ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: CHRIST
MARK 8:27-30
#kingjesus
USE AUDIO BIBLE: Mark Chapter 8:1-38 [5:37]
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Mark.8
INTRODUCTION… Funny Job Titles, blog.ongig.com/job-titles/funny-job-titles/
A job title tells much about the job that a person does. It shares with others what they do and what is expected of them. Some companies or industries go for more creative titles to catch people’s attention:
Executive/White Collar: Ambassador of Buzz (Corporate Communications Associate), Grammar Fascist (Copywriter/Editor), Head of Schmoozing (VP of Business Development), Genius (Customer Service Person at Apple), Head of Customer Wow (Head of Customer Service), Dr Fix (IT Helpdesk), Interwebs Mechanic (Webmaster), Paranoid-in-Chief (Chief Information Security Officer), Security Princess (Google), Digital Overlord (Web Site Manager), Dr. No (CFO)
Assistants: Executive Sherpa (Assistant), Indentured Rockstar (Assistant), Lead Enabler (Assistant)
Herder of Helpless People (Office Manager)
Others: Transparent Wall Technician (Window Cleaner), Cube Guru (Space Planner)
Job titles for parents: Baby Wrangler, Child Development Associate, Domestic Manager, Dwelling Custodian, Tiny Human Entertainer, Tiny Human Snack Dispenser, Tantrum Negotiator
Creative job titles I found: Cannabis Editor, Chief Sniffer, Dice Quality Inspector, Face Feeler, Foliage Grader, Hangover Cure Specialist, Rocket Recovery Technician, Worm Digger, Director of Awesome, Science Viking, Bread Scientist, Space Lawyer
I mention those funny job titles because we are talking about a serious title today. We are well into Jesus’ ministry as we are in Mark 8. In this chapter alone, Jesus feeds 4,000; He faces off again against the Pharisees; He warns His disciples about the Pharisees; He heals a blind man; and predicts His suffering and His death. There is a lot going on around Jesus!
We get that Essential truth from a passage in the middle of the chapter.
READ MARK 8:27-30
27 And Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told Him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He strictly charged them to tell no one about Him.
THE WORD IN THE CONFESSION: CHRIST
The word that is most significant comes as Simon Peter confesses his answer to the question of Jesus. Jesus asks His disciples for the scuttlebutt and rumors about Him. He knows they hear what people say. Some folks who do not realize John the Baptist and Jesus lived at the same time think Jesus is John. Makes sense. Rumors about a teacher in the desert are easily confused with one another. Other people think He might be Elijah come down from the whirlwind that took him into Heaven (2 Kings 2). There was also a solid rumor that he was another prophet of God who had returned. The disciples tell Jesus about all the stuff they had heard about Him.
The word that is most significant comes as Simon Peter answers Jesus’ real question. Jesus has now spent a significant amount of time with these 12 men and they have seen and experienced much with Him. They have seen: exorcism of demons (Mark 1, 5, 7), lepers healed (Mark 1), paralyzed people walk (Mark 2), heard Jesus teaching (Mark 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8), a withered hand restored (Mark 3), a storm calmed (Mark 4), a girl brought back from the dead (Mark 5), Jesus rejected (Mark 6), feeding of thousands (Mark 6, 8), Him walking on water (Mark 6), the deaf healed (Mark 7), the blind healed (Mark 8) and so much more.
In verse 29, Simon Peter simply answers: “You are the Christ.”
The word ‘Christ’ is a significant word. It is a heavy word. It means a lot. Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Christ is a title. Christ is a very significant Biblical title.
The word Christ comes from a Greek word. Christ is used 534 times in the New Testament. We know it is a title because, for example, in Matthew 2:4, we find that King Herod assembled “all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born” (ESV). Luke 2:26 shares with us about Simeon who, “had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.” In Luke 22:67 it was demanded of Jesus, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” Christ is a title… a very significant designation and one that eventually got Jesus killed.
The word Christ is a Greek word. John 1:41 tells us very clearly that ‘Christ’ also means ‘Messiah.’ John 1:41 says about Andrew, “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ)” (ESV). Messiah is the Hebrew word of the same title which is the language of the Jewish people and the language of the Old Testament. Sometimes it is confusing when we read the Bible in English, but the original Scriptures have several languages all woven together at times. The ‘Messiah’ was the promised Savior. The Samaritan woman at the well says as much in John 4:25 when she confesses, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus says in John 4:26, “I Who speak to you am He.”
So we have this title assigned to Jesus… Christ or Messiah. They are the same word just from different languages. What does that word mean? Both words mean ‘anointed.’ Jesus of Nazareth is the ‘Anointed One.’ The Old Testament presents the idea that in God’s Plan there would be One Who would come Who would be prophet, priest, king, deliverer, and savior all rolled into one.
