Matthew 1:1 - This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:21 - She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
3 aspects of Jesus’s identity that lead us to rejoice
Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…
I. Rejoice that Jesus Is the Christ
Luke 2:10-11 - Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
A. Announce good news about God’s salvation
Psalm 96:2 - Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Psalm 40:9 - I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation…
Isaiah 40:9-10 - Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him.
Isaiah 52:7 - How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 61:1 - The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.
Matthew 11:2-6 - Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
B. Trust Christ has the authority to fulfill what God promised
Mark 1:2-3 - As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
Psalm 68:7-8 - O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, Selah. The earth quaked; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
1. Purification and judgment
Malachi 3:1 - “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
Mark 1:4 - John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 3:7-10 - You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance … The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
2. Comfort and rescue
Isaiah 40:1 - “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
II. Delight in Jesus as the Son of God
Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.
A. Fully God, the One and Only Son, One with the Father
John 1:18 - No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
Mark 1:24 - What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!
B. The True King of Israel descended from David
Mark 15:25-26, 37, 39 - “It was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” …And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. …When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
III. Celebrate Jesus Is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit
Mark 1:7-8 - And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Ezekiel 36:25-27 - Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
Serving at the Living nativity is always a good time. One of the best aspects is getting to know others in the church family. This past LN, We were all dressed up, sitting and talking between shifts and one little girl asked me…who are you….
I responded with somewhat of a dad joke…I said, that is a deep question…who am I really…I am a image bearer of God, a follower of Christ, I am a man, a husband, a father, a pastor….and my name is Dustin…but WHO am I really…that is a deep question.
She said, who are you in the Living Nativity…I said…Oh…I am a tax collector…she said…OK.
Our identify is an interesting thing…each aspect of my identity emphasizes something a bit different about me, and yet I am one person…and they really all flow out of me being an image bearer of God…I want to bear God’s image as a man, a husband, and a father…and even serving as a tax collector.
- Because who I am is ultimately someone who was created to reflect God glory and honor…so every part of my identity should bring God glory.
That is especially true when you think about the identity of Jesus, Our Messiah.
As we conclude our Christmas series Jesus, Our Messiah I hope we will be filled with joy and thankfulness as we continue to think deeply about Jesus.
Just by way of brief review…
First, we looked at Our Messiah Family Tree (Matthew 1:1-17).
Why would a family tree be tracked for 42 generations! \
Jesus is from a royal family line.
His Jewish lineage was of the promised royal family line
of Abraham and King David of Israel.
Matthew 1:1 – “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham”. . . We rejoice because Jesus has the right to rule from the throne of David.”
Next, we saw Our Messiah’s Saving Purpose (Matthew 1:18-25)
Unlike most parent who get to chose their babies name when born
Mary the virgin, and Joseph don’t get to choose the name of the child.
They are told his name. Jesus, Yeshua, which means “God Saves.”
We also rejoice Because Jesus has come for a purpose, a saving purpose.
Matthew 1:21 – “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Then, we observed his Caring Kingship (Matthew 2:1-12)
We rejoice in the promised ruler who will shepherd his people
in contrast to the wicked rulers of the world like Herod.
For our Christmas Eve Services, we heard about Our Messiah’s Rescue from Danger, and we marvel in God’s sovereign plan that cannot be stopped.
This morning we will conclude our series on Our Messiah and hear about His Incredible Identity, as we look at the opening chapter and verses of the Gospel of Mark.
Please turn in your bibles to Mark 1:1-8 on page ________. In the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you in the New Testament.
READ MARK 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.
8 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
This morning as we consider His Incredible Identity, we will focus on Three Aspects of Jesus’s identity that lead us to rejoice.
John Mark opens with a biography of Jesus’s life with an introductory title.
v.1 – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ”
Jesus is the subject of his writing.
Who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do.
The beginning does not mean the sequence of time, but first in principle or origin.
The first aspect of Jesus’s incredible identity that is mentioned is the title “Christ.”
I. Rejoice that Jesus is the Christ
Christ is not Jesus’s last name. Christ is a title like Alexander the Great.
