ARE YOU AMAZED?
MEDITATION: Baseball season is fast approaching. I like the Mets. When the Mets won the World Series in 1969 they were dubbed, ‘the Amazing Mets’. Up until that year, the Mets didn’t have one winning season to their credit. The team they were facing in the series, the Baltimore Orioles, who had won 109 games that year, were heavy favorites. No one thought the Mets would win more than one game. Instead, it was the Orioles who would win only one game. But, however amazing the Mets were, there’s something even more amazing than the Mets. No, it’s not the Yankees; it’s Jesus. Play 5:00 video clip. INTRODUCTION: The word, ‘amaze’ means ‘to fill somebody with wonder or astonishment’. To fill someone with wonder or astonishment means there is a great degree of admiration or awe. Amazement, astonishment, wonder, awe, these are words used to describe Jesus. But what is so amazing about Jesus? Let’s find out. There are many things that are amazing about Jesus but I’m going to highlight just a few today.
1) His teaching is amazing.
• His teaching is amazing because it has authority. In Matt. 5-7 Jesus delivers what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. In this discourse, Jesus had some radical concepts to convey. Love your enemies instead of hating them. Bless those who persecute you instead of getting even with them. He talked about building up treasures in heaven instead of focusing on acquiring treasures here on earth. He taught how sin isn’t just an act but that it starts in the heart and mind. He tackled subjects like worrying and judging others. He educated people on giving, prayer and fasting. And the people were amazed. Matt. 7:28-29, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” The teachers of the law spoke with human authority. Jesus, however, spoke with divine authority. These teachings were something that the people hadn’t heard before. And that from someone whom they wouldn’t have expected to hear it. Jesus had no formal or rabbinical training so the people would’ve wondered how he had acquired such learning without being ‘officially’ taught by a Rabbi. Yet here was this authoritative, radical teaching that got into the very depths of people’s souls. Teaching that cut through the fluff and got beneath the surface to deal with what was going on inside each one of them. Jesus taught with passion and conviction. He spoke with bold authority and the people were amazed.
• Jesus’ teaching is amazing because of its wisdom. Matt. 22:15-22. The skeptics of Jesus had challenged him with a trick question. If Jesus had answered, ‘yes’, then he would have been accused of being a friend to Rome and thus disloyal to his own people. But, if he had answered, ‘No’, then he would’ve been reported to the Roman governor and been executed for treason. Therefore, there really was no right answer. But yet he gave them one. Man can never exceed the intellect of God. There is no trick question for him. When these people saw that their trap had failed because of Jesus’ wisdom they had no choice but to go away in amazement.
• Jesus’ teaching is amazing because it is timeless. Jesus said in Matt. 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Part of the reason Jesus’ teaching will last forever is because it will always be relevant. That something said 2,000 years ago could have such a great impact on our lives today is testimony to the amazing timelessness of Jesus’ teachings. There has not been any other teaching that has changed as many lives or changed the course of history, for that matter, as much as the teachings of Jesus. Jesus’ teaching will never be outdated. It will never become irrelevant. It will forever be amazing.
• Jesus’ teaching is amazing because it sets us free. John 8:31-32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’.” Freedom comes in believing and holding to Jesus’ teaching. I will not know what truth is until I make a commitment to hold to Jesus’ teaching. People have been bound by their pursuit of truth for thousands of years. Jesus is telling me where to find truth. His word is truth. He is the truth. His teaching is amazing because it sets me free from the deceptions of false teachings. It sets me free from the lies Satan wishes for me to believe. It sets me free from believing that how I feel dictates reality. It sets me free from wondering who and what I can trust. It sets me free from condemnation. Jesus said in John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” Jesus’ teaching is amazing because my ultimate destiny is determined by whether or not I accept it. If I want to know the truth and be set free I need to hold to the amazing teaching of Jesus.
2) His miraculous power is amazing.
• His healing power is amazing. Matt. 15:29-31. There wasn’t anyone else who could touch someone and heal them. People born blind, lame or mute; people who have lived all their lives bound by these conditions would have to get use to the fact that such was their lot in life. That is, until Jesus arrives. Hoards of people came from miles around to get to Jesus once the news of this miraculous power reached their ears. So many crippled people and there was but one man who could do something about it. Only Jesus had this amazing, miraculous healing power.
• His power over nature is amazing. Not only did Jesus have power over people’s physical afflictions, he even had control over the forces of nature. Matt. 8:23-27. Who wouldn’t be amazed? The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles but up until now they hadn’t seen something as radical as this. (perfect storm).
