist. 20:13 My friend Steve Bohr took us powerfully through that Elijah 20:17 motif. John the Baptist - John chapter 1 verse 29- 20:21 John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and he puts that finger 20:23 up in Harry Anderson's picture and he points that other finger 20:26 at Jesus and he thunders the words: "Behold the Lamb of God 20:30 who takes away the sin of the world. " 20:32 Title number 1. 20:34 Pilate now at the end of the gospel steps in for two more 20:36 titles. Verse 5: "Then Jesus came out... " 20:40 Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe 20:44 and His shredded skin. 20:47 "And Pilate said to them: 'Behold the... ' How does it go? 20:52 'Behold the man. ' " There's one more title. 20:55 Verse 13: "Then Pilate therefore heard that saying, 20:58 he brought Jesus out and he sat Him down in the judgment 21:01 seat in a place that is called The Pavement but in Hebrew 21:04 Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day 21:06 of the Passover and about the sixth hour. 21:08 And he said to the Jews: 'Behold now... ' " What? 21:11 The King. 21:12 "Behold the Lamb, " "behold the Man, " 21:14 "behold the King. " Now the same language in the Greek. 21:16 Three titles. 21:18 The question is: it's not the title. Is He your Savior? 21:22 Is He your... is He REALLY your Savior? 21:27 Going to find out in a moment what that means if He is. 21:30 All right, seven threes. 21:33 Three no faults; three titles. 21:37 Jesus now stands: "Behold the King. " Stripped 21:40 in that cloak... that purple cloak. 21:43 I need to let Desire of Ages just intervene right here. 21:46 Ellen White there. Let me quote this... page 735: 21:49 "There stood the Son of God 21:52 wearing the robe of mockery and the crown of thorns 21:54 stripped to the waist, His back showing the long, cruel stripes 21:58 from which the blood flowed freely... " And I mean freely 22:02 when you've been shredded open. 22:05 "His face was stained with blood 22:07 and bore the marks of exhaustion and pain 22:09 but never had it appeared more beautiful than now. " 22:15 There was something in that face... 22:17 something in that face of beauty. 22:22 "Every feature expressed gentleness and resignation 22:26 and the tenderest pity for His cruel foes. 22:29 In His manner there was no cowardly weakness 22:31 but the strength and the dignity of longsuffering. 22:34 Even the priests and rulers were convicted 22:37 that He was all that He claimed to be. " 22:40 He IS the Son of God! 22:42 They knew it; they saw it; and they sensed it. 22:50 Three no faults. Number 2: three titles. 22:54 Here's trio number three languages. 22:58 Pick it up in verse 17. 23:02 "And He... " that would be Jesus... "bearing His cross. " 23:06 There's no Simon carrying the cross in John. 23:09 No Simon at all. Jesus carried the cross all by Himself. 23:15 We'll see why in a moment. 23:17 "And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place 23:20 called The Place of the Skull which is called in Hebrew 23:23 Golgotha. " Isn't that something? 23:26 Pilate sits on his judgment seat at Gabbatha. 23:30 God sits on His judgment seat at Golgotha... 23:34 the Supreme Judge now. 23:37 "So they went to a place called in Hebrew Golgotha 23:40 where they crucified Him and two others with Him 23:42 one on either side and Jesus in the center. 23:45 Now... " verse 19... "Pilate wrote a title that was put 23:47 on the cross and the writing was 23:49 JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 23:53 And many of the Jews read this title for the place 23:55 where Jesus was crucified was near the city. 23:57 And it was written in... " how many languages? 24:00 Hebrew or Aramaic depending on your translation... 24:02 Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 24:07 Three languages. 24:11 Those were the three dominant languages 24:14 in the Mediterranean world at the time of Christ. 24:17 John inserts the little side... nobody else. 24:21 John inserts this side note that King... 24:25 JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS, is in the languages of the 24:29 Roman Empire. Already a huge hint 24:35 that the One who dies today is the universal King. 24:39 In any language He is the King 24:42 and the Jews are ticked. 