Jesus Christ

Good morning, welcome to New Horizon. Please open your Bibles to John 14.

Last week- God the Father loves the world and gives of Himself to the world for the purpose of the salvation, or healing, or restoring, of the world.

Lets look at the same text while noticing it from a different perspective.

Read John 3:16–17- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Jesus and Nicodemus.

1. Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God.

In the same way that we saw the distinction given to identify God as Father, so we are also reminded here that there is God the Son.

Just as there has always been an eternal love and unity from the Father to the Son, so we see the relationship reciprocated.

John 14:31- “…but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

Jesus is the One who was given, or more accurately, sent.

Last week, we considered that the Father, motivated by love, sent His Son into the world.

How does Jesus respond to such a mission, such a purpose?

John 5:19–20- “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.’”

Last week, we focused on this text from the perspective of what the Father does.

This week, we see that Jesus does precisely what is asked of Him.

His will matches the will of the Father.

Jesus is the Savior of mankind.

In His being sent into the world, His incarnation, or taking on flesh to accompany His deity, Jesus comes to save.

This is that purpose, the mission for which Jesus enters humanity.

While we see the love of God for the world shown in His sending of the Son, we also see the love of the Son for the world in His willingness to be sent and His obedience to the Father.

So now, why, specifically, did Jesus take on flesh?

General answer- to save us. But how can we get more specific?

2. What are the greatest needs for humanity?

Going to the doctor- Blood work done- What are my deficiencies.

Have we ever considered our spiritual deficiencies?

We don’t know who God is.

Not knowing what something is like, creating it in my own head. Always wrong.

Our ideas of God fall miserably short of who He is in reality.

We are cut off from God.

Ephesians 2:12- “…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Cut off entirely from the very source of life, and meaning, and purpose, that everyone craves.

We possess a thirst with nothing within ourselves to quench it.

We are completely unable to live for God.

All of our efforts fall miserably short of the perfection needed to please God.

We are enslaved to sin.

Romans 8:7–8- “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Our needs, or deficiencies, turn our attention to Jesus.

3. How does Jesus meet these needs?

One anointing- Jesus is the promised Messiah.

This anointing is carried out in three offices- Threefold office of Christ- Prophet, Priest and King.

Jesus carried out his Messiahship as a prophet, a priest, and a king.

We don’t know who God is.

Jesus is the Prophet.

What is a prophet?

A prophet, simply stated, is one who speaks for God a specific message to a specific people.

Even more specifically, a prophet is one who reveals both the will and the character of God.

John 14:8–9- “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?’”

John 12:49–50- “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

John 6:14- “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”

If our deficiency is that we do not know who God is, and as a result we tend to make Him in our own image, Jesus, as Prophet, reveals to us the true nature of God.

We are cut off from God.

Jesus is the Priest.

What is a priest?

Hebrews 5 is helpful.

A priest acts on behalf of men in relation to God offering sacrifices for sins.

Behaves as a mediator of sorts between God and man.

Hebrews 9:11–12- “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:14- “…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

If our deficiency is that we are cut off from God, Jesus, as Priest, not only offers a sacrifice on our behalf, but rather IS the sacrifice on our behalf, mediating on our behalf and bringing us into God’s presence.

We are completely unable to live for God. We are enslaved to sin.

Jesus is the King.

What is a king?

Kings are meant to perform two main tasks: to govern and to guard.

To provide a good, plentiful life for others and to protect such a life.

Matthew 21:4–5- “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

What is the result of the Kingship of Jesus? Will he govern and guard? Will He free us from a life of slavery and bring us into something new?

Romans 6:5–6- “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

If our deficiency is that we are completely unable to live for God, then Jesus, as King, sets us free from the power of sin in order to live a life that pleases God and is the best life possible for us.

Throughout the OT, you have all of these examples of prophets, and priests, and kings.

While they were, at times, of great benefit to Israel, they were always pointing ahead to One who would perfectly play His part.

Jesus is the greater Prophet, Priest and King.

Matthew 12:41- “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Matthew 12:6- “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

Matthew 12:42- “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

The death of Jesus on the cross illuminates the threefold offices of Prophet, Priest and King.

The cross is Jesus’ pulpit, altar and throne.

Pulpit.

1 Corinthians 1:22–24- “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Altar.

1 Timothy 2:5–6- “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Throne.

Hebrews 2:14–15- “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Narnia quote- The Silver Chair. Jill Pole.

4. How does this change the way we are to see ourselves?

Carrying on the ministry of Jesus.

We behave in some ways as a prophet, priest and king.

Prophet.

1 Peter 3:15- “…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

We speak the truth of God that has been revealed to us in His Word, both to those in the Church, for their edification, and those outside of the Church, for their transformation.

Priest.

1 Peter 2:9- “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Peter uses this very language, we are a royal priesthood who makes known the excellencies of God.

Romans 12:1- “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Paul remind us that our lives are meant to be offered up as living sacrifices to God, and that all of life is worship.

King.

Ephesians 6:10–12- “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

1 Corinthians 15:57- “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We carry on the work of Jesus to wage war against Satan and his evil devices aimed at setting this world ablaze. We live to reverse the effects of sin.