OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye (DATE: SATURDAY 23RD JULY 2016) THEME: IT IS FINISHED

Memorise:
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Read: John 19:28-30
19:28 After this, Jesus knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

19:29 Now there was set a vessel
full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it
upon hyssop, and put it to his
mouth.

19:30 When Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar, he said, It is
finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

MESSAGE
When our Lord Jesus Christ cried,
"It Is Finished", He really did
mean that it is finished. However,
some children of God do not know the importance of that statement. Some believe that the wages of sin have been fully paid and so we are on our way to Heaven. Correct. Some people believe that all the misfortunes that came upon human race as a result of the fall have been paid for. This is equally true.

The problem we must however
fix in our devotional reading for
today is irregularity in the doctrine of the atonement of Jesus Christ. We must get it right and perfect.

Some believe that when Jesus
Christ said "it is finished" He meant that He had paid the debt of sin in full and do not believe that they are missing a gem in the work of redemption. This category of disciples focus on the spiritual aspect of redemption, without paying close attention to the physical.

It is needful here to say that the atonement of Jesus Christ is all encompassing-spiritual, physical, material, emotional, psychological and what have you. For example, when Adam sinned, it was not only the spiritual aspect of his life that was affected; his career as a gardener was affected because he had to labour more for less. Even his wife had to undergo the rigours
of labour at childbirth.

In same vein, when the cure for sin came, it came in full. So, if you have
been redeemed by His death at
Calvary, I say congratulations because your ailing business,
marriage, health condition etc
are now redeemed!

The Bible says:
"For ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

The irregularity on the other
hand, has to do with the belief in some quarters that because
Christ has paid our debt in full,
we can indulge in sin. This is not
correct. Jesus Christ paid it in full
to cater for actual and habitual
sins. This is why the Bible says:

"Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin; for his seed
remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. In
this the children of God are
manifest," 1 John 3:9-10a

On her encounter with Jesus Christ, the woman whose sin of adultery was forgiven her was told to "Go and sin no more." (John 8:11).
So also was the impotent man that was healed by Jesus (John 5:4).

Beloved, Jesus paid it in full for
your deliverance from spiritual
and physical calamities; sin,
sickness, poverty and all, but He
did not pay for you to continue in sin.

Prayer Point:
Father, I thank you for sending
your Son, Jesus to pay the debt
He did not owe on my behalf.
Please let this atoning work deliver me from all woes of sin in Jesus' name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ephesians 4:17-6:24 and Psalms
18:29-42

AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE