July 19th, 2015, Gospel Meeting, Miyota
Gotthold Beck
Matthew
3:16 When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
3:17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!
4:1 After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
4:3 Then the tempter came. “Since you are the Son of God,” he said, “tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One must not live on bread alone, but on every word coming out of the mouth of God.’”
4:5 Then the devil took him to the Holy City and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple.
4:6 He told Jesus, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written, ‘God will put his angels in charge of you,’ and, ‘With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.’”
4:7 Jesus responded to him, “It is also written, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.’”
4:8 Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor.
4:9 He told Jesus, “I will give you all these things if you will bow down and worship me!”
4:10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! Because it is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
4:11 So the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to him.
[International Standard Version]
The title of this sermon is “The Lord Jesus as the Victor.” Alternatively, it can be titled, “The Lord Jesus Declared it was Finished,” or “The Victory Over the Devil.”
When people encounter Jesus in the true sense, they begin to wish to follow him from their hearts. Jesus should be the foundation of their lives, everything in their lives and at the same time, the purpose of their lives.
Matthew
4:10 You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
These are the words Jesus spoke when he was tempted in the wilderness. This verse shows us that Jesus is certainly the greatest and most incomparable Victor. It is only in the midst of adversity, in difficult circumstances of life, that men come to realize what is hidden within themselves.
In here, Jesus was left in an agony that was too deep and horrible for words. After this, Jesus was tested through temptation of the devil. However, it was in the midst of this temptation that the greatness of Jesus was revealed to us. We can see from chapter 4, verse 1 that he was led by the Spirit. Not by the evil spirit, but by the Holy Spirit. That is to say, Jesus acted 100 percent based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and relied on nothing else. He had never done anything according to his own intention. He had never followed his own will even for a moment. Jesus had never acted based on his own thoughts, his emotions or his intentions throughout his life.
John
14:30 I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.
In here, the devil is called “the one who rules the world.” Why did all attempts of the devil, the ruler of this world, on Jesus fail? It was because Jesus never stopped being completely obedient to his Father in heaven. The devil could have done absolutely nothing on him. I guess in here, two worlds collided. One is the world of the Lord God and the other is the world ruled by the devil. It is a conflict between the light and the darkness.
Matthew
3:16 When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
3:17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!
God the Father, Jesus as God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit revealed the savior of this world. Jesus was baptized. And through being baptized, he clearly showed his intention to sacrifice his own life for the salvation of the world. Let us look at this verse, which I believe is the most important verse in the Gospel according to Mark;
Mark
10:45 because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened up for him. The Spirit of God descended and;
Matthew
3:17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!
This exactly is the revelation of the Trinity, isn't it? When we read these verses, we understand that only Jesus could please God and he was what the Father God truly wanted. All those who accepted Jesus as their own savior will experience the love of the Lord God.
The love of the Lord God is poured onto all those who accepted his son, Jesus, and repented.
Ephesians
1:6 so that we would praise his glorious grace that he gave us in the Beloved One.
When we accepted Jesus, we were all given the eternal life and became the ones who pleased the Lord God. Contrarily, upon those who refuse Jesus, the wrath of God would remain, as clearly stated in the Bible.
It is written in these verses that for forty days, Jesus stayed in the wilderness, fasted and prayed. This was the time for the Lord to prepare for his public ministry in this world. No priest, no prophet and no king was allowed to engage in their ministry without being anointed. Being anointed symbolizes the fulfillment with the Holy Spirits. His experience in the wilderness clearly proved that Jesus was now totally ready to sacrifice himself for this world. And at the end of his life, Jesus could declare the completion of his task to Father with these words in his prayers;
John
17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing the task you gave me to do.
It was actually the mission given to the first man, Adam, to reveal the glory of the Lord God on this Earth. All things were entrusted to this first man, Adam.
