SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: November 24, 2012
Date Preached: November 25, 2012
Church: OPBC (AM) Sunday
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: Approaching the Manger
Sermon: Tracing Messiah!
Text: Isaiah 53:2-6 [HCSB]
Introduction:
Have you ever heard of an auto-stereo-gram? Well it is one of those pictures that you are supposed to be able to look at and all of a sudden another image just jumps out at you?
Basically it looks like a bunch of dots or squiggles or some random pattern, but as you look at it an image like a horse, ballerina or something else suddenly appears. Some are easier to pick out than others.
I know that I have all sorts of trouble ‘seeing’ what I am ‘supposed’ to see in these pictures. However, the truth of the matter is this, once you CAN see the image, it seems to get easier.
Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. What do you think this 1st picture is about? Look at it carefully for 10 seconds. [count to ten silently] now do you ‘see’ it? It is “Jesus” – show highlighted version of picture…
Here is one a little bit harder, look at this picture and tell me if you can see 5 horses? I will give you 10 seconds [count to ten silently] Do you see them? Show the highlighted version of the picture now…
Finally look at this picture… Take a look at this picture! Stare at it for a few seconds and a 3D image of something should jump out at you… [wait 10 seconds]
Do you see it? Well I could NOT see it and was unable to find it on my own until it was pointed out to me! Show highlighted picture of dolphins…
Still don’t believe it is a picture of dolphins? Well I can tell you that it is and you can either believe me and take it on faith, or you can choose to NOT believe me and deny that the dolphins are there…
Now you may wonder what I am doing here…but this is basically the same concept the Jews of Jesus’ day was dealing with when it came to Messiah. What was their concept of Messiah in the 1st century?
Well according to Jewish teachings, the Jews saw and still see their coming Messiah through a human perspective. The do not see Messiah through the lens of a redeeming God as Christians do.
They use the term "mashiach" to describe “Messiah” which literally means "the anointed one," and refers to the ancient practice of anointing kings with oil when they took the throne.
They believe that their coming messiah will be anointed and accepted as king of the world by all people in the End of Days.
For the Jew Messiah would be:
A great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5).
He would be versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5).
He would be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example.
He would be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel.
He would be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15).
But above all, he would be human, not a god, demi-god or any other supernatural being.
He would NOT be a spiritual savior because the term they use ‘mashiach’ does not mean savior. The view of a spiritual savior is a strictly Christian concept and it carries no weight in Judaism
Along with those characteristics the Jews believed Messiah could be described in what He was to accomplish when He came:
Messiah would bring about political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing all exiles back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12).
He would establish a government in Israel that would be the center of world government, both for all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1).
He would rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18).
He would restore the religious court system of Israel and Jewish law as the law of all the land (Jeremiah 33:15).
This is what they were taught as children about Messiah. This is what the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus’ day would have KNOWN about Messiah.
To them, they believed that when Messiah came all hostilities would cease and Israel would take its rightful place back at the head of the world’s table as it had been in the time of King David, and they would be led by Messiah.
They believed and still believe to this day that when Messiah comes that all peoples of the world will simply believe as they believe. They believe that the people of the world will simply accept and believe that the Jewish faith was the right way.
They way they describe this is that they compare it to knowing absolute truth such as 2 + 2 = 4. This can be shown and proven… and when Messiah comes it will be shown and proven, and there will be NO MORE DOUBT or argument over the issue!
So as we look at it, faith is not a huge part of their belief in Messiah outside of a faith that Messiah will come someday.
They could not accept Jesus as Messiah. No matter how they saw him or viewed Him, they were like many of us today looking at these pictures… the image was there but we just could not SEE it…
Some of us saw it, but many could not see it on our own but had to be shown! BUT just as you may have still had doubts about that dolphin picture… even though I outlined it and showed it to you… you still doubted it was there and still doubted I was telling the truth!
The same applies to Messiah… to Jesus! Even when most of us are ‘shown’ Jesus for who He is, we still don’t ‘see’ what they are saying about Him and IF we believe, we do it on faith that what we are being told is the truth!
