Christmas at MVC//Week 2// Jesus the Christ

Jesus the Christ

Matthew 1:16 & various passages December 13, 2020

I. Introduction:

A. There is no other name connected with Jesus more than “the Christ.” It is used

528 times in the New Testament. There is no other name connected with Jesus

that is so loaded with meaning and implications than “the Christ.” There is no

other name connected with Jesus that is so crucial to understanding who He is and

why He came and even to understanding the message of the whole Bible when

you take it as one story as “the Christ.” There is no other name connected with

Jesus that is more misunderstood by lost people and new believers than that of

“the Christ!”

1. Before I came to know Jesus and even as a new believer I always thought that

Christ was Joseph and Mary’s last name – Joe and Mary Christ and their little

son Jesus Christ

2. Well I came to find out just how wrong I was about that and to be honest with

you I am still unpacking for my own life just all the meanings and

implications of the name Christ

B. We are doing a series on the names of Jesus connected with His birth because

they reveal more for us of who Jesus is.

1. Last week we learned that the name Jesus was a very common name at that

time in Israel and it connected Him to His humanity and His mission as

savior!

2. But the name Christ was not common at all, but it was a title that was well

known in Israel because that was the person sent by God whom they were

waiting for and the one in whom was all their hope!

C. Turn to Matthew 1:16 Read

1. NASB says Messiah and the ESV say Christ! Why is that?

2. “Messiah.” is the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament, which meant

“anointed.” It was specifically used to refer to “the one who was sent by

God and equipped by His Spirit to be their king.”

a) Psalm 2 is known as a messianic psalm, which means it is all about the

Messiah. Listen to this. Read Psalm 2:2,6

3. The New Testament translates that Hebrew word into Greek with the word

“Christ” Read John 1:40-41

4. So simply the Messiah or Christ is synonymous for the king of Israel.

a) Read Matthew 2:1-4

b) Show them that “king of the Jews” in v2 is equivalent to “Christ” in v4.

D. They were waiting and hoping for this Messiah/Christ because they were under

the rule of Rome and they longed for the day when the Christ would come to set

them free from Rome and set up God’s kingdom here on earth, centered out of

Jerusalem.

• The concept of “the Christ” was huge for the Jews and actually, it is huge for each

one of us even though we may not know it at this time. Today I want to help us better

understand what “the Christ” means. Let’s start with what the …

II. Old Testament expectation

A. When I study the teachings in the Old Testament about this person, the Christ, the

one sent by and equipped by God to be the king of Israel. I summarize it like

this:

1. One from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and the line of David (2 Samuel

7:12-19; Psalm 132:11), would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and

preceded by a messenger who would prepare the way before Him (Isaiah

40:3-5; Malachi 3:1).

2. He would be God Himself (Isaiah 5:7; 9:6-7; 24:23; Micah 4:7; Zechariah

14:9, 16-17). He would be king forever ( 2 Samuel 7:16; Daniel 7:14; Isaiah

9:6-7), over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:16; Daniel 2: 44; 7:14 ),

ruling all the world (Psalm 2:4-12; Psalm 110:1-3; Isaiah 2:2-4; Daniel 7:14;

Zechariah 9:9-10; 14:9-10) from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-3; 24:23).

3. He would enter into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) to be their king,

He would be anointed by the Spirit of God to be the king (Isaiah 11:1-5), a

priest (1 Samuel 2:35; Psalm 110:4) and a prophet (Isaiah 61:1-2), like Moses

in whose mouth God Himself would put His words (Deuteronomy 18:15:18).

He would be the good and faithful shepherd who will care for them (Isaiah

40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16) and supernaturally heal their infirmities (Isaiah

35:4-6).

4. He would dwell in their midst as a victorious warrior (Zephaniah 3:15-17;

Zechariah 2:7-10) judging the nations (Psalm 110:5-6; Isaiah 42:1; 63:1-6;

Zechariah 14:1-3, 12-15 ;), and saving Israel so that they dwell in safety

forever (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 14:11).

5. Finally, He is the one who would ratify and initiate the new covenant by

which not only Israel but also all from all nations who would trust the Christ

would receive a brand new heart. He would put His Spirit within them,

bringing to an end a relationship with God that was dominated by law but

now through the person of the Christ!

B. I am sure you are familiar with some of these verses. Let me read just a few of

them to give you a sampling: listen as I read Zechariah 9:9-10; 14:9; Isaiah 9:6-

7; Zephaniah 3:15-17 Jeremiah 31:31-34

• So this is what they knew or should have known at the coming of Christ based on

what they knew from the Old Testament. But I also think there were some things that

the Old Testament told them about the Christ that were …

III. Hidden from them

A. He would be rejected (Isaiah 53:3-4), suffer (Isaiah 53:5, 7) and die (Isaiah 5:8-9;

Daniel 9:26), then be raised from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-11). Turn

and read Isaiah 53:1-6.

1. Now there is something very interesting at the start of this chapter. Read v1.

Sounds like he is saying? “Who is going to believe these things? Who is

God going to show them to?”

2. God told Isaiah that this would be a people who would not perceive or

understand what He was saying to them. Read Isaiah 6:9-10c

3. When Jesus told His own twelve disciples that He was going to be rejected,

suffer and die then be raised from the dead, listen to what Luke wrote right

after it, as an editorial comment. Read Luke 18:34.

B. Often we hear that their expectations were wrong as they looked for a warrior

king to deliver them from Rome’s dominance and to set them free as a nation.

1. I do not think that Israel had the wrong expectation.

2. I think their understanding of the Christ was incomplete. When the Christ

comes back, then He will fulfill all the hopes they had but He does so much

more spiritually and He works much larger than Israel but also throughout the

whole world!

IV. Conclusion

A. So what has been your understanding of Jesus as the Christ?

B. I feel like we just had a dump truck dropped on us. I think now you understand

why I said there was no name for Jesus that has more implications to it and why I

said I am still trying to understand and still learning all the implications of this

name - the Christ!

C. I think that must have been how Mary felt after the angel told her in Luke 1:31-32

that the child she would give birth to that God will give Him the throne of His

father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom

will have no end!