“The Finished Work of the Cross”
BIBLE REFERENCE:
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30;
WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT:
Remember when our troops first went to war with Iraq after 9-11. Newscasters reported that American troops had secured control of the Baghdad Airport and were in control of the city. Simultaneously, however, Iraqi networks aired video footage saying that Sadaam Hussein was still in control. Sadaam Hussein had been overthrown, but he was still sending out propaganda influencing people’s lives. In reality, this former tyrant master had fled the city and was hiding in a spider hole!
Our redemption is a complete, and finished work. However, the devil likes to air his propaganda and make us think that he is still in control. Isaiah tells us that the devil may have ruled over us at one time in our lives, but because of our redemption in Christ, he no longer has control of our lives.
The passage up above is one that I heard a little while back, but it hit me like a brick aside the head. The same person that wrote the passage above also said, “Once you get a revelation of your redemption, the only way the devil can defeat you is to deceive you. Wow, what a truth this statement is as to what is happening in our world today at an unprecedented rate. Deception is at an all-time high like never before in human history. You can’t even watch a TV commercial without being lied to or deceived, or worse yet, get drawn into the world of evil that is set before us. The Bible clearly says in 2 Timothy 4:3; “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” We also read in 2 Timothy 3:1-5; “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” The Holy Spirit put these teachings in the scriptures so we would be aware of when things like this started to happen, the end would be near, but yet they are ignored as if they are something out of Aesop’s Fables. God has done everything He can to reach us with truth so we would understand His plan for our redemption and our need for a Savior.
What I feel might be one of the most damaging misconceptions of our times that reach way back to the beginning of time is the controversial debate about grace versus works. All we read to do to put this argument to rest is to read the Bible verse above, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30; Repeat after me, what did He say, ““It is finished!” There is nothing that we can add to what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. Now, with that being said, the fact that He paid for our sins in full does not give us a license to sin, in fact it should be the exact opposite. When we understand the price Jesus Christ paid for our redemption, it should bring us to our knees in prayer and thanksgiving. We should want to serve Him night and day by obeying His commands and what are those commands? Here are a few:
Repent - “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Follow Me -“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
Rejoice - “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12).
Let Your Light Shine - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). You are not saved by your good works, but good works should bea testimony of your service to Jesus Christ and should be evidence of your faithfulness to His Word.
Honor God’s Law - “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
Let me give you an example that will express what I am trying to get across. Let’s say that you were working on a project for quite some time and put all your heart and soul into it to make it perfect. One day you are finally finished to what you feel is absolute perfection. You would say, “It is Finished.” Soon after you have finished your project, someone comes up to you and say, it’s not finished, I can do a few things that will complete your project. How would you feel? Well, that is how Jesus feels when we say we have to add to His finished work on the cross. When we say, “We have to add to what Jesus did on the cross, we are saying that He is not good enough to pay for our sins so we have to help.” How insane can we be? He is God, He can do things that can’t even enter our pea brain minds.
When Jesus said “It is finished” He meant sin was finally dealt with and no longer needed to have control over our lives. However, the gift of salvation is a gift that has to be received by the recipient of the promise. If you reject this truth, then it does not apply to your life, only those that receive Jesus Christ and His propitiation for their sins and become born-again into the Holy Spirit will be spared from eternal damnation that is set before us. It is quite simple, believe and be saved, or, reject and be accursed forever. We all have two simple choices to make in life, my question to you is, “what will you choose…it is your choice!” So, when you stand before Jesus Christ at the “White Throne Judgement” you will be judged according to the choices you made. If you chose rejection, you will be held accountable for every sin that you ever committed and you will be condemned accordingly. If you receive the gift of grace, which is a free gift to those that chose Jesus Christ, you will have no sins applied to your account because Jesus paid the price for every sin that you ever committed. When you receive Jesus, you become “justified” and it is just as if you have never sinned. The end is near and the time is short, do not delay another day to make the right choice. Remember, eternity could start tomorrow, we never know what a day will bring. “Written To the extreme glory of God, and Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!
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