FAMOUS LAST WORDS: IT IS FINISHED
Let’s stand together as we continue this morning with our sermon series, “Famous Last Words,” as we listen to the sixth of Jesus seven statements from the cross. Jesus sixth statement from the cross are among some of the most profound and important words that He ever spoke. Let’s read together these powerful words from John 19:30.
John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. NKJV
Father, we humbly ask in Jesus name that you give us the wisdom to hear these words and may what we hear today inspire us to live our lives for your kingdom and glory.
IT IS FINISHED!
Throughout history the world has issued it inspiring cries of victory and challenges.
But the greatest cry of victory and triumph that has ever been spoken came from a dying man on a cross, when Jesus Christ lifted up His head and with all the strength of His soul shouted out, “It is finished.”
It is finished. The power of those words are so great that they will continue to echo for all eternity, for they are not the words of defeat, but the words of great triumph.
Those three words are among the most profound words ever spoken, by the man who lived the most profound life that has ever been lived.
It is important for every believer in Christ to hear and understand the meaning of those three dynamic words when Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” Those three words, “it is finished” are filled with endless power and eternal authority. There is nothing in history that can compare to the eternal power and meaning of those words.
Those words, “It is finished,” hold great eternal meaning for every believer in Christ.
I believe the moment Jesus said, “It is finished,” those words echoed and exploded throughout the entire spiritual realm from one end to the other.
Those words were not just spoken for God the Father and for the angels of heaven. He spoke those words for us to hear and remember.
WHAT IT MEANS TO FINISH
We find from Matthew 27 and Mark 15 that moments before He died, Jesus lifted His head and with what little strength He had in Him, He shouted, with a loud cry “It is finished.” It is finished…
Why did He shout it out? Because He wanted the whole world to hear it. He wanted all
of heaven to hear it. He wanted all of hell to hear it. And He wanted every person of every generation to hear it.
Today, He wants you to hear these words in your soul, “It is finished.”
For the believer in Christ, the words” It is finished,” hold great eternal meaning.
To understand the greatness and power of these words you need to realize that these three English words, “It is finished,” come from the single Greek word, Tetelestai.
Tetelestai is an action word that comes from the Greek word “teleo,” and it is so rich in meaning that it is difficult to describe.
Tetelestai means, “It is finished, it stands finished, and it always will be finished!” It means the work is completely done, that everything is accomplished and completed and that what is done cannot be undone.” It means the accomplishment of great success in completing and finishing a task. That’s just one way to describe it.
The merchants also used this word in the market place to mean “That a debt is completely paid in full!”
All of that comes from this one single word that Jesus spoke from the cross. And both meanings of this word apply to the life of a believer.
I sincerely believe the meaning of this single Greek word as Jesus proclaimed it from
the cross is so rich in its eternal meaning that it impossible for us to fully comprehend it on this side of eternity. However, by God’s grace we can still dig out its truths and discover the gems of wisdom that come with it.
So how does the words, “It is finished,” fit in with our lives as believers in Christ. How can we apply what Jesus said to our lives? Jesus words, “It is finished” is so rich in meaning and truth, that there are at least six ways these words impact our lives and can be applied to our lives as believers. Obviously, I don’t have time for all six, so I want to give you two of them that I believe are vitally important for you right now.
FIRST, GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES INCLUDES YOU
There is a lot of things we could look at from this point, but to keep this simple, I want to point out two things that I hope will give you greater wisdom in living your life for Christ.
First, the word “it” tells us there is something here very important that has been completed and finished by Jesus.
The world does not understand what that “it” is or what “it” means.
The “it” involves God plan for the ages and that plan includes you and me.
The word ‘it” tells us that something very specific has been done and fully completed.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was speaking of the eternal purpose and task that God had set before Him to finish.
Jesus words, “It is finished” takes us all the way to before the world began when we read that Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was finishing what God had set into motion on that day in the garden when God said to the serpent (Satan), He (the Son of God) will bruise your head and you will bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15)
From the very beginning when man first sinned, it was God’s full intentions to redeem us so that we could have eternal life in His great and glorious kingdom.
It was and is God’s great desire for you to have eternal life in His kingdom and to make that happen, God set into motion a plan to save us from our sins and that plan required that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins.
What God began in eternity past came to complete fulfillment at the cross when Jesus said, “it is finished.”
Eternal life for all who would believe in His Name suddenly became a living reality the moment Jesus said, “It is finished.”
