It is Finished

Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group. 
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 1-12)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 13-26)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 27-34)

If you’d like to follow along with us using the Gospel of John Scripture Journal, you’re welcome to purchase a copy here

8:40 Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

Good morning Chapel family. We’re continuing our study in the Gospel of John, and today is the second of two weeks where we are focusing on the cross. Last week we said the cross is the key to experiencing true power. In the eyes of the world, the cross looks like weakness—it looks like foolishness. But when you really understand it, you experience true power.
Today we’re going to see that the cross is the key to experiencing real freedom. If you feel enslaved by something; if you feel stuck—like you have chains on you—the thing that can free you is the cross. Which is very ironic, because on the cross, Jesus voluntarily gave up his freedom! His hands and his feet were nailed in place—all his freedom was taken away. And yet through that act, when we trust him and walk with him, we experience true freedom.
Okay—where did we leave off last week? Jesus had been crucified between two thieves; Pontius Pilate put a sign on the cross that said, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” As he hung there, the soldiers cast lots for his clothing, and Jesus assigned John to care for his mother, Mary. Let’s continue in John chapter 19, starting in verse 28. This is God’s Word for us today…
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. This is the Word of the Lord.
The cross is the key to experiencing true freedom. So let’s talk first about…
The Price of Freedom. This passage contains one of the most theologically loaded phrases in the entire Bible. It’s actually a single word in the original Greek, but it takes three English words to translate that one Greek word. Do you know the phrase I’m talking about? It’s in verse 30: Jesus says it is finished. In Greek it’s the word tetelestai. It comes from the verb teleo which means to complete or accomplish or finish or fulfill. To complete or accomplish or finish or fulfill. And the verb is in the perfect tense, which means—stay with me—this is important—the perfect tense was used for an action that was completed in the past, with results that continue into the present.
It is finished. Archaeologists have found evidence of that word, or forms of that word, written across the tops of bills of sale from the marketplace. In other words, “This customer doesn’t owe anything else for the goods they have received. The price has been paid in full.”
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus talked about the work the Father had sent him to do. John 4:34—“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. So when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, he was doing the work the father had sent him to do, but he still wasn’t finished. When he told Nicodemus he needed to be born again, he was doing the work the Father had sent him to do, but it still wasn’t finished. When he fed the 5,000, he was doing the Father’s work, but he still wasn’t finished. When he healed the blind man, he was doing the Father’s work, but it still wasn’t finished. It was only when he hung on the cross, just seconds before he died, that he gathered up his last ounce of energy and said, “It is finished.”
And the obvious question is: okay, what was this work that was finished? What exactly is it that was paid in full when Jesus died on the cross? Well, there’s something that Jesus said right before that, that helps us answer that question.
Verse 28: Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” This is the final moment of brutally long torture session. By this time, Jesus has experienced the most excruciating pain imaginable. And he says, “Can I get a drink of water?” And I say, “That’s strange.” Somebody who’s experiencing that level of pain; someone whose body is being torn apart…whose internal organs are being crushed…asks for a drink? It doesn’t add up. It’s too important of a moment for something that trivial.
You remember back in chapter 4, when Jesus met the woman at the well? And he said, “If you drink the water I give you, you’ll never go thirsty.” Was he talking about literal water? No—it was something deeper. Or in chapter 7, where Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink!” Literal water? Of course not!
In both of those cases, Jesus is speaking on a spiritual level. He’s talking about satisfaction for your soul—your deepest thirst. Which you only find by being connected with God. Your deepest thirst—even if you don’t realize it!—is a thirst for connection with your Creator. And here’s the thing: the only way Jesus could offer that to us…was for him to give it up. Because the thing that prevents us from having that connection is our sin, and on the cross, our sin was laid on his shoulders. For that moment in time, it was as if he had actually committed the sin of the whole world, and God poured out his righteous judgment on Jesus. So for the first time in his life, Jesus was separated from his Father. That’s why he said, “I’m thirsty.” He didn’t want a drink of water; he was dying from spiritual thirst.
Dallas Willard wrote about a friend of his whose mother had died when he was a little boy. So it was just him and his dad. And for several years after his mom died, he had a really hard time getting to sleep at night. So his dad would come into his room and lie on the bed next to him. He would read to him, and then he would turn out the light and tell his son to go to sleep. And he said the room was so dark that he couldn’t tell which way his dad was facing. So every night, after a few minutes, he would say, “Daddy, is your face turned toward me?” And his dad would say, “Yes, my face is turned toward you—you can go to sleep.” And he said just knowing that his father was there, and that his face was turned toward him, gave him the security and the peace to fall asleep.
Like we sing in that song The Blessing, which is the blessing of Aaron: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you, and give you peace. We were made to live with the face of God turned toward us. It’s our deepest thirst. And on the cross, Jesus was feeling the terror of his Father turning his face away. Because of our sins! He was paying in full the debt that we owed.
That’s what was finished, on that day, on the cross.
In a few minutes we’re going to get real practical, and talk about how this finished work of Jesus brings us freedom. But before we do, I just want to linger at the cross and feel the magnitude of what happened there. John Stott said, "The cross is the centerpiece of history—the hinge on which the door of salvation turns." Would you just allow yourself to feel the weight of this moment?
One of the clues that tells us how important this moment was is how many ancient prophecies were being fulfilled in this short amount of time.
Isaiah 53:12 says he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. Jesus was crucified between two transgressors—thieves—because Rome considered him a common criminal.
Psalm 22:18 says They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. The soldiers at the foot of the cross gambled to see who would get Jesus’ garment.
Psalm 69:21 says for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. Sour wine was the common, cheap wine that soldiers would drink. And that’s what they held up to Jesus on a sponge. To do that, they used a hyssop branch; hyssop was the same plant that the Israelites were told to use to apply the blood of the Passover lamb over their door, so the angel of death would pass over their house. And now the same plant was used in the presence of the final Passover Lamb.
Speaking of Passover, in Exodus 12:46 the Israelites were given instructions on how to prepare the lamb for their family. And it said be careful you don’t break any of the bones. And then Psalm 34:20 looks forward to the Messiah and it says he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men, which—by the way—the reason they would do that is that when you’re being crucified, the only way to get a good breath is to push yourself up with your legs. So they would break the legs to prevent the person from breathing, and death would quickly follow. But when they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs, which fulfilled another prophecy.
The prophet Zechariah says They will look on me, the one they have pierced… Just to make extra certain that Jesus was dead, the soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, and there was a sudden flow of water and blood. Because when a human is under severe trauma and shock, fluid collects in the pericardium—the sac surrounding the heart. The spear must have pierced the pericardium and the heart itself, releasing blood and water.
There’s one more thing I want you to see—verse 30: When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Never forget that Jesus gave up his spirit. His life was not taken from him; he chose to give it up. In John 10:17-18 Jesus said 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
I was told by a former Marine that there’s a slogan among the Marines. The saying is, “I chose this.” It’s a slogan they use when things are insanely hard, and everything in them wants to quit. It reminds them that nobody forced them to become a Marine—they chose it, because they wanted to serve. And as we sit today in the shadow of the cross, never forget that Jesus chose this. Out of obedience to his Father and love for you, he chose the cross. He lost the face of the Father so you could always have the Father’s face turned toward you. He experienced cosmic spiritual thirst so your deepest thirst could always be satisfied. He took the moral debt you owe, and he wrote across the top, “Paid in full.” Tetelestai. It is finished.
That was the price of freedom. And because Jesus paid it, we get to talk about this: Walking in Freedom. What does it mean to live in light of Jesus’ finished work on the cross? Three things…
First, we can be Freed from condemnation. From the start of the Bible, it’s clear that there is a day of judgment coming. Ecclesiastes 12:14 says:

