SBC Lesson 7 – Jesus the Messiah: God’s Provision

Survey in Basic Christianity
Lesson 7
Jesus the Messiah: God’s Provision

O.J. Gibson

“‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ),” said the woman of Samaria. “Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He’” (John 4:25-26). A short time earlier, a Galilean fisherman said to his brother, “‘We have found the Messiah,’ (which is translated, the Christ)” (John 1:41).

Names of the Messiah

God promised to send one to be the Savior of the world. Who would He be?

Messiah – this word comes from the Old Testament Hebrew language and literally means “the anointed one.” The Jewish people expected the Messiah to be their savior and deliverer. He must be of Jewish origin, a descendant of the paternal line of King David. Based on Old Testament prophecies, He will “bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24) by establishing His everlasting kingdom. He is also identified as God. He is called “Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).

The Anointed One – this is the literal translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil at the inauguration of their service. Jesus Christ was anointed with the Spirit of God (Isaiah 61:1-2; cf. Luke 4:16-21; Acts 10:38). The anointed one must qualify as the final Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Hebrews 1:1-2), the final High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1-2; 4:14-15; 7:26-28), and final king (2 Samuel 7:13, 16; Jeremiah 33:14-17; Luke 1:31-35; Revelation 11:15).

Christ – Greek is the New Testament language. The Greek word for Messiah (Anointed One) is Khristós, from which we get our word, Christ. The New Testament declares that Jesus is the Christ and often uses His given name, Jesus, with His titles, Lord and Christ. Jesus Christ is the One sent by God to be the Savior of the world (Isaiah 43:11; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 13:23; Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13).

Prophecies Concerning Jesus Christ

The significance of the life of Jesus Christ (Jesus the Messiah) and His impact on world history cannot be denied. It is without equal. Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago, and His birth is the dividing point of all history. The Bible identifies Him as the Messiah. The volume of Old Testament prophecies, written long before His birth, leaves no doubt that He is the only one who qualifies as the Messiah. The hundreds of prophecies Jesus fulfilled exclude all other contenders.

The evidence that He is the Messiah is well-documented by matching fulfilled prophecy with the details of His birth, birthplace, life, ministry, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. There is no other human being who has ever or could ever fulfill the prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus fulfilled over 200 prophecies. The following are a few examples:

The Seed of the Woman (Genesis 3:15; Galatians 4:4)
His birth at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1, 4-6)
His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18, 23-25)
His forerunner (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:1-3)
His entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-38)
His rejection (Psalm 69:8; Isaiah 53:3; John 7:5; 19:15)
His betrayal (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 10:4; 26:14-15)
Struck, spat upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67)
Suffering for the sins of others (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)
Pierced on the cross (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34, 37)
Praying for His enemies (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)
Crucified with criminals (Isaiah 53:9, 12; Matthew 27:38)
Buried in a tomb of the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
Rising from the dead (Psalm 16:8-10; Luke 24:46; Acts 13:33-35)

The same Scriptures prophesy His second coming (Psalm 50:3-6; Daniel 7:13; Zechariah 12:10; 14:4). His second coming is proclaimed in 23 of the 27 New Testament books. The Lord Jesus spoke about His second coming 21 times, and 1 out of every 30 verses in the New Testament refers to it. Since the prophecies about His first coming were fulfilled with precise accuracy, we can be confident the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled the same way. The Bible predicts His universal rule (1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Psalm 2:6-8; 45:6-7; 72:8; 110:1-3; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:14).

The Offices of Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus uniquely combined in Himself the three great offices that come from God.

1. He is a Prophet
He is the greatest prophet of all (Mark 6:4; Acts 3:22). He was the very One of whom Moses spoke (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

2. He is a Great High Priest
He represents His people before the Father and prays for them (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25). He faithfully fulfills His role, doing God’s will (1 Samuel 2:35).

3. He is a King, the King of Kings
Jesus is known as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). He came at first as the King of the Jews (John 19:19). Today, He is King in the hearts of His people. Every knee shall bow to Him in a future day as all people acknowledge him as Lord of all (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:9-10).

The Deity of Jesus Christ

The Bible declares that Jesus Christ was God revealed in flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). He was the exact likeness of the unseen God (Colossians 1:15). How amazing that the living God came in the flesh (John 1:1, 14). How sad it was that “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10).

Jesus came to be our “great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13). Only God can save us. He says, “I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11). An angel announced, at His birth, “there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Mary said, “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47). She knew that her son was also her Savior and God. The Biblical references that point to Jesus as God are many.

1. He is Directly Called God
Jesus is called God (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20). The Father addresses the Son as God (Hebrews 1:8).

2. He is Called the Son of God
The Jews clearly understood that Jesus claimed that He was God (John 10:33-36). There is a lesser use of the term “son of God,” but He is the unique (only-begotten) Son of God (John 1:14, 18).

3. He is Fully God
One of the clearest verses on the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9; cf. 1:19). Jesus is fully God.

4. He Bears the Divine Names of God
He is called the Alpha and Omega, the First and Last, the Beginning and End, the Almighty (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:8, 17; 22:13), and the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24, 58). To say of himself, “I AM” is a self-declaration of His deity.

