The Person Of Christ
I Want To Know Christ! – week 2
THIS MORNING – I want to start out with a passage of Scripture from Colossians chapter one, I’m reading from the Message Bible.
15-18We look at Christ and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at Christ and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
18-20He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
21-23You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one… We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
Prayer
TODAY – is week two of our new message series – “I Want To know Christ!”
NOW LAST WEEK – we just introduced the series and during the next several weeks we will (in our effort, in our quest) to know better the one we have chosen to follow, look at:
• The person of Christ
• The passions of Christ
• The emotions of Christ
• The miracles of Christ
• The foolishness of Christ, and
• The mission of Christ
THIS MORNING – we are going to look at, The Person of Christ… and we are going to do that by unpacking some of the names and titles that are given to Jesus in the Scriptures.
UNDERSTAND - you can learn a lot about person from what they are called. IF – you want to learn more about me, for example. You could find out a bunch of stuff, by listening to my various titles… I MEAN – in any given week, I am called; “Steve” “Mr Steve” “Mr Malone” “Dad” “Teacher” “Pastor Steve” “Pastor” “baby” “hey you” and “baba” (which is one of my favorites). AND – if you took the time to unpack the meaning of those names & titles, you would get a pretty good idea as to of who I am.
WELL - it’s the same way with the man from Galilee… NOW – there are so many names and titles that we could talk about… this morning. Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, The Good Shepherd, the word become flesh, wonderful counselor, Son of God, Son of Man, king of kings, Messiah… Jesus
BUT THIS MORNING – in our quest to know Him more, we are going to unpack just 3 of the many names of Jesus…
QUESTION – why does Jesus have so many names, because there is so much to The Person of Christ that just a handful of names wouldn’t do...
NOW - in the ancient world in which the bible was written, an essential aspect of knowing a person was to know the person’s name. AND UNDERSTAND - knowing a name was far more personal than knowing information about the person… IN FACT – knowing a name, was synonymous with knowing the person.
TODAY – we think of a name as a way to identify a person. BUT IN - the Bible knowing someone’s name (whether it be God or a person) is what allowed a relationship to be established with that person… That is why the Psalmist proclaims in Psalm 9;
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. – Psalm 9:10
THOSE – who know His name, know His person – will what? Put their trust in Him. AND LISTEN – those who trust in the Lord are like Mt Zion – they will NOT be shaken (Ps 125:1)
OKAY – let’s do this… THE FIRST NAME – we are going to unpack this morning, is one we find in the first chapter of John’s Gospel beginning at verse 29. It’s a name given to Jesus by his cousin (John the Baptist), the man God choose to prepare and announce the coming of the Messiah.
YOU KNOW – the guy who wore clothes made of camel’s hair, ate locust and wild honey (the honey helped the locust slide down) – and hung out in the desert calling everyone to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
LET ME – put the passage we are about to read in it’s context. 40 days earlier, Jesus came to the Jordan river to be baptized by John. You remember the scene Jesus steps into the water… John looks at Him and says, “Wait a minute Jesus I know you – I shouldn’t be baptizing you – you should be baptizing me…” AND – Jesus said, “no bro, it’s cool trust me - this is the exact thing we need to do to fulfill all righteousness…”
So John baptized Jesus and as soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the sky opened and John saw the Spirit of God descend on Jesus like a dove… AND – he heard a voice from heaven say, “This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased…”
RIGHT AFTER THIS – the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to do battle with the evil one for 40 days. A battle that Jesus won, by the way in 3-0 smack down… SO YOU SEE – John has been chewing on what happened with Jesus for 40 days. He hasn’t seen his cousin in over a month.
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." 32Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." 35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" – John 1:29-36
I. Lamb Of God
OKAY – let’s do some unpacking of the name ‘Lamb of God…’ QUESTION - when you hear the Word lamb what do you think of? What images come into your mind? Cute, soft, white, cuddly… sweater…
NOW – I’m confident that those who were present that day when John cried out, Look, the Lamb of God… ALSO HAD – some thoughts when they heard that name, specifically they thought two things – ‘substitution and sacrifice.’ AND – those 2 thoughts were fueled by the countless images of lambs we see throughout the OT. Three of which really stood out.