24:46 They go to Pilate... where is this? 24:48 They go to Pilate in verse 21: 24:49 "Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate" 24:51 Huh, come on... "do not write the King of the Jews. 24:54 but you ought to write: "He said 'I am the King of the Jews. ' " 24:58 And Pilate now... A weak king, remember that? 25:01 We talked about that with Steve Bohr. 25:02 A weak king now steels himself 25:07 cold iron in his eyes and he says: 25:10 "What I have written I have written... 25:14 Adios. " 25:17 The hand of God in that wishy-washy Roman governor 25:21 made sure, locked in every language of the Empire, 25:24 the three dominant languages: "He's the King... 25:28 He IS the King. " 25:32 Seven trios. Trio number 4: 25:35 did you know that there are three Mary's at the cross? 25:39 Only John catches that. 25:40 Watch this... drop down to verse 25: 25:42 "Now there stood at the cross of Jesus His mother. " 25:44 What's His mother's name? Mary. 25:46 So... "there stood at the cross of Jesus His mother Mary, 25:50 and His mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, 25:53 and... " Another Mary and what's her name? "Mary Magdalene. " 25:59 By the way... three women at the cross. 26:04 Where are all of these big, tough, anointed 26:10 apostles? Where are they? 26:13 The only one from the apostolic band is a boy. 26:17 John Boy. You've got John Boy and three women. 26:22 John Boy and three women. 26:25 Isn't it something? 26:27 The women were there... where are the guys? 26:31 Hiding behind locked doors. 26:34 Three Mary's. 26:37 Seven treys... seven trios... triples. 26:44 This is trio now number 5. 26:47 The Christian world understands 26:51 and in fact I have gone through and numbered them 26:53 in my four gospels... The Christian world recognizes 26:56 that Jesus spoke seven times from the cross. 26:58 Seven... They're called "the seven last words of Christ. " 27:01 You've heard that? Of course. 27:02 Three of the seven are here in John. 27:05 Three words... there's another trio. 27:09 Three words that Jesus speaks from the cross. 27:12 OK, John has just identified the three Mary's. 27:15 Now here comes that... the first word from the cross 27:18 in John - verse 26: 27:20 "When Jesus therefore saw His mother 27:24 and the disciple whom He loved... " 27:26 The Greek rendition of "disciples whom He loved" 27:28 is "the disciple He kept on loving. " 27:32 John never identifies himself in the entire gospel. 27:37 He has this little cryptic line 27:40 which is really a line of utter humility: 27:43 "I'm the one that Jesus kept on loving. 27:46 He could have quit but He kept on loving. " 27:50 So Jesus looks down from the cross... 27:53 He saw His mother. Mother's Day was what? A month ago? 27:56 Is your mother still alive? 27:59 Do you think of your mother 28:02 like the Lord thought of His mother? 28:05 Your mother is closer to death than you are. 28:11 That woman 28:14 that God used to bring you into this life 28:17 deserves your gratitude 28:20 no matter how she may have treated you. 28:25 Jesus looked down on His mother 28:28 and He sees the disciple whom He loved standing beside her 28:31 and He said to His mother: "Woman, 28:33 behold your son. " 28:35 Can he point? No, He's doing this all with His head. 28:37 He said: "Woman, behold your son. " 28:40 And then He said to the disciple 28:43 "Behold... behold your mother. " 28:45 John knew exactly what He was saying. 28:48 And from that hour that young John Boy took her 28:52 Mary... mother Mary... into his own home. 28:56 Desire of Ages says for the rest of his life 28:58 while she lived she was a perpetual reminder 29:01 of his Lord and Savior. 29:03 Her Lord and Savior too, by the way. Yeah. 29:07 Three Mary's... three words. 29:10 There's the first word, now here comes the second word. 29:13 Verse 28: "And after this Jesus, knowing that all things now 29:16 were accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled. " 29:19 And what scripture would that be? That would be Psalm 22. 29:22 Two nights ago you and I lived Psalm 22. 29:24 The cryptic clue to the heartbreaking mental anguish 29:30 on that center cross: "My God, My God, 29:33 why have You forsaken Me? " 29:34 John says not a word... not a word from Psalm 22. 29:37 Matthew talks about it, Mark talks... John? Not a word. 29:40 This is his only nod to that Messianic song. 29:43 He pulls the line out about Jesus' thirst. 29:46 "And after this Jesus, knowing that all things were 29:48 accomplished now and that scripture might be fulfilled. " 29:51 What scripture? The one He's praying through 29:52 under His breath. Remember? 29:54 Praying through that prayer under His breath 29:56 Jesus now says: "I thirst. " 29:59 Word number 2 in John's crucifixion account. 30:03 And now verse 29: "A vessel full of sour wine 30:06 was sitting there and they filled a sponge with sour wine 30:08 and they put it on a hyssop and they rubbed it against His 30:10 mouth. And when Jesus... " His lips were now moistened. 30:15 "When Jesus had received the sour wine... " 30:17 Here comes word number 3: "He said... " 30:20 What did He say? 30:22 "It is finished! " 30:27 "And bowing His head He gave up His spirit. " 30:33 Three last words. 30:36 Seven triples... seven triples in the fourth gospel. 30:41 Isn't it something that Jesus begins the fourth gospel 30:44 thirsty in John 4. 30:47 A Samaritan woman comes along and He says: "Woman, 30:50 I need something to drink. " 30:52 The same gospel will now end with Jesus asking 30:56 some pagan soldiers: "Anybody have anything to drink? 31:01 I'm thirsty. " 31:02 John, who accentuates not only Jesus' divinity 31:06 but upholds His humanity as well - the "thirsty One. " 31:12 Trio number 6: three actions from the cross. 31:16 This is one you wouldn't catch unless you examined it closely. 31:21 Jesus takes three actions from the cross. 31:24 Remember a moment ago John leaves out Simon the Cyrenian 31:28 picking up the cross? You remember that? 31:30 The others all mention... only John leaves out... 31:34 leaves out Simon. Do you know why? 31:36 Because in John his passionate intent 31:40 is to teach the truth that Jesus is in control 31:43 till His very last breath. 31:47 He's not a wimp; He's not the defeated foe. 31:50 He IS the King in 3 languages, 31:52 the languages of the Mediterranean. 31:54 He IS the King... He's the universal King 31:56 and He's in control all the way through His life. 32:00 He controls the time of His death. Amen! 32:02 John wants to show that Jesus is not caught 32:07 by circumstances in a corner. He has chosen all of this 32:11 and He's in control. So John doesn't say a word about Simon. 32:13 Jesus carries His own cross, thank you. 32:17 Number 2: the second action. 32:19 John shows Jesus choosing His death cry. 32:24 "It is finished! " And then 32:27 John for the third action shows Jesus controlling 32:31 His time of death. Now we just read it but you didn't catch it. 32:34 I want you to note that again. 32:36 We'll read that death cry here in verse 30. 32:39 "So when Jesus had received the sour wine He said: 32:41 'It is finished! ' " And now notice the line: 32:44 "And bowing His head He gave up His spirit. " 32:48 Now ladies and gentlemen, when you and I die 32:50 it'll be like this. If Jesus doesn't come soon 32:52 we will all die. If we're conscious when we die, 32:57 it will be like this. When we come to that moment of death 33:01 we could be talking to somebody. We could be in the middle 33:03 of a prayer. We could be in the middle of sleep. 33:07 But all of a sudden our breath will stop 33:11 and our head will drop 33:13 if we're sitting up. Isn't that right? 33:15 Yeah. The breath stops then the head drops. 33:18 Did you just notice what you read? 33:21 Jesus lowers His head and then says: 33:26 "This is My last breath. " 33:28 He's in control to the very end. 33:33 And if He can control His life to the very end 33:37 do you suppose He could do the same for your life 33:41 if you let Him? Huh? Yes! 33:43 Don't you suppose He can? 33:46 He's the Master of the universe. 33:47 In every language He's the King of kings and Lord of lords 33:51 and He is in control. 33:54 Seven trios... seven trios in one gospel. 34:00 Unique to John there's a seventh one. 34:03 Only John mentions this seventh one as well. 34:07 There are three woundings of Jesus. 34:11 Wounding number 1 we noted a moment ago when we were reading 34:14 in chapter 19. You remember the scourging? 34:15 Just was shredded. OK, that's the first bloodshed. 34:19 Number 1. Wounding number when they yank His arms out. 34:24 Last night we heard Luke record Jesus' prayer as they are 34:28 pinning Him to that cross. "Father, forgive them... 34:31 they don't know what they're doing. " 34:33 That's wounding number 2, but only John has wounding #3. 34:38 Read it with me please. 34:41 Let's read it right here in... Let's just pick it up 34:44 in verse 30 again. "So when Jesus had received the sour wine 34:46 He said: 'It is finished! ' 34:49 and bowing His head He gave up His spirit. 34:51 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day... " 34:55 What day of the week would that be? Just refresh my memory. 