Hi folks, this week we are looking at Jesus the Messiah, do we recognise Him?
The name Yeshua comes from the Hebrew word “Yasha”, meaning to rescue, help, defend, to make free, to attain victory, to bring to safety, to heal and to save.
This is all the work of salvation, the work of a saviour, our Saviour, surely He has done all this for us!
The word Yasha, summed up, means “salvation.”
Exodus 15.2 – The Lord Yah (Behold the Hand) is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation.
Isaiah 12.2 – Behold, God Elohim is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the Lord Yah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate is my strength and my song: He is also become my salvation (Yeshuah)
These scriptures both tell us that “God has become my salvation” and that salvation is Yeshua, the Messiah, Jesus!
Before Jesus was on earth, when He was pre-incarnated in flesh, He was with us!
He has become the salvation of His people.
He will save the people from their sins, a plan which is already set in motion!
We get the name Jesus from the Greek “Iesous.”
Proverbs 18.10 – The name of the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and they are saved.
Jesus IS the Name of the Lord.
He is our victory over sin, Satan and death and He is our salvation, we run into His name and we are saved.
The word “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic word maschiach, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The English word for “Messiah” comes from the Greek messias. The meaning of the word translates as christos—the Greek term for “one who has been anointed.” Since messias would have been meaningless to non-Aramaic speakers, the word messias is rarely used in the Greek New Testament; but in marked contrast, “christos comes almost 530 times, with most of these uses referring directly to Jesus of Nazareth.”
The word Christos comes from a verb that means “to anoint, and it’s related to a Latin term, “Caesar.” Like the words “Kaiser” or “Czar,” the concept is an appointed or anointed leader.
Oil was used in biblical times to anoint priests, prophets, and kings for God’s purposes.
People were said to be consecrated or set apart for a specific role in God’s plan.
For example: Aaron was anointed as high priest; Elisha was anointed to succeed the prophet Elijah; and Saul and David were anointed kings.
Jesus is our Anointed King, anointed as a priest, as a King and as a prophet; in the Order of Melchizidek.
In John1.29 John the Baptist points out Jesus before His baptism, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”
Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, when the Dove came upon Him and God named Him as His Son.
Luke 3.22: And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, “You are my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased.”
In the desert Jesus overcame Satan, when He was tempted in various ways. In Matthew 4.1-11 He was tempted and we see His replies;
- Turn stones into bread – we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
- Throw Himself down from the temple – do not put the Lord your God to the test.
- The kingdoms of the world – Worship the Lord and serve Him only.
Satan wanted Jesus to worship him, but Jesus would have lost His kingship in the process.
He passed the test.
The earliest prophecy about the Messiah is Genesis 3:15. It is believed that the one who will crush the serpent’s (Satan’s) head is the Messiah. The Jews knew God would bring a deliverer to His people, chosen to redeem Israel. He was expected to deliver Israel by overthrowing Roman rule and restore the kingdom to Israel.
Psalm 45.7 says of Jesus:
You have loved what is right and hated what is wrong.
That is why Elohim, your Elohim, has anointed you,
rather than your companions, with the oil of joy.
When Christians call the Savior “Jesus Christ,” we are really saying “Jesus the Messiah” or “Jesus the Anointed One” and so He truly is!
Christ is not His last name, Christ is His title, meaning He was sent by God, divinely appointed, to be the Deliverer and King of His people.
The disciples were slow to believe all the prophets had spoken about the suffering Savior. Even though Jesus explained what was said in the Scriptures concerning Himself, it wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that the disciples’ eyes were fully opened to the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah—and that Jesus was indeed the Anointed One.
The Holy Spirit Reveals Jesus to Us
In Matthew 16.12-17 Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
They answered Him, “You are the Christ (Ha Mashiach) (Messiah), the Son of the Living God.
He answered them saying, “Blessed are you Simon Bar Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
We can only truly know who Jesus is, when it is revealed to us by our Father in heaven!
It is a spiritual transaction of God enlightening the eyes of our hearts and awakening our spirits.
The Holy Spirit Brought me to Life and Woke Me Up!
Not long after being baptized in the Holy Spirit, I started to read the Bible and everything began to click.
Like a puzzle, everything fitted together.
Things that I had read or been taught in Sunday School, or RE classes, which meant nothing to me at the time, came to life.
