Heart Tracks - Finished!

Finished!

"I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do." John 17:4.... The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ— “It is finished!” (John 19:30). That is the final word in the redemption of humankind. Oswald Chambers

When Christ cried out on the cross, "It is finished," He was making a declaration of freedom to all who would hear His cry. As Chambers alludes, it shook the universe. It still does. Has it shaken you? Has it been heard by you? Do you realize, know, that the captivity of sin into which all are born, was broken, once for all by the sacrifice of His life on the cross. The power of the curse upon mankind was broken...for all who would receive it. Has it been received by you? When He cried "It is finished," He was saying that all that was needed to break the power of sin over the human race had been accomplished through His death on the cross and soon to follow resurrection. He needed to add nothing. It was complete. It was finished. Is it finished for, and in you and me? His victory went "far as the curse is found," and further still. Resurrection life has been released to all who will receive it. Resurrection life that permeates and fills every aspect of our lives. It is what He has given us. Is it being realized, lived out by us?

Ray Pritchard wrote, "When Jesus said it was finished, He meant it was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future." There is nothing we can or need do to add to the work of Christ on the cross. It is finished, and as the old song goes, "The battle is over." Except for so many, the battle goes on. They still live as if everything depends upon them, not knowing and experiencing that all depends upon Him. So the past keeps them in chains, the present fills them with anxiety, and the future holds nothing but fear. For those trapped in such lives, it is never finished. It is an endless journey of weariness that just leaves us more weary, discouraged and defeated.

It's Easter time again. Maybe you'll find yourself in a church somewhere. Hopefully, if you do, you'll hear some form of this truth. If so, what will you do with this truth? Will you nod your head in agreement with what you hear, bask in some momentary feelings of hope, and then step back into your world, trying to hold on for another day....and then another day, and then....? Two thousand years ago, the One who holds the key, unlocked the chaining power of sin. It was finished on that cross. All that remains for you and me is to enter into that finished work and begin to live in the fruit of its victory. Finished? Yes! Finished in you? Only you can answer that.

Blessings,
Pastor O