34:57 What day of the week do we call good when it's 34:59 the Passion Weekend? What's the day of the week we call good? 35:01 We are absolutely convinced that Friday is "good Friday" 35:05 and we're absolutely convinced that resurrection Sunday 35:08 is Sunday, so we're going to find out in one split second 35:13 what's the day between. 35:15 "Therefore because it was the Preparation Day... " 35:18 that awful Friday that we now call good... 35:20 "that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath 35:23 for that Sabbath was a high day... " It was a feast Sabbath. 35:26 "the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken 35:29 that they might be taken away. " 35:31 The reason you break their legs... I used to think 35:33 "Well they wanted to break their legs 35:34 so they couldn't run away. " 35:36 It has nothing to do with running away. 35:38 Because you're dying in a barbaric form of strangulation 35:42 you get weaker and weaker. 35:45 You're having to put all your weight on your shins 35:47 to lift yourself. And when you put your weight 35:50 to your legs it produces this red-hot searing pain 35:55 that shoots through your body. 35:56 Hence the Latin word excruciatus 35:59 which means from out of the cross whence comes our word 36:01 excruciating. 36:03 So in order to hasten death what they do is 36:06 they break the shins. They just shatter both legs. 36:09 You don't have the pain threshold now to even 36:13 push yourself up. It's just... it's over. 36:17 And so because you're hanging down and you can't 36:19 raise yourself you drown... you drown in your body fluids. 36:23 You just stop... you asphyxiate. 36:26 You just stop breathing. 36:28 So that's what they asked: "Pilate, come on. Get these 36:31 bodies off. We've got a big... " 36:32 Can you imagine that? We are right about which day 36:34 of the week is the Sabbath but we have just crucified 36:38 the Lord of the Sabbath. 36:40 Boy, that's a reminder. 36:42 That is a reminder to Sabbatarians the likes of you 36:45 and me. We can be absolutely right about the day of worship 36:48 and be wrong about the Jesus of that Sabbath. 36:52 You think just because you have the seventh day down pat 36:55 that you have a one-way ticket to eternity? 36:58 There is no Sabbath keeping that will get you into eternity. 37:01 Not a single day of Sabbath keeping. 37:03 It's only the Lord of the Sabbath who will get you 37:06 into eternity. And if you have the day of the Lord right 37:10 but you're wrong about the Lord of the day 37:12 you are as lost as anybody else. 37:16 Let us not be as foolish as the Jews and hide behind 37:19 our Sabbatarian orthodoxy and believe that God has to 37:23 save me because I'm keeping the Sabbath. 37:26 He doesn't have to save a single soul, 37:29 but out of His goodness and His love for you and me 37:33 you take the Savior... you'll have salvation. Amen! 37:37 "What are you saying, Dwight? Are you against the Sabbath? " 37:40 Give me a break. 37:42 I preached in Net '98, 40 languages around the world. 37:46 Don't you talk to me about what I believe. 37:48 Listen to me carefully: the day won't save a single soul. 37:52 The Pharisees hurried home to keep the Sabbath 37:55 and they just killed the God of this universe. 37:58 Something's wrong about Sabbath keeping like that. 38:01 Something is terribly wrong about getting the Sabbath right 38:04 and you kill God in the process. 38:06 That just cannot be right... cannot be. 38:09 Which means you can't be saved by your Sabbath keeping. 38:12 You will be saved by your Savior, trusting... 38:15 and there is a difference. 38:20 So they come. 38:21 Say: "Pilate, come on, get these bodies off. 38:23 It's almost sundown. Please! " 38:25 Verse 32: "Then the soldiers came and broke the legs 38:27 of the first... " that would be the thief... 38:29 "and of the other who was crucified with Him. " 38:31 Shattered those bones. 38:33 "But... " verse 33... "when they came to Jesus 38:37 and saw... 'Mercy, He's already dead... 38:42 Unusual... He's dead... ' " 38:45 He picked the time, the moment of His death by the way. 38:48 "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead 38:51 they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers 38:54 instead pierced His side with a spear. " 38:57 Just to make sure. They're not going to bury a living man. 39:04 And John Boy who was there - 39:05 the only eyewitness of the disciples - 39:09 And John Boy wrote, verse 35: "And he who has seen 39:13 has testified and his testimony is true 39:16 and he knows that he's telling the truth 39:18 so that you may believe. 