IT IS FINISHED

John 19: 30 >> When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

Luke 23: 44-46 >>
The Death of Jesus

44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

1. By saying “it is finished,” Jesus meant that He completed His mission on earth AND that all the curses of sin had been wiped away. The dead was done and He paid the price of our sins with His blood. Thank You Jesus!
2. The true meaning of Jesus’ sacrifices in my life is that He loved me so much so that He gave me so much. He took the punishment FOR me. Sometimes honestly I can’t quite comprehend it, but I want God to bring me more understanding. he gave the ultimate sacrifice, His life. Father God gave the ultimate sacrifice, His Son. So that I can be saved.

Loving God = Living in Love

John 15:9-17 >>

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
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1. To nurture the Father’s love in my life, I need to obey the Father’s commands, including to “Love eachother as (God) has loved (us) (v. 14).” It’s so important to live in the Father’s love so that our joy may be complete (v.11).We cannot love others first without receiving love from our Father in Heaven.
2. The impact made by people living in those who live in the Father’s love everyday is that we will go and bear LASTING fruit – good fruit that God can enjoy.
3. “…lay down his life for his friends (v.13)” is a powerful verse because that’s exactly what Jesus did. To be honest, I’m not sure if I understand the full extent of the meaning of that statement, but I think it means that we should consider others like how Jesus considered us. It means to love them and not consider yourself greater than them. It means willing to sacrifice your own self for the sake of others. Like if you get in a fight. No matter who is wrong, we should be first to ask for forgiveness.

Compassion Requires Sacrifice

Mark 6:30-37
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages[a]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

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1. Jesus had compassion on the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. That’s why He began to teach them. Jesus also wanted to care for their physical beings, too, by feeding them. The disciples’ reaction to feeding the five thousand was asking how that was possible with their limited resources. They didn’t realize that God owns an infinite amount of resources!

2. I think God also wants me to have compassion on “spiritually abandoned” people (like sheep without a shepherd) and care for them too.

3. Upon seeing people I see in my day to day life, I do have compassion on people but not enough. I want to take more action.

The Main Thing is Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 John 4:7-11, Luke 6:31

1. The most important thing in life is love, love, love, love, love.
2. We can learn about love by knowing God. And also knowing that God loved us so much that He loved us despite whether or not we loved Him back and sacrificed His Son for us.
3. According to Jesus, we show love by doing to others what we’d like done to us.