† John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished (Gr. teleo: completed, executed, finished), that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. † 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. † 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished (teleo: accomplished, completed, executed): and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
In part one we began to dissect these last three words that Jesus spoke before He died by examining the word “It” and what that word represented.
What was “it” that Jesus had finished?
When the Lord uttered the words “It is finished” from the cross just before His last breath and giving up the ghost, the meaning of “it” is to be understood by these examples of what He had accomplished (finished):
• Jesus was born, lived and died sinless (a requirement to be the Savior) • He upheld the Word • He fulfilled the Law and the what the prophets had said about Him • He undertook and completed a work that no mere man could have done • Jesus had outsmarted and defeated the devil • He taken the punishment for our sin • Jesus provided the means to cleanse us from our sin by His sinless blood • On the cross when He died He put to death the old sin nature of the man • He proved God’s and His love for us by His life and going to the cross • The mission (the work) the Father had given Him was completed • Now by Jesus and in Him all the promises of God are now ours
† 2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
† 1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
† Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
† Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love... †3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. † 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, †3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
A wonderful thing to comprehend in your mind and heart is this
These things, the “it” of what Jesus has accomplished stays accomplished and cannot be undone. They do, however, need to be understood by His followers and lived-out in our lives in the light of these eternal accomplishments and truth or some of them fail in the lives of born again ones because of ignorance or spiritual laziness, which is disobedience.
The Lord’s defeat of the Devil is our victory over the Devil when we walk in that knowledge and authority. Our freedom from the sinful nature never fully comes if we do not allow the cross to put it to death as we deny those passions and lusts.
Our justification before the eternal and holy God is maintained when—if we sin, we are quick to repent and be washed clean again before God. Many of the promises of God for us while in this life can be forfeited by our sin or our ignorance of the promises that we do not cash-in on (by faith claim for ourselves).
† Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) ... † 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ... † 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
† 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, † 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. † 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
But—so many Christians today in their own strength have tried and failed to live-up to and according to these things by not ling in close reliance on and in fellowship with his or her Savior. And so, we come to the second word in what Jesus said on the cross when He said, “It is finished.” The word under our microscope now is the word “is”.
Now under most circumstances a person would not notice the importance of that little word if he or she is not familiar with how it is used in other places in the New Testament. We hear or read the statement, “It is finished”, we think, “Okay, Jesus just said that ‘What I came to do is done’”, not too unlike what movie-makers would post at the end of a movie, “The End.”
But this word “is” carries with it an insight that few would know and benefit from if it is not pointed out to them. The word is important to our 24-hour assurance and the ever-present and always available help of God by what Jesus has done for us that is ever “at-hand” (readily accessible, nearby, close enough to reach easily).
† Jeremiah 23:23Am I [or I AM] a God at hand (near, allied [with your life]), saith the LORD, and not a God afar off (remote, abroad [as on a trip])? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Let me share what I came to know about the word “is” as we see it used in several special places in our New Testament writings. In short, in several special places it means that something or certain things are with us or available to us every moment of every day of our life.
You’ve just heard that this word [is] is a linking verb in the present tense describing the relationship between the subject of the sentence (the word “It”) and the adjective in this case (the word “finished). The things we have discussed that are what the “It” points us to are “finished” but they are to mean more than that; the things the Lord has finished are always “at hand” for us, they are constantly present for us and available to us every minute of every day of our born again life.
• The written and His real time spoken Word of God is always present. • The Lord’s victory over sin and the man and woman’s sinful nature is (present-tense-available) an ever-present, right-now reality second-by-second. • We do not have to get in line and wait our turn to be forgiven and cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus, or go to the confessional booth and hope a priest is on duty; no, we stop, confess to God Himself, and by faith ask to be made clean again—and it happens right-then! • His victory over the Devil and all other spiritual enemies sent against us is active and valid now, this very moment and the next moment and the next! • Unlike the temperamental and unpredictable false god Allah, we can count on God’s love for us to cover our lives moment-by-moment with His mercy, favor, and the daily monitoring and divine influence over what we face. • The promises of God are ours at just the time we need them and do not have to be earned or otherwise paid for. • Just like you and I are always living in the present (never in the past or yet in the expected future) so are (is) the finished works of Jesus on our behalf—always present right now!