READ GENESIS 49:10
"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be His.”
READ ISAIAH 8:14
"He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah He will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem He will be a trap and a snare.”
READ ISAIAH 11:10
"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His resting place will be glorious.”
READ ISAIAH 42:1-4
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth. In His teaching the islands will put their hope.”
Jesus is the Messiah that the People of God were waiting on. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Anointed One that the Old Testament predicts will come and will fulfill the plan of God.
ILLUSTRATION… preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/may/2051412.html
The Jewish magazine Moment asked a number of Jewish writers, professors, rabbis, artists, and actors the following question: "What does the concept of the Messiah mean today?" Here are some of the responses:
Amoz Oz, novelist: "He may be around the corner, but that's where he should always be …. In the Jewish tradition … sitting idly waiting for the Messiah is a sin."
Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer: "Years ago, a popular evangelical bumper sticker read, "I found it." The Jewish version would read, "I'm still looking for it."
Harris Lenowitz, literature professor: "Who at different times in their life hasn't had a belief … that someone, a messiah, can help them and help the world? And the messiah is the biggest answer to the biggest single question: 'Does God care about me?'"
It is very sad I think that most people who are Jewish and subscribe that the Old Testament is the Word of God are still waiting for the Messiah. They are still waiting for the Christ to come and do not believe Jesus is Who He says He was. Some of them might only think that the Messiah is an idea that explains that God loves us and never will be an actual real person. Christians believe that the Christ came and His Name was Jesus.
ESSENTIAL KING JESUS
We are making our way through the Gospel of Mark that I’ve themed ‘Essential King Jesus.’ Each week we are taking a look at one passage in a chapter. Each week I want to share with one essential truth that is important for us to believe and then also communicate to others about Jesus. We are going to focus on the Essential King Jesus. As we reflect on Jesus in Mark 8, we come to one of the most basic truths about Jesus, the Essential King Jesus in this passage is: Jesus is the Christ.
CHRIST
What do we need to share with others about the Christ? To answer this question, we will use each of the letters of C-H-R-I-S-T to highlight a truth about Jesus that is important to share with others. I usually find such things silly, but… ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.’
CHILD BORN OF A VIRGIN
A central Truth about Christ is that Jesus was born of a Virgin and His birth is an absolute miracle. There has been and there will never be anyone even remotely like Jesus Christ.
LUKE 1:30-31
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus.”
LUKE 1:34-35
“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called Holy—the Son of God.”
The Christ was born of Mary who was a young woman who was a virgin. I have often marveled that among all the women born throughout time, that Jesus came from Mary. She was highly favored by God. There is nothing special or miraculous about her other than her total faith and willingness to serve God in the manner He needed.
That makes Jesus 100% flesh and blood human. Jesus is unique. Jesus is flesh. Jesus is blood. He got hungry and thirsty and got splinters and had disappointments. He had to pee and stubbed His toe and also felt joy and excitement. The fact that Jesus was born shows us that what Jesus came to do is tied to humbleness and service. Jesus could have arrived from Heaven in some spectacular manner, but rather the Plan was for Him to be born and grow and be a lowly human being. It makes no sense, but it is what Jesus did. It is Who Jesus is.
HEALING FROM SIN
A central Truth about Christ is that Jesus was sent to heal us from sin. From the beginning of creation, human beings ignored God and went our own way. We disobeyed God and that is called sin. Human beings invited shame, guilt, pain, sickness, death, thorns, earthquakes, lying, mistreatment, and all manner of error into God’s perfect Eden. That “all manner of error” is passed down from generation to generation. All of us are sick with sin.
READ ROMANS 3:22-25 (ESV)
“the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.”
God knew we would sin and so before He even created us He had a perfect plan to redeem us. The Plan was the Christ. Everyone sins and we are all sick with it. Healing from sin comes from faith in Jesus Christ in the shedding of His blood. Jesus made payment for us. The Christ died for us. The Messiah was the plan for healing and renewal and a clean slate. Jesus was the Anointed Chosen One to die.
That makes Jesus the way, the truth, and the life. That makes the Christ the only way to salvation that God has established. It is what Jesus does.
RESURRECTION
A central Truth about Christ is that Jesus is that not only did He die to heal us from sin, but He rose victorious from the grave which means the payment with His blood went through and He can now offer eternal life as a result. His resurrection is very much the proof that He is Who He claimed and He did what He claimed.
Notice please, if you will, how the Apostle Paul talks about Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15 in relation to His title and also His resurrection…
READ 1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-23
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.”
