It Is Finished

It Is Finished  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  35:11
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Romans 6:1–14 ESV
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
(ESV) —1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Jesus said, “It is finished.” All the prophecies were fulfilled, our sins were paid for, and our eternal life was made secure. It is finished.
Jesus said, “It is finished.” All the prophecies were fulfilled, our sins were paid for, and our eternal life was made secure. It is finished.
My parents were good to me growing up. The Waits River flowed about a quarter mile from my home in Bradford, Vermont. I used to run there in my bare feet or ride my bicycle. The town offered swimming lessons. I learned the sidestroke, backstroke, crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, and how to dive and swim underwater.
I am not sure, but I think I incurred debt there. I may have owed for my swimming lessons over those summers. The burden for paying fell on my parents. They paid the bill. I can imagine my stepfather sitting, writing out the check and saying, “that’s done.” What was really nice about this is that when it was done for him, it was done for me as well. I never received a bill because whatever bill might have come he paid. They didn’t charge him once because he had the money and then charge me a second time. When he said, “That’s done…” it was done for both of us.
When Jesus said, “It is finished…” it was finished. It was finished both for Jesus and for us.

Dead

The apostle Paul uses a different term for the words, “It is finished.” He uses the word “dead.” Whatever is finished is dead to us. When a debt is paid, a debt is paid. That debt is dead to us.
Yesterday is dead to us. We can’t change yesterday. We can only change today. We can relive yesterday in the memories of our minds, but we cannot go back to yesterday. Yesterday is finished. It is in one sense dead to us.
Romans 6:1–5 ESV
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Romans 6:1-5
We died to sin. Part of our conversion experience, our coming to Christ, was a realization that we had sinned against God and also against others.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
We died to sin. Part of our conversion experience, our coming to Christ, was a realization that we had sinned against God and also against others.
Christ paid for our sins on the cross. We are forgiven. God knows what we did. But because Christ paid for it on the cross, he doesn’t hold it against us. When we put our faith in Jesus he welcomes us into his family as sons and daughters.
If Jesus died for sin, paid for sin, has forgiven sin, now sin is yesterday’s news. In putting our faith in Jesus, we made a decision to trust Jesus and walk away from sin.
I love how Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians.
He gives yesterday’s labels followed by today’s reality.
He shows the life before Christ and the new life that is in Christ. Many of us can identify with both the old and the new.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(ESV) —9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
These are the old practices. These are the old labels. These were the words others used about when they spoke about the people before they came to Christ.
Now in Christ, things have changed.
Verse 11:
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This is what we were. But we are dead to sin. We have rejected the old and are focused on the new.
We are washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is finished. We are also washed, sanctified and justified by the Spirit of our God. That is our position today.
Paul puts it this way in
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Going back to Romans, Paul writes,
(ESV) —17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Going back to Romans, Paul writes,
Romans 6:6–7 ESV
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
There are many reasons a person might feel enslaved to sin.
There are many reasons a person might feel enslaved to sin.

Family

A person might have grown up with family members who sinned. We pick up on anger, bitterness, backbiting, gossip, sexual practices, drug and/or alcohol abuse, and others sins because that was the environment in which we lived. We might feel that to live different would hurt our relationship to other family members. We fear they would think we are high on ourselves and low on them. We feel a bondage to that sin because of our loyalty to our culture.

Love of money

Another reason why a person may feel enslaved to sin is that sin has made them a lot of money.
I understand that prostitution makes someone a lot of money. Sex trafficking in the state of Maine is a huge problem. One of the underlying reasons is that this activity brings in money.
Some people made money in business cutting corners. They lied to others, made false promises, didn’t pay back people to whom they owed money and in the process developed a lifestyle. If they stop sinning they would lose money and perhaps have to downsize their lives. That is tough for many to do.

