John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

I. Jesus here has said only three little words, but look at how much these three words contain.

A. Many things had been completed on the cross.

1. It was the end of the personal ministry of Christ, it was the end of the perfect life He had lived.

2. It was the competition of the work of the plan of salvation.

3. Jesus Christ had lived a perfect life, He had died a perfect death, everything had been done and had been done to perfection, and now He says, "It is finished".

B. The end had come.

1. There was no more to be done, and there is no more for us to do toward our salvation, all we need to do to be saved is to accept the finished work of Christ on the cross.

2. All we need to do is to trust in the shed blood of Christ for remission of our sins.

II. We need to notice also that Christ didn't die helpless and out of strength.

A. The death of Christ on the cross, was not like the death of any other person, as Christ still had strength left when He gave up His spirit to God.

1. When a man dies, he dies because all strength has left his body.

2. A man has no other choice except to die, but Christ gave up His spirit to His Father.

B. Notice in John 19:30, Jesus said, "It is finished", and then bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

1. Jesus didn't allow His head to loll helplessly or to drop, out of control.

2. Jesus had plenty of strength left.

3. His head had to be upright in order for Him to bow it and then give up the ghost.

C. Also notice that Jesus did not give up the ghost and then bow His head, but that He bowed His head and then gave up the host.

1. Does this not show that Christ was still in complete control of His entire body?

2. Jesus did not die powerless, but full of power.

3. This is the Jesus that can save your soul.

4. He's not a weak puny Saviour.

III. When Christ uttered the words, "It is finished", He meant that all of the prophecies concerning His life and death had been fulfilled.

A. Notice a few of these:

1. Genesis 3:15 – He was born of a woman's seed.

2. Isaiah 7:14 – He was born of a virgin.

3. Hebrews 2:16 – He was born of the seed of Abraham.

4. Matthew 1:1 – He was a literal descendent of David.

5. Matthew 1:23, 25 – He was named before He was born.

6. Micah 5:2 – He was born in Bethlehem of Judea.

7. Matthew 2:14,15 – He went down to Egypt.

8. Matthew 3:3 – He had a forerunner; John the Baptist.

9. Matthew 13:34,35 – He spoke in parables.

10. He died upon the cross.

11. Isaiah 53:3 – He was despised and rejected of men.

12. He shed His life's blood for the salvation of sinners.

B. All of these things came to pass.

1. It was truly finished.

2. There is nothing left to do.

IV. There are at least four proofs that God considered the work of Christ on the cross to be finished.

A. In Matt. 27:51, we find the vail of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. (See ..\EXODUS\26v01-37 gill on the vail.doc)

1. The vail separated the Holy of Holiest from the Holy Place.

2. The Holy of Holiest was a place where the High Priest went one time every year, and gave an animal sacrifice for the sins of the people.

3. This animal sacrifice was a type of the sacrifice that Christ gave on the cross.

4. This vail was torn into by the hand of God, that we might know that God doesn't want those kind of offerings again.

5. Now His Son has died, and that is the offering He wants.

6. The death of Christ took place at the time of the evening sacrifice, therefore the priests would be present to see the vail rent from the top to the bottom.

a. They might immediately think of Christ’s declaration that the temple would be destroyed and in three days be raised again, John 2:19.

b. The physical representation of the rent vail should be a lesson to all the Jews concerning the spiritual meaning of Christ making the way into the holy of holies.

7. There are those who believe Matthew 27:51-54 all happen after the resurrection.

a. They believe the vail was rent after the resurrection of Christ, not when he died.

b. They believe the earthquake, the rocks rent, the graves were opened, and the centurion made his declaration after the resurrection, not when Christ died.

c. Mark 15:37-42 makes it very clear that the vail was rent, and the centurion made his declaration when Christ died, not at the resurrection.

8. According to the John Gill (comments on Matthew 27:51) the height of the vail was 40 cubits, or approximately 60’, and its width 20 cubits, or 30’, making the rent of the vail more extraordinary.

a. It must be remembered that the height of the vail in the tabernacle was 10 cubits or 15 feet, and (I think) 12 cubits, or 18’ wide.

b. I Kings 6:23 compared to Exodus 26:16 – The cherubims in the Solomon’s temple was the same height as the entire tabernacle build by Moses.

c. That tabernacle was replaced by a building which David designed by inspiration from God, and Solomon built.

d. Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Babylon, and replaced by Ezra, and the wall around Jerusalem by Nehemiah.

e. King Herod "remodeled" Solomon’s temple.