THE - first use of the word lamb in the Bible is in Genesis 22. I’M SURE – you know the story. It's probably the story that more people question in the Bible than any other. God asked Abraham, after Isaac (the promised child, the miracle baby) after he was grown – (probably 12 or 13 years old) -- God came to Abraham one day and said,
"Take your son, your only son--yes, Isaac, whom you love so much--and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you."
- Gen 22:2 (NLT)
NOW PUT – your self in Abraham’s sandals how would you feel? ‘But Lord, he’s my son, you know how much I love him, why are you doing this? It doesn’t make sense? What about the promise?
(yeah today – we KNOW the rest of the story.. BUT – 4000 years ago Abraham didn’t)
QUESTION – what did Abraham do after God told him to go? He went the very next day. HE - loaded up the donkeys, grabbed the supplies and told Isaac to go and kiss his mom good bye. THEN - he made the 3 day journey to the Mts of Moriah… Climbed the MT and it’s on that climb that we see the first use of the word lamb in the Bible…
As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together…
THEN – Abraham stacked the wood, prepared the altar, lit the fire, bound his son AND drew back the knife….
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
The Next image of a lamb that I’m sure passed through their minds was from Exodus 12…
GOD’S PEOPLE – are in Egypt, they are slaves.
THEY – have been in bondage for 400 years.
80 YEAR OLD MOSES – has just come back from the wilderness…
HE – was sent by God to deliver His people.
Pharaoh is not too high on the idea of losing such a large and cheap labor force.
MOSES – keeps telling him, ‘let my people go,’
but the Pharaoh keeps refusing…
DESPITE – plagues of: frogs, gnats, boils, locusts, Nile to blood…
FINALLY – Pharaoh pushes God to the limit, causing Him to bring on one final & crippling plague. A plague that would break the backs and will of the Egyptian empire. THE - plague of the death of the firstborn sons in all of Egypt.
AT MID NIGHT – God passed through the land and HE took the lives of all Egypt’s firstborn sons… HOWEVER – God passed over the homes of His people. Why? BECAUSE – they had sacrificed a 1 year old lamb (perfect w/o blemish)and applied it’s blood to the door frames of their homes… This was the first Passover.
THE 3rd IMAGE – of a lamb that would have come to the minds of those who heard John cry out, “Look the Lamb of God…” are words found in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah… WHERE – the prophet paints a vivid picture of God’s suffering servant (the sacrifice and substitute for our sins).
He was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. 6 We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. But the LORD has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done. 7 He was beaten down and punished, but he didn't say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth…. – Is 53:5-7
2000 years ago by the Jordan River John the Baptist cried out (His time of preparation was over), “Look the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World. UNDERSTAND – because of Christ (the lamb of God – our substitute) and His shed blood (our sacrifice)…
• Our sins have been passed over
• Our wounds have been healed
AND LISTEN – on Mt Calvary, there was no one to shout… “Stop! Don’t harm Him!” Because the one shouting stop in Genesis 22 had become the sacrifice!
TIM, LAURIE – Christ is our substitute… HE IS – the perfect lamb that was scarified in our place to take away our sins! HE IS – the lamb of God that was provided so that LIKE: Isaac we can live! AND LIKE – Israel we can be set free! HE IS – the lamb that was (wounded, beaten and crushed) and by His stripes we ARE healed!
WHO – is Jesus, ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…’ THE LAMB – who gave His life willing because of His intense love for you! UNDERSTOOD – no one took this lamb’s life (they couldn’t)… HE GAVE IT! Willingly for you!
LET ME – remind you of some words you read on Day Three of you 40 day devotions.
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
21This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.
SO – what do you think of this picture of Christ as The Lamb of God? I THINK – it’s abso-stinking-lutely awesome!!!
NOW - there is one final image of Christ as a lamb that I want to look at before we move on… It’s is found in the book of Revelation (a book where the word lamb is used 34 times… that is a lot especially when you consider the fact that the word is only used 43 times in the entire NT.
