The Unfinished Work of Jesus
Text: John 19:30
Series: Restoration Sermons
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository
Learning Objectives
- Identify what Christ finished at Calvary — the atonement and the apostolic revelation — as permanently closed chapters that need no addition or repetition.
- List the ongoing works of the present Christ: with preachers, adding the obedient to the church, edifying members, perfecting faith, interceding, governing as head, reigning as king.
- Understand Christ's present intercession (Heb. 7:25) as a living ministry available to every believer in prayer — not a historical act but a present-tense reality.
- Recognize that the present kingdom (Col. 1:13; I Cor. 15:25) renders premillennial expectation of a future earthly reign unnecessary and contrary to apostolic teaching.
Thesis
The tetelestai of John 19:30 marks the completion of the atoning work — not the end of Christ's activity. The risen, ascended Christ is presently reigning as king (Col. 1:13), interceding as mediator (Heb. 7:25), governing as head of the church (Col. 1:18), adding the obedient to his body, and preparing to judge. The Christian life is lived within Christ's ongoing ministry, not merely in the aftermath of the cross.
Burden
The cross closed one chapter of Christ's work forever — the chapter of atonement. But Christ did not retire at Calvary. He is presently reigning, interceding, adding to his church, governing his body, and preparing to judge. The Christian life is lived under the active lordship of a working Christ, not beneath the memory of a dead one.
Introduction
There are many paradoxes in life. One of the great paradoxes of the gospel is that the man who said "It is finished" (John 19:30) from the cross is still working. The tetelestai — a Greek perfect-tense verb meaning "it has been completed and stands completed" — closed a specific chapter of Christ's work forever. But it opened another.
The resurrection, the ascension, the session at the right hand — none of these are epilogue. They are a new phase of active ministry. The Christ who is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3; 10:12) is not idle. The letter to the Hebrews will not let us think so.
This sermon considers what was finished at the cross and what is still underway.
I. Jesus' Finished Work
His Personal Ministry
"It is finished" (John 19:30). The context in Hebrews 9:26 explains what was finished: Christ "has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." The removal of sin — the cancellation of the debt, the bearing of the curse — was accomplished once, at Calvary. It does not need to be repeated. "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10).
Two great works comprise his personal ministry, both finished: the redemption of man and the revelation of truth. The revelation was complete. "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son" (Heb. 1:1-2). The Son has spoken. The revelation is closed.
His Apostolic Ministry
The apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to transmit Christ's teaching faithfully. "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you" (John 14:26). "He will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13).
That apostolic ministry was confirmed by miracles (Heb. 2:1-4) and was unrepeatable. The apostles had no successors in the technical sense — no one inherits the capacity for inspired, miraculous confirmation of new revelation. The word of the apostles is complete. "Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Gal. 1:8-9). The deposit of truth is closed.
II. Some Unfinished Work
What remains? A great deal.
With Those Who Preach
Christ promised: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). This is not metaphor or sentiment — it is a ministry. Christ blesses and enables faithful preaching. Paul understood this: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). Because Christ is present with preachers, only truth must be preached. To preach human invention is to ask Christ to endorse what he has not authorized.
Adding to the Church
"And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). The subject is the Lord, not the church. The addition of the obedient to the body of Christ is Christ's work, not a human program. Baptism into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-4) is the point of addition, and the Lord performs it. That work continues as long as the gospel is preached and the obedient respond.
Edifying the Members
Christ is present in the gathered assembly: "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" (Matt. 18:20). Prayer offered in his name — "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do" (John 14:13) — is a current transaction with a living Lord. Every prayer offered and answered is evidence that the work of edification is ongoing. Paul applies the same principle: "all things to the edifying" (I Cor. 14:26). The building-up of the body continues.
Perfecter of Our Faith
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith" (Heb. 12:2). The word teleiōtēs — perfecter, completer — indicates that Christ will not abandon an unfinished work. "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). All individual faith is incomplete until glorification; Christ is the one who completes it.
Illustration: A builder who lays the foundation and then leaves has not built a house. Christ did not lay the foundation of salvation at Calvary and then leave his people to complete the structure alone. He is both foundation and builder — "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 3:11), and he continues building those who trust him.
Work of Intercession
"There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5). The present-tense "there is" fixes this not in the past but in the present reality. Christ is now our mediator.
"Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). Always. Present tense. He "always lives" for this purpose. The throne of grace to which we "draw near with confidence" (Heb. 4:16) is accessible because he is there, presenting our cause, standing as our advocate (I John 2:1).
Head Over the Church
"He is also head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18). "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Eph. 1:22-23). A head that has retired or withdrawn is not a functional head. The church is governed by a living Lord — his will expressed through his word, his presence active in his people.
