What about Jesus? -- 6/11/06 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, June 11, 2006

WHAT ABOUT JESUS?

Last week we spent our time in the first part of Isaiah 6. Let’s read it again…
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Are you seeing the Lord high and lifted up? By the way, you will notice "LORD" is in all caps (vs. 5). That is a method the translators use to designate the holy name of God – Jehovah, or Yahweh, the "I AM." Later, we read some of the strong words of Isaiah from chapters 40-45, which affirm again and again that the holy LORD is unique, that there is none like He.

This morning I would like to direct us to think about Jesus, that One who was born 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem’s manger. Even in our secular society, most everyone knows something about Jesus. However, here is a fitting question which we might ask: Is what people know about Jesus the truth?

We live in the day of the internet. One of the great features of the internet is email. We can jot a note to someone and send it without ever leaving our chair. I don’t have to worry about forgetting to address the envelope, forgetting to put a stamp on it, or never getting around to mailing it. It’s great. But one of the problems is what we might call "junk email." Before long, your email address becomes known and your "in box" tends to fill up with junk. Oh, some of it may be all right, but other emails are either worthless or even annoying. Some people make a hobby out of forwarding emails. With a few keystrokes, I can take an email I receive and pass it along to a hundred other people. Most of us don’t have time to read all the forwards we receive.
Because it is so easy to forward messages, a message can go around the world and back in a very short time. If it’s a great truth that is being disseminated far and wide, wonderful, but what if it isn’t the truth? For example, that old message about how Madelyn Murray O’Hair is going to remove all religious broadcasting from the air waves still surfaces now and then. That message has died and been resurrected hundreds of times, but there are people who will still pass it on without checking it out.

I say all that to say this: Everything that is passed on about Jesus is not necessarily true. Anything that is subjected to the rumor mill of our society can become very distorted. Even when there is truth in the message, the failure to relate the whole truth can result in a very distorted message.

This morning let’s consider the holiness of Jesus. Let me say at the very start that I am deliberately emphasizing this one truth about Jesus. At this point, I am choosing to neglect other great truths about the Lord Jesus. Why? Because the holiness of Jesus has been pushed aside for so long, people have received a distorted view. Sometimes we become so accustomed to a certain message that we must be hit really hard by the truth before it makes much impact on us. So it is with the holiness of Jesus Christ. We hear often that Jesus is the friend of sinners. We hear repeatedly that He welcomed even the children to come to Him. While that is certainly true, it will never have its full impact until we understand who it was that was a friend of sinners, until we recognize the majesty and holiness of the One who was born in Bethlehem.

Now when you come to the New Testament and begin to search for the message that Jesus is holy, at first you will be surprised at how little you find. Where are we told that Jesus is holy? There are a few direct statements about His holiness, but only a few. We read in Heb 7:25-26, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens…" When Jesus addressed the Philadelphian church in Rev. 3:7, He began with these words: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth." Both Mark and Luke tell us that the demons recognized Jesus’ holiness. Mark 1:24 (identical to Lk. 4:34), "Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."

Now we might find a few more such references, but let’s not dwell there this morning. I would like to take you to some key events in the life of Jesus which reveal His holiness. Remember what "holy" means. It means "set apart." We saw that God is holy; He is set apart; there is no one else like Him; He is in a class all by Himself. As we read some of those passages in Isaiah, we found that God declares this about Himself over and over and over. For example, we read in Isa 44:6, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Now we want to explore the life of Jesus. Was Jesus also set apart like that? It’s easy for us to nod and simply say, "Yes," but this morning may God drive this truth deep into our minds and hearts.

1. Luke 5:1-9…. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

Let’s read from Luke 5:1-9…
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.

Why would Peter fall down before Jesus and say, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord"? You would think that he would be tickled to death with the great catch of fish, after catching nothing all night. No doubt, at first, Peter was thrilled with what was happening. But as the size of the catch became more and more evident (the weight of the fish was sinking the boats), Peter had time to consider what was happening. He and his partners were expert fishermen. They had fished these waters since they were kids. They knew perfectly well that when you fish all night, you don’t suddenly come up with a world’s record catch a few minutes later. It wasn’t possible. But here was Jesus, the carpenter, telling the fishermen how to fish. How could He do that? Was He able to look into the water and see the fish? Or, did He call the fish and tell them to jump into the nets?

