IT IS FINISHED!

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

APRIL 15, 2022

TOPIC: IT IS FINISHED!

BY T. O. BANSO 

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’… So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ and bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:28-30 New King James Version).

Before Jesus died on the cross at Golgotha, He said, “It is finished!”  Prior to this, He had suffered so much in the hands of His accusers, the Jewish leaders, and the Roman soldiers who crucified Him. It was time for His life on earth to end. John 19:28-30 says, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’… So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ and bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (New King James Version).

In the account of John, the last word of Jesus on the cross was: “It is finished!” After that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. The Greek word translated “It is finished” is tetelestai, which comes from the verb, teleo: to end, ie. complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt) (Strong’s Concordance). It’s been said that tetelestai is a word in the perfect tense, which means “It was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future.” In other words, “It is finished!” has an eternal effect.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “It is finished!”?  It is a cry of victory. Jesus meant that He had accomplished the work of salvation He came to the earth to do. It is not everybody who fulfils his purpose on earth, but Jesus did. How glad and fulfilled He was to cry, “It is finished!”

Jesus meant that He had paid our debt of sin in full. Man’s redemption was accomplished. Man was finally bought or redeemed from the slave market of sin. 1 Corinthians 6:20 and 1 Corinthians 7:23 say we are bought with a price. The price Jesus paid for man’s redemption was His blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). The east and the west can never meet. God separates our sin from us and remembers it no more.

It is finished! The era of the repeated sacrifice of the blood of animals for sins has ended. God has offered His Son as a permanent sacrifice. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12 King James Version). Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).

It is finished! Sinners are free to come to God through Jesus Christ. Every sinner can be saved; it makes no sense to try to run away from God. No matter how deep the stain of anyone’s sins, God can remove the stain. He will make sinners as white as snow. If they are stained as red as crimson, He will make them as white as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

Only sinners who refuse the offer to come to God through Christ Jesus will be permanently lost (John 3:16). It is finished! Forgiveness of sin is available. Deliverance from the power of sin has been accomplished.

What is finished? “The Law is fulfilled as never before, nor since, in His ‘obedience unto death, even the death of the cross’; Messianic prophecy is accomplished; Redemption is completed; ‘He hath finished the transgression, and made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness, and sealed up the vision and prophecy, and anointed a holy of holies’; He has inaugurated the kingdom of God and given birth to a new world” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary).

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible identifies the following as what Jesus meant by “It is finished!”:

(1.) The malice and enmity of His persecutors had now done their worst.

(2.) The counsel and commandment of His Father concerning His sufferings were now fulfilled.

(3.) All the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished and answered.

(4.) The ceremonial law is abolished, and a period put to its obligation.

(5.) Sin is finished, and an end made of transgression, by the bringing in of everlasting righteousness.

(6.) His sufferings were now finished, both of His soul and body.

(7.) His life was now finished; He was just ready to breathe His last.

(8.) The work of man’s redemption and salvation is now completed.

If you’ve not yet given your life to Jesus, invite Him into your heart now. Your debt has been paid in full. It is finished! Tetelestai! It was finished, it is finished, and it will remain finished.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and was raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Lord Jesus, thank You for the work of salvation You accomplished on the cross at Golgotha. Thank You for paying the price for the forgiveness of my sins. It is finished. I pray that this season, those You died for, but are yet to come to You, will surrender their lives to You and accept You as their Lord and Saviour.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org