THE Son of God
So who's excited about a philosophy lesson? Yeah, me neither - so I'll keep this first part brief... 'Postmodernism' is a worldview where everyone builds their own foundation on their own experiences rather than a common foundation of truth. Its focus is relative truth rather than absolute truth. It's how we get the idea of moral relativism - where each person decides for themselves what's right and wrong. They become their own authority. It's how people say, "Well, that may be true for you - but that's not my truth."
Previously, most people in our country agreed upon a basic foundation - one established, time tested foundation that centered around a Biblical worldview. And from that foundation we learned our common view of justice, of marriage, our understanding of gender, of the sanctity of human life, of salvation, and of the source of Truth. Now, everyone sets up their own little 'foundation' based on their own experiences. And peoples' views and values are then based on their relative morality. But a personal foundation doesn't work so well in real life...
People have many expectations of ministers of Christian churches, and one of those expectations is that their beliefs align with God's Word. That sounds reasonable enough. But research by the Cultural Research Center, found that among all Christian ministers in the United States, only about one in three have a qualified Biblical worldview. The majority - 62% of 'Christian' ministers - possess a hybrid worldview, a 'buffet style' world view that's inconsistent with the Bible and represents their own personal preferences. Only 12% of children's and youth ministers hold what would qualify as a Biblical worldview.
One self described progressive Pastor said, "God almost never deals in absolutes. Our God is not a God of absolutes. Our God, I think, is a God who appreciates ... some ambiguity in the answers."
There are certainly some questions we have where God may not answer us absolutely - but that doesn't mean that God never deals in absolutes. - Quite the contrary. For instance - here's one absolute truth...
I. Jesus is The Messiah
This morning I want to look at Jesus as "The Anointed One" - The Messiah - and what that means. And there are some very specific implications about that designation. Jesus, Himself, caused quite a stir among the religious leaders of His day with this incredible claim. In the passage I want to start with, `Jesus was addressing a crowd at the Temple. Let's look at Luke 4:16-21 (NIV)...
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. (17) The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: (18) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, (19) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
(20) Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, (21) and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
His listeners were very familiar with the Old Testament and they understood very clearly what Jesus was saying by choosing that specific passage from Isaiah. And that sent people into an uproar. You see, Jesus was telling the Jewish people that He was in fact their Messiah, and when He started speaking to them as their Authority - many didn't believe and were furious! Why was there so much anger and disbelief? Well, one of the reasons was the time frame. When it came to the promised Messiah, there had been...
A. A long wait
Let's look back to the passage that Jesus referenced from the scroll, the prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2a (NIV)...
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, (2) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor...
This passage was written around seven hundred years before Jesus' birth. And since people had been waiting so long, there would of course be some skepticism. Jesus claimed to be The promised Messiah, The Anointed One, The single One chosen by God to save His people. And the religious people had waited so long for their Messiah, but when He showed up - many found it easier and more comfortable to serve traditions than to accept the Messiah right in front of them.
They knew the Old law, they knew the religious traditions - they had practiced and memorized what they were supposed to do. They followed the law - but when Jesus came to bring freedom from that law, they couldn't accept it. Following a set of rules may be restricting, but at least tradition doesn't actively demand something of you. Now, Jesus came along and demanded that people change - change their hearts, change their ways.
We're so far removed in time from Jesus' physical presence that we sometimes forget His radical demand for sacrifice, to surrender everything to Him. It's very easy to get comfortable 'going to Church' rather than 'being the Church'. And then when we are confronted by the reality of who Jesus is as THE Messiah, we tend to shrink back to what's comfortable rather than allowing Him to change us, and our values, and our way of doing things.
And another reason people were so angry - Jesus was claiming to be the Savior...
B. For all
In the Book of Luke, immediately following the passage we read, Jesus talked about reaching outside of the Jewish people, God's 'chosen' people. And when He did that they actually tried to throw Him off a cliff. You can check the rest of Luke chapter 4 for the whole story some time.
But this controversial claim about the Messiah wasn't new. Back when Jesus was born, He was brought to the temple. And there was a man named Simeon whom God had promised would live long enough to see this long awaited Messiah. Let's pick up the story in Luke 2:27b-35 (NIV)...
When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, (28) Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: (29) "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. (30) For my eyes have seen your salvation, (31) which you have prepared in the sight of all people, (32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
(33) The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. (34) Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, (35) so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
And Simeon's words came true - Jesus did cause the rise and fall of many in Israel. When Jesus came and opened up salvation to those outside of the Jewish faith, He bypassed the Jewish leaders. Jesus was now offering salvation to those whom many Jewish people considered their enemies - to those who, in their opinion, didn't deserve salvation.
What about those today who actively oppose our faith and values? When people aggressively mock Christianity and call us bigoted and 'hated filled' - do we always look at them as people who need God's forgiveness, too? Or do we act like the religious folk back then and act like anyone other than 'us' doesn't deserve Jesus' grace?
The biggest obstacle to many back then was the same one we face today. Jesus claimed to be...
II. The one way
Jesus made a claim about Himself as The Messiah that didn't allow multiple options. There was one right answer about Jesus, and only Jesus - and this has never sat well with people who don't like absolute truths. If you say there's only one right answer, then every other answer is wrong - and that's very restrictive in a sense. It's seen as being 'narrow minded' to not allow for multiple paths or compromise. But Jesus didn't negotiate with His own chosen people, the Nation of Israel. He made His claim and they could accept it or reject it. Jesus said, in John 14:6 (NIV)...