IN REVELATION 5 – the apostle John sneaks into the throne room of God and gets a glimpse of the Almighty. IN – his right hand God holds a scroll, written on both sides. NOW – John is a curious as a cat. HE – wants to know what is in the scroll. BUT – in all the glories of heaven, all the magistrates hanging around, the elders, the beasts, the creatures, the angels, not one of them is worthy to open the scroll.
SO JOHN – starts to weep because no one can open the scroll. THEN – an angel comes up to Him to comfort Him and says, “Don’t cry anymore because there is one, just one (but there is one) who is worthy to open the scroll. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”
JOHN – looks up, the drum roll begins… From stage left out walks… you think the Lion of the tribe of Judah. YET – as if some demented stage hand has played a cruel joke, he sends out this lamb who has been slain. WHAT’S – going on here? I MEAN – the angel said the Lion of Judah was coming and instead out walks this lamb.
NOW – don’t misunderstand… THE LAMB – though slain, is now very much alive. AND – although it’s obvious that this lamb has been badly beaten, he is no weakling. IN FACT – John says that this triumphal lamb holds the fullness of power (7 horns) and perfect wisdom (7 eyes)… YEAH – I know it seems kind of crazy but the Lion of Judah is a Lamb…
QUESTION – what do you do with a lamb like that? UNDERSTAND – when you see Him there is only one thing that you can do – worship Him! AND – that is exactly what happens in when God’s Lamb/The Lion of Judah takes the scroll…
8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. – Revelation 5:8-14
THE NEXT – name for Jesus that we are going to look at – is only found in the book of Revelation
II. The Alpha & Omega
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." – Revelation 1:8
4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. – Revelation 21:1-7
NOW – you probably know that (Alpha and Omega) are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. UNDERSTAND - this title is parallel with the description of Jesus being the first and the last – the beginning and then end.
OKAY… BUT – what does it mean?
It Means That…
• Jesus has always been here
• He was here before the universe was spoken into existence
• He is eternal
• Always existing
• YES – Jesus has been here, and He will always be here
• He has been everywhere that we have ever been
• He is already standing where we are going
• Jesus stands before time began and He will stand when time is no more
• He is a sure thing, a solid rock – that we count on Him 100%
• Place our trust fully in Him
It Means as we read earlier today that…
Everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
He was supreme in the beginning and—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone.
NOW - another thing the title Alpha and Omega Reminds us of is that Jesus unlike us (who tend to procrastinate, leave things undone and fail to follow through), Jesus finishes whatever he begins!
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
That’s why I think it is significant that we see only see this title of Jesus in the last book of the Bible Revelation. A book where we see Christ completed what He began in Genesis.
In Genesis God created the heavens and the earth…
In Revelation he creates the new and perfect heaven and earth
In Genesis – satan began to act, humanity lost paradise, and sin and death began to reign.
In Revelation – Satan is cast into the pit forever, paradise is regained and death and sin are destroyed forever!
In Genesis – man is driven from God’s presence
In Revelation – man is brought back into God’s presence for ALL eternity!
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
WHO – is Jesus?
The Lamb of God (our sacrifice and substitute who takes away the sin of the world)
The Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end), the One who is everything and who is everywhere!