It was in the resurrection of the Christ that we find such hope. Death came because of sin. Life comes because of the Christ. Forgiveness and mercy and grace and being made alive in our souls comes from the Messiah.
Without Jesus and His resurrection, we are dead inside.
Without Jesus and His rising on the third day, we have no hope and should be pitied.
Without Jesus and His exit from the tomb, we are lost.
This makes Jesus Christ the only source of eternal life for us. Yes, you can live life without Jesus, but you can’t have eternal life in Heaven with God without Jesus Christ. Jesus literally, figuratively, and theologically is the Source of Life. It is how Jesus did it.
INCARNATE GOD
A central Truth about Christ is that Jesus Christ is eternal (as is the Holy Spirit) and fully God and at no time was He created. Jesus is God. Jesus is made from the same stuff as God. Jesus is divine. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is Creator. Jesus is Redeemer. Jesus is Sanctifier. Jesus is the Son of the Most High God. Jesus is God incarnate.
READ JOHN 1:14 (ESV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
READ JOHN 10:30 (ESV)
“I and the Father are One.”
READ TITUS 2:13 (ESV)
“Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
READ COLOSSIANS 2:9 (ESV)
“For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”
The witness of the New Testament is that God incarnated Himself. He is Jesus. It is a miracle and a mystery that Jesus is God. It is mind-bending and not altogether clear how it all works. Jesus is so far above us and beyond our understanding and yet, He was also human.
That makes Jesus 100% divine, eternal, and uncreated. Jesus is spirit. Jesus is unique. Jesus is timeless. Jesus is other. He has foreseen all that we will do and how each moment plays out. He will rule all things forever. Jesus could have stayed in Heaven, but because of His great love for us He humbled Himself and became a lowly servant. It is Who Jesus is. It is how He saved us.
SELFLESS SACRIFICE
A central Truth about Christ is that Jesus did not have to die for us, but He chose to. Jesus was not forced to die because He was guilty of a crime. Jesus was not at the wrong place and the wrong time. The Messiah dying was no accident. Jesus was not thrown in at the last minute and failed. Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for us that He might become the payment for our sin.
READ JOHN 10:15 (ESV)
“just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
READ JOHN 10:18 (ESV)
“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
READ EPHESIANS 5:2 (ESV)
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
I find it a great comfort that Jesus was motivated by love as He died. It is that motivation that allowed Him to stay on the cross when we know He could have come down at any time or called on the Armies of Heaven to aid Him or with a thought healed Himself. Jesus loves us. Jesus willingly laid down His life as a sacrifice.
The word ‘sheep’ is being batted around right now as a curse word and meant to harm people. I don’t know about you, but I am a sheep in the flock of the Great Shepherd Who takes my place when battling the beasts that want my soul. Jesus is our Willing Shepherd. Loving willingness is Jesus’ motivation for everything He did for us. It is why He did it.
TEACHER OF THE WORD
A central Truth about Christ is that He not only saves us, but He also shows us the way to live because He was The Teacher of the Word. We are not lost or aimless when it comes to following after Him. Jesus shows us the way. The Messiah taught us the way.
READ JOHN 6:67-69 (ESV)
“So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus not only shows us how to live, but He taught us how to live. The parables of Jesus are important. The lessons He shared are our lessons for life. His sermons are directions for us on how to live. Jesus never shared a careless word, but was always teaching and always showing us the way to God. If we follow Jesus, we find God.
The Holy One of God… the Christ… the Messiah… the Anointed One… has taught us what is good and right and proper and it is up to us to follow after Him and obey Him. It is what He expects.
CONCLUSION… http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/c/christ.htm
Christ for sickness, Christ for health, Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth,
Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow, Christ today and Christ tomorrow;
Christ my Life, and Christ my Light, Christ for morning, noon and night,
Christ when all around gives way, Christ my everlasting Stay;
Christ my Rest, and Christ my Food, Christ above my highest good,
Christ my Well-beloved Friend, Christ my Pleasure without end;
Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord, Christ my Portion, Christ my God,
Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep, Christ Himself my soul to keep;
Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace, Christ hath wrought my soul's release,
Christ my Righteousness divine, Christ for me, for He is mine;
Christ my Wisdom, Christ my Meat, Christ restores my wandering feet,
Christ my Advocate and Priest, Christ who ne'er forgets the least;
Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide, Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide,
Christ the Ever-living Bread, Christ His precious Blood hath shed;
Christ hath brought me nigh to God, Christ the everlasting Word
Christ my Master, Christ my Head, Christ who for my sins hath bled;
Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown, Christ the Plant of great renown,
Christ my Comforter on high, Christ my Hope, draws ever nigh.
INVITATION
PRAYER
