SIXTH WEDNESDAY IN LENT

Sermon Series:  The Seven Words of Christ

The Sixth Word:  "It Is Finished” - John 19:30

The Seventh Word:  "Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit” - Luke 23:46

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Tonight, we conclude the Lenten Sermon series on the Seven Words of Christ, which are the seven statements He made from the cross.  The Sixth Word is "It is finished” and the Seventh Word is "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”  I pray that this sermon series has been a blessing to you this Lenten season, bringing you ever closer to your Savior.  As we prepare to receive this word from the Lord, let us take a moment to pray:

Heavenly Father, be with us tonight, for the remainder of this Lententide, and throughout Holy Week, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit who always points us away from ourselves and to the cross of Your Son, our Lord, where our salvation was won.  Speak to us through the preached Word, that we may hear the last words Your Son spoke as He completed His Passion on the cross, so that we may be drawn ever more closer to Him who died for us.  Grant this for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  In His Name we pray.  Amen.

We come now to the end of this sermon series on the seven words of Christ from the cross.  Throughout this series, we've focused on each of our Savior's statements from the cross and learned what they mean for us and why our Savior spoke them.  In the first word, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” we learned that our dying Savior's prayer for forgiveness extends beyond those immediately responsible for His execution and includes us, for it is the sins of the entire world, including our sins, that put Him on the cross.  In the second word, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” we learned that all people who repent of their sins and turn to Christ in faith, like the penitent thief dying next to Him, will spend eternity in Paradise with the Lord.  In the third word, "Woman, behold your son; (John), behold your mother,” we learned that our Savior desires to care for us and will be with us always in this life, strengthening and preserving our faith through His precious means of grace.  In the fourth and fifth words of our Savior, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” and "I thirst,” we learned the full extent of our Lord's Passion, that not only did He suffer physically, but also spiritually, as He was abandoned by the Father to experience the full extent of the Father's anger and wrath in Hell, where He suffered agonizing and eternal thirst in our place.  And now, we come at last to the final two words spoken by the Savior - "It is finished” and "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”   

The most beautiful and meaningful word found in any language that has ever been spoken by man on earth, past or present, is the Greek word, tetelestai (tetelestai).  This is the sixth word our Savior spoke from the cross just before He committed His spirit to the Father and breathed His last.  Tetelestai!  The NIV's translation of tetelestai is, "It is finished.”  While this is a good, legitimate translation, it doesn't really bring out the full meaning of this word.  A more accurate and literal translation of tetelestai is, "It has been and forever will be finished, accomplished, completed.”

But, what does our Savior mean by this?  What is the "it” which has been and forever will be finished?  It is the salvation of the world!  When Jesus cries out, "tetelestai,” "it has been and forever will be finished,” He's saying that He has successfully completed the work necessary to bring salvation to the world.  He's saying that the promise given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is fulfilled in Him.  He is the Promised Seed of the woman who has completely crushed the devil's head.  He's saying that He's accomplished what Israel and all sinful human beings were unable to accomplish, for He lived the perfect life and fulfilled God's Law completely.  He's saying that all of the sacrifices required by God pointed forward to and have their fulfillment in Him, for He is the ultimate, once-for-all, sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Oh, this is Great News, my friends!  This is the most beautiful and meaningful word ever spoken because it assures us that our Savior finished all the work necessary for our salvation.  All the work!  There is nothing, not one thing, not one iota of a thing, nothing, left to be done.  The work of salvation is completely finished.  The Law of God has been completely fulfilled.  The Sacrifice required for our sins has been paid in full.  There is nothing left for us to do.  Our Lord and Savior has done it all for us.  He lived the perfect, sinless life we can't live.  He took the scourging upon His body that we deserved for our sins.  He took the nails through His hands and feet that should've been driven through our hands and feet.  He suffered agonizing and eternal thirst in Hell, dying the death, both physical and spiritual, that we deserve to die.  And, because He did it all for us, there is nothing left for us to do.  As our text from Hebrews says, because of the will of our Savior, because He was obedient in every way, even unto death on the cross, "we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.”

So, why is it that we still feel the need to contribute to our salvation in some way?  Why is it that we have such a hard time believing that Jesus has done it all and there's nothing left for us to do?  Because, even though our sins have been completely taken away by Christ, the Old Adam in us remains for as long as we live in this sinful world.  And, our Old Adam, our sinful nature, constantly tries to convince us that we must play a role in our salvation.  This is why you see many Christian Churches put forth a list of dos and don'ts required of members.  If you want to be a Christian and assure yourself of salvation, you better not drink, smoke, dance, gamble, etc.  If you want to be a Christian and assure yourself of salvation, you better live a good life, attend Church and Bible Study every Sunday, and always show love and help others in need.  Refraining from what these churches define as sinful behavior and being a good person are added requirements they believe must be fulfilled for salvation.   