For God will bring every deed into judgment,
  including every hidden thing,
  whether it is good or evil.

In Acts 7:31, the first martyr of the church, Stephen, says For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. 

Hebrews 9:27 says …people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.

So the Bible clearly teaches it. More specifically, Jesus taught it. You can’t miss this. When you read the Gospels, Jesus relentlessly focused on the last judgment and even hell. He talked about it more than anybody else. So what you cannot say is, “I really like Jesus, and I believe in Jesus, but I don’t buy this concept of judgment.” That’s just making up your own Jesus.

There will come a day when you will stand before God at the final judgment. And every one of us has a choice of how we will prepare for that day. Two options: you can put your confidence in your own good life, or you can put your confidence in what Christ did for you on the cross. Those are the only two choices! Trust in yourself, or trust in Christ. And if the Bible is right, that we have fallen so far short of God’s perfect standard, that means trusting in yourself is a foolish option. But if the Bible is also right, that Christ paid for your sins in full, then trusting in him is the wisest thing you can possibly do.

Romans 8:1-2—listen to this: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has (what?...) set you free from the law of sin and death. Jesus wants to set you free from the fear of condemnation. Jesus wants to give you confidence on the day of judgment. As you anticipate that day, he wants you to eagerly look forward to seeing the Savior who died for you and running into his arms. So: if you have never put your trust in Christ and what he did on the cross, don’t let another day go by. Because judgment is real, and you don’t want to face it without Jesus.

