Jesus’ cry on the cross, “It is finished!” was not the last word of a worn out and wasted life. Instead, it is perhaps the single greatest word ever spoken. Jesus wasn’t crying in defeat, He was shouting in victory. The war was over, death and sin had been defeated.
Open: Have you ever had unfinished business or an incomplete project? How did it make you feel? What eventually made you finish the task?
Read: 19; Matthew 27:50-51; 2 Corinthians 1:20-22; Romans 8:3-4; Hebrews 2:14-15; 9:11-14; Colossians 2:13-14 1.
Discuss:
1. If you read the Gospels, they speak as if there was more that the disciples and followers expected Jesus to do in His ministry. Describe the areas of your life where you feel as if there is unfinished business: Why do you feel that way? How does Christ’s death on the cross point to the answer? Which of the seven sayings of the cross have connected with you most? Why?
2. Jesus’ cry on the cross, “It is finished!” was not a cry of defeat but a shout of victory. Why? How was this word, tetelestai, used in the first century? What does this tell us about His work on the cross? Specifically, what did Jesus “finish” on the cross?
3. How did Jesus fulfill the Old Testament law and prophecy? In what ways do you see so many people paralyzed by fear, worry, and striving? In what ways does the finished work of Jesus on the cross answer these realities? How does shifting our focus on Christ change our anxiety and striving?
4. How did the enemy, Satan, seek to end Christ at the cross? How did Christ crush the stronghold of Satan through the cross? How does Satan have power, but no authority over Christians?
5. In what areas of your life do you need to find satisfaction in Christ’s finished work of the cross? How do you plan to daily remind yourself of Christ’s finished work for you?
Pray: Pray that you would grasp the finished work of Jesus Christ in your life. In the areas where you feel unfinished, pray that you would have the strength and endurance to press into Jesus.
Memorize/Meditate: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He 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
