Paid In Full

Twenty years ago, my wife and I bought a new home. Well, I guess to be more accurate, I should say that for the last twenty years, my wife and I have been buying a home. The bank that loaned us the money actually owned the house, they just let us live in it while we finished paying for it! Well, I have something to show you this morning. You may not think it is all that wonderful, but to me it sure is! This is the loan agreement that my wife and I signed when we bought our house. Last month, the bank returned these papers to me. Look what it says right here! It is stamped with a big red stamp that says, "Paid In Full." That means that my home now really belongs to me. It has been paid for in full.

Did you know that I have another home? I have a home in heaven just waiting for me to move in. It has also been paid for in full, but not by me. I could never pay for it myself. It was paid for by Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross, the last words that he said were, "It is finished!" What did he mean? Did he mean his suffering was finished? Did he mean his life was finished? What was Jesus talking about? Let me tell you what I think he meant.

The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord." I think that what Jesus meant when he said, "It is finished" was that the price for my sin had been "Paid In Full" by his death on the cross. It was as if Jesus was taking a big rubber stamp and stamping my life "Paid In Full!" Jesus has paid the price for your sins too. All you have to do is to accept his gift and then your home in heaven will also be "Paid In Full!"

Jesus, thank you for coming to give your life as payment in full for my sin. I gratefully accept your gift of eternal life in my home in heaven. Amen.