In college I studied O Level religious education and spiritually it meant nothing, just learning, another course to take with me into life, but producing no life in me.
When I became a Christian, everything I had ever been taught came to life.
It was as though the other half of my brain had been asleep all this time, and I had been operating in life using just half of my brain, the physical side and now I was walking with both sides awake.
Now the spiritual side of my brain was alive and I was aware of God and how He saw things!
I remember washing up one day and looking out of the window at the garden.
It was spring and the flowers seemed brighter than ever, like the first spring I had ever seen and creation seemed to be singing of the glory of God!
At the time we sang a song at church called, “All creation worships you, living God,” and this epitomized that.
He had brought everything to life and I was awake to God.
Will we also wake up to recognise who Jesus really is?
Who do we say that He is?
Our Spirits Recognise Who Jesus Is and Scripture Backs it Up
Jesus was identified again by His Father on the Mount of Transfiguration, when God said to Peter, James and John, “This is my Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
Jesus the promised Davidic King and Messiah had come, but the Jews could not accept it.
Part of the problem was perception.
The Jews expected a warrior Messiah who would deliver them from the hands of Roman rule; but in Jesus’ first coming, He initially came to deliver Israel from spiritual darkness by preaching the good news and calling sinners to repentance.
In Isaiah 9.6-7 it says:
Unto us a child is born.
A son is given.
The government shall be upon his shoulder.
He will be named:
Wonderful Counselor (Pele-Yo’etz),
Mighty God (El Gibbor), (The Powerful Living Word)
Everlasting Father (Ab ad ab),
The Prince of Peace (Sar Shalom.)
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end,
Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgement and with justice.
From this time forth even forever.
The zeal of the Lord Yehovah (Messiah pre-Incarnate) Tsebaoth (the Lord of Hosts) will perform this!
Yeshua fulfilled many ancient prophecies about the Messiah including:
Biblical prophecy:
Messiah is to be born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Prophecy fulfilled:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” —Matthew 1:23 (NKJV)
- The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem: (Matt. 2:1-7, John 7:42, Luke 2:4-7)
Micah 5.2
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are too small to be included among Judah’s cities.
Yet, from you Israel’s future ruler will come for me.
His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
- “They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” —Matthew 2:5-6 (NKJV)
Also, John 7:42 (NKJV) says, “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
- Messiah is to be raised from the dead: Isaiah 53:9-10, Psalm 2:7, 16:10, (Matthew 28:1-20, Acts 2:23-36,13:33-37, 1 Corinthians 11:4-6)
Yeshua claimed to be the Son of God:
- Then they all said, “‘Are You then Ben-Elohim (Son of God)?’ And to them He said, ‘You say that I am’” (Luke 22:70 TLV)
- “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 NIV)
- “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NIV)
- Yeshua said unto them, “Truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8.58)
The Jews saw this as blasphemy because Deuteronomy 6.4 says that the Lord is One:
“Hear O Israel, the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) is One Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate.”
BUT: If Jesus is who He says He is, the Messiah, One with God, this is no blasphemy at all, but Truth, if we are ready to hear it and receive Him!
Yeshua showed He was the Son of God by doing a number of unprecedented miracles including:
- Raising the dead to life (John 11:1-44)
- Giving sight to the blind (Mark 10:46-52)
- Healing leprosy (Luke 17:11-19)
- Healing a paralyzed man (Matthew 9:1-8)
Biblical Prophecy
Isaiah 35:5-6 (ESV) says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”
Prophecy fulfilled:
Some 700 years after Isaiah, this was written in John 11:47 (NKJV):
“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.’”
And Luke 7:21 (NKJV): “And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.”
CS Lewis said in Mere Christianity;
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg – or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman, or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.
Jesus was rejected by His people.
In biblical times, building foundations were built from stone, starting with a single stone placed in the corner as a guide for the entire structure.
The cornerstone was essential to the structure of the building and ensured each wall would be straight and solid.
God’s Word tells us Jesus was sent to be the cornerstone for the world but, He would be rejected in the process, because their hearts were hardened to the truth.
Jesus Challenges Our Ways of Thinking
Jesus challenged the religious teachings and traditions of the day, that were separating people from God.
- Ceremonial handwashing (Matthew 15.1.2) – God wants clean hearts, not dead traditions.
