Jesus' Final Words: He Has Done It

Devotional

Day 1: Behind Locked Doors

The disciples huddled behind locked doors, breath shallow, ears straining for Roman footsteps. Their Messiah’s body lay cold in a tomb. Then Jesus stood among them—alive—showing nail-scarred hands. “Peace,” He said. Terror melted into stunned joy. [10:24]

Jesus didn’t scold their fear or doubt. He revealed His wounds—proof death had lost. His presence transformed cowering men into witnesses. The resurrection wasn’t a metaphor; it was flesh and bone breathing hope into their despair.

You lock doors too—against failure, grief, or shame. Jesus enters anyway. His scars declare your worst moment isn’t final. What locked room have you sealed off from His peace?

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”
(John 20:19-20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal His presence in your most guarded space.
Challenge: Unlock one literal door today (a closet, journal, or conversation) as a physical act of trust.

Day 2: Witnesses Without Exit Strategies

Peter denied Jesus. Thomas doubted. All fled the cross. Yet these men later faced torture, refusing to recant. James met the sword. Andrew hung on an X-shaped cross. They died proclaiming, “He’s alive.” [13:14]

Their courage wasn’t grit—it was grounded in a resurrected Savior they’d touched. No one dies for a lie. These witnesses traded fear for unshakable conviction, proving Jesus’ victory over death was worth any cost.

You’ll face moments to hide or speak. The disciples’ legacy asks: Does your faith fuel compromise or courage? When did you last risk something tangible for Christ’s reality?

“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.”
(1 Peter 3:14-15a, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one fear that silences your witness.
Challenge: Text a friend: “I believe Jesus rose—here’s why.”

Day 3: The Lyric He Left Unfinished

Darkness swallowed Calvary. Jesus gasped, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” The crowd missed the reference, but devout Jews recognized Psalm 22’s opening line—a hymn ending in triumph. [16:19]

Jesus wasn’t despairing; He was directing. Like quoting a song’s first verse to trigger memory of its end, He pointed to Psalm 22’s conclusion: “He has done it!” The cross wasn’t abandonment—it was the climax of God’s plan.

When your pain feels like the final verse, remember Jesus’ “why” led to victory. What brokenness have you mistaken for God’s absence?

“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. […] He has done it!”
(Psalm 22:18, 31b, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for carrying your deepest “why” to the cross.
Challenge: Read Psalm 22 aloud—circle every promise fulfilled at Easter.

Day 4: Pierced Hands, Gambled Clothes

David’s Psalm 22 predated crucifixion by 800 years. Yet it described Roman execution: pierced limbs, divided garments. Jesus’ death wasn’t random—it fulfilled ancient prophecy down to soldiers gambling for His tunic. [25:47]

Every detail confirmed Jesus as the Messiah. The cross wasn’t Plan B; it was the meticulous unfolding of God’s rescue mission. What man meant for shame, God wielded for salvation.

Your life has hidden patterns of grace too. Where have you dismissed “coincidences” that whisper God’s faithfulness?

“They pierced my hands and my feet. […] They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”
(Psalm 22:16b, 18, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one situation where you’ve doubted God’s sovereignty.
Challenge: Write three “coincidences” that point to God’s hand in your story.

Day 5: Declaring “Done” in the Storm

After quoting Psalm 22’s anguish, Jesus died whispering its climax: “It is finished.” The disciples thought hope died too—until Sunday proved His “done” meant victory. Their grief became unshakable joy. [32:01]

Resurrection reshapes every crisis. Financial stress, addiction, grief—they’re real, but not final. Jesus walks through storms, not around them, whispering, “I’ve already won this.”

What trial feels endless? How might Jesus’ “It is finished” reframe your battle?

“He has done it! […] Future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!”
(Psalm 22:31, 34, NIV)

Prayer: Name one “unfinished” struggle—ask Jesus to show His victory in it.
Challenge: Share a resurrection hope with someone in your storm.

Sermon Summary

Words take center stage as the text leans into the weight of last words. Final words always tell what matters most, and Jesus’ last breath does the same. John 20 shows the disciples locked in fear, because when Jesus died the movement looked dead too. Then Jesus stands in the room and says, Peace be with you. Fearful followers become eyewitnesses. Eyewitnesses become martyrs. Nobody dies for a lie, yet these friends laid down their lives to say not just that Jesus taught well or did wonders, but that he rose.

Mark 15 records Jesus crying, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That line is not panic or doubt. It is a cue. Like finish the lyric, Jesus gives the first line and invites the hearers to run the track. Psalm 22 begins there, and every Jew in earshot knew the rest. The psalmist’s script reads like the crucifixion: insults with heads shaking, pierced hands and feet, garments divided by lots. David penned it eight hundred years before Roman crucifixion existed. Jesus puts that psalm in the air, and the whole scene lights up as long-promised prophecy fulfilled.

Psalm 22 does more than predict pain. It swings from anguish to confidence: you have listened, all the ends of the earth will turn, future generations will be told, he has done it. In Jesus’ mouth, that refrain lands like a verdict. He has done it. The line answers the question, How can anyone be sure? The answer does not rest on because the Bible says so as a slogan, but on a living movement of witnesses who saw the risen Lord, staked everything on it, and told the story at the cost of their own blood.

