Jesus Really Died

Today's scripture reading is John 19 verses 31 through 37. Since it was the day of preparation and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for the Sabbath was a high day, the Jews asked Pilates that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with his spear and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it was born witness. His testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth that you may also believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled. Now one of his bones will be broken and again another scripture says they will look on him whom they have pierced. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and the hearing of his work. Well, if you've been to the movies recently or at least pre-COVID, we can call that recently, then you might have witness that's growing phenomena. And once the movie is over and the lights in the theater are lifted, people are remaining seated. Now it used to be that once the last scene of the movie was shown and the lights came on and the credits started to roll, that there was this mass dash for the exits. But now fewer people are moving from their seats. Why is this? Well, it isn't because people actually read in the long list of credits these days. And no, it isn't because the theme music is so appealing in movies these days that you don't want to miss a note. No. The reason people are sitting through those long, boring lists of credits is because of what is known as the post-credit scene. The post-credit scene. What has happened nowadays is that many movies have added a scene to their storyline that comes just after the credits have concluded. And because people have heard that there's going to be this extra scene after the credits, then they are willing to sit through these credits, remain seated until all the credits are concluded. And it keeps people seated because of the anticipation of what might happen in this little teaser of a few seconds after the credits. Now, actually, this type of thing actually began in the late 60s, but however, it has been popularized by Pixar, Disney, and many of their animated movies, but it had been especially super popular with Marvel movies. Look, it passed a field. He's already distracted. How many of us have sat through the credits of an Avengers movie? We won't show up here. Waiting for the teaser of what might be next. Post-credit scenes are popular, and they often add to the conversations and the buzz that surround movies these days. But they are not new, beloved. In fact, I want to suggest to you this morning, as we look at our text, I am inclined to suggest that what we have is something similar. It is not a post-credit scene, but what we have is a post-crucifixion scene, a post-crucifixion scene. It's about to show us last week Jesus died on the cross. Can I get a minute? Jesus died on the cross, and this is what verse 30 tells us, right? And verse 30 reminds us of the finality of Christ's death on the cross. In verse 30, a chapter 19, it says, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, to tell us, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. He died. Verse 30, Jesus died. He died because he had completed his mission of submission. He had completed his mission of obedience to the Father. And his mission of submission and obedience had led him to Golgotha, had led him to Calvary, had led him to the rugged cross. And as Philippians chapter 2, and verse 8 reminds us that he being found in human form, he humbled himself by doing what? Becoming obedient to the point of death. He had fulfilled his mission of obedience to the point of death, even death on a cross. Christ died on the cross. Christ died on the cross. And yet, like the Marvel movies, the crucifixion was over, but it had not ended. Jesus died. He's dead, beloved. In verse 30, he died. And yet, it had not ended. And you may ask, what more? Jesus was sent to die on the cross. And he died. What more? What more could be added? Jesus himself had just said it is finished. It is finished. It had to be finished. And if you had been there, beloved, you would have to sign as he took his last breath. You would have been frozen in place as he spoke his final words. You would have wet as he bowed his head and surrendered his life. You would have felt the finality of it all. What more was there to do? What else could be said? When Jesus said, it is finished. And beloved, I want to suggest to you this morning that even as Jesus said, it was finished. And the credits were rolling. There were still points to be made. What more? There were still promises to be kept. Jesus had died. And yet, the promises and the providences and the purposes of God were still alive. They are always alive. His promises, his providences, his purposes ever stand. And they are ever being fulfilled. This beloved has always been and continues to be the bane of Satan's existence. You do realize that when Jesus had died on the cross, it was a dark day. And this has always been Satan's emote to bring God's people to the darkest of days, to begin the discount God's promises, to begin to sway people from God's purposes to somehow interrupt God's providences. Yet, no matter what He does, or how much He believes He accomplishes in this world, the promises and the purposes and the providence of God always stand, always stand. And every time Satan believes He has had the upper hand,

God's purposes, promises, and plans of stood. And God's people have seen some dark days beloved. Dark, dark days. When Satan, the God Adam and Eve, they fell in the sand, those dark, dark days. When Cain killed Abel, those were dark, dark days.

When Joseph was sent into Egypt, those were dark, dark, day beloved. The 400 years that Israel was enslaved in Egypt were dark, dark days. There were dark days in the days of Esther. There were dark days in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. David and Solomon experienced dark, dark, dark days beloved, but through them all, through them all, God's plan and purposes and promises always prevail. Always prevail. And this is the same when it comes to Calvary. Do you know that on Calvary that day, it was the darkest of all and no doubt Satan had, like he had did in the garden, like he had did with Joseph, like he had tried to do with Esther, have thought that he had prevailed. Jesus was dead, but beloved God still had promises to keep. God still had purposes to be realized. God promise would still stand. And this is what makes the post crucifixion so powerful and so important.

