“It is”
Dick Schell
Midland SDA Church
September 19, 2009
Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:4; Matthew 14:27; John 19:30
Charles Swindoll tells a funny story about a nine-year-old named Danny who came bursting out of Sunday school like a wild stallion. His eyes were darting in every direction as he tried to locate either mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he grabbed his Daddy by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!” His father looked down, smiled and asked the boy to tell him about it.
“Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them, so the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army was getting closer and closer. So Moses got on his walkie-talkie and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!
By now old dad was shocked. “Is THAT the way they taught you the story?”
Well, no, not exactly, “Danny admitted, “but if I told you the way they told it to us, you’d never believe it, Dad.”
This morning I’m telling you the way “IT IS”.
It is written:
Three specific temptations are described by Matthew and Luke:
Matthew 4: 3 “And when the tempter came to him he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Satan wants us to put our own physical needs above our spiritual needs,
Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.”
Whereas God wants us to seek Him first and then He will take care of all the needs that we have.
Every day examples:
Matthew 4:6 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee.”
Satan wants us to tempt God by doing what He never really told us to do, and then to foolishly think that God will step in and protect us.
Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
God wants us to simply trust Him and do that which is right, leaving the results with God.
Everyday Examples:
Matthew 4: 8, 9 Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Satan wants us to worship and honor him in order to achieve a higher position or station in life,
Matthew 4:10, Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord they God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Believers must never bow down to anything or anyone except the Lord our God. He alone deserves and demands our whole-hearted allegiance. We must never seek to advance ourselves at the cost of abandoning God and that which is right.
Everyday Examples:
Unsaved husband: “Judy, if you want our marriage to continue to be what it should be, then go to church on Sabbath morning only. I’ll gladly let you go to that one service only, but no more.”
“It’s not possible for me to come to church at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening because that is our supper hour.”
Some Bible Examples: Both right and wrong
Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Daniel 6: 7 – 13, Decree, Lion’s Den, Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his window being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the Devil and he will flee from you;
Matthew 4: 11 – Then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and ministered unto him.
It is I
In Matthew 14, Jesus is hankering for some quiet time so he sends his disciples away in the boat and he went up onto the mountain apart to pray: “and when even was come, he was there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves, one of those unpredictable Sea of Gallilee squalls had blow in; for the wind was contrary, and in the fourth watch(some time between 3AM and 6AM) of the night he came unto them, walking on the sea, and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying it is a ghost; and they cried out for fear, but straightway Jesus spake unto them saying Be of good cheer; it is I, or (take courage! Fear not! Be not afraid! I am.) This is an inscription that might hang over the door of every church in the world.
Have you ever found yourself stuck in one of life’s storms, and no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, it seems that you cannot make any headway?
Thankfully, however, there is some good news for us today from the word of God. Heb. 12:11 say “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
There are times when we all feel like we have lost the battle with our storm, but may I remind you that just as surely as the Lord is in control of your blessings, He is also in charge of your storms. When things look the bleakest just look around, Jesus is about to show up! Remember, He may not keep you from going into the storm, but He will keep you in the midst of the storm! Think about the 3 Hebrews, Daniel and Noah. God did not prevent any of these from going into the storm, but He saved them all in the midst of the storm. What he did for them, He will do for you!
When Jesus showed up, He came declaring His identity. “It is I”, is an emphatic personal pronoun. It is the same statement Jesus used when He said, “I am the door”; “I am the way, the truth and the life.” I am the bread of life”: I am the good shepherd. Jesus is telling his disciples to cheer up, God is here! If we can ever grasp the truth that Jesus is the great I AM, that He has all power in Heaven and in earth, Matt. 28:18, then we can enjoy peace in the midst of trials.
Here is a secret to make the storm more bearable for you: Don’t wait until the storm is over to bow before Him. Bow now, while the waves are still threatening your boat. Bow now, while the winds are still contrary to you. Don’t wait until blue skies are seen to humble yourself before the Lord. Nothing reveals your faith in the Lord more than you being willing to accept His will and love Him, even when things look the worse for you.
