Chapter 19 Verse 28

• After this.  In the Greek that phrase is meta touta which is precisely the phrase that you will find within the divine outline of the Book of Revelation.  Revelation 1:19.
• Jesus said to John there in Revelation 1:19, “write the things which you have seen (Chapter 1), and the things which are (Chapters 2 and 3 or the “church age”), and the things which will take place after this (or meta tauta).”  Well, after what? 
• God makes it so clear for us, He doesn’t want us to miss this, and so He says look for meta tauta to know when the after will take place.  And to have an after, there must be a before and so after what?  After the things which are…Chapters 2 and 3…after the church age!  After the bride of Christ is complete and presented to Jesus in heaven!  Well how do we know that?  Again, God makes it so clear for us. 
• Revelation Chapter 4 begins with a landmark…meta tauta…and its so interesting, its so very clear…after what God?  After the church son…the word church in the Greek, ekklasea, is mentioned, used by Jesus 19 times in chapters 1-3 of Revelation…so what?  Big deal!  Well, just a minute.  How many times is it used in chapters 4-21?  Until all things are accomplished…the New Heaven and the New Earth…through the Tribulation period…all of chapters 6-19 of the Book of Revelation…how many times do we see the church mentioned?  ZERO.
• Why?  Where is the church?  Gone you see!  In heaven, as John saw a door standing open in heaven and a voice like a trumpet saying “Come up here” and immediately he is in the spirit, in heaven, in the very throne room of God…and when did that occur?  Meta tauta!
• So clear, so comforting…so awesome!  As we see the body of Christ, the church of Jesus, the bride of the Lord…is not appointed unto wrath as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in Chapter 5 of his first epistle to them…the church is withdrawn from the scene entirely prior to the Great Tribulation period!  But why?  How?  How is it that we as sinful men and women can escape the wrath of a holy and just God…who must judge sin lest He Himself be found to be not good…
• What do you mean by not good, Matt?  Well if a murderer or a thief or any criminal was on trial with unquestionable evidence…proof of his or her guilt…and that evidence was presented, the jury of peers render a unanimous verdict of guilty…yet the judge says, “you have been found guilty of murder, the evidence is sure…anywho you are free to go…” what would happen to that judge?  He or she would be removed!  That would be a “bad judge” you see.  Because justice was not served.
• And so how can you and I, sinful and guilty of the entire law, escape the punishment?  Escape the justice?  Right here in John 19.  Because of this first meta tauta. 
• You see the groom paid the price for the bride.  Our kinsman redeemer.  He has bought us, purchased our freedom from sin…its power and its penalty…with His blood.  As He was mocked, rejected, beaten, and bolted to the cross…He was accomplishing for you and for me…our rescue!
• Yes our rescue from the Great Tribulation, from God’s righteous and just punishment of sin…our rescue from an eternity of exile and excruciation…but also our rescue…your rescue, my rescue… from the present penalty!
• Man, sin bears great consequence even in this life!  The Bible says that sin brings forth death.  Death to your job, death to your family, death to your marriage, death to the innocence of your little ones…as mommy or daddy is stripped from them…man decay to your psyche as sin’s depressing effect deepens…There is rescue in the Lord…for now as well as forever…
• Why?  How?  Because all things have been accomplished it says here in John 19.  All things?  Yes…the answer to your burning need…where can you find love…a spring of hope…a supply of worth and purpose…that’s secure and where you will be readily accepted…welcomed…that’s been accomplished for you…His name is Jesus!
• And the word here for accomplished is so magnificent…its teleo in the Greek which literally means…”paid in full.”  The price of your redemption, the penalty for your sin, the sentence for your crime of imperfection and outright selfish rebellion…paid!  And therefore the Tribulation is not for you believer…the sadistic control and conquer of the enemy…is not for you Christian!  Hope is here, now…today…all because of this scene…this love…this Savior, Jesus! 
• He takes away the thirst of the lonely…the thirst of the hopeless…the thirst of just being lost…unable to find your way…and He takes it upon Himself as He calls out to the Father, “I know what sin does to them Dad…It’s horrible, it’s unimaginable…it’s thirst!”
• We do not serve a God that does not understand every bit of us, every bit of our pain, every bit of our earthly experience…He knows exactly where you’re at, exactly what you’re going through, and look He knows exactly how you feel right now!  How comforting is that!?
• The scriptures tell us that He grew tired, He hungered, He slept, He marveled, He wept, He prayed, He rejoiced, He groaned…and He thirsted.  He sees you now, His nail scarred hand…outstretched to you even now and not in a condescending or demanding way…but as a Father to the fatherless.  As a friend who sees and understands and is willing and able to rescue!