King Over His Kingdom
"He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (I Tim. 6:15). This is the present description of Christ's status. The kingdom is not coming in a distant future dispensation; it is present. The Father "rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). Past tense — already accomplished.
Christ is now king. "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet" (I Cor. 15:25). The present reign continues until the last enemy — death — is abolished. At that point, he will deliver the completed kingdom to the Father (I Cor. 15:24), having finished every aspect of his redemptive work.
Will Judge at the Last Day
"He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day" (John 12:48). The standard of judgment is already fixed — the words of Christ. The event of judgment is still future. "Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
The work is not finished until after that judgment. Only then will every work of Christ have been accomplished.
Application
The Christian life is not lived in the aftermath of Christ's work. It is lived within it.
Every prayer is addressed to a living mediator. Every gathering of the church is attended by a present Lord. Every obedient response to the gospel adds a person to a body whose head is alive. Every moral struggle against sin is conducted under the eyes of a king who strengthens those who trust him.
The finished work of Calvary is the foundation. The unfinished work — intercession, edification, governance, judgment — is the ongoing structure. Those who obey the gospel enter into a living relationship with a working Christ, not a memorial to a dead one.
Conclusion
"It is finished" (John 19:30) is among the most important words ever spoken. But they are not a retirement announcement. They mark the completion of the sacrificial work — the propitiation, the atonement, the purchase of the church with Christ's own blood. That chapter is closed forever.
But the risen, ascended, reigning Christ is presently working: with preachers, adding to his church, edifying his people, interceding before the Father, governing his body as its head, reigning as king, and preparing to judge. None of this is past. All of it is present.
The day will come when all enemies have been placed under his feet and the last soul has been judged. On that day, having finished every work assigned to him, he will deliver the kingdom to the Father, "so that God may be all in all" (I Cor. 15:28). Until then — the work continues.
Invitation
Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Repent. Confess his name. Be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). Enter into a living relationship with a working Christ — his intercession begins at your baptism.
Word Study
| English Term | Greek Term | Basic Meaning | Usage in This Sermon | Sermon Significance | Key Texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| it is finished | tetelestai | it has been completed, paid in full | Christ's final cry from the cross (John 19:30) | Perfect tense: completed act with ongoing results — redemption is done, its benefits continue | John 19:30; Col. 2:14 |
| mediator | mesitēs | one who stands between, a go-between | I Tim. 2:5 — "one mediator between God and men" | Christ's mediatorial role continues after the cross; the channel of prayer remains open | I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 9:15 |
| intercession | entynchanō | to approach on behalf of another, to appeal | Heb. 7:25 — Christ "always lives to make intercession" | Present active tense: Christ is interceding now, not as a historical act but a living ministry | Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34 |
| head | kephalē | head, source of authority and direction | Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22 — Christ as head of the church | The church has a living head, not an absent founder | Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23 |
| king | basileus | king, sovereign ruler | I Tim. 6:15 — "the King of kings and Lord of lords" | Christ is NOW king; the kingdom is present, not future | I Tim. 6:15; I Cor. 15:25 |
| judge | kritēs | one who decides, adjudicates | John 12:48 — judgment by Christ's words at the last day | The unfinished work of judgment will close all history | John 12:48; Acts 17:31 |
Scripture Interlock Table
| Theme | Boles' Outline | Supporting Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Finished: redemption | The atonement accomplished once for all | Heb. 9:26; 10:10; John 19:30 |
| Finished: revelation | Apostolic teaching complete, no new revelation | John 14:26; 16:13; Gal. 1:8-9 |
| Present with preachers | Christ active in faithful proclamation | Matt. 28:20; Phil. 4:13 |
| Adding to the church | Lord adds the obedient | Acts 2:47; Gal. 3:27 |
| Christ present in assembly | Corporate worship attended by the Lord | Matt. 18:20; John 14:13 |
| Intercession | Christ always lives to intercede | Heb. 7:25; I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1 |
| Head of the church | Active governance of the body | Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23 |
| Present kingdom | Kingdom now, not future | Col. 1:13; I Tim. 6:15; I Cor. 15:25 |
| Future judgment | Final work — judgment by Christ's words | John 12:48; Acts 17:31; I Cor. 15:24 |
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Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 187. Primary text: John 19:30 (stated by Boles). OCR corrections: none required. Doctrinal audit: tetelestai explained as perfect tense — completed act with ongoing results; present kingdom affirmed from Col. 1:13 (past tense — already accomplished) and I Cor. 15:25 (He must reign now); premillennial future-kingdom assumption explicitly refuted; intercession developed from Heb. 7:25 with present-tense emphasis; judgment kept as a future unfinished work without premillennial distortion; invitation retains full obedient response (Acts 2:38).
