All things new! (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”-John 19:28-30

Jesus knowing that his mission was complete, just before bowing his head and giving up his spirit, declared, “It is finished.” What was that mission? According to Luke 19:10:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Sin had separated us from God. The Bible tells us that the wages fo those sins sins is death. Each of us had a debt that could not be paid. A sin debt that kept us isolated from God, but Jesus through his sacrifice on the cross paid our ransom in full. His suffering at Calvary’s cross restored and reconciled us to God. 

However, having our sin’s forgiven was not the end of the story, just as Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story. Jesus’ declaration “It is finished” was to announce the closing of one chapter and the opening of a new one. The old life filled with sin, death, and destruction was finished, but a new life was on the horizon. Three days after his crucifixion life would burst forth from a borrowed grave. 

The cross was about restoration (reconciling a broken, sinful humanity back to God), but the resurrection is about transformation. That is the overriding message of Christ’s resurrection. Your old life is gone and a new life has begun:

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”-2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus is in the business of making all things new! That is not just an observation, Jesus declared it:

"And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”-Revelation 21:5-6 

He who said that he is making everything new also declared, “It is finished.” Why? Because before you can pursue a new life, you have to be willing to be finished with the old one. Until you are finished with your old life, you can’t enjoy the new life God has for you. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church