JULY 1, 2007
“THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE MESSIAH”
Part I
SCRIPTURE READING:
ISAIAH 42:1-10
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
Isaiah 42:1 (KJV)
Behold my
servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul
delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall
bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
INTRO:
This is one of the
many promises of God: He would send the
Messiah, the Savior, to meet the needs of a fallen
world.
Like Judea of old,
America is in desperate need of the Messiah.
People are sinking
ever deeper into the muck and mire of:
·
Heavy burdens,
·
Constant and brazen temptations,
·
Unimaginable evil,
·
Growing insensitivity and indifference to it all.
·
Dissatisfaction
·
Purposelessness & hopelessness
·
Emptiness
Satan has sought
to corrupt the term Messiah and Savior.
Hollywood has
held up the Bible, Christianity and Jesus Himself,
to mockery and ridicule.
The sport media
has used the term messiah and savior for sport
figures that have none of the qualifications of a
Messiah.
Jesus is the
promised Messiah, and He alone possesses the
qualifications and characteristics of the Messiah.
What are the
characteristics of the Messiah?
I. HE IS GOD’S
SERVANT. (v.1)
NOTE:
Jesus came not to
serve Himself but to serve His Father.
John 5:30 (KJV)
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I
judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me.
Servant hood
involves humility.
Philippians 2:7
(KJV)
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men:
Jesus came to not
only be a servant of God but also the servant of
man.
Matthew 20:28 (KJV)
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom
for many.
II.
HE IS CHOSEN BY GOD. (v.1)
NOTE:
Jesus was not chosen
by the will or wisdom of man.
1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature;
because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not
as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Matthew 17:5 (KJV)
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased; hear ye him.
Because He was
chosen by God, He had God’s blessing resting upon
Him.
III. THE SPIRIT OF
GOD REST UPON HIM. (v. 1)
Isaiah 11:2 (KJV)
And
the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord;
Matthew 3:16 (KJV)
And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him:
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV)
The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:38 (KJV)
How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost
and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him.
IV. HE IS RIGHTEOUS
AND JUST. (v.1)
NOTE:
The word judgment
means: properly a verdict (favorable or
unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a
sentence or formal decree (human or [participle]
divine law, individual or collective),
including the act, the place, the suit, the crime,
and the penalty.
The Messiah, and
His work, was sent to not only the Jews but to the
entire world.
Psalm 45:7 (KJV)
Thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psalm 119:137 (KJV)
Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy
judgments.
Psalm 145:17 (KJV)
The
Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all
his works.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
(KJV)
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment
and justice in the earth. In his days
Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Revelation 19:10
(KJV)
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said
unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony
of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.
NOTE:
If we accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah we will be
judged in His righteousness.
If we reject
Jesus as the Messiah we will be judge in our
righteousness.
CONCLUSION:
The
Messiah this world has ever seen and will ever see,
is Jesus.
JULY 8, 2007
“THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE MESSIAH” Part II
SCRIPTURE READING:
ISAIAH 42:1-10
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
Isaiah 42:1 (KJV)
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth;
I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth
judgment to the Gentiles.
INTRO:
Since the fall of
man the world has been in need of a Messiah.
Someone to deliver
them from the circumstances they may be in.
Someone they can
worship and emulate.
There are many false
Messiah.
Our eternal fate
hinges on our understanding the characteristics of
the Messiah.
There is only one
True Messiah.
What are the
characteristics of the Messiah?
I. HE IS GOD’S
SERVANT. (v.1) “Behold My Servant”
NOTE:
Jesus came not to
serve Himself but to serve His Father.
John 5:30 (KJV)
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I
judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me.
Servant hood
involves humility.
Philippians 2:7
(KJV)
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men:
Jesus came to not
only be a servant of God but also the servant of
man.
Matthew 20:28 (KJV)
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom
for many.
II. HE IS SUPPORTED
AND RECOGNIZED BY GOD AS THE MESSIAH. (v. 1)
“Whom I uphold”
NOTE:
Jesus was recognized
by His Father as the Messiah.
John 5:26 (KJV)
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath
he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 12:28 (KJV)
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice
from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and
will glorify it again.
