1Sa 3:1 “ … And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; …”
INTRODUCTION:
Throughout the Old Testament scriptures we find the central theme of the coming Messiah and His work on behalf of mankind. The prophecies surrounding the Messiah are extensive, compelling and of the utmost importance for all of mankind. However, in spite of the prophecies importance, there is much debate and misunderstanding concerning the identity of this Messiah.
For some, the Messiah has already come and fulfilled many of the OT prophecies. For others, He is yet to come and bring a fulfillment to these prophecies, and yet, to others, these prophecies are only fulfilled in a spiritual fashion with no literal Messiah to ever come to the earth.
God displayed for us the importance of recognizing and submitting to the Messiah by His public rejection of the nation of Israel in the 1st century AD. The Jews rejected the Messiah which led God to turn His back on the nation of Israel thus making it both spiritually and physically desolate. This desolation was made complete with the destruction of the temple and the casting out of the Jewish people from the land of Israel during the invasion of the Romans under Titus in 70 AD.
Our precious Word, openly identifies the true Messiah, the One sent by God for the purpose of creating a kingdom over which He will rule for an eternity.
SCRIPTURES:
Act 10:37-43
(KJV) (37) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; (38) 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. (39) And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: (40) Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;… it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. (43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
(ESV) (37) you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: (38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (39) And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, (40) but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,… he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. (43) To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Joh 6:66-69
(KJV) From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (67) Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (69) And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
(ESV) (66) After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (67) 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.”
Luk 24:44-49
(KJV) And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (45) Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (46) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And ye are witnesses of these things. (49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
(ESV) (44) Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (45) Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, (46) and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, (47) and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (48) You are witnesses of these things. (49) And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
THE STUDY:
To begin our study let’s try to find out what we mean by the term “Messiah”:
- The Old Testament word “Messiah” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “Anointed One”.
- The New Testament, the word “Christ” comes from the Greek word for “Anointed One”.
- Therefore, “Messiah” and “Christ” are words that mean the same thing, they are simply translated from two different languages (John 1:41) “…We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” .
The core idea of both terms (Messiah, Christ) is the idea of being anointed. In the OT, when a person was anointed (normally with olive oil upon the head) it was a public declaration that this person had been chosen by God to fill a specific office. For the most part, men who were publically anointed with oil were men who were chosen to fulfill one of three offices: Prophet, Priest or King.
This brings us to our first text in Acts 10:37-43 ….
(37) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; (38) 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. (39) And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: (40) Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;… it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. (43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Here, we find the principle of the “Messiah” clearly explained in verse 38:
- Notice that a public anointing took place.
- This public anointing was performed by God using the empowering Holy Spirit as the “anointing oil”.
- As a result of this empowering anointing, we find works of kindness, and works that healed those afflicted by Satan (physical sickness and/or demonic possession) being performed.
Not only do we have an anointing being described, but we also have the One that is anointed being identified… “Jesus of Nazareth” (vs 38). He was:
- Anointed by God the Father at His baptism (Matt 3:16-17, John 1:32-34).
- The One that was anointed by the Father to fulfill all three offices of:
- Prophet speaking the very words of God (John 14:10);
- Priest standing between Holy God and sinful man making reconciliation, working peace (Hebs 5:1-10);
- King over all being exalted by God as a faithful Son, given authority to rule over all (Phils 2:5-11, Rev 19:10-16).
- Unjustly crucified (vs 39)
- Resurrected the third day (vs 40)
- Witnessed publically by many following His resurrection (vs 40).
- Given authority by God the Father to be Judge in the last day (Acts 17:31, Rom 14:9-10)
Jesus is the One that the Old Testament prophets had spoken and revealed to be the God-sent Savior of His people (Isaiah 53:1-12). It is this Jesus who is the “Messiah”; in other words, it is Jesus who is the “Christ”. It is this death, burial, resurrection, and public display of the risen Messiah that makes up the “gospel” (good news) message (1 Cor 15:1-11).
Christ’s work, as defined in the gospel message, is the same work that the Old Testament prophesies attributed to the Messiah. We can see this in Luke 24:44-49….
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (45) Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (46) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And ye are witnesses of these things. (49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Along with Jesus explaining to His assembled disciples the content of the Old Testament prophesies concerning Himself (vs 44-46), He also left them with a set of responsibilities. These responsibilities would all center on their need to spread the “good news” about Christ and His work to others:
1. To preach the need for repentance resulting in the remission of sins to all nations (vs 47)
2. To be witnesses of His fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies and His identification as the Messiah. (vs 48)
3. To proclaim the gospel using the empowering of the Holy Spirit to preach and, then, work results in the hearts of men. (vs 49)
Peter affirms Jesus identity as the Messiah in John 6:66-69…
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (67) Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (69) And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter’s statement leaves us no doubt about the Messiah’s true identity. Peter makes the statement “We believe AND ARE SURE that thou art the Christ…”.
During His earthly ministry, His followers were able to see the OT prophecies being fulfilled right before their very eyes. In spite of this, many did not believe Jesus’ testimony and willingly chose to ignore the many proofs of His Messiah-ship. It were these same individuals who chose to no longer follow Him.
In contrast to the many who chose to leave His side, there were those who, by faith, recognized His true identity and dedicated themselves to follow Him, the Messiah. Peter verbally declared what His true followers knew in their regenerated hearts and minds that Jesus had come and fulfilled the ministries given to Him by the Father. He was the fulfillment of the OT promises of their coming Messiah. He was “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
THE APPLICATION:
Why is God’s Word precious to us? By His grace, through His Word, God has revealed to us the identity of the Messiah. It is His beloved Son, God Himself, the Lord Jesus. When we understand that Jesus is the One sent from God to be the Eternal Prophet, Priest and King, we can begin to understand why Christ and His work must be considered with an extreme seriousness. How we deal with Christ (His person, His message and His work) is what will dictate our standing before Almighty God and, as a consequence, our eternal destiny.
Will we like Peter come to an unquestioning acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah? If we do, it is entirely an act of God’s grace at work in our hearts and minds.
Or, will we choose to not believe in the clear message of His Messiah-ship found in God’s Word? If this is the case, we can only attribute this to our sinful condition which has blinded our eyes to the truths of His Word. We have chosen the sinful path upon which we are walking. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
If you have any questions concerning the way of salvation please feel free to visit or call a Bible teaching church in your area. They will be happy to speak to you about the Lord Jesus and the salvation He graciously gives.
Or, if you would rather, feel welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to answer any question you may have.
Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A Relationship With God”. On this page, you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation.
Please visit the “Settled In Heaven Ministries” homepage – http://www.settledinheaven.org
My Main Blog “Settled In Heaven” (updated twice weekly) – http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
May the Lord bless your study of His Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”
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