Leading The Way

Guest (Female): Thank you for opening time in your busy day for a powerful, life-changing message from Dr. Michael Youssef on this episode of Leading The Way audio.

Dr. Michael Youssef: When Jesus said, "It is finished," the result of that finished work will endure for all of eternity. It is finished means that every nation and every generation, that anyone comes to him confessing their sin, repenting of their sin, and receiving him as their only Savior and Lord, they will be blessed by that finished work of Christ and be eternally saved from hell.

Guest (Male): Today, the last words Jesus spoke while hanging on the cross, words that echo loudly into this Easter season and throughout eternity. Listen with me to Dr. Michael Youssef as he begins this episode of Leading The Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef: When our Lord and Savior was hanging on that cross, he, in perfect agony, made seven statements from the cross. Today, I will focus on the very last word. It was one word in Aramaic and as it is in Greek, but several words in English.

Only John, who stood at the foot of the cross with the other Marys, recorded verbatim what that last word was. In John chapter 19, verse 30, when Jesus received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head and dismissed his spirit. Mark said that Jesus gave up a loud cry and he died. Matthew said Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last. Luke said then Jesus gave a loud cry.

Only John in chapter 19 of his gospel, verse 30, can tell us what that last cry was because he was there. The three words in English, "It is finished," is one word in the Greek as well as the Aramaic which Jesus spoke. Three English words got the meaning of one Greek word as recorded in the New Testament. More accurately translated into English is actually four words: "It has been finished." It has been finished. I'm going to explain that in a minute.

One of the things I really stunk at is grammar and syntax. That was the bane of every language I studied. But when I began studying Greek in seminary, it was the first time I began to absolutely value grammar and syntax like I have never done before. I'm going to give you the best example of grammar and syntax, and I hope that you have the same revival that I had all day today.

The word *tetelestai* in Greek is in the perfect passive verb. It's a perfect passive verb. Say that with me: perfect passive verb. Yeah, you can get excited on grammar. How can that be thrilling to you? How can that be thrilling to me? How can the perfect passive verb utterly transform my life and my ministry? Because it means that the purpose of Christ coming from heaven has been fulfilled, that the goal of his earthly life has been realized, that the objective has been achieved, that the end has been reached. It is all accomplished.

And then there is one more thing. Perfect passive verb means that while the purpose has been accomplished, the effect of that accomplishment continues on and on and on until Jesus comes back. Here's what it means. Listen to me. The result of that fulfilled purpose on the cross continues forever. The benefits that have been accomplished go on and on until eternity. The impact of that accomplished work of Christ, the impact will affect us until Jesus comes back.

The finished work of Christ dying on that cross will bless millions upon millions upon millions of people from every language, every nation, and every tribe until we join him in the clouds in heaven. When Jesus said, "It is finished," the result of that finished work will endure for all of eternity. It is finished means that every nation and every generation, that anyone comes to him confessing their sin, repenting of their sin, and receiving him as their only Savior and Lord, they will be blessed by that finished work of Christ and be eternally saved from hell.

But there's something else I need to tell you. I don't want you to miss here. The danger of those who take a verse out of context and run with it and never really put it in context, biblical context, they miss out on the complete blessing. Why do I say this? Because all of Jesus' earthly life, all of his earthly life, all of his earthly ministry time was leading to that one word, *tetelestai*. Can you say it with me? *Tetelestai*. God bless you.

This is the sum total of Jesus' ministry. The very reason why Jesus came from heaven was perfectly and completely summarized in that word, *tetelestai*. From his virgin birth to his boyhood, to his adolescent years, to his manhood, to his public ministry, the cry of his life had been, "I must finish the work that the Father has given me. I must complete or accomplish the work my Father has given me to do."

When he was baptized in the River Jordan and John the Baptist was overwhelmed and he said, "I can't believe that you're coming to be baptized, you should baptize me," and he said, "No, John, let it be, let it be in order that I might complete the righteousness. I must finish the work my Father has given me and sent me to accomplish."

In his temptation in the wilderness, what Satan was doing basically was giving him a shortcut so he doesn't have to go to the cross. And he was giving him a shortcut to avoid the cross, but he with dignity insisted, "I must go to the cross. I must finish the work that my Father has sent me to do." Jesus' entire ministry was built on that one statement, "It is finished. I want to finish the work my Father has given me."

In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus saying this word again and again and again. The word is "the hour," "my hour," "his hour." He repeats it all the time as if Jesus was operating with an internal clock that nobody else knew except him. And so in chapter 2, when Jesus attends a family wedding, relatives in Cana of Galilee, when he attends this wedding, his mother said to him, "Save them embarrassment, save them shame, they ran out of wine." And he said to her, "Woman, my hour has not yet come."

