Good Friday 2021 - The Suffering Servant

Intro

Messianic Secret in Mark.

Mark 1:44 Cleansing of the Leaper

Mark 1:44 NKJV

44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Transfiguration

Why?

Part of the reason was discussed on Palm Sunday

After his public appearance he was killed

Jesus was teaching, healing, preaching…He wanted more time because there was so much to say...

He was lifting up the status of women, helping the poor, caring for the widows, teaching about the kingdom, and performing Miracles

Could this Be the Messiah

As Christ did all these things people started to ask...”Could this be the Messiah”

Messiah = Anointed one (Hebrew)

In Greek Anointed one = Christos

Significance of the Messiah...

In OT anointing was given to to signify the office of responsibility

Priest

Prophets

Kings

The Messiah was anointed above all three and at the same time embraced all three offices in himself.

Psalm 45:7 NASB95

7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.

With every interaction between Jesus and the people they looked for these three elements in his actions.

Through His public ministry He was redefining what it is to be The Messiah

He articulated the Messiah as a “Suffering Servant”

Servant

God Almighty washed the feet of His disciples in the greatest act of humility ever recorded

Go and do likewise

Suffering

As the one anointed to be high than any king, He willing endured the cross

“Stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles”

Through our service today we are trying to grasp and understand this idea of a suffering servant.

“O Only Begotten”

“Holy Mighty, who by weakness showed forth what is greater than power”

Pauline Epistle to Philippians 2:4-11

Phil 2:6-8

Philippians 2:6–8 NKJV

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The conclusion of the hymn is V. 4

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”

Redefining our life Journey on earth

As we have willing taken the name “Christians” after Christ the anointed…then we too must become ‘suffering servants’

Let the mind of a ‘suffering servant’ permeate all our endeavors.

Marriages

interactions with co-workers

mindset in ministry

helping the poor

In standing up for our beliefs when it is not popular, attacked and frowned upon

Christ took upon himself to Redefine the role of the Messiah...

We have a responsibility and challenge to redefine to this world what it looks like to be a follower of Christ....

We need to be suffering servants in this world

It opposes two harmful values promoted by society

Selfish —> Servant

Pleasure —> Suffering

But we need to do so courageously knowing that the reward is ‘LIFE’

May we all be ‘suffering servants’ in this world!

Redefining a messiah as a suffering servant took time and repeated events to get to the definition of messiah he wanted, highlighted by his death on the cross.

Redefining what it means to have life.  In order for us to have life, we must first find death. Good Friday Sermon

Messianic Secret in Mark.

Redefining a messiah as a suffering servant took time and repeated events to get to the definition of messiah he wanted, highlighted by his death on the cross.

Redefining what it means to have life.  In order for us to have life, we must first find death.