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
How does an airplane fly? It has to obey some very specific laws of physics in balancing the forces of lift, thrust, weight and drag in order to achieve flight. You have to 'obey' in order to not fall out of the sky. If you increase the weight, you have to increase lift or thrust, or reduce drag - you have to. Gravity doesn't negotiate. It doesn't say, "I can see you really, genuinely want to fly - you have good intentions, you're sincere, so I'll go ahead and let you fly despite your lack of lift." Gravity doesn't make exceptions for 'good hearted people' or even people who don't care about the laws of physics. I guess you could say that, in a sense, gravity is 'intolerant'?
And of course all analogies break down at some point - but in a similar sense, it would be accurate to say that Jesus is...
A. 'Intolerant'
It's not that Jesus is intolerant of different people - Jesus came and gave His life for everyone - regardless of their religious background, or past, or race, or economic situation - everyone! But Jesus is The way to Heaven - and there's no room for negotiation in that fact. And He says to follow Him - and only Him, and to obey what He has commanded us. And in this use of the word 'intolerant', it's not about being mean or hating anyone - it's about the truth, an absolute, unwavering truth.
I'm sure you've seen those 'coexist bumper stickers'. The idea behind it is very nice in its inclusivity and its encouragement to peaceably get along. And Jesus did come for Buddhists and Muslims and Hindu's and Jewish people - however, there is a truth that many reject. All faiths are not equal. - Christianity is superior to all other faiths, solely because of the superiority of Jesus Christ!
If I don't believe that, I can't really call myself a Christian, can I...? If I don't believe that Jesus is THE Way, The Messiah, The One way to Heaven as Jesus Himself clearly said - then I'm not following Jesus and I'm not really a Christian. Jesus loves all people, but worshiping anyone or anything other than the One True God by definition is idolatry.
Deuteronomy 4:35 (NIV)
You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.
So, 'coexist' yes, by all means, but not by compromising the truth of the Gospel message just to get along easier.
One rather outspoken Christian author wrote, "If there were only one exit out of a burning building, would I be "intolerant" and "narrow-minded" to proclaim it to you? I know I might "offend" the people who think the basement door will get them out, or those who would seek an exit by opening the very hot door with the flaming inferno inside. I'm sorry that I may be "insensitive" by not "affirming" your beliefs, and I know I run the risk of hurting your feelings, but I would rather save your life. You see, I care more about you than whether or not you like me. Instead of whining that there aren't more ways to be reconciled with God, we ought to be celebrating that there is a way."
She doesn't pull any punches does she? And neither did Jesus. Jesus does respect people of other faiths - but He does not respect their beliefs. He calls them false religions. Any religion that rejects Jesus as The Son of God, The exclusive way to the Father, to Heaven - that's a false religion. And I'm aware that sounds hateful to many people - and that's exactly why people back then tried to throw Jesus off a cliff.
I know that talk like this won't win me any popularity contests outside of these walls, but I'm not as interested in people liking me as I am in them hearing the truth about Jesus. And here's another truth, Jesus is...
B. Coming back
I'm more afraid of offending Jesus than I am of any man. And ultimately, I answer to Jesus, not them. You see, we're not simply talking about competing philosophies - simply different ways of thinking or looking at something - different opinions. This truth is about life and death.
Remember that passage that Jesus read from Isaiah? If you look at the whole passage - He actually only read part of that passage. He stopped with, "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor". But let's look at a bit more...
Isaiah 61:2-3 (NIV)
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (3) and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Jesus shared the first part about His coming as the Messiah. He explained that He was fulfilling that particular part. But the second part goes on to declare God's judgment on those who reject Him and His blessing on those who accept Him. Jesus is coming back. And God will judge mankind. God will reject those who reject His Son and will reward those who accept Him.
So What?
Jesus was and is the Messiah, God's chosen One, The One through whom God will reconcile to Himself all of those who accept Jesus. We accept Jesus' offer of grace in baptism, but we show God the sincerity and strength of our belief in how we live.
If we aren't convinced enough about Jesus being The way to Heaven that we never share the truth with anyone - how deeply held is that conviction? If we can't stand firm under pressure from modern culture to completely accept everything God's Word teaches - whether it fits with modern sensibilities or not - how committed are we to Jesus?
The challenge to us is the same that the 'religious folks' back then faced when they were confronted by Jesus and His claim of being THE One true Messiah, The Son of God. Will we acknowledge the truth with our lips in the safety of the Church building but then put it on a shelf in order to not cause waves in our families, or where we work?
I'm not suggesting we beat people over the head with Jesus' claims. We can't argue, or guilt or bully people into the Kingdom. We are called to show love and grace and respect to everyone. But we need to love people enough to tell them the truth - that their Creator came down in the person of Jesus and wants them to share eternity in Heaven with them. - To care enough to tell them that their way will only lead to death.
It's our responsibility to share the truth, let the chips fall where they may and follow Jesus - wherever that takes us - regardless of whether it's uncomfortable, costs us something or even if it's dangerous. Because there are lost people all around us who deserve to know the truth. Jesus is The Son of God!