To accomplish this mission, one condition was given to him, which was to live fully under the control of the Lord. When Adam, ruler of all created things, was tempted by the devil, he was living in paradise. He lent his ears to the words of the devil and believed them. When he decided to live based on his own thoughts and intentions, he chose the way that went far away from the Lord God. When he was separated from God, Adam lost everything.
In the Scripture Expressions, the first Adam and the last Adam are often used. One example can be found in the First Epistle to Corinthians, which is also known as the book of resurrection.
1 Corinthians
15:45 This, indeed, is what is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
15:46 The spiritual does not come first, but the physical does, and then comes the spiritual.
15:47 The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven.
In the Bible, Jesus is called the last Adam. This last Adam too was tempted by the devil. However, while the first Adam was placed in paradise, Jesus, the last Adam, was tempted by the devil in this very wilderness. Furthermore, unlike the first Adam, Jesus was not in a position of ruler; instead he humbled himself and took the form of a poor servant. These are the verses often cited during our worship.
Philippians
2:6 In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping.
2:7 Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be,
2:8 and lived in all humility, death on a cross obeying.
It was because Jesus was fully obedient that he could work as the savior of the whole of mankind, who were otherwise destined to perish. Through his full obedience to his Father God, Jesus regained everything the first Adam lost. The first Adam lost the glory of God because of his disobedience.
Romans
3:23 since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory.
Human beings came to deserve the wrath of God. According to the Ephesians 2:3, by nature we were destined for wrath. And now, the devil has become the ruler of this world. Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Corinth,
2 Corinthians
4:4 In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.
I would like to discuss quickly today the three temptations given to Jesus.
The Old Testament explained in what form the savior to come would arrive. That is to say, he would come as priest. He would come as prophet. And he would come as king. We can see in these verses from Matthew that Jesus was described as true priest, true prophet and true king.
Through the first temptation, it was shown to us that Jesus was the only one in this world who had no sin at all. Jesus, having no sin, was at the same time the true priest and the true mediator. Through this first temptation, Jesus had shown that he had the power to save the entire human race.
Through the second temptation, Jesus proved that he was the only one who can never lie. As the true prophet, Jesus flatly refused the deception of the devil.
And through the third temptation, Jesus manifested that he was the perfect Victor over the devil. As the true king, Jesus consistently refused to accept all kinds of false worship.
During the first temptation, the devil told Jesus, “Since you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” The Son of God is needless to say, the God himself. Jesus is the eternal God who took human form. The devil is not an abstraction of bad influence or evil strength. He exists as a personal, concrete character. The devil is called the ruler of this world. The ultimate purpose of the devil is to lead the human race into his trap of destruction and throw them into eternal damnation. In the Bible, the devil is called the accuser, the deceiver and the murderer.
It was actually nothing for Jesus to change stone to bread. He said that he could raise up descendants for Abraham from stones.
As a proof of this fact, Jesus later satisfied the hunger of five thousand men with just five loaves of bread and still, twelve baskets were filled with leftover pieces. Jesus reacted to the attack of the devil with these words of God.
Deuteronomy
8:3 He humbled you, causing you to be hungry, yet he fed you with manna that neither you nor your ancestors had known, in order to teach you that human beings are not to live by food alone―instead human beings are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Jesus, as a human, completely obeyed his Father God in heaven. During his stay on this earth, Jesus wished nothing but to reveal the glory of the Father God and he never even thought of living for his own good. The only desire of Jesus was to carry out the will of the Father God and he delighted in doing so. The author of the Psalms wrote.
Psalms
40:8 I delight to do your will, my God. Your Law is part of my inner being.
40:9 In the great congregation I have proclaimed the righteous good news.
These were the words of David and Jesus was actually filled with the same feeling. It can be seen from these words of his.
John
4:34 My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work.
It is not a sin to make bread out of stones. Still, Jesus never once acted on his own accord.
John
5:19 Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the Son....
This refers to himself...
5:19 … can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.
5:30 I can do nothing on my own accord. I judge according to what I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
8:28 ...you will know that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own authority. Instead, I speak only what the Father has taught me.
