Jesus Christ is God because He is the promised Messiah

Over these past several weeks, we have been examining the names of Jesus given Him by John in His gospel as a means by which we can believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and by believing in Him we might have life in His name. We have seen Jesus portrayed as the eternal and creative Word, we have seen Him as the life and the light of men, which gives us light, and we have seen Him as the unique Son of God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, eternal, yet incarnate for 33 years on earth. Finally, last week, we dug into the significance of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As we open today, we see John the Baptist making the reference to Jesus being the Lamb of God, and we also see the importance of understanding this term in the context of Jesus as Messiah:

 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

John has already proclaimed to the Pharisees sent from from the Jews who Jesus was, he testified that He was the Lamb of God, and bore witness that He is the Son of God. Now, John is with his disciples, and he points them to Jesus declaring that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Immediately, it seems, the disciples of John left John and followed Jesus. This makes me wonder why they did this. I think it is because John’s disciples were well versed in John’s purpose here on earth; to make the path straight for the coming King of Kings or Messiah. In other words, when John introduced Jesus, they saw Him as the one John had been proclaiming, and they knew enough to follow Jesus.

38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him,"Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus asks a question to which He already knew the answer, confronting the reason for the choice they (Andrew, and the Gospel’s Author) made to follow Him. They were curious, in their own minds I believe they truly desired to find out who Jesus was and what His purpose was on earth. Little did they know that this man Jesus would change their lives entirely. They wanted to know where He was staying, so that they could perhaps return at a later time and meet with Him then. Jesus invited them to come and see his place. In that process, they became convinced of His status as the Son of God, the anointed one, the Messiah! I wonder how this time was spent; I wonder what questions were asked and answered, how Jesus revealed their own hearts to them. Whatever was said, it so convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah that they went immediately to their brothers to bring them to Jesus.

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

This was exciting news indeed! Every Jew was patiently waiting for the promised Messiah (anointed one) to come. To the Jews, it was the same thing as saying that the Son of God had come. This is the one that they were waiting for!! In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were all anointed with oil to consecrate them for the duty that they were to perform. Jesus Christ was the ultimate, for he embodies all three of these offices within Himself. As a prophet, He proclaimed God’s Word with authority. As our great high priest, he made a lasting sacrifice that has no need of repeating for it was sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world. As King, He will rule over the kingdom that He was to establish not of this world, but in the world to come, a kingdom that would be forever.

Jesus came as this Messiah, not to save people from the rule of the Romans, but to save the people from their sins. You see, the Jews had different pictures of Messiah as well! In Isaiah 9 and 11, Messiah is portrayed as a glorious king. In Isaiah 53, the Messiah is portrayed as a suffering servant. Which is right? Well, both are. Jesus had to explain to those following Him that the cross had to come before the crown; that it was through his suffering on the Cross that He would be be given the name that is above all names, and He would return to His glory. The importance of knowing who Jesus is is emphasized here, because He came to his own, and His own did not recognize him! Even to this day, many Jews are still looking for Messiah to come, or they have given up all together.

This idea of kingdom is very important to us today as Christians. If Jesus is Messiah, as He claims to be, then we understand that He is the ruler over God’s kingdom. What did John do because the kingdom of God was at hand? He preached repentance to prepare the way for the Lord. Jesus’ first public message recorded in Matthew 4:17 was a challenge to repent, because the kingdom of God was at hand. These cousins urged people to repent, to change their minds and their hearts, for a kingdom not of this world was at hand. This kingdom exists, because Jesus is the king, the Savior and Messiah promised (Is. 7:14; Mic. 5:2). He is not only Israel's King, but the international Christ for all the nations. At the beginning of His life, magi came to Herod, asking where they could find the King of the Jews (MT 2:2). At the end of His life, Pilate asked Him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?" He affirmed that He was (MT 27:11-12), and Pilate sanctioned His crucifixion on that basis (27:37).

What and where is the Kingdom? Is there any simple way to understand this puzzling doctrine of the kingdom? Probably not. Jesus' followers have not ceased to puzzle over His statements about it since the moment they were made. But most would generally agree that Christ's kingdom began in some way with His first coming. It continues to advance as His people live the gospel message throughout the world. However, it will not realize its ultimate completion until He returns. What Difference Does It Make?
Whatever else we can say, the kingdom has to do with whatever Christ the King rules. That's why Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance. Repentance means to change one's mind or purpose. In terms of the kingdom, it involves:

(1) A change in one's allegiance. If Christ is the King, and we are his subjects, He deserves our honor, loyalty, and obedience. We must place ourselves under His authority and power. Whatever He says, we determine to do. That's the point of the oft-repeated lines in the Lord's Prayer, 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). Kingdom people submit their own will to the will of the King. This means that we read His Word, and obey it, as we are obedient to the law of the land here, we submit to the law of God. Christ being our King means we live for Him. John and Andrew changed their allegiance immediately when John pointed to Jesus.