Second, we can be Freed from the performance trap. Last week I was talking to someone who was raised in a church that emphasized sin and judgment—which is good! That’s a biblical message. But they didn’t also emphasize the cross where Jesus paid it all. So they were missing half the message—the good news half. And as a result, this guy said, “I always felt guilty. I never felt like I was doing enough for God. I always felt like God was a little mad at me.” That’s what I mean by “the performance trap.” It’s the feeling that you’ve never done quite enough to make God happy. And it’s an insult to the gospel. Because it devalues what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus said, “It is finished! Paid in full!” The performance trap says, “Nah—you owe a little more.” And the problem is, you never know if you’re doing enough. That’s why it’s a trap.
And Jesus wants to free you from that trap.
When I was in seventh grade, I tried out for the middle school basketball team. So there were two days of tryouts, and after the first day the coach posted a list on the gym door of kids who had made it through the first day, and were invited back for the second day. So that morning after the first day, I ran to the gym door in the morning and my name was on the list! I made it through the first day! But the second day was going to be harder. And I knew the coach didn’t usually allow a lot of seventh-graders on the team—it was mostly eight-graders.
So I showed up for the second day of tryouts. And they had us doing a drill where you took the ball at half court, and you dribbled it up to about ten feet away, and then you pull up for jump shot off the backboard. And you had to do that from the right side and the left side. And I remember this so clearly: I’m standing in line waiting my turn. And I’m nervous. And my hands are sweaty. Because my friends are good basketball players, and I know they’re going to make the team, and I would be crushed if I got cut from this team. And as I’m standing there, I hear a voice behind me, whispering in my ear: “Gus.” (That was my nickname in school—everybody called me “Gus”). This voice whispered, “Gus, you’re on the team.” And I felt a chill go up my spine. Because—it wasn’t Jesus, but it was the next best thing—it was the coach! And I think he realized how nervous I was, and he wanted to remove my anxiety and my fear, so he assured me that my position on the team was secure.
Can I tell you how awesome I played the rest of that tryout? I was loose, and I was confident and relaxed. I played great. I was like a 5-foot-9, white, Jalen Brunson. I was amazing! Because—listen—I was no longer playing to earn my acceptance; I was playing with the freedom of someone who knows he’s already been accepted.
If you really believe what Jesus said from the cross“It is finished; Paid in full,” and if you walk in that truth, you will be freed from the performance trap. You no longer have any debt to pay, and you don’t have anything to prove. Somebody says, “Well, if it were that easy, people would just accept that gift and then go do anything they want! They would live selfish lives!” No they wouldn’t. I didn’t do that with my coach! I didn’t say “Oh—I’m on the team? Then I’m going to go hit the showers early.” I had way too much respect for my coach. And his acceptance of me made me want to play my best for him. And the acceptance we receive from God, because of Christ’s work on the cross, makes us want to pour out our lives for him.
When I’m praying with the Chapel staff, I often pray, “Lord, remind us today that we’re your kids. And nothing we accomplish today will make you love us any more than you already do. Help us to serve out of the security of your love.”
Let the cross of Christ free you from the performance trap.
And then, finally, we can be Freed from fear of people. After Jesus is pronounced dead, his body probably would have been dumped into a common pit with the bodies of the two other victims. But there are two guys who decide to take a risk. One of them is named Joseph of Arimathea. We learn in the other Gospels that he’s a wealthy man, and he’s a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. Verse 38 says he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. It was obviously dangerous to be associated with Jesus. So up to that time he had kept his faith quiet. But after seeing the way Jesus died, something shifts inside Joseph. And he takes the huge risk of approaching the governor and offering to give Jesus a decent burial. For the first time, his faith has come out of the shadows, into the light.
He’s accompanied by a man named Nicodemus, who’s a Pharisee and also a member of the ruling council. We’ve actually seen Nicodemus twice before: in chapter 3, he comes to see Jesus, but he comes secretly at night, because Pharisees shouldn’t be seen interacting with Jesus. And then in chapter seven, when the council is trying to decide how to deal with Jesus, Nicodemus speaks up in defense of Jesus, and he’s quickly shouted down. So even though he’s the guy who Jesus told, “You must be born again,” we never find out if he was born again…until now. Because just like Joseph, he steps out of the shadows and identifies himself—to the Roman governor!—as a disciple of Jesus.
Here’s the point: when you see Jesus on the cross, and when it becomes personal—because you realize the price for your sins has been paid in full, and when he has freed you from condemnation, so you no longer fear judgment; and when he has freed you from the performance trap, so you’re deeply secure in his love; something profound begins to happen in your heart: you lose your fear of people.
Hebrews 13:6 says:
So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
  What can mere mortals do to me?”
When you are secure in the love of God because of the cross of Christ, you start to realize how ridiculous it is to fear people. You already have the love and acceptance of the One whose opinion matters the most—so if people think you’re weird because of your faith, so what? If people think you’re prudish because you don’t get drunk on weekends and won’t sleep with your girlfriend or boyfriend, so what? If people think you’re naïve because you love your enemies and forgive people who hurt you, so what? If God is for you, who could be against you? And on the cross, he proved that he is for you.
So step out of the shadows, like Joseph did. Like Nicodemus did. Stop hiding your faith, and just be who you are: a follower of Jesus.
There is freedom in the cross of Christ. Put your trust in him and walk in that freedom.