Jesus is the Christ. Christ is a Greek word that means “Anointed one.”
The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same thing “Anointed one.”
Jesus is the anointed one of God. Jesus is the Messiah or Christ.
Then notice that Jesus the Christ is what the gospel is about. The gospel means good news. So, Jesus is good news.
We like to make announcements of good news.
- Birthday party
- Job promotion
- Getting Engaged or Married
- Anniversary
- Birth of a Child
Notice, the good news is something that needs to be shared and proclaimed just like we would naturally do this for any other important good news. So, John Mark wants to proclaim this good news, but he is not the only one.
We see this is what angels do as well when they announce to the shepherds,
Luke 2:10–11 – “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Likewise, we are commanded to:
A. Announce good news about God’s salvation.
The Romans proclaimed Caesar Augustus to be the saviour, god, and lord. His birthday was a cause of glad tidings because he came to end wars and create order everywhere in the Roman Empire…but in contrast Christians preach a different gospel and a different Savior and different Lord.
In the OT, the good news is proclaimed with God’s victory to save his people.
Sometimes it is from their enemies, or dangerous circumstances, or from sin.
For example, the Psalms command us to
Psalm 96:2 – “Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.”
Psalm 40:9 – “I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation”
We want to be a people characterized by announcing good news about God’s salvation from day to day and in one another’s presence?
One of the ways to do that is to personally shared your testimony of God’s salvation of your life with someone…or ask someone about their testimony so that the good news of Christ’s salvation is constantly before us.
That leads us to rejoice and give thanks in every season.
There is no better news that you can think about, remember, and share.
In Isaiah God tells his people to announce good news…when his people were facing mourning, sadness, and exile in a foreign land because of their disobedience to God, God gave them hope for good news of deliverance…
God is coming to ultimately save his people from their sins and restore them back to God.
Isaiah 40:9–10 – “Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.”
Jesus is the Christ, the Promised King of Israel who would bring blessing and the forgiveness of sins to all nations of people who would believe in him…
later in Isaiah the good news of the Messiah involves God’s salvation which involves God’s rule as King!
Isaiah 52:7 – “How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
This promised rule of God brings salvation even to the disabled, the down-trodden, the afflicted and suffering.
Often in Scripture, these people are not even mentioned by name but called “the blind/deaf,” “the lame,” “the leper,” “the widow,” “the orphan,” “the captive” “the paralyzed.”
They are dependent and vulnerable from others outside of themselves.
They are at the mercy of others to act on their behalf to care for them and help.
The Leper must look for healing outside himself.
The blind relies on others to help him see and navigate.
Like the lame man at the pool of Bethesda who said.
“I have no one to help me into the pool”
Throughout the Scriptures, the good news is that our righteous God reigns, and unlike the evil world that takes advantage of the weak and helpless, he will show mercy, act, defend, and come to rescue these afflicted ones.
So at the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry in Luke 4, he announces the time has come, he is the Christ to fulfill God’s plans. He quotes the gospel from Isaiah…
Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners”
This good news ought to reassure our hearts that Jesus is the Christ.
- The one anointed to save and to rule.
And remember how when John the Baptist, who is mentioned in our passage, this morning, how he was encouraged with this good news.
Matthew 11:2–6 – “Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
Don’t take offense at the good news about Jesus being the Christ. Receive him and announce him to others.
So, the good news about Jesus’s incredible identity is that he is the Christ,
The anointed one, sent by God the Father, to save his people from their sins and to rule and reign forever.
All this implies we must announce him as the eternal king who reigns who alone can save.
Therefore, we must…
B. Trust Christ has the Authority to Fulfill what God Promised
Notice, verses 2-3 explain the title in other words, “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” was something God had promised, and Jesus has the power to deliver on what was promised because he is God and King.
Quoting from Isaiah and Micah…Mark explains that John the Baptist is the messenger send to prepare for the Lord’s coming. He is the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the people for the Lord’s arrival.
