It Is Finished (guest Stephanie Miller)

 

Music brings Scripture alive for me. It’s not just something I hear, it’s something I feel deep in my spirit. There are moments I don’t just want to read the Word, I want to pray it and sing it. I take my old Songs We Sing hymnal into my prayer closet, and those old songs turn into sermon for me. They carry truth sound doctrine, and they carry the presence of God in a way that reaches deep into my heart. “It Is Finished” is my favorite song of Easter, and every single line of that song impacted me this week. If you choose to read this long post, I pray you are impacted as well.

And when Jesus cried out It is finished, He meant exactly that!!!

“There’s a line that is drawn through the ages”

All of history is divided by one moment, the cross. Before it, man was bound in sin, striving and sacrificing but never able to be enough. After it, grace was released because the final sacrifice had been made. The cross did not just happen, it separated everything.

“On that line stands an old rugged cross”

Not a throne, not a crown, but a cross. A place of shame became the place of glory. What looked like defeat was actually the greatest victory the world has ever seen. God chose the cross because only the cross could carry what we could not.

“On that cross a battle is raging”

This was not just suffering, this was war. Sin, death, and hell came against Him with everything. Every chain, every accusation, every curse was laid on Jesus in that moment.

“For the gain of man’s soul or his loss”

This was about eternity. Heaven or hell, redemption or separation. Jesus stood in the gap for us and took what we deserved. This was the battle that determined the destiny of every soul.

“On one side march the forces of evil”

Hell came with everything it had. Darkness thought it had won. The enemy believed this was his moment as Jesus was rejected, mocked, and crucified.

“All the demons and devils of hell”

Every force that had ever held humanity in bondage showed up. Fear, addiction, oppression, shame. Everything that torments people was present because if Jesus won, their power would be broken forever.

“On the other the angels of glory”

Heaven was watching. Not stepping in because this had to be finished, but witnessing redemption unfold. The angels who had seen Him in glory now watched Him suffer.

“And they meet on Golgotha’s hill”

Right there at Golgotha. The place of death became the place of life. The battlefield was not hidden, it was lifted up for all to see.

“The earth shakes with the force of the conflict”

Creation itself responded. The ground shook, the veil tore, and the sky grew dark. This was not ordinary, this was eternal. Sin was being judged and redemption was being secured.

“And the sun refuses to shine”

Even creation could not look on it. The Son of God became sin for us. He stepped into darkness so we would never have to stay there.

“For there hangs God’s Son in the balance”

Between heaven and earth, fully God and fully man, carrying every sin, every failure, and every broken thing. Everything hung in that moment.

“And then through the darkness He cries”

After the suffering, after the nails, after the weight, a cry breaks through that changes everything forever!

“It is finished!”

Not I am finished, but it is finished. The Crucifixion of Jesus reached its fulfillment. The debt was paid, the sacrifice was accepted, the law was fulfilled, and the enemy was defeated. There was nothing left to add.

“It is finished, the battle is over”

The fight for your soul was settled at the cross. You are not trying to win, you are standing in victory.

“It is finished, there’ll be no more war”

No more striving, no more trying to earn what Jesus already paid for, no more sacrifices. He was the final Lamb.

“It is finished, the end of the conflict”

Sin lost its power, death lost its hold, and the grave lost its victory. Everything that separated us from God was broken!

“It is finished, and Jesus is Lord”

He is not just Savior, He is Lord. The One who conquered sin now reigns in authority, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.

Salvation is not something we complete, it is something Jesus already finished!

You cannot add to it!

You cannot improve it!

You cannot earn it!

You believe it, you receive it, and you stand in it!!!

The cross was enough!

The blood was enough!