Nonetheless, he turned the water into wine to save them embarrassment. Oh beloved, listen to me. This makes it very clear that Jesus was motivated by that hour. Jesus was compelled by that hour. Jesus was propelled by that hour. Jesus came from heaven for that hour.

You know in John chapter 7, part of 8, if you read it carefully, you realize that his half-brothers—because after Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary and Joseph had a bunch of kids as the gospel tells us—and these half-brothers of Jesus really did not believe in him. And so they were taunting him in the Gospel of John. You see they said, "You claim to be the Messiah, what are you doing in Galilee? This is not where you're supposed to be. This is not where the action is. You need to go to Hollywood. Go to Jerusalem and declare your Messiahship. Go to the feast and declare Messiahship."

But he insisted with dignity. He said to them, "No, my hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come." No wonder after the resurrection, his half-brother James literally was martyred gladly, died for Jesus. The other half-brother Jude calls himself the slave of Jesus. Many times when the enemies of Christ wanted to kill him—and again, one of the other places that I just love to teach at, the precipice right there where they brought him out of the synagogue in Nazareth and wanted to push him down and it's really deep down all the way down, and they want to push him—he just walked away. They tried to kill him so many times, but they couldn't. Why? Because his hour has not yet come.

And in that very famous passage, John chapter 13, when Jesus was washing the disciples' dirty feet, it says, "Knowing that his hour has come." What is that hour? The hour of finishing the work that the Father has given him. Oh beloved, listen to me. When I reflect in my own life and ministry, I realize how many times I failed to wait for his hour and I failed miserably. How many times I tried to beat down closed doors that he shut, but because it was not the hour, I experienced pain.

And that is why now often my cry, my prayer has always been, "It's your will, not mine. Your timing, not my timing. Your hour, not my hour." Some of you, I know, probably have been asking for a long time and you're waiting. "How long shall I wait? How long shall I wait for that promotion? How long shall I wait for that job? How long shall I wait for that rebellious child to turn back to the Lord? How long shall I wait for healing? How long shall I wait for deliverance? How long shall I wait for that child that I want?"

Beloved, instead of crying "How long," let me tell you as your brother in Christ, cry "Your will be done." Can you say it with me? "Your will be done." Your hour for me will be done. Now I can testify to the fact that his hour is perfect. His timing is impeccable. His hour is glorious. His hour is the right hour. And when Jesus cried out, "*Tetelestai*," that was not a cry of resignation as some liberals are saying. It is not the cry of sorrow. It is not the cry of helplessness. No, no, no, no, it's a cry of accomplishment. It's a cry of completion. It's a cry of fulfillment.

God had only one plan for salvation, not a smorgasbord, take it and leave it. One plan for salvation for everyone on the face of the earth who would come to him and receive his finished work of Christ. And know some well-meaning Christians will say, "God did his part, I've got to do my part." No, no, no, you have no part. Hello? You have no part. He did it all. He finished it all. All you need to do is to come and receive.

But there's more. The entire Old Testament—and if you haven't read my book, *How to Read the Bible*, you really need to read it—because the entire Old Testament history tells us that God's faithful people were longing for that word, *tetelestai*. Abraham by faith longed for the day when he heard from the mouth of the lips of Jesus, "*Tetelestai*." Moses prophesied of that day when those words can be pronounced, "*Tetelestai*." David sang songs looking forward longingly for the day when the word *tetelestai* is uttered by the Messiah. Prophet after prophet declared the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and longed to hear the word *tetelestai*.

Even the Ten Commandments, the Bible said they were given to us as a guardian, as a schoolmaster to guard us until the coming of Christ. Even the Ten Commandments were crying or waiting for the words *tetelestai*. The cry of the Ten Commandments: "It is not finished." It is not finished what the Ten Commandments tells us. Why? Because there is the coming Messiah who will keep these Ten Commandments perfectly. And he's the only one who did or could.

He kept them perfectly, no one before him, no one after him has ever been able to keep them perfectly because he is coming and therefore he's the only one who is going to finish the work of Christ. And therefore when Jesus said *tetelestai*, Mount Sinai bowed to Mount Golgotha. Praise God, it is finished.

In Matthew 15:38, it tells us that when Christ died on the cross, the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. Why? Because everything that the temple stood for was buried with Christ. Now you and I, you and I, if you are a believer in Jesus, if you are a follower of Jesus, you and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us. You and I are the temple where God dwells. And that is why, my beloved friends, please listen, that is why it is an awesome responsibility to be daily cleansed and washed of our sin and not wink at sin.

The Bible repeatedly tells us that deliberate sin without confession, without repentance, grieves the Holy Spirit. I know in my own life when sometimes I say something and I'm immediately stricken in my spirit. I said, "Holy Spirit, I am sorry. I want to ungrieve you." When John saw and heard Jesus say *tetelestai*, he no doubt remembered the words of Jesus: "And when I go to the Father, I'll send you the Comforter. I'll send you the Paraclete." And right on schedule, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit powerfully was manifested and he continued to do the finished work of Christ to this day and until Jesus comes back.

