Identify the Messiah
Notes
Transcript
Main Idea: Jesus is the one you are looking for… “as He said.”
Opening Line: We are all searching for something.
Today we start a series to identify some of the things we may have been looking for to build a life of purpose and meaning.
Are you ready for this Easter to be a New Beginning in your life?
Introduction
What are people looking for in life?
What are people looking for in life?
According to Forbes Magazine
The Top 8 Things People Desperately Desire But Can't Seem To Attain
1. Happiness
2. Money
3. Freedom
4. Peace
5. Joy
6. Balance - work/family/friends...
7. Fulfillment
8. Confidence /boldness or courage
This can be summed up in a quote by yourmeaninginlife.com
Anything to believe that the future is something to look forward to and not to dread.
Everyone is looking for something that can be summed up in one word
HOPE
Throughout the world everyone wants tomorrow to be better than it was today…Even if today was the best day in your life. Tomorrow could be better.
Throughout the world everyone wants tomorrow to be better than it was today…Even if today was the best day in your life. Tomorrow could be better.
We must start from understanding that we all are trying to identify the hope for tomorrow.
maybe through
having more money
Having more free time or relaxing in life
Having more peace in your family or at work or in the world
Having joy in all situations (because today was not an easy one to have joy in)
Having that perfect balance people talk about of being the best employee or student and get raises or good grades all the time and going home and having that 1950’s family in black and white where everyone is happy and parents never fight everything is perfect.
Having fulfillment feeling that you matter or are part of doing something that changes the world for the better.
Having confidence or boldness to speak the truth and not let others take advantage of you.
If you identify with any of those feelings you may be a person who hopes tomorrow will be better than today.
Easter is a reminder that it is possible to have hope for tomorrow.
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus?
Let’s begin this journey of Identifying Jesus
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Question…If you were to die today and stand before God in Heave and He was to ask you…Why should I let you into Heaven?
what you would say to God...
Who Jesus isn’t
Who Jesus isn’t
John the Baptist
One who has come to call the people to repent from their sin without animal sacrifices
Elijah
Prophet of the Lord who moved in Miraculous Power
Jeremiah
Prophet who was ignored by the leaders, but brought hope of a better future to people in captivity
The Life of Jesus can be seen in each of these, but Jesus is more than each of these men.
Jesus asked, “but what about you?” “Who do you say I am?”
Matthew 16:16 (NIV)
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Messiah or Christ - means anointed one.
The Anointed One
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
Talk about hope for tomorrow!
The Anointed One The Messiah or Christ will
Bring Good News
Bring comfort and joy to all
bring freedom for the captive
Declare the Lord’s favor…and judgement
bring beauty out of ashes
Bring blessing and harvest into the land
turn shame into a double portion
Bring Justice
Bring Salvation
Throughout the ministry of Jesus we see He did all these things
Jesus even said that He was one who would do all this in Luke 4:21 “21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””
After reading the passage from Isaiah.
Peter through God’s Grace saw that Jesus was the Messiah or anointed one.
Peter through God’s Grace saw that Jesus was the Messiah or anointed one.
He had seen the fulfilment of Isaiah 61 at work
He like all of us was looking for something more or better in life and found it in Jesus.
This Easter I want you remember 1 thing…What we are looking for as the foundation for a better tomorrow must be Jesus the Messiah
Main Point
The Messiah is who you have been looking for in life
The Messiah is who you have been looking for in life
There is a big down side to being the Messiah though
Daniel prophecies about the Messiah
24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
put an end to sin
be put to death for that sin
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
So many people are looking for a better tomorrow, but in truth it might not be as easy as they thought
So many people are looking for a better tomorrow, but in truth it might not be as easy as they thought
Jesus is the Messiah who will always give hope, but He said that Hope comes with taking up our cross and following Him
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Why does it matter?
The Messiah Jesus paid the price for your sin so you can go to heaven and have a better tomorrow.
The Messiah Jesus paid the price for your sin so you can go to heaven and have a better tomorrow.
He is risen as he said
What should we do?
Believe that He has done and will do what He said.
Believe that He has done and will do what He said.
He said you are forgiven…You are forgiven
He said you are healed…You are healed
He said you don’t need to earn my love…You are loved (no matter what)
He said I will make your tomorrow better in this life AND the Next…You Have hope
Look at your note card...
Did you didn’t write
Jesus blood
Grace of God
Forgiveness because of Easter
Christ ALONE
Maybe Easter isn’t as real to you today
How do we do it?
And HOW?
And HOW?
Make a stand today to have faith to believe what the angels said
He is risen as He said!
Isaiah and Daniel give us an idea of what the Messiah has done now all we have to do is accept it
Worship Team
Don’t let this Easter end without you breaking out of the tomb you are in.
Bow your heads
Jesus is asking you…who do you say I am?
What would you have said to God about getting into Heaven?
Is He a prophet or good teacher or is He Truly your Messiah?
As we worship I want to pray for everyone who wants Jesus the Messiah to bring forgiveness, Healing, Peace, and hope for tomorrow.
Is the Bottom Line Clear?
Closing Line: The Messiah is risen and if you allow Him will always give you hope for tomorrow.