What does that mean? How does that work?
Romans 6:23 gives us a picture of what this means for us.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV
There are two pictures here and both of them are tied to Jesus words, “it is finished.”
First, there is the picture of eternal death that comes to us because of sin.
Romans 6 tells us that the wages of sin is death. However, Jesus changed all of that when He said, “it is finished.”
Remember, the word Tetelestai not only means that something is finished, but it also means the total and complete payment of a debt.
When Jesus said, “it is finished,” He was stating that at that precise moment that our debt for sin was now completely paid in full, because He became sin for us which is why the end of Romans 6:23 say that the great gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Eternal life in Jesus Christ is possible because He was able to say, “IT IS FINIHSED!”
That means the moment you truly repent and confess your sins to Christ, Jesus says to you, “it is finished” and all of your sins are forever forgiven.
Because He said, “it is finished,” I am now covered and clothed with the righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ.
Because “it is finished,” my sin was forever lifted up from me and placed on Jesus.
Because “it is finished,” I don’t have to experience the terrible wrath of God
Because “it is finished,” I have the promise of eternal life, in an eternal kingdom, that
will never end.
The moment Jesus shouted out, “It is finished,” heaven rejoiced and hell trembled with terror and fear.
The moment Jesus said, “It is finished,” Satan realized that he was forever defeated and that he had just helped to bring to pass the very thing he had been trying to stop. Not even Satan, God’s greatest enemy could prevent Jesus from saying, “it is finished.”
How important is it that Jesus said, “it is finished?” Consider this; if it is not finished,
then eternal life is impossible and all the promises of God are a lie and void.
But glory to God Jesus said, “it is finished!”
PAID IN FULL
Again, remember that the Greek word “Tetelestai” that Jesus spoke from the cross is translated into English as “It is finished,” but that does not give us the full picture of the great eternal meaning that comes from this word.
The word Tetelestai does means that something is totally finished, but it also means that something is completely paid in full.
I want you to hear this great truth in your heart and never forget it.
Jesus Christ died for all of your sins, and He paid in full, the complete and total price required by God for your salvation so that you could have eternal life.
Think about the immensity of what this means.
Jesus words, “It is finished,” literally means that all of your sins, your past sins, your present sins and all of your future sins, have been lifted off of you and placed on Jesus. Yes, I still have a sinful nature within me that I battle, and will continue to battle, but my sins, have all been placed on Jesus at the cross. The moment you choose to believe in Christ and to accept Jesus Christ as the substitute for your sins, you are immediately forgiven and given the great gift of eternal life.
The question is asked, what about my future sins?
Let’s look at it this way. How many of your sins were future sins when Jesus died on the cross and said, “it is finished?” Obviously, all of your sins were future sins. That means He paid in full for all of your future sins.
When Jesus cried out, “it is finished,” God immediately canceled every debt against us because of our sin. Jesus so fully paid off our debt of sin that no future payments are ever necessary.
Jesus paid in full every sin you have ever committed or ever will commit.
Whatever it is in your life that has filled you with pain and remorse and guilt, write out
next to it; PAID IN FULL.
Lying: Paid in Full
Stealing: Paid in Full
Abortion: Paid in Full
Adultery: Paid in Full
Selfishness: Paid in Full
Dishonoring God: Paid in Full
If I have overlooked something in your life, just write it down as PAID IN FULL.
That means all of your sins, past, present and future sins are totally and completely
forgiven because Jesus has paid in full the debt for your sins and He says, “it is finished.”
And with that comes an important truth that we must not miss.
Some have this idea that since Jesus has forgiven us of all our sins, including our future sins, that we are free to live as we please in our sin, but that is not true and that is not what the Bible teaches.
Your part in this involves two things that absolutely must be done in your life.
First, you must believe, that only in Jesus Christ, do you have salvation and eternal life.
And for that to become a reality in your life, you have to decide what you truly believe about Jesus Christ and His cross.
You have to decide what to do with Jesus Christ and His cross
You have to decide if Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation
What you do with Jesus Christ will determine the outcome of your eternal destiny.
Second, and I cannot stress this enough.
Once you became a believer in Jesus Christ, you must learn to live your life as a believer who believes in the transforming power of the cross of Jesus Christ.
We are to allow our lives to be transformed from living in sin to living holy and godly lives that bring glory and honor to the name of Jesus Christ.