- He purged evil by challenging us to love our neighbour, instead taking of revenge.
- He had the audacity to forgive sins, when He healed the paralyzed man, something only God could do! Mark 2.1-2.
- Jesus challenged people who gave money to the temple, but refused to take care of their parents – Matthew 15.5
- He challenged working on the Sabbath and instead showed compassion– Matthew 12.11-12
- He challenged doing things for show and weighing people down with burdensome taxes and rules. Matthew 6.5, Matt 23.23.
Biblical prophecy:
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” —Psalm 118:22-23 (NKJV)
Prophecy fulfilled:
Later Jesus uses David’s words from Psalm 118 to remind the religious leaders who He was:
Jesus became a stumbling block, this stone became the Cornerstone:
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” —Matthew 21:42-43 (NKJV)
When they could not stop Him or control Him, they planned to kill Him – John 11.53
They did not want to believe and even tried to blame what He was doing on Satan – Matthew 12.24
The Passion of the Suffering Servant
Isaiah 52
13 My servant will be successful.
He will be respected, praised, and highly honored.
14 Many will be shocked by him.
His appearance will be so disfigured
that he won’t look like any other man.
His looks will be so disfigured
that he will hardly look like a human.
15 He will cleanse many nations with his blood.
Kings will shut their mouths because of him.
They will see things that they had never been told.
They will understand things that they had never heard.
Jesus was put on trial for claiming to sit at the right hand of power –
Mark 14.62 – And Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 15.12 -15 – So Pilate again asked them, “Then what should I do with the king of the Jews?”
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the people, so he freed Barabbas for them. But he had Yeshua whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
John 19.2-3 – Then Pilate had Yeshua taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers twisted some thorny branches into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a purple cape on him. 3 They went up to him, said, “Long live the king of the Jews!” and slapped his face.
Jesus was not called a King until He stood before Pilate on the way to the cross.
He is then called king 6 times in the next 30 verses.
He is called king 3 times by Pilate and twice by people mocking Him.
The title is then hung over Him on the cross.
People who were crucified carried a sign in front of them stating their crimes to passers-by, perhaps hung around their necks.
Here we see Jesus clothed in a crown of thorns and a royal robe. He was mocked, bowed before and worshipped, this was a coronation ceremony of humiliation.
Jesus knew that this was what must take place for the plan of God to be carried out, this was the path to kingship and redemption.
There can be no resurrection without death.
No payment of sin, without the sacrifice of the Lamb.
The crucifixion signified His Coronation.
Jesus shows His true kingship not by saving Himself, but by dying on the cross.
The Crucifixion
John 19.17-22
So the soldiers took Yeshua. 17 He carried his own cross and went out of the city to a location called The Skull. (In Hebrew this place is called Golgotha.) 18 The soldiers crucified Yeshua and two other men there. Yeshua was in the middle.
19 Pilate wrote a notice and put it on the cross. The notice read, “Yeshua from Nazareth, the king of the Jews.” 20 Many Jews read this notice, because the place where Yeshua was crucified was near the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21 The chief priests of the Jewish people told Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The king of the Jews!’ Instead, write, ‘He said that he is the king of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate replied, “I have written what I’ve written.”
Jesus suffered with and for sinners
Biblical prophecy:
“Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
—Isaiah 53:12 (ESV)
Prophecy fulfilled:
“Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.”
—Matthew 27:38 & Mark 15.2, Luke 23.32-33 (NKJV)
The coming of Christ is foretold throughout the book of Isaiah, with Isaiah 53 explaining just how much Jesus would suffer during His sacrifice for our sins.
All this scripture is fulfilled in One Man, the God-Man Jesus Christ!
He is King of Israel and King of the Jews.
He is the King of Kings risen in victory over death!
He was born a King, died a King and rose as a King!
In His first coming He came as a redeeming King.
His Kingdom was inaugurated in the First coming and will be consummated with His Bride, the church, in the Second coming.
In His second coming He will come as a reigning King.
He will restore the Kingdom to Israel (Joel 3)
He will set up an earthly kingdom, a 1,000 year reign.
He will rule with a rod of iron.
He will bring peace.
He will bring spiritual blessings over earthly blessings.
He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! (Revelation 19.11-16)
He is King over all the earth (Zechariah 14. 2-4, 7-9) Let’s be ready for His coming!
This is a powerful message.