Chapter 19 Verse 29

• Now we know that Jesus’ utterance of “I thirst” was actually the fifth statement (5 of 7 statements) that He made upon the cross.  And this statement would have been immediately following the three hours of darkness which is described for us in Matthew’s gospel…as the Light turned from the Son…wow and we read in other Gospels how Jesus cried out, “Father, why have You forsaken Me?”  As His love, security and acceptance were stripped from Him so that mine would be eternally secure…
• And it says here in verse 29 that one of the soldiers there by the cross offered Jesus sour wine mixed with hyssop.  Sour wine is interesting because it was at the wedding of Cana where Jesus showed us that His wine is only the best…the sour wine of our hands…what we’ve done…our busted and sour sin…received by Jesus.
• And notice it was mixed with hyssop.  A soother of sorts…and how mysterious that it would be offered to Jesus now…upon the cross.  I submit to you that that is precisely what the world will offer to you as you fade away as a result of sin.  While you are condemned and doomed the world will offer you soothing relief. 
• Take this pill, smoke this weed…its legal, go ahead.  Dr. Phil will tell you to find someone that will appreciate you…don’t stick it out with your husband, don’t go the distance with your wife…why suffer?  Find a new job!  Somewhere that really recognizes you for your skills and experience.  Go to another church.  One that doesn’t condemn sin but makes you feel fuzzy.  Tell her what she does wrong since she’s telling you about your shortcomings…go ahead…it will be so soothing!  Relieve your frustrations…
• Relief?  Look that won’t relieve your frustrations…that will make you RELIVE them…perpetually!  What relief is this hyssop as sin ravages the life out of Jesus?  What soothing is there to the one who is on a collision course with death?  False relief!  Counterfeit, simulated soothing!  And Jesus would have none of that…look at the next verse…

Chapter 19 Verse 30

• So when Jesus had received sour wine.  Don’t miss this, I love this…John doesn’t say that Jesus received the hyssop does he?  He takes the sour wine…our sin…He receives our wretchedness but He refuses the counterfeit cure…
• And upon His receipt of our sin, our offense…the entire past, present and future history of man’s unrighteousness…He cries out “It is finished!”  Or “it is accomplished.”  What is accomplished?  God’s love man. 
• For God so loved you and so loved me and so loved mankind that He gave all that He ever had…His only Son…to accomplish our freedom and to restore to us life!
• And as Jesus gave up His spirit…it was not taken from Him, it was not crucified out of Him…He GAVE it to us…His righteousness, His spirit…freely given by Him who loves us desperately…as He gave of Himself, Matthew tells, Mark tells us, and Luke tells us that “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” 
• The veil that separated the people from the earthly throne of God Almighty…the veil that separated the place of the normal folks from the Holiest of Holies…ripped from top to bottom.  God removing His separation from us…as Jesus paid the price of our exile!

Chapter 19 Verses 31 – 34

• Medical experts tell us that the outpouring of blood and water indicates that Jesus died literally of a ruptured heart…a broken heart.  And what’s intriguing to me is that we just read that Jesus GAVE Himself…He GAVE up His Spirit there on the cross and so if indeed His physical diagnosis was a broken heart then indeed, the answer to my soul is…Jesus gave to me…His heart.
• How could I refuse mine from Him then, ya know? 
• He’s in the very business of changing hearts!  Did you know that?  He’ll take your heart of darkness, your heart of regret and loss and He will replace it with His own…isn’t that awesome!  A deal you can’t refuse!
• And I like too what Jon Courson says about this…he comments that blood and water are the substance of birth…for just as a bride was birthed from the side of the first Adam, so the church was birthed through the blood and water from the side of the last Adam.  Awesome.

Chapter 19 Verses 35 – 37

• And so John pleads with us and with all those that might read these words that they are absolutely the truth…not just the words but also the utterance of the Holy Spirit to your heart as you hear them.  That God loves you that much.  That Jesus alone has accomplished your freedom…and that you hold the heart of God even now in your hands as the Bible rests open in your laps. 
• He offers a few scriptures fulfilled in this scene…just a few of over 300 that were perfectly fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But he tells us here that he’s written this account so that you may believe…and the word there that he uses is pestyuo which literally means trust this, place your confidence in this…INVEST man!  This is not blind belief but intellectual faith homes…fact in the most eternal sense…
• And so if this is true, which it is…then it changes everything doesn’t it?  God on high, the Maker of the universe, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords…the One without beginning and without end…eternally Other and magnificently transcendent…has called you to be different.  To open your heart to His Holy Spirit and walk in the light…as He is in the light.
• To have power and purpose beyond this provisional and passing world…to be set free and alive now and forever in the glory of His grace!  
• That is what John is saying here…that’s why I’ve written this…he says…that you may believe…and true belief, when you really believe something…demands doing.  That is why James would say that “faith without works is dead” and John would later write “if you say you believe yet your life is unaffected, then in truth…you don’t” and indeed you are still in bondage…wrapped in chains as the puppet of provocation and impulse…serving loss and regret…

Chapter 19 Verses 38 – 42

• What an amazing thing.  Here Joseph of Arimathaea…a successful and prominent business man…puts his livelihood in jeopardy…and Nick, big and strong and respected Nicodemus (carrying 100lbs of spice!) places his religious standing and societal success on the far back burner simply to honor Jesus.
• Man I tell you, the way to motivate/move folks, persuade people to serve Jesus (and in doing so find absolute life, freedom, joy, love…salvation) is not to make them feel guilty, not to put pressure on them, not to try to sell something or manipulate their emotions…but simply to allow them, like Nicodemus and Joseph, to see what He did for them on the cross…
• Joseph takes the body, wraps it in linen, and places it in a stone tomb with myrrh and spices…just as another Joseph, 33 years earlier, had taken the same body, wrapped Him in swaddling linen cloth, placed Him in a stone manger and watched as He was presented with myrrh. 
• So there laid Jesus…but not for long…because death could not hold Him, the grave had no power over Him and the sacrifice unto God was found to be without blemish…and we’ll look at that in depth, next week.