III. HE IS CHOSEN BY
GOD. (v.1) “Mine Elect”
NOTE:
Jesus was not chosen
by the will or wisdom of man.
1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature;
because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not
as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Matthew 17:5 (KJV)
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased; hear ye him.
Because He is
chosen by God, He has God’s blessing resting upon
Him.
IV.
GOD DELIGHTS IN HIM. (v. 1) “in Whom My soul delighteth”
Matthew 3:17 (KJV)
And lo
a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 17:5 (KJV)
While
he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him.
V. THE SPIRIT OF GOD
REST UPON HIM. (v. 1) “I have put My Spirit upon Him”
Psalm 45:7 (KJV)
Thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Isaiah 11:2 (KJV)
And
the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord;
Matthew 3:16 (KJV)
And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him:
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV)
The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:38 (KJV)
How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost
and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him.
VI. HE IS RIGHTEOUS
AND JUST. (v.1) “He shall bring forth judgment to
the Gentiles.”
NOTE:
The word judgment
means: properly a verdict (favorable or
unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a
sentence or formal decree (human or [participle]
divine law, individual or collective),
including the act, the place, the suit, the crime,
and the penalty.
NOTE:
He took the judgment
for those who put their trust in Him, He will judge
those who fail to put their trust in Him.
The Messiah, and
His work, was sent to not only the Jews but to the
entire world.
Psalm 119:137 (KJV)
Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy
judgments.
Psalm 145:17 (KJV)
The
Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all
his works.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
(KJV)
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment
and justice in the earth. In his days
Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Revelation 19:10
(KJV)
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said
unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony
of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.
NOTE:
If we accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah we will be
judged in His righteousness.
If we reject
Jesus as the Messiah we will be judge in our
righteousness.
CONCLUSION:
The world
needs a Messiah and the only Messiah is Jesus
Christ.
JULY 22, 2007 PM
“WILT THOU BE
MADE WHOLE?”
SCRIPTURE READING:
JOHN 5:1-9
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
John 5:6 (KJV) When Jesus saw him lie, and
knew that he had been now a long time in that case,
he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
INTRO:
On the surface this
seems to be a silly question.
ILL:
Blind Bartimaeus.
Mark 10:46-52
Mark 10:51 (KJV)
And
Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou
that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto
him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
Have you
addressed this question?
What do you need
Jesus to do for you today?
There are many
people today who are suffering from brokenness and
need of being made whole.
-
Broken
relationships
-
Broken bodies
-
Broken hearts
-
Broken finances
-
Broken spirit
The whole purpose
of Jesus coming was to heal us of our brokenness and
to make us whole.
Ezekiel 34:16 (KJV)
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again
that which was driven away, and will bind up that
which was broken, and will strengthen that which was
sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I
will feed them with judgment.
Jesus asks us the
question, “Wilt thou be made whole?” It is up to
us to answer.
Jesus has the
power to meet the most desperate need.
There are three
things we need to consider in this event.
I. JESUS HAD
COMPASSION.
NOTE:
Jesus saw the man
and understood all his needs.
-
The man was in
need of help.
-
There was no
human help for him.
There are many who
like those around the pool, both physically and
spiritually.
·
They are blind
and cannot see.
·
They are deaf and cannot hear.
·
They are lame and cannot walk.
Romans 8:5 (KJV)
For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit.
John 3:16 (KJV)
For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8 (KJV)
But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
II. JESUS INITIATED
THE CONTACT
NOTE:
Jesus approached the
man without being asked.
Ezekiel 34:16 (KJV)
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again
that which was driven away, and will bind up that
which was broken, and will strengthen that which was
sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I
will feed them with judgment.
Jesus came into
this world seeking those who were broken and needed
to be made whole.
Luke 19:10 (KJV)
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.
Revelation 3:20
(KJV)
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus is seeking
us long before we begin to seek Him.
III. THE MAN OBEYED.
NOTE:
If we are to receive
anything from God we must believe and obey Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
A.
There are many who have never heard the voice of Jesus calling them.
It is up to us
who have responded to His voice to share the good
news with those who have never heard.
Matthew
28:19-20 (KJV)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.
