He has done it! It is finished!

... He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

Have you ever asked yourself this question? If the work is all finished by Jesus Christ on the cross, why then are we still doing all these works as if it is still not finished? Works like plan a whole year events, organize activities to attract more comers, more happening in the house groups, set a target to achieve in the numbers - be it in membership or in tithing or plan for a new Church building. Even writing a blog such as this. The list goes on...

What exactly is finished? Does it mean Christ only finished the work of Salvation and we are to bring the gospel out to the lost? Or does it mean Christ has finished His part and now we have to do our part? Do you seriously think all these works that we do add anything to the finished work of Christ? What do you think Christ has finished?

Hold your horses and hold your stones. What am I saying here? Am I saying not to do the work of the ministries? Am I saying go and live a lazy and unproductive life and just wait for the day of Salvation to come? Certainly not! How shall we who are in Christ live a lazy life?

[Heb 6:10-12] 10 God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

[Heb 4:9-11] There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

[John 19:28] After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled... [John 19:30] ... He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

From the verses above, we see that God is not unjust. He always remember our good work. And God also wants us to enter into His rest and we too rest from our own work. So now what is our good work that God remembered and what is our own work that He does not want us to do? The answer is found in "It is finished!" - the faith to believe all things have been accomplished in Christ. The work that we do, if we do it thinking that our effort will add something to His Kingdom, thinking that our effort counts for something, it has become dead work and that is disobedience to God. On the other hand the same work that we do but believing that Christ has already accomplished it on the cross, it is considered good work to God. The answer is not in the type of work we do but in the manner we believed.

We can plan a whole year events, but if we think that those events will contribute to the His Kingdom, His Salvation plan because we do it, we have failed. But if we believe that those events are part of His Salvation plan that He has placed in our hearts. And we are just executing His plan according to His timing which He has already accomplished it, we have succeeded. That's called "mixed with faith" (Heb 4:2). That of course if you can believe.

Ever wonder why sometime we find it hard to believe yet sometime it is so easy? In Christ all things have been accomplished including your faith to believe. Set your heart unto Him and He shall lead you in the path of righteousness to execute His plan and give you the faith to believe according to His time. Hear Him!

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Previous posted - 22nd April 2009

A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done it. (Psa 22:30-31 NIV)

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)

What is finished? The will of the Father is finished, is accomplished on the cross. Why He thirst? So that you will never thirst because He gave you a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14) Why sour wine? He took your sorrow, your sadness, your suffering, your sour life and gave you His peace and joy, His happiness, His riches and honor, His sweet and beautiful life, His everlasting life... God's kind of life. All that needs to be done is done by Christ on the cross. Therefore He said "It is finished" even your faith. If you can believe is because you are chosen. If you are not, you won't even bother. Always praise God, always thank Him. If not for Jesus... it will be "I am finished!" for you and I. Hear Him!