Monday Moorings | 16 June 2014 - It Is Finished

I know this is a bit long. Read it when you can. I would like to hear your thoughts.

It is Finished

by Dudley Harris

Introduction

When I started Bible school at Agape Church in Cullman, AL, Pastor Mike Harrison challenged us early in the two year program with this: write a paper explaining what Jesus meant by the phrase uttered from the cross, “It is finished” and he would award us with the two year certificate.  Since that time I have pondered this challenge many times, but until now had never taken the time to do the study and write down my findings.  The following is my attempt to respond to the question.

The Question

What did Jesus mean when He stated from the cross, “It is finished!”?  Let's first of all consider the question.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (KJV)

John 19:30  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (NIV)

These were the last words uttered by Jesus before His death.  Since He was not yet dead, “finished” clearly did not include His death.  It did, however, mark the end of something that His life represented.  According to Strong's, the greek word used is teleo which has a root word tello which means “to set out for a definite point or goal; the point aimed at as a limit”.  Jesus was marking this moment, just before His death, as the completion of a goal.  Jesus had spent His entire life with this goal in mind!  This, however, was not the only goal He had, but is was a very important step in completing, totally, His purpose on Earth.

Look at some other statements made by Jesus that used this same word teleo.

Luke 12:50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! 

“Accomplished” in this verse is the same Greek word as “finished”.  Jesus' mind was focused (straitened) on the mission.  His entire mission would include a baptism; being buried and rising again.  This included everything up to His death, but was much more than that.  Jesus is speaking of something more than He could complete.  Notice “till it be accomplished”.  This appears to speak of something beyond His ability.

Luke 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.

Luke 22:37  For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.

Again, “accomplished” in these verses is the same Greek word as “finished”.  These speak specifically to the completing of the prophetic words spoken about the Messiah.  Prophetic words were given regarding more than just Jesus' death.

What Was Not Finished

Before answering the question at hand we will first look at a few things that He did not mean.

Some say He completed salvation for mankind.  This cannot be true because He had not yet been raised from the dead.  Dying made Jesus like many other prophets.  Rising from the dead made Him the Son of God.  Also, Christ's ascending into heaven and being seated at the right-hand of God is as much a part of our salvation as His death on the cross.

Others say “It is finished” refers to Satan's head being crushed (Genesis 3:15).  Again, this cannot be true.  It was only after Christ “descended” (Ephesians 4:9-10) and took back the “keys of death and hell” (Revelation 1:18) that the head of Satan was crushed.  The cross was simply the “bruising of the heel” mentioned in Genesis.

Another consideration is that “finished” referred to prophecy.  All of the prophecy regarding Jesus had not yet come to pass so this cannot be what was meant by the statement.  Specifically, the prophecy regarding “no broken bones” (Psalm 34:20), and the resurrection from the dead after three days in the tomb (Matthew 12:40; Mark 8:31).  There may be others, but it is outside of the scope of this study.

The establishment of the Church was the ultimate purpose of Jesus' sacrifice.  The church had not been fully established, however, because the Holy Spirit had not yet been sent.  The New Covenant was sealed by the giving of the Holy Spirit.  This occurred the first time after Jesus' death when “He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Ghost.'” (John 20:22).

Another popular belief is that Jesus was referring to the atonement when He stated, “It is finished.”  Atonement means “to be reconciled.”  Jesus' death did not completely bring mankind into right-standing with God.  Additionally, the propitiation of Jesus' blood had not yet been placed on the “true” mercy seat in heaven (Hebrews 9:11-13).  Therefore, the price had not yet been paid for sin.  The atonement for sin was not yet complete.

The last of the “nots” that will be considered is that of restored relationship.  Jesus came to be a bridge of reconciliation to bring man back to right relationship with Father.  The “middle wall of partition”, the curtain in the temple, was not yet torn apart, signifying access to the presence of God (Matthew 27:51).

In all of these things Jesus' death is a key part of the whole, but more had to be done to complete the process.

What Was Finished?

We have looked at several things “It is finished” does not mean, let's now look at a few possibilities of what it did mean.

Jesus “finished” His assignment on earth as the Son of Man.  Everything Jesus did on earth He did as the Son of Man.  If He did anything during His life based solely on His deity then He was not a “human”.  He lived a sinless life as a human, empowered by the Holy Spirit, with the direction of Father God.  He was tempted at all points, yet without sin.

