Welcome to Connect the Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. We're glad you've tuned in for today's program. Connect with Skip Heitzig wants to connect you to God's never-changing truth through verse-by-verse teaching of His Word. And that's why we make messages like this one today available to you and so many others on air and online.
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Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Artists use the term telesty. When an artist was making a painting or a sculpture, When the artist was done, he or she would step back from the work of art. And if it was completed, all the color was there, all the detail. all the finishing touches and a good craftsman put detail and touch in it.
He or she would step back and say, to tell the style. It is finished. The picture is complete. was the idea. The picture is complete.
Hey, when I read the Old Testament, I find lots of details, lots of touches, lots of prophecies about the Messiah, shadows, ceremonies, lots of stuff. But when I read it. I get the idea that something's missing. The picture is not complete. It's predicting something that hasn't come yet.
But when I read the New Testament and Jesus steps into the picture, Now the picture is complete. Jesus said, I didn't come to destroy the law or the prophets, I came to. Fulfill. to complete the picture.
So the picture is now all completed. There's a fourth group. That used the term merchants and bankers. Once you paid off your bill or your debt, To the bank or to a merchant, they would give you a little sheet that would read. At the top, Tetelistai.
In fact, did you know that we have found, not we, not like I've done it, but archaeologists have found. Scholars have found Papyri ancient papyri for people who have paid their taxes off And across the top of the papyrus it reads Tetelesty, paid in full, was the idea. Paid in full.
So, merchants or bankers would use the term telestai to simply say your debt has been paid off in full. How fitting for Jesus to say it from the cross. Because I don't know if you know this or not. Most of you do. We are debtors.
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That's an insurmountable debt. You can never pay that, you're bankrupt. The wages of sin is Debt.
So we have a debt we can't pay, and we look at this huge pile of debt. It's like, there's no way I can pay that off. Jesus comes along and announces from the cross, paid. N. Full.
It's done. Titalesty.
So as the servant He's fulfilling the wishes of his master. As the priest, he's offering himself as the perfect sacrifice. As the artist, he's completing the picture. And he's paying off in full our debt. The statement is meaningful.
The second thing in looking back at the text Shit. It's just hearing the statement as we read it. It tells us something about the speaker himself: that here's a man who lived with purpose. with goals, with priorities.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished, and bowing his head, he gave up. His spirit. He lived with purpose. He lived with priorities. And those priorities, that goal.
Comes out in so many other statements that he made in his life. Here's one. Remember the time when Jesus goes to Samaria and he goes to the well of Samaria, and there's that woman at the well of Samaria, and Jesus talks with her. The disciples have gone into the town to buy food. They get back.
The woman leaves to tell her friends and family what's happening. The disciples, knowing that Jesus is tired like they are and needs something to eat. They say, here's some food, you ought to eat it. And he says, I have food to eat that you don't know anything about. And they look at each other like What does that mean?
Did somebody like give them a hamburger while we were gone? Excuse me, a falafel while we were gone? And Jesus explains himself. For my food. is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish.
the work. To do it and to finish it. I'm living with a purpose. I have a goal. I am on track.
I'm going somewhere. And I live by priorities, and I'm going to finish the task. Fast forward to John chapter 17. We reviewed it in depth: the high priestly prayer of Jesus. Jesus lifts up his eyes and he says, Father, the hour has come.
Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. I have glorified you on the earth. I have faith. Finish. The work which you have given me.
to do. He knows he's right at the end. He has hours left to live. Everything the Father has given him. And now we Anticipates the end of it.
And he said, I finished the work. Then look down at our text and go back to verse 28 and notice these words again, if you will. Verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things are now. What?
It says accomplished. Same word, teleos, accomplished. That the scriptures might be. Fulfilled, same word. Teleas.
Mm-hmm. He says, I thirst. He drinks it. And then he says. To tell a sigh.
It Is Finished. Here's a man who lived and spoke and moved. with purpose. He had goals in mind. And now he's saying it's done.
I was reading a magazine. I was on the way back from Dallas, Texas, a while back. The magazine cover had an article entitled The Power to Excel. And it was an article about several books out on Finding the goals that you set in life.
So I read the article and read some of the titles of the book, and if memory serves me. The books were called The power of purpose. Iron will, self-discipline. The magnificent obsession. The physiotherapy of achievement.
All of these books, and they basically had the same idea all the way through them. Here's the idea: if you want to be successful in life, say these authors. You, number one, set a goal. Number two. You make concrete steps to achieve your goal, and number three, you evaluate those steps along the way objectively.
So I was thinking about that. That this whole philosophy about achieving your goal, and I thought, How Different. From Jesus. Oh, he had his goals and he had the steps to get there. And he evaluated those steps.
But how different? Because. Jesus' whole life and goal and purpose. was not for self. was not self-oriented.
Was not self-centered, was not for self-aggrandizement, but for the Father. It was all about pouring his life out for others according to the will of the Father, so that at the end of his life he could say, it is. Finished. I have a question for you. How can anyone say it is finished after three and a half years of ministry?
