Today's Passage - John 19:28-30

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 19: 28-30   Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.                  Praise the Lord! When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, he was saying, "It is finished" instead of "it is over"; if a regular person dies, it is really over! But the lord Jesus said "it's finished", because he knows very well that he has fulfilled his purpose in this world, so he said, "it's finished", because salvation is complete, Satan's bondage of sin is shattered because of His precious blood! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ comes into the world with only one purpose; it is to become the sin offering for the sins of the world, to shed his blood, and to redeem people of their sins, such that they can again return to God, and to receive all of God's abundant grace.                  The cross is the symbol of shame and defeat from the human perspective, but Jesus Christ knows very well that this is a symbol of success: He is to rise from the dead, to prove that He has overcome all of Satan's authority, and so Jesus said confidently, "it's finished!" Since Jesus Christ fulfills our salvation on the cross, we sinners can return before God, called as the children of God, and receive God's new life, how precious it is!                  Once I mentioned this bible passage during my preaching when the spirit of God suddenly moved and inspired me, "Yes, the salvation is complete!" In other words, the abundant grace that God readied for us in Jesus Christ can be poured over us! Before due to the obstacles of sins, we cannot receive the full salvation, but once Jesus Christ said, "it's finished", all obstacles are removed! Now we can proclaim, and receive the salvation prepared by God!                  Therefore, we have to proclaim while reading Isaiah 53: "Oh Lord! The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed!" Hallelujah! Praise our God! May the spirit of our God help us, open our eyes to know this truth, and let this truth comes out living in our lives. Since the salvation is complete, all the grace is given to us, let us receive with rejoice!                                  Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, thank you, because of your salvation, we can have peace and be healed! By faith we receive this peace and healing. May your grace of the cross flow inside our bodies and souls. We give thanks and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!