5. He is Worshipped As God
Men and angels worship Him as God (Isaiah 45:23; Matthew 14:33; John 20:28; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 1:6). Worship is reserved exclusively for God (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8-9).

6. He is to be Equally Honored
God does not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). The fact that Jesus is to be honored equally with God the Father (John 5:23) indicates He is God.

7. He Performs the Role of God
Jesus is the Creator (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2, 10). He is the Judge of all (John 5:22). He is the forgiver of sins (Matthew 9:2-6), yet only God does this (Isaiah 43:25).

8. He Has Life Within Himself
He gives life to others, but He is self-existent (John 5:26).

9. He Has All Divine Attributes
He is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8). He has all-power (Revelation 1:8), all-presence (Matthew 28:20), all-knowledge (John 21:17), is eternal (Micah 5:2; 1 Timothy 1:16-17), and He demonstrates all other divine qualities.

10. He Did the Works of God
He commanded the winds and waves, and they obeyed His voice. He had power to control nature (Matthew 8:26-27; Mark 4:39-41). He had authority over demons (Matthew 8:16, 28-32). He had power over sickness (Matthew 8:1-17). He created food for the multitudes (Matthew 14:19-21;15:36-38), raised the dead (Luke 7:12-16; John 11:32-44), and fulfilled the works of God (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-21).

The Humanity of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of John opens with this phrase, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). The term “Word” is usually used as an expression of speech. We use words to communicate with one another. John is not writing about a unit of speech but of a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s full expression of Himself to the world. When Jesus came into the world, He enabled us to see what God is like (Colossians 1:15), He spoke what was on God’s heart (Hebrews 1:1-3), and demonstrated the fullness of God’s attributes to us (Romans 5:8). We read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word is fully God (John 1:1). John states that the Word is eternal (John 1:2), the Creator (John 1:3; cf. Colossians 1:16), the self-existent source of life – both physical and eternal (John 1:4), and the light to expose the darkness of sin (John 1:4-5). Although Jesus is fully and eternally God, He became “the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). John says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He, who existed forever as God, chose to come to earth, take on a human body, and live among men for 33 years. God walked among people as a human being.

Jesus’ humanity was real. He experienced our emotions. He hungered, thirsted, suffered, wept, and was weary. He experienced temptation by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), yet He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), did not sin (1 Peter 2:22), “and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). He suffered, bled, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. He was different from ordinary men, yet fully human.

1. He Had Human Parents
We can trace His genealogy back through David to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). He was not born of man’s seed, but He was born of a virgin through a conception by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-23). As a result, Jesus did not inherit man’s sin nature (Hebrews 4:15).

2. He Had a Human Body
He looked like others (John 4:9; Romans 8:3). He grew to manhood in a typical fashion (Luke 2:40, 52), but His life was untainted by sins (Hebrews 2:18; 1 Peter 2:22-23).

3. He Was a Triune Being
Just like other human beings, Jesus had a body (Hebrews 10:5), a soul (Matthew 26:38), and a spirit (Luke 23:46), but He exhibited a unique God-consciousness, communing intimately with the Father like no other man.

The most important question that Jesus asked of men was, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Your answer to His question is a matter of eternal significance. Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Jesus then prophesied that the Jews would crucify Him, and after that, they would know that He is who He says He is – He is the Messiah (John 8:28). Who do you say Jesus is?

SBC Lesson 7 Study Guide
Jesus the Messiah: God’s Provision

Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). People must recognize Him fully and acknowledge His identity. Test yourself.

For whom was the Samaritan woman looking to reveal to her the truth of God (John 4:25)? How did Jesus respond to her statement (John 4:26)?
The coming of Messiah (translated “Christ” in Greek) was foretold hundreds of years before the Old Testament writings. Match the following verses with the prophecy on the left.
1. ____ Birth at Bethlehem
2. ____ His virgin birth
3. ____ His forerunner
4. ____ His entry into Jerusalem
5. ____ His betrayal
6. ____ Suffering for the sins of others
7. ____ Pierced on the cross
8. ____ Crucified with criminals
9. ____ Buried in tomb of rich
10. ____ Rising from the dead
Identify the three great offices of Messiah (Christ):
How was Jesus different from other men while on earth (as described in the following verses)?
In what ways was Jesus like other men while on earth?
How does it help you to understand that Jesus experienced common human emotions?
What attributes of God are ascribed to Jesus Christ in the following verses?
Answer by circling True or False.
1. God the Father addressed Jesus as God. (Hebrews 1:8) – True or False
2. Jesus refused to allow men to worship Him. (Matthew 14:33; John 20:28-29) – True or False
3. The Lord Jesus never claimed to be God. (John 8:58; 10:30) – True or False
When Jesus was born on earth (select one)
1. He ceased to be God when He became man.
2. He was fully God and fully human.
3. He was not genuinely human because He was God.
4. His true father was Joseph, just as His true mother was Mary.
Paraphrase (rewrite in your own words) John 1:1-3, 14.
What do you say? Philippians 2:9-11 indicates that every creature will “bow the knee” to Christ at a future time. How and when will you do this in your life?
We want to encourage you to memorize God’s word. The suggested memory verse for this lesson is:

Philippians 2:10-11 (NKJV)
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

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