The real proof that you are a believer and that you have been forgiven is how you allow the love of Jesus Christ to transform your life.
So first, know that God has an eternal plan and that plan includes you and for that plan to become a reality in your life, Jesus Christ first had to pay in full, the complete and total price for your sins, so that you could have eternal life.
Do you see that picture?
SECOND, AND IN CLOSING, YOUR GOD GIVEN PURPOSE
In closing, Jesus words, “It is finished” reveals that God has a purpose and plan for your life.
Every person here has a God given purpose in life.
If you are a nonbeliever, who has never fully trusted in Jesus Christ and surrendered your life to Him, God’s great plan and purpose for your life is for you to be saved.
Just this week I was asked why hasn’t Jesus Christ returned yet? What is He waiting for?
One of the great answers is found in 2 Peter 3:9.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV
God is waiting on you to choose Him.
So God’s first great purpose for every nonbeliever is for you to repent and for you to receive eternal life that comes from Jesus Christ.
God also has a great purpose for every believer.
I want you to hear this;
Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you could fulfill your God given purpose.
Jesus Christ said, “It is finished,” to make it possible for you to fulfill your God given purpose.
And at this point many of you would ask, what is God’s purpose in my life and how do I find it?
Every believer in Christ has a God given purpose and your number one job in life is to fulfill that purpose regardless of the cost.
There are three very simple things that I believe reveals to us God’s purpose for our lives.
If you would make every effort to do these three things, you will ultimately fulfill your God given purpose.
First, give yourself fully to Jesus Christ. That means you must believe in Him with all that you are, and that you believe He is the only way of salvation and that He is the Son of God and the eternal King of kings.
Second, if you really desire to fulfill God’s great purpose in your life, then you must seek to do all that you can to bring people into His kingdom.
Jesus Christ is all about His eternal kingdom, and He wants people in His kingdom.
There are many ways you can do this. If you can’t witness, then at least invest your tithes and offerings so that what you do give can be used to reach people for Christ.
Third and very importantly; if you want to fulfill your God given purpose, if you want to say with Jesus, “It is finished;” then you must make a commitment to live your life to be worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ.
The problem is that for the most part, the church in America is chasing the wrong purpose. Most Christians in America have bought into the idea that by fulfilling the American dream of riches, prosperity and comfort, they are fulfilling God’s purpose
when in truth, God’s purpose for our lives may involve suffering, trials, scorn, ridicule and even our deaths.
So, how do we find and live out our God given purpose?
Paul gives us a great answer to that question in 2 Timothy 4.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. NKJV
In verse 7, Paul gives us the answer as to how you can fulfill your God given purpose.
First, he says you must fight the good fight which means, disciplining your life to Christ.
To fight the good fight means you are determine to follow Christ and to live your life to honor Christ.
Paul faced numerous struggles and challenges and He refused to let any of those things keep Him from seeking and doing His God given purpose.
Second, Paul says you must keep the faith.
To keep the faith is to believe that even in the worst of times, God is still working and moving in your life to fulfill His purpose even when you can’t see it.
Third, Paul said he finished the race.
Just as Jesus finished His race and Paul finished his, even so, we must finish ours.
All of us are in a race called life and the number one goal of our lives in this race is to discover God’s purpose and then to do it with all of our might and with all of our understanding.
That’s exactly what it took for Jesus to say, “It is finished.”
So in closing, I ask you, how do you want to be remembered in eternity?
What legacy for the kingdom of God do you want to leave for eternity?
Do you want to make your life count for eternity? Then finish the race
Do you want to fulfill God’s purpose in your life? Then finish the race
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He made is possible for us to finish our race and to finish strong for Christ’s kingdom and glory.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He made it possible…
For you to have eternal salvation
For you to live victorious as a believer
For you to finish your race, and to finish strong for God’s glory and honor
To finish God’s purpose in your life will not happen by accident. You have to decide that is what you want and then work to make it happen.
I am convinced from God’s word that although there are times when God leads us down a path for a specific purpose, His most important purpose for our lives is that we choose to believe in Him, love Him and live our lives daily to honor Him in whatever way we can.
Out there somewhere is a finish line waiting for you. None of us know when we will reach our finish line. All I know there is a finish line out there somewhere. And between now and that finish line I want to live my life fully for Christ. And because He has said, ‘It is finished” I want to finish the race He has set before me. Today is your day to run the race and to finish what Jesus Christ has started in you.
