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“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:28-30

It is sometimes said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that may very well be true. But sometimes a single word can also express a truth better than a thousand; and in one particular case, that is most certainly true.

Before He yielded up His spirit and died on the cross, Jesus uttered what is rendered as a single word in the Greek New Testament: “Tetelestai.” This single Greek word is translated with three English words: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Jesus was hanging in agony during those final moments upon the cross, his mouth dry from gasping for every breath as he lifted Himself yet another time to breathe. He asked for a drink, and after receiving vinegar on a sponge, He proclaimed what is expressed in that single Greek word, “tetelestai” — all was finished and our salvation was won.

And it is likely that Jesus uttered this in Aramaic or Hebrew rather than Greek and, though we don’t know His exact choice of a word or words, He may have used a form of the Aramaic word “shelim” which is related to the Hebrew “shalom” and would indicate that atonement had been made and peace with God was won.

And, indeed, it was! Jesus Christ, God the Son made man, had fulfilled all that was written of Him in the Scriptures and had paid in full for the sins of the whole world! Atonement had been made. He had accomplished the redemption of all mankind. God’s just wrath against sin had been satisfied, and God’s pardon had been won!

What does this single word of Jesus mean for you and for me? It means our sins — indeed the sins of the whole world — are paid for in full! Full atonement was made! It means that God’s favor is won! He now reaches out to us in grace and mercy for the sake of His Son and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross in our stead! It means that, no matter what we have done, Jesus paid the price for our sins that we might receive through faith in Christ Jesus God’s mercy and forgiveness and a place in His everlasting kingdom!

This single word assures us that all is done and the salvation of all who trust in Jesus is sure! There is nothing we need to do or add to Jesus’ completed work! “Tetelestai!” “It is finished!” And Jesus’ resurrection on the third day proves the truthfulness of His single, dying word (cf. Rom. 4:23 — 5:2).

The Gospel tells us that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). It tells us that “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). It tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

O dearest Jesus, thank you for bearing in full the punishment for my sins when You suffered and died on the cross — for finishing all that I might through faith in Your name be acceptable in Your sight, have forgiveness for all my sins, and live with You forever in heaven. Tetelestai! It is finished! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

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There are many pivotal points in human history, events that forever change the course of the world and human life in the world. We might think of such things as the invention of the automobile, the airplane or the computer. We might think of events like the end of the world wars, the dropping of the first atomic bomb, or the landing of men on the moon. If we go back further in history, we might think of such things as the invention of the printing press, the use of gunpowder, or the development of the telegraph or the radio.

Yet, there is one event in history that outweighs them all and has more significance to every person who has ever lived or will live than any other. And for many, the observation of the anniversary date of this event goes largely unnoticed. I’m talking about the moment on that first Good Friday when Jesus was dying on the cross and cried out the words: “It is finished!” In the original Greek of the New Testament (John 19:30), it is only one word, “tetelestai.”

What was so earth-shaking about this particular moment in human history? Well, aside from the fact that the earth did shake and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, it is pivotal and most significant because, at that very moment in human history, the redemption of mankind was accomplished. Jesus the Christ, Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, had lived a sinless and perfect life in the stead of all mankind and He had suffered upon the cross the full and just punishment for the sins of all mankind. At that very moment, atonement for man’s sin was made, God’s just wrath against sin was satisfied and salvation was won for all mankind. Jesus’ resurrection on the third day was proof of that fact.

As a result of what Jesus completed at that moment in time, God reaches out to sinful man with His offer and gift of pardon, forgiveness and life eternal as an alternative to what we all deserve — judgment, condemnation and eternal punishment for sin. Jesus suffered our punishment and, as a result, all who look to Jesus and His cross in faith have pardon, forgiveness and the certain promise of eternal life in heaven!

This event is pivotal and most significant for all people because Jesus, when He died there on that Roman cross, paid the price for the sins of all, from Adam and Eve to the last human being to be born into this world. The event is significant and most important for everyone because, without it, we would all be condemned to eternal punishment for our sins, but with it, all who repent and look to Jesus in faith have forgiveness and the eternal joys of heaven.

