Stan, A Jewish businessman felt betrayed when Judy, his 21-year-old daughter called home from college to say, "I believe Jesus is the Messiah." This really threw Stan for a loop, and in an effort to prove his daughter wrong, he began an energetic quest for truth to prove her wrong. Months later, Stan accepted an invitation to attend a National Convocation of Messianic Jews. He planned to "work the convention" just like he was used to doing with his business. He said, "I intended to meet with anyone who I thought could help me, always probing for more information." After a series of meetings, Stan lay awake in his dorm room, thinking about his journey. He had arrived at a point of crisis. If the Bible was true—and he had concluded it was—then he really did believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He also admitted to himself that he believed in the Bible as God's inspired Word. But he couldn't quite say the words to himself, "Jesus is the Messiah." He asked his roommate, Art, to pray for him and to give him peace and resolve this inner conflict
The next morning at breakfast one of the men at Stan's table asked him to pray before the meal. Stan bowed his head and said: "Praised be Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe. I thank You for the fellowship and the friendship at this table. Thank you for what we have learned at this meeting. I ask You now to bless this food, and I do so…in the name of Jesus, the Messiah." For a moment, he sat there, amazed at what he had just prayed. It had not been planned. The others at the table didn't miss it. Their faces were suddenly disfigured. "Stan," said one of them, "You're a believer!" And one by one, they each got up from their seats and hugged Stan. Several cried with joy. Stan began to weep as well. Feeling convinced of this new enlightenment, he wasn't sure how his wife would take the news. In calling his wife, instead of his carefully crafted speech, he found himself blurting out, "Ethel, honey, it's me. It's over. I've made my decision. Jesus is the Messiah!" There was a pause on the other line as Stan held his breath. Then his wife's voice came back softly, "Thank God! That makes it unanimous. We've all been waiting for you." Stan's entire family—his wife and both daughters—had also made their decisions to trust Christ as the Messiah. They had each been praying, and waiting patiently, for the Holy Spirit of Christ to draw Stan into a relationship with Himself. The whole family discovered the true identity of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. One can’t but help to wonder how they reached this conclusion? What evidence, action, theory or purpose they encountered to come to this marvelous epiphany?
In starting our journey today friends, we are going to look into the truth just as this Jewish family did and discovered which seems that only a few people realize but all eternity knows the Messiahs true identity.
In the Gospel reading of Mark that you have heard, Mark’s account seems to be more direct to the point of Jesus’ purpose and ministry. Notice in comparison to the other Gospels, he does not include anything of the birth of Christ but straight to the mission of God at hand. In chapter one, we see Jesus is always on the move and as He travels, God moves fluently in the lives of all people. “They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” One thing to note, we hear it mentioned many times that Jesus taught, preached and delivered powerful messages of love, yet His messages are not fully recorded of what was said in any synagogue. We see firsthand the awe-inspiring work of Jesus and the effects of his teaching while not hearing the actual message. “Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!” Wow! The congregation settled in, found their favorite seat, said hello to their fellow parishioners and sat patiently and waited for service to begin. Everyone is centered, breathing deeply, feeling restful while being in Gods house of worship on Sunday. Then just as Jesus begins to preach, His message is interrupted by this demonic spirit. What does a person think? Why out of all places does a demon come here, now in the house of worship? We would understand it being at a local bar, strip club, house of ill repute, but here? One thing to help understand about the Messiahs true identity friends is its not the words we speak or message we hear or deliver, it’s the person of Jesus, who the Messiah really is that makes all the difference! Even in the synagogues of Jesus day and in every church in the world, satan is active and will not rest until he gets others to bend away from Christ and towards other things. So why not have a demonic spirit make its presence known in Gods house! It’s the best place in the world to be in hearing and experiencing God in every sense of the word whereby knowing everyone who doesn’t know Christ will at least experience His true identity. This is what I believe the Jewish family I mentioned earlier had done. They heard of Christ, they experienced Christ but it wasn’t until they opened their lives to Christ that they truly known who the Messiah really was.
While scripture does not give a full account of all the demonic spirits He encountered, there are four huge demonic accounts in the Gospels. While each one is very significant in describing the true identity of the Messiah, it proves beyond doubt that not even the people knew Jesus real identity, but the demons did! Listen to the demons words from the Gospels. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? Another account, Jesus asked, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he [demons] begged him [Jesus] eagerly not to send them out of the country. Jesus delivered them into a herd of pigs and they jumped off a cliff. Another account When he [demons] saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me. There was several others who’s accounts required the demons to remain silent, not to speak, and it was for a real reason.
Of all the sane people that live in this world, the honorable men, women and children, well balanced and faithful congregations, from during the times of Jesus to today, why does it seem that out of all the testimonies and experiences of this great life we live, mankind cannot identify Christ, Jesus the Risen Lord as being the one true Messiah, Son of the living God? It seems only the demons knows the truth! This I believe is why Christ forced satan and his minions to remain silent as it is required for us to know Christ first hand without having the evils of the world show us! Gospel of Mark chapter 1 verse 34 tells us “And He [Jesus] healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”
Most of us have heard of the famous Dutch painter Van Gogh, a man that sadly tossed away the truth imparted him in his Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace the truth again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color in his paintings, the color Yellow. [NEXT SLIDE]
Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, one finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of yellow. But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, seen in this picture, his life was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture is (blindingly) bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection. Like us today, Van Goghs Yellow tells the whole story: life can begin all over again because of the truth of God's love. Each of us, whether with actual yellows or metaphorical yellows, can begin to paint our lives with the fresh hope of a new beginning. No matter how late in life we think we are in discovering Christ, it is never too late to discover God. Remember friends, even though the demons of the world know Christ, scripture tells us every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This includes the demons and Satan himself. SO I ask you today, do know the Messiahs true identity in your life? Can you call Christ your Lord and Savior? What does it take to really learn of Him and know for sure and for certain that you will be with Jesus in paradise once we leave this carnal body? Listen to Pauls first letter to the people of Corinth. For we know that if our earthly tent [Carnal Body] which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
In closing, let me leave you with some revelations that can help your journey in discovering the truth identity of the Messiah for yourselves. Firstly, let God be God as we discover Christ the more we focus on Him. The more time we spend in His Holy words, the more we pray to our heavenly Father, the more we seek Christ in everything we do, we then discover His identity. Second as we learn of Christ we become a new creation. Paul tells us “ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” When we know Christ, we will NOT be the same person. We cannot put one foot in heaven and the other in hell. Third when we know Christ and choose to follow, we have been sealed by Gods holy blessing. Paul tells us “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory… Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Last but certainly not least, if we knock on Gods door, He will open it. “As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Friends, the Messiahs true identity lies upon our doorstep, we don’t have to look far. When God works in our own lives, friendships blossom, sickness healed, jobs obtained, families reunited, births of a baby or livestock, the seasons change, the sun glistening in our homes and so much more. IF someone was to ask how you know the Messiah, you should honestly be able to say, I know because God lives in me. I am reminded about the 10 virgins who waited for the bridegroom to come in the Gospel of Matthew. Five was prepared to meet God and the others were not. Remember, Today is the day of salvation friends, and I want to leave you with this short music video to help encourage your journey in discovering the Messiahs true identity in your life.