"It is finished!"

Those were Jesus' last words before He sovereignly and purposefully yielded his life to death on the cross.
Everyone tends to regard someone's last words as fairly significant, so why did Jesus choose the words He did? The Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is God in flesh ("and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means, God with us" -Matt. 1:23), so as God Almighty, Jesus chose the perfect words to be his last ones before death. What is the significance of His last words?

"IT IS FINISHED!"

What is finished?

(Let me encourage you to read through Matthew 27:27-55; Mark 15:16-41; Luke 23:18-49 and John 19:1-37. For sake of space on this post, I will not quote all those verses here.)

Is Jesus referring to His own earthly life and the fact that it is over now? Is He speaking of the pain and suffering He has endured on the cross and the fact that it is finally going to end?
I think Scripture clearly indicates over and over again what Jesus is declaring complete and accomplished!

He is speaking of much much more than His own life or pain and suffering. As one reads through the gospels Jesus constantly tells His mother, disciples, and even the Pharisees that He is there to do the work of His Father. But what is this work? What was the purpose of God taking on flesh and living without ever sinning among sinful men for 33 years only to die the most awful, humiliating death there is?

"But He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord has layed on Him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:5-6

Think about it. God took on flesh, came to earth, lived a sinless life, was executed as if he were a murderer and thief and rose the third day all to accomplish what? The salvation of "all who believe".

"For as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." - John 1:12

What do you need to be saved from?

sin?
hell?
trials, suffering?

The Jews hailed Jesus as Messiah and an entire city shook with their excitement on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. These Jews were overjoyed because finally their Savior had come. They believed that He was the one they had been waiting for. (See Luke 19:28-39) But, just a week later they are the same ones shouting for Him to be crucified. Why?

They misunderstood what He had come to save them from. They wanted a Savior from Rome, from their oppressors. They wanted political freedom. They wanted King Jesus to be their earthly king and have a perfect nation and government. They misunderstood why God took on flesh.

I wonder if we don't do the same.
You see, God did not take on flesh primarily to save us from our difficulties, to save us from hell, and even from our sin.
He took on flesh and came to die to save us from His wrath. Christ died to save us from the wrath of God.

John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
If God's wrath remains on the unbelieving, that means it is already there. It is not that God shows wrath when we choose not to believe. NO! He chooses not to show us wrath when we DO BELIEVE!

Romans 5:8-10 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life."

As one poet puts it:
"the punishment of God on God has brought me peace."

So what is finished? What is accomplished?

Our peace with God!

"Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:1

Our peace with God is by faith in Christ alone!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

God saves us because He is gracious, not because we do or don't do certain things. It is a gift! He does not want us to boastin ourselves!

"He (God) is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, 'let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord'". - I Cor. 1:30-31

Only in the Cross
by Mark Altrogge

"When I look upon the cross
In that spectacle of suffering
I see the power of God
There the Son of God was crushed
And lifted up to die for me
And conquered death forever

So I will glory only in the cross
Yes, I will glory only in the cross
And I will make my boast
In the Lord Jesus Christ
Crucified to ransom us

When I look upon the cross
In what might seem a senseless death
I see the wisdom of God
For there the sinless Holy One
Was made to be sin for me
Then He declared me righteous

To listen to this song, click on this link, then select the song "Only in the Cross": http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums/category/sovereign_grace_music/songs_for_the_cross_centered_life

IT IS FINISHED! Glory in it!