39:21 For these things were done that the scriptures should be 39:26 fulfilled: 'Not one of His bones shall be broken. ' " 39:29 Verse 37: "And again another scripture says 39:31 they shall look upon Him whom they pierced. " 39:35 Now notice verse 34: 39:38 When that spear pierced the pericardial sac 39:43 of the heart, what did John Boy see come spilling out 39:48 of that open chest? What came spilling out 39:51 of that chest. Tell me what your Bible says. 39:54 What does your Bible say? 39:56 Blood and water. The third wounding 40:00 shown only in the gospel... the fourth gospel. 40:03 Blood and water. Isn't that amazing? 40:06 John... John begins his gospel with Jesus 40:09 turning the water into wine 40:12 and he ends his gospel with Jesus taking a sip of wine 40:16 and it's now water. 40:21 Blood and water... wine and water. 40:27 Sacrifice and death. 40:30 All of it wrapped up in that graphic image 40:35 of the chest slit open and then this clear 40:39 liquid alongside the trickling, coagulating blood. 40:45 "I saw it... " "He who saw these things 40:49 testifies. " 40:53 Seven trios... one compelling truth. 40:59 You say: "Dwight, get to the compelling truth, please. 41:02 What is the compelling truth? " 41:04 Well... 41:08 because we are a highly convictional community - 41:14 I say that with gratitude to God... 41:20 In a highly convictional community like ours 41:24 where right living and right behaving are rightfully 41:28 emphasized, there is the possibility - 41:33 not so small - that we may live with a sense of numinous 41:38 apprehension, latent uncertainty about our salvation. 41:46 I have a blessed grandmother who sleeps in Jesus. 41:50 She lived to be 99... almost 100. 41:53 Preacher's wife. General Conference VP's wife. 41:57 Missionary wife. 42:01 I used to come out and visit her in Loma Linda 42:04 while pastoring at Pioneer. 42:06 And every now and then Grandma would say to me: 42:09 "Dwight, how do we know for sure? 42:15 How do we know for sure that it's OK? " 42:20 The only reason I mention my Grandmother is because 42:23 in my short life of pastoring I've found that it's true 42:26 the older you get sometimes the more uncertain you become. 42:32 When you're young it's... I admit, I say it's all by faith. 42:36 I understand that. But when death starts becoming 42:39 and ever-present reality 42:42 you start re-negotiating life. 42:45 You start re-thinking: "What is it that really counts? " 42:49 And in a highly-convictional community like ours 42:52 where right behaving is rightfully emphasized 42:55 you begin to wonder: "I wonder if I behaved right enough 43:01 long enough? 43:02 Maybe... maybe this isn't quite as sure as I once thought. " 43:10 That's the community I love and that I've grown up in. 43:13 You don't need to give me any lectures about it. 43:15 I'm a 5th generation Adventist 43:17 and a 4th generation preacher within this community. 43:20 I know it well. 43:23 I'm telling you that the older you get sometimes 43:26 the more difficult that certainty can feel. 43:32 I had the joy of being able to visit with Grandma 43:35 and assure her that the gospel is the gospel. 43:39 But I want to draw your attention to something in that 43:41 little phrase... that last word of Jesus in John: 43:44 "It is finished! " 43:46 Now I want you to listen now how the Greek actually reads. 43:49 It's in the perfect tense and it reads like this - 43:52 it can be rightfully translated: "It has been completed. " 43:58 "It has been completed. " 44:00 OK? Completed. 44:04 It takes a past action to show that the past action 44:10 still has continuing effects in the present. 44:13 But the action is in the past and it's all done back there. 44:16 It would be like you getting a Fed-Ex envelope 44:18 to your house and you discover 44:22 a great uncle that you never knew, never met... 44:25 Well you knew about him, you'd heard about him, but 44:27 you get this Fed-Ex envelope from a law firm that is 44:31 representing your great uncle who died 2 or 3 years ago. 44:34 They finally found you! 44:37 He has willed his entire estate to you. 44:41 $3.3 billion to you. 44:49 Give me more uncles like that I say! 44:53 He has willed his entire estate to you. 44:55 They've been looking for you everywhere. 44:57 It was signed, sealed, notarized. 