Though many do not wish to face it, this event and what Christ Jesus accomplished when He uttered those words and died on the cross confronts every human who has ever lived or will live. It confronts each and every one of us with the question of what we do with Jesus and the atonement He accomplished when He died on the cross as the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

It is as Jesus said in John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Jesus also said in Mark 16:15-16: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Christ Jesus died for the sins of all and rose again in triumph, and the Gospel — that good news of what He accomplished for all when He died upon the cross — is and has been preached to all the nations. Those who, by the gracious working of God’s Spirit, come to trust in Christ and the work He accomplished for all are saved. Those who reject or neglect the message of Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of all are condemned for not believing in the name of God’s only-begotten Son and looking to Him for pardon.

What could be more pivotal in human history and have an impact on more human lives than what Christ accomplished for all upon the cross?

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“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 (Read v. 19-24)

Psalm 95 directs us to worship the LORD: “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1-2).

But how are we to worship? What kind of worship does God desire? Should it be with liturgy and organ or with contemporary song and guitar? Should it be in a beautiful church or cathedral or in a steel building or barn?

These questions are not much different than the question posed by the woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria when she perceived Jesus was a prophet because of His knowledge of her life and relationships. “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship,” she said (John 4:20).

And she raised a valid question because the Samaritans, who accepted only the first five books of Moses and had altered parts of them, claimed they were to worship on Mt. Gerizim and had worshiped there for centuries and continued to worship there even after the Jewish ruler Hyrcanus destroyed their temple a little more than 100 years before Christ’s birth. The Jews, on the other hand, said that Jerusalem was the only place where people should worship (Deut. 12:5ff.; 16:5-6; 1 Kings 8:12ff.; 12:25ff.).

Jesus pointed out to this woman the time was coming when God’s people would neither worship in Mt. Gerizim nor at Jerusalem. As He said elsewhere, the temple would soon be destroyed (cf. Matt. 24:1-2, Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-6), and God’s people would be scattered all over the world preaching the Gospel and would, in many places, join together with fellow believers in worship (cf. Mark 16:15-16).

Sadly, though the Samaritans sought to worship, they did not know the true God because of their admixture of error and false teaching (2 Kings 17:24ff.). They rejected most of the Old Testament Scriptures, including many of the promises of a Messiah and Savior who would bear the sins of the people and redeem them from sin and eternal death (cf. Isaiah 53; Psalm 130). The Jews, on the other hand, had the Scriptures and the promises of the Messiah and Savior.

Jesus said (John 4:23-24), “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

He pointed out to this woman and to us today that true worshipers would worship “in spirit and in truth,” meaning that true worship is not dependent upon where we worship or the form or liturgy used. Instead, it flows from a regenerated (or born-again) spirit in man and truly glorifies and praises God.

And so, what constitutes worshiping in spirit and in truth? First and foremost, true worship flows from faith in Jesus as God the Son, the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus, Himself, said that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” and that no one can come to Father apart from Him (John 14:6). He also said we can do nothing pleasing to God in regard to good works and service toward God apart from faith in Him (John 15:4-5).

Jesus said, “All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23; cf. 1 John 2:22-23). And, indeed, it is only through the atoning sacrifice of the Son that we can approach the throne of God with our prayers, praises and petitions (cf. Heb. 10:19-25; 1 John 5:11-15).

True worship, then, can only come from a heart regenerated by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63; cf. John 15:1ff.; 3:3,5-6).

True worship must not be idolatry like that of the Samaritans (cf. Ex. 20:1ff.; Deut. 6:13-15). It brings no glory to God if we do not worship the Triune God who has revealed Himself in the Bible. (Cf. Deut. 6:4ff.; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:1-5.) Jesus said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10).

True worship holds fast to the Bible’s teaching (1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:12-17; John 8:31-32; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42). God hates false doctrine and any adulterating of His Word. Therefore, worship that contradicts the Scripture’s teaching is not true and pleasing to God (cf. Isaiah 8:20; Deut. 4:2; 13:1ff.; Matt. 7:21ff.; Jer. 23:28).

And, finally, true worship is exactly that: true worship. It is not merely going through the outward motions or using certain forms or liturgies. It is not vain repetitions of which Jesus speaks in His Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matt. 6:7). It is worship that comes from the heart of a believer and is genuine and sincere. It gives glory to God and thanks and praises Him for His goodness and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus.

It is as David writes in Psalm 103:1: “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

O Lord, grant that we worship You in spirit and in truth — that we, from our hearts, glorify Your holy name for the gift of the Son and His atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

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“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

How can we know the truth? Where can we find it? People look for truth in many places but, as we’ve seen, especially in recent times, even sources that should be trustworthy have become dishonest and slanted, often hiding the truth.