If you look at the text, verse 31, as this scene opens up, the deed is done. The Jewish authorities had gotten what they wanted. They wanted Jesus crucified, but then they realized that they didn't just want Jesus crucified. They wanted him dead and gone. They wanted him out of sight. And he had to be get out of sight because the Sabbath was nine. The Sabbath was nine and they could not have dead bodies hanging around on the Sabbath. But this was a problem because since Jesus had been crucified so close to the Sabbath and crucifixion took such a long time, the potential was that Jesus and these other two would still be hanging on the cross on the Sabbath day. They couldn't have that, they couldn't have that. They needed Jesus gone, crucifixion could take days and they didn't have days. So what did they do? The Bible said that they went to Pilate and they urged Pilate to speed up the proceedings. In the way that Pilate would speed up the proceedings, the Bible says is that Pilate sent soldiers and these soldiers would break the legs of these men who had been crucified and thus feeding along their death. Their death, but instead of inflicting more pain on Jesus,

what they found was the providence and the promises of God.

They found that Jesus was already dead. Now beloved, you need to meditate on this for a moment. They had planned to kill Jesus. The providence and plan of God is that Jesus was already dead. They wanted to finish Jesus, but Jesus had already said it is finished because beloved, it is the plan and the purposes and the providences of God that's dead. The crucifixion was over, it was over and there was nothing else. Pilate or the Jewish authorities could do and yet the Bible still is making a point. Still making a point and it's an important point and it is this that Jesus was dead. Now beloved, I mean Jesus was really dead. He was really dead. They broke the legs of the first two men and then in verse 33, the Bible says, but when they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead.

They did not break his legs because Jesus was already dead. Now, I keep saying that because when you leave here today,

I want to ring in in your mind that Jesus died. I mean he really died because beloved, this is so important because by the time that John had written this gospel, there were already rumors and conspiracies about what happened on the cross and whether or not Jesus had really died. And many theories didn't just stay in first and second century Palestine, but beloved, many of them are still believed to death. Now those who still believe in what is known as the swoon theory that Jesus didn't die on the cross, but he swooned or he fainted or he looked dead or perhaps was unconscious, but when they took him down, he was not actually dead and he woke up a day or two later.