The Lord in the OT is applied to Jesus, so a clear connection is made that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament who is coming, and John the Baptist is the promised messenger to announce his coming.
v.2-3 - “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet”
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”
Mark is writing to primarily Gentiles, but wants us to see that you cannot separate who God is and what he is doing in the OT from Jesus and what God is doing in the NT.
Jesus has specifically Jewish roots since he is the promised one. God’s promises and plans are going to be fulfilled in the Messiah, and the Messiah is Jesus.
Mark is saying the God of the OT and the Jesus of the NT are the same Lord.
Both of these quotations from the Old Testament imply the Lord’s presence is coming to his people.
- God will be with us.
The good news is the people don’t have to make a way…they don’t have to get stuff out of God’s way so that God can come.
The verses in Isaiah 40:3 being quoted, mean the opposite. God’s sending a messenger, John the Baptist…he will announce the Lord’s coming….but you must be prepared to receive him when he does come….
Meaning the Lord’s presence is coming. The king is about to arrive.
You can’t stop it… mountains won’t get in the way…even rough terrain and valleys won’t stop the Lord from coming to rescue his people.
“Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;”
Like Psalms mention…
Psalm 68:7–8 – “O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.”
Our hope for forgiveness of our sins and right relationship with God is based on what God is doing to make a way for us to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus.
We are receiving a king who has the power to completely save and rescue us from our sin.
No amount of suffering, sin, and death could stop Jesus from fulfilling his purpose.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead on the 3rd so that you can be saved and assured that nothing can undo what God has accomplished.
The Christ is the Sacrifice, God has provided who takes away our sins. You must trust the authority of Jesus to accomplish what God promised to do.
His presence to be with his people requires preparation because when the Lord, comes there will be…
1. Purification and Judgment
Malachi 3:1 – “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.”
When John the Baptist commands the people to repent he preaches a baptism of repentance for purification and cleansing of sin.
v. 4 – “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
This is in preparation for the coming of God who will purify and judge.
In Malachi 3, the Lord of justice is coming to purify his priesthood, the temple, and judge the people.
This theme of purifying judgement is what John the Baptist warns the religious leaders of Israel about.
Matthew 3:7–10 – “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance … The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
One of the dangers when considering the identity of Jesus as the Christ is to only focus on his power to save and deliver with mercy, to the neglect of all the passages that speak about the Christ’s as the Warrior King who will break the nations with a rod of Iron and bring judgment and justice to the world.
Are you appropriately responding to Jesus the Christ in holiness and purity in your life? Are there fruits of repentance in your life?
Do you confessing specifically to others when you sin against them. Are you asking for forgiveness with humility, gentleness, and patience.
Are there fruits of repentance in your life because you are motivated by the identity of Jesus.
Christ’s presence to purify and judge should motivate us to respond appropriately with repentance, faith, and holiness in our lives.
Christ’s presence also brings…
2. Comfort and Rescue
Isaiah 40:1 – “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.”
So, we can rejoice in Jesus being the Christ. He is the Promised King. His presence brings purification, judgement, and the comfort of salvation.
He is a good and compassionate king who cares about His people.
And we must announce the good news of Jesus as King to others and respond appropriately by trusting his authority to accomplish what God promised.
Jesus is also identified as “Son of God.” So, God wants us to…
II. Delight in Jesus as the Son of God
The language of “sonship” in the bible is wide ranging. Sometimes the Bible uses the word “son” to describe a biological son…like Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters.. (physical children born to them)
The Bible can use “son” metaphorically to refer to a person other than a biological son. For example, the disciples James and his brother John are called “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). They had thunder like qualities.
Christians, both men and women, are called sons or children of God.
Many examples of the bible use the language “son of [blank]” or “sons of” to describe relationship and likeness. For example, since God is the great Peacemaker, those who make peace are called “sons of God.” Just like since God is love and loves his enemies, those who love their enemies are “sons of God.”
For example, Adam the first man in Luke 3 at the end of the genealogy is called the son of God. Meaning he reflects as an image bearer and is created to represent what God is like. Kings in the OT in the family line of David, when they became king were called “sons of God” in that it showed they should be like God in how they live and rule.