(2) A change in one's expectations. One of the difficulties people have with the idea of a kingdom is that it doesn't appear to be in place yet. In fact, the world seems to grow father away from God by the day. But the hope of the kingdom is that there is far more to life than what we see right now. Jesus made extraordinary promises in regard to a future kingdom, not only for Israel, but for all who follow Him as King. The kingdom may not yet be fulfilled completely, but it has been established and will last forever. We must live as though today was our last day, as though the Kingdom has come. We must be about the King’s work and submissive to the King’s leading. We must seek to bring others into the kingdom of God by proclaiming it’s coming like John the Baptist did throughout the land. John and Andrew wanted to see where Jesus was staying, but at the end of the day they were satisfied with meeting the Messiah.

(3) A change in one's values. Our culture values achievement, success, independence, and image. Other cultures value other qualities. But the values of the kingdom should reflect what matters to the King. Jesus described a number of His values in Matthew 5:3-10, a section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes. People of the kingdom adopt the King's values and make choices that reflect those values by being those changed and molded by grace in our everyday lives, and impacting people around us with the grace of God living in and through us. John and Andrew were disciples of John, and fishermen by trade. They became evangelists when Jesus became their king, and they, like their master, had no place to lay their head.

(4) A change in one's priorities. The real test of people's values is how they spend their time and money. Jesus spoke directly to that issue in terms of the kingdom (6:24-34). He did not demean the value of work or diminish the need for material goods. But He challenged His followers to bring kingdom values into their day-to-day lives. 'Seeking first the kingdom" (MT 6:33) puts a Christlike perspective on one's work and its outcomes. Whatever it is we do, we must do for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom, not ours. John and Andrew had new priorities, exemplified by leaving John the Baptist, following Christ, and winning their family.

A change in one's lifelong mission. Some people are driven to accomplish great tasks with their lives. Others live aimlessly from day to day, lacking purpose or direction. Either way, Jesus affects the outlook of a person's life. He gives His followers purpose and a commission,to live as subjects of the kingdom and promote kingdom values in everyday life and work. Ultimately, He wants His followers to extend His message to the ends of the earth, so that all people have the opportunity to give their allegiance to Him as their Savior and King (MT 28:18-20). Andrew appears twice more in the book of John, each time, he is bringing someone to meet Christ. John lived to a ripe old age in exile on Patmos, writing this Gospel that many more would know the true Christ and by believing in Him they might have life.

Finding out that Jesus was Messiah had an immediate impact on the life of Andrew and of John. Andrew immediately brought his brother Simon with the news that he had met the Messiah. His priorities had changed; once a fisherman, now Andrew was an evangelist! Simon, his brother, was also a fisherman. He was a simple man, but in his initial interview with Jesus, he was named the rock! Now, it took Jesus his entire three years of ministry, and even a visit after his death, to see this bungling fisherman turn into a bold and convincing witness for the Messiah. What he was, he was no more, and Jesus proclaimed and kept his promise that Peter would be made into a rock.

It is worth noting that John the Baptist faithfully preached Christ, and through his preaching of Jesus Christ both Andrew and John became disciples. Andrew brought his brother Simon, John his brother James. Jesus later wins Philip, and later Philip his brother Nathanael. Everybody who came in contact with Jesus, and submitted to Him as king were changed so that they have kingdom priorities.

So what will you do with Christ? If He is the Word, we should take God at His word and believe who He says Jesus is. If He is the light, we should reflect that light to others around us. We should live in the light as He is the light. If He is the Son of God, then we should know what God is like and follow in the paths HE has set for us. If He is the Lamb of God, His sacrifice has taken away the sins of all those who put their trust in Him. We should be sorry for our sins, and repent, but then we should trust the perfect sacrifice. And if He is the Messiah, we should live as though He is our King, and this should bring about a willful change in our allegiance, expectations, values, priorities, and our lifelong mission. Is Jesus Christ these things? Do you believe that God’s Word is true? then you and I need to live like it every day.