Loss of hope

Some people are enslaved to sin because they have convinced themselves that they can’t change, that they are locked in to constantly repeating what they know is hurting them and is wrong to do. They feel trapped.
When a person comes to Christ, they see that old life as dead.
Isn’t it worth more to be washed clean than to lose the friendship of people who encourage you to stay in the dirt?
Isn’t it worth more to be right with God rather than to live in a luxurious house and drive an expensive car while inwardly consumed with guilt over the people you have hurt?
Isn’t it worth more to know that God has forgiven you and brought you into his family and that he is there to help you than to live in defeat, self-condemnation and hopelessness?
Charles Wesley was saved as an adult. He had been a church attending person, but when he understood the gospel, it put a new song in his heart. In the fourth verse of his song, “And Can It Be”, he wrote:
Charles Wesley:
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray
I woke; the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
Take the chains off. You are not bound by sin. Take the chains off. You have a chance at a new life. The old life is dead. It is finished. Cut the umbilical cord. Take the chains off. You don’t have to live the way you did yesterday. That is old news.
Today is a new day because of Jesus Christ.
This is a new day because though Jesus died over 2000 years ago, he is alive. On that early Easter morning, Mary saw him. He appeared in the upper room. Two men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus saw him. He stopped by the shores of the Sea of Galilee and ate food with his disciples. He taught people for forty days after his resurrection. They even remembered what he taught. He taught about the kingdom of God. Over 500 people saw him. Before the Apostle Paul was a Christian, he had made it his mission to stamp out Christianity. He broke families apart, throwing Christians into prison. One day as he was traveling to Damascus, he met Jesus who spoke to him. His live was changed. From that moment on, he was dead to sin and alive to God.
Paul’s life was difficult. The Christians had a hard time accepting someone who earlier wanted to hurt them. The Jewish crowd who previously had cheered on his efforts to destroy Christianity did not support his conversion and came after him. He didn’t fit initially into either crowd.
He was dead to sin. He no longer was going to do anything that he knew was wrong. Did he ever do anything wrong again? Yes. But his passion, his mindset, his purpose and plan was not to sin, but to honor the Jesus who gave him a second chance, a new life.
This Jesus was alive!
Jesus is listening to what we are doing right now. He is risen and he is involved.
Because he is risen, because our old man, our old self, our old life is dead, he offers us a new life.
Romans 6:8–13 ESV
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Romans 6:8-13
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
What is the new life? The new life is a life lived for God.
You may have lived for your parents, friends, family or community. When a person becomes a Christian, he or she no longer lives for himself or herself, that person lives for God.
Living for God is a new life. Living for God will mean changes in our lives. The purpose of Christ’s death was to forgive our sins so that we would be free to live for God.
What if you were to truly live for God? What if you were to arrange your life, your family, your finances, your motivation to live for God? What kind of chances would you need to make?

Change in thinking

The first change would be a change in thinking.
Romans 6:11 ESV
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The new life means that we change our thinking. We consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:13 ESV
13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Change in presentation

The second change would be a change in presentation.
The new life is a life of presentation. You walk into your home and present yourself as a instrument for righteousness. You want you hands to do what is right. You want your feet to do what is right. You want your mouth to do what is right. You present each part of your body to God as an instrument for righteousness.
This is the new life. This is the resurrection life. We consider different things and we present ourselves differently.
What is a fun weekend for many people? For many people, a fun weekend is a weekend that they present themselves to sin and open the door to as much unrighteousness as they can fit in.
The Christian has a different view of fun. It is fun to meet with people on the weekend and do right, speak right, treat them right, and bring the presence of the risen Lord with them.
Instead of waking up Monday morning with a hangover or with the knowledge that you have hurt someone by your words or action, the Christian wants to wake up knowing that they were a blessing, an encouragement, and a positive force for God in other people’s lives.
This is the new life in Christ.
So many people focus on their sin. They think about their sin, they dwell on their sin, and they try real hard not to sin.
If we are dead to sin, we need to change our focus. We need to present ourselves as alive to God, as instruments of righteousness.
When we plan our day, we don’t rehash our failures. We ask God for opportunities to help others. This is the new life.
Jesus cheers us on. He died for our sin so we could live for God. Anyone who lives for God because of their trust in Jesus is fulfilling God’s plan for their lives.
Anyone who presents any member of their body as an instrument for doing right because of their faith in Jesus is fulfilling God’s plan for their lives.
This morning we have to ask three questions.
First, have we put our faith in Jesus Christ?
Second, are we dead to sin?
Third, are we alive to God?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is key. If you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the rest of the story will come easy to you. If Jesus was raised from the dead, the miracles happened as well. If Jesus was raised from the dead, his claim to be God the Son is easy to accept.
The Bible tells us that there is salvation in no other. The only way we can receive forgiveness of sin is through Jesus. The only way we can be close to God is through Jesus.
Do you believe?
When we trust Jesus we pass from death into life. The old life is dead. The new life is before us.
Are you hanging on to any sin? Be dead to it. Be dead to it by living for God.
When we walk out of this building, the best way to celebrate the cross is to consider ourselves dead to sin.
When we walk out of the building, the best way to celebrate the resurrection is to live the new life God has for us.
Matt Maher sang a song that said,
“Let no one caught in sin remain
In - side the lie of inward shame
But fix and run our eyes upon the cross
to Him who showed great love And bled for us
Freely you’ve bled for us
Christ is risen from the dead trampling over death by death
The challenge goes on to say:
“Come a - wake come awake come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead we are one with Him again
Come a - wake come awake come and rise up from the grave “
This is your time. This is your time to come awake. Sin is dead. You are alive. It’s time to rise up from the grave.
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