Blog Post 36// teleō

We are ready to look at word number 2. Let me set it up like this:

After Let There Be, after creation, the enemy comes.

He can’t stand that he is not the greatest creation anymore.

God made something in God’s image, to be like God (I’m talking about YOU). The enemy, insecure as can be, comes to destroy that relationship between God and man.

Satan always attacks what is a threat to him. If he leaves you alone, you may not want to celebrate that. He always attacks what is a threat to him—what He fears.

A redeemed YOU, walking in Christ’s righteousness keeps him up at night. When you worship in the middle of the worst of times, he has a conniption.

God created new worshippers, Adam and Eve, and Satan can’t stand it. So he deceives them by attacking their identity. Did God really say?

He tends to come in and attack the last thing God said to you.

It’s why you can leave church feeling close to Jesus and wake up the next morning feeling distant.

That wasn’t God. That was you being emotional…

He can’t change who you are, so he tries to alter your confidence.

If God really loved you like they say at church, would you be going through this right now?

Clever little bugger isn’t he?

Sin only becomes appealing to people who have forgotten who they are.

Which Adam and Eve did.

What should have happened:

Let’s think about this. What did God really say? Has He ever led us astray?

What would it be like if we developed the habit of just going back to what God has said?

Adam and Eve didn’t, so they went against God and sinned.

And when they did, it set in motion the disease that sin is, the darkness it causes, the brokenness, the shame. There was an exchange of authority, where the enemy now would rule the earth, and the worst of it all, there would now be decay and death and separation from a holy God.

Sin cursed the planet and everything in it.

The effects just got worse and worse.

Sin would only produce more sin. A curse passed down from generation to generation.

There was nothing any human could do to stop what we had started.

Sure, there were ways to connect with God, but the personal relationship that was God’s intention was traded away. Sacrifice after sacrifice would be made. Why? Because to atone for sin there had to be death.

A price of blood had to be paid.

But God had a plan. Why? Because He always wins. See yesterday’s post.

Enter Jesus. The eternal Son of God. He was there at creation, shouting Let there be, born of a virgin, so that the curse of sin wouldn’t touch him. He lived completely aligned with the Father. He never sinned, secure in who He was—the healer, builder, restorer, good shepherd and the savior who was slain.

Where Adam was disobedient, Christ was obedient, even to death on a cross to pay what we couldn’t pay, to pay by His blood for the sins of mankind, not just once, but once and for all. He reversed the curse by becoming a curse, to not just endure the pain but to accept God’s wrath on our behalf.

He didn’t just die for me, He died as me.

God looked at Jesus, not me, as responsible for the sin of the world.

We still see and feel some effects our sin. But don’t be fooled, the penalty has been paid in full. The power of sin is overcome by the kindness and love of Christ. He did everything that was required to restore our relationship back to God and He put a stamp on it when He spoke one of the most powerful words in all of history:

Word number 2.

teleō
It is finished.

I need you to put this word on your life again.

teleō: to bring to a close, to finish, to end

So let’s get real for a second:

What did Jesus die for that you are still living in?

What in your life needs to die?

Pride?
Insecurity.
Ungodly anger.
Addiction.
Disappointment.
Bitterness.
Disease!

Put it all on the cross with Jesus.

Pride, you are finished.
Insecurity, disease, by your stripes, I am healed. Because it is finished!

Jesus died willingly. It looked like He lost—to his followers, to the enemy, to the Romans, the religious.

Stop me by killing me? If only you knew. I have you right where I want you!

And that leads us to word number three. Tomorrow. :)