March 14, 2010 Introduction The Gospels record what are known as “the seven last words” of Jesus; the last phrases spoken from the cross by Christ in the final hours of his earthly life. As we have traveled this Lenten season, we have heard the strong and merciful word, “Father, forgive them…” A word of assurance, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” The troubling word of despair, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
In his prayer in John 17, Jesus looked toward heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come… I have brought glory to you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Then in John 19:30, “Jesus said (from the cross), ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Every so often, on Good Friday, the media will film or photograph a person doing something extreme to demonstrate devotion, to appease God’s wrath or earn salvation for self or another. I remember one man in Havana, Cuba, crawling along a dirt road with a heavy chain attached to his ankle. The other end of the chain was wrapped around a heavy rock. Inch by inch, it was explained that he was pulling the rock on a pilgrimage to a sanctuary dedicated to St. Lazarus. As we will see in God’s word, such devotion is misguided, for we can do nothing – absolutely nothing – to atone for our sins. “Works of satisfaction” (as they have been known), doing penance, reparation of any kind have no place in authentic Christian faith and practice. Eugene Peterson put it this way in one of his New Testament introductions: “Too much religion is a bad thing. We can’t get too much of God, too much faith and obedience, too much love and worship. But religion – the well-intentioned efforts we make to get it all together for God – can get in the way of what God is doing for us.” I. Gloria Patri (vs. 1-5) We sing it, the Gloria Patri: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; world without end. Amen.” Jesus prayed it: “I have brought you glory on earth… And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Jesus anticipates the cross as the completion of the work the Father gave him to do. He sees the cross not as a place of shame (as all others around him would) but as a place of honor. With the work of the Incarnation complete (the Incarnation was Jesus’ descent from heavenly glory; God becoming a man – not man becoming a god; Jesus alone is Emmanuel – God with us), Jesus now anticipates his ascent, the resumption of the glory he had with the Father since before creation. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews begins by saying: “In these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory (there’s that word again) and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided the sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus is glorified, praised, honored, venerated with the Father. It’s what the word means. “Glory” is found in the Creation and Redemption that God has wrought in the person and work of Jesus the Christ. The life of Jesus indeed brought glory to God. His teachings, his miracles, his healings, his bold preaching of truth and finally his sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would trust in his name: all brought glory to God. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, (and here it is) to the glory of God the Father” (that’s Philippians 2:9-11). John Owen was a most influential Puritan theologian and scholar in the 1600s at Oxford University. In 1683, as he lay on his deathbed, his secretary wrote (in his name) to a friend, “I am still in the land of the living.” Although a struggle, John Owen spoke up and said, “Stop. Change that and say, I am yet in the land of the dying, but hope soon to be in the land of the living.” The glory of God in Christ is this: God the Father granted Jesus the Son “authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those” the Father has given him. “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Jesus knew that his “hour had come.” John Owen knew that his hour was near. Jesus knew that the perfect work of redemption, salvation, eternal life would be “finished,” complete by his death on the cross. John Own knew that Jesus died for his sins and now had sure hope of eternal life. Jesus knew his hour had come. When your hour or my hour approaches, may we know that sure hope of God’s grace, forgiveness, mercy, and the reality of life eternal in Christ. II. That the World May Believe “It is finished” (vs. 20-23) “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” In this extended prayer of Jesus in John 17, we get a glimpse into the heart of our Savior. After praying for God’s glory to be seen and experienced, Jesus prays for his disciples, “I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them… Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name” (17:8-11). Then Jesus prayed for us! Those who will believe in Christ through the message handed down from the apostles. Jesus gets back to heaven; the angels gather around him. “How did it go down there?” Jesus says, “Mission accomplished.” “What’s the plan from here?” “I left 12 guys in charge to get the message out to everyone else.” And the angels say, “What’s Plan B?” Again, Eugene Peterson: “One by one, men and women did believe it, believed Jesus was God alive among them and for them… They told stories of Jesus and arranged his teachings in memorable form. They wrote letters, sang songs, and prayed. One of them wrote an extraordinary poem based on holy visions. There was no apparent organization to any of this. Three kinds of writing – five stories, twenty-one letters, one poem (we call it the “New Testament”). Lives were being changed and shaped by what they were reading, arriving at the conclusion that there was, in fact, someone in charge – God’s Holy Spirit was behind and in it all. They were bold to call what had been written ‘God’s Word,’ and trusted their lives to it.” What a gift we have! Jesus prayed, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” Here we are this morning. Our faith is anchored in the truth. We have objective guidance from the apostles, the disciples who knew Jesus first hand. Matthew, John, Peter, James and others. John wrote in his letter to the church, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (I John 1:1). This is why the church must always be centered around and in the Bible, especially the New Testament. This is where you will find the true, authentic Jesus. Pay no attention to self-appointed prophets who supposedly added to or corrected the Bible. Pay no attention to present-day “scholars” who want to re-imagine, re-invent, or present a different Jesus. In their day, the apostles recognized this problem. Peter wrote to the church, “But there false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories” (II Peter 2:1-3). John wrote about “those who are trying to lead you astray” (I John 2:26). And Paul often warned the early churches. “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7). In my adult lifetime of just a few decades, we’ve seen the People’s Temple of Jim Jones, the mass wedding ceremonies of the “Rev.” Moon, Charles Manson and Helter Skelter, Stewart Traill who claims to be Elijah returned, L Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology, Marshall Applewhite and Heaven’s Gate. There are at least 1,200 pseudo (false) Christian movements (cults) in the United States today (let alone scores of other religions). “It is finished,” cried Jesus in both agony and triumph from the cross. No add-ons are needed. Our worship, our fellowship, our service and mission find their formation and faithfulness in God’s word. That’s why we read it, study it, preach it, share it. Conclusion During this Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, it is my prayer that you and I will know and see, experience and acknowledge the glory of God in Jesus Christ; and become more and more certain of our salvation in Christ alone. “It is finished.” Let us pray together. |