These things and many others are forever accomplished and permanently available by faith. It is finished—they are complete and at-hand for the having!
For just a minute, let’s pause and look at that phrase that was used so often in the Gospels and in other places in the New Testament; the phrase “at hand”:
† Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven isat hand (iscome near) ...
† 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee ...
† 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven isat hand ...
† 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them ...
† 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven isat hand.
† 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
The help and all the provisions of Heaven are today and right now “at hand” for the true children of God—they are (in perpetual-present-tense) only a hand’s grasp away and the having of them by the simple effort of reaching out by faith, taking hold of them, and being patient as they are made real in our lives.
Earlier I said that “Under most circumstances a person would not notice the importance of the little word “is” if he or she is not familiar with how it is used in several special places in the New Testament.”
The main place that caused me to wonder about and look into its relevance to a Christian’s life (indeed having some relevance to all humanity still alive upon the earth) is in an all too familiar passage penned by the Apostle John.
† 1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
That use of the present tense verb “is” defies how we would talk today. We naturally think in these ways, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,” or “Jesus Christ did come in the flesh.” By such uses we put events in the past tense as having happened and are over-with and have little or no bearing on us in this minute of time or the next many thousand minutes yet in this present life—but that is not the case where the eternal and ever-present God is concerned. Yes, Jesus did come and inhabit human flesh but regarding all the things that He did and has become to you and me—HE never left! How can that be?
† Matthew 12:27 [Jesus said:] if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. † 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
† Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
The Son of man came nearly 2,000 years ago to initiate and permanently establish the plan of salvation for whosoever wills. Once Jesus returned to Heaven He carries out all aspects of that saving process predominately by His Spirit but He also is known to actually show up Himself in the lives of some people when it is necessary.
Do you desire God’s grace and His peace—then how do we received these things?
† Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. † 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne ...
Notice the order of how the Holy Spirit impressed John to write this statement: “Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come.” The Lord Jesus is ever with us in His power and Presence by the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit who is through the dedicated and surrendered believer no less powerful through the Christian than is Jesus Christ in what He wants to do in this realm as if He were standing next to us in Person.
And then there is this perspective: By the dedicated and surrendered follower of Jesus, the Lord Jesus speaks through the mouths of and acts through the hands of the man or woman still alive in human flesh (as a dedicated and surrendered follower). No matter how you look at it, Jesus Christ is come in the flesh; yes, He did come and He will yet again come, but He (by His Spirit) and He (by the body of Christ presently upon the earth) is come (perpetual present tense).
Do remember what He said to Saul once struck down by light on the road to Damascus. . . “Why do you persecute Me?” Saul had never talked to or even met Jesus and did not believe Him as the Messiah. Yes he was persecuting Jesus by persecuting His Body (members of the Church) yet on the earth!
I also remind you about what God said to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM that I AM”. He did not say, “I was” (past tense) or “I will be” (future tense) but “I AM”—present tense; whether He suddenly appears in physical form or He is present by His Spirit—His is come!
Either Jesus literally comes and stands before a man or woman (rare but it can happen) or His Spirit is come and at hand, and continuing the work of God for the saving of souls and the needed sanctification work of born again ones. Yes, the Holy Spirit is the present tense Presence of the Son and His Father:
† John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
† Philippians 1:19 [In speaking about his afflictions, Paul said:] For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ…
† 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
† Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear ... † 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. † 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. † 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. † 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee ...
† John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
• Next up is the very last word Jesus spoke from the cross, “Finished”!
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