Jesus is the true Son of God…He is of the same essence, the same nature as God the Father.
Hebrews 1:1–3 – “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature”
God wants us to understand Jesus as the Son of God in some specific ways…
A. Fully God, the One and Only Son, One with the Father.
Jesus, the Son of God, is in a special eternal relationship with the Father…The Son is eternal and the Father is eternal…
When the Son became born of the virgin Mary in a fully human nature, he perfectly represents what God is like as a man. Jesus is fully God and fully man and he has a unique relationship with the Father.
In Mark 1:11…at the baptism of Jesus a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” God the Father is well pleased with God the Son. Remember in our series of John this year…
John 1:18 – “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
So, if we want to know what God is like we look to the Son, Jesus to know him. Any religion or belief system that says you can know and have a right relationship with the True God, without trusting and knowing Jesus Christ, means you do not worship the true God.
And it’s not enough to even recognize Jesus’s power and authority to be from God…remember that even the demons/evil spirits say…
Mark 1:24 – “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
Don’t confuse knowledge about Jesus’s claims of God with your personal trust and obedience to Jesus as your God.
Since, Jesus is the unique Son of God, he alone can make it possible for us to enjoy a right relationship with God.
The true Son must reconcile us so that we can be adopted as children of God.
Jesus is the unique Son. The Son of God also means….
B. The True King of Israel Descended from David
Mark 15:25–26, 37, 39 – “It was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” …And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. …When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
In the Gospel of Mark, Gentiles tend to be the focus…and Here is a gentile who is in Awe of the Identity of Christ…this man who just gave up His spirit truly is the Son of God.
It is amazing what happened at this moment…the veil was torn in two, the sun went dark for 3 hours…there were not normal phenomenon that indicated this was not just any death on a cross…this was something very different…it is also interesting that Jesus cried out with a loud cry when he gave up His spirit…The centurion say the way he breathed His last breath and recognized there was something different about this man…
There is something powerful about Jesus crying out in a loud voice and giving up His spirit, laying down His life willingly…There is great power on display as the temple curtain is torn in two and the sun went dark…the power of God is on display…victory over sin and death is on the horizon, the good news is that Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins and resurrected to new life and was victorious.
III. Celebrate Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.
John served as a prophet in unique point in history to announce the coming Messiah.
He is a prophetic witness to identify Jesus as our Lord and Messiah.
He is dressed like the prophet of Elijah of the OT has a ministry that crowds are coming to hear.
Yet, John’s baptism is evidence of faith and repentance, but does not accomplish forgiveness and cleansing, rather prepares them for what Jesus would do. Notice the contrast.
v. 7–8 – “And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus is mightier than I. He is the Christ, the Son of God.
He is greater because I can only baptize (immerse) with water…Jesus will baptize (immerse you) with the Spirit.
Jesus is the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is required to cleanse and regenerate you with God’s salvation, this is what God promised his people…
Ezekiel 36:25–27 – “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
One amazing aspect of Jesus’ identity is that He baptizes you with the Holy Spirit….and the Holy Spirit seals you until the day of redemption.
Jesus being the baptizer reminds us that we need someone outside of ourselves to cleanse us.
I think being baptized by someone else is powerful imagery…to indicate I needed someone else to do something I cannot do myself.
We cannot clean ourselves because to be right with God we must be immersed with the Spirit of God to cleanse and unite us with Jesus Christ through a new covenant that Jesus established.
You can buy water and immerse someone in it, but you cannot buy the Spirit and immerse someone in God. But Jesus baptizes with the Spirit to cleans you of all unrighteousness and bring you into the kingdom of God.
We can celebrate that our cleansing and new life in Christ is assured because the Spirit of God indwells every believer, and it was specifically our Savior who chose to ask the Father to send Him to us and Jesus baptizes us with the Spirit.
The Spirit is your deposit guaranteeing your salvation and inheritance in the Kingdom of God as a child of God.
Praise the Lord for an amazing Savior. May we rejoice in the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit!
Let’s pray.
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