It Is Finished
It is done. It is finished. Christ has won. He is risen!
Take a moment to read these verses in Matthew… meditate, journal, and reflect.
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
Matthew 20:17-19
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Matthew 28:1-10
What a glorious day it is! I know today may look different than the “typical” Easter day, but it does not lessen what happened on this day many years ago. No matter the circumstances, this day will forever be the most glorious day in history. The implications of Easter are precious, because the resurrection guarantees that one day all things created will be made new.
Jesus was delivered up to the cross “for our trespasses and raised for our justification,” which means that our sins brought him to the cross, and He was brought out of the grave because of the finished work on the cross. Since Jesus was perfect, blameless, and sinless, God raised him from the dead to justify all He had sacrificed and accomplished for you and for me. God always has been, and forever will be a God of mercy and a God of justice—those two go hand-in-hand (“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” Psalm 33:5). Jesus did not deserve the death he experienced, therefore God spared his life and resurrected Him.
If Christ did not raise from the dead, it would mean we are still in our sins. It would mean no forgiveness or mercy. BUT His death is not how the story ended and thank goodness it’s not! Instead, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight” Ephesians 1:7-8. His death really did cover the sins of his people and it really did provide a perfect righteousness for us.
He is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, on a throne, where He deserves to sit (“But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God” Luke 22:69). He sits there and intercedes on our behalf—Jesus Christ prays for His people! How cool! With all authority in heaven and on earth, He will reign there until all His enemies are under His feet (Matthew 28:18).
Now, this is what “It is finished” means.
He rose to show us that we really can be saved from our sin. The reality is, we do not deserve salvation, and there is no way we could earn it on our own. Since sin enslaves us to death and leads to everlasting judgement, yet we cannot be sinless on our own, we desperately need a Savior. Jesus Christ rose to cancel our debt and to set us free from the wages of sin (“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23). The only thing we have to do, is put our faith and trust in Jesus (“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9).
Love indeed has triumphed over death!! If you missed yesterday’s blog, check it out to read about this kind of love. You can find it here: https://www.brookerichards.org/blog/2020/4/10/love-has-a-name
Reflection Question: Why is Easter a big deal? What is the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection? If you have never done so before, would you consider surrendering your life to Him today?
Today’s Worship Song: It Is Finished — Passion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEiFSrBwIjk
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6CAEUmlr6iQeJRqgJXkouf?si=9gKuyhD_THqFilMMwwdWyQ
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/it-is-finished-feat-melodie-malone-live/1446768497?i=1446768668
I have loved receiving prayer requests from you. Please continue to send them my way! Also, if you have any questions about what you read today, or just want to chat, my email is: blrich1399@gmail.com
Happy Easter! He is risen, indeed!
With Love,
Brooke
