THE INCOGNITO CHRIST
John 12:20-21
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: WHEN FULL OF BALOGNE
1. A fly was buzzing along one morning when he saw a lawn mower someone had left out in their front yard. He flew over and sat on the handle, watching the children going down the sidewalk on their way to school.
2. One little boy tripped on a crack and fell, spilling his lunch on the sidewalk. He picked himself up, put his lunch back in the bag and went on. But he missed a piece of baloney.
3. The fly had not eaten; he sure was hungry. So he flew down and started eating the bologna. In fact he ate so much that he could not fly, so he waddled across the sidewalk, across the lawn, up the wheel of the lawn mower, up the handle, and sat there resting and watching the children.
4. There was still some baloney laying there on the sidewalk. He was really stuffed, but that baloney sure did look good.
5. Finally temptation got the best of him and he jumped off the handle of the lawn mower to fly over to the baloney. But alas he was too full to fly and fell straight to the ground... splat!
6. The moral of this story is simple... don’t fly off the handle when you are full of baloney
B. TEXT
“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’”
C. THESIS
1. Incognito – (define): “having one’s identity concealed, especially to avoid notice or formal attentions.
2. Why do people go incognito? Because they’re famous and want the freedom to mix with people. Let’s look at the Incognito Jesus!
I. A HIDING GOD/ SAVIOR?
A. STATEMENT ABOUT GOD
“Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel” Isa. 45:15. (This was said by the guy who SAW the Lord high and lifted up….! Quite the opposite, I see God in the Garden calling for man, and MAN hiding!)
B. CHRIST: INCOGNITO IN HIS BIRTH, COMING
1. TO THE WORLD: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him” John 1:10.
2. TO RULERS & JERUSALEM: “The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath” Acts 13:27.
C. INCOGNITO SO HE COULD DISCIPLE
“Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples” Mk. 9:30-31.
D. INCOGNITO WHEN HEALING PEOPLE
1. Healed lepers. “Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” Matt. 8:4; Mk. 1:44; Lk. 5:14.
2. “Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was” Mt. 12:15-16.
3. “Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it” Mk. 7:36.
4. “Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened” Lk. 8:56. (Jairus’ daughter).
E. INCOGNITO ABOUT BEING THE CHRIST
1. “Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ” Mt. 16:20; Lk. 9:21. (He confessed He was Christ, but then wasn’t the time to reveal it, or they wouldn’t believe Him – Lk. 22:67, Jn. 10:24-25).
2. “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead” Mt.17:9; Mk. 9:9.
3. “Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was” Mk. 3:11-12.
F. INCOGNITO AFTER HIS RESURRECTION
1. 2 DISCIPLES AT EMMAUS: “14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him” Lk. 24:14-16. (31,35)
2. MARY MAGDALENE: “At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus” Jn. 20:14.
3. 5 DISCIPLES ON SEA OF GALILEE: “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus” Jn. 21:4.
QUESTION: IS GOD TRYING TO HIDE HIMSELF? ANSWER: NO!
II. TRUTH: GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF
A. GENERAL REVELATION
1. First, according to Psalm 19:1-6, Acts 14:17, Romans 1:18-20, etc., God placed in the created order sufficient evidence of Himself that those who do not recognize Him are “without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).
2. Paul said that the “Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law… they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” Romans 2:14-15. All this is what is called General Revelation, that is, revelation given to ALL people without God directly contacting them.
B. SPECIAL REVELATION
1. Second, God went one step further with special revelation: personally revealing Himself to people. The Bible is a record of God’s revelation to people all down through time, from Adam & Eve right on through the N.T. period.
2. The Bible has numerous examples of individuals in the Old Testament – Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, etc. – who received some form a special revelation, God communicating to them about Christ. John 8:56 Abraham saw Christ; Job said (19:25-27), “I know that my Redeemer lives in that in the end he will stand upon the earth…”
C. JESUS WAS NOT HIDING HIMSELF
1. The best evidence that God wants us to know Him is that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” Jn. 1:14. If God wished to hide Himself, it would be impossible for us to know Him, but He didn’t.
2. Jesus said He wasn’t hiding Himself; “Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me” Mark 14:49. Paul said of Him, “None of this was done in a corner” Acts 26:26. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.”
3. PRINCIPLE: “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” Mark 4:22.
4. JOKE
a. A physician had been watching his daughter for clues that she might follow in his profession.
b. One day his heart stopped as he watched her pick up his stethoscope and begin playing with it. She showed a natural inclination to it.
c. She fit the ear pieces in her ears, held up the listening end and he waited breathlessly to see what she would do next.
d. She held it near her mouth and said… "Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?"