B. THERE ARE MANY
WHO HAVE HEARD THE VOICE OFJESUS BUT HAVE FAILED TO
BELIEVE AND OBEY.
NOTE:
How often has Jesus
stood at the door of your heart and called out to
you, “Wilt thou be made whole?”
Hebrews 3:8-12 (KJV)
Harden
not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day
of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers
tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty
years. Wherefore I was grieved with that
generation, and said, They do alway err in their
heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware
in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.)
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God.
NOTE:
There will come a
time when God will not call us anymore.
Genesis 6:3 (KJV)
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always
strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his
days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Don’t be like
Esau who sought repentance but it was too late.
Hebrews 12:16-17
(KJV)
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as
Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he
would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:
for he found no place of repentance, though he
sought it carefully with tears.
We must respond
while God is calling.
John 6:44 (KJV)
No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at
the last day.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus is asking
each of us, “Wilt thou be made whole?”
JULY 29, 2003
“THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MESSIAH” Part 3
SCRIPTURE READING:
ISAIAH 42:1-9
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
ISAIAH 42:2-4
He shall not cry,
nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the
street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the
smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring
forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be
discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth:
and the isles shall wait for his law.
INTRO:
God is sending the
Messiah and has prepared Him for a very special
work. TO REDEEM HIS PEOPLE
He will
accomplish this in a far different way than the
people expected.
Many people missed
His first coming because they were looking for His
coming to be different than it was, we must be
careful that we do not make the same mistake about
His second coming.
They were
looking for Him to come the first time as He will
come the second time.
John
3:17 (KJV)
For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.
NOTE:
As His Church we
must put on the same spirit that Christ had as He
dealt with those who came to Him.
I. HE IS HUMBLE.
(vs. 2
He shall not cry,
nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the
street)
NOTE:
Jesus came in true
humility:
Philippians 2:5-8
(KJV)
Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God: but made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
Matthew 8:20
(KJV)
And Jesus saith
unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to
lay his head.
Galatians 3:13 (KJV)
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree:
II. HE IS GENTLE.
(vs. 3a
A bruised reed shall he not break)
NOTE:
This refers to how
Christ will handle those who are weak, hurt and
disillusioned.
Isaiah 40:11 (KJV)
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with
young.
There have been
many who have been bruised in life.
-
By passed sins
-
By circumstances
-
By
misconceptions of God
-
By religious
people
-
By failures
Many times we
treat these very harshly instead of gently as Jesus
does.
III.
HE IS COMPASSIONATE. (vs. 3b
and the smoking flax
shall he not quench)
NOTE:
Where the flame of
devotion burns at all, however feebly and dimly, the
Messiah will take care not to quench it. Rather he
will tend it, and trim it, and give it fresh oil,
and cause it to burn more brightly.
IV. HIS JUDGMENT
SHALL BE IN TRUTH. (vs. 3c
he shall bring forth
judgment unto truth.)
NOTE:
The Messiah’s
judgment will not be clouded as the judgments of man
are.
This is
something that every Christian should fear.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT)
For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve for the
good or evil we have done in our bodies.
We like to make
excuses for our actions but the Messiah will judge
us truthfully.
His judgments
shall be tempered with mercy.
James 2:13 (NLT)
For there will be no mercy for you if you have
not been merciful to others. But if you have been
merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out
over his judgment against you.
We have a
tendency to be like the Elder Brother in Luke 15.
V.
HE IS STEADFAST AND PERSEVERING. (vs. 4
He shall not fail
nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the
earth: and the isles shall wait for his law)
NOTE: Jesus did not
allow anything or anyone to come between Him and the
purpose of His coming; to be our Messiah.
Matthew 16:21-23
(KJV)
From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his
disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall
not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto
Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an
offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things
that be of God, but those that be of men.
He did not allow
His humanity to hinder Him for fulfilling His
purpose.
Matthew
26:39 (KJV)
And he went a little farther, and fell on his
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless
not as I will, but as thou wilt.
CONCLUSION:
As we grow in
our Christian life, we must put on more of Christ
and less of ourselves.
John 3:30 (KJV)
He must increase, but I must decrease.