1.) There is a vast amount of difference between the tabernacle erected by Moses and the temple in Christ’s day.

2.) There is also a vast amount of difference in the simplicity and purity of worship in the tabernacle and Herod’s temple.

3.) The name "Herod’s temple", to me, signifies the corruption of worship.

9. Ephesians 2:11-17 – When the vail was rent, Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition that separated people from God.

a. Not just that separated the Jews from the Gentiles, but the wall that separated us all from God.

b. All the ceremonies of the law are fulfilled in Christ, as the renting of the vial represents.

c. Hebrews 9:24 - For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

B. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

1. In Hebrews 9:23-25, we find that Christ took His blood into heaven to offer it to His Father, just like the High Priest had to take the blood of the Passover into the Holy of Holies one time a year.

2. God would not have raised His Son from the dead, if the sacrifice had not been acceptable.

3. Hebrews 9:7 states, But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

a. Hebrews 9:8-12 – These verses explain that while the vail was between the holy place and the most holy place, the eternal sacrifice for sins had not been made.

b. Hebrews 9:23-26 – The earthly tabernacle reflects what happened in the heavenly tabernacle when Christ’s blood was offered for our sins.

c. Hebrews 10:10-22 – These verses explain that the one sacrifice of Christ was accepted when the vail was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

C. Jesus Christ went into heaven and sat down on the right hand of His Father.

1. Everything that Christ did was accepted by God the Father.

a. Philippians 4:8-9 – When Christ humbled himself to the death of the cross, God also highly accepted him, and gave him a name above ever name that every knee should bow.

b. It is not just that Christ was accepted, but God accepted his pure shed blood as an eternal sacrifice for our sins.

c. AND, God allowed him joint rule with himself when Christ sat on God’s right hand.

2. John 20:17 – When Jesus told Mary to …touch me not… he did not mean for her to not touch him physically, but don’t hold me to you, as I am going to ascend back to my Father, where I will prepare a place for you to come be with me.

a. Mary expected Christ to establish his earthly kingdom and continue on this earth as before, but Christ turned her thoughts away from such.

1.) According to Acts 1:6, it was a common thought among the disciples of Christ that Christ would immediately establish his earthly kingdom.

2.) Matthew 28:9 – After his resurrection, the women held Jesus by his feet.

3.) Luke 24:39 – Christ desired his disciples to …handle me and see…

4.) John 20:27 – Jesus instructed Thomas to examine the hands and side of Christ with his fingers and his hands.

5.) It was not, as some believe, that Jesus sacrifice of himself would be made unclean or "polluted" if an unclean human touched Christ before he ascended to his father.

b. Christ knows his earthly kingdom will not immediately appear, but he will ascend to his father until the end of the church age.

3. Mark 16:19 - So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

4. Ephesians 1:20 – Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

5. I Peter 3:22 – Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

6. Acts 7:55 – Stephen saw Christ standing on the right hand of the Father, as Christ watched Stephen die for him.

7. Would God have exalted Christ to this extent, if the work of Christ had not been finished?

D. God sent the Holy Spirit to the earth as a comforter to the church, that the church might be helped in its every endeavor for Christ.

1. It is a "given" that Christ established his kind of church during his personal ministry.

2. Christ promised the comforter (the Holy Spirit) to his church after his ascension.

a. Christ makes the distinction between (1) the comforter and (2) the Holy Spirit manifestation of his presence because of the two distinct works of the Holy Spirit.

b. The comforter comes to the church to give them peace and comfort.

1.) John 14:26 - But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

2.) John 15:26 - But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

3.) John 20:19-23 – The disciples were fearful until they saw the Lord, then he breathed on them, giving them comfort as a church and authority to accomplish his work.

c. The Holy Spirit comes as a manifestation of the presence of Christ with his church.

1.) Acts 1:8 – Here the church received the promise of power, strength and ability (dumanis), or the dynamite power of Christ, so they can accomplish the Great Commission.

2.) Acts 2:1-4 – The promise of the Holy Spirit power is accomplished.

3. God sanctioned every work of Christ when He sent the Holy Spirit to the church, that the church might have the help that was needed from God.

V. We also see the end of our sins in this passage of scripture.

A. Christ has cast our sins in the sea of forgetfulness.

B. Our sins will be remembered no more.

C. Jesus Christ paid all of our sins on the cross of Calvary.