Take a look at what he says now in our text…

John 4, verse 34: “My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me.”

And look at these next several words, and to say it with me, “finish his work.”

Now, whatever translation you have, the meaning is the same. There was a work that Jesus came to do, and he came to do it and finish it.

Starting a work is fine, but finishing it is better. And God is looking for people that will be faithful to the finish. He’s not looking for good starters.  He’s looking for good finishers.  The world’s full of history of people who start things and don’t finish. Christianity is not going to be one of those.  We’re called to be finishers.

The Father had sent the son to do a work, and on the cross, as you well remember, in agony, at the very end, he looked up toward heaven and said, say it with me, “it is finished.” And it was.

And when the veil ripped, and the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem, as he spoke those words, it was that we as human mankind would never forget that the work was finished.

And so it was the Holy Spirit left the historic Judaic home symbolically. And the apostle Paul said, no longer would that be the holy of holies, but we would become the temple.

And now the spirit of God lives where? In the heart of every one of us as born again believers.

So it is. Jesus finished a work, but then he gave us a work to do.  He gave us, soon after that, in his resurrected appearance, what we call the Great Commission.  We were told to take the gospel throughout all the world.

Ministers were told to preach it.  That’s Matthew 24, 14. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto every nation.”

But lay people and ministers were told to witness it.

Acts 1:8 – “And when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be” … my what? My witnesses. In Jerusalem, you’ll do it. Judea, you’ll do it.  Samaria. And finally, you’ll do it in the uttermost parts of the earth.

And so it is that God has called us as the church, both preachers and all members, participants, in the glorious mission of carrying out this work and finishing it.  He has given us a job to do and an assignment that is the greatest privilege of all of history.

For we get to be a part of taking the glorious good news of the Savior to the countless millions of our generation who need Him and are waiting for the water of life and the bread of life.

(continued in part 5 of the series)