IN…
Genesis – seed of woman
Exodus – Passover lamb
Leviticus – great High priest
Numbers – bronze serpent lifted w/healing
Duet – prophet like Moses
Joshua – CAPTIAN of our SALVATION
Judges – SAVIOR STATESMAN
Ruth – Kinsman redeemer
Samuel – Faithful PROPHET
Kings/Chronicles – true KING of the nation
Ezra – Faithful SCRIBE
Nehemiah – re-builder of our broken lives
Esther – Our Mordecai
Job – divine mediator
Psalms – God’s glorious Son
Proverbs – wisdom incarnate
Ecclesiastes – He is our meaning
Song of Solomon – He is the bridegroom whose desire, is for us
Isaiah - suffering servant
Jeremiah – the SHOOT of David
Lamentations – weeping prophet
Ezekiel – RIGHTFUL KING
Daniel – 4th man in the fiery furnace
Hosea – the one who takes back His adulteress people
Joel – STRONGHOLD of the nation
Amos – our burden bearer
Obadiah – LORD of the KINGDOM
Jonah – great foreign missionary
Micah - Savior from Bethlehem
Nahum – AVENGER of His adversaries
Habakkuk – VICTOR over satan
Zephaniah – RIGHTEOUS LORD
Haggai – God’s signet ring
Zachariah – the PIERCED One
Malachi – SON of righteousness
Matthew – Royal King
Mark – Servant of God
Luke – Son of Man
John – WORD become flesh
Acts – Lord of His church
Romans – He’s our justifier
Corinthians – He’s our sanctifier
Galatians – our robe of righteousness
Ephesians – the grace that saves us
Philippians – the one who will finish the work he started in us
Colossians – he’s all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form
Thessalonians – the soon returning Lord/the one we will one day meet in the air at the last trumpet blast!
Timothy – the one who saves even the worst of sinners
Titus – the one who pours out the Holy Spirit to wash and renew us
Philemon – He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother
Hebrews – He is both High Priest & Sacrifice
James – He is the tamer of our tongues
Peter – He is our Chief Shepherd
John – The love of God and the one that is in us and is Greater
Jude – He is the one who can keep us from falling
Revelation – He is the KING of kings and LORD of lords…
QUESTION – what should our response be to the person of Christ? Who is all of that and more?
THIS – brings us the final name of Christ we will look at this morning…
JESUS – is…
III. The Lord
181 times in The Gospels
100 times in the book of Acts
331 rest of the NT
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. – John 13:13
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
- Phil 2:8-11
16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. – Revelation 19:16
ONE – of the books I am using to help me put this series together is a book by Mark Roberts called ‘Jesus Revealed.’ There is a chapter in the book called ‘The Ruler Over All Jesus Is Lord.’
In it, Mark talks about a time when he was a high school counselor at a Christian camp. He talks about how the entire week was geared for Wednesday night. ON Wednesday night the speaker talked about how Christ came to forgive them of their sins… After the message Students were asked to give their lives to Christ - dozens did. Later that night they had a counselors meeting – and they were pumped up. I MEAN - they were pretty sure the only students who didn’t accept Christ that night were already believers which meant that – all of the students were now Christians.
One counselor there however, was less than enthusiastic he said, “okay, we’ve encouraged them to accept Jesus as Savior but what about Jesus as Lord? We seemed to have buried that in fine print at the bottom of the contract. We haven’t called students to commit their lives to Christ.” Another counselor said, “Hey don’t worry we will do that tomorrow night when I speak on Jesus being Lord.”
ON THURSDAY NIGHT – that is exactly what they did… AND AFTER – the message they called on the 200 students there (all who had accepted Jesus as Savior) to raise their hands if they were willing to live under the Lordship of Christ… only 20 students raised their hands. ALL - were willingly for Jesus to be their Savior… BUT - only 10 % were willing for Jesus to be their Lord.
What do think our percentage is in this room?
QUESTION – what does it mean for Jesus to be Lord (and He is)? AND – how are we to live in light of this reality? It means…
• Jesus is the boss – He is in charge not us
• It’s about Him, not about us
•
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? - Luke 6:46
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ - Matthew 7:21-23
UNDERSTAND – one day the words of Phil 2 will come true… ONE DAY -
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
BUT LISTEN – those who recognize his Lordship do not have to wait until that day… THOSE – who are blown away by the person of Christ…
Emmanuel
The Good Shepherd
Jesus (Savior)
The Word become flesh
The Good Shepherd
The Lamb of God
The Alpha and Omega
And all those names represent
DON’T – have to wait to fall on their knees, surrender their lives, AND – put down their personal agendas, desires and ambitions and call Him Lord!
NO – we can do it now! We can begin right now to commit or recommit to live under His LORDSHIP!
JESUS – you are LORD! YOU – are my Lord! Whatever you say, I will do! Wherever you tell me to go, I will go! Whatever you tell me to stop doing, I will stop!
You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand
You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