Another objective completed by Jesus at the cross was to fulfill righteousness.  This was stated as an objective when He was baptized of John. (Matthew 3:15)  Jesus fulfilled the law; every jot and tittle.  He fulfilled righteousness and in doing so, His blood became the propitiation that would atone for sin.  He became the Lamb without blemish so that He could become the supreme sacrifice to atone for sin.

The phrase “It is finished” indicated Jesus had completed His assignment as Son of Man, the sacrificial Lamb of God.  There was nothing more that He could do, naturally speaking, to reconcile man back to God.  It was now up to Father God and the Holy Spirit to bring about Ephesians 1:18-21 “... that you may know what is the hope of His (Father) calling, what are the riches of the glory of His (Father) inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His (Father) power toward us who believe, according to the working of His (Father) mighty power which He (Father) worked in Christ (Jesus) when He (Father) raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and seated Him (Jesus) at His (Father) right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, ...”

Conclusion

Jesus, as the Son of Man, could not directly affect His virgin birth, nor could He bring Himself back from the grave.  Between conception and death, however, He lived a sinless life, became fully aware of His God-nature, and did it all as a man in order to redeem that which was lost in the Garden when man gave away his birthright to Satan.  He finished what Adam started!

Then Jesus was put to death on the cross, took His blood to the heavenly mercy seat, made atonement for sin, “descended” to get the keys of death and hell, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, was seated at Father's right hand, and finally sent the Holy Spirit so you and I could be reconciled to God.  That's when all of the plan of redemption was FINISHED.

Take-aways

Since this is Monday Moorings, the message here is intended to give us something we can use to anchor our life, something that will keep us from drifting. It begins by coming to the same place that Jesus did. Confess to the Father, “It is finished. My effort to accomplish Your purpose in my life is now yielded to You. Do what you desire.”

My Dad - A Tribute

I’ve written this before but unfortunately it was before I saved such things. This is a tribute to my dad.

Azell Leroy Harris was a man’s man: a police officer, Cub Scout Pack Master, Boy Scout Assistant Scout Master, served in the Army Reserves, a deacon in his church, father of 5, husband of one wife.

He could fix anything. As far back as I can recall he helped others. He did all kinds of household repair for the widows in our neighborhood.

He helped out at the Little League Ball Field as coach, umpire, concession stand volunteer, etc.

He wore Old Spice, had a flat top, and used foot powder. He had a rough beard.

I cannot remember a time when he even threatened to be violent with any of the kids or with my mom. I only remember one argument between he and my mom. Afterwards he was out working on something in the backend of the old panel truck that he had fixed up. I went out to watch him. I asked, “Daddy, are you leaving?” I’m not even sure why I would ask such a question. I don’t remember anyone ever getting a divorce. He looked at me, with what I remember to be tearful eyes, and said, “No.”

He always had a project. He bought a school bus and turned it into a camper. Yes, we were THAT family on the block. I can only remember making one major trip in it. We went to visit my aunt (his sister) in Maryland. On the way there we wrecked it in Virginia. I didn’t know then, but my mom was seriously injured. The people in the other vehicle were nearly killed. I was around 6 years old.

He used to work the games at Legion Field. He took me to a game once. It was Tennessee vs. Alabama. I sat all the way at the top of the stadium under the scoreboard. I thought I was on top of the world. Tennessee beat Alabama like a drum that year (sorry Bammers).

On Sunday, May 4, 1969, I was at my sister’s house. I spent the night with her. I remember the phone ringing early that morning. I knew it was bad news. I heard my sister answer the phone, and very soon after that there was a scream and the phone dropped. My dad had been shot.

We rushed to Caraway Methodist Hospital on the North side of Birmingham. Ironically, it was the hospital where I was born. As a young 9 year old the whole thing was quite surreal. I don’t know that I fully grasped the gravity of the situation, but I knew it was not good. Friends, family, and clergy quickly gathered in the waiting room as we hoped for some good news. None ever came. Instead they rounded up the family and took us to a room where my mom was lying in a bed, basically unconscious from the stress of the moment. Someone (a doctor, a preacher, I can’t remember) came in and told us dad was dead. I remember crying, but only because everyone else was so upset. Little did I realize that my life had changed drastically in that moment. It took about 30 years for me to fully understand how much.

The middle child in our family, Tim, was lying in a hospital bed at a different hospital that morning. The day before he was hit on the nose with a high and tight fastball. He had gone through a surgery to reconstruct his nose, which was now stuffed with gauze. They were going to wait to tell him because of the difficulty he would have trying to cry with sinuses stuffed with gauze. Unfortunately, no one thought about the television news. He found out before any of the family spoke to him.

