“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30
The English “It is finished” is one word in the Greek New Testament: “tetelestai.” And that one word, reflecting what Jesus said when He died on the cross, says it all! Not only were His horrific sufferings and death on the cross finished, but the price of our redemption was paid. By His death on the cross, atonement for the sins of the world was made. God’s wrath against our sins was satisfied, and our salvation was won. By trusting in Jesus and His finished work of redemption, we are justified, pardoned, forgiven, and given everlasting life.
Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for bearing on the cross the just punishment for our sins and winning for us salvation. Grant us faith in Your perfect sacrifice that we might receive the forgiveness and life You won for us. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19-20
Though many think they can please God and be acceptable to Him by keeping His commandments, an honest look at our lives in the light of God’s Word reveals our utter sinfulness and inability to please God or be accepted by Him. The only way to be accepted and justified by God is through faith in Christ Jesus, God the Son, and His perfect obedience to God’s commandments and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for our sins.
Your law shows my sins and failures, O Lord. It condemns me to death and hell. Grant that I hear and believe Your gospel promises of forgiveness and life eternal through faith alone in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for my sins. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
Though most are blind to this truth, the curse and condemnation of the LORD rest upon those who do not fear, love, and trust in the LORD God, who both created and redeemed them. But the blessing of the LORD is upon the house of those who repent of their sinful ways and look to God for mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Grant that I repent of my evil ways, O LORD, and look to You for mercy in the atoning sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. In His name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33
Jesus had just told His disciples of the persecution they would face for faithfully teaching His Word. As Jesus was hated and persecuted for calling upon all to repent and look to Him for forgiveness and life, His disciples would be persecuted for their witness regarding Jesus as the Son of God and the only way to be spared in God’s judgment. While it would be easy to shrink back and not confess our faith in Jesus, He promises to confess us as His own before the Father if we confess Him as our Savior and Lord, but He warns that He will deny us as His own if we deny Him as our Savior.
Dear Lord Jesus, grant me the courage to openly confess You as my God and Savior even when facing persecution for speaking the truth. Keep me from shrinking back and denying Your name. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.” Matthew 10:16-18
When Jesus chose the 12 apostles and sent them out to preach the gospel of the kingdom, He told them He was sending them out as sheep amid wolves, meaning they would encounter opposition and persecution — being delivered up to councils and scourged in synagogues. Jesus told them to exercise the wisdom of serpents but to be harmless as doves — to avoid unnecessary exposure to such persecution but, at the same time, to be as innocent and harmless as doves. Today, too, those who follow Jesus and share His Word will encounter persecution from the world and from erring churches and their leaders. Believers are to be wise and not seek to stir up opposition and persecution, but to be honest and faultless in presenting the truth.
Give me wisdom, O God, to avoid needless confrontation with the world and erring churches, but keep me faithful and uncompromising in my witness to the truth of Your Word, calling upon all to repent of their sinful and erring ways and to look to Jesus and His cross in faith for pardon and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]