There's some that have suggested and still do that the crucifixion was actually a myth, some moral stories like the Greek or Roman God and goddesses. Even Muslims, Muslims today, according to the Quran and fit, that Jesus was not crucified, suggesting that it only looked like he was crucified, but he actually was not and that God rescued him at the last moment. Some believe that God took him to heaven, some believe that he went and lived in India, lived out the rest of his days. Do you know what the Bible wants to assure you of this morning? The Bible wants to assure us this morning that Jesus really died. This is important, beloved, this is important because the gospel depends on it. This is important because our faith is founded upon the death, the real death of Jesus. It is the foundation of the gospel. That's what the Apostle Paul says in the first Corinthians, chapter 15, beginning in verse two and verse three, by this gospel you are saved. If you hold firmly to the word I preach to you, otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I receive, I pass on to you as what? First importance that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures. This is the first and major tenet of our faith. Christ died for our sins. He really died. And beloved, if there is no death, there is no resurrection. And if there is no resurrection, there is no hope. And there is no hope, there is no salvation. So John wanted to assure the church then and he wants to assure us now. Even this morning that Jesus really died. He died, didn't he die? Yes, he died. That's the point. Jesus really died. And John said, I'll prove it to you. I brought along some witnesses. The soldiers will testify that he died. Myself will testify that he died. But more importantly, beloved, the water and the blood will testify that he died. He died. And the soldiers gave witness. They broke the legs of the other two. Why did they break the leg of the other two? Because they were still alive. But when they came to Jesus, he was already dead. Can I get a witness? And to prove it. And to prove it, the Bible says in verse 34, that one of the soldiers took a spear and pierced him in the side. And the crucifixion was over. But it hadn't ended. This was an amazing post crucifixion scene, beloved, most amazing. And for those there, it was most unforgettable. And for us, it remains most wonderful. When it comes to the crucifixion of Jesus, beloved, there are few images that capture our imagination, like Jesus being pierced in the side, pierced in the side. Why stick the Lord with the spear? Did he expect the Lord to flinch? Was he looking for our Lord to win in pain? Beloved, our Lord didn't flinch. Our Lord didn't win. Because our Lord was dead, dead. And even though he was already dead, the spear testified to the plan and the promises of God. The soldiers didn't know exactly what they were witnessing, beloved. But the Bible did. But the Bible did. For in Zachariah, chapter 12 and verse 10, Jesus had promised. Jesus had prophesied that they would look on me the one whom they have pierced. There were promises to be kept. There were purposes to be fulfilled. And they looked, they looked, beloved. And I can't help but think that those soldiers got a good look at Jesus. His hands, his feet, his head, but now he's died. They got a good look at Jesus and ask the soldiers what they saw. But don't just ask the soldiers. Ask John, for John had hung around for the post crucifixion scene. He had hung around. All of the other disciples decided it was time to split. The credits were rolling and the lights of good come up. And the other disciples said, we are out of here. But John hung around for the post crucifixion scene. And you can ask John what did you see? And John would say it wasn't just me. But we saw the blood come streaming down. We saw it. The old Negro spiritual asked the question, were you there when they crucified? Were you there when they pierced him in the side? And John would say, I was there. I was there and I know he was dead and yet the blood came streaming down. I was there and I know he was dead and yet the waters continue to flow. And that blood and that water gave witness to the blood. That blood and that water gave witness. When they pierced Jesus, there came another witness. Out of Jesus flowed the water and the blood. Out of Jesus flowed the water and the blood. Now throughout the ages, the lovers, many have looked at this and tried to explain the physiological and biological experience of the piercing, why the water and the blood did the spear pierce the heart? Did it pierce the pericardium and thus release a watery substance along with the blood? And thereby did Jesus die of a fixation or did he die of exhaustion or perhaps he died of a heart attack? I'm gonna tell you this morning beloved that the Bible is not concerned with an autopsy. John doesn't bear witness to the medical record. What John bears witness to is the fact that he saw water and he saw blood. And they both, and they both, and they both came streaming down. And his witness is this, that on Calvary there was a fountain. And at Calvary there was a flood, there was water and there was blood. And the blood took away our sin and the water assures us of eternal life. That's what the Bible says. 1 John, chapter 5, verse 6. And this is the one who came by water and blood. Jesus Christ, He didn't come just by water. But He came by water and the blood. Why? Because at Calvary there is a fountain that is filled with blood that is drawn from Emmanuel's vein where sinners plunge beneath its flood, lose all their guilty state. There was a fountain blood. Those soldiers opened up the fountain and the blood came streaming down. But there was not just a fountain. There was also a river. There is a river blood. That flows from Calvary with water that springs up unto eternal life. And that river flows from Iraq. That river flows from Iraq. When the children of Israel was in the wilderness and they could not find any water to drink, they were parts because they were thirsty and they were near death. And God chose Moses to find Iraq, a rock in the wilderness. And the Bible says in Psalm 78 and verse 20 that Moses struck the rock so that water gusts out and streams over flow. Beloved out of that rock, water's gusts was able to drink. At Calvary those soldiers struck a rock in Christ this morning to Calvary to drink. For the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 4 that we all drink from the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and that rock is Christ. Jesus is a rock. Jesus is a rock. He was a rock in the wilderness. He was a rock on Calvary. Jesus is a rock. He was a rock in life. He was a rock in death. Jesus was a rock in. He is a rock now. For the Bible says in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 2, there is no one holy like the Lord. There is no rock like our God. Jesus is a rock, beloved. Jesus is a rock in a weary land, shelter in the time of stone. That's why we call him the rock of ages. And we say be a cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from your wounded side which flowed. Be for us a double cure. Clear me from his guilt and power. Why? Because at Calvary Jesus was... So the Bible says, Psalm 18 verse 31, for who is God besides the Lord? Who is the rock except our God? Beloved, whatever those soldiers witness at Calvary, they looked upon the rock and out of that rock, water flowed and this morning, beloved, Jesus is still that rock. He is the rock out of which flows the waters of eternal life. He is that rock upon which you and I build our lives and our faith this morning. That's why we ask the question, where do you go? When there's no one else to turn to, who do you talk to? When there's no one who wants to listen, who do you lean on? When there's no foundation stable, I go to the rock and I know he's able. I go to the rock, don't you glad this morning, that John stuck around for the post crucifixion scene, so that he could bear witness for us this morning. Jesus really died. But not only so that he could bear witness for us this morning, that Jesus really died, but so that he could bear witness that there was another witness, that there was blood and there was water. Streaming down, fountain, and a flood, come to the fountain that you will have a double cure. Your sin will be forgiven and you shall have eternal life. Oh, beloved, I pray. There's no one here that's more who is not building their life on the solid rock of Jesus. The Lord died. Yes, he died. He died for us this. And all those who trust in Him, have Him as their solid rock. Let's pray.