Even the symbol of the lamb without blemish and the sprinkling of the doors with the lamb's blood would have been meaningless without understanding the cross. The lamb and the blood do not make sense without *tetelestai*. Some of you might ask, "How can you preach a whole sermon on one word, *tetelestai*?" Well, because the whole gospel, the whole gospel is in that one word, in that one word.

But there's one more thing. I don't want you to miss, please, please. When Jesus said *tetelestai*, "It's finished," probably—and I'm very careful when I say the word of God said—probably, probably, he was not the only one who said it's finished. Probably. Not meaning the same thing. Possibly others who saw Jesus dying on the cross, they said, "Oh, it's finished."

Caiaphas, the high priest who prostituted the religious establishment, probably said, "It's finished. I managed to squelch another movement led by another person claiming Messiahship." No doubt the Roman authority said it's finished. One other chapter in this treacherous relationship with the Jews has ended. The crowd who stood there watching that spectacle no doubt said it's finished. And they went home confused.

Even the disciples who heard him say again and again and again and again that he will rise again, they went to the upper room, locked the door, and said it's finished. And they went fishing. Listen to me, please. All of these finishes are very different from *tetelestai*. For Jesus, *tetelestai* or "It has been finished," it shook the gates of hell and got the demons trembling. The demons who have tormented the human race for all these years, they were terrified.

The chief demon, Satan himself, probably said to them, "Oh boy, oh boy, I'm sorry, we are finished." I've tried to stop him from the cross, but I couldn't. I tried in the wilderness. I've tried to stop him in the garden. I tried to stop him during the trial, but I couldn't. I failed, boys. It is finished, we are finished. Our power is finished. Glory to God. Give God glory. Give God glory.

Why did Satan and his demons think it is finished? Because they understood, they really understood more even than the disciples, they understood that when Jesus said, "It is finished," it meant that Jesus is going to give his children authority over demons to defeat them, that he's going to give his children authority to defeat the works of the devil, that he's going to give his children authority to overcome and live in victory day in and day out.

But that's not all. That is not all. When Jesus said *tetelestai*, "It is finished," angels in heaven sang, "Hallelujah, it is finished." Abraham, who looked for that day when he heard the word *tetelestai*, he rejoiced in heaven. Moses no doubt began to sing a new song. "I have led them out, but he is leading them up." David heard the words *tetelestai* and he began to write the 151st Psalm. When the prophets who prophesied of the coming of Jesus the Messiah, when they heard him from heaven, they sang, "Hallelujah, it is finished."

Oh, my beloved friends, I get more excited about the finished work of Christ 61 years after I gave him my life than I've ever done in my life. And that is why I go across the street and across the world to declare the finished work of Christ. Now it's time for all people everywhere to repent. The Bible said for he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by this man, Jesus, and as proof for his judgeship, he raised him from the dead.

And my beloved friends, that is why it is not by accident, it's not by accident that after the resurrection, the last words of Jesus—and we only have five times, probably were said in the 40 days, probably were said many times—but we have them at the end of each of the four gospels and in the book of Acts. "Be my witnesses. Make disciples. As the Father sent me, I send you." This is the gospel message and we have no other message. This is the message that Leading The Way proclaims to tens of millions of people every week in 190 countries.

And whether you're here or watching us on Kingdom Sat or on all the websites, let me tell you this as I come to conclusion. Religion will not save you. Rituals will not save you. Denominations cannot save you. Only Christ through the finished work of Christ on the cross can save you. And he can save you today.

Guest (Male): A reminder that only the finished work of Jesus can offer and guarantee salvation. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Youssef and listeners around the world for Leading The Way. If you have faith questions or you want to explore deep-rooted doubts, consider speaking with a Leading The Way pastor or counselor. They'd be so happy to join you in a faith conversation. Just visit ltw.org/jesus.

Guest (Female): I would like to tell Dr. Youssef that he can make a horrible morning absolutely wonderful. I can be in the midst of feeling so sorry for myself and my circumstances and turn on Dr. Youssef and listen to his passion that he has towards Christ and absolutely turn my heart around and make me so thankful that Jesus Christ is who he is, who he says he is, and what he always will be in my life. He has an impact on me through the radio and I so enjoy his encouragement in my personal Christian life. I'm so thankful for his ministry in my life. Thank you, Dr. Youssef.

Guest (Male): If Leading The Way has impacted your life in a special way, Dr. Youssef would love to hear about it. Call our special testimony line at 877-941-7934. Just follow the prompts. Again, that number is 877-941-7934. And learn more about Dr. Youssef and the worldwide impact of this ministry by visiting us. We are at ltw.org. This program is brought to you by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.