It is finished (John 19:30)

Good Friday (Evening) (4^th April, 2010)

Theme: It is finished (John 19: 30)  

 

Finishing is one of the hardest things for man to do. Most of us are great starters: we are quick to embark upon things that need to be done but often times, lack the strength or will to carry them through.  Though our intentions are true and sincere, very often we lack the ability to finish what we start.  There is no state or city without an abandoned building project.  In our own personal lives, our inability to finish what we started is seen in the many things like: half-read books; incomplete paintings or handicrafts; unused exercise machines and abandoned diet; unpaid loans; incomplete courses; and broken promises.  So much of the problems we see in this world are due to the fact that man started something well but failed to finish.

Many of these things that we have started never get completed because of the temptations and obstacles we face, or because we have lost our interests midway.  How many of you made resolutions of New Year day?  How many of those resolutions remain intact today?  Is there any of you who made a promise to fast this morning, but end up eating because you feel hungry? 

This afternoon we hear Jesus proclaiming on the cross, “Tetelestai”, which means “It is finished”.  It is a good reminder to us all about the importance of finishing what we have finished.  If we feel like quitting because obstacles are many, we need to remember that Jesus was tempted in every point, but he did not quit.  There must be time when he felt like quitting, but he pressed on to victory.  He received the vinegar and died.  Mark said that just before Jesus was crucified, he was given wine mixed with myrrh (drug to lessen the pain) but he rejected it.  But just before he died he took wine vinegar which symbolizes the unfinished works and plans of man, and at the cross he finished what we could never accomplish.  So “tetelestai” is not a cry of defeat but a cry of relief, victory and fulfillment. It is similar to the Malay word, “selesai” to refer to something that has been completed.   But what is finished or completed on the cross?

Salvation is completed.  With his death, sin’s account is settled, and our debt of guilt is indeed wiped out!  The cost has been paid. All righteousness has been fulfilled. God’s anger for the disobedience of humanity has been satisfied. Jesus bore it all. God unloaded on Jesus. The greatest pain that Jesus felt on the cross was the rejection of the Father – that darkness, loneliness and agony of the abandonment that sin causes. But now, Jesus cries, “It is finished.”

Satan is finished.  When Jesus died on the cross, it looked like the moment of Satan’s greatest triumph. But in reality, it was the hour of his ultimate defeat. It is true that Satan has not yet been chained and rendered powerless.  Nevertheless, the sentence has been passed (though not yet executed).  It means that his doom is certain; and his power is already broken so far as believers are concerned.   He is waiting for that final Day of Judgment when he, the fallen angels, and all other enemies of God will be thrown into the fires of Hell.
While Satan is still our enemy, he has been defeated and for us who are the followers of Jesus, he is no longer our master.  He no longer has any legitimate claim upon us. Once we were his captives but Christ has freed us.  Because of that, Christians need no longer fear death: this finished work of Christ has enabled us to have eternal life. 

Self is finished. Paul in Romans 6:6-7 says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”  Then in verse 12 he writes, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So how are we to respond to this message?  The word is “repentance”.  It means acknowledging that we accept responsibility for our unsatisfactory behavior in the past, and accept responsibility for our part in what is and what will be our new behavior.  We need to stop blaming other people and God for what is happening to us, and start to act responsibly now.  

Repentance is a responsible action. It is not a matter of punishing ourselves for past mistakes, hating ourselves for past failures, and depressing ourselves with feelings of worthlessness.   It is finishing the unfinished business of my past and choosing to live in new ways that will not repeat old unsatisfactory situations. In the full Christian meaning of the word, repentance is a process.   It is a letting go of the rigid lifestyles, and allowing ourselves to enjoy life that is flowing, moving, growing, and changing.

Jesus has done the hard part and completed his work.  We need to continue on and not give up what we have started.  If we are discouraged as parents, discouraged about your jobs, discouraged with the church or your cell group – don’t give up.  Hang in there! If you fighting a losing battle against temptation, learn to accept God forgiveness and give yourself another chance.