FAITHFUL TILL THE END
"IT IS FINISHED"
(JOHN 19:30)
INTRODUCTION:
THE SIXTH SAYING FROM THE CROSS IS FOUND IN JOHN 19:30.
"When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).
Illustration
The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. (Fan The Flame, J. Stowell, Moody)
I hope we will run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him
I JUST WANT TO SHARE TWO BIBLICAL TRUTHS REGARDING THIS STATEMENT:
I. THE STATEMENT "IT IS FINISHED" REVEALS THAT JESUS FAITHFULLY FULFILLED HIS MISSION TO SAVE MANKIND FROM SIN.
From the very beginning, God had a plan to save us from our sins.
"And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will" (Eph. 1:9-11).
Jesus executed God’s game plan perfectly and fulfilled His mission.
Interestingly, Jesus used the Greek word "tetelestai" for "it is finished."
Many leave this world with their tasks unfinished.
These three English words are actually one Greek Word -
TETELESTAI - - - IT IS FINISHED - IT IS ACCOMPLISHED - IT IS COMPLETED - THE WORK IS DONE ! - - - IT WAS NOT A CRY OF DEFEAT - IT WAS A SHOUT OF VICTORY ! TELELESTAI - IT IS FINISHED - IT STANDS FINISHED - IT WILL AWAYS BE FINISHED.
1. TO THE SERVANT - When the job was completed, the Servant would say to the master - TELELESTAI - meaning I have completed the job you gave me to do. I did it - I won – I overcame… And the Master will say to the servant - "Well Done…….
2. TO THE PRIEST - The Jewish people would bring their sacrifice to be offered - after the high priest examined and excepted it - He would say - TELELESTAI - meaning It is perfect, It is excepted!
3. TO THE MERCHANT - The debt had been fully paid – When you purchased something, the merchant would take your money and hand you a receipt - TELELESTAI – Paid in full.
4. TO THE ARTIST - When an Artist would complete his work, he would step back and say TELELESTAI - It is finished. The picture is completed and excellent work. When Jesus came, He completed the Old Testament Picture of the Christ to come - He completed the picture and turned the light on it. Song of Solomon 5:16 - He is altogether lovely…..Song of Solomon 5:10 - Jesus is the Chiefest of Ten Tousand….. (SermonCentral.com)
YES, IT IS FINISHED MEANS…. The Servant had finished His work, The Perfect Sacrifice had been offered, Sins debt had been paid in full, The Picture had been completed.
JESUS HAD FINISHED WHAT HE CAME TO EARTH TO DO - SATAN HAD BEEN DEFEATED !
IT IS FINISHED - - - TETELESTAI
The message of the cross is the all sufficiency of Jesus Christ. R. B. Jones wrote, "Nothing greater has ever been accomplished than that which was completed at the cross."
And through His victory…we become victorious.
That’s the grace of God in our lives. Jesus took our sin upon Himself and did what we couldn’t do. We have victory over sin and death because Jesus paid our debt in full!
The statement "it is finished" first reveals that Jesus faithfully fulfilled His mission to save us from sin.
II. SECOND, THE STATEMENT "IT IS FINISHED" REVEALS THE PERSEVERANCE OF JESUS.
Illustration
"An artist in Mexico lost his right hand while working on a statue. But he did not give up his work. He learned to carve with his left hand. His beautifully finished masterpiece was called ’In Spite Of’ that became well known throughout the history."
1. In His life, Jesus faced many obstacles.
a. As a young child, King Herod tried to kill Him.
b. His family and friends rejected Him.
c. The religious leaders…the Pharisees and Sadducees branded Him as a false teacher.
d. His own disciples abandoned Him and denied even knowing Him.
e. He was arrested, falsely accused of being a criminal, crucified, and died a horrible death on a cross.
2. Although Jesus suffered greatly and faced many obstacles, He never gave up. He never quit. He never dropped out of the race.
Illustration
Hours behind the runner in front of him, the last marathoner finally entered the Olympic stadium. By that time, the drama of the day’s events was almost over and most of the spectators had gone home. This athlete’s story, however, was still being played out.
Limping into the arena, the Tanzanian runner continues with every step, his knee bleeding and bandaged from an earlier fall. His ragged appearance immediately caught the attention of the remaining crowd, who cheered him on to the finish line. (SermonCentral.com)
Why did he stay in the race? What made him endure his injuries to the end? When asked these questions later, he replied, "My country did not send me to run just at the start of the race. They sent me to run at the start and to finish it."
Likewise, we as Christians are to finish the race of life. Although we will stumble and endure many hardships, we must get back on our feet and continue running the race. We must make it to the finish line so that we may receive the crown of life.
3. In this life, you and I are going to face many obstacles.
a. Because of our faith, our family and friends may reject us.
b. Our co-workers may make fun of us.
c. We may experience physical hardships.
But in the end, we must be able to say, "it is finished."
No matter how many obstacles we face…we must finish the race.
CONCLUSION:
I have read a good epigram that says: “There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross- bearers here below.”
God is expecting each of us to stay on our fight till the end. He wanted us to reach the finish line with success.
Paul Reached a Finish Line – II Timothy 4:6-8
We must be able to say what Paul said “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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 to also to all who have loved His appearing.”
