Sunday, April 05, 2009

Jesus' Finished Work

I had the privilage of preaching on "It is finished" Sunday morning (John 19:30). Jesus' cry of victory from the Cross is full of meaning and significance for our lives.

This is not the moan of a defeated man resigning to his fate. This is not a sigh of relief because the physical suffering is over.

No, this is the triumphant recognition that He has now fully accomplished the work He came to do. This is the cry of triumph.

Spurgeon said of this cry, “it would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word. It is altogether immeasurable. It is high; I cannot attain to it. It is deep; I cannot fathom it.”

Jesus perfectly accomplished His work.
Jesus left nothing undone or incomplete.
Jesus left nothing unfinished or deficient.
Jesus left nothing unaccomplished or lacking.
His work was totally sufficient.

Here is the one implication I made from this cry:
Since Jesus paid it all, nothing needs to be added to His finished work.

All my hope is in His Work, not my works.

Derek Tidball wrote, “This single word rings out from the crucified Christ like a trumpet blast. It is finished, It is accomplished. The work his Father had sent him to do has been completed. The Father’s will had been obeyed to the last detail. The Father’s love had been revealed in its ultimate form. The Father’s grace had been released in the most convincing manner. The Father’s forgiveness had been purchased with the costliest payment. The Father’s glory had been displayed in the least expected way. The Father’s enemies had been definitively defeated" (Message of the Cross, p. 174).

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