Introduction:   Most people, at the age of 33, are saying, “It’s just beginning.”  Jesus, at that age, was able to say “It is finished.”  Scholars tell us that the three words “It is finished” were actually one word in the Greek.  tel-eh'-o = to end, that is, complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt): accomplish, make an end, expire, fill up, finish, go over, pay, perform.

One word has made a life. One word has marred a life. One word has shaped the destinies of empires and altered the course of history.  But, mightiest of them all is this single word from the cross that answers the hopes and fears of all the years:  Finished.  This shout ran back to the beginning of man’s transgression and provided the means of cancellation of the transgression of every repenting soul. That shout ran forward to the very end of the ages declaring the fact of salvation accomplished for every believer. That shout ascended to the throne of God and gladdened the heart of the Father and of the angels. That shout descended to the spirits of men in paradise and prepared them for the movement approaching when He should lead captivity captive and give gifts to men. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” what was He talking about?

I.          HIS PUBLIC SERVICE WAS FINISHED

A.        His Determination

Jesus was all about ministry and was determined to complete what His Father had sent Him to do.

·         As early as twelve years old He was saying, “I must be about my Father’s business.”

·         (Lk. 18:31) “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.”

·         (Jn 4:34) Jesus said this to His disciples, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

·         Jesus prayed in John 17:4, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

I think there is a lesson here for us and that lesson is one of perseverance. If there is anything we should take away from the life of Christ, it ought to be His determination to finish what He started. Most people do not have a difficult time starting, the difficulty is in finishing. The accomplishment is not in starting a race but in finishing it. That’s why you never see a T-shirt that says “I started the Boston Marathon.”  That’s why you did not receive a diploma the day you started first grade. Anyone can start, but it takes character and determination to finish.

B.        His Motivation

Jesus was motivated to finish His course by the “joy that was set before Him.” (Heb. 12:2)

·         Jesus could endure the pain and suffering and humiliation of the cross because He knew that it would not be long and He was going to be in the presence of His Father once again.

·         For the Christian, the joy and reward is not going to be in starting a ministry or answering a call, the joy and reward is going to be in staying with it — in not growing weary — and one day standing before the Lord and hearing Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

·         One reason many Christians quit serving the Lord is because they take their eyes off of heaven — they quit focusing on those eternal things which are not seen, and start focusing on the temporal things which are seen.

·         We’re living in a world of instant gratification and instant rewards, and when that doesn’t happen in ministry, people quit — they just give up.

·         A Christian’s payday is not this side of eternity. Be encouraged by these words to the Galatians, “And let us not be weary in well doing:  for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

II.        THE PAIN OF SUFFERING WAS FINISHED!

A.        The Physical Pain Of Affliction

Medical experts, historians and archaeologists have all examined and all agree that Jesus suffered one of the most grueling and painful forms of execution ever devised by man.

·         The unnatural position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually gangrened; the arteries, especially of the head and stomach, became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood; and, while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added to them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst.”

·         One doctor has called it “a symphony of pain” produced by every movement, with every breath; even a slight breeze on His skin could bring screaming pain.

B.        The Emotional Pain Of Abuse

The emotional pain came as Jesus was hanging on the cross and the angry crowd that had gathered to watch this horrible scene laughed Him to scorn and shot out their lips and shook their heads. The words they spoke were particularly hurtful as they mocked Him for trusting in God and believing that He would actually deliver Him.

III.       THE POWER OF SATAN WAS FINISHED!

A.        The Reality of Satan’s Defeat

·         Heb. 2:14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

·         Col. 2:15, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

·         1 John 3:8, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Christians can rest in the truth that Satan is a defeated enemy. He may still win a few battles here and there, but he has already lost the war! 

B.        The Finality of Satan’s Defeat

·         Rev. 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Just as Satan has tormented mankind for all these years, he will eventually be tormented himself forever and ever.

IV.       THE PAYMENT FOR SIN WAS FINISHED!

As I mentioned earlier, the three words translated “It is finished” were actually one word in the Greek — the word tetelestai.  It was used by servants when reporting to their masters that the jobs they had been given to do were finished. This same Greek word was used by the priests in the temple and by merchants in the marketplace to say that The Perfect Sacrifice was Made and that The Complete Price was Paid.

A.        The Perfect Sacrifice Was Made

·         In the Old Testament, the people had to bring an offering to the priest to be offered on the altar.  Each sacrifice had to be perfect — without spot or blemish.

·         The priest would check the underbelly, the feet, the wool, the ears (inside and out), and if he found no imperfection he would pronounce the lamb tetelestai — finished — perfect — worthy of being offered.

·         All of the lambs offered in the Old Testament were offered in faith, believing that one day the ultimate “lamb” would be offered.  Jesus was that ultimate “Lamb.”

·         With His final breath, Jesus declared that the Perfect Sacrifice was Made.

B.        The Complete Price Was Paid

When someone would make the final payment on an installment loan they would receive a receipt that had been stamped TETELESTAI which meant that the bill was paid in full.  There was nothing left to pay.

·         Jesus was the final sacrifice.  The book of Hebrews says (Heb.10:9-14)

·         Why, “sat down on the right hand of God”? To emphasize that the work was complete.  There’s nothing left to do.  The price has been paid — IN FULL!  It is tetelestai — IT IS FINISHED!

·         Salvation is not a matter of Jesus dying on the cross and us doing good works. It’s not a matter of Jesus dying on the cross and us joining a church. It’s not a matter of Jesus dying on the cross and us being a good, moral, upstanding, benevolent citizen.

It’s a matter of Jesus dying on the cross ---- period.

·         I want you to listen to a very important verse of Scripture found in Gal. 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

If you are of the belief that salvation is anything more than admitting you’re a sinner, repenting of that sin and calling on the name of the Lord to save you, then you don’t understand the cross, and are probably still in need of being born again. 

Conclusion:   Though we have been studying the final words of Christ, ultimately, the final word is up to us.  On the cross, Jesus bought and paid for our salvation by shedding His blood and giving His life. Today, God offers eternal life to anyone and everyone who is willing to receive it. But the truth is His offer can be rejected. You can say no to God’s way and continue down the path of your own choosing, but beware, any way other than God’s way leads to destruction.