What a Name: Messiah

Introduction:  Over the past few weeks we have discussed the ideas of Miracle and more specifically walking into and stewarding your miracle.  I want to pick up on this theme of Miracles as we enter the most Miraculous season of the year…Christmas.

John 21:24-25

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. ESV

I. Miracles of Jesus

1. John tells us in his gospel…that if every miracle or thing Jesus said and did were recorded there would not be enough books, therefore libraries to contain them all…
2. We know that often the bible says, “And Jesus healed them all…”
3. Miracles weren’t relegated to simply the New Testament…there are miracles littered all through the Old Testament
   1. Red Sea splitting or the Jordan River
   2. Manna, water, quail, cloud, fire…
   3. Raising of the dead
   4. Rain and Drought…

Transition:  But when Jesus arrives the Miraculous increases dramatically…with purpose.

II. Purpose of Miracles

1. The gospels…Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record 37 miracles that Jesus did.
2. Now each miracle was attached to Purpose….
   1. That is key because when we receive our Miracle… we have to pray past the miracle and ask for the purpose of the Miracle…
3. Purposes of Jesus’ Miracles
4. Some he did just to make people better…revealing the Character, Nature, and Attributes of God…
   1. It appears to me that in John 5 Jesus healed the man by the pool just to get the attention of the Pharisees…
   2. In Mark 5 Jesus heals the Demoniac…seemingly to open the region of the Decapolis for the Gospel…
      1. See I truly believe there is a Miracle that acts like a key to open a city, community, and region to the Gospel…
   3. In Nazareth Jesus could not do many miracles because the people were too familiar with Jesus. What you allow to become familiar, you cease to access and value.

Transition:  As we approach the Christmas season I want to look at the 4 Miracles that Jesus did which are called the Messianic Miracles…these miracles are the miracles that the Jews believed only the Messiah Could do.  The Nation had seen many miracles over its History…but these miracles the Sadducees and Pharisees both believed only Messiah would be able to accomplish.

III. Messianic Miracles

1. First Messianic Miracle- Healing Leprosy

1.   Mark 1:40-45

40  And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”  42 And immediately leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”  45  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. ESV

      b. Lev 13:45-46

45 “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. NKJV

1. 2^nd Messianic Miracle – Casting Out a Mute Demon

1. Matt 12:22-30

22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?  27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.  28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.  30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. NKJV

            b. In verse 23 the people ask “Could this be the Son of David…” Could this be the Messiah? And notice the Pharisees immediately get in a panic and start making accusations.

1. What causes this miracle to stand out above all the others that Jesus did…why were the Rabbi’s so outraged?
2. See the Rabbis taught that you cast out demons by the name of that demon…so a sign of Messiah was He would be able to Cast out a Mute Demon.
3. So, the Rabbis are faced with two possible answers….Jesus is Messiah Or Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebub or casting out demons by using stronger demons.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         3. 3^rd Messianic Miracle- Healing a Blind Man, Born Blind                    John 9 is our Reference
4. • Once again, a person born blind was seen as he had sinned, or his parents had sinned, or that the Person had been Cursed by God…
   • If you recall the story…when the man is healed, he walks through town and there is this demand to know…” who healed you.”
     1. The townspeople want to know
     2. The Religious crowd wants to know
     3. Even the High Priest demands to know who healed him.
     4. They go as far as bringing the man’s parents into the interrogation.
   • So, according to Jewish tradition, only Messiah could lift the curse by healing the Blind Person…
   • Just a side note…the curse was seen as a generational curse that would be a stigma on the family.                                                                           4. The 4^th Messianic Miracle is Jesus Raising Lazarus from the Dead
     1. This is one of the most noted Stories in the World…
     2. John 11:1-4

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2  It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

ESV

1. 1. 1. If we were to read the story it appears as if Jesus delays his journey to Bethany…and truthfully He did…by two days.  And if you don’t understand Jewish custom and Messianic Miracles…you may mischaracterize the character of Christ and think He was being hard or uncaring.
      2. So, Jesus arrives at Bethany, and let’s look at the attitude of the People
         1. John 11:28-37

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35  Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

ESV

1. • This Last miracle basically put the Religious Crowd into a corner…
     1. John 11:45-53

45  Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. ESV

1. Conclusion
   1. See those who studied the scripture knew Jesus was the Messiah…
   2. They knew all the signs…they knew the Miracles of Messianic Declaration
   3. So, they had to either accept Jesus as Messiah or get rid of Him…History tells us what they chose.
   4. The question however remains for us…
      1. We know Jesus is Messiah…
      2. We either have to accept Him as savior or get rid of him out of our lives.
2. Altar
   1. The Most beautiful Miracle is when a person understands that they are fully loved…
   2. In every religion of the World…people are trying to get to God…only in Christianity did God come to Us….