Sermon Tone Analysis

Date: December 20, 2015

*Read Jn 4:19-26* – While increasingly secularized, Christmas originated to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

The gospel records suggest that His humble birth caused great excitement for a brief time but that He was shortly spirited away to Egypt to escape Herod the Great’s vendetta against some unknown “King of the Jews”.

Upon Herod’s death, Jesus’ parents returned to Nazareth.

We know almost nothing of the next 30 years.

By age 30 he was a nobody, buried in obscurity in Nazareth, having done nothing to separate himself from the mass of humanity.

Why all the fuss about His birth?

Well, partly because in the remaining 3 years of His life, the obscure carpenter had more impact on human history than person who ever lived – by far.

The evidence of His impact and influence is everywhere -- in every nation, every religious faith and every cultural medium from the highest of art forms to the lowest expressions of profanity.

Jesus, Beloved, is everywhere!

Someone has noted: “Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ's 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity.”

H. G. Wells contends: “I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history.

Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

No wonder all the fuss about His birth, right?

Even more to the point are the claims He made and substantiated by the most incredible display of authoritative teaching and miraculous power ever recorded.

Joseph Parker commented, “Only Christ could have conceived Christ.”

His concepts of love, compassion, respect for the individual, and the power for forgiveness were unprecedented in ancient times.

They’re still at the heart of Western culture.

It has abandoned the foundation for these standards but can’t extricate itself from the concepts.

They are entrenched.

But Jesus uniqueness extends even further.

Historian Huston Smith claimed in The World’s Great Religions the two most dominant figures in history who lived lives of such beauty that people asked not just “Who are you?” but “What are you?” were Buddha and Jesus.

But he further notes that while Buddha distained worship by saying, “Absolutely, do not worship me.

I am not God,” Jesus did just the opposite.

Jesus staked a credible claim to be God!

It’s been noted: “Buddha never claimed to be God.

Moses never claimed to be Jehovah.

Mohammed never claimed to be Allah.

Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God.

Buddha simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth."

Jesus said, "I am the Truth."

Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy."

Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope."

Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins."

UNIQUE!

That stops us dead in our tracks.

No one else credibly claimed, “Your eternal destiny rides on your relationship with me.”

But Jesus did.

Jn 6:40: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.”

Astounding.

Caesar never said, “Believe in me to get eternal life.”

Confucius never said, “Believe in me to get eternal life.”

Plato never said, “Believe in me to get eternal life.”

But Jesus did.

So how do you get a handle on one who stakes that claim on your eternal destiny?

Lots of ways.

But let’s look this morning at the primary identity He assumed.

Based on the OT, 1st century Jews expected a great Deliverer – a Messiah.

Jesus claimed to be that person.

For example, the Samaritan woman Jesus met at Jacob’s well in Jn 4 said, “I know that Messiah is coming.”

In Jn 4:26 Jesus answers, “I who speak to you am he.”

So, who was Messiah?

The Hebrew word is Meshiach -- literally the Anointed One.

Three offices in the OT required that one be anointed.

Prophets, priests and kings.

Their anointing represented the HS’s blessing on them.

Messiah combined all three functions in one person – thus THE Anointed One – the Messiah – the Christ, (Greek word for Messiah).

Jesus claimed that distinction.

Early in His ministry He read from the OT: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because HE has anointed me” (Lu 4:18).

That anointing occurred on the day of Jesus’ baptism which initiated His ministry.

Luke 3:21-22: “21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form [His anointing], like a dove.

Jesus was GOD’s Anointed One -- God’s ultimate prophet, priest and king.

The question is, Is He Your Messiah?

*I.

Christ is God’s Ultimate Prophet*

What did prophets do?

They spoke God’s Word to the people.

“Thus saith the Lord” was the staple of the OT prophet.

We could never know a transcendent God unless He chose to reveal Himself which he did thru words, spoken by prophets.

His words have life and power.

Ten times in Gen 1 we find “God said” – as God spoke the universe into existence.

He revealed Himself and much about Himself through that Creation and through the spoken word.

But the ultimate “Word” of God was not a prophecy; it was a Person!

Jn 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Prior to this God’s revelation of Himself has been in words, it is now through the Word!

The last word in God’s revelation is a Person.

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God.

He is God in the flesh -- God with us!

He is God revealed in a way we can touch, feel, see and experience.

God is not hidden; God is not lost.

True seekers need look to one place – Jesus.

Heb 1:1: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

Other prophets spoke for God; Jesus spoke as God.

Other prophets reflected God’s glory (Moses).

Jesus was God’s glory.

John 1:14: “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.”

“Dwelt” – literally tabernacled.

God met Israel at the tabernacle in the wilderness; now He meets His people in Jesus Christ.

John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

The ultimate prophetic function – making God known.

Anyone claiming to seek God but rejecting Christ is a rebel.

If we refuse Him, the blame is all on us.

As God’s prophet, Jesus is the ultimate revealer of truth.

He told Pilate in Jn 19:37b: “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

No one will ever be able to stand before God and said, “But truth is relative.

I had my truth; you had your truth.”

That will never play.

Christ not only spoke truth; He is truth.

He is the truth.