The following events of the funeral and burial were impressive to me. I had never seen the number of police officers that attended the memorial service. The honor shown to my family, and for my dad, let me know that many loved and respected him. I was touched.

Since that time I have had opportunity to speak to several folks that knew my father much longer than I did. Everyone spoke of his kindness, willingness to help, and faithfulness to the task. He was a good cop, a great friend, loving son to his mother, and a great dad to his family.

I miss him greatly. There were many times growing up that I wished he were there. Now that I’m a father I realize how much I missed by not getting to experience life with a dad. I feel I might not have messed up so much if I had his example to follow.

So on this Father’s Day, if you have a father still living, find a way to spend time with him. If your relationship is not what it needs to be, take the initiative to restore it. If your father is no longer alive take measures to remember his life. In this information age look up every piece of information you can find on him. Talk to others that knew him. Celebrate his life.

Happy Father’s Day!

Friday Fritz | 6 June 2014 – Why not praise?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? People have asked that for years, but the answer is obvious: the chicken. The egg would never have hatched without a chicken to sit on it.

Which comes first, a praising church or someone willing to praise? Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 declares that preaching is foolishness to those who have not believed, but for the Christian it is the “power of God”. In Romans 10:14, Paul also asserted that without a preacher no one would be saved. In other words, someone has to be willing to be a fool (in the worlds eyes) in order to reach those who are lost.

I believe the same can be said about praise. If someone doesn’t become foolish for God, no one will. The three Hebrew boys in Daniel did not wait for someone else to take a stand. They gave up their lives that day. Even though the Lord rescued them from the fiery furnace, they were willing to suffer death to bring glory to God.

Are you willing? Are you willing to suffer being called a fool in order to allow the Spirit of God to show Himself through you? I’m sure that first chicken looked pretty silly sitting on a white ball, not even knowing what would come of it. But when the egg cracked open, a cycle of life was created that has never ended. What would happen if you decided to “sit on an egg” by giving praise to our God. It might start something that will never end!

Take the opportunity this weekend to praise the Lord

Wednesday Wit | 4 June 2014 - Steven Wright-isms part 1

Steven Wright is one of my favorite comics. Here are a few from Steven. Share your own in the comments. I'd love to hear them.

All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.

Many people quit looking for work when they find a job.

I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.

Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

Tuesday Thrombosis | 3 June 2014 – Cursing

The use of foul language is commonly referred to as cursing, or as my mom used to say, cussin. Even though the use of such language is not appropriate, and in my personal opinion totally useless, it is not the topic for today.

The opposite of blessing is cursing. The Bible tells us that it is a choice that one makes.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV) says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”. That makes things pretty clear. The writer equates life with blessing, death with cursing. Again, I’m not talking about the “4-letter-words.” Let me clarify.

When you were a child which made you feel better: 1) “All you know how to do is mess up. You can’t do anything right. I wish you were like _______ because they never acted this way.” or 2) “I love you! Thanks for cleaning your room. You didn’t win the game but you played well.”?

The root word for “curse” in scripture means to “make light”, while “blessing” means “to bow, or kneel.” The motivation behind the curse is pride. When we curse someone it is to bring the person down, or make light of any accomplishments. The motivation behind the blessing is humility, or building up another, exalting them above you.

Scripture teaches us that it is out of the abundance of the heart that our mouths speak. If we have cursing on the inside it will come out. If we have blessing on the inside it will come out. Cursing usually originates from hurt in our life. When someone or something reminds us of the hurt we lash out with venom to bring it down, whether it be friend or foe, spouse, son or daughter, or even God. The only way to remove the curse on the inside is to allow the Lord to heal it. When the root of bitterness is removed the fruit of cursing will no longer be part of your vocabulary.

In other words, the thrombosis of not forgiving, not repenting, not yielding to the Holy Spirit, can cause a blockage in the flow of blessing both from and to your life. Be honest with yourself. Look deep into your heart and find the source of the anger and cursing that comes out of your mouth. You may need a counselor or a praying friend to help you through the process of forgiving or repenting. But just as the surgeon’s scalpel can remove the thrombosis in our bodies, the Holy Spirit can help you remove these areas that block the blessings.

Take the challenge of Deuteronomy 30:19. Make a choice today. Choose life! Choose to bless!