1)      What if someone asked us to tell them where to find the shortest verse in the Bible.

2)      Could we do it?

3)      Many would say Jn. 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible.

4)      You may remember there are two words in this passage:  Jesus wept.

5)      In our English translations, this is the shortest verse in the Bible—two words and 9 total letters.

6)      The Bible was not written in English; it was written in Greek.

7)      In the Greek New Testament the shortest verse is 1 Thess. 5:16.

a)      In Jn. 11:35 Jesus wept actually comes from three separate words.

b)      In 1 Thess. 5:16 there are only two words in the original text.

c)      1 Thess. 5:17 also only has two Greek words, but the two words in verse 17 have more letters.

 

8)      When the Bible was first written, 1 Thess. 5:16 was the shortest verse.

9)      It is here that Paul said, “rejoice always.”

10)  Most realize that in translation work a translation will not produce an exact match on the # of words.

a)      If we translate a 10 word English sentence to Spanish, we might need 5 words or 15 words.

b)      This information is related to a point I want to make from Jn. 19:28-30.

 

11)  Jesus was looking at “the disciple” (verse 27) and said “behold thy mother.”

12)  Most believe Jesus was looking at John and asking him to care for Mary.

13)  In verse 28 we are told Jesus “knew all things had been finished.”

14)  The time had come for the “scripture to be accomplished.”

15)  Here is one of those statements in the Bible that needs to be underlined and starred.

16)  Jesus knew the time had come to the “scripture to be accomplished.”

17)  What “scripture” did Jesus have in mind?  He had in mind Old Testament prophecies.

a)      Jesus knew He was the subject of predictive prophecy.

b)      On the cross He realized that His sacrifice was doing what had been predicted years in advance.

c)      Jesus knew full well He was the one of whom men had written.

d)      In spite of the agony He went through, what a joy must have been in His heart to know what was taking place.      

18)  Fulfillment of prophecy is also spoken of in verse 30 – READ

a)      “It is finished” expressed a complete thought.

b)      He knew that all the predictions up to that point had been accomplished.  He had not failed.

c)      In the language of the New Testament, it is finished comes from just one term.

 

19)  We sometimes hear “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

20)  Here we have one word expressing a thousand pictures.

21)  Jesus said, it’s done.  What did the Lord mean by this statement?

 

22)  We hear the answer this morning.

23)  Man has a problem with something called “sin” (Isa. 59:2).

a)      God’s prophet said “iniquities” have separated man from God.

b)      Sin causes God to “hide His face” from man.

c)      This verse goes on to say, “God will not hear” man because of sin.

 

24)  Man is cut off from God from God because of sin and there used to be no spiritual hope.

25)  Something had to be done.

26)  Man needed as it were a spiritual hospital and God has provided that.

27)  One of the things that we find in hospitals is blood.

28)  A person may need a transfusion.  Blood may need to be cleaned.

29)  For many, blood is literally the gift of life.

30)  In the Old Testament we are told that life is in the blood, Lev. 17:11.

31)  Animals were sacrificed and that blood was used as a payment on sin.

32)  Tens of thousands and maybe millions of lambs were offered in an attempt to deal with sin.

33)  All that blood was never enough.  Every year more and more animals had to be killed.

34)  If man could have gotten together every drop of animal blood, it would not have been enough.

35)  If there could have been factories that produced blood, it would not have been enough.

36)  The gap between man and God was so great only one sacrifice could do all that needed done.

37)  Thus Jesus showed up at the right time and the apostle John said this in Jn. 1:29:

a)      “Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

b)      Jesus was the ultimate lamb.  He became man’s full and final cure for sin.

c)      Did John understand all he was saying when he first made this statement?

d)     We do not know for sure, but he probably did not initially understand all that this statement meant.

 

38)  John and other did come to fully realize the value of Jesus and His sacrifice.

39)  In Heb. 10:10 we are told that people can be “sanctified.”

40)  It is possible to be in the presence of God and be on good terms with deity.

41)  This is certainly a big switch from Isa. 59:2.

a)      700 years before Christ God says His face was hidden.  It was like He was deaf to man’s pleas.

b)      7 centuries God looks at the world again and says, “you are now sanctified.”

c)      What could have caused such a radical change?  It was the blood of Christ.

d)     Prophecy said this time would come.

e)      This prediction was so marvelous some must have shook their heads and said, “How can this be.”

f)       Jesus made it all possible.  Listen to Heb. 10:10 – READ

g)      We were “sinners” (Rom. 5:8), but “Christ died for us.”

h)      Jesus’ death had to occur only one time and it is a sacrifice that will last until the end of time.