That is what Scripture is… it is others writing and telling us about Messiah…about Jesus! We were not there to see Jesus… we did not experience Jesus in this physical world… but based on the testimony of others we have come to know Jesus and ‘see’ Him thru our faith!
Today I want us to explore 2 examples of people who were able to see past the veil and see Messiah in Jesus! Their faith in God’s promise of Messiah is fleshed out in their testimony when they meet Jesus!
Now we know about Mary and Joseph… earlier in Luke we find both of them submitted to God’s plan as He had revealed it to them. Mary was convinced immediately and after a dream Joseph was obedient and submissive to God’s plan!
But I want us to look at 2 people in Luke 2 that many of us just do not notice when we read the Christmas story. Turn with me to Luke 2:21-38 [NLT]
Why Were They in Jerusalem?
21Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. 22Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
At this point, Mary and Joseph had seen MANY things to confirm what the Angel had told them… they had seen Jesus be born, and had heard the stories of the shepherds and of the Angels rejoicing in the heavens.
The Bible tells us that Mary pondered on these things in her heart, in other words, she dwelt on how God was constantly confirming His promise to her and FOR Jesus.
Now this section begins 8 days after Jesus is born when He is circumcised according to the Jewish custom and law. But v22 jumps forward a bit in time… it states that 22Then it was time for their purification offering…
According to the Law given to Moses, after the birth of a child, the woman was considered unclean and could not enter into the Temple for sacrifice until the time of purification was reached.
The time for purification of the mother after the birth of a son was 40 days and then it was time to present their son to the Lord.
The law stated that all the 1st born of Israel belonged to God, which included crops (first fruits), animals and children. However, God did not want the 1st born children for sacrifice, but that the family would dedicate them to Him.
They would do this by ‘redeeming’ the child thru a substitutionary sacrifice. In this case it was 2 turtledoves, based on Mary and Joseph’s financial situation!
The point here is that Jesus did not come to forgo the Law, but Jesus came to FUFILL the Law. However, when Mary and Joseph reached Jerusalem I am sure they were NOT expecting what happened then!
Sure an angel had come to BOTH of them and had told them the SAME thing…
Sure what the angel had said had come to pass…
SURE, Elizabeth had prophesied about Jesus and who He was to become, just as the angel had done… and
SURE the shepherds had told them the story of what happened the night Jesus was born!
I am even sure that Joseph and Mary had noticed a bright star in the sky that night, as had others from far-away lands…
But I don’t know if they were expecting the confirmation they had rec’d about Jesus when they reached Jerusalem. Let’s look at v.25-35…
Messiah revealed by Simeon – v.25-35
25At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
30I have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared for all people. 32He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
Now here was a man who had heard the teaching about Messiah… The picture had been drawn for him with Scripture, and he was able to ‘see’ what most others could not!
Simeon saw Mary & Joseph and Jesus and knew immediately that this was the coming of the Messiah! The picture now made sense to him… NO longer was he waiting to see what it was going to look like, he had now witnessed the Messiah!
Look what he says: 29“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
30I have seen your salvation, unlike the Jews of his day or the Jews of today, Simeon ‘saw’ Messiah as more than a human who would restore Israel, but Simeon saw Messiah as a Savior… redeeming souls!
He says, ‘…I have seen Your salvation…’ speaking of God’s redemptive plan in sending Jesus as Savior of humanity. But look what he says that makes this MORE than just a Jewish redeemer! Look at v.30-32:
30I have seen Your salvation, 31which You have prepared for all people. 32He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of Your people Israel!”
Simeon reveals here that Jesus… the Messiah is salvation that has been prepared for ALL nations… the word ‘nations’ here does not refer to political boundaries but actually refers to the different people groups in the world… it actually could read all “PEOPLES!”
This salvation that is coming THRU Jesus… Messiah… is not just for the Jews, but is for all people, and then he confirms this in the next verse when he says:
‘…He is a light to reveal God to the nations…’ Paul instructs us that Jesus was the physical image of God in this world and that in Jesus, God and His salvation was revealed to the world.