45:02 All handled. They finally found you 45:06 and they announce to you: "If you want this, 45:09 that $3.3 billion from back then that was ratified, 45:13 you get it now. " Ladies and gentlemen, that's what this 45:16 tense in the Greek means. 45:18 Something done long ago still is having present effect 45:23 today. And why is it having present effect? 45:26 Because a man comes along and finds out about Jesus. 45:28 A woman comes along, a child comes along, 45:30 a boy comes along, a teenager comes along, 45:33 finds out about Jesus. And the moment that discovery is made 45:36 what was done 2,000 years ago now leaps into life again. 45:40 Past action with present continuing effect. 45:45 When Jesus cries out "It is finished! " 45:51 the word is just like John 3:16 declares 45:55 all we have to do is trust our benefactor, 46:00 believe that the will is ratified, 46:03 and whatever provision is in that will belongs to us. 46:06 Now listen carefully: 46:10 "It is finished! " means that we can rest secure in Jesus' 46:14 mission and work at the cross. 46:17 Now hold on, hold on, hold on. 46:19 What counts is not my unfinished work. 46:24 What matters is His finished work. Amen! 46:30 That's what counts. 46:31 Not me... but Him. 46:35 You see, if we keep insisting what counts is what I do 46:40 then we have the Medieval notion of the universe. 46:44 You remember the old Medieval scholars - we're talking about 46:46 religious scholars and scientists as well... 46:49 they believed that the earth was the center of the universe. 46:52 True or false? Well, that's what they believed. 46:54 And that the whole universe rotated around the earth. 46:57 They had an earth-centered universe. 46:59 And then along comes a scientist called Galileo and he goes 47:02 "Well I've got to focus. Good night, is this true? 47:05 Gentlemen, excuse me. I found something out today. 47:09 We're not the center of the universe. 47:11 The sun is the center of our solar system. 47:13 We go around the sun; it does not go around us. " 47:17 People who believe that their present action is going to 47:21 determine their salvation don't live in a Son-centered universe. 47:26 They have put themselves in the center of the universe 47:30 and they have the Son going around them. 47:34 That is dead wrong. 47:37 The Son is in the middle... we go around Him. 47:42 What He has done is what counts. 47:46 What He has accomplished 47:51 is what matters 47:53 because, look... come on, come on, come on. 47:54 If I am the center of my universe 47:57 and the Son goes around me, 47:59 knowing how weak and faulty I am, what kind of assurance 48:03 am I going to have when I come up to the day I die 48:06 if I have to depend on how Dwight has handled his life? " 48:08 What kind of assurance will I have? Zero, nada, nothing. 48:11 I mean I'm messed up. 48:13 But if I take me out of the center of the picture 48:15 and I put the Son in the center and my life now rotates, 48:19 revolves, orbits around Him, 48:21 what kind of security do I now have? 48:23 I have all the security in the universe because it's 48:25 wrapped up in the One who is the center of my universe: 48:29 the Lord Jesus Christ. 48:31 When Jesus cries out: "It has been accomplished! " 48:34 "It has been done! " He is saying: "It really was done. " 48:40 "It is finished! " means it really is finished! 48:46 Finished... or He wasn't telling the truth in His last breath. 48:53 You come to me and you say: "No, Dwight, 48:56 no, no, no, no, no, no, no... 48:58 I've got to do something here. " 49:01 Of course you do something. 49:03 You respond to the One who finished the work 49:05 and you respond in gratitude. Do you not? 49:08 Of course. 49:10 That's why it's no accident by the way that in John - 49:13 only in John - he makes this big point about 49:17 the day that is coming on. 49:20 This is the Preparation Day and the day to follow the 49:22 Preparation Day would be the... the seventh-day Sabbath. 49:25 The Sabbath of creation. 49:26 John inserts that right after "It is finished! " 49:29 so that we'll be instantly reminded that even as it was 49:31 in creation God did His crowning work 49:34 on the sixth day. Looked it over and said: "Whaa... this 49:38 is VERY good. " Finished His work on the sixth day 49:41 then rested on the seventh. 49:45 By the way, can you add to God's creation? 49:47 What God finished on the sixth day of creation: 49:50 can you add to it? 49:51 "I want to add just a little more, God. " 49:52 Can you? Impossible! 