FINISHED

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 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 (NKJV)

 

When Jesus said, “it is finished,” he declared the work that God had sent Him to do was accomplished. Sin was defeated. Sickness was overcome. Death and the grave were conquered. All that needed to be done for you and for me was accomplished when Jesus became cursed for our sake. Taking all the ugliness of who we were into His sinless self, Jesus gave us His righteousness—His forgiveness—His healing—His redemption. There was nothing left for him to do to purchase our salvation. All that was left was for us to believe.

 

Do you believe what He accomplished for you? Is His Word life to you? Do you believe and stand on it no matter if it is contrary to what you feel? Is everything He accomplished something that you believe even though you can’t see it or touch it or feel it? You can’t receive what you don’t believe. A double-minded mind can’t expect to receive anything from the Lord.

 

What did Jesus accomplish for us on the cross? New life in Him! If His sacrifice on the Cross had not been sufficient payment, He would not have been raised from the dead. We would still be dead in our sins. But He was resurrected! We have His life.  We are His new creation! And we have His peace—His forgiveness—His healing, which He purchased for us by the shedding of His blood. Christ has reconciled us to God!  We can go freely into the presence of our Father asking for His help in our time of need. 

 

What is our perspective?  Do we see the Cross and the Resurrection from the new life He has given us or do we see them from the sins of our past—from our failures—from our fears of not being good enough? When Jesus said, “it is finished,” he said that your life of sin—of failure—of sickness—was over. Completely gone. The work Jesus did on your behalf was perfect. No work you could ever do could accomplish His finished work. Stop seeing who you were and see Him in you! See the Cross and the Resurrection from a mind renewed by Truth—from a heart that knows all is well in His love— and not from the person you were before you knew Christ. 

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)! 

 

You are not the person you were before you accepted Christ into your heart. Do you know it?  Do you believe it?  Or do you identify with the person you were before? Do you identify with what others see in you instead of who Jesus says you are? Do you identify with your circumstances instead of the Rock of your salvation?

 

Behold, ALL things have become NEW! Look at your relationship with Christ from His new perspective. Until you believe you are new, you will live in bondage to the old from which Christ saved you. Everything is NEW!  Nothing is the same! Grasp who you are in Christ and be raised with Him in newness of life. Allow the old to stay crucified. Grace has resurrected you. All the OLD is FINISHED in your life.

 

You are redeemed. You are forgiven. You are healed. Your needs are fulfilled. You have been blessed by all the blessings of your heavenly Father. You lack nothing. You are complete. You are His. You are NEW.

 

IT IS FINISHED.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

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