Simeon could ‘see’ what others could not ‘see’ in Jesus! And this ability to ‘see’ Jesus for who He was, even as a small baby was fascinating to Mary and Joseph, in fact the Bible tells us that they were blown away by Simeon’s words!
33Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about Him [Jesus].
The word Luke uses here for their amazement is the Greek word thou-mad-dzo which means literally to be held spellbound or captive by an action or thought OR to marvel at or over something!
They were simply blown away by this man’s faith and how he poured out his heart in confessing Jesus as Messiah!
To proclaim someone Messiah was not something they took lightly, and I am sure that Mary and Joseph really did NOT know what to say about it!
In fact, it could be that they had ‘stars’ in their eyes… after all if Jesus was Messiah, that meant to them that he would be KING of Israel someday and that meant they would be royalty someday… maybe they began to think about when that may be!
But Simeon brings them back to reality quickly with his next words!
34Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
This is a prophecy of Jesus’ suffering and the pain that would come Mary’s way some 33 yrs later… Jesus cause many to ‘fall’ because He proclaimed Himself as the Son of God and many did NOT believe Him!
But Jesus was also a great joy to many… Jesus was a sign from God, but He was a sign that most of humanity is going to reject…
Simeon was a faithful worshiper of God in the Temple and he had come there to see Messiah and on this day he saw Jesus we find him professing the deity of Jesus!
Simeon’s greeting to Mary and Joseph about Jesus was NOT the first time Mary had this experience… when she was pregnant and went to Elizabeth’s house Elizabeth greeted her with a profession of her child being blessed and that she was blessed because of her child.
So Simeon ‘saw’ Jesus as Messiah… one who has come and one who is anointed to further God’s kingdom. But Simeon was NOT the only one there that day that saw Jesus as Messiah; we can also see that Anna the prophetess saw Jesus for who he was… Jesus was God wrapped in flesh!
Let’s look at v.36-38
Messiah Confirmed by Anna
36Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
She heard what Simeon was saying and immediately she ‘saw’ what no one else was able to see as she did… She saw Jesus as Messiah…
Like Simeon she had been taught from a small child what to expect in Messiah, what to look for in Messiah… and whatever that was… she saw it when she heard Simeon speaking with Mary and Joseph!
Let’s focus on v.38 where Scripture tells us:
38She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
She began to praise God for the coming of Messiah! She saw what Simeon saw, she had heard his witness and she believed! Then we see her do something I believe applies to ALL of us!
Look at the last part of v.38: ‘…She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem…”
‘talked about the child to EVERYONE…’ this is what we are called to do!
We are in the season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior… the Messiah has come! In a couple of weeks we will hear a message through SONG about the coming of Messiah… but how are we supposed to react?
Simeon and Anna give us 2 great examples: Simeon proclaimed that Messiah had come and Anna told all who she saw about the now come Messiah!
As believers, over these next few weeks… we should be doing it all the time, but especially over these next few weeks, I want us to focus on TELLING OTHERS about the coming of a Savior!
Jesus came… born of a virgin
Jesus came… to live a sinless life
Jesus came… to be the perfect sacrifice
Jesus came… to die on the Cross for our sin
Jesus came… to bear our sins
Jesus came to defeat sin and Satan FOR US!
Jesus has come… Messiah has come! Messiah now lives! Messiah has delivered us! So NOW let us proclaim Jesus as Messiah of all humanity!
It is our duty to PAINT the picture of Jesus as Messiah! Paint a picture so that people can ‘see’ Jesus for who He is… Savior and Redeemer!
This means that we are called to be like Simeon… we are called to PROCLAIM Messiah! Jesus is Lord and we must proclaim Him as such!
But we are also to be like Anna… Messiah has come in the person of Jesus and we are called to TELL all about Him!
Jesus told us to ‘…go therefore…’ this means that we are called to tell others… Go to those in the world and tell them about me… teach them about me… share ME with them through your life! Show them MY love by loving them with YOUR life!
My prayer this morning is that everyone here can ‘see’ Jesus for WHO He is… Savior and Messiah… the Lord and Anointed One of God… who has come to deliver us from sin and save us to eternal life!
Give evangelistic invitation at this point!