Three and a half years. That's a very short. Span to do much of anything. But after three and a half years, On the cross, he says, It's done. It's finished.
Everything you've given me to do, I've accomplished.
Now Jesus, I grant you. Did many wonderful things. He healed many people, but for every person he healed, there were 10 unhealed people. There were still broken lives and broken bodies throughout all of Israel, let alone the world.
So how can you say at the end of three and a half years I've done it all. Here's how. Because he said, I've done everything. You have given me to do, Father. This is what you have called me to do.
Here's my goal. Here's my priority. And that's it.
So the goals he. Was accomplishing were goals given to him by the Father. And number two, he evaluated those goals in the light of eternity, not the temporary. Boy, I tell you what, if we can grab a hold of that, there's freedom in that. What has God called you to do?
In fact, this is a good time to ask yourself: what are your goals in life? How's the spiritual goal thing coming for you? How is the seek first the kingdom of God? Going. What are your goals?
What are you pursuing? Is it worth it? And what are you going to do when you achieve it? I read a statement made by Lewis Ferry Schaefer, the one-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary. He said that he had a friend who chased so many.
Insignificant things in life. He said, he reminds me of a bulldog chasing a freight train. I wonder what he's gonna do when he catches it. What's the dog going to do when he catches the train? Attack it?
When you achieve your goal, What then? Is it worth the pursuit? I guarantee you, if you have the right goals. It's well worth the pursuit. Let me tell you a little bit about the Illustration that might help you arrange your goals and think about it this week.
In Milan, Italy, there is a cathedral. And there's an entrance to the cathedral that has three doors on the same wall. It's a Three portal entryway. And over every Doorway, each of the three, there's an inscription above it.
So, as you're going up the steps into the cathedral, over the right-hand portal. It says, all that pleases is but for a moment. On the left-hand portal is inscribed All the troubles is but for a moment. Over the main. the largest, the central door, the central archway, are these words.
Nothing is important except that which is eternal. Everything that pleases, everything that troubles is so momentary, the most important goals you can make and set are eternal goals, spiritual goals. Here is Jesus, a man of purpose who lived his whole life. for the goal of pleasing the Father and pouring out his life, saying, After three and a half years of ministry, accomplished. Done.
It is finished. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Before we return to Skip's teaching, what would your life look like if God's fingerprints were all over it? In God Print, The Life of Abraham, Pastor Skip takes you through seven powerful messages on the faith journey of one man who learned to trust God through crisis, fear, and uncertainty. Abraham's life was shaped by God, and so can yours be.
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Now let's get back to today's teaching with Pastor Skip.
Now, finally, I want to look at the significance of the statement. The significance is wonderful. We still haven't really answered the question. It is finished. What is it?
If it is finished, it doesn't mean I am finished, or we are finished, or this movement is finished. He says it is finished. What does he mean by it? What's finished exactly?
Well, first of all, Jesus' suffering. is about over. That's about to come to an end. Man has done his worst. They pinned him on a cross, they beat him up with a whip, they put a crown of thorns, Judas betrayed him.
All of that is over now. In a few moments he'll be cradled in the arms of his father. Finished. Are the sufferings of Jesus on the cross? Momentarily, he'll be.
with his father. The second thing that is finished is the Old Covenant, the Old Testament.
Now Do you know that the old covenant predicted, anticipated the new covenant? Jeremiah 30, God said, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with my people. Yeah. And so the writer of Hebrews says, God takes away the first that he might establish the second. That's the new covenant.
So the old covenant is finished. And boy am I glad. Because as I read just the Old Testament without the grace, see, that's what it says in John chapter 1: for the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. As I read the law of the Old Testament, it's like looking at a policeman with his finger pointed at me. You went too fast.
You didn't make the turn right. You were texting as you drive. Not that I do that. I read the Bible, I read the Old Testament, and all these, you shall not, you shall not, you shall do this, you shall not, and I go. Blown it, blown it, blown it, blown it.
Because the law points its finger and says, You haven't kept God's perfect standard. The law is like looking at a mirror. We hate mirrors. And that's why we want the mirrors that have the lights that are placed just so. Maybe on the side, maybe a little bit lower, maybe shining up just a little bit.
And that's the mirror we want for our house because it brings flattering light to us. We go, why? I look. I don't look so bad. I look good.
You read the law of God, it won't slatter anyone. It tells you the truth, and it says basically spiritually. You're ugly. I'm ugly. We're all hopeless.
Okay.
So the very law that is the mirror and that points At your wrong, at the same time, has no power to do anything about it. Just like the mirror in your bathroom can't cleanse you. You never take it off the wall and start scrubbing with the mirror. It has no power to do that. It just simply says, here's the truth about you.
Yeah. So I am glad that the old covenant is done, it's finished, and we have the new covenant. The grace and truth that comes through Jesus Christ. Every now and then I meet a person who says, Well, you know, I live by the Ten Commandments. I love those conversations.
