The Lie of “Almost”

Of the many lies that the enemy has spread about God, few are as varied, as widespread and as damaging as what I have come to call, the lie of “Almost.” In-fact this particular lie is so prevalent, and takes so many forms, I can say that it comes up in some fashion in almost every conversation that I encounter about the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Let me give you some examples of this Almost lie, and what it looks like:

You almost have your miracle, just keep persevering.

You almost conquered your sin, just try harder.

God is almost pleased, just keep at it.

Now all three of these may sound right, they may even seem encouraging… I mean, what’s wrong with telling someone to keep on trying, right? Well to use a colloquialism: The devil is in the details – which in this case is literally true. The lie, is in the “almost” part of it, implying that the things which Christ paid for on the cross have still been left undelivered, or that additional steps are required to attain them. And this lie has kept many people in bondage, some even for their entire lives.

So today, what I want to share with you, is what the scriptures say regarding what you have in Christ Jesus – not sometime later, not after jumping through religious hoops, but right now, this very moment.

As we begin today, let’s start with what Jesus said (that seems like a good place to start). John 19:30:

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit”

Now of course these three words of Jesus here are one of His most well known phrases. The final cry of Jesus at the cross. Some think of this final declaration as symbolizing the final moments of Jesus’ life, declaring the end of his life, sort-of like “It’s finished, I’m done for!”

However, Jesus’ final declaration of “It is finished!” isn’t speaking of His own finality, but in-fact is speaking about His redemptive work for us. Realistically, Jesus didn’t need to declare His own death – not for Himself, nor for any of the spectators… in-fact they had their own methods for assuring death anyway; namely in verses 32 and 33, they broke the legs of the two thieves to assure their rapid death, and pierced the side of Jesus and observed the blood and water pour out, signifying death.

So why then did Jesus say that “It was finished”? Put simply, He said it for you and for me. So that we would know and be absolutely sure, that the work which He came to do, the redemption that He came to give and the perfect sacrifice which He offered for us, had all been completed. He was declaring the total and absolute payment for our sins – the breaking of every chain and the freedom for everyone who will accept release. And this is why the lie of “almost”, is so evil… and so deadly. Because it takes the very words of Jesus as He suffered fr you and for me on that cross, and nullifies them to nothing.

It takes the victory cry of Christ declaring for all to hear that “It is finished. All is accomplished. You are redeemed!” and turns it into a fleeting wish – a dangling carrot The lie of “almost” turns the certainty of now, in Christ, into merely a hope for the future: “someday, maybe soon, it’s almost here!”

In Psalm 107:2 it is stated very plainly to Let the redeemed of the LORD say so. There are even popular praise songs and hymns about this very thing… but often-times we don’t hear those who claim to be “believers” saying that they are redeemed – not really anyway.

Oh sure, they may use the word redeemed, and claim that they are, but what does it actually mean to say that “I am redeemed”? It it simply the physical articulation of the words? No, of course not! It is the meaning and the spirit behind those words that are important. The foundation of actually knowing and agreeing with what Jesus Christ actually did on that cross, personally for you.

Not that He is going to finish it some day in the future; Not that He is almost ready to accomplish it; Not that He is about to redeem you. But that indeed, it is finished, all things have been accomplished, and you are redeemed! Right now! No more waiting!

Now, what exactly have we been redeemed from? This is another area of confusion for a lot of people today. If you ask the average Christian, they will either give a blank stare because they honestly don’t know, or they will default to simply saying that Jesus has redeemed them from hell to heaven, or from sin to righteousness. And while both of those answers have elements of truth to them, neither of those answers are the entire truth.

You see, the Biblical reality is far greater than we have generally been told, it is far richer than what we have been led to believe. The situation is similar to having untold riches in the bank, but believing a lie which says that you only have five dollars. If you don’t know the riches that you possess, you will live a poor life and never enjoy any of what is truly yours!

It’s the same with Jesus, and what He has accomplished for us. We have been hoodwinked, cheated, made to believe a lie that He really hasn’t accomplished anything or redeemed us at all, and we are living in divine poverty, when we don’t really have to at all.

I invite you now to see what the scriptures actually say about the redemption which Jesus has purchased for you, right here, right now. Take an honest, open look at Galatians 3:13, and you will see that the scriptures are very specific about exactly what you have been redeemed from:

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree”

The first thing to notice here, is the past-tense wording being used here. Christ has redeemed us. Not that Christ is going to redeem us later, or that Christ is waiting to redeem us after some time… no… Christ has redeemed us. We are redeemed right now. I know that I keep mentioning that, but so do the scriptures – it’s a vitally important fact for us to grab hold of.

Now look at the rest of the verse, and see what we are actually redeemed from…. It may surprise you:

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.

You see, you weren’t only redeemed from hell to heaven, like some divine future appointment. You were redeemed by Christ, quite specifically from the curse of the Law. That is the Law of Moses.

And speaking of specifics, just as with this verse – the curse of the Law is spelled-out in great detail in the latter-portion of Deuteronomy 28. It is so vast that I have done entire studies just on that! I used to make people laugh when they would ask me what I have been meditating on this week, and I would tell them that I was meditating on the curses of the Law. They never understood why, but maybe now you do understand why.

Because today those curses found in the Law of Moses, those curses that were a blight to all who disobeyed the Law under the Old Covenant…. Today in Christ Jesus, those curses are a wonderfully detailed list of every single thing that you have been redeemed from! And as we read today in scripture, you are not waiting for it to happen some time later – no today, you have been redeemed already by Christ on the cross! It is finished! It is accomplished! You are redeemed! Simply receive it and live it, now!

I encourage you today. Don’t spend another second, believing the terrible lie of “almost”. Don’t spend another day living the life of a spiritual pauper, when you have the vast riches of Christ that never fade away. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.

You are redeemed.

Be blessed.