The Greatest Artist of All times finished His master piece on the cross ********************************************************************************* Jesus came to glorify His Father through His life, death, and resurrection. Jesus finished the work given to Him by His Father. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus came to make a way, the only way, for people to find mercy, grace, and help in time of need. Jesus, the sympathetic Savior, finished the work given to Him by His Father. Jesus Declared His Work Finished! Having identified the it (the work God the Father had given God the Son to accomplish on earth), lets take a look at what Jesus meant when he cried out that He had finished the work. As I mentioned early in this article, having an understanding of the structure of the sentence in the Greek text is very helpful toward grasping the full weight of Christs forever-memorable words. What Jesus did through His perfect earthly existence, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection fully completed the work the Father had given Him to do. Not only did He complete His salvific work but His accomplishment is fully efficacious today and will be forevermore. There is nothing more to add--nothing more to be done by God, man, or religious institutions. The undeniable, factual, historic, and eternal work of Jesus Christ has been completed--is complete--and will forever remain completed. IT . . .IS . . . FINISHED! It is finished! Jesus finished the work given to Him by His Father, which culminated at the cross. At the cross, the gavel of the Supreme Judge of the Universe crashed upon His mighty bench when God the Father, pleased to crush His Son, poured the full cup of His wrath against sin upon His innocent Son. It is finished! At the cross, the Great Exchange took place (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13-15). The eternal debt owed for the sin of mankind was paid in full. God the Father looked upon His perfect, precious, and priceless Son as if He had lived the filthy, detestable, sin-stained lives of fallen mankind. And, for those who repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, God the Father looks upon them as if they had lived His Sons perfect, precious, and priceless life. It is finished! At the cross, God kept His promise to crush Satans head through the bruising of His Son. The power of sin and death was vanquished once and for all time. It is finished! Jesus Christs finished work on the cross forever made mans work to appease God, to please God, and to be reconciled to God--impotent and blasphemous. The sin debt I owe to God was and is paid in full by my Lord and Savior, my Master and King, Jesus Christ, when He shed His innocent blood on the cross on my behalf! IT . . . IS . . . FINISHED! Implications of Tetelestai The implications of Jesus words on the cross are eternally positive for those who repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior--by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. However, the implications of Jesus words on the cross are eternally negative for any organization or individual who seeks to add to, detract from, or replace not only Jesus words on the cross but also the work He accomplished to the glory of God the Father. Every man-made religion and each of their faithful adherents stand, right now, in the cross-hairs of Gods wrath. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:34-36). Roman Catholicism denies the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross through the practice and observance of the mass and addition of works for salvation (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 816, 2010, 2036, 2068). During the Roman Catholic mass, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ which is then sacrificed over and over again, which is not biblical (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 10:9; 1 Peter 3:18). Jehovahs Witnesses deny the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross by denying Christ died on the cross and by insisting one must be a member of the Watchtower Society and obey the Law of God to receive salvation: there are four requirements for salvation: Many have found the second requirement more difficult. It is to obey Gods laws, yes, to conform ones life to the moral requirements set out in the Bible, (Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1983, p. 12). This is false. Mormonism denies the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross by adding their perceived righteousness and works to their ungodly salvation process. According to 2 Nephi 25:23, in the Book of Mormon, salvation is by grace--plus works. For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. Islam denies the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross by seeing Jesus as nothing more than a prophet--second to their false prophet Muhammad. They also believe it was Judas, not Jesus, who died on the cross. But the implications of Jesus words on the cross extend beyond false religions and into American Evangelicalism. Some churches deny the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross by spending time and resources wooing the unsaved to the Christian Club instead of calling them to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how many times I have heard the testimonies of professing Christians--testimonies that culminate with happy membership at a church and not with the bending of the knee in repentance and by faith at the foot of the cross. Some churches deny the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross and diminishing the gospel as the power of God for salvation by insisting Jesus and the gospel need the help of mans innovation and perceived ability to make the gospel more palatable. This is demonstrated through gimmicks, sales pitches, bait and switch tactics, and playing to the primal desires of health, wealth, prosperity, ease, comfort, and happiness without accountability. Some churches deny the sufficiency of Jesus finished work on the cross by teaching unbiblical mantras such as: Christians have to earn the right to share the gospel with someone. Unbelievers need to see Jesus in you before they will hear what you have to say. People need to hear more than ‘Jesus can forgive your sins and give you eternal life.’ They need help with the real problems theyre facing today. Some churches deny the efficacy of Jesus finished work on the cross by failing to distinguish service, helps, and hospitality from evangelism, which is the actual and literal presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and bound for Hell. And the list goes on . . . When Jesus said, It is finished, He meant it. He actually meant what He said. He really meant it. For any group or any individual to add or detract from Christs words or finished work, regardless of the religious stripes they wear, is the height of arrogance and the depth of depravity. But lets conclude on an up note. Having read several commentaries on John 19:30, I was particularly moved by the thoughts of Bible commentator and Presbyterian minister Matthew Henry. I will be adding the following to my open-air preaching Bible: The dying word wherewith he breathed out his soul (v. 30): When he had received the vinegar, as much of it as he thought fit, he said, It is finished; and, with that, bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. Observe, What he said, and we may suppose him to say it with triumph and exultation, Tetelestai--It is finished, a comprehensive word, and a comfortable one. It is finished; that is, the malice and enmity of his persecutors had now done their worst; when he had received that last indignity in the vinegar they gave him, he said, This is the last; I am now going out of their reach, where the wicked cease from troubling. It is finished; that is, the counsel and commandment of his Father concerning his sufferings were now fulfilled; it was a determinate counsel, and he took care to see every iota and tittle of it exactly answered, Acts 2:23. He had said, when he entered upon his sufferings, Father, thy will be done; and now he saith with pleasure, It is done. It was his meat and drink to finish his work (ch. 4:34), and the meat and drink refreshed him when they gave him gall and vinegar. It is finished; that is, all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished and answered. He speaks as if, now that they had given him the vinegar, he could not bethink himself of any word in the Old Testament that was to be fulfilled between him and his death; but it had its accomplishment, such as his being sold for thirty pieces of silver, his hands and feet being pierced, his garments divided, etc.; and now that this is done. It is finished. It is finished; that is, the ceremonial law is abolished, and a period put to the obligation of it. The substance is now come, and all the shadows are done away. Just now the veil is rent, the wall of partition is taken down--even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, Eph. 2:14, 15. The Mosaic economy is dissolved to make way for a better hope. It is finished; that is, sin is finished and an end made of transgression by the bringing in of an everlasting righteousness. It seems to refer to Dan. 9:24. The Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world, and it is done, Heb. 9:26. It is finished; that is, his sufferings were now finished--both those of his soul and those of his body. The storm is over; the worst is past; all his pains and agonies are at an end, and he is just going to paradise--entering upon the joy set before him. Let all that suffer for Christ and with Christ comfort themselves with this--that yet a little while and they also shall say, It is finished. It is finished; that is, his life was now finished, he was just ready to breathe his last; and now he is no more in this world, ch. 17:11. This is like that of blessed Paul (2 Tim. 4:7), I have finished my course, my race is run, my glass is out, mene, mene-numbered and finished. This we must all come to shortly. It is finished; that is, the work of mans redemption and salvation is now completed--at least the hardest part of the undertaking is over; a full satisfaction is made to the justice of God, a fatal blow given to the power of Satan, a fountain of grace opened that shall ever flow, a foundation of peace and happiness laid that shall never fail. Christ had now gone through with his work and finished it, ch. 17:4. For, as for God, his work is perfect; when I begin, saith he, I will also make an end. And, as in the purchase, so in the application of the redemption, he that has begun a good work will perform it; the mystery of God shall be finished. 1 Usage of Tetelestai While doing some research for this article, I learned there were several ways the word tetelestai was used in Greco-Roman culture—all of them illustrative of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. An artist might have said Tetelestai! when he finished a painting in order to announce, the picture is perfect. Jesus, the Master Artisan, declared from the cross that the picture of salvation He had drawn from eternity past was always perfect, but now complete. It is finished! A servant might have confidently said Tetelestai! when asked by his master if the work he had been assigned to do was complete. The servant would say, “Yes, master. I have finished the work.” Jesus, the Suffering Servant, completed the work His Father had given Him. It is finished! A judge might have said Tetelestai! when he conferred a sentence or when issuing a ruling that a sentence had been completed. The judge would say, Justice has been served. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge--only One who is able to save and destroy. And as the Father turned His back on His Son, the Father was well pleased. It pleased the Father to crush His Son. It is finished! A priest might have said Tetelestai! when he recognized an unblemished and acceptable sacrifice for God. The priest would announce to the person offering the sacrifice that the offering was acceptable according to the law of God. And, Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). Yes, our Great High Priest, Jesus the Lord, not only mediates for His people as a priest but He Himself was and is the perfect sacrifice. It is finished! A merchant might have said Tetelestai! after stamping a bill the debt has been paid. The Christians debt has been paid in full by the propitiation of Jesus Christ. By Jesus paying the Christians sin debt in full, God [has] made [us] alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:13-15). It is finished! A soldier might have said Tetelestai! as a battle cry toward a vanquished foe. The soldier would yell, You are finished! Jesus cry on the cross was not a cry of despair or defeat. Oh, no. When Jesus cried with a loud voice, He was declaring victory of the enemy--Satan, sin, and death. It is finished! The Artist had the last word as to the meaning of the painting--not the art critic. The Servant knew if the work in the house had been completed and approved by the Master--not the stranger who entered the house. The Judge determined the sentence, its execution, and its satisfaction--not the convicted criminal. The Priest determined if one’s sacrifice was acceptable to God--not the penitent. The Merchant determined if a debt was paid--not the debtor. The Victorious Warrior determined the future of his combatant--not the defeated enemy. Jesus Christ is the Artisan, the Servant, the Judge, the Priest, the Merchant, and the Victor--you are not. Your religion is not. Your intellect is not. Therefore, repent of any false ideologies that add works to Christ’s finished work. Repent of any arrogant notions through manmade philosophies of ministry, which would presume to finish the work that Christ has already finished. Jesus said, “It is finished!” And He meant it. IT . . . IS . . . FINISHED! It is finished, indeed. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:15:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015