49:54 Even as it was in creation God's climactic work 49:59 is done on the 6th day... then He rests. 50:02 Even so in salvation, His work is done on the 6th day 50:06 and then - Hallelujah! - He rests. 50:10 And by the way, He says: "You enter My rest. " 50:12 "You go into... you rest with Me. " 50:15 If I can't add an atom to God's creation, 50:19 can I add an iota to His salvation? 50:24 I cannot... that's John's point. 50:26 "It is finished! " really means it is finished. 50:34 By the way, that's also why John shows the blood 50:37 and the water. Because you see the sacrifice of the Lamb of God 50:41 covers the past. Covers your past... washes it clean. 50:46 The blood covers the past. 50:48 The water trickles right beside the blood 50:51 because I keep getting dirty. 50:53 I keep getting stained. 50:57 And the water now is the present gift of the washing that goes on 51:01 until Jesus comes. I'm covered in the past; 51:04 I'm washed in the present; 51:06 and I'm looking forward to the future. 51:09 Amen! It's all wrapped up in Jesus. 51:12 It's all wrapped up in Jesus. 51:15 Apparently, "It is finished! " 51:18 really means it is finished. 51:25 So dear Grandma, dear Grandpa, 51:32 dear middle-ager, 51:35 Boomer, dear young adult, 51:41 dear teenager... What you did last night 51:49 matters... but last night is past 51:57 and God has offered a sacrifice to cover that past. 52:05 What you do today? It matters. 52:10 And God has unleashed... 52:12 There is a fountain filled with blood 52:15 drawn from Emmanuel's veins. 52:18 And sinners plunged beneath that flood 52:22 lose all their guilty stains. 52:27 Dear Grandma, dear Grandma, you go ahead and die. 52:31 When Jesus is ready for you to breathe your last, 52:34 He'll decide. 52:36 Unlike Him, we won't choose when the last breath will be. 52:40 He'll choose. But Grandma, when you come to your death 52:44 you can breathe that last breath of release 52:50 into the nail-scarred embrace of One who promises you 52:55 "I really did finish your salvation 53:00 on Calvary. " Amen! "I finished it. " 53:04 "Yes, I am your High Priest. 53:06 Yes, I minister for you now 53:08 but I finished your salvation 2,000 years ago. 53:13 Girl, woman, boy, man: 53:17 rest in Me... be at peace 53:21 because 'It is finished! ' really means 53:26 it is finished. " Amen! 53:31 Let's pray. 53:34 Oh Jesus, holy Father, holy Son, 53:40 oh we hurry through these stories. 53:43 We're moved, we're blessed for that split moment 53:47 that we pause, but so much embedded in all four gospels. 53:53 And dear God, in this gospel 53:55 You are as clear as You can divinely and humanly be. 54:02 "It's done... salvation, the work 54:08 of My gift is accomplished. " 54:13 And so Father, I pray for all of our hearts. 54:16 There's this numinous sense that creeps up every now and then 54:19 "Maybe, maybe I'm not secure. 54:23 Maybe I haven't done enough. " 54:27 Oh Father, let the first word to our hearts be the last word 54:33 from the fourth gospel. 54:35 "It is finished! Rest in Me. 54:39 The Sabbath now has come. 54:42 Rest in a completed work 54:46 and I will carry you with these nail-scarred hands. 54:49 I will carry you across the last Jordan. 54:52 You'll be at peace. 54:55 You are safe for I am your Savior. " 55:00 While every head is still bowed in prayer 55:02 we can't hurry out of this worship hall 55:06 without reaching out to the same Jesus. 55:11 So I'm going to ask you: would you like today 55:14 in the presence of the witnessing universe 55:17 to say: "Oh God, I step into that wide-open nail-scarred 55:21 embrace and I receive again from You the assurance 55:25 it is finished. I receive by faith 55:30 my Savior and His salvation 55:33 today and today and today until Jesus comes. " 55:37 You want to step into that embrace stand to your feet 55:40 and by standing to your feet you say: "Jesus, please, 55:44 grant me Your rest... give to me Your peace. " 55:49 Oh God, we stand... we stand before You. 55:54 We're all Yours... You are all ours in Christ Jesus. 56:00 We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 56:04 In the name of Jesus who is our abiding Friend 56:10 until He comes. Sing it with me now: 56:14 Jesus keep me near the cross, 56:21 there a precious fountain. 56:27 Free to all 56:31 a healing stream 56:35 flows from Calvary's 56:38 mountain. 56:42 In the cross, 56:46 in the cross, 56:50 be my glory 56:54 ever. 56:57 Till my raptured soul 57:03 shall find 57:06 rest beyond 57:09 the river. |
Revised 2014-12-17