But, adding anything, no matter how worthy it may seem, to the finished work of Jesus Christ as further requirements for salvation, makes our Savior a liar and His work incomplete.  He didn't say, "My part is finished, now it's up to you.”  He said, "It is finished,” that is, "It has been and forever will be finished.”  Refraining from sinful behavior and being a "good” person are not additional requirements you need to accomplish to complete your salvation, for, truth be told, you cannot refrain from sin perfectly or be a perfectly good person - you will continue to be a sinner.  But, that's why our Savior's sixth word is such Good News, for it assures us that, no matter how many times we fail, no matter how many times we fall into sin, no matter how badly we botch things up, He has paid the price for it all in His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross.

So, all the work necessary for our salvation has been completely accomplished by Christ.  There is nothing left for us to do.  But, we must be careful not to turn this wonderful Gospel message into a license to sin.  We need to be careful not to fall prey to the temptation to say, "All right.  I'm a sinner and I can't live perfectly, so why try.  Jesus has died to forgive me, so I can do whatever I want.  I'll just indulge my sinful nature all week and get my sins forgiven on Sunday morning.” 

This is what some Christians accuse us Lutherans of teaching.  They say that, because we're so adamant in our refusal to add any requirements that Christians must complete for their salvation, we're giving people permission to act however they please.  But, this is not what we Lutherans teach.  In fact, this is a false, damning teaching.  It's just as bad as adding requirements to the completed work of Christ for salvation.  The Lord has died to save you from sin; how could a Christian go on indulging in sin?  It would be like saying, "I'm thankful that the Coast Guard pulled me out of the water and saved me from drowning.  Now that I'm safe, I think I'll tie some bricks to my feet and jump back in.”  

No, dear friends, God cannot be mocked.  You cannot continue to willingly and knowingly indulge sin and then call upon the Gospel of Christ as your trump card and get forgiveness.  Faith, without repentance, is no faith at all.  You're called to live by the truth of the Gospel; to live as one who's been saved by grace, through faith.  You live out your faith by fighting against sin, not indulging it.  It's a struggle, to be sure.  That's why it's so important to be in Church and Bible Study, for it is by God's Word that you are strengthened for the battle.  You can't win the battle against sin on your own.  No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you fight, you will sin.  That's inevitable as long as you live this side of heaven.  But, that doesn't mean that you give up the fight.  No, you keep fighting the good fight every day of your life until you die, knowing that Christ has won the victory for you.  That's the Good News of our Savior's sixth word that, even though you will fail every day to win the battle over sin, Christ has won the battle for you on the cross and, through faith in Him, you will not perish, but have everlasting life. 

And, because Christ has completely finished the work of the world's salvation; because the suffering is done and the price is paid in full, His last word from the cross is one spoken in confident faith, "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” 

The Son who cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” is no longer forsaken, and He knows it.  Jesus Christ is the Faithful One.  Even though He'd been completely abandoned by His Father to suffer all of His wrath and anger, spending an eternity in Hell upon the cross, our Lord and Savior never wavered in faith.  He is our perfect Substitute right up to the end.  He knows that, as He breathes His last breath and dies to defeat death for us, He will completely fulfill His Father's will.  He was forsaken, but not forgotten.  His perfect faith allows Him to cry out in a loud, clear, strong voice, "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”  And, as He breathes His last breath, the sin of the world, our sins, every sin that ever has been committed by anyone at anytime, all the sins you've committed in the past, all the sins you'll commit tomorrow, five, ten, even twenty years from now, all the sins you'll commit right up until you breathe your last - ALL SIN, from the white lie to the brutal rape and murder - ALL SIN dies with Him.  He takes the sin of the world into the grave with Him and buries it there. 

And, we know this, dear friends, because we know the rest of the story.  We know that our Lord's dying request was granted by the Father, for we know that the tomb was empty on Easter morning.  The Father accepted the Son's sacrifice on the cross - the empty tomb proves it!  He rose and lives forever, proving that sin, death, and the devil have been forever defeated.  And, because He is risen and alive, you who believe in Him will rise and live forever with Him in Paradise. 

Dear friends in Christ, "tetelestai.”  "It is finished!”  "It has been and forever will be finished!”  Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has accomplished your salvation.  The Father's wrath is spent.  The Son's Blood has made perfect atonement.  Your sins are forgiven, and your spirit will be committed to the Father when you breathe your last.  You will live forever!  In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name.  Amen.          

Now the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.