It Is Finished

Last week we looked at the Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits as each was a foreshadow and fulfilment of Christ. The coming of Messiah completed all the 300 specific prophecies in the Old Testament detailing the coming of the Anointed One. From the “seed” who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3: 15), to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, to the prediction of the “messenger” of the Lord (John the Baptist) who would declare that Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John records Jesus’ last words on the Cross: “It is finished.” I’d like for us to take a deeper look at those words and let them minister anew the supreme sacrifice Jesus made and how they are still resonating 2000 years later. Jesus knew His mission even before the foundation of the world—to be slain as a Lamb—to pay in full the debt owed the Father by mankind—the debt of sin. Just prior to His arrest by the Romans, Jesus prayed His last public prayer, asking the Father to glorify Him, just as Jesus had glorified the Father on earth, having “finished the work you have given me to do.” (John 17:4) The work Jesus was sent to do was to “seek and save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10), to provide atonement for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him (Romans 3: 23-25, 2 Corinthians 5: 18-19), to reconcile sinful men to a Holy God and to destroy the works of the devil. Although the redemption of mankind is the most important finished task, many other things were finished at the Cross. The sufferings Jesus endured while on the earth, and especially in His last hours, were at last over—the exposure of shame and reproach. Gods will for Jesus was accomplished in His perfect obedience to the Father (John 5: 30; 6:38). These words from John Gills explains His words “It is finished.” “The whole work that His Father gave Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, all which were now done, the whole righteousness of the law was fulfilled, the penalty of death endured; hence a perfect righteousness was finished agreeable to the law and redemption from its curse and condemnation secured; sin was made an end of, full atonement and satisfaction for it were given; complete pardon procured, peace made, and redemption from all iniquity obtained; all enemies were conquered; all types, promises, and prophecies were fulfilled, and His own course of life ended: the reason of His saying so was, because all this was near being done, just upon finishing, and was as good as done; and was sure and certain, and so complete, that nothing need, or could be added to it; and it was done entirely without the help of man, and cannot be undone; all which since has more clearly appeared by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, His entrance into heaven His session at God’s right hand, the declaration of the Gospel, and the application of salvation to particular persons.” Most importantly, the power of sin and Satan was finished. 1 John 3: 4-8 says—Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil—works that begin before the foundation of the world and afterwards continued. Jesus came to liberate us from the bondage of his works and influence over us. From the beginning the devil rebelled against God and His plans and he desires to enslave us to do the same. This reflects back to Passover as the children of Israel were enslaved in Egypt (darkness/bondage) and God supernaturally saved them from the angel of death by the blood of the lamb. God looked down from heaven, grieved at the destruction the devil had brought about in the world and in human lives and knew only through the perfect sacrifice of His Son incarnate could we be declared innocent, not guilty, sin taken from us and placed on Christ. Verse 5 says “The Messiah was revealed to take away sins”. Peter says “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” (I Pt. 2: 24) Jesus came to sever our ties with the kingdom of darkness and bring us into union with Himself which leads to righteousness because He is righteous. The message resonates to us today—“It Is Finished”—the Power of Christ is so great that once He indwells us, we through Him can overcome sin and its dominion. Let us put on Christ. (Colossians 3: 5-17)