Peter must have been filled with questions he could not answer. One thing he knew – this was no ordinary man.

But Peter knew more than that. Notice again his response: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Now it is true that in that day the word "Lord" was sometimes used in a way similar to our word "Sir." That is not the case here. Peter referred to himself as a sinful man. The clear implication is that Peter saw his sin against the background of a holy and mighty Jesus.

We learn in the Word that God can have nothing to do with sin. No sinner can stand in His presence. That is why when Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone… for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Peter had the same experience, when he recognized Jesus for who He was. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" is perfectly parallel to Isaiah’s "Woe is me, for I am undone." But Peter isn’t beholding the LORD, Jehovah, high and lifted up; he is in the presence of Jesus of Nazareth. Nevertheless, when this revelation came to Peter, he couldn’t stand in His presence; he fell down before Jesus, the Holy One of God.

2. Mark 2:1-12 Jesus forgave sins.

Now let’s read from Mark 2:1-7…
And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

Let’s stop right there for a minute. Notice that statement of the scribes: "Why does this man blaspheme? We all know that no one except God can forgive sins?" Do you understand what they were saying? They were saying that God is holy; He is set apart; there is no one like Him; He is in a class by Himself, and He is the only one in the "forgiving-of-sins" class. Up to this point, they are absolutely right in their attitude. At least outwardly, they were jealous for the glory of God, who will not give His glory to another.

Now let’s read on in Mark 2:8-12…
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9. Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11. I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
The scribes must have been reasoning something like this: "Who is this man that claims to forgive sins. Why should He say such a thing and deceive the people. Regardless of what He says, He can’t actually forgive sins." Jesus is patient with these scribes. It’s as if He says, "Okay, I will show you that I do indeed have the authority (KJV=power; Jesus is saying that He has the right to forgive sins) to forgive sins. You can’t see the forgiveness of sins, but you will be able to see this man rise up and walk." And so Jesus turned to the man and said, "Arise, take up your bed, and go on home." Jesus’ exercise of such healing power demonstrated that He did indeed have the authority to forgive sins.

Notice the response – "insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." Why were they so amazed, proclaiming, "We have never seen anything like this"? Was it because Jesus healed this man? No. If you go back through chapter 1, you will find the healing of the nobleman’s son, the casting out of a demon from a man in the synagogue, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and then multiple healings and casting out of demons before all the people of the town. Everyone of these miracles took place in Capernaum. And where did this incident take place? Just go back to 2:1; it was in Capernaum. As a matter of fact, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, a huge crowd gathered in a hurry, precisely because they knew of the miracles of Jesus. They had seen Him do many miracles before their eyes. But now they glorified God and said, "We have never seen anything like this." They had never seen a man who could forgive sins. Jesus was in a class all by Himself. He could do something that no one except God could do. Surely they never forgot what they saw that day.

3. Matthew 17:1-8 (Also Mk. 9:1-8; Lk. 9:28-36) Jesus Transfigured on the Mount.

We have heard the testimony of Peter, who said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." We have heard the testimony of the people, who testified that they had never seen anything like it – a man who had the authority to forgive sins. But now let’s hear from a higher source, from the Lord Himself, Jehovah, the Almighty God. Let’s read the story from Matt. 17:1-8… (You can find the same story in Mark 9:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36).
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2. And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

It was not a bit unusual for Jesus to take these three – Peter, James, and John – up into a mountain to pray (Luke says He went up to pray). But what happened next was highly unusual. Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus was "transfigured" before them. This is the translation of the word from which we get "metamorphosis." We often associate that term with the caterpillar who undergoes metamorphosis, to become a beautiful butterfly. It is fitting that this term is used of Jesus. While Jesus walked this earth, He had "no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him" (Is. 53:2). He had no natural beauty. There was nothing in His countenance to call attention to Him. But now Peter, James, and John are privileged to behold a metamorphosis right before their eyes. They now see Jesus, as they have never seen Him before. His face shone as the sun. His clothing was as white as the light (Mark says "as white as snow").