Jesus sincerely and willingly devoted his life to the intention and the guidance of his Father God through his own free will. And Jesus rejected all things that might hinder him from obeying his Father in heaven.
We have to pay special attention to this fact; that is to say, the victory of Jesus always depends on our understanding of his intention for us and our complete obedience to the word of the Lord.
Every time Jesus was attacked, he used nothing but the word of God to fight back. The word of God is a truly wonderful weapon. Why is it so? What is the word of God? David said it was a light. The word of God shows us a light. Let us look at this verse, which I believe we all know by heart,
Psalms
119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my pathway.
This was what David experienced again and again. He was reminded a number of times that he would have lost all hope if he did not have the word of God. His word reveals a light. But that is not all. Secondly, his word brings great joy.
Psalms
119:162 I find joy at what you have said like one who has discovered a great treasure.
Those who have a clear consciousness that they were given the word from God have the true blessing. A man called Jeremiah went through many ordeals. Every time he spoke, it generated misunderstanding. When he proclaimed the word of the Lord, it was totally rejected. Furthermore, he was accused and even imprisoned. But, what did he say under such circumstances? I am sure you all remember this verse,
Jeremiah
15:16 Your words were found, and I consumed them.
He did not learn, he did not understand, but he consumed them. In other words, the word of God came from within him.
15:16 …Your words were joy and my hearts delight.
If you want delight in your heart, please consume the word of God. It will release you from all anxieties and worries. Furthermore, his words are all truth.
Psalms
119:160 The sum of your word is truth.
Jesus said the same thing in his prayers.
John
17:17 Your word is truth.
So, he confessed. Jesus never attempted to make people obey with bread. No matter how rich and materially abundant people are, they cannot be free from the huge hunger and thirst they have deep in their hearts. One of the most serious problems of people today is that though we have become materially rich, we are still poor in our hearts and suffer from hunger and thirst.
Matthew
4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One must not live on bread alone, but on every word coming out of the mouth of God.’”
What does “the word coming out of the mouth of God” refer to? It refers to nothing but the word of God written in the Scripture and at the same time it points to Jesus himself. One of Jesus' names is “Son of God.”
John
6:33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
6:35 Jesus told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty.”
6:37 Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and I’ll never turn away the one who comes to me.
I am the bread that came down from heaven. And it was not for the sake of his own will but to carry out the will of the one who sent him.
John
6:40 This is my Father’s will: That everyone who sees the Son...
that is to say, who sees me,
6:40 … and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”
6:47 Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who believes in me has eternal life.
6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever.
The will of the Lord God is the intention of our Lord too. The desire of the Lord God is to save all humans.
Matthew
1:21 ...he is the one who will save his people from their sins.
The Lord God is willing to forgive us completely and he is waiting to do so. John sent these words to encourage the believers of his time and give them hope. These are very well-known and wonderful words.
1 John
1:9 If we make it our habit to confess our sins,...
We have to confess. It is imperative.
1:9 … in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Through the first temptation, we understand that Jesus alone had no sin and he truthfully desired to obey the will of his Father God. Jesus wished to accomplish the will of his Father, which was to save all humans from their sins and he had never asked for anything for himself. It is because of this that Jesus is the true priest and the sole mediator between the Holy God and us. No one other than Jesus can solve the problem of our sins.
Our sin has separated us far from the Lord God. Jesus destroyed “the wall of sin” standing between the Lord and us through his death on the cross. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins on his body that should have been imposed on us.
Let me finish this sermon with this verse. This exactly is the gospel which is beyond our imagination.
2 Corinthians
5:21 God made the one who did not know sin....
this refers to Jesus,
5:21 … to be sin for us,...
Jesus was treated like sin itself. It is beyond our understanding. Why was that?
5:21 … so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.
Jesus is the Victor. He could exclaim, “It is finished.” I trust that it should be our sincere desire to understand Jesus, the Victor, to a greater degree.
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