 

42)  We could not be redeemed with “corruptible things like money (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

43)  We cannot sign over an IRA, the house, boat, car, and other things to pay for God.

44)  Man does not have within himself the right tools to pay for sin.

45)  Peter said in 1 Pet. 1:19 we have been justified by the “precious blood” of Jesus.

46)  The lamb of prophecy saves man from the wrath of God.

a)      Thus, Peter said it is by His “stripes” we are “healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).

b)      Health and wealth preachers really like 1 Pet. 2:24.

c)      They use it to describe various problems in life.

d)     They say it means God wants to heal man of arthritis, aids, diabetes, cancer.

e)      Through Jesus’ stripes man is cured by bad economic conditions.

 

47)  Jesus did not die on the cross to pay off someone’s credit card bill.

48)  He did not shed His blood to give someone a second car or a bigger house.

49)  Jesus did not come from heaven and die a deplorable death to give man lavish vacations.

50)  If there is preaching that can be called blasphemy, the health and wealth doctrine qualifies on all counts.

a)      Peter said there are those who twist the scriptures; Paul said there are those who use the gospel for gain.

b)      Prosperity preaching (“Your best life now”) makes a mockery out of the cross.

c)      Peter had in mind healing from sin; that is man’s real problem.

d)     Jesus said, “what shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul”?

e)      The problem is not in having a second car or a second house, it is sin.

 

51)  Old Testament prophecies did not predict Jesus would come and be a financial advisor.

52)  It was not heaven’s plan to make everyone a millionaire.  

53)  It was to provide a sacrifice to redeem man from every single transgression.

54)  God even hinted at this in one of the Jewish feasts.

 

55)  The people of Israel had a “Passover” (Ex. 12).  Blood was applied to doorposts.

56)  Those who used the blood had protection; those who did not were unprotected and they saw death.

57)  A similar thing is true with Christianity.  There is a need for protection (deliverance from sin).

58)  In 1 Cor. 5:7 Paul said Christ is our Passover.

59)  The benefits of His blood will keep us from facing the wrath of God.

60)  The Old Testament Passover experienced by the Jews looked forward to Jesus.

a)      For the Jews, the Old Testament Passover had some limitations.

b)      It was associated with the Jews’ physical deliverance from Egypt.

c)      Jesus delivers us from an eternal home with Satan.

d)     Rather than just save Jews, He is capable and ready to save all people.

e)      Isaiah had a lot to say about this in Isa. 53.  He said:

 

61)  It “pleased heaven to bruise Jesus” (Isa. 53:10-11) because that meant we could be saved.

62)  Jesus knew full well what the Old Testament prophecies said about Him.

63)  He came to earth knew He would have to die.

a)      It was not going to be enough to come to earth as a man.

b)      He could not come, live to adulthood, teach, heal and then go back to heaven.

c)      It was not enough to do all these things and also face bitter rejection.

d)     Jesus had to face all these items and then endure something even worse:  death on a cross.

e)      Prophecy said Jesus would do this willingly, Ps. 40:6-8.

f)       Jesus would come and do heaven’s will no matter how bitter that road.

g)      It is therefore no wonder that some of our songs read the way they do.

h)      “My Jesus, I love thee.”  “I will sing of my redeemer.”  “How gracious thou art.”

 

64)  Animals sacrificed under the Old Testament system did not want die.

65)  It is said of Jesus (Heb. 10:5-10), “I am come to do thy will.”

66)  “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (Jn. 4:34).

67)  This same verse uses the word “finish” (KJV).

68)  Jesus came to “redeem” the world from “all sin” (Tit. 2:14).

69)  He came to “purify a people who would be zealous of good works” (same verse).

70)  This has been God’s plan since the world was created and Jesus carried it out.

a)      A lot of times people are interested in the latest news.

b)      What is new, really important, special?

c)      The sacrifice of Christ is the greatest story ever told.

d)     If it had been done without prophecy, it would have been great.

e)      It was done with prophecy, and those predictions were hundreds of years in advance.

f)       Jesus is the lamb—the perfect substitute—and He died for every single person.

g)      Are we one of His people?  Are we living as one of His people every single day?

h)      That is an important question to ask anytime, but especially as we enter into a new year.