Now Luke gives us a bit fuller picture. When they got up on top of the mountain the three of them were heavy with sleep (32). But listen to the last part of that verse: "And when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him." What a sight to wake up to. Here is Jesus revealed in His glory, and two others are standing with Him. I don’t know how they recognized the two as Moses and Elijah (maybe Jesus told them; maybe they introduced themselves; maybe it was immediate divine revelation), but they did recognize them.

Notice that they saw His glory. This was not the norm. Others didn’t have the privilege of seeing Jesus’ glory. This was no ordinary trip up the mountain. Jesus was changed; His face shone as the sun. He was talking with two men who lived hundreds of years before Him. Yes, they saw His glory. They saw that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was holy; He was in a class all by Himself. No man had a countenance like His; no man could stage a personal visit with Moses and Elijah.

Now that isn’t the end of the story. Peter was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know what to say, but that never stopped Peter from saying something. So he said, "Lord, if it’s all right with you, we will make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Before he could finish explaining the plan, a bright cloud enveloped them. And then there came a voice from the cloud which said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. HEAR HIM." Peter wants to make shelters for the three of them. But God Almighty shut Peter’s mouth immediately and He Himself gave the plan. If I may elaborate a bit on the words of the heavenly voice, "Peter, forget Moses and Elijah. This is MY Son; you listen to Him. Jesus and Jesus only is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. He is holy, set apart completely unto me. There is no one like Him – not Moses, not Elijah, not anyone. Now listen and obey what HE says."

Is it any wonder that they fell on their faces out of fear. They were hearing from Jehovah God in the presence of His beloved Son Jesus. Now the testimony to Jesus’ holiness came from Almighty God. If Moses was on holy ground, then these three were on the holiest of all ground! After Jesus told them to get up and not be afraid, they got up and saw no man, except Jesus only. What powerful instruction in those words. How we need to hear that and take it to heart. We are such a divided people. Dozens of good things vie for our loyalty. How we need to get on our faces before God and then rise up to see Jesus only. "Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." And what was that good part, that better part? Was it not that Mary saw Jesus only. Though cooking Him a meal was a very good thing, she couldn’t take our eyes off Jesus. She couldn’t tear herself away from listening to His words. Oh that we might see Jesus only, for He is holy, set apart, in a class by Himself.

Conclusion

Does this message sound almost like a repeat of last week? The same theme dominates – Holy, Holy, Holy. The difference is simply this: last week we talked about the LORD God, Jehovah, Yahweh, the Almighty. This week we have been talking about Jesus of Nazareth, that one who was born into this world as a baby. But isn’t it unthinkable to speak the same way about Jesus as we speak about Almighty God in heaven? Is that blasphemy?

We’re not through yet. There are a few other passages about Jesus that we must consider before we can even begin to do justice to His holiness. We must look at the judgment of men in John 10. And surely we must see how the Isaiah 6 passage we studied last week relates to Jesus. Perhaps we will also look at the picture of Jesus in Revelation 1.

But wait a minute. What about the great truth that Jesus was called Immanuel, which means "God with us." When are we going to look at that good news? That is exactly what we have been examining all morning. If we don’t get a good dose of Jesus’ holiness, we will never fully appreciate Immanuel, God with us.

In these days, may our theme be taken from Heb. 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…" And let us begin by looking at His holiness. As we read the gospels, let’s not forget the majesty and splendor of this Jesus.

This morning I want to give you an invitation. If God is bearing down on your heart, if the holiness of the Lord God and the holiness of His Son are making an impression on you, if these truths are making you uncomfortable, if you feel like God is speaking to you, if you are confused, my door is open and my phone rings at any time day or night. Seriously, I am available. And there are other brothers and sisters available. These truths we are studying are very important, life-and-death important.