III. HOW WE MAY HEAR FROM GOD
A. WHY DOES GOD CHOOSE TO “HIDE HIMSELF?”
1. BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH WOULD OVERSHADOW & HALT HIS TEACHING MINISTRY.
2. TO CAUSE US TO SEEK HIM.
3. BECAUSE GOD PRACTICES A SPECIES OF ‘SPIRITUAL ECONOMY’ – SAVE THE ICING FOR THE TOP OF THE CAKE, DISH OUT REVELATION ONLY WHERE IT’S TRULY NEEDED AND JUSTIFIED. HIS GOAL IS TO KEEP WHAT IS PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS; TO SEPARATE THE PRECIOUS FROM THE VILE. JUST AS THERE IS LITTLE GOLD, THERE IS LITTLE REVELATION. THE PRECIOUSNESS ENSURES THAT IT WILL BE VALUED, ESTEEMED, AND SOUGHT AFTER. DON’T CAST YOUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. DON’T GIVE TO THE DOGS WHAT IS PRECIOUS.
B. 7 REASONS GOD MAY BE SILENT:
1. HE’S NOT READY TO SPEAK. He is waiting for the Fullness of Time concerning you and your situation.
2. HE MAY HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN TO YOU, but it was not the answer you were looking for so you did not listen and He is waiting to see if you are going to obey what He’s already said.
3. HE MAY BE TESTING YOU TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO. Like God did in Genesis 22:1-2 when He asked Abraham to take his son Isaac and offer him for a burnt offering on Mt Moriah. When Abram obeyed and was about to slay his son, the angel of the LORD called to him, “Do not lay a hand on the boy…. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” Gen. 22:12.
4. HE NEEDS US TO LEARN HOW TO TRUST HIM AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.
5. HE MAY KNOW WE WILL NOT LISTEN. “You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.” Isa. 42:20.
6. WE FORGOT WHAT HE SAID BEFORE. Mark 6:52 says, “For they considered not [the miracle] of the loaves: for their hearts were hardened.” We failed to remember what He did and said before.
7. SOMETHING IS HINDERING YOUR ABILITY TO HEAR GOD. Daniel 10:12-13 says, “Then said he unto me, ‘Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.’” Galatians 5:7 says, “You did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”
C. HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD
1. Get all known sin out of your life (Isa. 6 example).
2. Stay in the Word daily and in Prayer.
3. Ask Him for revelation (James 1:5).
4. Wait on God and listen.
5. Be open to whatever God would say. Don’t be prejudiced about the subject of inquiry. You won’t be able to hear an opposing verdict if you’re predisposed to one side or the other.
6. Be ready to obey.
D. JOKE: HEIRLOOM
1. A lady was working in her kitchen when she heard her 6-year old son call for her.
2. "Mom, Mom!" he called. "Do you know that beautiful vase in the dining room that’s been handed down from generation to generation?"
3. "Yes", she said. "What about it?" "Well, the last generation just dropped it."
4. We don’t want to be the generation that drops the ball on passing the knowledge of the Savior to the next generation!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: “PEOPLE ON FIRE”
1. In 1935, Blasio Kigozi, a schoolteacher in Rwanda, Central Africa, was deeply discouraged by the lack of life in the church and the powerlessness of his own experience.
2. He followed the example of the first Christians and closed himself in for a week of prayer and fasting in his little cottage. He emerged a changed man. He confessed his sins to those he had wronged, including his wife and children.
3. He proclaimed the gospel in the school where he taught, and revival broke out there, resulting in students and teachers being saved. They were called abaka, meaning "people on fire."
4. Shortly after that, Blasio was invited to Uganda to share with the Anglican Church there. During the 10 day Anglican meeting in Kabale, he called the leaders to repentance and many responded to his message.
5. A few weeks later, Kigozi was called back to Uganda to attend the church’s synod in Kampala, but on the way he contracted tick fever.
6. Shortly thereafter, revival swept through the Church of Uganda throughout 1937 and then across the entire country. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been transformed over the decades through this mighty East African revival.
7. It all began with a discouraged Christian setting himself apart to seek the fullness of God’s Spirit. [By Peter Kennedy]
B. THE CALL
1. Prayer
2. Lord’s Supper
[I began work on this message a year ago, did not make adequate notes, and do not remember if all of it is original. Let’s assume that small parts are derived from my fellows at SermonCentral, to which I render sincere thanks.]