But “Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

What truth does Jesus reveal in His Word? To His Jewish hearers, His Word revealed their sinfulness and their guilt and condemnation under the Law. Jesus told His hearers: “Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). He told them, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-16,18).

The truth Jesus revealed to His hearers is that it wasn’t enough to be children of Abraham and entrusted with God’s law. Their heritage did not make them true children of Abraham because they were guilty under the law of God and were servants of sin. Unless they repented of their sinful ways and looked in faith to Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, they would die in their sins and be lost forever!

The message for us is the same. It will do us no good to claim a place in God’s kingdom because of our Christian heritage or church affiliation. Like the Jews who believed in Jesus, Jesus invites us to continue in His Word so that we might learn the truth and that the truth might set us free.

And what is that truth? What does God’s Word reveal to us as it shines its bright light of truth upon us?

I think of the words of the Apostle John in his first epistle (1 John 1:8 — 2:2): “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. … And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

What truth do we learn from the Scriptures? As we read and study God’s law, we see our utter sinfulness before God. We see our failures to measure up to God’s standards. We stand guilty and condemned before God. But we see in the gospel that God sent His only-begotten Son into this world, a true man, to fulfill the demands of God’s law for us and then to bear upon the cross the full and just punishment for our sins and the sins of all that we might look to Him in faith and be justified, forgiven and counted righteous and acceptable in God’s eyes. We see that, through faith in Jesus, we have been made “accepted in the beloved,” that “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:6,7).

And this truth sets us free from the guilt and condemnation of God’s law. It gives us the assurance that through faith in the Son, we have forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting!

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that we might continue in Your life-giving Word, learn the truth, and be made free through faith in You as our God and Savior. We ask this for the sake of Your blood, shed on the cross for our sins. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]

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“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14 (Read John 4:1-14)

Though the Jews usually had no dealings with Samaritans because they were a mixed people and had corrupted the Old Testament Scriptures to justify their erring religious beliefs, Jesus showed compassion on this immoral Samaritan woman and offered her living water — water that gives spiritual and eternal life.

He offered her life-giving water, but she didn’t understand. She thought only of water to quench her earthly thirst and wondered how Jesus could give her such water since He had nothing with which to draw water from Jacob’s well.

Jesus told her that anyone drinking from the well of Jacob would thirst again. This water could only temporarily quench one’s thirst and need for water. But the water Jesus offered and desired to give her was different. It was a water that would satisfy her spiritual thirst — forever! The water Jesus offered and still gives would become “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

What Jesus was offering this woman, and what He offers to us as well, is Himself, the Messiah and Savior of the world, and eternal salvation through faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world (cf. Isaiah 12).

Jesus said in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

In John 7:37-39, Jesus said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” And John explained: “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.”

Water is, of course, necessary to sustain life, and the people living in the arid parts of Israel knew what it was to thirst.

Jesus and the forgiveness and life He won for all by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross are needed by all of us as well so that we might have eternal life.

He desires to give everyone this living water that springs up into everlasting life, for He wants no one to perish and be lost forever. He wants to quench our ongoing need for forgiveness of sins and for life in fellowship with God our Maker. He wants us to partake of Him and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world by faith and live!

It is the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to see Jesus for who He really is: the Son of God and our Savior. It is the Spirit, working through God’s Word, who assures us that God is gracious to us and offers us forgiveness for our sins for the sake of Jesus’ holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead. It is the Holy Spirit who brings us to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life, and He strengthens us through the promises of His Word and keeps us trusting in Jesus.

God’s Spirit also moves and enables us to share our faith and tell others about Jesus and what He has done for us. He moves and enables us to share the water of life we have received with others so that their spiritual thirst, too, might be quenched forever!

All who come to know and trust in Jesus as Savior have the gift of God’s indwelling Spirit, who not only brings them to such faith and conviction but also keeps them trusting in Jesus and moves them to share their faith with others who thirst spiritually

The life-giving water that Jesus gives is, in all believers, a well of water springing up and quenching our spiritual thirst and giving us everlasting life. It satisfies us for eternity and continues to well up within us so that we might share it with others so that they, too, might have everlasting life through faith in Jesus!

O dearest Jesus, grant us Your Spirit and the forgiveness and life You have won for us by Your holy life and innocent sufferings and death on the cross in our stead. Preserve and keep us in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting and enable us to share this water of life with other thirsty souls. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

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