Really? You live by the Ten Commandments. That's. That's my religion.
So you're telling me You haven't broken the tank amount? Oh no, well, I mean I've broken a few of them. I've lied. I stole something when I was younger. Taking the Lord's name in vain, I've done that a few times.
But I've never murdered anybody.
Okay, but you admit you are a lawbreaker because the Bible says if you offend in one, you're guilty of breaking all of it. You're a lawbreaker.
So you say you live by the Ten Commandments, you just don't keep them.
Well And then I've had people say, Well, you know, I'm really good at sort of talking my way out of things, and I figure that I've done my best. And when I see God face to face, I can sort of talk my way through this. Can I just say that's a bad plan? It's a really bad plan. The best plan is to let the law go, the old covenant go, embrace the new covenant of.
Free forgiveness and grace, you receive Christ as your Savior. And let it be done. It is finished. Brings us to the fourth and final thing. And really, the crux, here's the center of what Jesus meant when he said it is finished.
Our redemption. Our salvation. is done It's finished. You can't add to it. You can't improve upon it, and it's not.
A joint effort. It's not like, well, God, you do your part, and I'll do my part. You know what your part is? Believe That's your part. They asked Jesus, What must we do to work the works of God?
Jesus said, This is the work of God that you believe on Him. whom he has sent. That's your part. Cool story. A guy came to an evangelist named Alexander Wooten.
He was an eccentric evangelist years ago. And he said, using the biblical phrase, what must I do to be saved? And Alexander Wooten looked at him and said, It's too late. The man was shocked. It's too late?
You mean I can't do anything? Wooten said, It's too late. It's already been done. You can't do anything. It's already been done for you.
The only thing left for you to do is to believe. That it's done. It's a finished work. You don't add to it. You believe by faith, and when you come that way, your life will change, but you come that way.
It's done. It is finished. Tetelesty. Our redemption, our salvation. is done.
Now Finish out the verse. I noticed something that I found peculiar. I want to share with you. The end of verse 30, it says, And bowing his head. He gave up his spirit.
You know why that's a little odd? Because that's different. From how you and I would die. If we were standing up or pinned to something or Sitting in a chair with our head erect. It would read this.
He died. And then bowed his head. Once you die, the head would slump forward, but not with Jesus. He bowed his head first, then. He died.
It tells me his head has been erect the entire time, and I did a little investigation. The way the word is rendered in the original, it's Jesus. Put his head, nestled his head downward. It wasn't a slump, it was a deliberate, slow placing of the head. And so it says, and bowing his head, he gave up.
Gabu, dismissed is the literal word. Dismissed. His spirit. So here's Jesus on the cross. He bows his head slightly.
And he says to his spirit, you can go now. And that's exactly what he said would happen. He said, nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down and to take it up again.
And here is Jesus laying it down. placing his head downward, dismissing his spirit. And dying.
So here's the deal. God finishes everything he starts. He's not like me in my garage and my leaves and my closet and my taxes. God finishes everything He starts. Jesus is the author and the author.
Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. Have you ever thought of joy and a cross? You know what the joy was for Jesus? Being able to say to you and me, You're forgiven? Come hang with me for eternity.
That brought him joy. I believe the first taste of that joy is when he said to the man next to him, Today you'll be with me in paradise. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. That man got it. You'll be with me in paradise.
You know what? You're in the right place. At the right time. Because Although It's a finished work.
Some of you have unfinished business with God. He's given you The offer of forgiveness. The only thing missing is you haven't received it. He's given you the gift of eternal life. You just haven't personalized it.
Yet. What he's done is finished. But you have unfinished business with God. Let me end with the true story, 1829, George Wilson. Convicted of murder.
He was robbing the U.S. Mail. He killed a federal worker. He was arrested. And sentenced to execution by hanging.
That's how they did it then.
Some of his friends appealed to the president at that time, Andrew Jackson, to release. George Wilson. To the shock of everybody, Andrew Jackson signed his release. He wrote with his own hands that that man was a free man, signed a pardon. But The criminal, George Wilson, According to history, would not accept the pardon.
So now the president, Andrew Jackson, turns to the Supreme Court to make the decision. Yeah. Chief Justice John Marshall. Puts forth a rendering that would become historic. John Marshall said, a pardon.
has no value. unless it is accepted by the criminal. A pardon has no value. unless it is accepted. by the sinner.
Jesus was willing to say, it is finished. But not everybody is willing to say I believe So finish the business. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Before you go, don't forget to request this month's resource, GodPrint, The Life of Abraham. This powerful seven-message study from Skip-Heitzig shows how God's presence shaped one man's life and how He can shape yours.
It's our thanks for your generous gift of fifty dollars or more to support this ministry. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And while you're there, sign up for Skiff's weekly devotional email to grow deeper in your walk with Christ.
We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect the Skiff Heitzig Weekend Edition. Make a connection. Make a connection never before. Connect with Skip Heitzik is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
