Lamb of God – It is finished!

The Lamb of God and The Cross

It is Finished – one word in the Greek language – Tetelestai….and Today you will be with me in Paradise…..

Tetelestai was  avery familiar word to the people of the times of Jesus

-merchants, artists, priests and many others used this word…  Merchants would write this word on receipts when people paid in full for their merchandise..

-Jesus finished what He started.  Tetelestai means it is dine, stands finished and will always be finished…

What did Jesus finish?

(1) THE WORK OF JESUS ON THE CROSS IS FINISHED – 1 Peter 3:18 & Romans 6:10

-What Jesus did on the cross will only happen once and mankind debt, their sins, were paid for through the blood of Jesus on the cross…

-there will never be another sacrifice offered for humanities sins

(2) ALL DEMONIC AND SATANIC POWERS ARE DEFEATED – Colossians 2:13-15

-through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, all the powers of hell are defeated

-the enemy has no power over any believer

Col 2:15 – this is the picture of a victorious general who steps on the neck of a defeated general in the public square….

-so the enemy in our life is underneath our feet of the believer

-spiritual battles still occur though, but we have all authority in Jesus to handle any enemy attack – 1 Peter 5:8-9

-Resist – the word resist comes from the english word antihistamine – which opens up blocked passages

(3) DIRECT ACCESS TO HEAVEN IS COMPLETE AND FINISHED – Luke 23:38-43

-“Today you will be with me in Paradise”

-this is about the conversion of the thief on the cross

     a.  this saying from the cross reveals there is a place called heaven.  It is real

paradise – speaks of a beautiful garden area where huge banquets will take place

     b. this saying reveals that we can have confidence in our redemption – TODAY and YOU WILL…..

-getting to paradise is not by works, but through the cross and blood of Jesus Christ.  No one can earn salvation through works

Pluralism

-says that all religions present equally valid ways of gaining salvation – this is wrong

Universalism

-it states that everyone will embrace Jesus and go to heaven and a nice resting place

-we see here though that one thief makes it to heaven and the other one does not

-There is life after death……….

*Jesus told the thief that he was going to keep living

*purgatory – this is a holding place where you receive some purification and then can be prayed out into heaven

*annihilationism – when you die, your life is over

*reincarnation – this is spiritual evolution.  After death, a person passes into another body and this keeps happening until they get things right and then float to a place of peace

*soul sleep – ones body and soul sleeps in a grave in an unconscious state until the resurrection occurs

*All of these philosophies are wrong and only Christianity is right…..Phil 1:21 & 2 Cor 5:8