If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.(the title of a recent book written by a nationally know pastor), and here and there, now and again, the church maybe needs visionary and courageous folks who step out in faith, to do some new and bold thing. But maybe there afar more times when life in the “boat” that just is the church involves no more than faithfully pulling on your oar against the winds that howl! Believing that Jesus is near, and so pressing on, You press on in faith not because you’ve tested Jesus and found that he lived up to all the hype and not because Jesus has enabled you yourself to do something quite grand and eye-catching. No, you press on because you believe Jesus when through the Spirit, you hear him say “Chin up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.
It is Finished
Jesus had been betrayed and the Pharisees and the chief priest had come with weapons to take Jesus away. They had tried him – illegally – during the night. Peter had denied Him. The Pharisees and chief priests had brought Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, because Israel was occupied by Romans – They were not allowed to put criminals to death. Pilate interviewed Jesus and was unnerved by Him. The crowd demanded that Jesus be crucified and Pilate relented when they threatened to tell Caesar that he was a traitor to the crown. So they crucified Him, and He died, and Jesus followers received His Body and laid him in a tomb.
That sound like failure. His own disciples thought He had failed. Historians of the day wrote that there was not an inch of His Body that was not bruised, torn or bleeding. They threw Him down on the cross and pounded spikes into His writs and ankles. But that was not all – it was not just the suffering of being crucified that He endured, but Jesus cried out that the Father had forsaken Him – in a way that we cannot fully understand, the Father turned His back on the Son, and the Son received the eternal sufferings of Hell for each one who would believe, concentrated and all at once, as He hung on the cross.
How could they not think He had failed?
But then in His final moments, He cried out a cry of victory, “Tetelestai!” It is finished!”
So we understand by this word not that Jesus is saying here, “I’m finished. I’m done. I’m ended. My life is gone. I’ve tried and wasn’t able to do it. Now I’m going to go the way of all flesh.” That is not what He meant when said, “It is finished.” But with a shout of victorious confidence, the Lord Jesus Christ is saying to us, and to God in our hearing, “The work that Thou gavest Me to do, the mission Thou didst send me to Me to accomplish, is finished. It is finished!” It is a shout of victory. It is a cry of obedience, God-centered obedience. They were not words of defeat. They were words of victory. They were words of accomplishment.
What was finished that day? There was still a lot more work Jesus could have done. There were more lepers to cleanse. More dead to raise. More hungry mouths to feed. Millions more needed to hear his message. So how could he say, “It is finished”?
John’s gospel began with John the Baptist pointing his disciples to Jesus with the words, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes way the sin of the world” John 1:29, This was the work that the Father had sent Him to do. He was to be the sacrificial lamb slaughtered for the sin of every person in the world. It was this work that was accomplished that day. “It is finished.”
In that moment, Jesus announced His Victory – His completed work:
· Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about the Messiah
There are hundreds of prophecies about the Coming Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled every one.
· Jesus kept the whole Law of God
Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all accomplished” Jesus kept God’s law perfectly; He never sinned. Therefore, He was able to take our place-to be our Substitute before God in judgment – to receive the judgment for our sins, and He was able to give those who believe His Perfect Righteousness – credited to us – to our account.
· Jesus did all the Father sent Him to do
As Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that has been given me, but raised it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
· Jesus accomplished all that was necessary for our redemption justification and salvation.
“Consequently, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming curse for us- for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’ Hebrews 7:25.
· He gave Himself as a ransom for all those who would believe
The Son of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time”
· He paid the wages of sin
“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copes of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
· Jesus is Holy and Innocent and able to take our place in Judgment
He was able to satisfy God’s Justice by enduring the full penalty for all of our sin in Him; Since He did this once for all when he offered up himself.
· He has provided a perfect standing before God for His people
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
· He has secured our eternal salvation, as Jesus said
“Father, the hours has come, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given to him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do. And now Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed”
· Jesus has secured our salvation by vanquishing the power of death, Hell and the devil:
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death we subject to lifelong slavery”.
And so we look forward to that day of victory when Jesus returns for us, “When the imperishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying, as it is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory, ‘ ‘ O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
No word ever more terrible to the devils and the devil’s host, who knew what this meant for them, than these words, “It is finished.”
You may sit at peace this morning. You may be in absolute peace now, because the Lord said: “It is finished for you. “I’ve done it for you.”
It is a cry of victory!!!!!