| Pastor's Blog |
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| Written by Pastor Dick |
| Sunday, 01 April 2012 00:00 |
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It Is Finished
Scripture Text: John 19:28-30
Final acts. Final hours. Final words. They reflect a life well lived. The last words of our Saviour certainly qualify, in my humble opinion. Words of chance muttered by a desperate martyr? Hardly. Instead, we find words of clear intention, spoken by the Divine Deliverer, Himself. Final words. Final acts. Each one is a window through which the cross can be better understood. Each one opens a treasury of promises.
I want to focus, for a few moments, on these last three words spoken by our LORD Jesus from the cross and their implications for each of us. "It is finished." There is something exhilarating about finishing! Those who can remain at the task until it is finished are a rare breed. I'm feeling good about myself because I was able to finish washing and waxing and changing the oil in my car. It took me just about the whole day to do it but it feels good to know that I accomplished what I set out to do. Ever have a similar feeling? Check list? Hanging in there until the finish. Sticking to it until it is done. But unfortunately, few of us have the capacity to do that on a regular basis; at least I find it quite difficult.
Our human tendency is to quit too soon. Our human weakness somehow causes us to stop before we cross that finish line. Our inability to finish what we start is seen in everyday life; e.g. a partially mowed lawn, or a half-read book, letters started but seldom completed, that abandoned diet, that half-finished remodeling project, etc., etc. Or, it may show up in some of life's most painful areas, like an abandoned child, or a half-hearted faith, someone who can't seem to keep a job, or a wrecked marriage, and how about that person that we just never seem to be able to share our faith in Jesus Christ with? And that's just to name a few.
Am I touching a nerve yet? Any chance that I might be speaking to someone today who is seriously considering giving up? If I am, I want to encourage that person to hang in there. I want to challenge you to remember Jesus' determination during these final hours on the cross. Jesus didn't quit! But don't think for a minute that He wasn't tempted to. Did He ever want to quit? You bet He did. Remember that scene from the garden in Gethsemane as recorded in Matthew 26:36-45, where He asked His Heavenly Father to give Him if it was possible to give Him a different option. That is why these final words are so powerful. "It Is Finished." Approximately 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ firmly planted in solid bedrock three anchor points that we can all cling to:
1) Our lives are not futile
2) Our failures are not fatal
3) Our deaths are not final
1 Corinthians 15:12-23; 50-58 (NLT)12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[a] this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.[b] 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Thanks be to God indeed! "Hallelujah! Christ Arose." Have a God-blessed Easter! |