• His power over evil is amazing. Mark 1:21-28. Nobody else had this power. None of the priests or religious leaders could make this claim. The people were amazed at Jesus’ authoritative approach to these spiritual forces of evil. He didn’t approach the demon possessed with fear or timidity. He approached with power and confidence. And he got results! It’s one thing to have such a bold approach; it’s quite another to witness the power of command over the destructive forces of satan himself! To see that even demons are subject to obey Jesus is amazing.
• His power to forgive sin is amazing. Luke 5:17-26. The Pharisees were right. No one but God has the authority to forgive sins. But, unfortunately, they didn’t see that this was God in the flesh and therefore he wasn’t a blasphemer. Instead of being amazed like the rest, they were enraged. What about today? Some people still get enraged over the fact that Jesus is the forgiver of sins and not anyone else. Some people are enraged at Jesus when they learn that he said in John 14:6 that he was the way, the truth and the life and that no one could come to the Father but through him. Jesus didn’t just come to show us the way; he is the way! Buddha can’t remove my sin. Muhammad can’t remove my sin. A priest can’t remove my sin. Karma can’t remove my sin. I can’t remove my sin. No amount of pleading or good deeds will take care of my sin problem. Only Jesus Christ can take care of my sin problem. If you’re trusting in anything other than Jesus for forgiveness of your sins then your trust is in vain. I’m sorry if this offends anyone here today but I’d rather have you hear the truth than go on believing a lie.
• His power over death is amazing. In John 11, we read where Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died and he was going to travel to where Lazarus was. When Jesus was approaching, one of Lazarus’ sisters, Martha went to meet him. John 11:21-27. By Jesus saying that he was the resurrection and the life it showed Martha that he had power over even death itself. Vs. 38-44. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. This would erase any skepticism that Lazarus was just unconscious. This wasn’t trickery; this wasn’t a planned stunt. Lazarus wasn’t in a coma since those who prepared him for burial would’ve noticed that his heart was still beating or that he was still breathing. None of that was going on. Lazarus was dead. But Jesus spoke and brought life back into him. And that is amazing.
• All of Jesus’ miracles were meant to provide authenticity for his power and deity. They were meant to provide authenticity that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah; the Savior. John 20:30-31, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples that are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
3) His death and resurrection are amazing. Regarding his upcoming death and resurrection Jesus said in John 10:17&18 that no one takes his life from him but that he lays it down of his own accord. He said he had the authority to lay it down and the authority to take it up again. Jesus willingly laid his life down. He wasn’t forced to. He could’ve stopped the arrest, he could’ve stopped the beatings; he could’ve stopped the nails being driven into him. And once he was crucified he could’ve come down off the cross anytime he wanted to. In fact he was challenged to do just that. “Come down off that cross and we’ll believe in you”, they cried. I’m sure he was tempted to. But he didn’t. To have the power to stop the brutal violence that was to be inflicted upon you and choose to endure it for the sake of everyone but yourself. To save yourself from the unimaginable horror of becoming sin and being separated from the Father with whom you experienced nothing but a closeness that we could only dream of. To be able to save yourself from unspeakable evil and torment for three excruciatingly long days. To be able to have the power to protect yourself from all this and not exercise it? That is amazing. Jesus healing the sick, driving out demons, forgiving sins and raising people from the dead set the stage for the ultimate miracle that would accomplish all of that for all those who would ever believe. A.W. Tozer said, “I believe that Christ died for me because it is incredible; I believe that he rose from the dead because it was impossible.” Jesus is amazing.
CONCLUSION: There’s no end to the amazing quality of Jesus. I didn’t have time to talk about his amazing virgin birth. How amazing it is for him to leave heaven and become Immanuel-God with us. I didn’t have time to talk about how when Jesus was only 12 years old his level of understanding amazed the teachers in the temple courts. I didn’t have time to talk about his amazing transfiguration on the Mount of Olives. I didn’t have time to tell you about his amazing perfection. The fact that he was tempted in every way yet was without sin. We need to be amazed by Jesus. The problem is that some people aren’t amazed at all about him. Others might have been amazed at first but over time the amazing things about Jesus became old news and lost their impact. If you’re here and you don’t know Jesus I hope that the things I shared about him today amazed you. If you do know Jesus, especially if you’ve known him for quite some time I hope you’ve been reacquainted with amazement this morning. Either way, we have to answer the question, ‘am I amazed?’ I pray that you are.