That recognition changes everything. If he has done it, then the risen Jesus leads through storms instead of around them, straight through the middle of the mess. He goes before to straighten crooked paths, and he lives within to bring a durable peace, not a quick fix. In the end, the crucified and risen Lord gathers the shaken, lifts them to their feet, and speaks love over them. The resurrection is not a footnote. It is the verdict that reframes suffering, secures hope, and names Jesus as the promised Messiah who really did rise.

Key Takeaways

1. Last words reveal deepest priorities. Final words pull back the curtain on what sits at the center of a life. Jesus’ cry is not confusion, it is a deliberate trigger of Psalm 22 to show the cross sits inside God’s long story. His last breath names both the pain foretold and the victory secured. [15:50]
2. Resurrection transformed terrified disciples. Hiding behind locked doors, they had nothing left to sell and no stomach for risk. Seeing the risen Jesus turned fear into witness and comfort into costly obedience. Their courage is not psychology, it is sight. They saw him alive and would rather die than deny it. [12:46]
3. Psalm 22 frames the crucifixion. Mockery, pierced hands and feet, and soldiers gambling for clothes are not random details, they are receipts from an ancient promise. David’s psalm maps onto Golgotha with uncanny precision, revealing that Jesus died inside a script God had already set. Fulfillment is the point, not coincidence. [26:59]
4. Faith stands on eyewitness courage. This story does not lean on a slogan but on a community that staked their lives on resurrection. People do not suffer torture to protect metaphors. Their testimony anchors assurance in history, not just in sentiment. [08:23]
5. The risen Jesus meets us within. He does not detour around the wreckage, he leads straight through it and does not leave in the middle. Resurrection hope steadies a person when walls feel too high and nights too long. Presence, not platitude, is the gift. [33:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:42] - First-time stories and belonging
[04:00] - Words matter and last words
[06:29] - Can faith be sure?
[07:57] - Not just “Bible says so”
[08:23] - A movement willing to die
[10:07] - Locked doors and fear
[11:19] - Jesus appears with peace
[12:46] - From fear to martyrdom
[15:50] - “My God, why forsaken me?”
[17:49] - Finish-the-lyric insight
[19:40] - Psalm 22 in Jesus’ mouth
[23:55] - Mocked, pierced, lots cast
[27:15] - Prophecy fulfilled, Messiah affirmed
[33:14] - Resurrection changes everything

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- John 20:19-20 (ESV): "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord."
- Mark 15:33-34 (ESV): "And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"
- Psalm 22:1, 16-18 (ESV): "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ... For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

Observation Questions

In John 20:19, why were the disciples hiding behind locked doors, and how did Jesus respond to their fear? ([10:07])
What specific details in Psalm 22 (written 800 years before Jesus) align with the events of Jesus’ crucifixion described in the Gospels?
How does the tone of Psalm 22 shift from its beginning to its end, and why might Jesus have quoted its opening line on the cross? ([20:12])

Interpretation Questions

The disciples went from hiding in fear to becoming bold martyrs. What does this radical change suggest about the impact of encountering the risen Jesus? ([12:46])
Why would Jesus quote Psalm 22:1 (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) in his final moments? How might Jewish listeners familiar with the psalm have understood this reference?
Psalm 22 ends with “He has done it” (v. 31). How does this phrase connect to Jesus’ final words in John 19:30 (“It is finished”)?

Application Questions

When facing a situation that feels hopeless or terrifying, how might the truth of Jesus’ resurrection reframe your perspective? What practical step could you take to lean into that hope this week? ([33:37])
The disciples’ courage came from seeing Jesus alive. What habits or practices could help you deepen your confidence in the reality of the resurrection when doubts arise?
Jesus’ suffering was part of a “script God had already set” (Psalm 22). How does this truth comfort or challenge you in seasons where life feels chaotic or unfair?
The early Christians staked their lives on testifying about Jesus. What would it look like for you to live with that same boldness in your relationships or workplace? ([08:23])
How can the truth that Jesus “leads through storms instead of around them” shape the way you pray or make decisions in a current struggle? ([33:14])

Sermon Clips

36s

“There is nothing you can do to convince me to die for a lie. Go to a public school and see how fast these kids turn on one another. No. No. No. It was him. It wasn't me. Don't punish me. Don't suspend me. I didn't do it. These kids would not die for a lie. They will not go down with the ship. And I don't know about you, I will not die for a lie. But somehow, someway, these disciples decided to burn the ships, to storm the beach, to say, I will die for this truth.”

40s

“Because our faith is not built on because the bible told me so. Where are you going with this, preacher man? Right? Let me caution us. We believe the bible is a big deal. We believe in the inerrancy of God of the word of God, meaning it is without error. We believe it is divinely inspired. We believe that it is inspired word of God that helps teach us right from wrong, that helps train us in righteousness. We believe the Bible is a big deal. But our faith in Jesus coming back to life is not simply built on because the Bible told us so.”

32s

“The moment that Jesus died, there was no one going door to door evangelizing saying, you've gotta follow my savior, my messiah, my lord. He just died. But like he was the guy. The day that Jesus died, the Christian movement died with it. And these disciples were so afraid for their own life that they found themselves locking the doors, hiding away from Jewish leaders because they were afraid that simply being associated with Jesus would lead them to die as well.”

35s

“Here's why that's so significant. Because many of these early eyewitness accounts, many of these disciples risked their life and were ultimately killed because they were preaching that truth. In case you haven't heard, Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was crucified on an x shaped cross. They both refused to be killed in the same way that their savior, their messiah was, but they were killed because they were preaching that Jesus not only was a prophet but he was the Lord.”

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